Micky Dolenz//Beverly Hills

I can't thank my good pal Tash enough for introducing me to this amazing set of comps, LA Burnout and LA Burnout 2. I've become completely addicted to these catchy, somewhat forgotten odes to the city of angels.

These jams are teaching me that I might have gotten it wrong. When I first got here, I was convinced that LA had no soul. Now I think that LA does in fact have a soul. It may be a sleazy, washed-out, drug-addled, sun-baked soul, but it's a soul, nonetheless. I also find it amusing that the songs on these comps fall into two major categories:

1. I love LA. It's so pretty and sunny. I left New York City, which is a mean town, and came here to live in a canyon. Ohhh, flowers.
2. I hate LA. It's a moral cesspit filled with fake people. And an earthquake is going to destroy us all any minute now.

There's also a little bit of overlap, if you can believe it. Of course, I tend to fall more into the second camp, although I tend to fall into the second camp in general. Maybe that's why I can't stop playing this particular song. Who ever thought I'd like a Monkey? Clearly, Dolenz was the coolest Monkey. He played Arrow in the stage production Harry Nilsson's The Point! in London. WHAT?! I didn't even know there WAS a stage production. I wish someone would bring that back.

ANYway, love it or hate it, LA has inspired some awesome jams. Coming back from a weekend trip to Mpls yesterday, I realized something had changed about how I viewed the city. As the plane touched down in LAX, I actually felt relieved. It might not ever be home, but it is where I live right now, sleazy soul and all.

Unrelated: The Slums of Beverly Hills is an awesome movie.



Beverly Hills.mp3

Plastic food and paper people,
Crooked doctors hawking pills,
Living in the slums of Beverly Hills,
Living in the slums of Beverly Hills.

The Beach Boys//Fun, Fun, Fun

A situation came up tonight that reminded me of this song. In fact, it's probably a bad sign that there are a few ongoing situations in the general vicinity of my life that correlate well to this song. Of course, it would be incriminating for me to tell you who "daddy" is (hint: not my dad) and what the "Thunderbird" is, but I will say that in at least one of the aforementioned scenarios, I may be referring to an actual car.

Is it just me or does, "Your dad took your car away? It's ok. I'll take care of you now..." feel closely related to the ownership/dependancy that transfers from father to son-in-law in traditional ideas about marriage? I'm not even going to touch the extreme patriarchal subcontext of this song with a ten foot pole of post-wave feminist criticism . It was a different time. But let's just say this: girl was not going to work and save her money so she could buy her own T-bird. Girl was just gonna let Boyfriend drive her around and take her out to burgers. Unrelated Sidenote: I imagine them to be In 'N' Out Burgers. Thoughts?

Apparently this song was based on a true story. From Wikipedia:

The song was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love about Shirley England, the daughter of the owner of radio station KNAK in Salt Lake City, Utah (not to be confused with the call letters now assigned to a station in Delta, Utah) where she worked as a teenager. She borrowed her father's Ford Thunderbird to go study at the library. Instead of driving to the library, she ended up at a hamburger stand. When her father found out, he took the car away. The next day she was at the radio station complaining about it to the staff while The Beach Boys were visiting and they were inspired to write this song.

On a lighter note, I think this may actually be one of my favorite Beach Boys songs. That killer Chuck Berry homage riff at the beginning. Makes me want to surf on a golden wave of rock n roll.



Fun, Fun, Fun.mp3

Well, the girls can't stand her,
cause she walks and looks and drives like an ace, now.
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman chariot race, now.
A lot of guys try to catch her, but she leads them on a wild goose chase, now.
And she'll have fun, fun, fun til her daddy takes the T-bird away.

Bryan Master//Let Me Come In

Return to the Local: Local Music Friday
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

Wow, where does the time go? Mine went to New York for the week to hang out with good friends, take care of wedding loose-ends and eat/drink my way through the city.

Just before I left, I had the pleasure of attending a new friend's album release show at the lovely Hotel Cafe in Hollywood.

