Recently, a friend adopted a new dog & was soliciting name recommendations, because she didn't like the name the dog came with (the name is associated with an annoying ear worm). Did we have any suggestions, she asked, perhaps based on a song? That got me thinking about my favorite songs that feature a woman's name, which thus reminded me of my love for Simon & Garfunkel.
Nowadays, I wouldn't say they get a lot of rotation on my playlist. I still listen to them; there's just so much new stuff to discover, I don't listen to older stuff as much. Back when I was in college, however, a roommate and I used to listen to them all the time. We even had a nickname for them: Petey & Arty. It took us YEARS after college to realize we referred to Paul Simon as "Petey." I don't know why we did; it was a simple brain fart.
Anyway, while there are many songs of theirs I love, "Kathy's Song" was always a favorite. I love Paul Simon's voice here. He's an amazingly talented songwriter; with simple language, he sets the scene of this song in such a way that you can picture it perfectly. His love and admiration for Kathy* shine through: "The only truth I know is you"; "There before the grace of you go I." It speaks to such a wistful, romantic, all-encompassing view of love.
However, I think Kathy is a terrible name for a dog.
*Unfortunately, in reading up about this song, I discovered that Kathy was 16 to Paul's 22 when they met. I know those were different times, but ick. Sometimes I think it's better to enjoy things without researching them, haha.
Click on the Top Songs tag at the bottom to view all the posts on this topic.
In no particular order, and with little commentary, out of all the songs I downloaded in 2018, here are the 5 that I listened to the most.
This year, I’ve been into synthesizer music in a way I never was before (I blame “Stranger Things” for triggering 80s nostalgia in me). I love how moody and slow this is (plus all of GUNSHIP’s videos are super cool). Warning: although it's in claymation, this video is violent:
Getting to see them in concert reminded me of my love for Toad & how comforting I find Glen Phillips’s voice. It also introduced me to some of their more recent work, including this song:
I love this peppy little missive about (in my opinion) the insecurities of relationships:
“Out of the darkness, into the light… I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive.”
Discovered this Montreal-based band (and also Hot As Sun above) while watching the show “Killjoys.” I’m really loving all their work. In this particular song, her voice reminds me of Stevie Nicks:
I heard this song in the first episode of the Netflix show "On My Block" and pretty much immediately went to iTunes & downloaded it. I absolutely love the funky beat, the cheeky sense of cockiness, and the funny lyrics. Also, Jack has a pretty smooth voice. It reminds me of the hip hop music I liked best from the 90s. He's so incredibly talented. I hope he blows up big, as he so rightly deserves.
There is literally nothing about Cherub that I should like, particularly when it comes to this song. I don't care for high pitched singing. I'm not into party culture, especially not hard drugs. And this song is so incredibly juvenile (as is the other Cherub song I own, "Heartbreaker").
Yet here we are.
I love this song. I think it's fun. I see it as somewhat tongue-in-cheek. And I have to admit, there's this immature part of me that thoroughly enjoys singing along to the lines, "To all the b!*ch ass hoes that hate me the most, oh yeah, I hate you too. To all the punk as f!*ks that just want to talk s!*t, I hate you too." I can't say that "doses & mimosas, champagne & cocaine help to get me through," but the way they sing those lyrics, I have a good time belting them out alongside.
This certainly isn't the classiest song in my library, but sometimes you just have to let loose & enjoy yourself.
In no particular order, and with little commentary, out of all the songs I downloaded in 2017, here are the 5 that I listened to the most.
"I was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life... " Ugh, gut punch.
I don't care for the rest of the album, but I love this song:
"I gotta find out who I'm meant to be. I don't believe in destiny. But with every word you swear to me, all my beliefs start caving in... "
I heard this song on the radio & immediately fell in love with Mike Protich's voice:
True story. When the theater I work at had a two-week run of the musical "Sunset Boulevard" over the summer, I had this song stuck in my head the whole time (due to the opening lyrics).
