19 January 2022 - The Replacements - I'll Be You

The Replacements had been indie darlings for the better parts of a decade in 1989.  This song was the closest they got to breaking out of that.

From the album Don't Tell A Soul, this video was in heavy MTV rotation, even during the day.  Which is good.  Because The Replacements were actively seeking a hit after many years of that indie fame.  They didn't quite make it there - this song peaked at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 - but it did spread their sound to a broader audience.

18 January 2022 - Roberta Flack - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

This might be one of the most beautiful songs ever written.  Written by Ewan MacColl about his third wife, Peggy Seeger (he was still married to his second wife), this is a cover - but a cover that was the biggest hit of 1972 and won the Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. 

What was written as a folk song was reinvented with soul by Flack, and for that, the song was her own. Originally released in 1969, it went nowhere until Clint Eastwood found it and used it in his movie Play Misty For Me.  After that, Atlantic Records released it as a single and it exploded. 

17 January 2022 - The Pursuit of Happiness - I'm An Adult Now

Moe Berg and Dave Gilby moved from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Toronto, Ontario, Canada and formed a band called The Pursuit of Happiness in 1985.  Since then, they've been making fun, power-pop music.

One of their first singles was this one.  This song was self-produced and self-pressed, and became a grassroots hit.  This led to their major label record deal and some measure of success.  It was eventually released in 1989 as a single in the US, and amazingly, it was a minor hit.  

Also, it's great to be an adult.  

14 January 2022 - Guided by Voices - Bulldog Skin

 Do you know who would be really happy to be called a guilty pleasure?

Robert Pollard.

From the Dayton, OH band's 1997 album, Mag Earwhig!, this song and video are probably about as close as Guided by Voices has gotten to actual guilty pleasure territory.  It's a song that clocks in at 3:00 on the dot, has a significant guitar solo, and a video with significant production value.  

The title is in reference to being tough - having a thick skin.  Clearly, the video's protagonist, Larkey Parka, had to have a thick skin as he was bullied in his pursuit of the girl, eventually winning her over at the Rock Show Tonight.  

Thankfully, after all these years, Guided by Voices is a band that still tours, and still performs this song.  Here they are in 2017, with Bob Pollard acting like the rock star he absolutely is.  

13 January 2022 - Iggy Azalea - Iam The Stripclub

Amethyst Kelly is back.  And she came back with a really good album in 2021 - The End of an Era - preceded by three good singles.  The best was this, the third single that was a short club banger.   

Admit it, you're dancing right now.   I am!  

By the way, watch for the "Work" throwbacks in the video.  This album in general and this song in particular was meant to bookend the first phase of her career - kind of a recap of the last decade, if you will.  In that context, it really works.  

12 January 2022 - Hoobastank - The Reason

In 2004, this song was absolutely everywhere.  It's a hard rockin' song that brings the melancholy hard.  A worldwide hit, it was Hoobastank's high water mark from a chart success standpoint - reaching #2 in the US and #1 in several other countries. 

Nominated for two Grammys, the song was probably made more popular by the iconic video, which tells an elaborate story of what looks like an accident but ends up being a heist.  It, of course, has zero to do with the subject matter of the song - but it's a cool story.  

11 January 2022 - Georgio feat. Cœur de Pirate - Concept Flou

For once, I'm going to ignore the œ here - and it's for this reason I've held off on posting this. How much Cœur de Pirate do you actually need?  She adds a little to the song, but it's Georgio's song.  

The song is about the uncertainty of love in the modern era - a fuzzy concept in the narrator's eyes.  He's been waiting for a sign from the girl he loves - someone he should probably just let go of.  He eventually gets there, but the song is painful and sad while he does.