OK, I know. At this point, we know that Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana - or, was. I debated billing this post as Miley, and not as her television character. I chose Miley, because she actually performed this song live an awful lot, as Miley (although when she performed it on the show, she was Hannah).
Really, Miley was Hannah Montana, and Hannah Montana was Miley - and, in interviews recently, Miley has expressed a lot of appreciation of Hannah, in getting her to the superstardom she's achieved today..
This was the theme song to that show, and although she doesn't perform it live anymore (and hasn't, as far as I can see, since 2010), it's a part of Miley, and Miley is a part of it. The song was written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil.
On a personal note, this was a show my daughters watched. We had the Hannah Montana CD in our car. I heard this song a lot. It brings back positive memories.
There was a second version of the song, partially live, done for a movie to wrap up the series as well.
How the hell did I come to post the theme to the daytime soap opera The Young and The Restless?
Well, if you read yesterday's post, you may have a clue, but it's not directly related. You see, a different Mary J. Blige song - "No More Drama", which happens to be the title track to the album featuring "Family Affair" - heavily samples this song. I was doing some research for a future post, and, well, I stumbled upon the history of this song, which is absolutely wild.
The song did not start off as a soap opera theme song, but rather as incidental music for the 1971 movie Bless the Beasts and Children. Barry De Vorson later extended his little piece of music for use on the soap opera.
Fast forward to 1976. ABC's Wide World of Sports used the song as part of a montage of the gymnastics of Romanian Nadia Comeneci - you know, the first one to bring perfect 10s to the Olympics (in Montreal in 1976) and also six more? She is arguably the best known gymnast of all time, and certainly the best known of her generation.
The voice-over is by famed sportscaster Jim McKay, and it cemented the positive feeling for Comeneci throughout the 1976 Olympic Games.
Well, at this point, everyone was not only hyped up over Nadia Comenci, but also "Nadia's theme", as it came to be known. I, at my very young age, knew her name - it was an effective piece.
De Vorson and Perry Botkin responded by releasing the song as a re-titled single, which became a top ten hit in 1976, five years after its composition and initial recording.
Incidentally, Comeneci never actually performed to the song that ended up bearing her name.... except during a 1997 episode of Touched By An Angel, alongside her husband and fellow gymnast Bart Conner.
This is more typical of her floor execises - this performance from the 1980 Olympics in Moscow that won Comenci her fifth Olympic gold medal (an event in which she only won bronze in Montreal).
When Mary J. Blige was a current hitmaker, I wasn't a fan. I can't tell you exactly why. I just wasn't.
But times change. Tastes change. And I can see the genius that is Mary J.
This song was co-written by a team including Blige and her brother, Bruce Miller, as well as the producer of the track, a Mr. Andre Young, who you may know as Dr. Dre. For those so inclined, the song follows a C♯m–G♯m7–C♯m–G♯m7 chord progression, written by Dre a fair bit before he sent it along to Mary J., who added lyrics. She sings all the vocals on this track, both lead and background.
This song ended up spending six weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Blige's only #1 hit and her biggest hit song by far. It was also a chart-topper worldwide. It was also the first number one song to include the word "hateration".
There are so many great live versions of this song, so I went with this in-studio one from 2005, which features a full band, including background vocalists that aren't Mary J. Blige.
I decided to include one more version - this one with a different backup vocalist who does step to lead for a few seconds.
Sorry, Swifties - she doesn't have the range of Mary J.
You've never heard of these artists, but you know their work.
In 1989, Tim Carleton and Darrick Deel, two high school friends, wrote a song called "Opus Number 1" and recorded it using a Yamaha DX7IIFD and an Alesis Midverb. They composed it because of its specific auditory qualities - the synth, the taps. It was a pleasing sound to these high school kids - Carleton was particually into Yanni, so that was also part of the inspiration. The song is 5 minutes and 38 seconds of abslolute new-age bliss.
They went on to big rock stardom no big rock stardom, but the song was never by either of them.
Both Carleton and Deel went on to become IT professionals in the San Francisco Bay area. Deel worked for a company called Cisco, who were starting to move beyond routers and switches and into the world of IP telephony. Deel happened to be one of the engineers on the project for the first IP phones from Cisco, and knew that the project needed default on-hold music.
He happened to have the perfect song on his phone, and the rest is history.
So, to all the lazy IT professionals who have set up a Cisco phone system and left the default hold music in place - thank you. You have helped to make "Opus Number 1" the most popular on hold music in the world, by far.
This music is so pervasive, it was featured in a Super Bowl commercial for Bud Light this year.
This 2002 single is one of Eminem's most successful and award-winning - the video for the song even won a Grammy. It is the typical boastful song you expect from Marshall Mathers. But there's a few things about this song you don't know.
The song opens with the line "Two trailer park girls go 'round the outside." This is a direct reference to the 1982 single "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren, which was an early hip-hop song and a clear influence on Eminem's music. First, it was great that he included a reference to an obscure old-school song that most of the music world had forgotten. Second, because of this, the writers of "Buffalo Gals" - Malcolm McLaren, Trevor Horn, and, believe it or not, Oscar-winning composer and Art of Noise founder Anne Dudley - got a songwriting credit on "Without Me".