There are few bands whose music fills me with as much joy as Earth, Wind & Fire. Their songs are simply just fun. They make me want to get up and dance. Actually, I usually start dancing in my seat when they come up on shuffle. I love how this song, after the opening chorus, commands you to do so:
Let this groove get you to move
It's alright (alright) alright
Let this groove set in your shoes
So stand up (alright) alright
They want you to have as much fun as they're having. And really, can you go wrong with a video like this? All the sparkles & rainbows & novel (at the time) music video tricks. When I was younger, I would've thought this was lame. Now I think two things: these people were probably on a lot of drugs & they were having a damn good time.
The older I get, the more I can appreciate having a damn good time.
I'm not going to post much about this song. I love the vocals. I love the lyrics:
I am not the only traveler
Who has not repaid his debt
I've been searching for a trail to follow again
Take me back to the night we met
And then I can tell myself
What the hell I'm supposed to do
And then I can tell myself
Not to ride along with you
I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met
I don't know what I'm supposed to do, haunted by the ghost of you
Oh, take me back to the night we met
When the night was full of terrors
And your eyes were filled with tears
When you had not touched me yet
Oh, take me back to the night we met
I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met
I don't know what I'm supposed to do, haunted by the ghost of you
Take me back to the night we met
But most of all, I love how sad and beautiful it is.
I’ve loved Jethro Tull since I was a teenager. I think when I first got into them, it was somewhat fueled by my adolescent need to exert myself as an individual. Not only did I listen to classic rock, which most of my peers weren’t listening to at the time, my favorite classic rock band wasn’t one of those super mainstream ones like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. No, I was different. My favorite band featured a guy playing a flute.
Still, in spite of my potentially juvenile motives, I feel that I chose wisely. Jethro Tull is a great band. The music is good, I happen to love Ian Anderson’s voice, and they give a phenomenal concert (I’ve seen them twice). But for me, where they’ve always excelled is in the lyrics. Even now, in my 40s, I can so relate to nearly everything they say. (Plus, along the way, I’ve learned a lot of great Britishisms, such as “dog end” for “cigarette butt.”)
This song has always been one of my favorites. I love the sense of hope and promise that the music brings, while the lyrics belie how uneasy and anxious the singer feels. It’s exactly how I’ve felt for most of my life. Each day has so much potential, but on the inside I’m worrying about pretty much everything and feeling like I don’t connect to the world the way I’m supposed to.
“Well, do you ever get the feeling that the story’s too damn real and in the present tense?” The song asks. Why yes, yes, I do.
“Or that everybody’s and the stage and it seems like you’re the only person sitting in the audience?” Oh my god, YES. I feel that way all the time!
So maybe, even after all these years, there’s still a little teenaged angst inside of me, and that’s okay. It doesn’t change the fact that, at the end of my life, Jethro Tull will still be one of my top 10 favorite bands.
Note: Video is a little NSFW due to pictures flashing on the screen behind the band.
I completely, utterly, love this song, and I’d somehow forgotten how much I love it until I saw it mentioned in a Reddit thread a couple of weeks ago & listened to it again. (That thread, appropriately, was an Ask Reddit about people’s favorite songs of all time.)
There’s just something so charmingly sweet about it, music and lyrics. It makes me happy every single time I hear it. My favorite lines:
“And you're standing here beside me; I love the passing of time. Never for money, always for love. Cover up and say goodnight, say goodnight.”
and
“I come home, she lifted up her wings. I guess that this must be the place.”
and
“I'm just an animal looking for a home; share the same space for a minute or two. And you love me 'til my heart stops. Love me 'til I'm dead.”
In addition to how charming the song is by itself, I was equally disarmed by the video. Everyone seems to be having so much fun. I love all the knowing looks they give each other. Even more, I love how hilariously awkward David Byrne is. Moving his head like a chicken, dancing around with a standing lamp while looking like Mr. Rogers. Adorable.
By the time I finished this video, I was grinning like a fool. I immediately wanted to watch it again. There was something so incredibly special about the Talking Heads. Sometimes I feel a little sad that they’ll never perform together again.
I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm some Chris Cornell super fan. Back in the day, I owned the Soundgarden albums Louder Than Love and Badmotorfinger. I never bought any of his other bands' albums, nor did I purchase music from his solo career. I never saw him in concert. That being said, Cornell was probably my favorite voice of the grunge era. I've been taking his death pretty hard.
