Mary Chapin Carpenter : Grow Old with Me

Grow old with me
The best is yet to be

"Grow Old with Me" is a tune penned by John Lennon.  He never really made an official recording of it, but it showed up on his posthumous 1984 album, Milk and Honey.  John was never really about the love songs.  Not like Paul.  Or even George.  He was a cynical bastard with shitty parents.  At five, they forced him to choose between them, and he ended up with his mom, who a year later gave him to her sister.  Most of his songs betray those never-healing wounds.  They're full of the anger and condescension of a hurt little boy who suddenly finds himself with a megaphone and a world stage to shout from.  But then, something weird happened.  He grew up.  Maybe it was just his getting older, maybe it was his deep, loving relationship with Yoko Ono, but half his songs after the Beatles broke up are simple  paeans to love.  "Jealous Guy", "Beautiful Boy", "(Just Like) Starting Over", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".  Sure there's still some cynicism, but it's tempered through the lens of peace and love, less angry than bemused and bewildered at the idiocy of a world's populace that is so eager to destroy itself.

"Grow Old with Me" as recorded by John is a horribly produced song.  He clearly recorded it on an old Radio Shack tape recorder that was completely in another room under a pillow or something, because it sounds awful.  It's dressed up with the worst kind of schlocky strings and orchestra you can imagine, and is just by all accounts horrible.  Had I heard that song alone, I would have skipped past it after the first few seconds.

But props to Mary Chapin Carpenter, another of those "country" artists who are about as country as Michael Bolton.  She digs it out, strips it down, shines it up, and offers a beautiful little diamond in the rough.  With her simple (though slightly sappy) orchestration, she allows the song itself, the lyrics and melody, to shine through.  And shine it does.

This one is dedicated to my wife of 14 years.  God bless our love.

"Grow Old with Me" is from Mary Chapin Carpenter's 1989 release, Party Doll and Other Favorites.  The original can be found on John Lennon's posthumous Milk and Honey.

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Bikini Machine : Monkey Bum Bum Boogie

Okay, aside from having one awesome song name, what does this song have going for it? Well, first of all, it's by Bikini Machine, a French band named for the titular contraption in the camp flick Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. There's not much on the interwebs about them, alas, but they do have a few albums out. Their sound is electronic-oriented dance rock, similar to Hot Chip, but they lean more towards the pop spectrum.

"Monkey Bum Bum Boogie" is a nifty slice of dance rock about, well, doing the monkey bum bum boogie I suppose. It's got a groovy little backbeat, reminiscent of the 60's, with a bit of organ mixed in with the rock guitars. The vocals echo 60's-style funky R&B, with an almost Temptations-like delivery. But even with its retro trappings, it's decidedly modern, draped in swathes of electronica and wrapped in the production styles of today. You could easily toss this on at an underground rave or a Northern Soul rave-up. It'd fit either nicely.

"Monkey Bum Bum Boogie" can be found on Bikini Machine's debut release, 2003's An Introduction to Bikini Machine. Being French and not particular popular, their discs are tough to find, but Amazon has a couple. It's a great, fun record, just in time for summer.

And with that, song #100, I leave you temporarily.  I love sharing music, but this writing thing, while fun, is starting to push other more important things aside, so I'm going to set it aside for a while.  Once summer seriously kicks in, I would like to get back to it, because I do enjoy it.  But I gotta stop & catch up on some other stuff first.  Thanks for listening.

[You can listen to Bikini Machine's "Monkey Bum Bum Boogie" by navigating to the post "Song100" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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The Puppini Sisters : We Have All the Time in the World

The Puppini Sisters are a vocal team (not actually sisters, although one is actually named Puppini) who perform swing music with close vocal harmonies, much like the Andrews Sisters and other similar acts. They perform all sorts of tunes, from old swing standards like "In the Mood" to more modern tunes like "Heart of Glass", "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Crazy in Love", as well as some originals.

