This song, a Grammy-award winner for Record of the Year - yes, this song. Not "Africa" - was NOT about Rosanna Arquette, but the band really wanted you to think it was. She was dating a member of the band at the time, but the song wasn't really about her, but about a lot of ex-girlfriends. She just had a nice, melodic name.
The song, like a lot of Toto's work, is heavily jazz influenced, using a lot of structure and meters from that genre not usually seen in pop/rock music. Horns and keyboards sit right alongside guitars, basses, and drums.
By the way, if you look closely, you'll see Patrick Swayze is one of the backup dancers. No joke!
07 April 2014
02 April 2014
2 April 2014 - Cameo - Word Up
Cameo had been around for well over a decade - making good, funky music - when "Word Up" hit the radio airwaves in 1986. For some reason, this is the song that made them huge - a crossover sensation to mainstream radio. Maybe it was the non-stop old-school funk, which was gaining in prominence with the rise of hip-hop. Maybe it was the timely horn sound. Maybe it was the red codpiece that Larry Blackmon wore throughout the video, which also got heavy MTV airplay.
I encourage you to listen to this twice. See if you can catch the speed-enhanced sample from the theme song for The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Also, see if you can catch LeVar Burton, at the time best known for his part in Roots and as the host of Reading Rainbow, as the funkiest cop alive.
I encourage you to listen to this twice. See if you can catch the speed-enhanced sample from the theme song for The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Also, see if you can catch LeVar Burton, at the time best known for his part in Roots and as the host of Reading Rainbow, as the funkiest cop alive.
01 April 2014
26 March 2014
26 March 2014 - Lorde - Team
Sure, everyone loved "Royals". I loved "Royals". I still do love "Royals".
"Team" is not "Royals", but it's still a really good song, cut from the same working-class New Zealand cloth lyrically. Musically, this is a far more upbeat tune, clearly showing Lorde's American hip-hop influence. This is a dense song, with an a capella portion at the beginning.
However, in this live performance, you can see it's just keyboard and drums backing Lorde. In other words, in all this density, the song and the sound are still sparse, carried almost completely by Lorde's voice.
I think this is what fascinates me about Lorde the most - her sound is, at its core, so sparse, and yet she finds a way to bring a lot of depth to it, without a lot of instruments or guitar solos.
"Team" is not "Royals", but it's still a really good song, cut from the same working-class New Zealand cloth lyrically. Musically, this is a far more upbeat tune, clearly showing Lorde's American hip-hop influence. This is a dense song, with an a capella portion at the beginning.
However, in this live performance, you can see it's just keyboard and drums backing Lorde. In other words, in all this density, the song and the sound are still sparse, carried almost completely by Lorde's voice.
I think this is what fascinates me about Lorde the most - her sound is, at its core, so sparse, and yet she finds a way to bring a lot of depth to it, without a lot of instruments or guitar solos.
25 March 2014
25 March 2014 - Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
Sports-related depression is a real, but mostly stupid thing. In that same respect, I'm a real, but mostly stupid person. I can relate. Not to go into the brutal details of Saturday night (suffice to say if you know me, you know what game tore my heart out) I found myself drinking beers and watching old alternative music videos on YouTube to cheer me up. Music saves.
After a steady stream of Belly and Velocity Girl videos I somehow ended up watching a bunch of Kate Bush videos. Let me start by saying I adore Kate Bush. Such a unique singer and songwriter. BUUUUUUUT (that'd be a big but), her videos are so unintentionally funny. I sent Tony a message the moment my eyes peeped the over-dramatic interpretive dancing for the Wuthering Heights video (always one of my favorite songs by her) which read: "Kinda drunk so it's up to you to remind me to post Kate Bush Wuthering Heights video on WGP. LMAO. Great song, the video . . ." To which he replied: "The video is epic." I knew I was on to something.
He never did remind me so I guess I was in better shape than I thought. Anyway, something tells me this won't be the last epic interpretive dance-laden Kate Bush video that I post here (there are some doozies out there). But for now let's enjoy the video for her first single from 1978.
