54 posts tagged “music”
Enjoy!
I like to start my workday (after the coffee & Ellen DeGeneres) by choosing a soundtrack the day. Oftentimes this is either listening to 89.3 The Current or just hitting shuffle. If I'm feeling extra procrastinatey I have to create a playlist for the day. These vary quite a bit. One playlist is just a mashup of Exile on Main Street with Exile in Guyville, alternating the Stones with Liz Phair. Speaking of Phair, she has another playlist dedicated to her. This one alternates the rejected Whitechocolatespaceegg demos with the released versions of the songs.
The latest playlist was quite fun to make and it's just called Duets. I seem unable to resist a duet. I blame this on listening to a lot of Kenny Rogers in my formative years (he loved the duet too). And since we're very nearly hitting the 12 days of Christmas, I thought I'd share four of the more unusual duets in my collection.
Rocket Man, Elton John & Ryan Adams
Even though everyone knows "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" is Elton's best song, I have a soft spot for "Rockt Man" because it brings up fond memories of spending a drunken night on the company dime in a swanky Canadian hotel, where some co-workers and I commandeered the piano in the hotel bar and this song was sung repeatedly with made up lyrics involving Software Man.
Come on! Does this really need any explanation? I didn't think so.
The fact that these two sing together and have formed a sort of mutual admiration society is enough to make my heart burst with joy. It's a little known fact that I bought the Tank Girl soundtrack not because of the name Paul Westerberg but because Joan Jett (and L7, I was going through quite an L7 thing at the time). My Joan Jett admiration predates my Westerfetish by quite a few years. Of course, I should admit a lot of my Joan Jett love was due to the fact that in my early-childhood brain I had decided she was also Leather Tuscadero from Happy Days. Oh well, serendipity I guess.
Changed the Lock, Elvis Costello & Lucinda Williams
I have nothing to say about this one. I just really fucking love the both of 'em.
Do you have any idea how much my Thanksgiving was ruined? RUINED! It was ruined by the fact that I am hopelessly, utterly in love with a song that talks about pie in a positive light. I spent the entire holiday breaking singing about pie.
I am so ashamed.
Yesterday for unknown reasons I decided to create a playlist consisting of one-hit wonders. These were no ordinary one-hit wonders, these were personal one-hit wonders. Songs buy individuals with only one song in my 9,705 song iTunes collection. There were other rules, for instance if the individual was part of a bigger collection (e.g. Soundtracks, Live Current CDs, etc.). they weren’t included in the list. Neither were songs included on mix CDs given to me by friends, or duets where I had more than one song by either of the featured singers (Madonna & Justin Timberlake, Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty). Some of my personal one-hit wonders surprised me, others I had no recollection of how they weaseled into the collection. Here’s a sampling of the 194 one-hit wonders.
Interesting Covers
- I Will Follow You Into the Dark, Amy Millian
- Hey Ya, Obidiah Parker and another version by Booker T. — both one-hit wonders
- Dead Flowers, Townes Van Zandt
- Halleuljah, John Cale, k.d. lang, Bono
- Even Here We are, Shawn Colvin/Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Fuck and Run, Cassettes Won’t Listen
On Topic, because I like to collect songs about certain subjects or with certain words
- Hips Don’t Lie, Shakira
- Sweet Lips, Big Hips, Shirley Brown
- Honey in Your Hips, Yardbirds
- Hips, Blanket Music
- Ruby, Apples in Stereo
- Ruby Soho, Rancid
- Ruby, Kaiser Chiefs
Nostalgia
- Freedom, Wham!
- Freedom 90, George Michael
- Bust a Move, Young MC
- Two Hearts, Stacey Q
- My Boyfriend’s Back, The Angels
- Turn Up the Radio, Autograph
- Those Were the Days, Mary Hopkins
Inexplicable
- When Children Cry (MarkOh Remix), White Lion
Oldies but Goodies
- Weekend in New England, Barry Manilow
- Hey Won’t You Play Another Love Song, BJ Thomas
- My Baby Loves Lovin’, White Plains
- Oh Sherrie, Steve Perry
- Peg, Steely Dance
- Dance with Me, Orleans
- Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A lot
- Against All Odds, Phil Collins
- Coca Cola Cowboy, Mel Tillis
Downloaded for Title Alone
- I Hate the Doors, $1000 Wedding
- I’m the Man Who Murdered Love, XTC (I am surprised I don’t have more XYC)
- The Ghost of an Unkissed Kiss, Trembling Blue Stars
- Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me, TISM
- Honey, Let me Sing You a Song, Matt Hires
- The Book of Right-on, Joanna Newsom (which I should just delete right now because I cannot handle her voice)
- What Poets Know, Jayber Crow
- The Library, Jason Anderson
- Sick Hipster Nursed by Suicide Girl, Film School
- I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You, Black Kid
9. All My Loving: I think I love this only because Kelli used to have this creepy bear that would play it whenever you squeezed its paw and the bear scared the shit out of Liam. It scared him so much that we had to hide the bear under the sink where it languished in darkness for like eight months. Then one day, randomly, Liam walked into Supergenius HQ and announced he was no longer afraid of the creepy bear.
