Well, since so many of you love this spooky season so much (I very much do NOT), here's a spooky song for you.
Written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence, it was the followup single to the breakthrough "Need You Tonight" in the US and became a worldwide hit, again. It uses a super breathy Hutchence vocal over what Farriss called a ""Daytripper"-like guitar sound", which I don't really hear, but hey! I'm a blogger, not a musician. Just enjoy the song.
Look at them go.
Look at them Kick.
This live version should also drive home that, although not the title song from the album, that the band was Kicking all over the place.
Also, the Hutchence stage presence is amazing, as always.
The Rentals started off as a Weezer/that dog side project. It turned into Matt Sharp's full time band.
But who was P? Who are they friends with?
Yes, P is not only a person, but a famous one.
The debut album by Weezer was produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek. He did a great job on that album, and it was a bit of a family affair. Frequently, Ocasek's wife, supermodel Paulina Porizkova, would join him. In one of her conversations with Matt Sharp, Porizkova talked about how she had songs written about her... by bad metal bands.
So, Matt Sharp, friend of P., wrote a song about her.
Turns out, she was better friends with Rivers Cuomo - at least according to Ric Ocasek, who called the song "silly". He was not wrong.
:Let's talk about the video. None of these people were wearing glasses that actually matched their prescription. If you go to about 2:40, you can see Petra Haden playing viola with a terrible headache because she was wearing such crazy glasses. Ah, the pains of art.
Matt Sharp is the only constant in The Rentals, a project that still exists. This live performance is from 1996, soon after the release of this song, and there were ALREADY lineup changes.
But also, live, the Moog synthesizer really shines through.
It's weird that I start a post with a live version of a song, especially one that I have to start in the middle of a video because it's part of a longer performance - in this case, an NPR Tiny Desk live set.
Santigold is something of a weird artist. She's a black artist making music that's a little punk, a little pop, a little rock, a little folk - not necessarily what is considered traditional black music - which, given that she started her career working for Epic Records's urban music division, is even more interesting.
She's pretty clear that this song isn't punk, though. It's a song that wouldn't sound out of place in the Siouxsie and the Banshees catalog, or the Pixies - as would the rest of her debut album, Santogold. That's not misspelled - that was her stage name at the time (her real name is Santi White).
It makes sense to have you hear the studio version of the song, which features co-writer Trouble Andrew (probably better known as a snowboarder than a musician) as a second vocalist. Since the song was never an official single, it was never released in an official video format - but that's OK, because these people in this video made one.
The video is wild. The song is super cool.
Since this was her debut album, she immediately toured in support of it. This performance is from the 2009 Lowlands festival in the Netherlands. Her stage presence is already felt at this point in her career.
Ten years later, she still had that stage presence.
It's important to note that she doesn't have Trouble Andrew and his husky voice to do his part of the song, so she has to adapt it to her voice. She does so effortlessly.
Once upon a time, there was a band called Hüsker Dü. They were huge and then they broke up in 1988, because Bob Mould and Grant Hart had creative differences. That happens.
Bob Mould went on to release two not-so-well-received solo albums.... but then, he formed a new band, Sugar. Their debut album, Copper Blue, was grungy and dark and heavy. In 1990, the album would have been criminally ignored. In a post-Nevermind world, it was a minor hit.
This song was the big single from the album.It would be the band's biggest hit, rising on alternative charts worldwide. It's a song that frequently gets stuck in my head, thirty years after its release.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album, Bob Mould went on a solo tour and played Copper Blue in its entirely. Of course, that includes this song - and, in this performance, you can hear that the song was really all his.
She's everywhere now, even at your local Dunkin' Donuts.
I mean, who the hell thought to pair her with Ben Affleck? But it works!
But really, she's making music - good, compelling hip-hop that she's writing (or, in this case, co-writing). She does not shy away from bold collaborations, like this one with Nigerian artist Rema. This song is both hot and cool at the same time. Her current single - she's made four trips to the top 10 and this is sure to follow - it's got all the markings of a hit song.
You know why I'm posting this, though.
She was on SNL this weekend. She performed this song. And her bestie interoduced her.
She's young, she's new to the music business... and THAT is her new best buddy. That should tell you everything you need to know about Ice Spice.
Kendrick Lamar is possibly the most celebrated hip hop artist of his generation. He's earned that, too - his rhymes hit a little harder than most, with a musical style that is unmatched.
This song, from his third album, To Pimp A Butterfly, was inspired by a trip he took to South Africa. Co-written by Lamar, Pharrell Williams and Sounwave, it opens with lines from The Color Purple.
The song's social consciousness and real beats brought Lamar two Grammy awards on its own in 2016 - the album won a third and another song won a 4th. Lamar's performance in this video also earned a nomination - it's almost as if he's really rising above.
I don't usually like this generation of hip hop, but Kendrick Lamar is a notable exception, and "Alright" is a big reason why.
