Song of the Day #776: ‘Let Me Die In My Footsteps’ – Bob Dylan
So after last week’s look at Bob Dylan’s 2009 Christmas album, I now jump 47 years back in time to a 1962 track that a young Dylan recorded for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan but wound up not including on the album.
Dylan’s Bootleg Series, which includes eight released volumes and a ninth due next month, is an extraordinary supplement to his catalog of live and studio albums. Dylan has treasure troves of unreleased material, much of which tops his official output, and it’s a treat to see those songs so lovingly resurrected.
Song of the Day #775: ‘How Do You Do’ – Shakira
Here’s the Jungian album cover I promised. Thank you, Jung! As Shakira explained, “the reference is to a universal archetype of Eve and the original sin. I think that is something that is really subconsciously in our minds. On the cover of Vol. 2 I wanted to add another reason for Eve to bite the forbidden fruit – that would be her oral fixation.”
Works for me.
Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 might not be the best album Shakira has released, but I find it the most interesting. Stylistically it’s all over the map, with club songs ramming up against florid ballads and alternative rockers. And lyrically Shakira touches on a wider range of topics than she has in the past, including a dip into global politics with ‘Timor.’
Song of the Day #774: ‘La Tortura’ – Shakira
For reasons either personal or commercial, Shakira remains committed to serving both her English- and Spanish-speaking audiences. Following Laundry Service, her next project was a two-volume release: the all-Spanish Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 was released in June of 2005 (a long four-year wait since her last CD) and its partner, the all-English Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, came out in November.
This was an ambitious and successful project, even though neither album performed as well as her previous global smash. Laundry Service was a more pop-focused record, while Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 showcased a return to more traditional Latin music, along with a healthy dose of rock and roll.
Song of the Day #773: ‘Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)’ – Shakira
Following the worldwide success of her first two albums, it certainly wasn’t necessary for Shakira to break into the English-speaking marketplace. But Laundry Service, released at the end of 2001, was designed to do just that.
Nine of its 13 songs were in English, a language still not entirely familiar to Shakira, and lyrically that made for some awkward moments.
The album contains Spanish versions of three singles and each is demonstrably better than its English counterpart. Today’s track is one example, the translated version of ‘Objection (Tango),’ the first song Shakira ever wrote in English.
Song of the Day #772: ‘Inevitable’ – Shakira
Two years after Pies Descalzos made her name, Shakira released 1998′s Dónde Están los Ladrones?, a wonderful album that remains her creative peak.
The album’s title (which translates to “Where are the thieves?”) was inspired by an incident in which Shakira’s luggage was stolen at the Bogota airport. She lost her notebook of lyrics for her next album and was forced to start from scratch. This was in the days before external hard drives.
