I’m on a quest for the perfect pop song. “Bathsheba Smiles” isn’t quite perfect, but it comes awfully darn close: an infectious melody, a sing-along chorus, a simple chord progression, and a sweet lyric. Heck, you could almost dance to it.
What do you think? It’s time to make this blog interactive. Nominate your favorite pop song and tell me why it’s perfect. I’ll post your responses as I get them.
I’ve come to take great delight in the stranger dissonances of everyday life. Last night, while waiting to be seated at Calhoun’s — which, by the way, really is the place for ribs in Knoxville — I was thrilled to hear Parliament’s “Chocolate City” come on the radio. Something about hearing these lyrics float, almost subliminally, through the restaurant struck me as unexplainably odd and wonderful. . .
And when they come to march on ya
Tell ’em to make sure they got their James Brown pass
And don’t be surprised if Ali is in the White House
Reverend Ike, Secretary of the Treasure
Richard Pryor, Minister of Education
Stevie Wonder, Secretary of FINE arts
And Miss Aretha Franklin, the First Lady
Are you out there, CC?
A chocolate city is no dream
It’s my piece of the rock and I dig you, CC
God bless Chocolate City and its (gainin’ on ya!) vanilla suburbs
Can y’all get to that?
Gainin’ on ya!
Gainin’ on ya!
If America needs anything right now, it’s more P-Funk.
I have been following The Tragically Hip since becoming enamored of Atom Egoyan’s film, The Sweet Hereafter. His use of the Hip’s “Courage” is pitch perfect. Although I’ve never had a chance to see them in concert — the Canadian band seldom makes trips to the American South (and I don’t really blame them) — this version of “Grace, Too” just kills me. It has the ecstatic energy of the best live performances, but it’s something about that bass line and the way that Gord Downie unleashes the line, “Armed with will and determination / And grace, too,” that rips me up.
I just spent the last hour in nirvana, listening to Beth Orton’s new album, Daybreaker. Soooooo good. 51 minutes of music without a single weak spot. Emmylou even shows up on a track, so you know it’s good. I think this is her official site, which, by the way, is so well designed that even dial-up folks like myself can listen to the audio samples. Check out “Thinking About Tomorrow,” which is some kind of beautiful blend of Lou Reed and Sarah McLachlan that manages to improve on them both.