When this song came out in 1993, the world was used to Bono as lead vocalist for U2 - so it was a little jarring for this song and video to be released with The Edge as lead vocalist (and Bono and Larry Mullen Jr. as backing vocalists). He was also the lyricist, with the band writing the rather sparse backing music.
The song actually started off as another song from the Achtung Baby sessions, but the band hated that song, sung by Bono. It wasn't until Flood and Brian Eno started remixing it and producing it with The Edge that it turned into this absolute masterpiece of minimalism and unhinged electronics. It ended up being a centerpiece of the Zooropa album.
I remember listening to this song with my girlfriend at the time, who I don't think quite liked the song at first. (If my memory serves me correctly, she came around) I always liked it - it was weird and interesting.
By the way, if you listen closely, you'll hear the song of a cassette tape in a Walkman rewinding - one of many samples included in the song.
The video itself was so iconic, it was the subject of many parodies. This one, made by VH1 to promote The New WKRP in Cincinatti. The show was terrible. The commercial was amazing.
This isn't a song that the band has performed live much - but they did on the 1993 Zoo TV tour.
The band did eventually release the original song they hated - "Down All The Days" - as part of the 30th anniversary reissue of Achtung Baby in 2021.
They were probably right to not go with that song originally. You can really hear the "Numb" in there, though.
This week has been a bit of a struggle for me. Usually, posts come to me so quickly and easily. This week, not so much.
For weeks like this, I like to have songs queued up - ones that appear to me in some way, shape or form. Sometimes, that's helpful. Today, that was helpful, because this is one of those songs.
And this song really deserves to be queued. Written by the band, it was the lead single of their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, which every kid on every playground knows spells "fuck" - you've tried to justify using the F-bomb because you were told it was a legal term, right?
That sound you hear at the beginning of the song is not Eddie Van Halen's Frankencaster (how the hell he played that thing, I'll never know), but a Makita power drill.
Lyrically, this song ain't great. Musically, the song is dense and interesting and one of the best guitar songs ever written and performed.
Oh yes. Eddie did use that drill live. Take this performance from the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards - where the FrankenMakita is on full display.
It's been this long, and this is the FIRST time we've talked about Fatboy Slim in any real way. Well, there was this remix, but that's it.
Once upon a time, there was a band called The Housemartins. They were a major label signed band that lost their bassist right before their debut, so Norman Cook stepped in for their five year existence. The Housemartins were a guitar band, and that wasn't really what Cook wanted to do.
So, when The Housemartins broke up in 1988, a lot of the rest of the band formed another band called The Beautiful South, but Cook wanted to go electronic, so he formed Beats International, which was a loose collective of musicians. That loose collective morphed into being just Norman Cook, and so he took on a stage name....
Fatboy Slim.
He hit his commercial success peak in 1998, starting with this song that everyone thinks is called "Funk Soul Brother", but it's not. It's "The Rockafeller Skank". In fact, the only lyrics is a sample from some Lord Finesse spoken word stuff. The song features samples from eight different song.
This song ended up being a top 10 hit in the US and worldwide, becoming Fatboy Slim's first major hit.
It's also impossible to not dance to this song......
.... which is clearly on display at the 2012 Olympic closing ceremonies. Yes, that's Fatboy Slim on the turntables.
I can confidently say this is probably the video that was filmed in the shortest amount of time.
23 seconds.
The band is running through a quarry.
You'd have to play it at about 10x speed to see it in real time.
MTV hated it SO MUCH they refused to play it.
It was made to be played on Top of the Pops, a UK show that required a video to list a song on their chart.
They didn't play it, either.
Which is too bad. The lead single from their Bossanova album was amazing. It's got this alien surf sound going on, which is amazing. The lyrics are odd, based in 1920's Rosicrucians folklore. How Charles Thompson Iv - a.k.a. Black Francis - got his hands on 1920's Rosicrucian folklore is beyond me, but it makes for an interesting song.
Yes, someone published the video at real speed.
Yes, they made another video. No, it's not better. Yes, it's the same quarry.
Yes, the song sounded amazing when the band performed it live in 2005 in an acoustic setting.
Both Becky G and Karol G were at risk of becoming one-hit wonders in the US, with each of them individually managing a single top 40 hit - Karol with El Chombo and "Dame tu Cosita", and Becky with the out-of-character "Shower".
Surprisingly, this collaboration became the biggest hit to date for BOTH of them - Karol G would go on to have even bigger ones - but this song was a top 20 hit in the US, peaking at #15, and that's on English-language radio, so it's quite the achievement. Additionally, the song was also one of the biggest hits of 2022 on Latin radio in the US and a huge worldwide hit, especially in the Spanish-speaking world.
The two artists co-wrote the song with Venezuelan artist Elena Rose. It is considered one of the greatest reggaton songs of all time. That's not me saying that. That's Rolling Stone.
