Songs I Heard This Week (8-22-22)
Two Songs I Heard posts ago I featured one by Olivia. I was going through a kick as I’ve always been taken with her, as I mentioned. But then as most of us have heard by now, she passed suddenly at the age of 73 (reportedly due to cancer). It was a sad loss. She was truly an angel, which is definitely highlighted in this cover she did back in ’71 of “Love Song.” Its ethereal quality almost makes it feel as though it could have been released much more recently. The harmonies are just heavenly and the lyrics, quite poignant. An equally beautiful alternate live version was used to open her first television special, which is also worth a listen!
Last year we lost another beloved artist, Mike Nesmith of The Monkees. I often attribute The Monkees to being my first favorite band. I was 7 years old when I was first introduced to their show on MTV in the 80s. My Dad had several of their records and so I played them on my turntable nonstop. Despite his stoicism, my first crush was on the wool hat-wearing, Mike Nesmith. Kind of an odd choice since most girls were drawn to Davy (which I eventually succumbed to as well because he’s so dang adorable). But as I got older, I returned to my first love and still felt Mike was the most gifted and intriguing of the bunch (though I love them all). This jangle pop tune by Mike Nesmith is one of his best, in my opinion. It’s just wildly catchy and rather sweet.
Beck is one of those rare eclectic artists that are hard to pin down. I really love when he takes the mellow route. This was the first song that really drew me to his music (along with the album, Sea Change that it is on). I have to credit my brother with introducing me to it, as he really does a great job knowing what I will probably like. This song is particularly melancholy and deep, but very quite beautiful at the same time. There is another video for this song, but I rather liked this one because his eyes speak. Oh, how eyes speak. Just like the lyrics, “Your sorry eyes cut to the bone. Makes it hard to leave you alone.”
As a long-time DM fan, every so often I go through a phase of wanting to go through their catalog. On a particularly gloomy day this past weekend, it felt fitting once again as I drove around the countryside. Of course, Violater is DM’s most successful album (with hits like Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, and Personal Jesus) and it still holds up incredibly well. But this track was always ranked among my favorites. There is a music video for it, but I find it distracts from the great song that it is. I am always torn about music videos in this way. Sometimes they enhance a song but sometimes they keep you from really listening. On a side note, it’s always interested me how often DM uses religious symbolism in their work. After jamming out to this, I listened to Judas from Songs of Faith & Devotion. It’s quite profound really. I remember Barry Gibb once saying, “Religion, in and of itself, and spirituality, are the absolute pure tools of a songwriter.” and I think there is such truth to that. Certainly in my own songwriting as well.
This is a sweet little gem of a song by Peter Gabriel, featuring Elizabeth Fraser (of the Cocteau Twins). You may or may not know, that Elizabeth Fraser is my favorite female vocalist of all time. She has certainly inspired a whole host of female vocalists in the dream pop, ambient, and downtempo genres. This is such a wonderful pairing too — Fraser’s delicate vocals contrasted with Gabriel’s more gruff tones. Sometimes you experience these seminal moments in life that turn your whole world upside down. It can be scary and disorienting, but even exhilarating at times.