You guys know that I have the tendency to get down on LA. More and more, I'm feeling like my fate is sealed. I may just not be a "Southern California person," whatever that means. And yet, I've really met some amazing, smart, talented people in the two short months I've been here. Bryan Master is, without a doubt, one of them.

Bryan just released a beautiful, sometimes twangy, sometimes a little ambient record. The songs have big, strong hooks that pull you right along. The production is immaculate--at times a little cleaner than my ideal--but it really works with the way the songs build and disintegrate.

Here, harmonies fall right in over the perfect crackle of heavy tremolo, which at first makes me wonder if I'm about to hear the voice of Lucinda Williams. Instead Master is joined by an old favorite, Liz Phair, sounding weirdly...is that sweet? Yes, I think it's sweet.

The whole album is worth checking out. Get more info here.



Let Me Come In.mp3

I've been out too long.
Let me come in.

Randy Newman//I Love L.A.

Recently, a friend posted a facebook update that read, "Enough Randy Newman. He must be stopped. Please. Year after year after year. We need a break." I can only imagine that this post was in reference to Newman dominating another awards ceremony for whatever "Original Score" or "Soundtrack" category was applicable. I like Toy Story as much as the next guy, but I see his point.

That said, this song has kind of crept into the soundtrack of my life, mostly thanks to a man who comes up with some frequency on this blog: my dad.

Much to the general dismay of many other members of my family, my dad has this way of fixating on one song and blaring it from the stereo on repeat all day every day until the next song comes along. He sings it. He whistles it. He quotes the lyrics in the middle of other completely unrelated conversations. Family dinners fill with eye rolls and declarations about the kids being "too damn sassy."

We all know I'm a bit of a nerd about music and as a result, I also get into the occasional "song jag.". Because of this, I think I am the most understanding about this little quirk of dad's. I mostly find it endearing, unless I'm being subjected to the 500th spin of Spirit's "Nature's Way" (Google it).

To get to the point of the story, when dad learned that I was moving to LA, a memory of this song, Randy Newman's ultimate hometown anthem, somehow got jostled loose in his brain and it instantly went on repeat. Siblings groaned. Mom sighed. Dad crooned.

The result of all this: I'm not really sure I love LA. But I do love this video:



I Love LA.mp3

Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time.
Looks like another perfect day:
I love L.A.
(We love it)

Mark Ronson And The Business International//Somebody To Love Me

Valentines Day is dumb, but love is awesome.

To that end, check out this super list of the year's best love songs by Nerve (and a dozen or so notable music types). I thought it would be nice to feature the song OSS contributed to the article today. So, without further ado, a popular song about the sometimes painful but distinctly human need for love.



Somebody to Love Me.mp3

I want somebody to love me.

The Turtles, The Lightning Seeds//You Showed Me

Alright, all you casual music fans. Today is your day here at OSS. Behold: The Holiday Shopping Guide for People Who Think Music is Just OK.

Look, I know that for the most part, if you're reading this blog you're either (a) someone who is actually pretty into music or (b) a close personal friend (hi, Kot! hi, Karl!). But as people who are pretty insane about music know, almost everyone else in this world is not as insane about it as we are. And this is fine. We don't have to force our relatives to accept our gifts of obsolete 7"s and obscure chillwave CDs when really all they wanted was a nice pair of wool socks for lounging around the house (do 95% of mothers really just want these?). ALSO, if you're reading this, you might be scrambling around trying to get in your last minute online orders before it gets too late for shipping.

Hence, I give you this list of awesome "other" things to get for people (which are, in many cases, also made by awesome people). Ready, go:

Heroes of Science
Because, like music, science is another thing some folks seem to get all nerdy and passionate about. I'm guessing someone you have to buy a gift for would be pretty overcome with ironic or non-ironic appreciation of an ornament featuring Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking or Jane Goodall. Collect 'em all to turn your tree into a genetically modified super tree that can calculate complicated physics equations before you can say, "yuletide."
HoS are made by my homies Sharon and Jon and were previously featured here.


Grammar Love Letterpress Cards
Grammar is yet another thing people tend to nerd out about hardcore. I added hardcore to the end of that sentence to avoid a dangling participle. As the child of a couple of people in the journalism business, we actually had a family car named Gerund, which is why I'm really looking forward to pairing some of these with some of my holiday gifts. The cards are beautiful, hilarious and made my friend Kot, to whom I am entrusting the serious deed of pressing my own wedding invitations. To whom. That's right. I said it.


Tunnel Vision
I feel like it's necessary for me to show a little hometown pride here. These mugs and cheese plates are made for New York/New Jersoids or vice versa, or vice versa TWICE EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. IN. BUMPER-to-BUMPER TRAFFIC! The only things I've ever seen that could make getting stuck in the tunnel fun.


Bacon Magnets and Mustache Pen
Fred Flare has set up the most relevant death match of this holiday season: Bacon vs. Mustache. What I'd like to do is call for world peace. Why can't hipsters and jokesters bond together and live in Baconstache harmony? Actually, that does sound pretty gross.


Daria: The Complete Animated Series DVD
Give the gift of 90s sarcasm with this set that everyone in the entire world was waiting for for years. A and I recently started rewatching some of these and they are so hilarious. This DVD set doesn't include all the original music, but you know you'll still be laughing til you cry when the Morgandorfer family eats poisonous berries that send them running around the woods in search of Jake's spirit animal or when Jane, Daria and Trent don't quite make it to Alternapalooza. Mystic Spiral!

In fact, today's song(s) are inspired by that very episode, where a cover of the original track plays in the background toward the end.

The most well-known version of the song was recorded in 1968 by The Turtles. It was written by Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark of The Byrds. It was original composed to be a much faster song, but a broken harmonium forced The Turtles to record it slow, which actually made it much more powerful.

The cover included in Daria is from 1997 by The Lightning Seeds, a UK band I really don't know much about. They added just a little bit of disaffected edge to the song, which really brought it to a different place. I like them both.



You Showed Me.mp3 (Turtles)



You Showed Me.mp3 (Lightening Seeds)

If you or someone you know thinks music is more than just OK, check out the OSS Holiday Shopping Guide for People Who Love Music.

Jamiroquai//Virtual Insanity

I drank a Starbucks coffee at 6pm last night and ended up being totally wired until 6am this morning. The result is that I'm totally weird and spacey right now, so if this makes no sense at all, that's why. Pick-me-up? Why, yes, please.

How about this classic hit from the 90s? It's smooth. It's funky. It was predictive of what was coming at the time, and what is now here. Actually, some of the lyrics are downright dystopian, touching on genetic modification and our technologies changing the way that we live and interact with others. It was kind of hard to notice how serious the song was while watching Jay Kay dancing around on that moving floor, surrounded by cockroaches, moving couches around with his mind...and that...hat? I love the 90s.

Also, did you guys know that Jamiroquai was named by combining the word "Jam" with the word "Iroquois"? I actually don't know what to say about this.

This song was an ultimate one-hit-wonder. I mean, has anyone even heard this album? Was it any good? Even if it's not, who cares? This track is amazing.

Virtual Insanity.mp3

Futures made of virtual insanity
Now always seem to be governed by this love we have
For useless, twisting, all our new technology.
Oh, now there is no sound,
For we all live underground.

Nickodemus and Quantic featuring Tempo and Candela All-Stars//Mi Swing Es Tropical

By the explicit request of my righteous sister, I present this song, "Mi Swing Es Tropical," a collab between Quantic (AKA Will Holland, a British expat now based in Colombia) and New York DJ Nickodemus.

I'm not sure how the song first came to my attention. It was featured in an iPod ad with a particularly Latin flavor. It was also included on a mix that was given to me.

It really is a sweet song, proven by the fact that everyone I play it for instantly loves it. The drums, the trumpet, the sweet guitar lick, the general groove--it's the kind of song that makes you long for the beach, which is a bittersweet kind of song to listen to as the weather turns chilly.

Considering how awesome this track is and all the incredible hype it received, it is remarkably difficult to find information about it. It features Hector "Tempo" Alomar, presumably on vox and The Candela All-Stars (a Latin music collective), who I can only imagine supplied the original music.



Mi Swing Es Tropical.mp3

Google Translate comes up with this for the meaning of the chorus:
You dance well, he rejoices more.

The song seems to be about someone trying to teach someone else to dance and imploring them to do with with a little more passion. Within that context, it makes sense. Although I do think it sounds better in Spanish.

The Mamas and The Papas//California Dreamin'

Hey guys. I'm going to be taking a few days off. I bet you can guess why.

Until then, enjoy this:



California Dreamin'.mp3

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey.
I been for a walk on a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in LA.

Harry Nilsson, Ron Sexsmith//Good Old Desk

Today is my last day at the company I’ve been working for for almost four years. Crazy. I didn’t really expect it to feel traumatic, but it does a little. I suppose I’m terribly nostalgic under this thin veneer of snark when it comes down to it.

What ended up being the weirdest part was packing up my desk, so I thought I could discuss this song, a perfect ode to the virtues of the desk, and by extension, the dependable pleasure that can come with a job well done.

The original version of this song was written and recorded by Harry Nilsson (do you guys remember the unofficial Nilsson Week?) on his 1968 Aerial Ballet album. Speaking of work, the album was named after the highwire circus act of his grandparents. Speaking of the album, it features many Nilsson gems (and one tremendously popular cover—“Everybody’s Talking”), including the fantastic “One.”

An amusing tidbit from Wikipedia:
Guest-starring on Playboy After Dark, Nilsson told host Hugh Hefner the song was really about its initials... "G-O-D". Even though Nilsson later admitted that he was just joking around, it is still commonly believed that the song actually is about God.

It’s obviously not about God. It obviously is about a desk. The most wonderful desk, in its way.

I also came across this cover and very much enjoyed it, so thought I would post it here too. My stepbrother first turned me on to Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith when I was in high school. I accidently saw him play a solo show in a church in Montclair, NJ, which was very moving. I think he does a great job with this tune…both versions are really solid in different ways.



Good Old Desk.mp3 (Harry Nilsson Version)



Good Old Desk.mp3 (Ron Sexsmith Version)

Such a comfort to know
It’s got no place to go.
It’s always there.
It’s the one thing I’ve got.
A huge success,
My good old desk.

Was Not Was//Walk the Dinosaur

Thanks to me watching WAY WAY WAY too many episodes of Yacht Rock today, I am kind of in the mood for some cheesy 80s stuff. Thank god for Was Not Was.

Not Yacht Rock at all, Was Not Was is a super weird/very experimental band from suburban Detroit. In the 80s, they mashed together a lot of genres, including funk, jazz, disco and pop, with poetic and political lyrics. They got back together in the mid-00s for a reunion of sorts. This song, inexplicably about life in prehistoric times (where the dinosaur is obviously the family pet), is from their 1988 album What Up, Dog?.

I have a lot of good memories of dancing to this song as a very small child, usually with the other small children of friends of my dad. Actually, if you ever find yourself searching for the perfect song to dance to in the company of small children, this is definitely it. I'm into everything about this jam, except those cavemen dudes in the background. Even though I know I did love them as a child, I kinda don't love them now. Otherwise, timeless.



Walk the Dinosaur.mp3

It was a night like this, forty million years ago,
I lit a cigarette, picked up a monkey skull to go.

Squeeze//Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)

Well, I guess we’re having a poppy week. I hope that’s cool with you.

I’m not sure why, but today’s song and yesterday’s song are kind of linked in my head. This song is obviously a lot cooler, but it shares some elements with Nick Lowe’s sort of cheesy masterpiece, ie, that hook, those harmonies, and the what-does-it-all-mean?! factor. Pulling mussels from the shell?

New wave/power pop legends Squeeze had an ever-rotating cast of members, but managed to retain their sound throughout. Thinking about the band reminds me to check out way more Squeeze albums and songs. It’s rather sacrilegious to be a power pop fan and not be very well-acquainted with the group’s work.

This song was released on their 1980 album, Argybargy. I probably first heard it on mainstream to 40 radio when I was a kid. It really stuck with me though, namely because it is so awesome.



Pulling Mussels (From the Shell).mp3

You wish you had a motor boat
To pose around the harbor bar.
And when the sun goes off to bed,
You hook it up behind the car.

Nick Lowe//Cruel to be Kind

Hope everyone had an awesome Labor Day Weekend!

I have absolutely no idea how this completely inane song got in my head, but at some point over my weekend, whether it was at the wedding I attended or the faux-swanky hotel I hung out at in DC with friends, it did.

I have absolutely never understood this song. If you’re being cruel, aren’t you just being…cruel? How is that kind? I also thought it was kind of cheesy, from the instrumentation choices to the tone of the lead singer’s voice…and yet, it’s completely stuck in my head and I can’t got it out. The hook is so infections. The harmonies are so RIGHT. The song is simultaneously annoying and great. And in that way, this song is kind of meta. It’s cruel. It’s kind. Omigod.

This song is written and performed by Nick Lowe, who also wrote, surprise!, “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding?,” another song that is both annoying and great at once. He also produced some of my favorite Elvis Costello albums, including the top-to-bottom stellar This Year’s Model.

When I actually read the lyrics all the way through, I realize that this song is about a relationship…and I totally get it. Being painfully honest is often better than being nice and not meaning it. Although, sometimes it’s hard to understand that.



Cruel to be Kind.mp3

Cruel to be kind, in the right measure,
Cruel to be kind, it's a very good sign.

Tennessee Ernie Ford//Sixteen Tons

Ok. Fess up. Who loves Mad Men? Who saw the first episode of Season 4? I only watched half of it on iTunes so, shhhhh, no spoilers.

This is song is one that I knew, because, hey, doesn’t everyone know it? But why? It’s not like we learned it in grade school music class…did we? Is it just one of those standards embedded in the subconscious mind of every red-blooded American? I don’t know. But I do know that I hadn’t thought about it for quite some time, until it was the credit music for a recent episode of Mad Men (Season 3, I think?).

There are many versions of this song, which is originally attributed to country singer Merle Travis. The guy who sang this version, which was a pop hit in 1955, is Tennessee Ernie Ford. Question: why don’t people have names like that anymore? Another questions: why don’t we have pop hits like this anymore?



Sixteen Tons.mp3

You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go;
I owe my soul to the company store...

Eddy Grant//Electric Avenue

I think this song, a radio hit from the 80s, is really good for the summer. Something about it feels…sweaty? Is that ok to say?

This song is named after an actual street called Electric Avenue, which is in Brixton, London. It's so-named, presumably, because as the main drag, it was the first to have electricity in the neighborhood. I remember going to Brixton for the first time and immediately making the correlation between the street and the song…then having the song in my head for the rest of the night. Perhaps the tune's only flaw is that it's a tad repetitive. Sorry in advance.

On second thought, maybe the reason this song reminds me of summer has something to do with warm weather black-outs. We haven’t had one yet this year in NYC, but I hope you all have candles or charged flashlights or something like that ready and waiting.



Electric Ave.mp3

We gonna rock down to
Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher.

Class Actress//Careful What You Say

Back to your regularly scheduled program: Monday Mail
What is Monday Mail?

Is it just me or have the 80s come and gone a few times in the last 10 years? Maybe it’s just the end of history, but it seems like they’ve been back, then gone, then back, then gone at least three or four times since I entered college. I can never exactly decide if I like it.

Also, I bet you’re really ready for me to stop blabbering on and on about Northside, especially if you don’t live in the general NYC area (SORRY!), but Class Actress, who I caught at the fest, is delightfully 80s in the way I do like—synthpoppy somewhere between some choice Magnetic Fields albums and actually wearing shoulder pads.

