Today’s Song of the Day Challenge is “A song that’s a guilty pleasure”, and my pick is “Tik Tok” by Kesha (who also identified herself as Ke$ha back then). The catchy ear worm was co-written by Kesha and producers Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco, and released in August 2009. It took its time moving up the charts, but once it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that December, it held the top spot for nine straight weeks. It also topped the charts in Canada, Australia, Germany and 10 other countries.
I love the bouncy, electropop dance beat and hilarious bawdy lyrics about partying, getting drunk and having fun. (Ah, how I fondly remember those days!) Kesha later told Esquire that her inspiration for the song came from her own experiences coming home drunk and stumbling after a night out of partying. The opening line “Wake up in the morning feelin’ like P. Diddy” came from a time where she woke up in a big house (on Laurel Canyon in L.A. where the Eagles recorded “Hotel California”) surrounded by all these “beautiful women”, which led her to imagine P. Diddy being in a similar scenario. And he was more than happy to collaborate on the track, providing his vocals where he responds to her opening line with “hey what up girl“. Kesha’s vocals were heavily auto-tuned, but I think they’re perfectly suited for a song like “Tik Tok”.
On a weird level, the song also touches on female empowerment. In the lyrics “And now the dudes are linin’ up ’cause they hear we got swagger / But we kick ’em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger” and later “Boys try to touch my junk, junk / Gonna smack him if he gettin’ too drunk, drunk“, Kesha makes it clear that she and her girls have the upper hand when it comes to guys, and that they’re not gonna give it up to just anyone. OK, I know it’s a stretch, but work with me here!
Today’s Song of the Day Challenge theme is “A song that’s covered by another artist”, and my pick is “The Crying Game” by English singer Boy George (born George Alan O’Dowd and formerly the vocalist of Culture Club). The song was written by English songwriter and producer Geoff Stephens, and originally sung by English pop singer Dave Berry back in 1964. The rather unusual and haunting lead guitar was played by session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, with a very young Jimmy Page providing additional guitar work. Berry’s recording was a sizable hit in Britain, reaching #5 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song was later covered by Boy George in 1992, and both his version and the original Dave Berry recording were used in the 1992 Neil Jordan film The Crying Game. Boy George’s version of the song was produced by the Pet Shop Boys and reached #22 on the UK Singles Chart, #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and #1 in Canada and Iceland. I much prefer Boy George’s version, not only because he’s a far better vocalist than Berry, but also because of the stunning music arrangement and production by the Pet Shop Boys, who I’ve long been a fan of and whose music I love.
Boy George had a gorgeous soulful and smooth singing voice, and I think his vocals on “The Crying Game” were among his finest ever. He sings in a soft, heartfelt croon, then rises to a breathy falsetto that’s truly sublime. The Pet Shop Boys used a similar twangy guitar to that used in Berry’s version, but backed it with soaring orchestral instrumentals and psychedelic atmospheric synths that give the song an even more haunting ethereal sound. It’s a magnificent track, and one of my favorite songs of the 1990s. Fun fact: I’ve long wanted to sing this to karaoke, but never summoned enough nerve to do it.
I know all there is to know about the crying game I’ve had my share of the crying game
First there are kisses, then there are sighs And then before you know where you are You’re sayin’ goodbye
One day soon I’m gonna tell the moon about the crying game And if he knows maybe he’ll explain
Why there are heartaches, why there are tears And what to do to stop feeling blue When love disappears
I know all there is to know about the crying game I’ve had my share of the crying game
First there are kisses, then there are sighs And then before you know where you are You’re sayin’ goodbye
Don’t want no more of the crying game Don’t want no more of the crying game Don’t want no more of the crying game Don’t want no more of the crying game
Four Thousand Miles is a relatively new and interesting rock band with an international pedigree. Each of its four members are from a different country: England, France, Wales and the United States, hence their name ‘Four Thousand Miles’. They started out as a collaboration over the internet, and quickly grew to become a music project after finding that each of their own unique styles blended well together. The band members are Alex Fearn from Liverpool, England (and former front man of British rock group Diamond Days) on vocals and rhythm guitar, Lionel Pacreau from Bordeaux, France on lead guitar, Alex May from Atlanta Georgia, USA on drums, and Liam Sibbald from Prestatyn, Wales on bass.