I think there are 3 factors feeding into how I feel about it: 1. The same night that he killed himself, my husband and I hosted a friend who said he would kill himself if he spent the night alone. The parallel of how Cornell's story to my friend's (albeit with different outcomes) has left me shaken. 2. I feel too young for most of the musical icons of my generation to be dead. 3. Knowing little about his personal life, I was unaware that he was troubled, so his suicide is a shock.
I know lots of people are having similar feelings about it. I spent several hours on Thursday afternoon reading a tribute thread and listening to most of the videos there. That's how I found out that Cornell was far more talented than I ever realized. Here are a few of my favorites of those videos:
Soundgarden - "Fell on Black Days"
Chris Cornell - "Sunshower"
Chris Cornell - cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U"
Chris Cornell - covers "Redemption Song" (my favorite Bob Marley song) with daughter Toni
Chris Cornell - sings the lyrics of "One" by Metallica to the tune of "One" by U2, simply amazing
I feel so sad for his family & can't decide if it's better or worse that they have to share their grief with an adoring, questioning public.
RIP Chris Cornell. Thanks for sharing your talent with the world for a little while.
The Staves is comprised of a trio of sisters that hail from the UK. What I enjoy most about them is their voices & the way that they harmonize. I also like that their songs tend to be sweet and sorrowful. I don’t own a ton of their music because, after a while, they start to sound a little same-y same-y to me. What I do own, however, I find incredibly soothing.
I like this song in particular for a reason that might seem odd on the surface: it reminds me of my early relationship with my husband. We were together for only a year when we got engaged. Two months later, he got a job in another state. At that point, I’d lived in the Pacific Northwest for ten years and I thought I was never leaving. To me, it was my home. I felt closer to my friends there than I’d felt to practically any other friends in my life. I had a decision to make.
So when The Staves sing these lines:
“But I can't be married, you'll take me away from everything that I love dearly
And we can't be lovers, you'll take me away from my home”
That hits me right in the feels.
I made the opposite decision of the woman in the song. I don’t think I would have seen my husband again, in the long run, if I’d decided to stay. I was married, and left my home. While I don’t regret the decision - it’s been a very grand adventure ever since - this song reminds me of that bittersweet time, in a good way. Every time I hear it, it brings a nostalgic smile to my face.
P.S. I chose this video because the live version, while quite nice, has some camerawork (EXTREME CLOSE UP!) that I don't care for.
Lately, I've had an embarrassment of riches with new songs that I love. So I figured, instead of writing a long post about one song, I'd write a sentence or two each about five different songs. Here's some of what I've been digging lately.
"24K Magic" by Bruno Mars
I suppose there's someone out there who hates the music of Bruno Mars, but that person isn't me. I absolutely adore the groove of this song, how fun it is, and the flippant line, "spend your money like money ain't sh*t."
"Fill in the Blank" by Car Seat Headrest
I like the punk rock vibe of this song & love the lyrics. Example: "You have no right to be depressed, you haven’t tried hard enough to like it. Haven’t seen enough of this world yet, but it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."
"Atomic Number" by case/lang/veirs
What a phenomenal collaboration! I love their voices together. They had me at the line, "I'm not a pan of milk for you to spoil."
"California" by Robert Ellis
This is what made me fall in love with this song: "And she says maybe I'll move to California with the unbroken part of my heart I still have left. Maybe I'll fall in love again someday. I'm not gonna hold my breath." Gut punch.
"My Type" by Saint Motel
I think this song is irreverent & hilarious. I love the serious "I'm a man with very specific taste" juxtaposed with "You-you-you're just my type. Oh, you got a pulse and you are breathing." Cracked me up the first time I caught what he was saying. Also, this video is awesome.
I can’t say that I listen to a lot of music that’s “political” in nature but from the opening bass line of “Mexican Chef,” I was hooked.
I found it on a 2016 “best songs of the year” list. At first, I only listened to the catchy tune. The lyrics seemed a bit non-sensical until I really began to listen to them. Then I realized that Xenia Rubinos had something important and poignant to say about the experience of people of color in the United States.