The two artists have performed the song several times together live, the first time at the Coachella music festival in 2022. I'd love to tell you it was groundbreaking, but it was pretty much as recorded, which speaks to the vocal strength of both women.
Becky G performed the song solo at the Billboard Women in Music Awards in 2023. It hits a little differently as a solo song, but she's got a huge voice and can carry it.
But this song is just SO good. It brings a strong 90's pop/rock vibe that still sounds fresh. Written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro, this instant classic keeps you involved to the end - and Petra Collins made a great video.
The whole Guts album is really solid and a strong contender for my favorite of 2023. Literally every song on the album has been a US top 40 hit ALREADY, with this one making it into the top 10.
I was in the car one day with my significant other and, well, her name happens to be Courtney. We were browsing Spotify looking for songs with our names. Of course, we found "Tony's Theme" but when we got to her name... we found this gem.
Matt Johnston is the folksinger who goes by the name The Narcissist Cookbook. He writes some really sarcastic stuff. After listening to this song and the spoken word diatribe after, I think he is convinced that Courtney Love killed Kurt Cobain, but I cannot be sure.
I am not convinced of that.
I am convinced that this song is hilarious and will make you think.
Matt Johnston is also clearly a fan of In Utero. He also does a more stripped-down version of this song.
And yes, we know it hasn't been that long. But we've posted Lights songs like three times since then.
Anyway, this was the lead single from their 2016 album, Three. It was a minor radio hit - crossing over to mainstream charts and getting airplay in my hometown Rochester NY - on classic rock radio. It was a more straight-ahead rock than their prior offerings, which were keyboard heavy.
You know, I don't remember Rochester radio ever mentioning that they were from Saratoga Springs....
Written by a team including Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel of Phantogram, the song is one to remember and is about relationships that get a little stale, as opposed to relationships tainted by getting high on one's own supply. It's accompanied by a Grant Singer-directed video that's just great and leans heavily into the S&M imagery.
As you all know, I saw Phantogram live when they toured in support of Three. They are easily the second best band I've ever seen live. (Elastica to answer the inevitable question).
I'd absolutely see them again, and they do actively tour. Here they are in August 2023, performing this song... and following it with "When I'm Small" seamlessly.
This is Minnie Riperton. She was taken from us way too soon, dying of breast cancer in her early 30's. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976, less than a year after this single was released. She was given only months to live.
Despite that diagnosis, she continued to tour and record music, up until her death in 1979. She did not tell the public she was terminally ill.
But let's talk about this absolute masterpiece of a song. Written by Riperton and her husband, Richard Rudolph, The range she exhibits here is incredible, hanging out significantly in the whistle register. It's a classic song that is remembered well, nearly 50 years after its release.
It would be Riperton's biggest hit, reaching the top of the charts worldwide, and it remains in the culture to this day.
Also, she sings her kid's names in her songs. In this one, she ends with the name of her daughter, Maya - who is pretty well known in her own right. This song's melody was actually written to distract a baby Maya Rudolph, and that was a mom singing to her daughter to get her to settle down.
This is the last known performance of this song, in 1979, just weeks before her death. Her voice certainly didn't suffer. Her right arm was paralyzed from complications to the cancer, but you won't notice that. You'll just notice that exquisite voice. And the addition of her son's name at the end.
Four years ago today, the music world lost Kim Shattuck to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). What were we doing that day?
Nothing. We didn't publish a goddamn thing in October 2019. Partially because of Shattuck's death (seriously), I started posting on this blog more regularly. I should have done an earlier tribute to her and her greatest achievement - not her couple of months with The Pixies, not The Pandoras - The Muffs.
The Muffs were a 4- or 3-piece band - depending on time period, but at the time of the recording of this song and their 2nd album, Blonder and Blonder, a 3-piece. This recording here is not from the 1995 album, but 9 years later - but it sounds exactly the same. Seriously. Kim's voice was timeless.
I chose this song not because it was a big hit - it wasn't. I chose this song because it was bombastic, and showcased Kim's raspy growl like few Muffs songs did.
The Muffs toured until 2017, presumably stopping because of Kim's health.
She still had not lost a beat.
This is from the 2nd to last show the Muffs ever did. It sounds just as great as the first time they recorded it.
I grew up on country music. My parents were big fans. So, in the 1970s, I spent a lot of time hearing that music.
Bobbie Gentry was one artist that came up over and over. This was one of her biggest hits, reaching the top 40 on the pop charts - the second time she had done that - and the top 30 on the country charts - well, she did that a lot.
Bobbie Gentry was also a feminist. This song was about turning to prostitution to escape poverty - but also, more than that. It was about a woman gaining financial independence. The song was released in 1969, so it was a little racy for its time.
Bobbie Gentry is still around, but she disappeared from the music business in the 1980s. If you want the other half of that story, you'll want to head over to Totally Covered.
Why did a band from Georgia do a song about Idaho in 1980 - a state that they did not play in live until 2011 - and why did they take it private?