"We Have All the Time in the World", originally sung by Louis Armstrong, was written by John Barry for the soundtrack to On His Majesty's Secret Service. The lyrics were penned by Hal David, who was the other half of the classic Bacharach/David songwriting machine.  The song is played over the closing credits of the movie as James Bond cradles his dead wife, so in the movie there's a sort of sad irony to the lyrics.  But it's a gorgeous song with a lush melody that expertly straddles the line between joy and pathos. 

Here the sisters turn this hidden gem into a slow, stilted cabaret-style waltz in a surprising 5/4.  The song is primarily scored with an acoustic jazz trio, but it starts and ends with some plaintive accordion and is enveloped in the middle with sumptuous strings.  And of course they bring their gorgeous voices to bear on some exquisite harmonies which you won't find on the original, but which send the song truly soaring.

You can find "We Have All the Time in the World" on the Puppini Sisters' most recent release, 2007's The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo. Everything I've heard off this album has been top notch, and it's at the top of my "to buy" list.

[You can listen to The Puppini Sisters' "We Have All the Time in the World" by navigating to the post "Song099" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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José Feliciano : Golden Lady

A touch of rain and sunshine made the flowers grow
Into a lovely smile that's blooming
And it's so clear to me that you're a dream come true

Stevie Wonder is pretty good. I don't think he's quite the genius everyone works him up to be, as he has a lot of output. He has put a lot of song to tape. And while some of it is fantastic ("Sir Duke" for example), a lot of it is just boring, or worse, crappy. "Golden Lady" is not one of those songs. "Golden Lady" is a fantastic love song, nothing fancy but funky and cheerful. It's purely celebratory.

We've discussed José Feliciano in passing earlier in this blog. Aside from penning the ultra-mega-super Christmas hit, "Feliz Navidad", and of course the excellent theme to "Chico and the Man", hit the charts primarily with his covers. He usually brought a nice casual latin groove with his fabulously expressive voice and simple acoustic guitar.

His take on Stevie's "Golden Lady" is no exception. He brings his trademark latin flair to the original, taking a great song to the next level. Where Stevie's tribute to his woman was a laid back affair, José injects a passion that crescendos throughout the entire piece. By the end, there's no doubt how he feels about his woman.

I'm dedicating this one to my woman, with heaven in her eyes.

"Golden Lady" is from José's 1974 release, And the Feeling's Good, which was literally just re-released. My copy came from the most excellent most excellent compilation, As We Travel: Folk Funk Flavours & Ambient Soul, which also gave me the song from American Gypsy and several other amazing tunes.

[You can listen to José Feliciano's cover of Stevie Wonder's "Golden Lady" by navigating to the post "Song098" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Martinn Bootleg / Madonna : Beautiful Stranger

So, I thought I would ride out a week's worth of mashes then bring the standard stuff back. The thing is, I'm still on vacation and there are a couple of mashes I still want to let you know about. So you'll have to stick with it for a little while longer.

Here's another example of taking a different route than the "drop a rap over a track" type mash. Martinn Bootleg takes Madonna's retro-pop hit "Beautiful Stranger" from the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, and fits it quite beautifully over the backdrop of Smokey Robinson's classic, "Tears of a Clown". Here's how perfect it fits. I had it on my little Shuffle and as I was listening to it while working in the yard, I thought to myself, "Jeez, I never realized how much this song sounds like 'Tears of a Clown'." Yes, it's so perfect I forgot it was a mashup. That, my friends, is a testimony.

To be fair, I think he uses some of the music of the original to help out. I have yet to listen to the three songs back-to-back, so I can't be sure what exactly he did, but it's amazing.  In any case, I don't think he had an a cappella vocal or instrumental backing track to work with, so on top of getting it all to fit together so perfectly, he did it by sonically pulling apart the originals.  An amazing piece of work.

You can't buy the mash, but the original Madonna song is from the Austin Powers soundtrack I mentioned earlier, and of course you can get "Tears of a Clown" on any number of compilations.

[You can listen to Martinn Bootleg's mash of Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger" by navigating to the post "Song086" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Mad Mix Mustang / Jay-Z : 99 Problems

Let's close the week with what seems like a totally obvious mash: take Jay-Z's classic "99 Problems" and mix it with Nena's classic "99 Red Balloons". Har-de-har, we all get the joke. Except, man, I don't know how he did it, but the tune totally works.

