We posted about Tracy Bonham on this blog almost nine years ago. It i incredible to me that I am still writing this so far in the future from that.
We referred to the fact that she was a one hit wonder. This was that hit. In reality, she had a 2nd hit - which I will post another day. This was by far her biggest one, however, and for good reason - it takes a completely relatable story of a girl who has moved out of her mother's house and is trying to reassure mom that EVERYTHING'S FINE, even though it isn't.
This video, which got a lot of MTV airplay, features Tracy's actual mother on vacuum.
This version of the video was made for VH1, which had an audience that skewed older and more family-friendly. I guess trying on clothes in a closet mutes the primal scream that EVERYTHING'S FINE.
The VH1 video makes it a little clear, but this live performance makes it more abundantly clear that Tracy is playing a fiddle, and uses it to convey a tone shift and to punctuate the fact that EVERYTHING'S FINE.
You were about thisclose to forgetting this song even existed, weren't you?
And yet this was Lit's biggest hit, in 1999. It was only a moderate hit, but it was a hit nonetheless. It is the epitome of post-punk power-pop, but it was also a catchy tune. It's OK to enjoy it.
It has been a hell of a year already for Béatrice Martin.
She bought her record label - Dare To Care Records - and renamed it Bravo Musique. SHe is now its owner, President, and A&R Director....
She had vocal cord surgery - to treat a hemorrhagic polyp. She seems to have recovered, although it left her completely silent for a while..
She dropped a surprise instrumental album on April 30th (Perséides), recorded while she was recovering from vocal cord surgery. It's a delight. Highly recommended. I cannot stop listening to it.
Plus she keeps getting featured on this blog written by some silly American fellow who discovered and fell in love with her music accidentally. Seriously. We've posted more Cœur de Pirate music here than any other artist thus far - this is the fifth post and I promise you there will be at least a 6th. I want to make sure I say that loud enough for the people in the back. A French-languange artist is making compelling, catchy music that transcends language barriers - again and again.
And today, I am launching a campaign to make this single, released May 28th, 2021, the 2021 Song of the Summer, in the United States. This is a catchy, mature, piano-synth heavy song that really deserves a lot of attention.
Whether I am successful or not, this song is MY Song of the Summer, because it is a delight.
I have made an awful lot of Doja Cat jokes in my day.
However, this is a clever and catchy song that brings a warm summer vibe, and, on this unofficial first day of summer, I felt it was a great choice.
In writing this post, I gained a lot of respect for Doja Cat. You see, when you have a big hit song, your record label is going to push you to perform it EVERYWHERE. Well, that's what RCA Records did to Doja Cat when it came to the 2020 MTV European Music Awards...
So, in response, she made a genre shift.... and it was really good.
I used to go to a lot of drug company dinners concerning drugs for multiple sclerosis. This is because it is something that impacts my life (I won't betray medical privacy by saying why, but if you know me personally, you know why).
I remember going to one in Webster, NY, hosted by Teva Pharmaceuticals - a drug called Copaxone, which was one of the first drugs developed to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis. The way these things work, a doctor talks about the drug and its efficacy for about a half hour, and then a patient taking the drugs comes up to tell their story.
On this particular day, the patient's name was Julie. They are TYPICALLY only identified by their first names. She came in singing a Barbara Mandrell song. I know you're wondering what song, but it isn't important. That was the first clue that we were in for something different.
Julie told a moving story about her life - about she dreamed of being a country music superstar, how she lost her home in a flood that also triggered an MS relapse (when she was trying to ignore having anything wrong), how she came to work for a record label (Mercury Nashville) as their receptionist and eventually was signed. And....
"My debut album, Julie Roberts - that's my name, Julie Roberts....."
At which point I immediately reached for my phone to 1) find the post on Totally Covered that Scott had posted to 2) make sure I remembered correctly that there was a picture of him with her 3) wrote to Scott on Twitter to basically tell him all of this. He told me to say hi for him after the talk.
Which I did. Amazingly, she not only remembered him, but the venue in which he saw her perform - without a prompt from me. She was exceedingly nice.
Julie's patient story was far and away the best I've ever heard - so detailed, so moving, and so engaging. I won't tell her whole story - but she is a working musician who happened to have multiple sclerosis.
And she is a musician, and this was her debut single from that album. It would be a top 20 country hit, with the album receiving a gold certification.
You might be wondering why I am posting this on a Sunday. Today is World MS Day. I encourage you to visit the National MS Society website and tell 'em we sent you. Donate, learn more. Help find a cure.
Now here's more Julie Roberts performing this song live in some elementary school auditorium.
Guys, Jane was my favorite Go-Go. Let's start there.
That's why I saved this song, her biggest solo hit - top 10 in the US, top 20 in the UK - for last.
Two things of note about this song:
1) The video is very dolphin-centric, which doesn't really have a lot to do with the lyrics. It's a great video, for sure. but..... dolphins.
2) Video of this song being performed live is incredibly rare. It's complex and tough to reproduce live..... which is why this video from a couple of years ago is such a treat, and required a large band.
A little bonus for you - two Go-Go's songs from the same performance. This includes Jane's third verse of "Our Lips Are Sealed" and the Charlotte Caffey-penned "We Got The Beat".
To support this great cover band that doesn't usually feature Jane Wiedlin, go to nitewaveparty.com
