parlando » Songs

old post (from the well) #28, 21 may 97

Posted on March 11th, 2010 by Scraps.
Categories: Songs, Words, Dance, Old Posts.

Last night I dreamed that I was skipping and running cheerfully along a colorful series of ledges, rails and ropes, with a partner, improvised yet perfectly synchronized, while around us "The Candy Man" by Sammy Davis Jr played, and it was the beats and chord changes of the song that we improvised our steps to. And it all. felt. perfectly. natural.

0 comments.

spooky

Posted on October 12th, 2009 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs, Live Music.

I did not know that Johnny Cash and Joni Mitchell sang a duet of "Long Black Veil", in 1969, for the debut program of Johnny Cash's TV show.

from The Hits Just Keep On Comin'

1 comment.

my favorite music video

Posted on July 17th, 2009 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

Michael Penn, "Long Way Down", directed by the Brothers Quay

This is my favorite music video, and it used to be lost (to me); never on youtube, and not on Brothers Quay compilations. But Velma found it on yahoo. Now I have to figure out how to download it.

4 comments.

kristian hoffman, "sex in heaven" (2002)

Posted on June 17th, 2009 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs, Musicians.

Song Project #20

Did you know that reality tv went back to the seventies? And PBS started it. An American Family was shown in 1973, twelve episodes long, depicting an actual family, the Louds. And yes, the Loud Family got their band name from them (and no, not the Loud family on Saturday Night Live); but that's not what I'm writing about now.

Lance Loud, one of the sons, was gay, credited with being the first openly gay person in television history. Eventually he died of AIDS, in 2001. But first he led a critically-respected rock band, the Mumps, in New York City, part of the late-seventies CBGB's scene. A friend from high school, Kristian Hoffman, was the keyboardist.

Kristian Hoffman is not famous, but he should be; well, at least at the level of the new wave and no-wave bands that he played in. He played with Ann Magnuson and Lydia Lunch, and was in Klaus Nomi's band: he wrote "Total Eclipse", the most famous Nomi song. Eventually he arranged for Rufus Wainwright's band, and became a long-term keyboard player for Dave Davies's band. And he played around the Los Angeles scene in the eighties and nineties, becoming not famous, but known to musicians.

I didn't know who he was when I picked up a used cd in a pile of one-dollar cds, but the names made me curious. It was called &; in fact, it was an album of collaborations: fifteen of them, and all of them more famous than him. Rufus Wainwright, Russell Mael, Anna Waronker. Maria McKee. Ann Magnuson, Michael Quercio. Lydia Lunch! Stew! Van Dyke Parks! Paul Reubens?? Well, I bought it.

I didn't prepare myself for the barrage of hooks that came at me. From the first song to the last, one listen was enough to tell me this was a once-a-year find, one I'd play tomorrow and next day and twenty years from now; a top-five for the year. And fifteen songs in (out of 17), the song that blew me away:

Sex in Heaven

That's Ann Magnuson and Kristian Hoffman, trading off. It starts with Magnuson, hushed, piano-driven; the first hook, the verse hook, on the words "boy, earthbound", then loud drums, dum, dum, pause, dum, dum, dum, dum, dumdumcrash. Then repeat the verse. Then the chorus, the drums now there throughout, with tambourine, and guitar, Hoffman singing lead and Magnuson wordless harmony. The main hook at the end of the chorus: "where do I sign?" with the jump up an octave. Then stop, and head back into the verse, again hushed, but added vocal by Hoffman, though distant, ethereal. Then repeat verse, with two added keyboards. Then the bridge, then verse, once through this time, then the chorus, twice.

The chorus is amazing. It occurs four times, and each occurrence has a different musical lead-in to the title ("that's what is costs to buy a note so pure and high and so divine") and after the title ("the bottom line"), and that's gravy: the hook can stand by itself. And the words: it's about castrati, and the longing for the singer ("where do I sign?"), perfectly captured by the hook. That's a perfect pop song: words and music working together.

7 comments.

a video by we were promised jetpacks

Posted on June 14th, 2009 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

A very good video for "Roll Up Your Sleeves" by We Were Promised Jetpacks, on Pitchfork TV.