Listen to the musical progression underneath the rap. As Shawn spits the verses, the samples underneath build tension, adding a little bit of organ every few bars, until right before the chorus where in comes the drum roll and the song speeds up double-time. This continues well into the next verse until, at exactly the right moment, it drops back into the slower funky riff. I think this is the key to a successful mash and really underscores the craft that goes into it. Rather than just looping a single sample, as so many rap songs have done previously, they really dig into the instrumental bits and build an actual song underneath. You could totally play this live and it would be awesome.

As with the others, I don't think you can buy the mash anywhere, but you can pick up "99 Problems" on Jay-Z's The Black Album and "99 Luftballons" on Nena's original album which has both the English and German versions.

[You can listen to Mad Mix Mustang's mash of Jay-Z's "99 Problems" by navigating to the post "Song085" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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White Rabbits : While We Go Dancing

Don't know much about White Rabbits except I like them.  I think I first heard them when I had satellite radio and used to tune into the 'indie' channel.  They've got a pretty unique sound, a typical upbeat pop band but with the added glory of a honky-tonk piano.  The songs are well-crafted with solid hooks which makes for a strong debut release.

"While We Go Dancing" takes a two-step pop rhythm (think go-go, or The Go-Go's) and layers over it with a sweeping, almost waltz-like melody that's somehow evocative of the grandeur of a ballroom.  The piano plays a strong supporting role, but isn't the lead like it is in say, Ben Folds Five.  And most of all, in this age where the indie superstars like Bright Eyes take themselves so seriously, it's just fun.  It's music to dance to, to party to, to have fun with.  And that's nice.

You can find "While We Go Dancing" on White Rabbits' first release from 2007, Fort Nightly.  It's a great pop album all the way through.  They've got a newer 2009 release, but I haven't heard it yet.

[You can listen to White Rabbits' "While We Go Dancing" by navigating to the post "Song080" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Lesley Gore : Off and Running

I like Lesley Gore. If you didn't grow up with her in the early 60's you probably only know her from her smash, "It's My Party", which is too bad, because she had a few other gems after that. Perhaps my favorite song by Lesley is "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" which may be the happiest song on the planet. If you can't smile when that song is on, you have no soul.

"Off and Running" is a swinging little number from a later album with a fairly aggressive orchestration for a pop song. The verse kicks off with a series of staccato hits by the band which dovetails into a nice go-go beat, propelling the song along at a breakneck pace. Lesley's vocals have the right mix of pop melody with just a touch of rock swagger that really makes this a fantastic end-of-relationship kiss-off piece of bubblegum. The energy never stops, even for a moment.

The version I have came from a vinyl copy of her 1967 album, California Nights, lovingly posted about a year ago on the always incredible Iron Leg blog. You can also find it on the Mercury Anthology box set, which is no longer in print, but can be found used.

[You can listen to Lesley Gore's "Off and Running" by navigating to the post "Song076" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Jack Peñate : Spit At Stars

Jack Peñate's music is high-energy upbeat Britpop, simple, cheerful and glorious. His 2007 release, Matinée, is one of my favorite releases of all time, chock full of bouncy summer licks, aching to be sung on a sunny day with the windows rolled down. Think "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, and you'll have a good idea of the type of feel-good pop I'm talking about.

Contrary to what his surname would suggest, Jack hails from Britain and carries that same cockney accent that makes Lily Allen such a cutie. Apparently, it's quite the fad over there to sound a bit lower class, and some singers take some guff over it, much the same way we in America might mock the suburban homies wearing Ed Hardy T-shirts with their hats cocked sideways and speaking in an approximation of gang-speak they picked up by listening to one-too-many Snoop Dogg records.

Faux shizzle.

I have no idea if that's true for Jack or not, but it doesn't really matter. "Spit At Stars" is a glorious nugget of delectable pop nougat, with just enough rock to make it sizzle. There's not much more to it than that. Every song on his debut album is just incredible, so you can't go wrong. Plus, Amazon will deliver a used copy to your door for just six bucks. How sweet is that?

