Songs You May Have Missed #368

stay with meLorraine Ellison: “Stay With Me” (1966)

“Stay With Me” was one of the great soul hits of the 60’s that wasn’t, like Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep-Mountain High”, the commercial flop which Phil Spector believed to be his masterpiece.

Lorraine Ellison recorded for the Loma record label, a small, cash poor sublabel of Warner Bros. and home for a time to such artists as the aforementioned Ike and Tina, The Three Degrees, J.J. Jackson, and Linda Jones, who died between matinee and evening shows at the Apollo Theater. For the background story on “Stay With Me”, which peaked at #64 on the pop chart, I quote Leo Sacks in his liner notes from the Best of Loma Records compilation:

“There is a popular wisdom that you have to suffer to really sing,” (songwriter and producer Jerry) Ragovoy says. “I don’t buy it.” But “Stay With Me” came from deep inside Lorraine Ellison’s being. An unlikely chain of events preceded that memorable performance. Frank Sinatra was supposed to record with a 45-piece orchestra. But the Chairman of the Board backed out of the session, so Warners, obligated to the musicians’ union, asked Ragovoy to fill the time. Forty-eight hours later he walked into A&R Studios with string and horn charts that were downright supernatural. The room was packed wall-to-wall with ready-to-wail musicians; Ragovoy can still feel the joy and the awe unleashed as Ellison torched “Stay With Me” in one take: “Our engineer, Phil Ramone, kept saying, ‘Oh my God, oh my God…'”

But God wasn’t on her side after that night. “Stay With Me” was a crushing flop. Ellison was devastated…

ellisonLorraine Ellison (March 17, 1931 – January 31, 1983)

Band plays Triple J Hottest 100 in Half an Hour

Australian band Bareback Titty Squad performs the entire Triple J top 100 in just over thirty minutes (Triple J being an Aussie alternative radio network).

It’s not always pleasant to watch, between the sweat and the choice of wardrobe. But it’s jaw-dropping to see a band go from Lana Del Rey to Frank Ocean to M.I.A. to Mumford & Sons to Muse to Calvin Harris literally without missing a beat.

Watch for an amazing bonus backward version of Tame Impala’s “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” (number 9 ). And when they reach number one they turn “Thrift Shop” into a little dig at Macklemore as well as a clever promo for the band:

I’m gonna kick some ass/I’ve got a hundred songs in my pocket/Out of Melbourne City/And singing something witty/We’re the f**king Titties