8. Rocky Raccoon: This one has a special place in my heart because it was one of the songs we'd play on the jukebox at Clancy's everytime we went there. Clancy's was a townie bar in downtown Eau Claire, so the selection in the jukebox was skewed to the boomer regulars. We'd play this, Respect by Aretha Franklin, and Cleaning Windows by Van Morrisson.
7. She's Leaving Home: It's almost like a short story, and I love songs that are like short stories.
6. Paperback Writer: If you didn't realize this song was going to be on the list, you aren't paying attention. At all.
5. Do You Want to Know a Secret: I think it's all the do dah dos, woah woah woahs. I'm a sucker for those kind of things (and hand claps).
4. Nowhere Man: For many of the same reasons I love Eleanor Rigby minus the Douglas Coupland.
3. Please Please Me: Quite possibly one of the dirtiest songs ever written
2. Eleanor Rigby: All the lonely people, where do they all come from? I spent many of years of my life being painfully lonely. Also, when I Douglas Coupland signed by book of the same name, he hugged me.
1. I'll Follow the Sun: Just under two minutes of pure, perfect pop song.
Every year since I got my iPod (March of 2000something, I can't remember when) I like to keep track of the songs that I listen to the most. Somehow I think it acts of some sort of barometer for the year that has just past. I can tell with this list by the dominance of Liz Phair, that I did a lot of writing to my writing playlist (featuring Whip-Smart and Matthew Sweet's 100% Fun). I am not sure what is up with some of the 70s cheese rock. I remember going through a Mockingbird phase early in the summer. A lot of the songs 2, 10, 13, 20 are from a playlist that I made to work out to this summer. I am sad to say it hasn't gotten much play since I started working again. Bah! Lots of Hold Steady, which is surprising to me because I don't think I listen to them that much. #3 and 20 are the only carryovers from 2007, which was heavy on the Bon Iver and Weakerthans.
- Mockingbird, Carly Simon
- I Kissed A Girl, Katy Perry
- Support System, Liz Phair
- Chill Out Tent, The Hold Steady
- Magazines, The Hold Steady
- Furr, Blitzen Trapper
- Chopsticks, Liz Phair
- Code Monkey, Jonathan Coulton
- Certain Songs, The Hold Steady
- Shake It, Metro Station Metro Station
- Jealousy, Liz Phair
- Traffic, Lucy Michelle & the Velvet Lapelles
- I Want You Back, The Jackson 5
- Greetings To The New Brunette, Billy Bragg
- Big Star, Haley Bonar
- With or Without Her, Paul Westerberg
- Song for Myla Goldberg, The Decemberists
- Stuck Between Stations, The Hold Steady
- Sketchy Metal, The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me
- Get Off My Cloud, The Rolling Stones
- Dear Chicago, Ryan Adams
- Peg, Steely Dan
- I'd Really Love To See You Tonight, England Dan & John Ford Coley
- Burnin' for You, Blue Oyster Cult
- Hot Fries, The Hold Steady
I can't remember if I talked about my 2009 resolutions here on Vox or not. I might be repeating myself, if so please forgive me. My resolutions all center around books and music, because those are the things that make life worth living.
As far as music is concerned 2008 was kind of a bust for me. I didn't discover much that was new, or for that matter, even really pay attention. I blame that on the lack of steady income. It's hard to justify spending money on books AND records when you don't know where your next check is coming from. And, well, when faced with a choice, I will choose new books over records every day of the week.
So my goal for 2009 is to buy at least one new record a month. I've been really bad though and have already bought five so far this month. Errr, making up for lost time?
In 2008, I had planned to read 52 books but only made it to 48. I am sure I started at least 68 books but moved on when they just weren't working for me. My reading was quite a bit scattered and I've decided to set a few goals there too. For 2009 I want to read 56 books, (one for each week, plus the four left over from 2008). I think this will be a pretty easy task because of those 56 books I want to read at least one graphic novel a month and most graphic novels are one-sitting books. In fact, I am set to finish Alex Robinson's Too Cool to be Forgotten this afternoon. I also promised myself that I'd read at least 12 short story collection this year too.
- Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles, Oranges & Rattlesnakes
- Carline and the Goodnight Sleeps, Backyard Tent Set
- A.C. Newman, Get Guilty
- Bon Iver, Blood Bank (EP)
- Andrew Bird, Noble Beast
Mighty lofty goals, but I think I should be able to breeze through them.
I am sort of a cover song junkie, and tend to get really hopped up when one of my new favorites covers an old favorite. That's why I am so surprised that I didn't stumble upon Neko Case covering Tom Waits' "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" sooner. I feel as though the world has been keeping a secret from me. But now I've found it and all is right in the world.
Can I get a hell yes?
I have just returned from The Hold Steady/Drive-by Truckers show at First Ave. I can say without any hesitation that this was one of the best concerts I have ever seen in my life. There was a point during the encore when both bands were on stage singing "Let There be Rock" and Craig Finn had such a look of pure ecstasy on his face that I nearly wanted to weep with the wonder of the moment. It was amazing.
