22 November 2021 - INXS - Taste It

I'm pleased to induct Australian icons INXS into the Wicked Guilty Pleasures Hall of Fame.  This week will feature a LOT of INXS.

Why are they the choice this year?

Because they released in a relatively short time so many iconic songs and videos.  Were they particularly highbrow?  No.  They're a band that did release more complex and nuanced music than it might have looked on the surface, but still was mass-market sexy.   

Their 1992 album, Welcome To Whereever You Are, came at the start of the tail end of their time as a prominent band, but did account for several singles and went platinum in its own right.  It is my favorite INXS album, for a lot of reasons.  The songwriting was top notch.  Michael Hutchence had reached the pinacle of maturity in his performance.  

This video was never released in the States, and, well, it's something else. The song was the 4th single from the album, Written by Hutchence and Andrew Farris, the song is cool and sexy, with all six musicians getting their due, but no one dominating.  It is a perfect encaptualation of the genius of INXS. 

INXS famously found a new lead singer after the death of Michael Hutchence on a reality TV show. We'll talk a lot more about that over this week, but I wanted to touch on this because it's relevant. New vocalist JD Fortune came with a slightly different bravado, but still held his own with this song.

19 November 2021 - The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??

The Flaming Lips are not a band that you would necessarily associate with the word "accessible" or "popular", and yet their 2002 single, which singer/songwriter Wayne Coyne considers to be the best the band has ever written, is exactly that. 

The song, with lyrics by Coyne, was written in response to fellow bandmember Steven Drozd trying to kick his heroin addiction.  It concerns the fragility of life - and the beauty within it despite and because of that.  The song is absolutely beautiful.  

The song is one that they preform live often, and is a crowd pleaser. The band clearly appreciates how much the crowd is pleased.  

18 November 2021 - The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

You probably only know one Proclaimers song, and it's this one.  It is their biggest worldwide hit, and it was a slow burn.  Originally released in 1988, it was fairly successful at the time.  It was MORE successful in 1993, when it was featured in the movie Benny & Joon and rereleased.  

Written by the Reid twins (who are The Proclaimers), the song is about the willingness to travel long distances to see the one you love, no matter what, because being by their side is the most important thing.  It is this purity of message - the sweetness of this song - that makes it one of my true favorites.  It's this I wanted to share with you today.

17 November 2021 - Carole King - So Far Away

Carole King was - is - a prolific songwriter who could sing.  She released her second album, Tapestry, in 1971, and it became a worldwide sensation.  Winning several Grammys, it also spent 15 weeks on top of the Billboard Top 200 album chart, the longest any woman has held the spot.  

This song, a highlight of Tapestry, was a top 20 hit for her in October of that year.  Supported by James Taylor on guitar, the song is very straight-forward about missing someone who isn't there. However, the song isn't just about physical, but also emotional distance.  It's a song full of meloncholy on several levels.  

All these years later, she still performs the song.  Here she is, with James Taylor, in 2013, at the Boston Strong concert, doing an earnest and possibly too chipper version of the tune.  

16 November 2021 - Elvis Presley - My Way

Should this be on Totally Covered?  Yeah, probably.   It was, at least lyrically, written by Paul Anka and popularized by Frank Sinatra in 1969.  

15 November 2021 - Michelle Branch - Everywhere

OK, I admit it.  

I like Michelle Branch.  

She was one of the first artists I felt like I was "too old" to enjoy, a sentiment I have CLEARLY overcome.  But, in 2001, I was in a place in my life where that was a reality.  

In 2021, I realize that that is not a sentiment anyone should have.  

Especially with this song!  It's a brilliant pop-rock masterpiece, co-written by Branch, dealing with the early throes of falling in love - or so it's been intepreted. Branch herself has said that the song is ambiguous on purpose, leaving its meaning to the listener to determine.  Combined with her earnest performance, it ended up being a top 20 hit and one of her biggest worldwide.   

12 November 2021 - The Beatles - Something

Written by George Harrison as a tribute to his then-wife, this was considered by John Lennon himself to be the best song on the Abbey Road album. The 1970 promotional film that followed (and is today's post) was recorded after John Lennon announced his departure from The Beatles - the four members are filmed at their homes with their respective wifes and edited together.  

The song itself is on its surface a straightforward love song - the narrator is complementary towards the source of his affection.  However, the bridge brings the straightforward love to reality - that there is a lot of things unknown for the future, but lovers will still strive together towards an unknown goal.  The guitar solo after that bridge by Harrison is considered one of the greatest of all time.