After a steady stream of Belly and Velocity Girl videos I somehow ended up watching a bunch of Kate Bush videos. Let me start by saying I adore Kate Bush. Such a unique singer and songwriter. BUUUUUUUT (that'd be a big but), her videos are so unintentionally funny. I sent Tony a message the moment my eyes peeped the over-dramatic interpretive dancing for the Wuthering Heights video (always one of my favorite songs by her) which read: "Kinda drunk so it's up to you to remind me to post Kate Bush Wuthering Heights video on WGP. LMAO. Great song, the video . . ." To which he replied: "The video is epic." I knew I was on to something.
He never did remind me so I guess I was in better shape than I thought. Anyway, something tells me this won't be the last epic interpretive dance-laden Kate Bush video that I post here (there are some doozies out there). But for now let's enjoy the video for her first single from 1978.
24 March 2014
24 March 2014 - Pitbull (ft. Kesha) - Timber
Pitbull has a signature sound. A lot of people think all of his song sound the same. I disagree completely, but that's not important, really.
So Pitbull decided to include elements that were not generally part of his signature sound. For example, that's not a sampled harmonica sound. It is in the style of the band War, but it is not Lee Oskar - the harmonica player for War - but a session player who is clearly familiar with the style.
Now, of course, Pitbull still sounds like Pitbull, and he does collaborate with another (female) artist, as he is known to do. The resulting sound keeps Pitbull's Latin dance/hip-hop feel, but adds a little country feel, from the surprising source of Kesha.
Oh. Yeah. While we're on the subject. Kesha. Not Ke$ha. Her choice. She's growing up.
Anyway, I tried to hate this song - as I do with most Pitbull music - but, once again, I just couldn't. It's creative and interesting.
The two of them recently performed this song, which spent 3 weeks at #1 in the US, on the American Music Awards broadcast. I even think it sounds like they are singing it live! At any rate, the live performance shows the energy that both Pitbull and Kesha bring to their art.
Yes. I called it art. Don't hate.
So Pitbull decided to include elements that were not generally part of his signature sound. For example, that's not a sampled harmonica sound. It is in the style of the band War, but it is not Lee Oskar - the harmonica player for War - but a session player who is clearly familiar with the style.
Now, of course, Pitbull still sounds like Pitbull, and he does collaborate with another (female) artist, as he is known to do. The resulting sound keeps Pitbull's Latin dance/hip-hop feel, but adds a little country feel, from the surprising source of Kesha.
Oh. Yeah. While we're on the subject. Kesha. Not Ke$ha. Her choice. She's growing up.
Anyway, I tried to hate this song - as I do with most Pitbull music - but, once again, I just couldn't. It's creative and interesting.
The two of them recently performed this song, which spent 3 weeks at #1 in the US, on the American Music Awards broadcast. I even think it sounds like they are singing it live! At any rate, the live performance shows the energy that both Pitbull and Kesha bring to their art.
Yes. I called it art. Don't hate.
21 March 2014
21 March 2014 - Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
The late 1970s and early 1980s were a great time for saxophone solos. The greatest of all came in Gerry Rafferty's masterpiece. At its core, this song is a simple jazz piece with folk undertones, but its iconic saxophone solos make it a classic of modern music. Even when it was new. The song peaked at #2 in the US and was a hit worldwide.
The sax riff itself was played by a musician named Raphael Ravenscroft. To this day, it's out of tune to his ear - it's flatter than the rest of the song. Which isn't a surprise, since the intention wasn't for that to be a sax solo until Ravenscroft suggested it. And his tone was beautiful, even if his solo was flat.
Everyone else thinks it's the greatest sax solo ever performed, by the way.
I really can't think of any more to say about this song that hasn't already been said by the music.
(It's not like Scott has the market cornered on corny closing lines)
(except, if you think I'm kidding about the out-of-tune reference.....check at about the 2:00 mark for the details)
The sax riff itself was played by a musician named Raphael Ravenscroft. To this day, it's out of tune to his ear - it's flatter than the rest of the song. Which isn't a surprise, since the intention wasn't for that to be a sax solo until Ravenscroft suggested it. And his tone was beautiful, even if his solo was flat.
Everyone else thinks it's the greatest sax solo ever performed, by the way.
I really can't think of any more to say about this song that hasn't already been said by the music.
(It's not like Scott has the market cornered on corny closing lines)
(except, if you think I'm kidding about the out-of-tune reference.....check at about the 2:00 mark for the details)
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