From the opening lyrics: “French bistro … Dominican chef … Italian restaurant … Boricua* chef … Chinese takeout … Mexican chef …Noveau America … Bachata* in the back”
To the meat of the song: “Brown walks your baby, Brown walks your dog, Brown raised America in place of its mom. Brown cleans your house, Brown takes the trash, Brown even wipes your granddaddy’s ass.”
To the refrain that may be stuck in your head for days: “I want it, want it all now. I want it all now. We build the ghettos and we tear them down.”
Rubinos is talking about how people of color do much of the hard, important labor that keeps America going, and how they get so little recognition for it that they are often lumped into one indistinguishable category of “brown.”
Some people may find that offensive, or it may make them feel defensive, but I find it fresh and insightful. I like that she took a sensitive, serious topic and packaged it in a way that people will get into because it’s both fun and relatable. Plus, she’s got some great dance moves.
It was a fitting song, I think, for 2016 and certainly deserved its place on a “best of” list.
*Perhaps, like me, you know little Spanish. Boricua is a colloquial term for Puerto Ricans, especially those living in the U.S. Bachata is a particular type of music & dance that originated in the Dominican Republic.
I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock. I think this is in part because it’s what my older brothers listened to (along with punk rock and heavy metal). Whatever they listened to, I listened to. I think it’s also due in part to the fact that radio choices were limited in my small town. Since I was one of those kids who thought disliking popular music made me cool, the only other options were easy listening or classic rock. It may come as no surprise to you that I chose classic rock.
My absolute favorite classic rock band is Jethro Tull. Someday, when I can finally commit to just one song of theirs to showcase, I’ll do a post about them. Until that time, I’ll just keep talking about other music.
I wouldn’t call myself a “fan” of The Animals. Until recently, I didn’t even own any of their music. But they’re one of those bands that I always enjoy. I never turn the channel when they come on. Whenever I hear them, I think to myself, “that band never got the love they deserved.” Lately, I’d been hearing their version of “The House of the Rising Sun” on the radio a lot. “I always liked that song,” I thought to myself. “Maybe I should buy it.” However, I’m a cautious buyer, so I decided to listen to it a few times on YouTube before committing. And that’s when, through the magic of the internet, I was reminded of my love for “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”
This song almost perfectly captures how I felt about my hometown. My mother, working and slaving her life away, in bed, gray and tired (dead before her time was due for sure), and me, saying to myself,
We gotta get out of this place
If it’s the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there’s a better life for me and you
The lyrics aren’t amazing, and they’re repetitive, but they’re almost painfully true. That bass line thumps hard in your chest. And when Eric Burdon, one of the best voices of the 1960s IMO, belts it out, especially when he does that primal scream, a chill runs down my spine. Now that I’ve been listening to them more, I’m thinking that maybe I never gave them the love they deserved either. It's time to rectify that.
Note: I normally prefer to post videos with the studio version of the song, because I feel studio quality is far superior to live quality, but how could I pass up showing this stage set to you?
I spent a ridiculous amount of time this morning trying to figure out how the Kaiser Chiefs ended up on my radar screen. I thought for sure they were featured in a video game I used to play, but I think I was confusing them with The Streets, whose “Fit But You Know It” was on FIFA 2005.* In the end, I couldn’t recall. I assume the first song I heard was “I Predict a Riot,” which only hit #34 on the U.S. alternative chart, but probably got heavy rotation on Portland’s alternative radio station in 2005.
What I do know is that I bought their first album, Employment, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Kaiser Chiefs hail from Leeds in the UK. Their name is a play on a South African soccer team, Kaizer Chiefs, where, Wikipedia tells me, a famous ex Leeds United (soccer) captain used to play. I’m sure it made sense to a bunch of 20-something guys 12+ years ago.
What I’ve always loved about Kaiser Chiefs is that their music is fun. It has great energy. When I listen to their earlier albums, they’re simply enjoyable from start to finish. In addition to being fun, they've got great lyrics. Their songs tell a story. They frequently use words and phrases you’ll never hear in other people’s music, and they’re irreverent. (A personal favorite from “Oh My God,” also on Employment, “Knock me down, I get right back up again. I come back stronger than a powered-up Pac-Man.”)
