Tag Archives: Sarah McLachlan

by

Song of the Day #729: ‘Building a Mystery (Live)’ – Sarah McLachlan

I’m not a big concertgoer… it costs too much money and the venues around me rarely do justice to the performers. But through the magic of YouTube, I can watch live performances by my favorite artists from the comfort of my den. I realize it’s not the same thing, but it’s the same principal that makes me far happier to watch a Miami Dolphins game on my HD TV than from a hot seat in the stadium.

This week I’ll feature live performances of a handful of songs by a random sampling of artists. I’m sure I would have enjoyed being in the audience for every one of them, but I’m enjoying them just the same right here. I hope you do as well.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #659: ‘Ice Cream’ – Sarah McLachlan

When I first started the Song of the Day thing almost two years ago, my wife asked me if I thought I could really write something relevant about a new song every day. Was there really that much to say?

At the time, two or three songs in, I wondered the same thing. And my initial answer was that once in awhile I wouldn’t bother writing my thoughts on the song… I’d just throw it up there and write something like “this one’s funky and you can dance to it.”

Continue reading →

by

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.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #195: ‘Full of Grace’ – Sarah McLachlan

mclachI wrote yesterday about the use of songs in movies and TV shows, and today’s song is a splendid example. Though I bought Sarah McLachlan’s Surfacing album when it first came out and knew it pretty well, I will always associate ‘Full of Grace’ with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The Buffy fans out there already know what I’m talking about. At the end of Season Two (possibly the best season of television’s best show) Buffy is forced to kill Angel, the vampire she loves. She then boards a bus and leaves Sunnydale without saying a word to her friends or mother, and this is the song that plays over the final montage.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #96: ‘Possession’ – Sarah McLachlan

I like a lot of female artists, but one sub-group I’ve never been a huge fan of is the Lilith Fair crowd. I know this isn’t an entirely fair characterization of Lilith Fair, because acts of all sorts have played there, but you know what I mean… those crunchy-granola types like Paula Cole, Jewel, Shawn Colvin, etc.

Now Sarah McLachlan is probably the godmother of Lilith Fair but she’s on my good side because she released one of the finest albums in my collection, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, back in 1993.

Continue reading →