Song of the Day #4,846: ‘Yodel’ – Nellie McKay

‘Yodel’ is a sweet little track from Nellie McKay’s 2006 album Pretty Little Head. It is also, apparently, something of a collector’s item.

I found the track on YouTube, where the lone comment, by a fellow named Jaimes Palacio, reads:

“You are the hero of my day! Thank you for putting this out there because SONY, AMAZON and ITUNES are all f**king us and only releasing the 16 song truncated version. Unless, you want to send $150.00 (or more) on a 2 CD package on Amazon…”

I checked and, sure enough, the streaming services offer a version of the album seven songs shorter than McKay’s original release. The singer-songwriter had feuded with Columbia Records about the album’s length and was eventually dropped by the label. I guess they couldn’t even throw her a bone and put the longer version on streaming.

But those with the physical CD (or, in my case, a digital download of the physical CD) are free to hear McKay’s original vision, including all one and a half minutes of ‘Yodel.’

Standin in the break of a yawn
Where you done left me alone
There’s nothin happenin to hide
Sittin in the shade of the lawn
As everybody goes home
There’s nothin left here to find

Standin with my back to the wall
Mindin the sky as it’s fallin all around me
Listenin for a break in the rain
For it’s not drownin my pain
Anymore

Standin in the shade of a yard
Where everybody works hard
And everybody is dyin
Walkin to the temple of art
Where I’m found out as a fraud
And there’s nobody who’s buyin

One thought on “Song of the Day #4,846: ‘Yodel’ – Nellie McKay

  1. Dana Gallup says:

    You should post a link to today’s SOTD on that YouTube video, as I’m sure the lone commenter would appreciate your story and the shoutout.😀

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