Song of the Day Aug 11-17

August 11 2024

A little history of this song... There She Goes                  by The La's

The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group is best known for their hit single 'There She Goes'. Written by the band’s singer Lee Mavers, the song’s meaning was believed to be an ode to drugs, heroin in particular—

There she blows again

Pulsing through my veins

And I just can’t contain

This feeling that remains.

Though Mavers dismissed the link between heroin and the meaning of 'There She Goes'  he did admit to succumbing to the drug in the ’90s. If the song was about heroin, it didn’t necessarily glamorize the drug but did show how addictive, mind-altering, and controlling it could be. With its upbeat, jangly, and psychedelic ’60s sway, the song could also be construed as a love song, and like any song, is all up to interpretation. No matter what interpretation is correct... the fact remains that it a catchy pop song with lots of hooks in it. So catchy in fact that the pop song was used in the pre-adolescent hit film from 1998 "The Parent Trap" with Dennis Quaid and Lindsay Lohan. One question ... do you think the song would have been put in a film had the producers known it was really about heoin usage?

Enjoy!!

August 13 2024

A little history of this song... Play that Funky Music           by Prince

Today's Song of the Day is a cover of 'Play that Funky Music' (originally by the 70's group Wild Cherry) in order that I could showcase one of the greatest guitarists, musicians, and entertainers in Modern Rock--Prince. Prince is one of a naturally gifted mulit-instrumentalist (drummer, keyboardist, singer, bass player) and virtuso guitarist along with being an extremely gifted singer-songwriters and I suppose you could include showman as well in Rock history! I know it’s a cliche to call someone underrated, but just purely as a guitarist, Prince certainly is by music critics... but certainly not his contemporaries, like Eric Clapton who said “At a time when I thought rock and roll was dead, Prince was someone who was a reincarnation of Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown in one. I thought that’s exactly what the world needed.”

(read article linked). Prince is possibly the most natural and comfortable looking guitarist you will ever see. In all honesty I was never that into Prince until I saw him in the late 90's and became awestruck at his genius. His ability to capture an audience with his muscianship and stage breavado was overwhelming. Prince understood music and knew how to create it. He was well read, and studied and practiced daily. You don’t just happen to get this good, he had the drive and daily discipline, and he expected the same from all his band. He was always constantly learning. This 13 minute video is probably one of his best as he pays to tribute to "funk' music with his unique ability to capture an audience and hold them in his hand while he displays his incredible stage presence and musicianship. But it gets even better… Towards the end, Prince grabs a bass and adds some extra funk. To appreciate Prince, which for a long time I never did, you have to watch this video... I think you'll come away amazed!

Enjoy!!

August 15 2024

A little history of this song... First                   by Cold War Kids

Cold War Kids are an American indie rock band formed by Nathan Willett and are from Long Beach, California. Today's Song of the Day 'First' comes from their 2014 album "Hold My Home." The song was released as the second single off "Hold My Home" but it nearly didn't make it onto the album. Willet explained: "It was literally just the last, last, last song for the record where we were thinking it was just maybe a B-side or something, and we thought, 'Okay, we'll finish this one.' And the minute that we were sending these songs in to the label and management and said, 'Okay, these are all done,' and people freaked out the minute they heard that song. And we were shocked. And they were like, 'This is gonna be a great single,' and we were like, 'Wow, okay. So we'll put it on the record, we won't just let it be a B-side.'"Asked about the song's meaning by Radio.com, Cold War Kids frontman Nathan Willet replied: "I think it's got something in common with probably a large number of Cold War Kids songs, kind of overcoming some doubt. There's a story there where there's like somebody just kind of burning out and needs to get their life back together.""There are some very clear things in there; it's just the idea of like waking up in somebody's front lawn with the sprinklers turning on and not knowing where you are."The song lived up to its title, by becoming Cold War Kids' first ever #1 when it topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. It spent seven weeks at the summit. An older song but one I think you'll enjoy.

August 17 2024

A little history of this song... Good People       by Mumford & Sons, Pharrell

Mumford & Sons have collaborated with Pharrell on a new single, 'Good People,' which marks the British rock band’s first new music since 2019.

Mumford & Sons — Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane — recorded the song with Pharrell in New York and Paris. They enlisted Native Vocalists, a six-piece vocal choir from the U.S. and Canada hailing from Native American Tribes within the Northern Great Plains, to feature on the track. The collaboration emerged after 10 years of friendship between the musicians. Last summer, Mumford & Sons reconnected with Pharrell at his festival, Something in the Water, in Virginia Beach. Pharrell told GQ he was interested in the band’s aesthetic. “I always thought that their sound was an interesting one and the aesthetic was just as interesting,” he said. “And I was very curious as to what it would be like to work with them, there was like a snowball effect of curiosity, and if I could even be of added value.”Frontman Marcus Mumford added of the gospel influence on the song. “The next thing really is to get in the room with the boys in the band and start playing each other the songs we’ve written,” Mumford said in an interview. “I’ve got a bunch that are kind of ready to go. And then we’ll make a record, and tour it, and get to do what we love.”