The rapid-fire song and comic-inspired video bring the early 2000's pop culture references, from Dick Cheney's heart attack to his mom's lawsuit against him. One that I wanted to highlight was his diss of Moby - specifically, "You can get stomped by Obie", a reference to Obie Trice (his real name), a artist that Eminem signed to his own label and was promoting. This was also a response to Moby's very pointed criticism of Em's lyrics - specifically, Moby called him, "a misogynist, a homophobe, a racist, and an anti-Semite." In the end, there was no personal beef either way.
Anyway, this is one of Eminem's best received and most critically acclaimed songs. Enjoy it.
If you are a fan of K-Pop music and are following the news, you know that ASTRO member Moon Bin was found dead in his home.
I'd love to talk about this song, which is a pretty happy pop song from a group that was together for seven years. This is, as of right now, one of their last singles, released in 2020 and a hit on Korean radio and elsewhere, like so many songs before.
Unfortunately, because of this sad news, I'm not feelin' it. So, let's talk about Moon Bin. Moon Bin started in entertainment as a child actor when he landed a role in the 2009 TV series “Boys Over Flowers.”. His sister, Moon Sua, is also a K-pop artist, a member of the girl band Billlie.
So, try to enjoy the music and remember an artist gone too soon.
Let's just open up with the question you all have.
Who the hell is MC Scat Kat?
Good question.
The answer is that they were Bruce DeShazer (also known as Tony Christian) and Marv Gunn, collectively known as the Wild Pair. MC Scat Kat just played their part in the video. Previously members of Mazerati, this was not the Wild Pair's only hit,
The video was inspired by Gene Kelly, who danced with a cartoon mouse named Jerry (yes, that Jerry) in Anchors Aweigh. Clearly, Paula thought Tom deserved some love. Abdul, a choreographer of dance first, choreographed both her moves and those of the cat, which were animated in what was considered to be a ground-breaking video.
The song hit #1 in the US, her fourth from the Forever Your Girl album, making her the fourth artist to have four number 1 hits from the same album (a feat that would be matched four more times).
The song itself is actually clever. You're fooled by the cat, but the lyrics are pretty smart and mature.
About ten years ago, I got more irrationally angry about a post than I ever had. You see, that day, Scott Colvin posted about the Icona Pop song, "I Love It (I Don't Care)". That song was essentially Icona Pop singing over top the demo track provided to them by the songwriter, a Ms. Charlotte Emma Aitchison of Cambridge, England.
I was going to post that song the next day. Literally. I had a whole post written that took a different take than Scott did. I was going to be highlighting the extra vocals, which belonged to Ms. Aitchison's. And, it probably would have ended at that - I mean, until the unignorable "Fancy", of course. Then again, I might not have been into that song so much if not for what came next.
Instead, Scott's post got me looking into the other music Ms. Aitchison had made, which at the time, was a simgle album and a bunch of mixtapes. The album, True Romance, was on heavy rotation for me for a couple of years. There were a ton of great singles on that album, and I posted about a lot of them. At last count, there were approximately 18 Charli XCX posts on this blog, which doesn't include the ones on the other one.
Somehow, I missed this one, and it's a good thing I did. You see, "I Love It (I Don't Care)" is one of two songs she wrote on a particular day in 2011, based off beats given to her by producer Patrik Berger. The other was a song called "In The Dark", later titled "Dancing In The Dark". You can still here that early demo version. It still exists.
When it made it onto True Romance in its final form, it was called "You're The One". And, somehow, I never talked about what was one of my favorite songs from that album until today. It's a synth-pop goth love song, and it is a gem.
Today, Charli XCX uses a lot of autotune, reportedly because she doesn't like her voice. She seems to have found her sound.
She's wrong about her voice. Here's a performance of this song with just a piano, some drumsticks, and a river in Austin, TX.
I was really just lacking for a blog post for today, and for some reason, I mentioned Nelly Furtado yesterday, and, well, here we are.
This song was released as the lead single from her debut album, Whoa, Nelly! in 2000, and it quickly became a massive commercial successworldwide. Right off the bat, she hits a home run,
The song was written by Furtado herself, and it was produced by Brian West and Gerald Eaton of the duo Track & Field. "I'm Like a Bird" was a departure from the typical pop songs of its time, with its unique blend of acoustic and electronic elements, as well as its introspective lyrics.
"I'm Like a Bird" received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, with many critics praising Furtado's unique voice and her ability to blend various musical genres into a cohesive whole. The song went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2002 (the last Canadian to win that award as of this writing, by the way), further cementing Furtado's status as a rising star in the music industry.
The song is an expression of freedom and self-discovery, with Furtado singing about her desire to be free like a bird and to follow her dreams wherever they may lead her. The chorus, with its soaring melody and catchy hook, became an instant classic, and it remains one of Furtado's signature songs to this day.
You're probably wondering why I'm sharing March content in April.
There's two reasons for that. First, I didn't know what to do with this song, which isn't officially released, and I have no songwriting or recording information about this song. I just know this recording, which is amazing, which brings me to the second reason, and that is that the music and the story behind the genesis of this song was far too cool to make you wait 11 months to hear it.
The East Pointers & Vishtèn are bands with a lot of things in common.
They are both folk groups that were originally trios.
They're both from Prince Edward Island and have known each other for decades, since childhood - in fact, The East Pointers recorded their first EP in the living room of two members of Vishtèn - the very same room that the video below was recorded.
And, each has a member that's passed away tragically in the last year or so - each a sibling of another member of the group, and in the case of Vishtèn, also a partner - Pastelle LeBlanc. We spoke about Koady Chiasson last month. Pastelle passed away at age 42 of breast cancer.
