Monthly Archives: October 2009

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Song of the Day #452: ‘Leave the Biker’ – Fountains of Wayne

fowThe first time I heard the music of Fountains of Wayne, or at least one half of Fountains of Wayne, I had no idea who they were. It was the title song of Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, a burst of bubble gum pop that perfectly created the sound of the Beatles-wannabes chronicled in the film. That was in 1996, and it wouldn’t be until three years later that I caught on to the band and discovered they were behind that tune.

1996 also marked the release of Fountains of Wayne’s self-titled debut album, a tight bright collection that perfectly introduced their sound and sensibility. I’ll spend this week featuring songs from that album and the four that followed.

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Song of the Day #451: ‘Ticket to Ride’ – The Beatles

tickettoride‘Ticket to Ride,’ another John Lennon triumph from the Help! album, is by all objective measures a wonderful song. But I’m still struck by the uncanny appeal it seems to have for children.

OK, I’m generalizing… my sample size is admittedly small — my own two children and my nephew. But of all the great Beatles songs, including such blatantly kid-friendly fare as ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Octopus’s Garden,’ why would this tune strike such a nerve with my little ones?

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Song of the Day #450: ‘You’re Going To Lose That Girl’ – The Beatles

helpLast week I suggested that Revolver is a “Paul album” ‐ that is, the balance of the great songs on it were written by Paul McCartney. This week it’s John Lennon’s turn, and the “John album” I’m highlighting is The Beatles’ fifth record, Help!.

Help! was the band’s second soundtrack album, following A Hard Day’s Night, and while it isn’t the equal of that classic it doesn’t fall too short. I consider it probably the most underrated album in The Beatles’ discography. Not that it’s bashed, really, but you just never hear it come up in discussions of the band’s best work… it’s lost in a sea of Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road.

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Song of the Day #449: ‘Laugh I Could Learn to Love’ – Gus

gusGus is another in that Josh Joplin category of artists who found their way into my CD player mysteriously and managed to earn a spot in my collection through solid songwriting and fine performance.

I really had no idea who this guy is or where he came from. Just now I looked him up and learned he’s based in Los Angeles and has released five albums, two as Gus and three under his full name, Gus Black. The most recent came out just last year. The album I own, Word of Mouth Parade, was released in 1999 and while it’s not something I listen to very often, every time I do I’m struck by how damn good it is.

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Song of the Day #448: ‘How Far You’ve Come’ – The Wallflowers

rebelsweetheartI recently watched an episode of Elvis Costello’s Sundance show Spectacle featuring a wonderful mix of guests — the first half was split between She & Him and Jenny Lewis and the second half featured Jakob Dylan, with everybody joining together at the end for a final song.

Everybody impressed but I was particularly drawn in by the Dylan interview. Jakob has grown even more into his father’s looks and his mannerisms and his inflections are similar too. It’s very strange to watch him talk. But his music just keeps getting better and better.

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