Songs of the Week #6- Editors Pick
“the kind of stoner lame shit that boat people would listen to”
JOHN:
“Money Trees” -- Kendrick Lamar
"The one in front of the gun lives forever."
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CARRIE:
"Pump" -- The B-52's
Rock out to this song with me. We're gay and proud and having more fun than anyone. We could just keep listening to this song and new dance moves would never stop. These harmonies never get tired! And for The B-52's the thrill of young love and lust never get old. Somehow after all these years, they are still able to harness that libidinous excitement and vibrancy. Are you waving your arms above your head? Are you surprised your hips could be this flexible? Come on--who could resist a song where "electric eel" is a feeling and the words "jelly" and "bone" make several appearances?
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SHENYAH:
“Can’t Hurry Love” – The Supremes
Although I missed out on the Motown movement while growing up in Detroit, the spirit of Motown was alive and I’d like to believe it still is. What fascinates me most about this era in music is the breakthrough it was for African Americans, especially women. Motown Records, founded in the late 50’s, was a black-owned and black–centered business whose soul and pop classics changed America only for the better. Berry Gordy Jr., founder, was able to use this energetic uplifting music as a way to reach into homes, showcasing African-American artists in a positive light, pushing America one step closer to racial equality. I will never get tired of The Supremes!
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MATTY:
"Long Train Runnin'" – Doobie Brothers, 1981 live
I never understood the Doobie Brothers as anything besides the kind of stoner lame shit that boat people would listen to while drinking Miller High Life on the Konocti Harbor at Clear Lake -- that is, until I watched this YouTube clip of a 1981 concert, and figured out who the hell these dudes actually were. That kind of fusion shit might seem like old uncle Paul's weird ass music to young people nowadays, but trust me -- it did to me at first, too, and that was twenty years ago. The truth? This kind of fusion shit only comes from space. Watch carefully for a few things in the video. Around 1:15 or 1:20, the look on the dude's face is pure cool. The coolest. And it signals all levels of bad that are about to come. Relax while they pretend they don't know what they're doing, callin' out conga drums to start out the solo section. Next thing you know, these dudes are looking like the house dentists who were runnin' shit for the band Yes.
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ROY:
"Morning Bird" --Sade
There's the break-up song; then there's the song about loss, a deeper yet subtler thing. The narrator in "Morning Bird" is quietly inconsolable. The absence of someone looms so large in this song, there's barely room for words or music. It's all light percussion, meandering piano notes, and occasional distant strings; and Sade's voice at its most heartbroken and lovely. The lyrics are short and direct, hinging on the line, "The ghost of my joy won't let me be." Listening to this song, I feel like both observer and participant. Rather than invoking painful memories, however, it oddly comforts me.
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