INTERACTIVE MENU:
30:25 #001 – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop (Ft. Wanz)
30:08 #002 – Of Monsters And Men – Little Talks
29:51 #003 – alt – J – Breezeblocks
29:34 #004 – Flume – Holdin On
29:19 #005 – Mumford & Sons – I Will Wait
29:05 #006 – Major Lazer – Get Free (Ft. Amber Coffman)
28:38 #007 – Tame Impala – Elephant
28:19 #008 – Frank Ocean – Lost
27:31 #009.5 – Tame Impala – Feels Like We Only Go Backwards (BBTS BACKWARDS EDIT)
26:57 #009 – Tame Impala – Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
26:40 #010 – The Rubens – My Gun
26:00 #011 – Calvin Harris – Sweet Nothing (Ft. Florence Welch)
25:28 #012 – Flume – Sleepless (Ft. Jezzabell Doran)
24:59 #013 – The Black Keys – Gold On The Ceiling
24:56 #014 – Icona Pop – I Love It (Ft. Charli XCX)
24:31 #015 – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Same Love (Ft. Mary Lambert)
24:22 #016 – Rudimental – Not Giving In (ft. John Newman & Alex Clare)
24:15 #017 – Flight Facilities – Clair De Lune (Ft. Christine Hoberg)
23:10 #018 – Hermitude – HyperParadise (Flume Remix)
22:57 #019 – The xx – Angels
22:38 #020 – Rudimental – Feel The Love (Ft. John Newman)
22:22 #021 – Disclosure – Latch (Ft. Sam Smith)
21:57 #022 – The Temper Trap – Trembling Hands
21:36 #023 – Ball Park Music – Coming Down
21:22 #024 – Chet Faker – I’m Into You
20:54 #025 – Skrillex – Bangarang (Ft. Sirah)
20:29 #026 – Seth Sentry – Dear Science
20:16 #027 – Ball Park Music – Surrender
20:01 #028 – Django Django – Default
19:52 #029 – Loon Lake – Cherry Lips
19:42 #030 – Bat For Lashes – Laura
19:37 #031 – Alpine – Gasoline
19:16 #032 – Florence + The Machine – Spectrum (Say My Name) (Calvin Harris Remix)
18:25 #033 – Parachute Youth – Can’t Get Better Than This
18:11 #034 – Lana Del Rey – Born To Die
17:57 #035 – 360 – Run Alone
17:45 #036 – Miike Snow – Paddling Out
17:22 #037 – Two Door Cinema Club – Sun
17:00 #038 – Grimes – Oblivion
16:46 #039 – Alabama Shakes – Hold On
16:39 #040 – Arctic Monkeys – R U Mine?
16:32 #041 – British India – I Can Make You Love Me
16:22 #042 – MS MR – Hurricane
16:18 #043 – The Lumineers – Ho Hey
16:13 #044 – Xavier Rudd – Follow The Sun
16:04 #045 – Chance Waters – Young & Dumb (Ft. Bertie Blackman)
15:45 #046 – Passion Pit – Take A Walk
15:35 #047 – Of Monsters And Men – Mountain Sound
15:17 #048 – San Cisco – Fred Astaire
15:02 #049 – Thundamentals – Brother (Like A Version)
14:40 #050 – Asta – My Heart Is On Fire
14:25 #051 – Birds Of Tokyo – This Fire
13:48 #052 – The Presets – Ghosts
13:41 #053 – San Cisco – Wild Things
13:33 #054 – The Bamboos – I Got Burned (Ft. Tim Rogers)
12:58 #055 – Knife Party – Internet Friends
12:43 #056 – Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You
12:29 #057 – Seth Sentry – Float Away
12:19 #058 – Mumford & Sons – Babel
11:54 #059 – Cosmo Jarvis – Love This
11:31 #060 – Jack White – Love Interruption
11:19 #061 – Sticky Fingers – Caress Your Soul
11:05 #062 – Kid Cudi – Just What I Am (Ft. King Chip)
10:51 #063 – First Aid Kit – Wolf
10:33 #064 – alt – J – Tessellate
10:11 #065 – Grimes – Genesis
10:00 #066 – The Rubens – The Best We Got
09:47 #067 – Flume – On Top (Ft. T – Shirt)
09:19 #068 – Avicii – Silhouettes
08:52 #069 – Matt Corby – Lonely Boy (Like A Version)
08:40 #070 – The Presets – Promises
08:27 #071 – Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
07:58 #072 – Regina Spektor – All The Rowboats
07:46 #073 – Ben Folds Five – Draw A Crowd
07:35 #074 – The Shins – Simple Song
07:04 #075 – Muse – Madness
06:50 #076 – Illy – Heard It All
06:43 #077 – Feed Me & Crystal Fighters – Love Is All I Got
06:21 #078 – Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Household Goods
05:58 #079 – The Black Keys – Little Black Submarines
05:28 #080 – Frank Ocean – Super Rich Kids (Ft. Earl Sweatshirt)
05:07 #081 – alt – J – Something Good
04:41 #082 – Santigold – Disparate Youth
04:31 #083 – The Jungle Giants – She’s A Riot
04:10 #084 – Hilltop Hoods – Rattling The Keys To The Kingdom
03:55 #085 – Purity Ring – Fineshrine
03:41 #086 – Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness
03:22 #087 – The Bloody Beetroots & Greta Svabo Bech – Chronicles Of A Fallen Love
02:47 #088 – C2C – Down The Road
02:35 #089 – Chance Waters – Maybe Tomorrow (Ft. Lilian Blue)
02:21 #090 – Two Door Cinema Club – Sleep Alone
01:55 #091 – Allday x C1 – So Good
01:45 #092 – Lisa Mitchell – Spiritus
01:37 #093 – Snakadaktal – Dance Bear
01:29 #094 – The Gaslight Anthem – 45
01:13 #095 – Last Dinosaurs – Andy
01:00 #096 – Kanye West, JAY Z & Big Sean – Clique
00:55 #097 – Jack White – I’m Shakin’
00:43 #098 – Kimbra – Warrior (Ft. Mark Foster & A – Trak)
00:26 #099 – M.I.A. – Bad Girls
00:17 #100 – Everything Everything – Cough Cough

Songs You May Have Missed #367

awol

AWOLNATION: “Wake Up” (2011)

Aaron Bruno’s AWOLNATION is a project marked by ambition and eclecticism. Throughout the 50+ minute debut album Bruno takes a bold, kitchen sink approach that ensures there’s something on the record for almost everybody.