Cancer sucks, people.
In the memories of Koady Chaisson and Pastelle LeBlanc, the four surviving members of these two groups got together in Pastelle and Pascal Miousse's living room and made some uplifting, beautiful music.
Will the four of them get together and make a superband? Was this a one-off? No one knows that today except the four people making these beatiful sounds, but I hope the music helped to heal them, at least part-way.
Yes, I have a Vishtèn post queued up for next March. Don't fret.
I don't like lying to my readers, so I'm going to be upfront.
I use Wikipedia for a lot of my research.
And this song, by Wikipedia, is described as "a retro-futuristic dance-pop and disco-funk song with elements of house and 1980s music that is set to a Europop beat." Which, really, is a pretty accurate description.
Here's something else WIkipedia taught me. The song was written by Dua Lipa, Melissa Webb, Andrew Wotman, Ali Tamposi, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson..... Andrew Farriss? Michael Hutchence? How did Dua Lipa collaborate with someone who died when she was 2?
It turns out that the songwriting team - minus Farris and Hutchence -wrote this song feverishly, and immediately recorded and produced it. Then, they all played it back, and once they heard the bassline from "Need You Tonight" clearly, they knew what they had to do - credit the songwriters and give INXS a publishing credit.
Which Andrew Farriss very much appreciated.
But, despite the obvious influence, this song isn't "Need You Tonight". It IS a bold song about a woman questioning her choices in men, and it is a poppy gem. Surprisingly, despite being one of her best known songs worldwide - topping charts worldwide - it didn't quite crack the Top 10 in the states.
Nine years, in fact - which is the last time she released music.
This is her new single. It is the best single released this year by a former vice president of equity research for Bank of America (a job she left in 2000 - this is true). Toiling for more than 20 years in the music industry, she has achieved a lot of critical acclaim and deserves a lot more than that.
Her new album, Just Like A Rose: The Anniversary Sessions, celebrating her more than 20 years of work, comes out in June. It is almost guaranteed to be great. The first single, the title song from that album, is here.
There's a reason I'm posting this today, and it has to do with Friday's post.
A cover of this song by the Breeders, produced by J Mascis, appeared on the Head to Toe EP. When I sat back and thought about this, I laughed heartily.
Why?
"The Freed Pig" , in its original form, is a song from Sebadoh's 1991 album "III" that was directed towards J Mascis, the frontman of Dinosaur Jr., a band that Lou Barlow, the founder of Sebadoh, was previously a part of. The song's lyrics were meant to be a biting commentary on the strained relationship between Barlow and Mascis, and their musical and personal differences.
The song's opening lines, "You were right, I was battling you, trying to prove myself," reflect Barlow's feelings of frustration and insecurity in his relationship with Mascis. The lyrics, "I tried to bury you with guilt; I wanted to prove you wrong," suggest a sense of resentment towards Mascis, who had a dominant presence in Dinosaur Jr.
Throughout the song, Barlow's lyrics continue to express a mix of anger and vulnerability. The lines, "I'm self-righteous, but never right, so laid back, but so uptight," highlight the contradictions in his personality, while the chorus, with its repeated line "Now you will be free," suggests a sense of liberation from the constraints of his relationship with Mascis.
The song itself is a lo-fi classic. Barlow delivers the vocals over fuzzy guitar with a bit of detachment (it had been a few years) and that's kind of the point.
I don't like doing special edition posts. I do them because someone has passed away.
In this case, it's Luscious Jackson songwriter, keyboardist and mostly backup vocalist Vivian Trimble, who passed on April 4th after a long battle with cancer.
First off, that's sad, and my thoughts go out to her family and loved ones. Cancer is terrible and she was only 59 - far too young.
The loss goes beyond her family, too - she was a fantastic musician. Trimble's ability to seamlessly blend different genres and experiment with different sounds made her a sought-after collaborator and producer, with her work being featured on projects by artists such as Kate Pierson, the Black Keys, and David Byrne.
Trimble's musical prowess aside, she was also a vocal advocate for women in the music industry. Trimble's commitment to empowering women in music and amplifying their voices was a testament to her character and her commitment to making a difference.
Second, this isn't a Luscious Jackson song, but rather, a song from her side projects with Luscious Jackson bandmate Jill Cuniff, Kostars. The other members of Luscious Jackson do also appear on the project, which was recorded at Kate Schellenbach's home studio along with the rest of the Klassics With a "K" album.
Cowritten by Trimble and Cuniff, "Red Umbrella" is a beautiful and heartbreaking song that will resonate with anyone who has ever loved and lost. It's a testament to the power of music to evoke emotions and memories, and a reminder that even in heartbreak, there is still beauty to be found. Strongly featuring Trimble's vocals, it serves as a reminder of what we as fans are going to miss.
You know, they had more songs than "Cannonball", right?
This was the single that came two singles later, the last issued off the Last Splash album. Weirdly, though, it's a different take of the song - not the album version. This version and its key shift are aligned with their live versions of the song.
You could say this was the first single released from the Head To Toe EP, which included this version.
In both versions of the song, the instrumental arrangement is minimal and fuzzy. This version, produced by J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., is in a better register for Kim Deal's gravely delivery and the background vocals of Kelley Deal and Josephine Wiggs.
The song received fairly solid airplay on alternative radio.