Brooke from Big Hassle says:

Class Actress is led by Elizabeth Harper, the second artist to sign to Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear and Ethan Silverman's Terrible Records. Harper is joined by producers Mark Richardson and Scott Rosenthal for their debut, Journal of Ardency, which also features guest production from Jorge Elbrecht of Violens/Lansing-Dreiden.

Also worth noting, this quote:

Brooklyn's very own Madonna-New York Press

Although it might be slightly overstated, I think you’ll find this track in keeping with that sentiment. Actually, you know what it really reminds me of? Y Kant Tori Read. That’s what. And that in itself is really kind of amazing. What reminds you of THAT?

Finally, to wander back to Northside for one last hot minute, I had such an awesome time at the fest—although in combination with Pride, I am completely worthless today. I saw a million bands, hung out with friends and, of course, had so much fun organizing and playing last night’s show, which was a total blast in general. Thanks to Karl, The L, (festival buddies) Dana and Alida, Scott, Patrice, Ribbons and the rest of Palmyra (with an extra shout out to Kenny who made it through our set with a fever) for making it such a memorable night/festival.

Now, Class Actress, who I saw at the CLASSY new Knitting Factory space:



Careful What You Say.mp3

You just keep repeating the same thing.

Eurythmics//Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

If you're my age, this song probably conjures horrifying images of the video that accompanied Marilyn Manson's cover of it. Speaking of which, where is that guy now? No real updates on him since 2007 when he divorced over an affair he was having with a 19-year old. Oh, well, back to the matter at hand.

For me, I most associate this song with a car, specifically my dad's red handmedown Volvo Gulf, which he named Heintz. My dad has a thing for naming his cars after generals from the countries of their corresponding auto comanpaies. For example, the Subaru was named Tojo and the Ford was named Omar. I changed the car's official name to Omar the Wonder Car when I inherited it for my last year of high school. I just couldn't get down with the military naming trend.

Anyway, Heintz had a Eurythmics tape floating around in it that would sometimes end up being popped into the stereo. Honestly, I was probably only about five or six years old, but even then, this song kind of freaked me out. It's really dark. It's like, dark at its core (I mean, come on, it's obviously about S+M). But still, that darkness is kind of what's great about it--because that synth line is hella catchy...and yet...you just can't help feeling that pure evil has made a creepy little home in the heart of this song. Probably what made it such an obvious Manson cover.

Also, this video is fucking amazing. Guys, this video was released in 1983 and it's better than SO many of the videos I've seen recently. That cello part? Oh my God.

A final note, apparently there is a website that will take the audio from any YouTube video and change it into an mp3 file? Wonders never cease.



Sweet Dreams.mp3

Sweet dreams are made of this.
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas,
Everybody's looking for something.
Some of them want to use you.
Some of them want to get used by you.
Some of them want to abuse you.
Some of them want to be abused.

Hall and Oates//Maneater

Just because something’s cheesy doesn’t make it automatically bad. Most of the time, it is bad. But it’s not always bad. If it was, we would never have Duran Duran. We would never have LOST. We would never have The Indigo Girls (gulp). All our guilty pleasures would be immediately obliterated. Enter Hall and Oates.

Mentioning these rock and soul all-stars from Philly in yesterday’s post really got me thinking that it was high time to give them a little shout out. After all, I grew up dancing around to their wonderful hits like, “I Can’t Go For That,” “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” etc. Album after album contained hit after hit for this half-mustacheoed duo. How did they do it?!

Apparently, it all started with a gunfight and an accidental/ uncomfotably tight elevator ride. From El Wiko:

Daryl Hall and John Oates first met each other at the Adelphi Ballroom in Philadelphia in 1967. At the time they met, each was heading his own musical group, Hall with The Temptones and Oates with The Masters. They were there for a band competition when gunfire rang out between two rival gangs, and in trying to escape, they ran to the same service elevator. Because of their similar musical tastes and close proximity inside the elevator, they quickly became acquainted. On further finding out that they were both around the same age and that both were just starting at Philadelphia's Temple University, they started hanging out together on a regular basis and eventually ended up sharing a number of apartments in the city. It would take them another two years to form a musical duo, and three years after that, they signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut album.

