So, rather than saying a million words about a song, I want to give you an epic song.
But I can't say nothing about it.
The song was released as a single in 1978 and was a huge UK hit and a minor US one (her first!). But the history of the song was much longer than that. It was originally recorded in 1975 and produced by Andrew Powell and David Gilmour (it is rumoured the latter is the subject of the song, but Bush, the songwriter, has not clarified that).
But she had begun writing songs in 1970, and this song was written in 1972.
Kate Bush was 13 when she wrote this song and 16 when she recorded it. I suppose her youth contributes to the innocent nature of the song - it exudes a sweetness that is rare in music, even in the 1970's.
And, to be fair, she was 19 when she made this video.
Despite the epic nature of this song, it is, at its core, Kate Bush and a piano. Never has that been more clear than her 1978 Christmas special.
Let's start by remembering that, when Jesus Christ Superstar, the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, was first recorded, Yvonne Elliman was 18.
18.
And she sang it with such maturity, and such gravitas, that it quite literally stole the show.
This version is from the 1973 version of the movie, when she was 21.
The song is sung from the point of view of Mary Magdelene, and the "Him" is Jesus Christ himself, in the last couple of days before his crucifixion. Written by Rice (lyrics) and Webber (music), the song owes a huge debt to Mendelssohn's "Violin Concerto in E Minor", and if you don't believe me, go check out the 2nd movement about 5 minutes in.
And, more than fifty years after its initial release, it is a song that stands on its own as a classic.
But this wasn't the version I grew up with.
No, in fact, when I first saw Jesus Christ Superstar in the early 1990s, my initial reaction to that song was 1) "that's not Helen Reddy" 2) "this is WAY better than Helen Reddy!"
Now, before you go off and say "OMG, you are being so disrespectful", hear me out.
I was in the early 20s when I saw the musical. I had grown up with parents - especially a mother - who were very passionate about music - especially music they had either purchased on eight-track tape or via a Columbia House membership, or in the case of Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits album, BOTH - and therefore, I grew up with this Helen Reddy cover of the song (a song she initially did not like)....
.... which was actually a hit first, and a bigger hit. The single release of the Elliman version was a reaction to Reddy's - and both were legitimately hits.
Now, as I am older, I appreciate Helen Reddy - the queen of 70's pop - a lot more than I did when I was 20. Her music brings me back to road trips in the van, short trips to school... a simpler time. And her voice was spectacular - let's not pretend otherwise.
I do stand by my statement that the original is the best, though.
And Elliman is still around to perform the song, and she does. The song would be one of her most recognized and one of her biggest hits. And even in this version, where her voice has lost some of the higher register, the passion she still exudes gives me goosebumps.
I decided this year to go through all my drafts on this blog. I have, not a joke, almost 500 of them, a large percentage intended for future March posts.
Yes, my musical tastes skew a little Canadian. Sue me.
This song was my oldest draft, and it'll surprise some of you that I actually enjoy the song, unironically. A song about a young woman leaving home to live her life on her own.... it was written by award-winning songwriter Susan Gibson, from the alt-country group The Groobies - who would go on to RELEASE the song themselves in 1999.... after recording it a few years prior.
So how did the song get to the Chicks?
That album the Groobies was recording was produced by famed country producer Lloyd Maines, who happens to have a daughter named Natalie..... and he thought the song was a good fit for his daughter's new group's first album (which would also be named Wide Open Spaces). (Also, anyone who thinks it's talent and not who you know that makes a hit - well, this is evidence to the contrary).
Remember earlier when I mentioned Susan Gibson was an award-winning songwriter? This song, which she loved and, by most accounts I found, still does, is a large reason for that. Sure, it was deeply personal for her - but the fact that it resonated with another artist was something she not only understood, she appreciated.
Anyway, this song, which ended up being the Chicks' third single, was a HUGE hit - and their performance was a big reason for that.
OF COURSE they perform it live, and of course it is brilliant.
I think I've mentioned here that I thought Lover was a high water mark for Taylor Swift. This song is yet another reason why. Written and produced by Swift and Joel Little, this LGBTQ+ anthem is fun, funky and smart. The song peaked at #2 on the pop charts in the US, blocked from #1 by the juggernaut that was "Old Town Road".
But can we talk about this video? So many cameos - and a lot of them are members of the LGBTQ+ community, which is wonderful.... but also, for all those people who thought "Bad Blood" was about Katy Perry must have been satified to see Ms. Hudson show up in this video wearing a hamburger and sharing a sweet moment with a fries-wearing Swift.
The video is fun and completely unhinged.
What would we be if we didn't include an Eras Tour version of this song?
But also, it's unlike any other song released in 2024, and it was a HUGE hit.... Richman's first as a vocalist. Strangely, it's a non-album single that does not appear on his later-in-2024 album Coyote, itself a decent piece of work.
Anyway, I don't post a lot of trap music, so when I hear something interesting and different, I am going to post it.
This is going to be our biggest year yet, so stay tuned.
I have to admit, it has taken me a while to get into Chappell Roan.
Yes, this is my 2nd post of one of her songs, the first in April of this year. When I posted that, I really wanted to like her. I posted that song, which was pretty good, because I really wanted to like her music.
But then I got bombarded by her music - a lot of which, I didn't really intially like (I've come around on some of it since then). So, I slept on her.
So what made me come around? First of all, her public persona is brash and charming, and that got me to give her a second chance. Second, as I did some research, I discovered this song - which was one that faded into the background for me as just noise.
"Pink Pony Club", co-written by Chappell Roan and Daniel Nigro, was inspired by The Abbey, a real gay bar in West Hollywood, CA. When she came from the Midwest, she considered The Abbey to be the first place to be herself. The song is semiautobiographical - and I find that vulnerability to be absolutely riveting. (No, Chappell Roan wasn't a stripper).
The song and video were recorded in 2020. This was one of the first times she had been recorded performing - and you can see the nerves in her face.
And, although the song and video were recorded in 2020, it did not enter the charts until 2024, peaked at #26 in the United States and higher elsewhere.
When she performed the song on Saturday Night Live last month, the nerves were gone. Hell, it gave me CHILLS when she got the SNL crowd to sing it! This is absolutely something she does at every show - and this is usually the closing song - but this hit different.
So yeah. I took an artist I struggled to get into, and made her my last post of 2024.
And I want you to remember that this is generally her last song at a concert - and it in itself is an emotional rollercoaster - with a piano section, strings, and some pretty heavy rocking parts. And she brings THIS MUCH ENERGY.
There are very few songs that get me actually choked up - and when she throws it to the crowd, this is one of them.