Written by the band, the song reflects the mystery that is the state of Idaho to these beatniks from Athens, Georgia. It's just that simple. They didn't understand Idaho - so beautiful! so conservative!! They kind of romanticized the state - it's not parody. It ended up being their second Hot 100 hit, and became a dance club staple as well.
Plus, Gus Van Sant was a fan of the song - so much so that he titled a movie of his My Own Private Idaho. He first heard the song while he was visiting Idaho - apparently, they like the song the B-52's wrote for them - and the movie takes place largely in Idaho....
....unlike the band, who, as I previously stated, did not visit the state until 2011.
Idahoans actually attended that 2011 show and took video.... of "Private Idaho" in Idaho, where you probably needed a ticket to see them live.... so, yeah, private.
It was the lead single from their third album, released in 1986 after an 8-year recording time, Third Stage. Guitarist Tom Scholz really built an epic album - and one that didn't use synthesizers. All over the liner notes. Tom Scholz really wouldn't shut up about that.
Written in 1980, the song existed as soon as 1981 and in a leaked demo version in 1984 - which raised the anticipation for Third Stage - which ended up being a massive hit.
The song entered the US Hot 100 on September 27th, 1986, and I swear I didn't know that date when I chose this date to publish this. In the era of MTV dominance, this song reached #1 - for two weeks - without a music video (although one is rumoured to exist).
"Amanda" isn't a real person. The name fits with the flow of the song. It's also a power ballad - which isn't something Boston really did, so they were a little embarassed by the song. Nevertheless, Brad Delp belted the hell out of this song.
Brad Delp tragically took his own life in 2007 - and the band did go on after that, but it wasn't the same. This performance from 2004 shows he still had the ability to sing such a beautiful song with the proper level of emotion.
This is the Butthole Surfers writing the type of song - complete with slowed-down guitar riffs, spoken-work verses, and backmasked endings a la "Loser".
It ended up being the biggest thing this very fringe band ever did - reaching the top 40 and getting POP RADIO airplay in 1996.
Pop radio airplay. Wow, I cannot imagine those pop DJs having to say "Butthole Surfers" every day.
Worse, Capitol Records expected them to follow their success - which, of course, they could not, so they got dropped. Which, artistically, was a good thing. Although on a 7-year hiatus, the band, which formed in 1976 and had their biggest hit in 1996, is still together and not broken up.
A song like this is not exactly built for a live performance - but they did it. They sure did it.
On French TV. And other places, too, but this was my favorite.
"(The) EP (that was released overseas prior to the band's US debut), by the way, was called "Slow Dust", based on two of the songs on there - "Dusted" and "Slow Dog". Belly later released a remixed version of the latter song in this country, and they even made a fun video for it. Check out Tanya's jangly guitar work. And lyrically, the song loaded with enough metaphor to make Kristin Hersh proud." - Literally me, 7 November 2012
C'mon. That was a "Feed The Tree" post, though.
Plus, I was less than a year into this thing, and I didn't know I would still be writing this a decade later.
So, let's give "Slow Dog" its due. Written by Tanya Donelly, she's also your vocalist here. The lyrics are loosely based on a Chinese folk story about an adulteress who has a decomposing dog tied to her for punishment.
But it wasn't meant to be a Belly song. None of the songs on Star, Belly's debut album, were meant to be Belly songs. Belly never should have been.
No, this was originally demoed as a song from the Breeder's second album. This demo didn't feature Kim Deal, but some of the Star demos did. These weren't intended for a post-Throwing Muses band. The timing didn't work out on that album, so The Breeders did Safari with Tanya and moved on, and then Tanya did this with Belly.
This wasn't a song that Tanya had recently written, so the name in the chorus was "Mariah" in this version. Well, the label loved the song about Mariah Carey - who wasn't a thing when the song was written but sure was when the demo was recorded - so "Mariah" became "Maria".
The Slow Dust version of the song is a little different than the one that was released in the US on Star. It's a little more lo-fi - maybe a little more Muses-y.
I do prefer this version, but only because I heard it first.
Belly has not been consistently together since the 1990s - Tanya has been working on other stuff, like occasional returns to Throwing Muses and The Breeders, a lot of solo stuff, and being a doula - but in 2016, they were, and they were spectacular.
This performance is from Newport, RI - where Tanya grew up.
In 2013, she released her first album, Night Time, My Time, which was excellent. This was the second single off the album, which is about Sky's public image - and her taking control and ownership of that (even though this wasn't a single chosen by her to follow "You're Not The One").
It's a great pop song.
So she recorded a second album, Masochism, which she finished in 2015.
Depending on who you talk to, Capitol Records or Sky Ferreira are holding up the release of this album, which was due in 2015, 2018, and then 2022.
It's been so delayed that, in August, fans bought a billboard in Times Square to ask for her freedom from Capitol Records.
Written by Kerry Livgren and Steve Walsh, this song was featured on the band's fifth album, the huge hit Point of Know Return. It is the single that had the job of following the band's huge hit, "Dust in the Wind".