The guys have gathered together a couple of times in Liverpool to record music and film videos, and released their excellent debut single “Lonely” this past Valentine’s Day. Now they’re back with their second single “Reflections“, which drops today. The song was mixed and mastered by Simon Jackman at Outhouse Studios in Reading, Berkshire, and is another hard-hitting banger!
The song is darker and heavier than “Lonely”, and more synth-driven. The song opens with eerie synths and a galloping percussive beat that set an ominous tone. Then a brief barrage of fiery riffs ensue, before calming down to a haunting melody as Fearn begins to sing. The EDM touches that arrive late in the first verse are terrific, and contrast nicely with the thunderous, driving riffs and explosive percussion in the choruses. They produce a great back and forth effect that imparts a strong sense of tension, making for a very exciting listen. Pacreau and Fearn are both fine guitarists, and I love the interplay between Pacreau’s blistering riffs and Fearn’s more melodic guitar notes. Sibbald and May keep the pummeling rhythms on firm footing throughout the proceedings. The guys’ collective musicianship is quite impressive!
Fearn has a powerful and emotive vocal style that’s perfectly suited to their dynamic sound. He transitions easily from a plaintive vulnerability to raw, almost feral screams that bring chills. He uses them to maximum effect as he passionately belts out the searing lyrics spoken to a former lover whose actions have stripped him of his sanity and sense of self-worth: “You stole the greatest part of me and now I’m struggling to breathe. Not gonna take much time before I lose my mind!”
The dark, beautifully-filmed and expertly-produced video nicely captures the drama and frenetic energy of the song.
Today’s Song of the Day Challenge theme is “A song from the 90s”, and my pick is “All I Wanna Do” by the lovely Sheryl Crow. Released in April 1994, the song was from her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club, and was a breakthrough hit that made her an international star. The song was written by Crow, along with Wyn Cooper, David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell and Kevin Gilbert, and remains her biggest US hit. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1994, spending six straight weeks stuck behind “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men. I think it’s far superior to the sappy “I’ll Make Love to You”, but what do I know? At least it reached #1 in Australia and Canada, and won Grammy Awards in 1995 for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
I love its breezy, country pop vibe and lively mix of twang and slide guitars, but to me the highlight of the song are the wonderful and humorous lyrics that tell the little story of her time spent in a dive bar on Santa Monica Boulevard with a patron named Billy, watching people washing their vehicles at a car wash across the street. The lyrics were adapted from Wyn Cooper’s 1987 poem “Fun”, and resulted in Cooper earning considerable royalties, and also helping to promote his book, originally published in a run of only 500 copies, into multiple reprints. (Wikipedia)
Hit it! This ain’t no disco It ain’t no country club either This is LA!
“All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die,” Says the man next to me out of nowhere It’s apropos Of nothing He says his name’s William but I’m sure, He’s Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy And he’s plain ugly to me And I wonder if he’s ever had a day of fun in his whole life We are drinking beer at noon on Tuesday In a bar that faces a giant car wash The good people of the world are washing their cars On their lunch break, hosing and scrubbing As best they can in skirts in suits
They drive their shiny Datsuns and Buicks Back to the phone company, the record store too Well, they’re nothing like Billy and me, cause
All I wanna do is have some fun I got a feeling I’m not the only one All I wanna do is have some fun I got a feeling I’m not the only one All I wanna do is have some fun Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard
I like a good beer buzz early in the morning And Billy likes to peel the labels from his bottles of Bud He shreds them on the bar Then he lights every match in an oversized pack Letting each one burn down to his thick fingers before blowing and crushing them out And he’s watching the bottles of Bud as they spin on the floor
And a happy couple enters the bar Dangerously close to one another The bartender looks up from his want ads
Otherwise the bar is ours, The day and the night and the car wash too The matches and the Buds and the clean and dirty cars The sun and the moon but
All I wanna do is have some fun I got a feeling I’m not the only one
Today’s Song of the Day Challenge theme is “A song everyone should listen to at least once in their life”, and my pick is the magnificent classical masterpiece “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Many have heard a famous snippet of the piece, namely the beautiful 18th variation that’s been featured in numerous films, but I’m guessing relatively few know where that variation is actually from, nor have they heard the exquisite 24-minute long work in it’s entirety.