[You can listen to Jack Peñate's "Spit At Stars" by navigating to the post "Song075" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Los Campesinos! : Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)

I'm trying to decide if 2008 was a really great year for music, or if I was just paying more attention.  It's hard to say.  Regardless, here's another great band with a great release in 2008.

Los Campesinos! is a band from Wales that I think the hip kids would call 'indie'.  They remind of a more pop-oriented Mae Shi.  I know that doesn't mean much to you, as you've probably never heard of the Mae Shi (although if you'd been paying attention since January, you'd have read a little about them).  What I mean by this is, they're very noisy and have an overdriven sound, much like the Mae Shi, but they have a strong pop sensibility and aren't as interested as much in deconstructing the pop sound as celebrating it.

"Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)" is a joyous, rambunctious pop song with a great hook, driving guitars, a little violin, and goofy, overly literary lyrics that still manage to sound endearing rather than pretentious.  It's got a nice sense of dynamics and flow and is quite danceable, if you're a little adventurous.  Also, it doesn't rhyme, though I don't think you'd notice right away.

This song comes from their first official release, 2008's Hold On Now, Youngster....  The rest of the album is just as good, verging into more progressive and/or singer-songwriter territory, but staying true to their ensemble sound.

[You can listen to Los Campesinos! "Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)" by navigating to the post "Song061" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Ben Folds Five : Mess

Back in 2000, I had been married for a few years, had four kids, was working for a stupid-ass contractor at an insurance company, and I just couldn't get it. The stress was high, my job sucked, my marriage was rocky and I was going through a bit of an early mid-life crisis. Worse, from the outside, it looked like everything was going right. It really wasn't that bad. Nobody died, no floods, fires or earthquakes. But it still felt crappy, and that brought extra confusion, guilt and stress. The stress of being stressed and depressed when you really have so much to be happy about.

I'm much better now. I understand my goals, I know who I am and know my direction. My marriage is fantastic, my kids are great, and I'm at a place where I'm truly comfortable with myself. You really can't ask for much more.

But back then, I felt like a bit of a mess.

There aren't many artists who really grab my heart strings. A lot of people expound the lyrical virtues of Springsteen and Dylan, but for me, the guy who grasps the middle-class white boy angst I was growing old with, the guy who ever came the closest to 'speaking to me' through music, was Ben Folds. Some how, he managed to grasp nail the turmoil I was going through at the time. There are a handful of songs of his, both with the "Five" and solo, that just open my heart and let the tears of joy and pain flow out.

I know that's pretty emo or whatever, but that's how it is.  What can you do?

"Mess" is a fantastic song, ostensibly about taking stock and accepting the mistakes you've made. But it's really about the hopelessness and futility of wallowing in your 'mess'. A mess is a point of view, a state of mind. Where you see a mess, I might see an opportunity, something that needs a little work.  But in the song the protagonist is not fixing the mess he's created.  He's not even considering that there might be something to fix.  He's decided somewhere along the way that it's a lost cause, and he's just learned to live with it.  Or so he pretends.  And that's just terrible.

I think the reason this song hit me so hard was that I felt like my mess was hopeless as well, that it was the inevitable result of the decisions I'd made and things that were out of my control.  I felt trapped in the mess I had made, and I used to turn it up and cry and cry on the way home from work.
 
Like I said, emo.  I'm much better now and while it doesn't strike me so close to home any longer, it's still a great song.

The song itself has a quiet urgency, mimicking the inescapable progress of time and fate that the singer is caught up in.  And Ben's calmly plaintive vocals carry just the right amount of despair and resignation, without being sappy or overbearing. You can hear the weariness in his voice especially clearly when it breaks while singing the lone word "again".

I've always thought "Mess" would be a great bluegrass song. They sing that sweet close harmony in the chorus and all that busy piano work could easily be picked up by banjo. And that "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" shuffle beat could drop into a country two-step. It'd be great. Seriously.  Somebody do that.

You can find "Mess" on Ben Folds Five's 1999 release, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. There's a funny story about Reinhold Messner, but I'll let you read it on Wikipedia rather than retelling it here. The album is great, probably the best of the bunch from those guys, and I love them all.

[You can listen to Ben Folds Five's "Mess" by navigating to the post "Song059" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Paul Simon : Night Game

Let's end the week on a quieter note. "Night Game" is an ethereal song from Paul Simon, a ghost tale of sorts, about a pitcher who dies in the middle of a ball game. Or maybe it's about war. I think there's an allegory in there somewhere, since the body count goes from two to three, but I can't exactly figure out what it is. So, like any good poetry, apply where needed.

It's a beautiful song, frail, with a quietly lilting melody that plays threes against twos for some nice syncopation. It's instrumented primarily with Paul's wonderful voice, nearly whispering, and accented by acoustic guitar, jazz bass and a nice harmonica solo by the great Toots Thielemans.

There's not much else to say about the song except that I can't figure out why there's not more buzz about it on the Interwebs, because I do really like it. It comes from Paul's 1975 release, Still Crazy After All These Years, which has some fantastic songs on it, including his biggest solo hit ever, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". By the way, they recently remaster Paul's back catalog, so if you're out shopping, make sure you pick up the remastered version.

[You can listen to Paul Simon's "Night Game" by navigating to the post "Song055" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Scott Walker : Jackie

God love Jacques Brel, because he really needs it. Every song is drenched in that bitter Gallic sense of cynicism and bile, shot through with the gaudy spangle of the Moulin Rouge. But it's so good. In "Jackie", as he fantasizes about the splendor that would accompany his meteoric rise to the top of the charts as a famous rock star, he writes about getting drunk, owning a bordello, smoking opium, queers, virgins and singing to the ladies in heaven with a giant flowing beard; you know, all that rock star stuff. Ironically, he had a couple of hits here in the states with "Ne me quitte pas" and "Seasons in the Sun", though I have no idea if he ever bought the whorehouse.

Scott Walker was a big hit in the UK, first with the Walker Brothers, then as a solo artist. The brothers had a minor hit here in the states with a Bacharach tune, but other than that, they never disturbed the charts. "Jackie" hit #20 in the UK, which I assume means it got a lot of airplay, which considering the lyrical content, I find amazing. Also, it's no mystery as to why it never got played over here. Scott loved Jacques Brel, and sang three of his songs on each of his first three solo LPs.

Anyway, this piece is a pretty typical Walker/Brel workout. The tune kicks in right away with the strings, horns and other orchestral trappings, as well as a martial beat that runs constantly throughout. Scott dives right in with his beautiful deep baritone, singing with the perfect mixture of glory and scorn, fluffed up with just a touch of reverb. The song drives forward relentlessly, with the orchestra pounding away and Scott just singing his heart out.

I love this song. I want to start a band just so I could cover this song. I like it so much, I'd be willing to sing it at a karaoke joint. (Note: Not really.) The orchestration is superb, the lyrics are astounding, and Scott's delivery is just top notch.

You can find this tune on Scott Walker's 1968 release, Scott 2. Oddly enough, it doesn't look like there are any compilations out there.

[You can listen to Scott Walker's "Jackie" by navigating to the post "Song048" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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April March : Voo Doo Doll

April March is actually Elinor Blake, who divides her time between attempting pop stardom and animation. As an animator, she's worked on Ren & Stimpy, Pee-Wee's Playhouse and even did the title sequence for Madonna's Who's That Girl.

As a pop star, well, her most recent showing was a tune of hers from 1999 that appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. Soooo, she's still got some work to do.

Her style is primarily influenced by 60's French pop yé-yé singers, like France Gall, Françoise Hardy, Jane Birkin & Claudine Longet, and she's been known to cover a Serge Gainsbourg song or two.

"Voo Doo Doll" is off her first EP, which I've been looking for pretty much since it came out in 1993. One day last year, eBay phoned me up and said, "Pal, we finally found it. Come get it, ASAP!" So I did, and I think this might be the last "long-lost" CD in my pantheon. Oh, wait, no, I still need Queens of the Stone Age's first LP. Anyhow...