What better way to follow that song with Biblical references than with a song about Albert Einstein?
The song is absolutely huge, starting off with a vaguely orchestral opener, with straight-ahead rock and violin in the main part - and a frenzy of hard rock in the third act. It did end up getting radio airplay, and I just heard it in the grocery store the other day, so you know it had impact.
This version is from the band's 1978 live double album Two For The Show and is, in my humble opinion, the definitive version.
Famously, Steve Walsh left Kansas in 1981 due to creative differences, and was replaced by John Elefante - an excellent vocalist in his own right who did Walsh proud with his version of this classic song.
Walsh returned to the band in 1985, and the band went through various lineup changes. This was a verison in 1992 that included a lot of the original band, but lacked Livgren - who had been in and out for a while.
Walsh didn't quite have as huge a voice as he once did, but he didn't do badly.
When I saw Kansas in 2012, Steve Walsh had lost his voice completely and could not hit these notes. So, he adapted.
He would retire soon after.
In 2014, Ronnie Platt would take over as Kansas vocalist and remains so to this day - and yes, they are releasing new music, still.
In 2018, the band toured in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Point of Know Return by performing the album in its entirety. And it was really good.
I rarely start by talking about the video, but I'm going to here.
You see, this video is directed by Richard Kern, who is best known for cutting-edge erotic stuff like Submit To Me and Fingered, the latter of which features Lydia Lunch in a portrayal of being sexually assaulted by a revolver.
He's known to be showy.
So, this video, which fits right into his style, is a natural choice for him.
The song, which is a heavy guitar riff and organ over John S. Hall's trademark deadpan delivery, ended up being the band's biggest hit - and a song that was hard for them to follow up. I mean, it's objectively hilarious. How do you follow that?
It did make their 1992 album Happy Hour a commercial success. It, however, did lead to the end of King Missile's second incarnation.
Most people who watched MTV only saw the censored version of the video, which is above. The uncensored version features a dildo, and not a particularly realistic one. Still, it beats a black bar.
There have been various incarnations of King Missile over the years, but in 2015, this lineup reunited and performed a show at Shea Stadium.
Yes. That Shea Staduim.
I mean, not on the field. Clearly under the bleachers. But still.
This song might just be the best thing from that great album.
I have to be honest.
I was going to post St. Vincent today. I wasn't going to post this song. Then I found this performance, which was St. Vincent performing this song at the 2019 Grammys leading right into being joined by Dua Lipa for her song "One Kiss" and weaving the two songs together. Annie's very simple performance of the song is, in my opinion, better than the original - and yes, Dua Lipa's backing vocals help.
I mentioned Masseduction was nominated for a Grammy. So was "Masseduction" - Best Rock Song - and it won that Grammy.
Dua Lipa also won - for Best New Artist - that same night. That's not a coincidence.
Annie Clark does not, however, need Dua Lipa to be a rock goddess. We offer this performance from the 2018 Austin City Limits Festival as evidence to that fact.
A lot of you were expecting an Elton John song last week.
Not this one, of course.
With lyrics by Bernie Taupin, and music by John and Davey Johnson, the song has a 50s feel, but the lyrics.... wow. They are emotional and evocative. The video tells a story of a couple separated and then reunited.
It's a beautiful song, and it went to #4 on the US charts in 1983, with similar performance elsewhere in the world.
There really isn't a lot to say about this song. It's just a good song.
Except there's a lot more to say. Mary J. Blige re-recorded the song with Elton John, and versions done by both of them have appeared on BOTH of their albums - this one from a 2000 live album by Elton John (it also appeared on a 2006 album by Blige).
Mary J. isn't the only partner John has sung this song with.
Elton John has famously toured with Billy Joel a couple of times, and in 1998, this song was done by them, together, on TWO pianos.
In 1983, I was 11.
I didn't appreciate a slow-paced emotional love song in 1983.
In 2023, I appreciate that Elton John has stuck with music long enough for me to appreciate and even like the song. He's on what seems like his 94th farewell tour now, and this is him performing the song in 2022. Yes, his voice has lost a little. Yes, the song still hits.
This song was the third single from the soundtrack album for the movie, and brace yourself for this title, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).
I cannot endorse the movie, but this song, which is clearly tied to the titular Harley Quinn, is incredible. It's an anti-hero anthem, it uses COWBELL, and you will be singing the chorus to yourself all day long.
Also, "boss bitch" is a term of endearment. Isn't language fun?
It's like racquetball for your mouth!
The song was a Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at number 100. So, barely. But it's still a banger, so here it is.
Doja Cat rarely performs this song live, but when she does, it's spectacular.
Did you expect us to end this clearly themed week on this song?
We do not roll like that.
This song was Meredith Brooks's debut SOLO single (she previously had a hit with the band The Graces) and her biggest hit by far, becoming a worldwide sensation and a #2 song on the US pop charts. She was 38 when the song was released - which, in a youth-centered industry like the music industry, is incredible.
