This Laurie Berkner duet with Tom Chapin is indeed a happy song, but I wouldn’t call it the happiest song I know.
For starters, I would submit that Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ is a happier song than this. R.E.M.’s ‘Shiny Happy People’ is, too. And those are just songs with “happy” in the title.
Way back in ’09, I did a week of happy songs that included the R.E.M. tune as well as Simon & Garfunkel’s ’59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)’ among others.
The title track from Belle & Sebastian’s third studio album, 1998’s The Boy With the Arab Strap, is a quintessential B&S song. It’s delicate, quietly rollicking, precious but snarky, unmistakably the work of this wonderful, improbable band.
Lead singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch took the “Arab Strap” reference in this song from a Scottish band of the same name. He didn’t realize it referred to a device used by men to maintain erections.
Wrapping up a rather mediocre batch of ‘What the Kids are Listening To’ is this week’s Billboard #19, Hailee Steinfeld’s ‘Starving.’ Not a bad way to go out, I guess.
As I write this, I’m heading out shortly to watch Edge of Seventeen, which I fully expect to enjoy. I was in awe of Steinfeld in her first major performance, her Oscar-nominated turn in the Coen Brothers’ True Grit. She’s without question a fine actress.
Coming in at #18 is ‘Caroline’ by Amine. I guess this is what passes for a love song these days.
These guys are so thoroughly unambitious that they didn’t even bother writing a second verse but instead just repeat the first one.
How do songs so utterly lacking in creativity and nuance consistently make it this high on the charts?
It’s back-to-back Drake, this time as the lead artist following his supporting turn on the stinker ‘Used to This.’
Drake’s ‘Fake Love’ sits at #17 following Sia’s ‘Cheap Thrills’ at #15 and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling!’ (Song of the Summer?) still hanging on at #16.
I’m not a Drake fan. My daughter is into his latest album but everything I’ve heard is monotonous and silly. I assume this track is from that album so my hopes aren’t high.