0 comments.

the dismemberment plan, "following through" (2001)

Posted on March 16th, 2009 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

Song Project #19

The Dismemberment Plan was my favorite band from their third album (1999, where I became aware of them) to their fourth album (2002, whereupon they broke up). They were probably my most obscure favorite band. (My favorite bands? In chronological order: the Beatles, the Spinners, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Throwing Muses, Pixies, Throwing Muses again, Blur, the Dismemberment Plan, Café Tacvba, Belle and Sebastian, Sleater-Kinney, Meshuggah, Of Montreal.)

Velma, too, became a fan, and we reacted with dismay when the announcement came that the Plan were no more. We bought two tickets for both of their farewell shows, and were gratified when almost none crossed over; one repeat song, their perennial favorite “Okay Jokes Over”, otherwise no overlap: 49 lovely songs. I can’t tell you how much joy was contained in those two nights, and how much sorrow.

The third album, Emergency & I, was perfect. The fourth album, Change, was nearly perfect, stretching out and sometimes missing, but even the wrong parts were interesting. The four songs that closed it were fabulous; four songs fit to end a career. The first song was “Following Through”.

(Listen to "Following Through")

Six things I like about “Following Through”:

1. The fast start, following the drum fill at the beginning all the way to forty seconds from the end.

2. The end, still as fast but quiet, first solo guitar, then joined by another guitar, then bass, and finally drums.

3. The drums, steady yet changeable throughout.

4. The bass, which doesn’t cut in till the A part has been by once. Then four notes, silence, four notes, silence, four notes, silence, five notes. Then after the chorus, the silences are filled: four notes, four notes, etc.

5. The chorus. The way one note is held for half the chorus; the way that “following through” sounds different from the rest. And my favorite part: The vocals, lead and harmony, are an octave lower the second time.

6. The way that the chorus is led into the second time: “I’m quite, oh, kay, with, losing that fight!”

Not a promise nor a threat nor an ultimatum though I can do those too. Yeah.

7 comments.

misheard

Posted on September 24th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs, Lyrics.

I used to send my misheard lyrics to my pal Gavin, but since he's retired from the mondegreen-documenting business, I figure I should document mine in a small way here*.

Today I was idly listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Second Helping for the first time, and I swear I heard them sing:

Well I used to wake the morning before the rooster crowed
Searching for soda bottles to get myself some dough
Brought 'em down to the corner, down to the country store
Cash 'em in and give my money to a man named Kurtis Blow

Turns out the guy was actually named "Curtis Loew". As is so often the case with these things, I think I prefer mine.

0 comments.

dept. of everyone else has doubtless already noticed

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

Wilco's "Impossible Germany" (from Sky Blue Sky) could be a lost Tom Verlaine song.

3 comments.

morning shuffle, with asterisks

Posted on August 19th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

silence is golden - the tremeloes
love me or leave me - nina simone
wolverton mountain - claude king
he's a rebel - the crystals
liar - three dog night
clean - depeche mode
entre canibales - soda stereo
blown stack - volcano suns
bang bang* - the joe cuba sextet
slow - superchunk
somebody warm like me - the 5th dimension*
white man - the pursuit of happiness
i'm gonna be strong - gene pitney
paperback writer - beatles
i am a pilgrim - clarence white
groovin' - young rascals
i love you little girl - mark lanegan
color my world - chicago
tell me something good* - rufus feat. chaka khan
you don't own me* - lesley gore

4 comments.

working saturday shuffle

Posted on August 16th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

give me the right - ken boothe
i wanted to tell you - matthew sweet
better than aliens - self
magic - pilot
sesame hijack - shark quest
the true one - gene clark
obscurity knocks - trash can sinatras
it's over - roy orbison
day dreaming - aretha franklin
midnight* - the roger webb sound
back-woods song - abercrombie, holland, dejohnette
pheurton skeurto - sunny day real estate
ben - michael jackson
around the way girl - ll cool j
lady marmalade - labelle
de musica ligera - soda stereo
chinese white - incredible string band
sarn helen - super furry animals
al album - aterciopelados
never will i marry - helen merrill
devil may care* - kristian hoffman & russell mael

1 comment.

shuffle till noon

Posted on August 14th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

western union - the five americans
liquordelic - tipsy
biggest fan - brendan benson
keep searching - del shannon
the sleep - pantera
fiery crash - andrew bird
sunglasses after dark - the cramps
freedom 90 - george michael
sonho meu - maria bethania
sylvia - side effect
stranger on the shore - mr acker bilk
tick, tick, bang - prince
my baby just cares for me - nina simone
join the boys - joan armatrading
hang them all* - tom t hall
the cool, cool river - paul simon
lucretia - megadeth
elenore - the turtles