“Wake Up” stands out for me, combining the urgently delivered message of the verses with an irresistible hook in the chorus.

Songs You May Have Missed #366

new porn

The New Pornographers: “The Bleeding Heart Show” (2005)

There are certain so-called indie rock bands whose stuff will better justify the “classic” label years down the road. The Shins, certainly. And, for similar reasons I think, the New Pornographers. The combination of A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar’s smart and hooky songwriting, Neko Case’s contributions as vocalist, and the always-tasteful referencing of classic pop and rock of the past are the strengths that put them near the top of their class.

“The Bleeding Heart Show” eschews typical alternating verse-and-chorus structure for an arrangement that gradually builds momentum from beginning to end, a trademark writing style of Roy Orbison and…few others, actually.

The song was featured in the 2007 Morgan Freeman movie Feast of Love, as well as TV ads for the University of Phoenix and eMusic.

And just one more thing: I’ve never understood why the band didn’t sequence this as track one. If ever a song was suited to open an album this is it.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/03/14/songs-you-may-have-missed-52/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/08/31/songs-you-may-have-missed-788/

Songs You May Have Missed #365

caitlynCaitlin Rose: “No One to Call” (2013)

I’m fascinated by songs that straddle genres, defying you to neatly categorize them. Nashville singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose’s voice draws comparisons to country legends like Loretta Lynn, but despite some pedal steel in the arrangements, this is music that doesn’t want to be wrangled into the country category. Of course, any young singer whose musical heroes include Gram Parsons and Linda Ronstadt is (as that initial guitar blast makes clear) unlikely to end up sounding like a Nashville traditionalist.

On “No One to Call” Rose’s voice is awash in a wall-of-sound arrangement similar to some of Dwight Yoakam’s early 90’s stuff. In other words, it’s country music that a pop fan can get behind.

Recommended Albums #41

smash mouth

Smash Mouth: Fush Yu Mang (1997)

Hear me out.

All that glitters is gold/Only shootin’ stars break the mold” is a true jumblefuck of mixed metaphors that never sat well with me. That said, if you think “Disney soundtrack lightweights” when you think of Smash Mouth, you probably missed part of the picture.

Prior even to “Walkin’ On the Sun” beginning it’s stupefying 60-week chart stranglehold in July of ’97, I took a flyer on their debut album based on a review in Goldmine magazine.

Come to think of it, that’s also where I read about Barenaked Ladies’ debut Gordon album, and liked them way before it was…uh…

Anyway, “Walkin’ On the Sun ” was the only song from Fush Yu Mang to grace the American pop charts, although a cover of War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends” did make a dent in the Alternative top 40. Within a year, the follow-up LP was out and there were no further efforts to cull singles from the debut. Not that there were any more hits, but there were, in my opinion, some very entertaining songs that deserved wider exposure.

I think.

The one necessary caveat is that the “Walkin’ On the Sun” isn’t representative of the album. Smash Mouth was a ska-punk band at this stage; the evolution to their signature catchy, farfisa-drenched retro pop sound was basically complete by the second album. But what we have with Fush Yu‘s album tracks is trashy hyperactive ska with sly, rapid-fire lyrics that are worth a replay if you don’t catch them on first listen.

“Pet Names” tells of a love affair gone stale through the lens of those cutesy love “handles”. “Padrino” takes a cheeky poke at the mob. “Disconnect the Dots” has riffs galore, and makes me wonder if someone put a bunch of pills in Herb Alpert’s espresso and invited him to play along.

It may be too late to revise your opinion of the band; or maybe you like the sound of “I’m a Believer” Smash Mouth better. That’s certainly valid. But I think it’s worth knowing that before they made that right turn onto Main Street, they careened breathlessly through some relatively interesting neighborhoods–places where Shrek definitely wouldn’t hang out.

Listen to: “Let’s Rock”

Listen to: “Pet Names”

Listen to” “Padrino”

Listen to: “Disconnect the Dots”

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries