Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
17 Jul 2012 2 Comments
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: fitz & the tantrums, pickin' up the pieces
Fitz & The Tantrums: “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” (2010)
I’m glad a live-in-studio performance video exists for this funky throwback-soul number, although the drummer gets far too much screen time on it. It’s the only way I’d have believed that 1976 Daryl Hall wasn’t singing that lead vocal.
17 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: guavaberry, juan luis guerra
Juan Luis Guerra: “Guavaberry” (1987)
If you’re unfamiliar with the work of Guerra, he’s one of the Dominican Republic’s most talented purveyors of merengue and bachata music, having produced dozens of melodic, irresistible dance tunes and ballads that just drip with romance. Guerra has collected 2 Grammys, 9 Latin Grammys and countless other awards. The Dominican senate has even declared him the ‘National Singer/Songwriter’.
No single song can adequately depict or summarize his career, but “Guavaberry” is certainly one of his most beloved merengue anthems.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2026/02/03/songs-you-may-have-missed-818/
17 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: cold chisel, forever now
Cold Chisel: “Forever Now” (1982)
Perhaps Australian band Cold Chisel’s best bid for American chart success was this rifftastic little pop truffle written by drummer Steve Prestwich, whose songwriting credits for the band were few.
Alas, while fellow Aussies Men at Work and Little River Band graced American radio in the early eighties, Chisel couldn’t quite cut it in the US.
Shame, too, because “Forever Now” would sound great coming from the jukebox at the local as an oldie today, with nostalgic, half-lit forty-somethings belting out the chorus in unison.
Prestwich died in January 2011 after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor.
05 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: the turtles, you don't have to walk in the rain
The Turtles: “You Don’t Have to Walk in the Rain” (1969)
There’s some atypical stuff going on here lyrically, for 60’s bubblegum:
I look at your face/Is that the face I love?/It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you//You’ve got a lovely place/The kids both send their love/We still get lonely baby without you
I do like it when pop songwriting steps outside the safety zone of cliché and platitude to actually reflect the messy human condition. Here’s a pop song, wrapped up in those delicious Turtles harmonies that made admirers even of the Beatles (who used to seek out their live performances) but one that sees the protagonist proposing a second chance to someone who clearly messed up. I mean, she doesn’t even see their kids anymore. What happened exactly? You’re given only a sketch, and are allowed to finish the picture in your own mind.
This song only peaked at #51 on the pop charts despite being, musically, almost a clone of the Turtles’ #6 hit “Elenore” of the previous year, as well as their #1 hit “Happy Together”. The common template: spare, mournful, minor-key verses bursting into big, cathartic, hamony-laden choruses. The Turtles made at least a handful of singles that were the equal of the work of any of their contemporaries–yes, even those guys.
05 Jul 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: as long as i survive tonight, sukilove
Sukilove: “As Long as I Survive Tonight” (2003)
Antwerp, Belgium’s Sukilove describes its sound as “technicolor pop/noise”. Their music seems to echo the bands that inhabited the psychedelic fringes of late 60’s pop (including the Beatles). It’s got a prickly side but also an appealing melodic sense. Like your typical John Lennon song.
05 Jul 2012 1 Comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: blue merle, forever to reach, luke reynolds, pictures and sound
Pictures and Sound: “Forever to Reach” (2008)
As I mentioned in Songs You May Have Missed #12 (Blue Merle’s “Every Ship Must Sail Away”), some songs just have really tasty intros. I played the first 21 seconds of this song 3 or 4 times when I first heard it, just appreciating the tasteful way the artist raised the curtain on his song. It’s no coincidence that artist is Luke Reynolds again–the man I told you had moved on to other projects after Blue Merle’s only album. Pictures and Sound is Luke’s next project, and they bear a sonic kinship to his old band.
The third verse here always grabs me: Close your eyes right now and count to ten/You’re a different person than you were just then/And you’ll never get this chance again…It took forever to reach, and a moment to pass.
Indeed.
And it seems Pictures and Sound may not get this chance again either. This song has gotten fewer than one thousand views on YouTube, and nothing has been heard of the band since 2008. But if, like Blue Merle, their lifespan is only one album, I’ll be looking out for the next thing Reynolds does, as it’s sure to be quality stuff–with nice instrumental intros.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/02/11/songs-you-may-have-missed-12/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2026/04/03/songs-you-may-have-missed-836/
Every Moment Has A Song 