The song's single word title is frequently used as an insult, but Brooks, who co-wrote the song, was looking to reclaim the word as a term of endearment. She certainly did not feel ashamed to release this as her debut single, although Capitol Records was hesitant, as, well, "bitch" is a naughty word. She was right and they were wrong - and they did eventually relent.
The video, by the way, is super-flowery.
"Bitch" was released in a time when Lilith Fair was a thing. That probably helped the song's popularity, and definitely gave her a place to be to promote the song on tour.
The 1997 crowd loved it, by the way.
I appreciate an artist that doesn't make a crowd wait. In this 2022 performance - when she's 64 and still freaking rocks - she performed the hell out of this song as the OPENING of her set. By the way, stick around and watch the whole video - because she's got more than one song.
Megan Thee Stallion is an artist who is pretty tough. Her lyrics are empowering and sometimes angry. This song, when she takes ownership of the word "bitch" and uses it in response to a not-so-great suitor. The song is very much inspired by 2Pac's "Rather Be Ya Nigga", which she heavily samples.
This song also predates the time that she was shot by Tory Lanez. Yes, that is a thing that happened.
I have to tell you, it took me a while to get Megan Thee Stallion - I didn't like her much at first - but I'm on board now. The more music she makes, the better she gets - and she's only 28. She's got a lot of years go great music ahead of her. We are here for it.
Anyway, back to the song. It was a top 40 hit, even with the coarse language.
I know. It's a sacred day for a lot of people. Some people are going to think it is wholly inappropriate for us to start this week like this.
I promise you there's a tie-in to what happened on this date in 2001.
This single was released in 2002, the fourth single from Ludacris's 2001 album, Word of Mouf. The crass title - a reference to a common pejorative that either refers to a loud mouth woman or, more likely, just someone who was pissing Ludacris off that day - was frequently changed to "Move" to get it some radio airplay.
Which it got. The song was Ludacris's first Top 10 hit.
Now, the song is at least potentially misogynistic, and is absolutely violent. You can't sugarcoat that.
In 2004, the song was adopted by Democrats, with the titular pejorative changed to "Bush" - which made it the perfect song for people who were opposed to the Patriot Act and other slights to our liberties, as well as our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan regime change wards, that happened in the wake of the September 11th attacks.
Move, Bush, get out the way.
In 2017, with Ludacris's support, the lyrics were changed AGAIN to target someone different.
The song, steeped in violence, became a non-violent way to protest a president who declined to denounce the racists in Charlottesville, VA. and fostered division in our courtry.
In 1986, TV journalist Dan Rather was assaulted by 2 men in New York City - and these assailants kept repeating the phrase, "Kenneth, What's the frequency?"
This phrase translated into a 1994 single, the first from R.E.M.'s 9th album, Monster. According to lead singer Michael Stipe, the lyrics are from the point of view an old guy who knows everything about Generation X based solely on what he's reading in the media, which, of course, is utter and complete bullshit.
The song is a cautionary tale, people.
It's also a complex song, with a lot of fuzzy guitar... but you might notice the pace slows down at the end, almost as if they are running out of breath. Well, that's partly true - as they were recording the song, bassist Mike Mills slowed down his pace... and the rest of the band followed along. Well, it turns out that Mike Mills had appendicitis and was in a lot of freaking pain. Rather than rerecord the song at full speed, the band chose to rush him to the hospital.
See if you can find the point where Mike's appendix started to burst.
Normally, I try to sprinkle in a live performance, but in this case, they all sound like the studio. R.E.M. is funny that way.
I figured you'd like to see what it looks like when Dan Rather tries to sing with the band. Seriously. This is Dan Rather, singing with R.E.M. He would go on to tour with R.E.M. keep his day job.
This infectious song was #11 pop hit in the US in 1993, and again was a hit in 2008. Written by a couple of producers, they drafted a guy named Nestor to sing the song.
Nestor Haddaway. His name was Nestor Haddaway.
It would be Haddaway's only significant hit, but if you;'re only going to have one hit, this is the one to have. Of German and Trinidadian descent, Haddaway created a hell of a Europop club classic that endures to this day.
You knew we had to get there, right?
That's right. Haddaway performing his hit live in 2022. And the crowd loves it!
No, no, you wanted Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell, didn't you?
Indeed, the two of them created a popular Saturday Night Live sketch about a couple of idiot club rats from Boston who had their own head-bobbing dance style when it came to this song.
They turned their characters into a terrible 1998 movie, A Night at the Roxbury, that ended up making about $30 million at the box office. It also brought this song back into prominence again, as it featured on their briskly-selling soundtrack.
So, here you go. A compilation of Chris Kattan and Wll Ferrell dancing like morons.
Then, on Sunday, news broke that Steve Harwell was in hospice care and near death. I didn't read that news until Monday morning, and that news was quickly followed by news of Harwell's passing.