Today, we talk about s a song that tells the story of the chaotic adventures of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. From getting marriedm to dealing with the media's unrelenting scrutiny, the song covers a lot of ground. It's a tale of two people deeply in love, doing whatever it takes to be together. And as a bonus, it's kind of a fun song.
The song starts with John lamenting the fact that he and his beloved Yoko can't seem to catch a break. They're constantly in the public eye, and everyone seems to have an opinion about their relationship. But despite the criticism, John and Yoko remain steadfast in their love for each other.
One of the standout lines in the song is "Christ, you know it ain't easy / You know how hard it can be / The way things are going / They're gonna crucify me." It's a tongue-in-cheek reference, comparing John and Yoko's relationship to that of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The media had a field day with that one.
But despite the scrutiny, John and Yoko remained devoted to each other. They even got married in Gibraltar, much to the surprise of their fans and the media. In the song, John sings about the couple's trip to Paris and their attempts to find a place to stay. "Finally made the plane into Paris / Honeymooning down by the Seine / Peter Brown called to say / 'You can make it okay, you can get married in Gibraltar near Spain.'" Of course, the line about Peter Brown is a reference to the Beatles' assistant of the same name. Peter helped John and Yoko navigate the logistics of getting married in Gibraltar, and it's clear that John was grateful for his help.
The Ballad of John and Yoko is a song that celebrates love in all its messy, complicated glory. It's a reminder that even when the world seems to be against you, love can conquer all. And it's also a reminder that even the Beatles had their fair share of drama.
It's worth noting that The Ballad of John and Yoko was recorded by only two Beatles: John Lennon and Paul McCartney. George Harrison and Ringo Starr were either on vacation or working on other projects. But John and Paul didn't let that stop them from creating a hit song. It was released as a single on May 30, 1969, and quickly climbed the charts. The song reached number one in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and several other countries. In the United States, it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
Although the song only featured John and Paul, Ringo and George DO appear with them in the video, playing instruments. It would be the last single on which all four Beatles would appear together.
This is probably the longest single music video we've ever posted here. But it's worth it.
Bad Bunny is arguably the biggest star to come out of Puerto Rico in a generation, and he's very proud and very defensive of his roots and his home. HIs reggaeton-infused music has made him an international superstar. He uses his huge platform for good - highlighting issues that are plaguing Puerto Rico.
One of the biggest issues that has plagued Puerto Rico over the last decade has been the weakness of their power grid. LUMA Energy, the company that primarily controls the grid that took over the grid in 2021 from the government for $115 million, has been under fire for mismanaging exactly that. A joint venture between Texas company Quanta Services and Alberta company ATCO for the express purpose of managing and improving the grid, it serves the further benefit for those two companies of being a tax shelter, as it was established as a result of Act 22 of 2012, which exempts external investors from taxation on passive income. LUMA is by far not the only beneficiary of Act 22, as a lot of real estate investors are also injecting their money into the territory and displacing residents.
So, you're thinking, "Well, that paragraph was quite the left turn. What the hell does that have to do with reggaeton?"
"El Apagón" literally translates to "The Blackout". 53 seconds into this video for his song, you are introduced to a 20-minute documentary on LUMA Energy and Act 22 - and it's really, really well done. The reporter, Bianca Graulau, is eloquent and well-researched, and passionate about the subject.- she does a LOT more videos on her YouTube channel, on both the power grid and Act 22, as well as other issues that impact Puerto Rico (and, also, interestingly, Hawaii, which has a similar history of United States colonization).
I encourage you to watch this video. If you don't know Spanish, turn captions on - it has English subtitiles. Also, please go check out Bianca Graulau's other videos, many of them in English, as they give a lot more detail than this video can.
I am going to talk about the music, but talking about that video first was important.
Lyrically, the song is typically boastful - he talks about how he is a particular fan of the Puerto Rican variety of a particular body part only found on a woman, but in a somewhat vulgar manner ("Me gusta la chocha de Puerto Rico") - but it's also a fun song, incorporating pop and trap sounds in with the reggaeton. It's a song that expresses pride about Puerto Rico - about being proud of his homeland. It's NOT the political song you think it is - but he DID use the title and song to suck people into a bigger message.
Gabriela Berlingeri, his former girlfriend, provides the outro song, which is a pure pop contrast. She's not a famous musician in her own right (although she has worked on several of Bad Bunny's song, including recording reference vocals for Jennifer Lopez on another song) - and the selection of her as a singer here is by design and not just because Bad Bunny and her had adopted a puppy together - but she, just a citizen, sings passionately about HER homeland.
If you think Prince sounds a little squeakier than usual, you're right - he's using a sped-up voice on the recording of this song. You see, Prince recorded an album in 1986 as an artist named Camille - with sped-up vocals feminizing his voice. It was never released (although it looks like it is getting a release, possibly as part of a Sign O' The Times rerelease), but he still had the technology and used it on this song, which he DID release.
The song went to #2 on the US pop charts and ended up being a worldwide hit, immortalizing the World Series of Love. By the way, the year this was released, 1987, the World Series came to Minneapolis, Prince's hometown.
City Girls went looking for the best twerker in the world, and at the end of this video, I think you see they found the best twerker in the world. There's a lot of ass shaking that happens before you see the best ass shaker.
It's also a fun and naughty - not safe for work - song that ended up being a top 30 hit for the duo.
For at least a year, this blog has practiced Stella Parity. That means we post as much of each Stella sister as the other. If we post Lennon, we post Maisy. When possible.
Thankfully, this is one of those times where it is possible.
Since we opened the month with Stellas, it makes sense to end it the same way. And the pride of Whitby, Ontario is the best way to finish a month of Canadian music.
Lennon Stella didn't end up in the country music landscape like her parents did. Instead, she went with thought-provoking pop music, with a light, airy feeling. This particular brand of light and airy comes with horns, but still.
(Editor's note: I love that we can make callouts to things we wrote a decade ago)
I hope you've enjoyed this March as much as we have. Every year, it's a bigger challenge, but every year, we're discovering new music along with you - music that stays with us.
The largest airport in Canada, and 21st busiest airport in the world, is Toronto Pearson International Airport, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Its IATA code? YYZ. (I'll let you debate whether it's Why-Why-Zee or Why-Why-Zed)
I've been to every Tim Hortons at that airport. It's a great airport.
In the early days, Canadian airports were identified by two letter codes - and Toronto's main airport was YZ. This was used for ease of communication between airports. If an airport was open and not closed due to weather, it was easy to send a Y - for yes - and the two letter code via Morse code, and quickly communicate their status.
In the 1940s, as more airports were being opened worldwide, all airports were forced to adopt a 3-letter code. So, every Canadian airport - since they already had the protocol in place - just added the Yes signal to the beginning of all their airport codes. It's why they are the only country to consistently name all their (commercial passenger) airports with IATA codes all beginning with the same letter.
You've learned something today. Maybe.
Alex Lifeson didn't learn anything today, because he already knew Morse Code - because in addition to being the guitarist for Rush, he's also a commercial pilot. So, he heard - . - -- . - -- - . . - Y Y Z - quite a bit. One day, when he was flying the band into Pearson, he introduced the rhythm of that airport code to the band.
An instrumental classic, written by Neil Peart and Geddy Lee and NOT Alex Lifeson, was born. You can hear that morse code, that rhythm that stuck with them, from the very beginning of the song - that's the odd-sounding rhythm you hear at the start.
We couldn't not include a live version of this, eh? Yes, there is an extended Neil Peart drum solo, and you're welcome.
When you dig into Canadian music, you find stuff. I found this group while researching another post - for reasons that will become clear in a minute.
Take this musical duo, Once A Tree. A husband-and-wife duo, and named by Rolling Stone as one of the new artists you need to know, they met while both separately leaving their religion, Jehovah's Witnesses, and used their excommunication from their separate communities to fuel their musical creativity.
Once A Tree's music has been described as a blend of electronic, pop, and R&B. Their lyrics often touch on themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, as well as issues related to Indigenous identity and cultural preservation.
This song, from their 2017 album Phoenix, was produced by Hayden John Wolf, who also co-wrote the song. He also happens to be half of the duo, alongside his wife, Jayli, who is the other vocalist for the duo and who also co-wrote the song. It is a hauntingly beautiful and heart wrenching song, about turmoil and what looks like a near-breakup surrounding great loss.
Aujourd'hui, nous allons parler d'une chanson de Cœur de pirate qui a été largement ignorée, mais qui mérite d'être mise en avant : "Tu peux crever là-bas".
"Tu peux crever là-bas" est une chanson triste et émouvante qui raconte l'histoire d'une personne qui essaie de surmonter une rupture difficile. La chanson commence par des accords de piano mélancoliques et se développe en une ballade douce-amère qui met en valeur la voix fragile et expressive de Cœur de pirate.
Les paroles de la chanson sont sombres et poignantes, exprimant le désespoir et la douleur ressentis après une rupture amoureuse. Cœur de pirate chante : "Tu peux crever là-bas / Je ne te retiens pas / J'essaie juste de faire passer le temps / Avant de tout abandonner".
La production minimale de la chanson permet à la voix de Cœur de pirate de briller, capturant toute l'émotion et la vulnérabilité de l'artiste. La chanson est un témoignage de la profondeur et de la qualité du talent de Cœur de pirate en tant que musicienne et chanteuse.
Bien que "Tu peux crever là-bas" ne soit pas aussi connue que certains des autres hits de Cœur de pirate, elle reste une chanson puissante et émouvante qui mérite d'être découverte. Si vous cherchez une chanson pour vous consoler après une rupture, ou simplement pour vous plonger dans un état de réflexion mélancolique, "Tu peux crever là-bas" est un excellent choix.
(you didn't actually think we'd not post her twice this month, did you?)
I didn't have strong feeling about this song, except that I liked it and I really wanted a folky song to highlight Carly Rae Jepsen, and this song fit the bill.
So, I let ChatGPT write the rest of this post. I'm embarrassed to say it writes better than I do.
Carly Rae Jepsen has made a name for herself in the music industry with her catchy pop songs and infectious melodies. While she's known for hits like "Call Me Maybe" and "I Really Like You," one of her lesser-known tracks, "Western Wind," is definitely worth a listen.
"Western Wind" is a dreamy, synth-pop ballad that showcases Jepsen's ability to craft a memorable melody. The song's opening line, "I get lost in the memory / Of what it felt like when I loved you," sets the tone for the rest of the song as Jepsen explores the emotions of a past relationship.
The song's production, which features twinkling synths and a driving beat, creates a dreamlike atmosphere that perfectly complements the wistful lyrics. Jepsen's vocals are delicate and vulnerable, conveying the raw emotions of the lyrics without ever feeling over-the-top or melodramatic.
While "Western Wind" may not have been a hit on the charts (editor's note: it was in Japan), it's a gem that showcases Jepsen's songwriting and vocal talents. The song's intimate lyrics and dreamy production make it the perfect soundtrack for a rainy day or a quiet night in.
If you're a fan of Carly Rae Jepsen's poppy sound, give "Western Wind" a listen. It's a hidden gem that proves Jepsen is more than just a one-hit wonder.
Tommy Genesis is a literal walking embodiment of a Wicked Guilty Pleasure, and "100 Bad" is her supporting evidence. This song is like a car crash: you know it's bad, but you just can't look away. It's a mesmerizing, hypnotic track that sucks you in from the very first beat.
The song is built around a sparse, bass-heavy beat that throbs throughout the track. Over this beat, Tommy Genesis lays down a series of blunt, confrontational verses that are delivered with an unapologetic swagger. The production is minimalistic, but it's incredibly effective in creating a menacing, almost eerie atmosphere that perfectly matches the song's dark themes.
Lyrically, "100 Bad" is a celebration of bad behavior. It's all about living life on the edge, taking risks, and doing whatever you want, consequences be damned. The chorus is catchy as hell, with Tommy Genesis repeating the refrain "I'm 100 bad, bad, bad" over and over again. It's a simple, effective hook that will get stuck in your head for hours on end.
Of course, the subject matter of "100 Bad" is not for everyone. The song is full of explicit lyrics and graphic descriptions of sex, drugs, and violence. It's not a song you'd want to play for your grandmother, unless your grandmother happens to be a badass who loves a good bassline.
Despite its controversial content, there's no denying that "100 Bad" is a great example of Tommy Genesis' unique sound and style. She's a boundary-pushing artist who's not afraid to take risks and challenge the norms of the music industry. Love it or hate it, "100 Bad" is a track that demands your attention and refuses to be ignored. So go ahead and indulge in this guilty pleasure – just be sure to turn down the volume if your boss walks by.
Les Louanges is a Canadian band that has been making waves in the music industry with their unique sound and undeniable talent. One of their most popular songs is."Qu'est-ce que tu m'fais".
Les Louanges is a band from Quebec, Canada, and they have been creating music that is both innovative and captivating since their inception. The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Vincent Roberge, bassist and keyboardist Philippe Fleury, drummer and percussionist William Côté, and saxophonist and keyboardist Mathieu Leclerc. You know we love a band with a saxophonist.
Their music is characterized by a blend of genres, including jazz, rock, and pop. They use a variety of instruments to create their unique sound, and their lyrics are often introspective and thoughtful.
It's easy to see why this song is so well-received. The song begins with a simple beat and a catchy guitar riff, but it quickly evolves into a complex and layered composition. The lyrics are in French, and they explore themes of love, desire, and the ups and downs of relationships.
The song has a distinct Canadian flavor, with lyrics that are both poetic and introspective. The band's use of multiple instruments and intricate arrangements adds depth to the song, and it is a perfect example of their unique style.
Les Louanges is a truly special band. Check them out!
We last posted about this great folk group in 2021, during our first #MapleLeafMarch. Since then, there has been huge changes for the greatest folk group to ever come out of Prince Edward Island - and unfortunately, the biggest one isn't positive.
Founding member Koady Chaisson passed away in January 2022, while the group was working on their latest EP, House of Dreams. Koady did work on all seven songs on the EP before he passed, which means his music and his image live on in this song and video.
As of this writing, we have heard that the band is going to continue as a duo, and we hope they do for years to come - because they're making wonderful, award-worthy music.
During Maple Leaf March, I recognize that I feature a lot of artists that haven't really been heard outside of Canada. They SHOULD be guilty pleasures everywhere, but in a lot of cases, they just aren't.
Today's artist is not one of those.
Alessia Cara of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, has three top 10 hits in the US. This is one of them, hitting #8 on the pop chart in 2015. It is a huge body positivity anthem. It is, however, not your typical "you're beautiful just the way you are" anthem. It discusses cutting, depression, and eating disorders - all real things that affect so many people.
The video features real people struggling with all of these things - and if you look closely, you'll see another pop star - JoJo - among the real people, because being somewhat famous doesn't make these issues go away.
We found a pretty cool performance of this song, from the 2017 VMA awards. We love how Cara starts all made up and ends up without makeup or a fancy dress. It's quite neat.
Banx & Ranx are from Montreal. They are a producing/music-making duo who won the 2023 Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist - which is wild, because they aren't a new act, having created music for the better part of the last decade. They are multiple Grammy nominees.
Their music is modern and innovative, injecting Caribbean rhythms and music into a unique electronic sound. Their services are in high demand, with artists outside of Canada clamoring to work with them. Their music is catchy. This song is going to be your latest earworm.
Simple Plan are a power-pop-rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Which means they are bilingual.
So, that means they do multiple versions of some songs.
Take this fun little song about travelling a lot and missing the one you love. This version, in English, was recorded with British singer Natasha Beddingfield - and was an international hit. The video was filmed largely at YYZ - Toronto Pearson Airport - and Toronto Sheridan Gateway Hotel.... but they want you to think it's a hotel in Chicago, despite the Westjet and AirCanada planes and Canadian flags everywhere. Anyway, it's a fun song.
True story - I've flown in and out of YYZ a lot. Great airport and I instantly recognized it.