My two favorite KC albums are Employment (2005) and Off with Their Heads (2008). It was hard to choose just one song from one of these to feature here. I eventually went with “Saturday Night” for two reasons: the joyful music, which captures perfectly the feeling of what it’s like to be young and heading out for a night with your friends, and the lyrics, which include another of my all-time favorite utterances in song: “P-p-p-pneumothorax is a word that is long. They’re just trying to put some ‘punk’ back into punctured lung” (note: pneumothorax is a collapsed lung), followed by, “P-p-p-panic over, party off, party on. ‘Cause we are birds of a feather and you can be the fat one.”
Both of these lines crack me up because, first of all, who the hell uses “pneumothorax” in song? Kaiser Chiefs, apparently. Second of all, “we’re birds of a feather and you can be the fat one”? Gee, thanks a lot, pal. It’s silly but it’s also clever. I love a song that can make me laugh.
The next time you’re getting ready to go out for the night, crank this up. It will definitely get you in the mood to party.
*”Saturday Night” was on NHL 2006 but I never played that game.
I don't much care for country music, and what little of it I do like tends to be of the more old school variety (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, etc.). However, a few years ago I used to listen to the podcast "Welcome to Nightvale," which features a song at the end of each episode. That was the first time I heard of Jason Isbell - specifically, his song "Cover Me Up."
I fell in love with that song & downloaded it. After that, I began to see him mentioned on several different forums that I read. Personally, I still only own two of his songs, but I like them both so much that I had a difficult time choosing which one to feature here. Ultimately, while I find "Cover Me Up" really beautiful & romantic, I decided it was too slow.
What I like most about Isbell is his voice. The word "smoky" comes to mind. I like how his music tends to be very simple, allowing his voice to shine. (While the above is a live concert, the studio version of the song is nearly as simplistic.)
Also, I really enjoy him thematically. I don't happen to be religious and yet this song has religious undertones. I don't mind it. I like the sentiment anyway:
And I don't think on why I'm here or where it hurts
I'm just lucky to have the work
Sunday morning I'm too tired to go to church
But I thank God for the work
It's a song about a man living his life, going to work, looking for meaning, and recognizing that he needs to be grateful for what he has, whatever that is. It has a hint of sadness, as most great country songs do, but it also rings true, and, in the end, it's hopeful. I think it's lovely.
If memory serves correct, First Aid Kit was one of my "end of year" list finds. The very first song I heard of theirs was "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song." I went on to purchase several of their songs after that, but have been disappointed in their more recent efforts. One of the things I liked about them was how simple their music was, because it allowed the songs to showcase their beautiful voices. I find their more current stuff overproduced. It detracts from the overall appeal.
First Aid Kit is a duo of sisters that hails from Sweden. As I stated above, what I like most about them is their voices. I can probably count on one hand (maybe two) the number of female singers I like. I include Johanna and Klara Soderberg in that count.
"Emmylou" is a bit more country than I typically go for. I've picked up a few country songs here and there over the years, but by and large, it's just not my genre. However, I do enjoy folk, and often, folk straddles the line with country, although it fortunately tends to straddle the line with "old" country rather than "new" country. Definitely, if I had to choose, I'd go with "old" country.
At any rate, the country tune fits with the song, which is tangentially related to Emmylou Harris. Less tangentially, it's about searching for love. It's also about recognizing one's own faults, and learning what you want in a partner. The melody is lovely, the mood appropriately broody, and the lyrics moving. My favorite lines:
"Oh the bitter winds are coming in and I'm already missing the summer. Stockholm's cold but I've been told I was born to endure this kind of weather."
"Now so much I know that things just don't grow if you don't bless them with your patience."
If you're digging this song, I highly recommend you check out their album The Lion's Roar, where the majority of the songs I've downloaded came from. This is good rainy day music, not that there are many rainy days around here.
P.S. This video is kind of ridiculous and I feel a bit sorry for them that someone told them it looked cool. However, what I presume to be Joshua Tree National Park is pretty.
Louis Jordan first appeared on my radar screen around 2009, when I was living on Maui. One day, while I was driving to my volunteer gig, I heard his song “(You Dyed Your Hair) Chartreuse.” At the time, I thought it was hilarious and downloaded it. The more I listened to it, however, the more I found the song a bit annoying. “Why does this guy care so much what color she dyes her hair?” I would think to myself. “Why is he threatening to tell her mom? What a tattle tale!” Fortunately, falling out of love with that song didn’t make me fall out of love with Jordan himself. I’ve continued to listen to, enjoy, and download his music. And my absolute favorite is “Let the Good Times Roll.” I’m not going to say a lot about this song. I’d like to let it stand for itself. The music, while simple, is catchy. The lyrics are pretty simple too. What I really love the sentiment. “Hey everybody, let’s have some fun,” he invites you into it, “you only live but once, and when you’re dead you’re done. So let the good times roll.” Okay, perhaps that’s a bit dark, but I still maintain that it’s a feel-good song. It’s all about enjoying life while you’ve got it, a sentiment I occasionally need to remind myself of. I recommend that you turn up the volume, kick back, groove along to this smooth piece, and always, always let the good times roll.
I first discovered The Lumineers when I lived in Austin. I believe I heard them on Pandora. At the time, they only had an EP out, one that included “Flowers in Your Hair” and “Classy Girls.” Oddly enough, I was just looking at their albums on iTunes and no longer see this EP, although I purchased it and it’s in my library. /shrug At any rate, when they released their self-titled debut album, I bought it. It’s a great album. I really like how quiet and simple their songs are. There’s nothing flashy about them. The music itself, while I enjoy it, tends to take a back seat to Wesley Schultz’s fine voice as he croons out beautiful lyrics. I find a lot of their songs incredibly moving. I usually keep music on in the background while I do whatever - writing, surfing the internet, walking, cross stitching - but with The Lumineers I often find myself pausing to listen to the song, even if I’ve heard it a hundred times before. I admit to skepticism when they released their second album, Cleopatra, especially since I’m not fond of the first release off that album, “Ophelia.” I still haven’t bought the album, or even listened to the whole thing, but I fell in love with “Angela.” It’s possible that “Angela” is one of those songs that pretty much everyone sees as relatable. For me, it so reminds me of my younger self. “When you left this town, with your windows down, and the wilderness inside,” is 18-year-old me, fleeing the town I grew up in to go to college out-of-state, because “the strangers in this town, they raise you up just to cut you down.” Except it wasn’t strangers who cut me down, it was people I knew, within my family and outside of it, making fun of me my whole life. The freedom I felt, finally getting out of there! And I never looked back. Sometimes, I miss those days when everything seemed possible. I’m not sure yet if I’m “home at last.” There have been several times since then where I felt at home, but circumstances changed, and I had to leave that home. The older I get, the more I recognize that home is what you decide it is, but still this song resonates with something very deep inside of me. I'm grateful to The Lumineers for giving voice to my feelings.
You’re not going to see a lot of instrumental music during this series, because I’m more of a lyrics and voice person. Every now and then, however, I fall in love with an instrumental song, as I have fallen in love with “Peacemakers.”
There’s not much out there on the ‘net about British DJ Marcus Marr. He doesn’t have his own Wikipedia page, although he does have social media. If you want to find out (a little) more, you can click HERE. I first heard this song in December 2015. I can’t recall if I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy listening through end-of-the-year “best songs” lists. It’s where I find most of my new music, and it’s where I found “Peacemakers.” (If you’re looking for specifics, I believe it was on NPR’s Top 100 of 2015 playlist, which was nice because they featured many different genres and had them all in their entirety on a channel on their website but was largely a bust for me. I only downloaded 3 songs from it.)
The song drew me in with its great beat, and its deep, funk-style bass. I’m a sucker for some good, funky bass. This isn’t a song for dancing. Nor do I imagine using it for workout motivation. This is a grooving song, one that will make you feel cool while you’re walking down the street, or sitting in your car/on public transit, or even (in my case) while you’re writing.
So pull out something you’ve been working on, turn up your volume, and tell me, after, if you could resist bopping along to this groovy song.