"Voo Doo Doll" is about a voodoo doll the singer uses to punish her man, "to hurt you when with her". Somehow he manages to give him earaches, corns, chapped lips and all sorts of miscellaneous maladies. Musically, the song is relatively straightforward, a nice upbeat 4/4 with a small band plus organ and background singers, although it's slightly weirded due to the verses being 12 bars instead of the standard 16. So it's just a little wonky, which helps underscore the vague craziness of the protagonist.

The EP is great. It consists of five songs, all heavily influenced by the aforementioned 60's pop vibe, but also very much by the quirky stylings of Vic Mizzy (think: The Addams Family theme).  The song "Kooky" is almost a dead rip-off. Also, she's wearing ice skates on the cover.  A fantastic listen, but good luck finding it. I can't even find it on Amazon at this point.

[You can listen to April March's "Voo Doo Doll" by navigating to the post "Song046" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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The Ting Tings : Fruit Machine

I love the Ting Tings. Why? I cannot really say, but this was one of my favorite albums of last year; possibly the favorite. It's fun, poppy and raucous, like the good songs from No Doubt. And they really, really know how to craft a hook.

You've probably heard "Shut Up and Let Me Go" as that was a minor hit here in the states. It's a great song. They also had a hit in their native Britain with "Great DJ", which is also a great song. And you might have heard "That's Not My Name", which is another raver that makes you want to shake it like a dancer on Hullabaloo. But I think my favorite might be "Fruit Machine".

First of all, 'fruit machine' is British for 'slot machine' (you know, like 'lorry' for truck or 'loo' for the toilet). So, the song is all about a poor sucker who has it bad for the singer. He's addicted, feeding her money, looking for the payout that only comes sporadically. And she seems pretty happy about it, asking him where the money is. So it's got a sort of snotty vibe to it from the get-go. This is backed up by the driving dance beat and her chanting vocals which crescendo throughout the whole song, building a sort of happy tension that finally breaks in the end with her manically shouting "Ka-CHING!! Ka-CHING!!" You get the most out of the song if you holler it along with her and punctuate the shouts by yanking an imaginary lever. Ka-CHING!

"Fruit Machine" is off the Ting Tings' debut effort, We Started Nothing. It's a great album, as the first side is amazing and the second side holds its own. At 9 songs and 38 minutes, it's exactly the right length too.

[You can listen to The Ting Tings' "Fruit Machine" by navigating to the post "Song031" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Jon : Les Sucettes

Before 50 Cent and Lil Wayne there was Serge Gainsbourg. He penned a little ditty for France Gall called "Les Sucettes", which means, I'm pretty sure, "The Lollipops" in French. While ostensibly being about Annie's anise-flavored lollipops, it's actually full of erotic double entendres and dirty French puns, mostly about lollipops. Go figure.

Serge's popularity went through a little surge back in the late 90's. Like Bacharach before him and Leonard Cohen today, it seemed like anybody who wanted to be taken seriously as a performer had to cover a Gainsbourg tune. About this same time, John Zorn was curating a (sadly short-lived) series of compilations called "Great Jewish Music", in which he would choose a composer of Jewish heritage and get his stable of Tzadik artists to cover a slew of their songs. They handled Bacharach & Gainsbourg, and later Marc Bolan. Sadly, they never got to Paul Simon, Leiber & Stoller or Gene Simmons. Or Barry Manilow. Oh, or Neil Diamond!

Jon, as this artist is known, is another matter. She's Japanese and she plays a pump organ. And that's all I know, as "Jon" doesn't exactly Google well.

I think I promised somewhere that I wouldn't post anything I didn't actually enjoy listening to. And that's important, because there are people who like stuff simply because it's so weird and/or awful that you couldn't possibly actually like it. You should know that, if I offend your ears, it's not because I'm trying to somehow aurally gross you out. I really do enjoy listening to the music on some level. So, no Three Stooges Christmas albums or William Shatner singing Rocket Man, just music I enjoy and think is interesting enough that you should hear it too.