Oh, to meet your musical soulmate (also SOULmate) in an elevator and then shortly thereafter be signed to Atlantic Records…. Those really were the good old days.

In December of 1982, this particular song about a ruthless lady chewing up men and spitting them out (inspired by model Kelly LeBrock) hit number one on the Billboard charts and stayed there for four consecutive weeks.

Before we go to the song, this is probably the best use of a Hall and Oates song I have ever seen.



Maneater.mp3

(Oh oh, here she comes)
Watch out boy, she’ll chew you up.
(Oh oh, here she comes)
She’s a maneater.

I wouldn't if I were you.
I know what she can do.
She's deadly, man,
She could really rip your world apart.
Mind over matter--
The beauty is there, but a beast is in the heart.

Nat "King" Cole//My Baby Just Cares for Me

My baby just got home today from Mpls. I missed her so much and I'm really glad she's home. Ok, so she was only gone for four days. Ok, go ahead, make fun of me then.

Nat "King" Cole's baby was Maria Ellington (no relation), but who did use to sing in Duke Ellington's band. Together they got married and had five kid-os. One of them was Natalie Cole.

In closing, I have no idea who Mr. Tibbits is.



My Baby Just Cares for Me.mp3

My baby's no Crosby fan, Dick Tracy is not her man,
My baby just cares for me.
My baby don't care for Mr. Tibbits.
She'd rather have me around to kibbitz.

Pulp//Common People

Jarvis Cocker once said, “I’m not Jesus, though we do have the same initials.” Nice one.

I can’t even remember who played this song for me first. Probably Ali. Isn’t it always?

This song is great. It’s about a cross-class romance and comes off as a lyrically a darker version of “Uptown Girl”. Why darker? In that song, Billy Joel flits about singing the praises and glories of dating an “uptown girl.” This song, on the other hand, tackles the underbelly of a relationship like this. Working class boy meets privileged girl. Working class boy resents privileged girl for “slumming it” just to be cool, constantly reiterating that she’ll never understand how shitty it is to be working class. Privileged girl never intends to stay with working class boy, instead viewing the relationship as a foray into the glamour of the gritty life of “common people.” The difference is stark; fairy tale vs. class tourism. Ouch.

From Wikipedia:
The inspiration for the song came from a Greek fellow student Pulp singer/songwriter Jarvis Cocker knew at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Taking this inspiration, the narrator explains that his female acquaintance can "never be like common people", because even if she gets a flat where "roaches climb the wall" ultimately, "if [she] called [her] dad he could stop it all", in contrast to the true common people who can only "watch [their] lives slide out of view". In his lyric Cocker embellished the situation for dramatic effect [1] - in real life the woman in question said she "wanted to move to Hackney and live like 'the common people'", but in the song her character also declares: "I want to sleep with common people like you." A BBC Three documentary[2] failed to correctly locate the woman, who, Cocker stated, could have been on any fine art course but that "sculpture" sounded better. The lyrics were in part a response by Cocker, who usually focused on the introspective and emotional aspects of pop, to more politically-minded members of the band like Russell Senior. Furthermore, Cocker felt that 'slumming' was becoming a dominant theme in popular culture and this contributed to the singles' rushed release. Cocker said "it seemed to be in the air, that kind of patronising social voyeurism... I felt that of Parklife, for example, or Natural Born Killers - there is that noble savage notion. But if you walk round a council estate, there's plenty of savagery and not much nobility going on.



Common People.mp3

Rent a flat above a shop.
Cut your hair and get a job.
Smoke some fags and play some pool.
Pretend you never went to school.
But still you'll never get it right,
Cuz when you're laid in bed at night,
Watching roaches climb the wall,
If you call your Dad he could stop it all.

You'll never live like common people.
You'll never do what common people do.
You'll never fail like common people.
You'll never watch your life slide out of view,
And dance and drink and screw,
Because there's nothing else to do.