This version is just like that version, except the female version is almost completely in French and sung by Quebec singer Marie-Mai. Also, Simple Plan sings some stuff in French, too - although not all the lyrics. I wonder if Natasha and Marie-Mai hung out together at all in that hotel room.
It is essentially the same song and same video.
Official version #3 of this song is filmed by the band in English at YYZ still, but Chinese pop star Kelly Cha is somewhere in China singing almost entirely in Mandarin.
Other than the Kelly Cha footage, it is essentially the same song and same video.
Official version #4 is..... completely in English, but this time, the woman is in Jakarta, Indonesia, because she is Tantri Syalindri, vocalist for the band KOTAK - who all seem to be hanging out in the room with her.
It is essentially the same video.
That's it for the official versions, but there is this French demo version we found floating around..... Vocals for the female part were provided by some obscure Canadian artist who seems to go by some French name with an œ in it.... something something Pirate.
Apparently, when Simple Plan performs the song live, they just find whatever female pop-rock vocalists happens to be standing closest to the stage. Here, they get Sierra Key, vocalist for the band VERSA (who at the time were VersaEmerge, standing in for Natasha Beddingfield.
For this Australian appearance, they partnered with Jenna McDougall from Tonight Alive on an acoustic version of the song. The two bands happened to be on an Australian tour together, so it made sense.
The band is still together. Most of these performances above are from 2011, when the song was new. This one is from 2022, in Montreal, and yes, it's the French version, and yes, that's Marie-Mai.
If you read what I wrote on Saturday, you know I think Jayli Wolf released one of the most important songs of the last decade.
This song is a little less important - but no less about indigenous and female empowerment. The song and video are both super dark.
But we're not going to talk about that.
We're going to talk about why Jayli Wolf is one of my most listened to artists on Spotify. It's not because I want to feel pseudo-Canadian guilt, or that I only listen to First Nations protest music. No, it's because this strongly emotionally-charged music slaps, and it slaps hard. She's a fantastic musician and a fantastic songwriter, and she paints a picture with her music and lyrics like no other artists is doing today.
The rarest of Americans. Of course, technically, they are - because they live in the Americas. We in the United States seem to think we have dominion over the term "American", but we really don't.
Anyway, this young bunch of punks formed in 2018 in Vancouver, and are gaining traction. This song is a truly a sad song - about a probable breakup. We've all been there.
Now here's a stripped down version of the same song. For literally any other song, I'd probably have just updated that original post with an extra video. Not this time. That post was too perfect and this song is too raw.
Canadian band Metric were nominated for a couple of them, including Group of the Year, based in large part on their 2022 album, Formentera, their first in four years (back to that in a second). This was one of the singles off that album, and it's something of a banger in its own right. While they didn't win, it's still an honour to be nominated.
Just because it took them four years to release anything new does not mean they didn't do anything. In 2021, they did this thing. That brought the band to an international spotlight once again, so it made a lot of sense for them to follow it up with something more than a limited pressing vinyl only greatest hits album (they did that, too).
Back to this song and not anything from a Michael Cera movie. This continues Metric's history of flashy, modern synth-rock, bringing a unique sound that actually works post-pandemic.
Last year, we featured a lot of new music. One of the most popular posts we featured was by a band called Babygirl.
We figured we'd check and see if they have any new music, and indeed, they do. And their sound has gotten deeper and richer - a more mature Babygirl, if you will.
This song was released a few months ago, and it is a pop-rock cool jam about breaking up and those conflicted feeling that still linger afterwards. It's mournful and beautiful and bass-heavy, all at the same time. The video was filmed in your mom's house a vacant house that was owned by a 100-year old woman who probably bought it for $40 in the 1970s (not my joke - it's from the behind the scenes video).
So this was like five years ago. One of my favorite country singers, Lindi Ortega, was playing my local 250 seat venue.
I was beyond stoked. At the time I was running a country site (after I left WGP and TC) where the writers were more concerned with the comings and goings of Florida Georgia Line or Sam Hunt as opposed to country music of substance like the Turnpike Troubadours or Elizabeth Cook. Needless to say the teaching of new writers was fun, the content, not so much.
That night it was nice to not only see a favorite artist of mine, but to write about her performance which was amazing. And maybe turn someone on to a great country artist...from Canada.
I was fortunate to chat with her after the show. She signed her Tin Star CD for me and we took a picture (which I told her I wanted to use for the review...well and again years later for this blog).
Anyway, Lindi is awesome. She hasn't put out a record in years and I for one would love another one. But until that time comes I'll enjoy her previously released records.
You probably know we write this articles in advance. So, we are writing this not knowing how the Juno Awards went last night - but we are pulling for this song to be Single of the Year as we write this.
So, if it won, congratulations to Avril. If it didn't win, SHE WAS ROBBED.
(Update: It did not win. This did.) (She did win the Fan Choice Award, so that's good)
Let's talk about this song. Released in late 2021 on Travis Barker's new label (he's drumming on the song as well), it's a throwback to Paramore Lavigne's earlier work - that pop-punk that defined her career for so long. Clearly, it's an endearing love song that isn't at all angry.
It's also the best thing she's done in a decade.
The video for the acoustic version of this song is kind of hilarious - with Avril doing dental work with a giant pair of boltcutters. More interestingly, this extremely angry song works really well as a melancholy ballad.
The "Tonight Show" live version of this song falls somewhere in the middle of the two versions - keeping both the anger and melancholy.
The 2023 Juno Award nominations were announced at the end of January. The Weeknd led all nominations with six.
