21 March 2012 - Counting Crows - Hanginaround

So while I've never considered myself a Counting Crows fan, I somehow have three of their cds. Not sure how this happened. I can only guess I acquired them after buying random people's cd collections. It certainly wasn't out of a curiosity to hear their inoffensive middle-of-the-road rock. Although, if I was forced at gunpoint (or a guilty pleasure blog) to name a Crows song I liked, it would have to be Hanginaround. It's got a nice groove to it.

20 March 2012 - The Kendalls - Heaven's Just A Sin Away

The Kendalls were a father-daughter country music duo from Pennsylvania. I always found it slightly strange that they were a father-daughter combination singing songs about couples, such as their minor hit "Pittsburgh Steelers", but that's not what we're talking about today.  Their biggest hit by far was a song with a great title, second only to "Dropkick Me, Jesus (Through The Goalposts of Life)", and one that was earnestly and, perhaps ironically, given the title, innocently sung.

And you can laugh at me, but as cheesy as this song was, even in the mid-70's, I always loved it.  I found it to be clever and fun.  Just don't tell my mother - she'll never let me live it down.



We have a bonus treat for you today. Those of you who are so inclined, we do have a blog dedicated to cover tunes, and today, we feature a cover of this very song. So, after you listen to it here, listen to it there, and let us know in the comments which you like better!

19 March 2012 - Depeche Mode - The Meaning of Love

I started listening to Depeche Mode around the time Music For The Masses came out. Of course I became a big fan and bought all of their previous records. While I loved the darkness of Masses and Black Celebration, nothing could have shocked me more than hearing the first two records. Bouncy synth pop? Really? To be honest, I'm surprised my teeanage mind didn't flip out and burn ALL of their records. However rational I may or may not have been, I kept those first two records (but didn't listen to them again). A few years ago I gave them another shot (after about 20 years...so I guess we can throw out the thought of me being rational). And sure, it's still all sorts of cheesy, but it's in a good guilty pleasure kind of way.

18 March 2012 - Jenny Toomey - Baby Would It Matter

Every musician wishes they had Jenny Toomey's career.  In addition to her solo work - which is brilliant and what we are showcasing today - she has led no less than five really cool bands - I'm going to try to list them from memory without looking them up - Tsunami, Geek, Choke, Grenadine, Liquorice.... I know I'm missing one, but no matter.   AND she founded her own record label - Simple Machines - which ended up being a major player in the DC punk/indie scene, along with Dischord and Teen Beat Records.

And she walked away from musical brilliance to join the Ford Foundation, where she is a Senior Program Officer.  She is sorely missed in the music world, but she is doing good work. (Editor's update: she's in a new role there and the link reflects that)

Here is a live performance of two of my favorite songs by her, "Baby Would It Matter" and "Artful Dodger".  In addition to the coolness of the songs, I love the cowboy hat.  I hope you enjoy the music.

 

Because I am doing this as a public service, I wanted to offer a 2nd performance, from the famed Fort Reno in Washington, DC.  Again, she opens with "Baby Would It Matter."  No cowboy hat this time but, in my opinion, a richer performance.



(Update: 15 May 2013) I just discovered this version of the same song from two years earlier, done by Jenny's band Liquorice.  It's a more melancholy interpretation, but it still is pretty damned awesome.  More organ on this version, but it fits the mood.

(Update: 19 January 2022) So Low.  That's the one I was missing.

17 March 2012 - Hanson - MMMBop

You cannot possibly listen to this song and NOT smile.

This song was so easy to make fun of, but I don't think I've met a single person who doesn't love this song.  It's always the same line, too. "I know it isn't cool to like Hanson, but that was just a fun song."   Because it was.  And still is.  And the band was so easy to make fun of - a lot of people weren't sure if Taylor Hanson was a boy or a girl! - but they were three earnest brothers making fun music and doing it well.    I admire that.

16 March 2012 - Whitesnake - Still of the Night

I like Hair Metal Fridays. I get to watch videos that I haven't seen since they were originally released. And while I always dug today's song, I DO NOT remember it being so freaking long. AND THIS WAS AN EDITED VERSION!!!! Y'all may want to grab a snack, you know, just in case you get hungry in the middle of it.

15 March 2012 - CSS - Music Is My Hot Hot Sex

It's a little strange for me to be featuring English-language songs on International Thursday, but I did it again.

Cansei de Ser Sexy - literally translated as "tired of being sexy" - is a Brazilian 6-piece made up of club DJs who happen to know how to play instruments. The lead vocalist goes by the name Lovefoxx, so they can't be all that tired of being sexy.

They have had some moderate success in this country, largely on the strength of a song that has a salacious title that no one knows but, thanks to Apple, everyone has heard.  Thanks to Apple and this fantastically entertaining band, this song ranks among my top 10 favorites of all time.

Yes, there is some Portuguese at the end of the song.  So, international.

This song would have been relegated to club hit if not for a man named Nick Haley, who entered a contest to make an iPod Touch commercial.  And used this song.  He won the contest, and Apple used the commercial.

To be fair, Nick Haley probably heard the song in this Zune commercial, which came a year earlier.