Two folky young women, singing very earnestly. Their harmonies bring to mind thoughts of Simon and Garfunkel. And for some reason, despite all this, they still feel like a guilty pleasure. I am not sure why that is - perhaps a discussion in the comments might help illuminate this matter - but it does.
This particular song has been featured quite prominently on the television series "Grey's Anatomy", as have songs from the previous two days. Perhaps it's that fact that makes it a guilty pleasure. At any rate, it's a song that always makes me smile, for its simplicity in music and vocals, and its raw lyrical honesty.
And yes, I did chose a fan-made video using footage from Grey's Anatomy on purpose.
I've been wanting to post this video for a long time now. I've been reluctant to do so because I find it hard to think of Anna Nalick's Breathe (2 AM) as a guilty pleasure. It's simply a pleasure. Thanks to an almost unhealthy late-night YouTube video watching habit, I can probably also act out this video scene-by-scene as I watch it at least a few times a week.
OK, so we decided to change Non-Guilty Sunday to Guilt-Free Sunday. I do hope you'll forgive us.
To celebrate the change in moniker, here are a couple of songs by one of my co-author Scott Colvin's favorite artists - Rilo Kiley. Formed by a couple of former child actors - Jenny Lewis, best known for her work in the epic Shelley Long vehicle Troop Beverly Hills - and Blake Sennett, best known for the Nickelodeon series Salute Your Shorts - which was pretty funny, by the way.
Well, now they are best known for being in Rilo Kiley. The closest this band - who had a large cult following -ever got to a hit was this song, which has been featured on the television series Grey's Anatomy on no less than two occasions. It's a terrific straight-ahead rock song, the lyrics are clever, and I think you'll enjoy it.
Rilo Kiley got a major label deal and released Under The Blacklight (which Scott dislikes) on Warner Bros. Records in 2007. Their cult following is enough that some fans got together and made this relatively well-produced and extremely well-choreographed video by themselves for a popular track off that album. I think it's a lot of fun (even though Scott dislikes this album). This is my second-favorite song by them, and the cheeriest song about a breakup I've ever heard. I hope everyone not named Scott Colvin enjoys it.
Here's a little uncredited bonus for you. This song, with a video courtesy of the CSU Chico film department, is for my favorite song by Rilo Kiley. Jenny Lewis, who has gone onto a solo career, does a terrific version of this song by herself, but with a full band backing her, it's so much richer and a little darker.
Sir Mix-A-Lot was a talented hip hop artist from Seattle, but he just wasn't getting any hits. So he went highbrow.
Or not.
This song, a tribute to a woman's rear end that was clean enough to play on radio without editing - it didn't use the a-word even once! - has more double entendres than any I've ever heard. Sir Mix-A-Lot was one of the last old school hip hop artists to get a chart hit, and he did it because he was - and is - a clever songwriter. This very clever song is his magnum opus.
Also, I learned that red beans and rice go directly to the derriere. Who knew?!
Do they still play this song at weddings? You know, before it was played at weddings, and before I learned that silly dance (although it beats the hell out of the Chicken Dance and the Electric Slide). A big hit, that just kind of happened by accident to a couple of old lounge singers. The version you all know is the remix as done by a couple of DJs called the Bayside Boys.
For the record, Vittorino is a brand of meat. That girl's boyfriend is named Meat.
For those of you so compelled, here is the song before it was remixed. It's still a beautifully done song by a couple of old lounge singers. It's not quite the same song - at all. There's no women and no boyfriend named Meat. Just a girl named Macarena.... who's quite free to have fun with her body.
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.