Jon definitely falls into that 'avant-garde' or 'weird' category. First, her voice sounds like a twee little six-year-old, which is somewhat appropriate (and creepy) given the nature of the song. Second, her organ sounds like it's dying of old age. You can hear every creak and moan, every push of the pedals and puff of air. You can almost hear the dust floating about in the dimly lit haunted-house of a room this must have been recorded in. And yet, that's what gives the recording it's appeal for me. The music isn't just in the song, but it embodies the Cagian idea that all aspects of the performance are part of the music; that the wheezes of a dying organ are just as musically important as the notes and lyrics Serge originally penned. I couldn't listen to a whole album of this stuff, but this tune is both fascinating and enjoyable. I hope when you listen to it, you get a chance to revel in the artifact and the atmosphere.

You can find the tune on the excellent Tzadik compilation Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg. Most of the rest of the tunes are far more traditionally musical than this one (though a few aren't). While you're at it, you should grab the Burt Bacharach one as well. You can skip the Bolan one. I believe they missed Marc's whole point with that comp, and as such, it's just not as good.

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The 4 Seasons : C'mon Marianne

There's just nobody who can scream a rock & roll falsetto like Frankie Valli. We've all heard his plaintive howl on classics like "Sherry", "Walk Like a Man" and "Big Girls Don't Cry". There's something about a guy nailing that upper register that really helps crank a rock song. (Right, Robert Plant?)

Anyway, in listening to a bunch of 4 Seasons tunes I realized that, while they seem like a happy sunny summertime band, a majority of the tunes are about the lead singer losing his love and a majority of those are about his losing his love because he's actually a cheating fuck. This is one of those songs. Bob Crewe, who co-wrote "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and "Lady Marmalade", as well as the soundtrack to Barbarella, also helped pen a number of their hits, but this wasn't one of them. That is it wasn't penned by Bob, although it arguably also wasn't that much of a hit, considering it only rose to number nine on the Billboard Pop charts in '67.

Still, it's a bit of a rocker. The rhythm section chugs along nicely underneath as Frankie uses his fabulous upper register to bemoan his tales of woe. Apparently he dabbled a bit on the side and lost his lady, even though this other chick was "a passing fling, and not a permanent thing." But if you were thinking about feeling bad for this guy, realize he starts the song with "Here I am on my knees again," so he's been here before. I really dig how, as the second verse starts, a touch of strings drops in right as Frankie bemoans the fact that her big brown eyes are all full of tears. It's a nice touch. Most of the song is just Frankie crying "Marianne" over and over, but it really works. It's definitely one of my favorites.

You can find this tune on any number of Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons compilations, including this swell looking number from Rhino records. It's got the big name songs, plus a couple other of my favorites, like "Dawn (Go Away)" which I almost posted instead, and some of Frankie's solo stuff which is great too. It's missing "Alone" though, which is a fantastic song. You'll have to grab that one from iTunes or something.

[You can listen to The 4 Seasons' "C'mon Marianne" by navigating to the post "Song016" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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David Bowie : Good Morning Girl

Well, well, well. Originally I thought this would be a stumper, since I thought this tune had been issued under Bowie's real name, David Jones. Turns out I was wrong. A couple of early singles were issued under variations of his birthname, but by the time this one arrived, he was officially David Bowie, and so began his stellar career.

"Good Morning Girl" finds Bowie at his swingin'est. Brian Eno once called him a musical chameleon, in that he could sing in any style you please. Here, he seems to be channeling Georgie Fame, another Brit swinger from the mid-to-late sixties, or maybe one of the more frenetic Dolenz-penned-and-sung Monkees singles, like "Randy Scouse Git", although they didn't really crest until '67.

The song pops along with an upbeat rock swing and a great hook. Bowie's delivery is quick, almost manic (for him anyway), but the best part is when Bowie drops in some passages of groovy scat. It's a gas, baby!

"Good Morning Girl" is the B-side of the 1966 Pye single "Do Anything You Say", which I've never had the pleasure of hearing, and is available on several Early Bowie packages.

[You can listen to David Bowie's "Good Morning Girl" by navigating to the post "Song013" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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