Monthly Archives: September 2009

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Song of the Day #414: ‘Live As You Dream’ – Beth Orton

bethortonEvery once in awhile I start to wonder how long I can keep up this Song of the Day thing. On the one hand, I wonder if I’ll run out of songs to feature. On the other hand, I wonder if I’ll run out of things to say about them.

Now, given the extraordinary number of songs in the world, I’m probably just fine on the first count. Having something worthwhile to say… that’s a trickier proposition.

But usually when I start worrying about that, I’ll come across an artist such as Beth Orton and I’ll marvel that I’ve managed to highlight more than 400 songs without once featuring her on the blog. And then I’ll feel better about my long-term prospects.

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Song of the Day #413: ‘Save Me From Myself’ – Christina Aguilera

aguileraI’m fascinated by Christina Aguilera.

OK, that’s overstating things. Truth is, I haven’t spent much time at all thinking about Christina Aguilera, but when I do pause to ponder her career I find it quite intriguing.

She released her self-titled debut 10 years ago as a Mickey Mouse Club graduate following in the footsteps of the mightily popular Britney Spears. That album, as processed and packaged as a can of Spam, did little to differentiate her from Spears. I remember sharing the popular opinion that she was a wannabe hoping to catch a bit of the teen pop wave Britney had started.

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Song of the Day #412: ‘Día de Enero’ – Shakira

shakira3If only Shakira were at least somewhat unattractive, or somewhat out of shape… I believe she’d be far better off. Then she wouldn’t be tempted to dress in an outfit that looks like it lost a fight with a pair of scissors and gyrate in a cage like an epileptic.

This woman is a true trailblazer… the only South American artist to ever have a #1 Billboard hit in the U.S. and the first to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She’s a good friend of fellow Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She spends her spare time taking history classes at UCLA. She’s a celebrated humanitarian who dedicates plenty of time and money to helping the underprivileged in her home country and the rest of the world.

But she insists on presenting herself artistically as a half-naked contortionist.

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Song of the Day #411: ‘Stupid’ – Toad the Wet Sprocket

toad2Many songs are written about the most important and profound issues we face… love, loss, the search for meaning, that sort of stuff. A song that touches people on that level is a special thing indeed.

But far less ambitious songs can be special, too.

Toad the Wet Sprocket has released its share of both kinds of songs. In particular, Dulcinea (their best album) is a wonderful mix of depth and frivolity. On the one hand, the album is named after Don Quixote’s lover and features a song called ‘Windmills’ that explores that novel’s most famous metaphor.

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Song of the Day #410: ‘Sweet Surrender’ – Sarah McLachlan

mclachlanWhat the hell does Sarah McLachlan do with her time? She’s in the 21st year of her recording career and she’s released only five albums of original material. I appreciate the idea of not churning out product just for the sake of staying on the charts, but doesn’t she owe her fans a bit more than that?

This is particularly galling because I know what McLachlan is capable of when she’s inspired. 1993’s Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is one of the finest albums I’ve ever heard, and 1997’s Surfacing is almost its equal. She has written and performed a dozen songs I consider perfect.

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