Today is all about growly-voiced boys. There’s no particular lyrical deep-inner-meaning to the songs — no, I’m not planning to wander out with a gun and I don’t think that All Is Lost. Quite the contrary, in fact. These days I feel as though much is being found.
If you’ve seen The Sopranos then you’ve heard a heavily edited version of “Woke Up This Morning.” This original version is better: I enjoy the story-ness of it, and I really like the spoken word section towards the end:
When you woke up this morning everything was gone
By half past ten your head was going ding dong
Ringing like a bell from your head down to your toes
Like some voice trying to tell you there’s something you should know
Last night you were flying but today you’re so low
Ain’t it times like these makes you wonder if you’ll ever know
The meaning of things as they appear to the others
Wives husbands mothers fathers sisters and brothers
Don’t you wish you didn’t function, don’t you wish you didn’t think
Beyond the next paycheck and the next little drink
Well you do. So make up your mind to go on
‘Cause when you woke up this morning, everything you had was gone.
I think it would be awesome to see someone good do that with total commitment at Rockaroke (oh my, Rockaroke: a story for another post…).
“Corrosion” is a song I sometimes listen to obsessively when I’m writing. I have no explanation for this beyond the sheer drive of it. But I know the song wouldn’t work if he were one of those flute-toned tenors, you know?
I discovered Robbie Robertson’s solo work on the radio one afternoon back in the 80’s, when I was driving somewhere in the furnace known as Atlanta, miserable in the heat, and suddenly thought I was hearing a new U2 song — the guitar is unmistakable. But the voice wasn’t Bono (although he’s there too, an added bonus). I fell in love with this song, and in fact the whole album — if you know it and have also read Dangerous Space, you may recognize the origin of the title (although not the content) of “Somewhere Down the Diamondback Road.” Robbie Robertson’s music kept me going through some hard times alone in the late 80’s before Nicola moved to the US, and I will always have a soft spot for his gravelly voice.
And no growly-boy roster would be complete without Seattle’s own Eddie Vedder, a great musician and, by all accounts, a genuinely nice guy who patronizes his local coffeeshop and turns up at other people’s shows. That’s a very Seattle way to be an artist. I love this town.
Enjoy your Saturday. I hope the sun is bright, but not hard, wherever you are.
Edited to add: I’m sorry to say that I don’t have enough server space for all my audio, so most jukebox playlists become inactive after a few months. This is one. Very sorry. But the music is worth seeking out, it’s great!
âWoke Up This Morningâ and âSweet Fire of Loveâ are exactly the songs I needed to hear today. How come I didn’t even know Alabama 3 and Robbie Robertson existed. I must correct that ASAP, will spend the afternoon loitering the record stores.
Thank you for this jukebox selection, it has been a while since I felt the bubbly just-can’t-get-enough burn for music.
Funny. I’ve been thinking a lot about husky voiced female singers and wondering if they’re an endangered species. In these diva-centric times it’s almost impossible to imagine something like Kim Carnes’s “Bette Davis Eyes” or Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” becoming Top-40 hits. (Yeah, I count both songs as somewhat guilty pleasures.)
I started thinking about this when I was going through all my old videotapes of MTV’s 120 MINUTES show and I came across a video by a group called Caterwaul. At the time I sort of liked the song, but I couldn’t resist making fun of the lead singer. “Caterwaul” was a good description of her singing style and her other main talents seemed to be showing her navel and twirling around.
But now I just love the rich timbre of her somewhat damaged voice. It’s like my ears have been thirsty for it.
In a world dominated by the American Idol aesthetic, where nobody smokes cigarettes anymore, I wonder if there are any new buzzsaw voices on the horizon. Daughters of Janis Joplin, stand up and scream! –Brooks
We West Coast Swing/rock around the house singing to ourselves dancers thank you, thank you. And I too love the real time hippy sense of Seattle I got from my one time summer visit there. Tip an ale for us, will ya. Oh and thank, Nicola for the shoutout about John Scalzi, just finished his “The Andrioid’s Dream” today in the sunshine and shade on my front porch.
So glad y’all like the music (see what happens, Brooks, you drop by and I get all Southern on myself again, grin). I loved “Bette Davis Eyes” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” — I used to see the videos on a show called Friday Night Videos, which was network TV’s brief response to MTV about a thousand years ago…
Karina, very glad to introduce you to something you like after you have turned me on to so much lovely music.
rhbee, there is nothing like dancing around the house to make a person feel swell. Glad to contribute! Music is just a damn good thing. (And Scalzi’s good too, if you haven’t read Old Man’s War I can definitely recommend it).
Hey, Brooks, maybe you’ll like Hungarian Idol’s
Szabó Eszter:
youtube.com/watch?v=Om0lCNo1nEs
and Rúzsa Magdolna:
youtube.com/watch?v=IwfoqUI-LK0
They both sing also in Spanish, and French, and German. And Hungarian, of course. Lots of husky voices out there. Want to trade lists?
What about Mexico’s Lila Downs?
And as far as damaged, husky-voiced singers, I have high hopes for Vagiant’s:
youtube.com/watch?v=jbMTvay5Di8
I don’t know the singer’s name but he was Russian and was the backdrop for a great Barishnikov dance in “White Knights”. And then there’s Tom Waites on “Small Change”. And yes, I, agree the meme of diva singing has become less and less tasty. But speaking of tasty, did anyone else grab a listen to “Glee”, especially, to the smooth faced, kid who casually held a high note while brushing back his forelock?