So, that changed some plans for the week.
I saw Smash Mouth live several years ago, with Steve Harwell on vocals. This song was, of course, a highlight of that show - it being their first single and a pretty big hit. From San Jose, California, this song was written by guitarist Greg Camp and heavily influenced by the then-recent Rodney King verdict in Los Angeles - I have to imagine that hit differently in California, even in San Jose, which isn't all that close to LA.
Of course, record labels will push songs with a little social consciousness with an organ accompanyment as a party song. Even though it wasn't - the lyrics are a little darker than the music lets on - Steve Harwell sold it and made it a top-tapping classic. His live performance of the song was always a highlight, and it was a highlight on this 1997 Tonight Show clip.
Willow was billed as Willow, but her name is Willow Smith, She is the daughter of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith. This single was released in October 2010. She was born on Halloween, in the year 2000.
So, do the math. She recorded and released this single when she was 9.
Nine.
Nine.
I was still playing with my Hot Wheels at age 9.
Willow Smith was recording a top 20 song.
And not just any song. "Whip My Hair" was her debut single, and it not only was a hit, the song is absolutely a bop. It was a club hit. It was a kid's radio hit. It was everywhere. The song was, and is, iconic.
And she did this at 9.
In this live performance five years later, I think it is clearer than in the original video just how talented a hip-hop artist Willow Smith is. She's got stage presence, and a command of the microphone.
As of 2022, she wasn't really playing the song live with her band anymore - she's gone in a more rock direction - but does do it acapella on request at her shows, like this one at the iHeart Radio festival.
One thing Willow always wanted to do was shave her hair during a performance of this song, and, with her full band playing, she did just that.
Also, this version really really rocks. Willow is a hell of a frontwoman and should still have a long career ahead of her.
Deadboy & the Elephantmen were a band from Louisiana until 2007, when they broke up. And then, no one really thought about them.
Until 2015. On The CW. Tuesday, March 17th, 2015, at 9PM ET - or, really, probably about three minutes after that. That's when this happened.
That, you see, was the night of the debut of a new series on The CW called iZombie. It lasted five seasons and it's on Netflix - and it's better than the title makes it sound. Highly recommended.
Immediately, this became the best known song by Deadboy & the Elephantmen.
It's not quite a zombie song, but it works as such. The song is very simply constructed - just guitar and drums. The band was, at this point in 2005 when the song was released, a 2-piece.
It's worth noting that Henry Rollins was a fan of Deadboy & the Elephantmen, so he used his radio and TV platforms to promote the band. You can see the 2-piece at work on Rollins's IFC show.
Summer is almost over, and we're finally getting to this song.
We've been largely avoiding the hits on top of the pop chart this summer, mostly because it's been strange and partly because some of it has been terrible. But, now that we're at the end of the summer, we feel like we should address it.
How is a four year old song that had a run on the pop charts and was a top 30 hit in 2019 suddenly a top 5 hit in 2023?!
If you weren't aware, Taylor Swift is on tour. I know. She's kept it pretty low-key. But yes. And this song from 2019's Lover album, not released as a single but still a minor hit in 2019, was featured prominently on her tour this year. It makes sense - in a summer dominated by country music, a song that bridges her origins in country (the 2nd half of this song is clearly country-music influenced) and her current pop focus (this song is incredibly synth-heavy) fits in well.
Co-written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Annie Clark (who is St. Vincent and we hear clear shadows of "Los Ageless", which was also written by Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark, by the way), the song is not a Bananarama song, but rather a song about a summer romance and the associated pain.
The song became so popular as part of the tour that Republic Records rereleased it as a single and it took off, peaking at number 3 on the pop charts.
Those who read this blog know that I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan and I did not attend this tour. This song, however, is fantastic.
Her current tour has a remarkable similar setlist every single night. Every show opens with a couple of songs from the Lover album, and this song is the 2nd song in almost every show.
Shockingly, people have recorded this song live on the tour. This is from her stop in Santa Clara, California. (edit: Taylor's people like to take down videos by her fans, so here is the performance in the Eras Tour movie. It's literally the same performance at a different show, this one in LA)
Why yes, that is a Rick James sample that dominates this song. In fact, Rick James and Alonzo Miller - the original writers of "Super Freak" - are listed as co-writers of the song.
But let's be clear. This song was written and produced by MC Hammer.
How big a hit was it? Well, in the short term, it was a big, but not mega-big, hit. It was the THIRD single from MC Hammer's 3rd album, 1990's Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em. This song, however, got airplay long before it was released as a single, and that drove album sales - to the point where it was the longtime best selling rap album of all time (it has since fallen to 5th on that list).
The single itself was a top 10 hit on the pop charts - never making it to the top spot, though. It was also a number 1 R&B hit, and a hit worldwide. Moreover, it brought rap to a much broader audience, including many in my group of friends at the time.
You know the song. Now, it's Hammer time.
