24 January 2024 - Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing

This song was the debut single by Dire Straits - which I didn't know before writing this.  It also hit #4 on the US pop charts - which would end up being their 2nd biggest hit - and was a huge hit worldwide.  

And it sat on Mark Knopfler's shelf until he played it on a '61 Strat with open tuning.  He found the song boring until that guitar made those chords come to life.  

His finger-picked guitar solos in this song are some of the best known in music.

Of course, this 1978 hit was huge, but they became much larger in 1984 with another song that MTV still uses in promos.

So, in 1985, they were a star at Live Aid - and their performance of this song is absolutely iconic.  Knopfler's guitar solos here are amazing and a thing to see.

And yes, there's a sax break.

23 January 2024 - Jewel - Who Will Save Your Soul

Most of the world first heard of Jewel Kilcher with her debut single... this song.

I am part of most of the world.  

Did you expect some hipster "I heard her so much earlier than that"?

No, no one did.

Jewel has been very clear that this was the first song she ever wrote - and wow, it was a doozy - while hitchhiking through Mexico at age 16.  This version of the song was a radio-friendly version that removes a verse - and since it hit #11 on the US pop charts, it was probably a decent call. 

The iconic video was recorded in the LA City Hall ladies room - so, if you are in the Los Angelas area, you can see a music video set, too.  

Of course she performs this huge hit live, and it takes many forms.  For example, this performance from Woodstock '99 is soulful, extended, and not at all encouraging people to break stuff.

The performance from 1997, on Later with Jools Holland, is sparse and folky, with just a guitar and faint piano.  It showcases the beauty of the song and the unique style of Jewel's vocals.

This performance from 2022 - SHE IS STILL PERFORMING - is a little more laid back, and has a bit of a western flair (even down to the cactus motif of her outfit and the turquoise on her hat).  Stick with it.  It actually rocks by the end.

22 January 2024 - Cocteau Twins - Carolyn's Fingers

This is the band that Prince was a huge fan of, because they could do things he could not do.

Well, Liz Fraser's voice was absolutely unique.  

This song was actually my first introduction to the Cocteau Twins, as the song was released on their 1988 album, Blue Bell Knoll.  That was the year my musical awakening really took off.  I did not know that this would be their biggest hit song in the US - and still have a huge following 35 years later.  

Let's talk about these lyrics.  You know, there are lyrics - this isn't just Elizabeth Fraser doing bird calls.  Seriously, she harmonizes with herself on this song.  She turns the word "love" into at least a three syllable word.  She can hit the very high and very low notes.   It's amazing.

The song is actually very guitar- and bass-driven, although there are electronic keyboards and drum loops as well.  Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde somehow manage to get an ethereal sound that defined a record label - 4AD - out of those instruments.

When performed live in 1994 on the Jools Holland program, two things are apparent.

1) The song is clearly guitar- and bass-driven and not as electronic as it sounds - and sounds cool with real drums.

2) The song is immensely difficult to perform vocally, as Fraser struggles at first.  Stay with it.  She gets a LOT better.  

19 January 2024 - Disclosure ft. Lorde - Magnets

This post is just to get us over a hump.  We've been bad at posting lately, and we need to fix that.  

So we went back to drafts.  And this song, that came in a gap in Lorde's career post-Pure Heroine, was a good choice.  Written by Lorde and Disclosure, they all took an active role in composition.

The song was a worldwide hit and not so much a hit in the States.  However, it's a banger and was a huge club hit - the biggest of Lorde's career to date - AND an alternative and rock hit - Disclosure's first.

So, all in all, a good way to shake the cobwebs. 

11 January 2023 - Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe

I debated whether or not to put this song here or on Totally Covered.  Ultimately, I settled on here.  Why?

The chorus is straight up "Cotton-Eyed Joe", a traditional American folk song from the 1800s.  The song was repopularized in the early 1980s by the movie Urban Cowboy.  

What Rednex - a Swedish group seemingly formed just to make this one song - did with that little sung sample - and it's not a sample.  It is sung by Göran Danielsson. - is something different.... different enough to be a #1 in 25 countries and a top 30 hit in the US.  

Is the song annoying?  Yup.  Is it catchy?  Yup.

Does the song interrupt Canadian Open matches between Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek?  Yup.

no way 'Cotton Eye Joe' comes on mid-point pic.twitter.com/iCYf3hwnPG

— Ryan (@Some1NamedRyan) August 12, 2023

Is this band seemingly formed for this one song still together and performing live?  

Yup.  And they're really more of a brand, so that will continue for years to come.

10 January 2024 - Caroline Polachek - Welcome To My Island

Caroline Polachek is a rising star that has taken a long path to that rise.  Originally a founder of Chairlift, she has had a lot of irons in the fire, including a stint where she released music under the name Ramona Lisa.

She finally claimed her own name in 2017, and it's been a rise of electro-pop-rock since.  She's made innovative music, both by herself and with other artists.

This, the fourth single from her album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, (which is a great album and you should listen to it.  Top 5 of mine in 2023), is described by Polachek - who also co-wrote the song - as "bratty".  I don't get that - but I do get a dreamy feeling (she spent a lot of her youth listening to Enya - no joke).  

This song opened her set on tour in 2023.

Here she is performing the song on the Tonight Show in 2023.  Most of the performance is dark and clearly played with a backing track (and clearly sung by her), but at 3:20, she pulls out a guitar and plays...

At Glastonbury, she was backed by a full band and the performance was dynamic.

8 January 2024 - Tesla - Modern Day Cowboy

There.  Let's pull out some 80's glam rock to get us back on track.

This song, from December 1986, was the debut single by California band Tesla.  Written by the band, the song ties old-time villians like Billy the Kid and Al Capone to the at-the-time current-but-dying Cold War.  Lyrically, it's kind of brilliant.  Musically, it held up to the hair metal of its day, rocking just hard enough to make an impression.

This song is what made me a fan of Tesla.  It just hit right.  The video, featuring Nikola Tesla playing old movies in a mostly abandoned theater, got me interested in the scientist as well.  

All these years later, Tesla is still together and still touring. Here they are at the Clearfield County (Pennsylvania) Fair in August of 2023. Voices may be slightly faded, but the song still rocks.  

I totally chose the Clearfield County Fair at random, and not becaue it's where I obtained half of my family's pet rabbits.  Totally random.