The awards are tonight, in Edmonton, hosted by Simu Liu. The Weeknd, and specifically this song, are predicted to win big. If the predictions are right, we look like geniuses right now. If they aren't, we're probably going to be posting some Avril Lavigne tomorrow.
Released as a single in January 2022, it reached #11 on the US pop charts, and was a hit all over the world. Written by the artist and a score of others, including hitmaker Max Martin, the song has a funky sound that evokes memories of Michael Jackson and his style - which clearly influences The Weeknd. Lyrically, it's a typical club banger, talking about the hedonistic nature of the narrator's life.
This is the 18th post we've made about Lights on this blog. That is more than any #WGPHOF member. That is more than my previous overposting of Charli XCX (17, by the way - 16 by me - if you include this post that totally featured her). 17 of these posts about Lights have been written by me.
So why so much attention to a shapeshifting, namechanging artist?
Those who have known me for decades could tell you not only what my favorite album was (House Tornado, by Throwing Muses) but my SECOND favorite (Surfer Rosa, by the Pixies). Since the late 1980s. No album came close to those two for me. Perfect albums. I continually come back to them, for decades.
Scott Colvin (who I will for this very last time give credit for scooping me on this one and who it's really killing not to post Britney Spears today) knows this. So when he reads the next paragraph he might be floored.
I can't say that anymore. Because over the past two years, I keep coming back to two other not-new albums: Roses by Cœur de Pirate, (by the way, also someone we've posted about no less than 18 times) and Siberia by Lights. And the latter more than the former.
(and, by the way, also Little Machines. Two albums now among my favorites)
Is Lights the new Kristin Hersh? That may be an exaggeration, but the lyrical structure that Lights comes back to, song after song after song, is one that is flexible and hits hard. This perhaps doesn't resonate more than it does with "Banner" - an uplifting, hopeful, but still dark song.
I mention flexible. I chose "Banner" here for a reason. It was the first acoustic song of hers that I had heard (and I didn't know at the time it was Lights, because had I known, my blind spot would have told me to turn it off). As of this writing, this version - the acoustic one - is her most played song on Spotify, by far.
Canadian rap artist Drake has released a LOT of singles. Literally, more than 140 in his 14-year-so-far career.
His biggest worldwide hit by far is this one, from 2018. Written by Aubrey Drake Graham and a bunch of other people, the bigger story here is the video, where Drake really gave away almost $200,000 to random Miami residents (the video implies almost $1 million, but I assume not everything was done on camera).
But videos don't get to be the #1 song of the year as determined by Billboard, as this song was in 2018. This song was - it also spent 11 weeks atop the weekly charts - and was only knocked down by another of his own songs. In total, Drake spent 29 of the 52 weeks of 2018 topping the Billboard pop charts - which is absolutely gigantic.
By the way, in total, Drake has spent 54 weeks topping the Hot 100 - which is 5th most all time - Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley, Rhianna and Beatles are the only artists with more, He's also got the most #1 debuts on the chart, with 7 - including both this single and the one that replaced it ("Nice For What"), the first time that a #1 debut replaced a #1 debut at #1.
It's pretty standard Drake-brand hip-hop, but also, it's got some real feeling behind it, so there's that.
I figured, why let œ have all the clipboard fun? Let ê get some play!
Seriously, the artist known legally as Briannah Donolo grew up in Montreal, Quebec... and started with music at a very early age. A cunning linguist herself, she speaks both English and French, and yes, her music is in English, even with the non-standard English-language letter in her name.
Rêve brings an electronic sound that does not feel out of place in the club - a sexually-charged club that serves tongues at mealtime, but still. The song is definitely not safe for work, as it is pretty overt in its sexuality - it's not talking about lengua tacos, unless that's some kind of euphemism, in which case, it IS talking about lengua tacos, if you know what I mean, winky-face emoji.
This fresh new Canadian artist is nominated for THREE Juno Awards this year, which will be awarded Monday, and I'm not gonna lie - I'm rooting for her.
If you prefer your music without body parts on a platter, but with the same entendre-filled lyrics, but also, you aren't prone to seizures, go ahead and check out Rêve's performance below.
When most people in the U.S. think Canadian country the
first thought likely is Shania Twain. And while that’s a pretty picture it’s
akin to putting ketchup on fries.
Canadian country to me starts, but nowhere stops with Corb
Lund.
Corb’s been doing his thing for almost 30 years. His sound
is definitely western. The dude can write straight-up sentimental classic
country, but he’s actually at his best when he lets his freak flag fly.
“Bible on the Dash” with Hayes Carll (who is American, but
we’ll forgive him) is one of his freakiest…and best. In fact, I’d say this may
be grooviest song ever. And it’s funny. Dig.
I looked at the date I first discovered Korea Town Acid.
March 8, 2022. It was a candidate for last year's #MapleLeafMarch. Probably because Korea Town Acid was a 2022 Juno Award nominee for Best Underground Dance Single of the Year (not for this song).
In this video, we see a woman looking at times disinterested and bored as she explores what appears to be Toronto at night. That woman has a name. Her name is Jessica Cho - born in Seoul, Canadian since a very young age, and based in Toronto. Jessica Cho is Korea Town Acid. Korea Town Acid is Jessica Cho.
Musically, the song is 100% electronic, with what sounds like lasers punctuating an ambient beat. An ominous voiceover accompanies the captivating music.