One thing about MC Hammer... you probably know him for what he recorded. His live performances were full of energy. He was one of the most dynamic performers of his generation - which made him an excellent bridge from the old school sound that dominated the 1980s to the more in-your-face rap style of the 1990s.
Did I say "were"? MC Hammer famously lost all his money from "U Can't Touch This" pretty quickly, which means he didn't get to just retire (although all indications seem to be that he recovered from that). Twenty years after the song came out, he was still touring and still putting on a hell of a show.
Here he is in 2018, STILL performing this song. Yes, he's got other people doing his dancing, but he's still putting on a hell of a show.
Anyway, this is a different, not so loud song. It's not quiet, mind you - but it's less in-your-face angry and more synth-pop-rock angry. It's about Trent Reznor's job - as a musician, with real business pressures - and how that clashes with his desires - as a musical artist, and keeping his integrity.
In 2005, this was the first single off of Nine Inch Nails's fourth album, With Teeth. That's sixteen years after their - his? - debut, and six years since the previous album. The video is almost completely CGI - no, Trent Reznor did not stick his face into a pinscreen repeatedly - and the only non-CGI pieces are the hand belonging to David Fincher, who directed the video, and the fuzzy cars you occasionally see in the background.
As should be no shock, this has become a live performance favorite, and it hits so much louder and harder live.
So, this is a weird song in how it's constructed. Let's breat it down.
Paul McCartney took the first stab at it, writing the lyrics - probably about a relationship he was having with British actress Jane Asher at the time. She been happily married for forty years, so don't ask her. He then took it to John Lennon, with whom he came up with the middle part ("Life is very short...")
But you might notice a tempo change in the middle. That's more than a tempo change. That's a change to 3/4 time - and that was the brainchild of the uncredited George Harrison. It, by design, sounds like a waltz, in contrast to the pop-rock sound of the rest of the song.
The song also goes from optimism in the verse and chorus to a slightly less optimistic and more philosophical tone in the middle. It's quite interesting to listen to the song go thematically and muscally back and forth. Paul took the lead vocal roles, with John joining with harmonies in the middle.
"We Can Work It Out" was release in December 1965 as a double A-side single - along with "Day Tripper" - and quickly became a #1 hit, It's worth noting that Stevie Wonder also had a hit with the song in the early 1970s with the song.
I wrote about Charly Bliss a couple of years ago, and then, I promised to revisit them. I didn't think it would take me this long - but I got really sick of their earlier stuff, which was very much like Weezer.
This 2019 single by Charly Bliss is possibly their best known song. Written by the band, the song is sung by lead vocalist Eva Hendricks, and not E.G. Daily. The lead single from their 2nd album, Young Enough, it's a lot poppier than their earlier work.
It's an interesting song, about the power of saying no, because, well, you're at capacity.
If you're familiar with their earlier work, you know that Eva Hendricks plays guitar on top of her vocals. As you can see - and pointing to their move from rock to pop - she has moved to keyboard during live performances. Also, I wish my dining room was this cool.
"Echosmith Is Back, and Wants Us to Put Our Phones Down."
That's what the Billboard headline read.
Of course, ignore the lyrics and this sounds like a chipper pop ditty. You could be forgiven for hearing this as some bright pop song, like "Cool Kids". Lyrically, though - it's not chipper at all. It's dark and sad, and really does encourage real connection.
The kicker here is that this song was written and released by Echosmith in 2019.... before the pandemic. That made the lonely generation even lonlier - and makes this song more poignant.
By the way, I'm not sure if I've said it before, but Echosmith is a sibling band - originally 4, but now 3. How they fit all that musical talent in one family is a marvel.
Big Data is Alan Wilkis, a producer. His music project is an electronic one. This song is billed to him and billed as featuring Joywave.
Wilkis co-wrote the song, but so did Daniel Armbruster, who used to be the other half of Big Data and was, at the time, the vocalist for a Rochester, NY band called Joywave, and its his voice and the band's music you hear in this version. The song is super bass-heavy, which is cool as heck.
You knew I had to drop Rochester in there. I lived there for 26 years, after all.
It's kind of blurry who this should be billed to. What isn't blurry is that this collaboration is both the biggest hit Big Data ever had, but also the biggest hit Joywave ever had.
The video is violent and depicts the marketing of an athletic shoe that incites violence.
The lyrics video took a different approach - showing the dangers of, well, big data. An accompanying app - which seems to not work anymore - would make a video out of your Facebook timeline. Seriously.
What also is not blurry is that Joywave doesn't perform with Big Data. They are separate bands, with separate members. The male vocalist (who's doing a lot of the electronic work as well) is Alan Wilkis. Not gonna lie, I like this version, too.
(Update: 4 October 2023) Joywave actually didn't play this song live until 2021. They chose their hometown of Rochester, NY to pull it out for the first time. They also pulled out not one, not two, but THREE bass guitars to make sure you could hear that sound from space.
