15 June 2023 - Everclear - I Will Buy You A New Life

You probably know Everclear's biggest hit.

Anyone who answered anything besides "Santa Monica" can sit down.  It legitimately was.

You've probably heard their 2nd biggest hit, and might be surprised to know that that song - this song - was really not that far behind "Santa Monica" in airplay - Santa Monica popped into the top 30 on pop radio, whereas this song bubbled just under - and actually did BETTER on alternative music charts.  

The song was written by the band and co-producted by Neal Avron (this was something of a breakthrough for him) and lead vocalist Art Alexakis, whose last name I had to literally look at three times to make sure I spelled it correctly (I did).  Alexakis was the primary lyricist here, and he wrote this as a romantic song - which it is. Released in 1997, it became a fan favorite in a hurry.  

Because it's a great song.  

The West Hills he is referencing in this song are the Southwest Hills neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, which happens to be in the Tualatin Mountains, also known as the West Hills.  We hear it's a really nice neighborhood.  

Everclear is a band that is still touring and still making music.  This video is from a show in Harrisburg, PA, recorded in March 2023.  Two things of note:

1) Art makes it very clear this song is about love, and it is.  It absolutely is.

2) Art was disagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2016 - that's a disease that statistically hits women more but hits men much harder.  It likely took a lot of energy to perform, and he did so without compromise, which I greatly respect.  

More impressively, they performed the song twice that day.  Here's an acoustic performance of the same song during a meet and greet on the SAME DAY.   I've always loved acoustic versions of this song, because I think its strength is in the raw and loving emotion of its lyrics, and they shine more here.