Category Archives: random weekends

by

Song of the Day #5,042: ‘How You’ve Grown’ – 10,000 Maniacs

‘How You’ve Grown’ is a standout track from 10,000 Maniacs’ gorgeous 1992 album Our Time in Eden. Between the ongoing 1994 “Decades” posts and this weekend’s random selections, the early 90s is really getting a workout lately.

This is a song about the fleeting nature of childhood, the way we see our children morph into adults before our eyes. Merchant was a decade away from motherhood herself when she wrote it, and the line “I’ll never be more to you than a stranger” suggests it was written about the child of a friend or relative.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,041: ‘Fuck and Run’ – Liz Phair

Today’s Random Weekend selection is the standout track from Liz Phair’s seminal 1993 album Exilt in Guyville, and probably the most celebrated and discussed song of Phair’s entire career.

‘Fuck and Run’ is a raw, sad, deadpan account of the aftermath of a one-night stand — one in a series of many. It finds Phair regretting the pattern of meaningless encounters she’s fallen into and longing for an old-fashioned romance, however unlikely that is to happen.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,035: ‘Storytelling’ – Belle and Sebastian

It’s a rare Random Weekend twofer, with Belle and Sebastian making an encore appearance.

The selections line up chronologically as well. Yesterday’s song came from a 2001 single, while today’s SOTD appears on the band’s next project, the soundtrack to the 2002 Todd Solondz film Storytelling.

The band and director didn’t work well together, and only six minutes of their music wound up in the finished film.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,034: ‘The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner’ – Belle and Sebastian

Today’s track is the B-side (if such a thing exists in the digital world) to Belle and Sebastian’s 2001 CD single ‘Jonathan David.’

The song’s title is a play on the British short story and film The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner, and the lyrics reference some of that story’s plot points and themes.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,028: ‘Joey’ – Sugarland

For a little while, in the mid-2000s, Sugarland was kind of a big deal. The country pop duo (initially a trio, but third member Kristen Hall left the band after their debut record) released five albums between 2004 and 2010, landing three in Billboard’s top ten and two at #1. Four of those albums went Platinum or multi-Platinum, and the band landed five #1 singles on the country chart and four more at #2.

Then, in 2011, the band played the Indiana State Fair, where high winds caused an outdoor stage to collapse, killing seven people and injuring 45 others. Subsequent lawsuits were settled to the tune of $39 million (paid by the band, concert promoter Live Nation, and 16 other defendants).

Continue reading →