5 comments.

shuffle

Posted on August 12th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

save your heart for me - gary lewis & the playboys
shut the door - fugazi
the end of a perfect day - kirsty maccoll
taste revenge - sanctuary
silver and gold, baby, silver and gold - henry threadgill sextett
like a fool - superchunk
from a jack to a king - ned miller
univized - michele rosewoman
devil's gun - cj & co
wham bam - silver
every is a good trip* - chisel
red rubber ball - the cyrkle*
all the things you could be by now if sigmund freud's wife was your mother - charles mingus
mockingbirds - mark lanegan
magnet pulls through - tortoise
shake - sam cooke
you're no good - linda ronstadt
shambala - three dog night
ugly on the outside - the judybats
papa was a rolling stone - the temptations
wild flower - wayne shorter
confissao - madredeus
flesh thang - danielson family
temptation - slayer
you can't sit down - the dovells
smoke house - pell mell
agents of brutality - kreator
here i am (come and take me) - al green
shiva's daughters - arling & cameron
rhino a go go - tar babies
you should be dancing - bee gees
painting box - incredible string band
don't say you don't remember - beverly bremens

2 comments.

one for rob sheffield

Posted on August 12th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Songs, Words, Lyrics.

Is the Dovells' 1963 top ten hit "You Can't Sit Down" the earliest hit single to use the word "hippy" as a noun referring to a person?

When you're on South Street,
(You can't sit down.)
And the band is really bootin',
(You can't sit down.)
You hear the hippy with the back beat,
(You can't sit down.)
And you see the gang a-groovin',
(You can't sit down.)
Gotta get your bottom movin',
(You can't sit down.)
You gotta make it, break it,
Shake it all around.

4 comments.

today's shuffle slice

Posted on August 8th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

it's what you value - george harrison
one foot in hell - forbidden
jesse james symphony - prefab sprout
baby workout - jackie wilson
drug machine - the flaming lips
a little bitty tear - burl ives
entropy - bad religion
you don't send me - belle & sebastian
the weeping song - nick cave & the bad seeds
springtime - leatherface
despertar - heroes del silencio
mandolin medley - clarence white
li'l darlin' - mark murphy
little sparkee - q and not u
feed me to the lions - adam & the ants
cancion animal - soda stereo
she's a fool - lesley gore
the wait - killing joke
kell- shark quest
callgirls - self
we're all alone - rita coolidge

Finally, some Spanish-language stuff. One of the odditites of the shuffles so far was the lack of Spanish and Portuguese stuff, as I've been pretty obsessive about Latin American pop music lately.

"We're All Alone" is one of my favorite adult-contemporary hits ever, so that seemed like a good place to stop.

2 comments.

name that tune day

Posted on August 8th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs, Games.

I'm late announcing this, but we're in the middle of a new Name That Tune game over at Popdose. Come over and play!

0 comments.

today's shuffle slice

Posted on August 7th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

mystery date - volcano suns
the badge - poison idea
you won't see me - anne murray
fifty-fifty clown - cocteau twins
chores - animal collective
flowers on the wall - statler brothers
before i sleep - mazzy star
someplace - henry threadgill very very circus
hell patrol - judas priest
when this dream is over - andy prieboy
all this and more - pell mell
use ta be my girl - o'jays
every 1's a winner - hot chocolate
answers - steve vai
step back - eric b & rakim
resonant emotions - chet baker & art pepper
almost positive - universal congress of
a better place - the db's
vals pa skare - komeda
walk like a man - four seasons
descent into the maelstrom - lennie tristano
love sick - gang starr
little willy - the sweet
faces and names - john cale/lou reed
no private income blues - charles mingus
the name game - shirley ellis
i do not want what i haven't got - sinead o'connor
obZen - meshuggah
time is tight - booker t & the mg's
ken boothe - don't cry little girl
the hacker - clockdva
titanic days - kirsty maccoll
manitoba - airlines

2 comments.

