Day 18 - me and Bobby Massive

Welcome to Day 18 of the badly titled Everyone Has Got one Good Song blog thing.

I was thinking of building the ultimate playlist with one simple rule. One artist. One song. Each day will feature a song by an artist whose birthday is that day and then nine other songs by nine different artists just because people like things to be in tens.

The playlist is here - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4exU9MUJMWaouOgnu7zmSl?si=I5fqk7VpQX6aDGec7xvqsQ&pi=e-IfIWXc5GT56R

 

So, the idea was that you might want to follow and share and either have the playlist yourself or do your own or chat about it with me, you could use the hashtag #EHGOGS.

I’m on Twitter X thing as @fourfoot

Today’s selection.

Our featured birthday artist is Robert del Naja of Massive Attack. Like most sensible people my age, Unfinished Sympathy was one of those fuck me I need this record now songs when I first heard it. Pretty sure I heard it round my mate Steve’s bedroom, spring 1991. Mad time that was. Found out I was going to become a dad a few weeks into the Gulf War. That sentence is weird but I’m leaving it in. Desert Storm had fuck all to do with me inadvertently marching my sperm tanks into battle. Anyway, I haven’t chosen that song, wonderful as it is because you all know it. I’ve gone with the gorgeous The Spoils. My friend B hates Hope Sandoval, says she makes music for lonely blokes to have manic pixie dream girl wanks about. And whilst I disagree, I kind of like that jibe enough to reference it here. It’s my blog and it’s my birthday too. So there.

Ibtihaj - Rapsody. If you’re going to sample the best track off the best hip hop album of all time then by God you better do something incredible with it and this is some homage.

Pat Earrings - Casisdead – Shoutout to Ben J (posts passim) who introduced me to this incredible bit of Brithop.

Feel it Still – Portugal, The Man – one of this century’s 50 greatest pop singles and you know it.

Tralala Lilla Mointuss – Bob Hund Swedish indie band with a tune so 1993 era Pulp you can’t believe the singer isn’t called Jonas Cokr or something. Brilliant, haven’t got a scooby what the dude is singing about and I don’t want to know.

The Owls Go – Architecture in Helsinki – hard to think of Australians as capable of twee, what with them being so enamoured of Crocodile Dundee and blokeness, but here we are with a song that even Belle and Sebastian might consider a little fey for their liking. Contains a moment so cute that it just about stays the correct side of puke-inducing.

Ogre – Richard Dawson. Artist beloved of the Quietus. One count against him. Makes songs about ogres and other folklore like themes with a prog element. Two or three solid counts right there. Then you hear it and realise the man’s a fucking genius. My favourite live performer of 2023.

Edge of Reality – Elvis Presley. Could have chosen any number of great Elvis cuts but feel you need a less obvious one, this is late 60s Elvis, the golden era for me and this was apparently his least successful single ever. Lord knows why. Must be something to do with marrying an absolute big beast of a pop tune to a lyric that Ian Curtis would have been proud of.

Fare Thee Well Miss Carousel – Townes Van Zandt. I feel for people who haven’t yet been introduced to the delights of Mr VZ. I feel sorry for them and I feel envious because it’s the good stuff and they get to discover it fresh.

I’m Going to Go Back There Somebody - Muppets. The Muppets are sat round a campfire, their Hollywood dreams seemingly in tatters. Fozzie pulls out a harmonica and Gonzo discovers he’s a felt and feathers Tom Waits. Ah man, I was only eight years old when I heard this. This kicked harder than Santa not being real.

Tomorrow, we have ten more….including one from birthday boy Michael Hutchence.