29 January 2024 - Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero

I purposefully posted this after the Ravens-Chiefs game.  Not because I'm sick of seeing Taylor Swft's face on NFL broadcasts (she brings positive attention to the game, so she's a good thing for the games)

Congratulations to whoever won last night.  You're going to the Big Game or something. (edit: Kansas City won that game).

This was the lead single from Taylor's album Midnights, which might be her best yet (I'm partial to Lover, honestly), written by Jack Antonoff and Swift.  Swift herself is nominated for six Grammy awards this year, three of them for this song.  The song was #4 on the Billboard 2023 year-end Hot 100.  It is her longest-running top Ten hit (spending 29 weeks there but destined to lose that crown to "Cruel Summer")

Anyway, it's a good song and this post will make the Swiftie that lives in my house very happy.

On January 12, 2023, the band The 1975 performed live in London.  As a surprise to the audience, Taylor Swift walked out on stage and performed this song live for the very first time.  It was just Taylor with a guitar.

And these fans of a DIFFERENT BAND knew every word.

Blah blah Eras Tour blah blah.

Just kidding.  Enjoy this more traditional live performance.

26 January 2024 - Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom

So this 2003 single came out at a time when I wasn't into new music.  I felt the "alternative" wave that was being pushed was nothing more than power pop-rock repackaged as somehow outside the "mainstream".  

Fountains of Wayne epitomized that for me.  

But this song, about Stacy's clearly hot mom, was a cultural icon.  Written by Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, the song owes a debt to "Just What I Needed" by The Cars, for sure - and they even tried to get Ric Ocasek's wife Paulina Porizkova to play the titular role in the video (they failed and instead cast band and song fan Rachel Hunter - who really was a good choice).  

The band essentially broke up in 2013, but before that, they performed the song a lot.  I find it endearing that they just look like normal guys and clearly have fun with this song.

Adam Sclesinger passed away at age 52 in 2020 from complications from COVID-19.  It is a horrible loss and we hope you're taking this disease, which still persists, seriously.   

25 January 2024 - Culture Beat - Mr. Vain

You were thisclose to forgetting this song, weren't you?

That's why we're here.  

Culture Beat was a German group. I say "was".  They still exist.  They've just changed lineups a LOT.  Vocalist Tania Evans, heard here, led the group from 1993 (the year this single hit it big) to 1997, their most successful period.  Jay Surpreme, also heard here rapping the verses, is also long gone. 

This was by far their biggest international hit, and their only hit in the US.  

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.