slice of shuffle

Posted on August 6th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

33 consecutive songs from shuffle play this afternoon:

a.t.s. - power lunch
diana ross - the boss
diana ross & the supremes - my world is empty without you
pell mell - vegetable kingdom
shirelles - soldier boy
dwight yoakam - if there was a way
world party - way down now
henry mancini - your father's feathers
anne briggs - fire and wine
andy gibb - love is thicker than water
bobby womack - lookin' for love
charles kynard - slow burn
herb alpert & the tijuana brass - work song
disco tex & the sex-o-lettes - get dancin'
charles mingus - free cell block f, 'tis nazi u.s.a.
matthew sweet - tonight we ride
komeda - living things
matthew sweet - does she talk?
william parker & hamid drake - japeru
jim croce - i'll have to say i love you in a song
the sound - sense of purpose
peter, paul & mary - puff the magic dragon
altona - back again
stevie wonder - superstition
a taste of honey - boogie oogie oogie
earth, wind & fire - boogie wonderland
tipsy - cinnabar
sanctuary - the mirror black
gladys knight & the pips - i've got to use my imagination
michael hurley - abominable snowman
henry threadgill sextett - let me look down your throat, or say ah
ray charles - i can't stop loving you
willie bobo & the bo-gents - dindi

5 comments.

what does post-punk mean to you?

Posted on July 24th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs, Music Criticism.

"Before they were the biggest band in the world, U2 made three records of flag-waving, populist post-punk," says the blurb for Joe Tangari's Pitchfork review of the reissue of the first three U2 albums.

It would never cross my mind to use "post-punk" to describe U2, except in the most literal sense. U2, even on those first three albums, were a straightforward rock band. "I Will Follow", "Gloria", "New Year's Day", and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" are excellent songs, but there's nothing strange or form-breaking about them, nothing that couldn't have happened without punk, nothing that challenges the listener's idea of what rock n roll is or what it can do.

"Post-punk" has been from the start a very broad descriptor, a catch-all for an explosion of innovation that happened in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a set of styles and approaches to rock that reverberate to this day (and when the term is used for new music, it no longer means music that is innovative and form-breaking; it means music that sounds like the innovative and form-breaking music of the original post-punk era).

Post-punk can probably be most quickly exemplified by pointing to the massively influential 1980 compilation Wanna Buy a Bridge? on the Rough Trade label. There are some other obvious touchstones -- Gang of Four's Entertainment!, in particular, has had such a persistent influence on subsequent rock that its aggressive, jagged style often seems to be all people mean when they say "post-punk" -- but Wanna Buy a Bridge gives a good sense of how sonically varied the post-punk landscape was. And if you dropped an early U2 song into that context, it would have stood out for what it was: a well-executed, passionate, conventional rock song.

17 comments.

i hope our few remaining friends give up on trying to save us

Posted on July 21st, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

I came late to the Mountain Goats. I actually heard John Darnielle first as one half of the Extra Glenns through my enthusiasm for Franklin Bruno. I was reading Darnielle's weblog before I heard his music, too. Anyway. My friend Gavin put "No Children" on a mix for me, and I was hooked, then obsessive. In the way of these things, "No Children" is still my favorite Mountain Goats song. So I love this live recording from the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon, with most of the crowd lustily singing along with one of the most loathing and self-loathing songs ever put to a catchy uptempo melody:

This makes me very very happy.

1 comment.

choosing singles

Posted on July 17th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Songs.

With great albums, it's often obvious what the singles ought to be (or in this post-singles age, what the radio/video tracks ought to be). And usually those songs will be the singles. For example, as great as Stevie Wonder's albums from 1972 to 1976 are -- I love each of them pretty much all the way through -- I wouldn't quarrel with any of the songs chosen to be singles, and I don't think they missed any obvious candidates. (Okay, maybe one: "Isn't She Lovely".)

But sometimes there are choices that just seem bizarre, that make me wonder whether the people making the decision understand the musician at all, or what makes a single. Today I was looking through Television's discography and discovered that the second single released off the great Marquee Moon (after the title track) was "Prove It" -- a good song but not one of the album's best, with an awkward chorus/hook that keeps stopping the song in place -- and that it was backed with "Venus", which to me is clearly the only song on the album that sounds like a single! Also, Elektra gave it a sleeve with a cheesy little graphic saying "Punk Rock" that is just lame:

fig. 1 - lame graphic

I suppose Elektra figured that hit singles were unlikely for Television and basically irrelevant to marketing the band, so maybe not much thought went into it. Still, I wonder what might have happened if they'd tried "Venus" instead.

4 comments.

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They stare at billboards as if for guidance.

- Graham Parker