Although I love classical music dating back to the early 1700s by composers such as Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach, my personal favorite period for classical music is the late romantic and post-romantic era lasting generally from 1860-1935, especially by composers like Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Jean Sibelius, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Maurice Ravel and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Three of my top 10 all-time favorite classical works – “Symphony No. 2 in E Minor”, “Piano Concerto No. 2”, and “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” – are by Rachmaninoff, making him my favorite composer.
He wrote “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” at the age of 61 while in Switzerland during the summer of 1934. It is written for solo piano and symphony orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto, but in a single movement. Although it’s performed in one stretch without breaks, it can be divided into three sections, corresponding to the three movements of a concerto: variations 1 to 10 correspond to the first movement, variations 11 to 18 are the equivalent of a slow movement, and the remaining variations make a finale.
It boggles my mind that someone could compose such gorgeous melodies, then decide upon just the right types and number of instruments to use to bring those melodies to life. And then the fact that people are able to coax those gorgeous sounds from musical instruments! It’s also amazing that Rachmaninoff could write such a beautiful work given the fact the world was still in the midst of the Great Depression, and that in Germany next door, Adolph Hitler continued to consolidate power and had already begun his 12-year-long reign of terror.
Rachmaninoff played the solo piano part at the piece’s premiere at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 7, 1934 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. The very first recording of the piece was also done by the Philadelphia Orchestra, with Stokowski conducting and Rachmaninoff playing piano, and released in late 1934 by the RCA Victor Red Seal label.
The slow and stunningly beautiful 18th variation is by far the best known, and is often included on classical music compilations without the rest of the work. It’s based on an inversion of the melody of Paganini’s theme, in which the A minor Paganini theme is literally played “upside down” in D♭ major, with a few other changes. Rachmaninoff himself recognized the appeal of this variation, saying “This one, is for my agent.” (Wikipedia) That variation is arguably one of the most beautiful and moving melodies ever written, and so breathtaking that it brings tears to my eyes.
The 18th variation has also been used in various movie and TV show soundtracks to different degrees, including The Story of Three Loves (1953), Somewhere in Time (1980), Dead Again (1991), Groundhog Day (1993), Ronin (1998), the 2014 documentary Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory, and a 2015 episode of the TV show The Good Wife. But the entire piece is gorgeous, and worth a careful listen.
I’ve included two videos. The first is a spectacular 2018 performance by the German Philharmonie Südwestfalen at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, conducted by Gerard Oskamp, with the brilliant young pianist Anna Fedorova doing a masterful job playing the challenging piano parts.
This second video is of one of the definitive performances of “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini”, by the London Symphony Orchestra in 1970, conducted by André Previn and with piano by the great pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy. I have this recording on both vinyl and CD.
Singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Polonsky has been actively involved in the music industry for over a quarter century, both as a solo artist and as a session musician and member of several bands, however he’s never become a household name. He grew up in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Illinois, where he started playing music before he was ten, and performed in his high school orchestra and jazz band. As a precocious teen, he began writing songs and recording them on homemade cassettes, handing them out to friends and using them as an excuse to go backstage and meet some of the musicians he admired.
