Song of the Day Aug 3-9

August 3 2024

A little history of this song... Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

'Mary Jane’s Last Dance' was recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1993, while he was working on his second solo studio album, "Wildflowers". The song was first released as part of the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits album in 1993. The song quickly rose to No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first top 20 hit of the 1990s. It also topped the Rock Album chart for two straight weeks. Written in the garage of Heartbreakers’ guitarist Mike Campbell, the track was originally titled 'Indiana Girl' by Petty– a reference that stuck around in the song’s opening lines. Petty didn't like the title and changed it to 'Mary Jane’s Last Dance'. Campbell's interpretation of the song is that it's a 'good-bye' love song while others seem to think it's about marijuana (Petty's drug of choice). Throughout the song, he talks of “killing the pain” with Mary Jane and using her to leave his tired old town for a while. With Petty publicly announcing his affinity for the drug, this meaning seems to hold more weight with critics interpretations. One of his biggest hits and a song that I know you'll enjoy hearing again.

Fun Facts about the video: Petty made some strange videos, and this was no exception. Tom played a mortician who takes home a corpse played by one of the most beautiful actresses of the day-- Kim Basinger. When he gets her home, he puts her in a wedding dress and dances with her. Then he puts her in a pickup truck and throws her into the ocean, and she opens her eyes as she sinks. It won Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The clip was directed by Keir McFarlane, who later did Sheryl Crow's 'If It Makes You Happy.' If Petty seems strangely comfortable in the role of mortician, it might be because he used to be a gravedigger.

Enjoy!!

August 5 2024

A little history of this song... Hunger Strike by  Temple of the Dog

Temple of the Dog began when Chris Cornell of Soundgarden wrote two songs in honor of his good friend Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose in March 1990. 'Hunger Strike' was the last song recorded for the album; Chris Cornell wrote it because they had only nine tracks and he had a compulsive distaste for odd numbers. Describing the song in the Pearl Jam Twenty collection, he said, "I was wanting to express the gratitude for my life but also disdain for people where that's not enough, where they want more. There's no way to really have a whole lot more than you need usually without taking from somebody else that can't really afford to give it to you. It's sort of about taking advantage of a person or people who really don't have anything." The same verse is repeated twice in this song, as Cornell felt he had said everything he could on the subject with those words. Once these verse lyrics are out of the way, it's all chorus and bridge, which works thanks to the second vocalist on the song: Eddie Vedder. Temple of the Dog recorded the song on the very day Vedder flew in from San Diego to meet with his new bandmates in what would become Pearl Jam. Vedder was chosen based on a tape he sent to the guys where he added vocals to some of their tracks. With two distinct voices, Cornell could now sing the verse lyrics at the beginning of the song, and Vedder could follow with the same lyrics, giving it a different sound. With both voices on the chorus, the song really came together and became the highlight of the album. One of my all time favorite bands!

Enjoy !!

August 7 2024

A little history of this song... Waiting For Stevie  by Pearl Jam

Continuing with my "Grunge" theme over the past couple days, I bring you the latest from Pearl Jam's 2024 album "Dark Matter" and their latest single, which is a reference to Stevie Wonder, entitled 'Waiting for Stevie'. 'Pearl Jam's 'Waiting for Stevie' began while singer Eddie Vedder waited for the music legend to arrive for a recording session for Eddie's 2022 solo Album "Earthling" and the track entitled 'Try'. Stevie Wonder was scheduled to perform the harmonica on the track 'Try'. However, Wonder’s session didn’t start on time. He was scheduled to arrive at the studio at 4 p.m. but didn’t arrive until 11 p.m. (Hey, he's a blind guy, he doesn't own a watch!) While Vedder waited for him, the band members began trading guitar riffs. Vedder created a new riff , which became the starting point for  Pearl Jam's 'Waiting for Stevie'. Though Stevie Wonder inspired the title, the song isn’t about him. Vedder explained to Howard Stern "the song’s inspiration is music." He said, “It’s a song about being affected by music, and music changing your life, and maybe leading you to your tribe." ”He said it connects to Wonder because his music has “that power.” The lyrics to 'Waiting for Stevie'. are vague enough for a specific interpretation. But survival, celebration, and just breathing are the main ingredients to the song. Vedder said 'Waiting for Stevie'. is about the feeling in your soul that music can give you. The lyrics also contain an element of self-doubt. He mentioned how Wonder embodied and became music in the studio and how music has given him inspiration and salvation during his life. I think you'll like this one.

Enjoy!!

August 9 2024

A little history of this song... It's Been a While  by Staind

Staind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band was most successful in the early 2000s, with their album "Break the Cycle" going five times platinum in the United States and producing a top-five Billboard Hot 100 hit with its lead single and Today's Song of the Day 'It's Been Awhile.' 'It's Been Awhile' is by far the biggest hit for Staind, and the one that put them on the map in the Music Industry. In this song, lead singer Aaron Lewis is beating himself up because he lost the one woman who could cure his addictions, temper his nerves, and get him on his feet. He sees himself repeating the same self-destructive cycle over and over, and now realizes it's been awhile since he was whole. Why is he so glum in this song? Lewis always veered toward the dark side in his lyrics for Staind (not so much in his later country material), which are expressions of his pain, but only one aspect of his personality. These head-on depictions of anguish hit home for many listeners. A different kind of song for sure, but one I think you'll like.

Enjoy!!