16 December 2020 - Edie Brickell - Good Times

This solo debut by Edie Brickell - because, let's not forget, she was in a BAND called New Bohemians - was included with each copy of Windows 95 when it was released.   

That's right.  If you have a Windows 95 CD, you have a copy of this video.

The song itself is a pleasant song about someone who doesn't want the good times with her lover to end - in that moment.  In Ms. Brickell's case, that would be Paul Simon.  This song is about Paul Simon.  And it's a very happy song as a result.

15 December 2020 - Sugarland - All I Want To Do

"Hey, let's skip work and just love each other."

That's pretty much a synopsis of this song.

That's all they needed to make a big hit song that was the feel-good song of 2008 and a huge country-pop crossover hit.  

That, and this video, which was really working hard to sell Jennifer Nettles as a sex symbol....  

14 December 2020 - Bill Withers - Lovely Day

I think it's pretty obvious why we're posting this song this month.  It's one of the happiest songs ever written.  A moderate hit in the late 1970's, it's fondly remembered as a classic today.  

It's also got a single note that Withers sustains for eighteen seconds.  This is one of the longest ever sustained in a pop song.  

The song has experienced something of a resurgence in 2020, largely due to its placement in this Allstate commercial. Admit it, you're smiling now, aren't you?

12 December 2020 - Charlie Pride - Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'

Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Pride, the first black country superstar and a favorite of my mother, has passed away at age 86 of complications from COVID-19.  

It's real, people.

Anyway, here he is performing one of his sweetest songs on Marty Stuart's show.

This song, released in 1971, was Pride's only Top 40 pop hit, but his 8th country #1, and endured as one of his signature songs.  

I grew up listening to Charlie Pride because my mother and father were fans of his.  He will be missed.  

11 December 2020 - KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See

OK, folks!  It's time for a history lesson.  Today, we're going to learn about Queen Boudica.

In short words, Boudica was a Celtic tribal queen in what is now eastern England in the early A.D. times.  Around 60 A.D., she led an uprising against the invading Roman Empire (who had killed her husband and raped her daughters), by uniting the warring Celtic tribes for the first time in history.  That's right.  A woman led that uprising.  It was an uprising that they eventually lost and ended in her death, but it was 1) enough to make the Romans consider withdrawing and 2) enough to make her a folk hero to this day.

She did not mess around.

10 December 2020 - Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good

In the words of Dr. Stephen Strange, in the Marvel movie Dr. Strange, Chuck Mangione "charted a top 10 hit with a flugelhorn."

This is an undeniably uplifting instrumental by a Rochester, NY native - the same place where I am writing this blog right now.   As I write this, it is cold and there is snow on the ground - but the most famous song for flugelhorn ever written is warming it up in here today.

9 December 2020 - Lizzo - Good As Hell

This very uplifting song was a huge hit in 2019.   

The weird part about that?  The song is from 2016.  It took three years and a performance at the MTV Video Music Award to make it a big hit.

 

That unexpected 2nd life for this great song meant that a new video was in order..... given that the first one was a movie tie-in for a movie that didn't enjoy the same resurgence.     

8 December 2020 - The East Pointers - Wintergreen

The YouTube comments on this song say everything you need to know:

"Top 10 Crossovers Nobody Expected: Canadian folk music and the Wiggles."

Yes.  That's Emma from The Wiggles.  And she visualizes a song about recognizing the light in someone else that they might not see in themselves well.  Not that the lyrics needed the help.

If you aren't Canadian, chances are you haven't heard of The East Pointers, a delightful folk group from Prince Edward Island.  Juno Award winners in 2017, if you know anything about Canadian geography, you'll understand their name.  Even if you aren't, you can't help but smile when you hear this song.... can you?

(Update: 26 January 2021): I don't often update posts this quickly, but 1) this song is so amazing I wanted to post a 2nd version of it and 2) I wanted to answer one question I've gotten more than once from our mostly American audience.  Emma is using AUSLAN, which is Australian sign language, and not ASL, or American sign.  That's why you don't recognize all the signs.

Now enjoy this live performance.  

7 December 2020 - Dido - Thank You

Have you ever had a day that was going just terribly and then someone says something that turns it around?

That very feeling is why this song was such a big hit.  That, and the fact that Eminem sampled it.  

The song itself starts out with a string of bummers - and then makes a super positive left turn.  Dido's light and airy, yet powerful voice makes you appreciate the positive message even more.   

By the way, Dido didn't go anywhere.  She's still around.  And still performs what is inarguably her biggest hit song.

4 December 2020 - The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl

This song makes me smile literally every time I hear it.  It's a minute and half of pure joy.  Really, it's 45 seconds of joy repeated twice.  Lyrically, it's somewhat beautiful - about quick, pure and true love.  It is as hyper and energetic as the actual emotions.  Truly, this song is a short masterpiece.

And if you aren't smiling at a LEGO-mation video, then I don't know if I can help you.  

3 December 2020 - Owl City - Good Time (Acoustic)

It isn't often that I blatantly repost a song I already posted....  

....and given my recent self-covers week over on Totally Covered, you'd think I'd put this THERE.

This is Adam Young doing his big hit song without Carly Rae Jepson.... and it takes on a different meaning - one of equal optimism, sure, but more reflective optimism.  The first version of the song was rapidly released in the wake of "Call Me Maybe".  In my post about that song, I said the following:

"Owl City has put together a song that benefits from Carly's presence, but doesn't require it."

Thank you, Adam Young, for proving me right.  

By the way, even though this song is billed as acoustic, it isn't.  There's a fair bit of electronic enhancement.  THIS VERSION, on the other hand, is ACTUALLY acoustic, and a gem.

2 December 2020 - Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over

Who would have thought that a slow jam could be so uplifting?

The song might seem gloomy, and the title ends with the words "It's Over".  However, there's no comma in the title.  It's not a command to stop dreaming, because it's over.  It's a request to not dream THAT it's over - there's a long road ahead.  

Let's not even talk about how this is arguably the greatest song ever composed by a New Zealander - it is most certainly the biggest international hit by someone from that county.  Just soak in Neil Finn's lyrics.  

Now that you heard this, go to Totally Covered for a great version that respects the local New Zealand culture.   

1 December 2020 - Oasis - Live Forever

To close out 2020, I wanted to feature songs that would be somewhat uplifting.  

And when you hear about the theory about the genesis of this song, you might think that it's an odd choice for uplifting.

Written by Noah Gallagher, although he has denied it, it was originally seen as a direct response to the Nirvana song "I Hate Myself and Want To Die".  I believe him.  This was one of the first songs he wrote and would have had to anticipate the Nirvana song many years later.  He did, however, strongly come out in favor of not dying young.  

More likely, it was a tribute to his mother, and stresses an optimistic outlook.  Forget how beautifully the song is crafted - the opening drum beat, the guitar solo.  Forget that Oasis constantly compared themselves to the Beatles and were generally egotistical.  Listen to the lyrics.  They're an ode to living as long and as well as one can, as opposed to dwelling on minutia and every ache and pain in life.   

20 November 2020 - Men At Work - Overkill

Everyone remembers the first single.    

In 1983, this second single from the second album for Men at Work reached #3 on the Billboard chart. The song, written by lead vocalist Colin Hay (who would later cover it himself).  

The song itself is about a guy who has insomnia because he can't stop overthinking everything.  I feel personally attacked by these relatable lyrics.  For a hit song, it's a little dark, especially since this is the same band who had just smiled and made you a Vegemite sandwich.  

19 November 2020 - Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu

We have billed this song, the title song to the 1980 disaster of a roller-skating movie, as being an Olivia Newton-John song, but that's not entirely true. 

The Xanadu soundtrack was split in two parts.  Side A was written by John Farrar - principle songwriter for Olivia - and performed by ONJ, with several guests backing her.  Side B was written by Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and performed by ELO - but the closing song was this one, with a guest lead vocalist.  

So really, it's an ELO song.   And the single - ELO's biggest hit - was billed to both of them.  

At any rate, the song is a delightful coda to an abysmal movie.  

Of course, we also published an ELO-only version on Totally Covered.  Go check it out.  

18 November 2020 - Sam Phillips - Holding Onto The Earth

Today, we are doing something very different than we have ever done before.  

We are posting the same song by the same artist on Wicked Guilty Pleasures and Totally Covered.  

We are doing this for three reasons.  The first two are over here.   

The third is that this is a great song that didn't get nearly enough attention, despite the fact that it an emotional powerhouse of a song.   This was Sam's first single as Sam - she had previously gone professionally by her legal name, Leslie - and her first single as a secular, and not Christian, artist.  Keep that conflict in mind as you listen to this.   

14 November 2020 - Nirvana - Lithium

We finish our week with one of the band's biggest hits.  

I have to admit, when I first heard Nevermind, this was my favorite song on the album, and I was thrilled it was released as a single.  It isn't still my favorite, but it's still great. 

We've done a good job highlighting all the members of the band this week except for Krist Novocelic - and this is a great song to point out the bassist, who tends to not get a ton of attention.  He's an excellent bassist in a band with a genius in front - and this song highlights just how reliable his work was.  

14 November 2020 - Nirvana - Verse Chorus Verse

In case you wanted to hear what the real "Verse Chorus Verse" sounded like.

14 November 2020 - Nirvana - [hidden track]

Yep.  We posted this in the middle of the night, on an early Saturday morning, JUST TO HIDE IT.  And we probably won't share this on Twitter.

There are at least two times that Nirvana had a hidden track on albums featuring them.  The first one we will mention is from the 1993 AIDS fundraising album No Alternative.  Most versions of the album feature this song, titled "Sappy" as a hidden track, although some bill it as "Verse, Chorus, Verse."  After Kurt Cobain's death, it was discovered that there was another song called "Verse, Chorus, Verse" in the Nirvana unreleased catalog, and so subsequent releases of this song on various compilations do restore its original title.

The second is well known for those of us who one day decided to just leave their Nevermind CD running after "Something In The Way" was done.  10 minutes of silences are followed by this very loud and forceful song.

It was not my first listen to the album when I discovered it.  And yes, I did have a "what the f***" response when I did.  

13 November 2020 - Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box

Thus far, we have avoided In Utero, Nirvana's followup to Nevermind.

That was not purposeful.  Nirvana had a short catalog, but it was deep, and so it's hard to fit everything into one week.  We're trying, though.  

This song wasn't actually a single, because DGC, their record label, didn't want to cannibalize album sales.  Nevertheless, the song got an awful lot of airplay.  But what's it about?  It is said that it is about children with cancer... but some, and by some, we mean Courtney Love, think the song is about her.... and her vagina.  

Kurt's not here to tell us what this song is about, but he did leave the song behind for all of us to question and ponder.... and enjoy.

Let's look at the song live, where you can really hear Kurt belt the song. More apparent here are Dave Grohl's harmonies (with Pat Smear adding some vocal assistance).   Most apparent to me is Kurt's reluctance to be in the spotlight.    

12 November 2020 - Nirvana - In Bloom

By the time "In Bloom" was released as a single, Nirvana was about ready to give a middle finger to corporate rock and roll.

Except they were corporate rock and roll.  So that posed an issue.

This video was their temporary solution.

Longtime fans of Nirvana know that this was the 2nd time they had recorded the song.  It was originally released as a single - with this video - in 1990.  The song was originally recorded before Dave Grohl joined the band - and the video recorded right after.  Whereas the later single and Nevermind version includes Grohl on harmonies - the scream going into the chorus and the chorus itself is actually two voices - this version contains no such harmony vocal.  

11 November 2020 - Nirvana - Sliver

From the B-sides compilation Incesticide, this song was a great single all by itself.   

Let me say that again.

This was a non-album single, not deemed good enough for Nevermind.  It was a throwaway song.  It's also a perfect Nirvana song - showing the time before the band got so large.   

Two notes on the video.  First, the song doesn't actually feature Dave Grohl on drums, as it was recorded before he joined the band. Rather, Dan Peters from Mudhoney was the drummer on this single.  Second, and cutest, that's Frances Bean Cobain dancing at the beginning of the video.

Enjoy!

However, just because Dave Grohl didn't appear on the original single, it doesn't mean he didn't perform the song......

10 November 2020 - Nirvana - About A Girl

Most of you know this version of this song.  It was recorded before Kurt Cobain's death as part of an MTV Unplugged special, and released as a single in late 1994, after his death.  It's a pretty sounding song....

.....that was actually on their debut album, Bleach, in a very different version.  What I find amazing, though, is that the same emotion shines through in BOTH versions.