One of them was Reeves Gabrels, who was a guitarist for David Bowie and now with The Cure. Gabrels in turn introduced Jonny to Frank Black/Black Francis of the band Pixies, who ended up producing his first demo. That demo resulted in famed record producer Rick Rubin signing Polonsky to his record label American Recordings. Here’s the demo for “In My Mind”, which was later used in 2012 for episode five of the first season of the HBO series Girls.
The demos were eventually released, however, Polonsky re-recorded the songs himself using digital home recording equipment, and self-produced what would become his debut album Hi My Name is Jonny. The album, released by American Recordings in January 1996, showcased his strong songwriting, singing and musicianship, and received critical acclaim from numerous international news outlets including The New York Times and MTV.
Following the record’s release, Polonsky and his live band supported Frank Black on his North American tour, and also played the Second Stage of the 1996 Lollapalooza summer tour. He spent the next several years touring with other acts like Pete Yorn, and working as a session musician for such acts as Donovan. In 2001 he released an EP There is Something Wrong With You, and a year later moved to Los Angeles, where his connection with Rick Rubin led to work as a session musician on albums by Minnie Driver, Neil Diamond, Dixie Chicks and Johnny Cash, among others. In 2004 he released his second album The Power of Sound, and in the spring of 2005 he and his band opened for Audioslave on their North American club tour.
Serendipity and the power of networking paid off once again for Polonsky, as this time his touring experience with Audioslave led to him becoming part of the short-lived band Big Nose with Audioslave/Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk and bassist Tim Commerford. Big Nose collaborated on two songs with Tool and A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan. who used those songs for his music/art project Puscifer. That resulted in Polonsky having a collaborative relationship with Puscifer lasting from 2007 to 2010, during which time he also toured with the band as their guitarist.
Eight years would pass before Polonsky would release another solo album, and in 2012 he dropped his third LP Intergalactic Messenger of Divine Light and Love, a fine work that saw him experiment with more psychedelic and alt rock elements. On his 2015 album The Other Side of Midnight, his music continued to evolve into a darker, more atmospheric sound with greater used of synthesizers and programmed drums, all self-recorded on his laptop. Also, his singing style incorporated more falsetto and whispered vocals.
In 2018, he released his fifth album Fresh Flesh, a fascinating and eclectic work that fused alt rock with post-grunge, psychedelic and shoegaze elements. The album was recorded with his live band in two days at Rick Rubin’s Shangri La Studios in Malibu California, and features guest performances by vocalist Mark Lanegan (formerly of Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age), and drummer Kevin Haskins of the band Bauhaus, (and formerly with Love and Rockets and Tones on Tail). The title track “Fresh Flesh” is particularly good, with trippy synths set to a haunting melody, and highlighted by a blistering guitar solo.
On March 6, Polonsky returned with his latest album Kingdom of Sleep, an eclectic collection of eight captivating songs. He delves deeper into dream pop and vapor wave territory here, while retaining some of his signature alt rock and psychedelic elements. It also sees him going full-circle, in a sense, as like Hi My Name is Jonny, Kingdom of Sleep was entirely self-recorded and produced at home. Polonsky moved to Brooklyn, New York in 2018, and no longer has his old band of musicians nearby to record an album with him.
In an interview with The Big Takeover webzine, he explained “I live in an apartment in Brooklyn, so I can’t make a lot of noise, and I’m not in a position where I can spend thousands of dollars in recording studios or in hiring musicians. So that also plays a large role in why I’ve been recording everything on my laptop and most of the drums are electronic. Plus it’s fun. I like these sounds. For this record, I felt like making really pretty, dreamy, beautiful and melodic music that painted a picture. I was listening to a lot of Cocteau Twins and Prince. And David Lynch is always an inspiration. I love his films, but his records are really great, too. They are strange, little worlds you can enter and feel like you are somewhere new, just like with his movies.”
The album opens with “Ghost Like Soul“, a moody track with languid, psychedelic synths creating an appropriately spooky and mesmerizing atmospheric vibe. Polonsky’s breathy vocals alternate between an eerie, electronically altered monotone to an almost menacing whisper, while guest vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala (of the bands At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta) provides echoed spoken word vocals. The lyrics are cryptic and packed with meaning, and though I’m not sure, the lyrics seem to speak to changing societal and cultural mores, and how those in power use communication and propaganda to influence our thinking: “Seasons change and people get strange / In the courtroom of your mouth, you put all tongues on trial.”
Polonsky changes things up on “Sign in the Window“, a lovely song with a bouncy, driving beat and soaring melody that reminds me a bit of Future Islands’ “Seasons (Waiting On You)”. The smooth synths and gently strummed guitar provide an enchanting backdrop for his breathy vocals as he sings of his love and desire “All I want is for you to be real / And let me heal inside your light.”
On the wonderful Beatle-esque “The Weeping Souls“, he uses lush sweeping strings, keyboards and flute, combined with an exuberant mix of chiming and jangly guitars, and layers them over deep, rolling percussion to create an exhilarating and colorful soundscape. Polonsky fervently sings the rather explicit lyrics: “We live inside of a dream / If you let me in I’ll protect your heart / Turn lead to gold / I live inside of your thighs / Just to make you cum / And avert your gaze from the weeping souls.” It’s one of the standout tracks on the album.
Another favorite is “No Tears“, an achingly beautiful dream pop song with drop-dead gorgeous chiming guitars and magical synths. Polonsky’s breathy croons are positively sublime as he laments of a love that is no more: “Oh what more can you say? / After you cry yourself to sleep / And there are no tears left to weep.” “Take Me Home” has a rich cinematic feel, with dark, pulsating synths, twangy guitar and harmonica giving the song a sweeping Sergio Leone Western vibe. On the sultry “You Turn Me On“, he leaves no room for doubt as to his carnal intentions as he seductively croons “You turn me on / Close the window, shut the blinds, leave your panties and your past behind.”
“Aenerone” is an enchanting, mostly instrumental track with sparkling ethereal synths accompanying a mesmerizing synth bass beat. The only lyrics are “You / Me / Us / We / All Of Us Are On our own.” “A Willing Eye” seems to speak to the incredible power of love, and opening oneself up in order to be able to love others, and accept love in return: “To realize you’re alive when you’re most vulnerable / Ooh you’re the only want I want /You lift me up above the fear/ To see with a willing eye is all it takes.” Polonsky’s soaring cinematic soundscape is a lush backdrop for his plaintive, breathy falsetto vocals. The song ends on a positive note with him reassuring us that “Love is the force that does surround you“.
It’s an uplifting and beautiful close to a really marvelous album. With Kingdom of Sleep, Jonny Polonsky continues his winning streak of delivering solid, well-crafted albums that reflect his ongoing desire to keep pushing himself into new musical realms. While reaching back to the past for classic stylistic elements, he simultaneously manages to create music that’s fresh, cutting-edge, and always a pleasure to hear.
Today’s Song of the Day Challenge is “A song by a band you wish was still together.” It’s always sad – or at least bittersweet – when a favorite band of ours calls it quits. Rather than choose a song from one of the great bands of the past, such as the Beatles, Doors, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, etc. – as the idea of any of them getting back together is either impossible or preposterous – I thought I would pick a song from a smaller, more-recent band. A handful of bands I’ve featured on this blog over the past 4 1/2 years have later parted ways for one reason or another, and one that hit me hardest was the dissolution in 2018 of Kansas City rock band Run With It.
The band consisted of Miguel Caraballo on lead vocals and guitar, Ben Byard on bass and backing vocals, and Daniel Cole on drums, and they were an engaging trio and excellent musicians who played as a tight unit. They were one of the first bands to follow me on Twitter in late 2015, and also one of the earliest bands I featured on this blog, first in February 2016, then again in April 2017, when I reviewed their excellent EP How to Start a Fire. One of the songs on that EP was “I Need a Light“, a gorgeous, uplifting song of hope. Thankfully, they’ve kept the video for the song on YouTube.
Also thankfully, Miguel is continuing as a solo artist under the name Just the Miguel. What band do you wish was still together, or would you like to see reunite?
1. BLINDING LIGHTS – The Weeknd (1)
2. USED TO LIKE – Neon Trees (4)
3. DON’T START NOW – Dua Lipa (2)
4. ADORE YOU – Harry Styles (5)
5. BLACK MADONNA – Cage the Elephant (6)
6. CAUTION – The Killers (10)
7. EVERYTHING I WANTED – Billie Eilish (3)
8. VAN HORN – Saint Motel (8)
9. LOST IN YESTERDAY – Tame Impala (9)
10. HERO – Michael Kiwanuka (12)
11. SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT – The Black Keys (13)
12. OH YEAH! – Green Day (14)
13. OVER AND OVER – Amongst Liars (16)
14. BAD DECISIONS – The Strokes (17)
15. YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU) – Glass Animals (18)
16. DELETER – Grouplove (20)
17. DANCE OF THE CLAIRVOYANTS – Pearl Jam (7)
18. MARIA – Two Feet (25)
19. LET’S FALL IN LOVE FOR THE NIGHT – FINNEAS (24)
20. ME & YOU TOGETHER SONG – The 1975 (22)
21. LOVE YOU FOR A LONG TIME – Maggie Rogers (11)
22. UNCHAINED – Devon Gilfillian (15)
23. BEAUTIFUL FACES – Declan McKenna (26)
24. LEMON DROP – Absofacto (27)
25. IF NOT FOR THE FIRE – The Million Reasons (28)
26. TEXAS SUN – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (19)
27. HELL N BACK – Bakar (30)
28. LONELINESS FOR LOVE – lovelytheband (N)
29. THE BEST – AWOLNATION (21) 21st week on list
30. RUN – Joji (N)
Today’s Song of the Day Challenge theme is “a song that reminds me of summer”. There are so many obvious and great songs celebrating summer that I love, so it was really tough to choose only one, but choose I must! My pick is the wonderful Sly & the Family Stone classic “Hot Fun in the Summertime“. The song came out in the summer of 1969, and I remember it being a hit during the start of the fall semester of school.
I loved the funky soul music of Sly & the Family Stone and this was probably my favorite song from them, though I also loved “Dance to the Music”, “Everyday People” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” a lot too. The insistent piano riff that serves as the driving force for the song’s melody is fantastic, as are their signature horns and Larry Graham’s funky bass. Sly Stone’s smooth, soulful vocals contrast nicely with the more passionate vocals of his sister Rose as they sing the joys of summer vacation, love affairs and picnics in the sun.
Today’s Song of the Day Challenge theme is “A song you’d sing as a Karaoke duet”, and my pick is “You’re the One That I Want“, which I did in fact sing as a Karaoke duet many years ago. The fun, exuberant song was sung by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta for the 1978 film version of the hit musical Grease, which they both starred in. John Travolta is a decent actor, but was not a good singer. Neither am I, so my part of the Karaoke duet was perfectly fine.
“You’re the One That I Want” was not in the original stage musical, and was written by John Farrar specifically for Olivia Newton-John’s appearance in the film (along with her other hit song “Hopelessly Devoted to You”). The song originally written by Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs for the final number of the stage musical was “All Choked Up”, however it and another of their original songs were removed from both the film and soundtrack album. I think “You’re the One That I Want” is a superior song, and so did many others. It’s the kind of show-stopping finale number audiences love, and is now included in most contemporary stage performances of Grease, rather than the original number. It was also a worldwide smash hit, topping the music charts in the U.S., Australia, UK, Ireland, Germany, and numerous other countries. It spent nine weeks at #1 in both the UK and Australia.
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 