That's Entertainment : Valentine's Day
Well, Valentine’s Day is upon us.
And I’ve got no advice. Nothing.
But I do have something for you in the music dept, no matter what state of the heart you might find yourself in.
So sticking to that old adage - something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Something old:
Herman’s Hermits : I’m Into Something Good
This was Herman’s Hermits debut single that went to #1 in 1964. Funnily enough, the song was co-written by Carole King. It’s a quintessential Sixties pop ditty and always makes me think of the TV show Heartbeat. Awesome song to sing along to. Makes me want to drink Fanta.
AND
Blondie : Hanging on the Telephone
It’s cool to find Deborah Harry (and a woman) being the pursuer here, pleading not to be left hanging, cause if she is, there’ll be trouble pal! (And who in their right mind would ignore Deborah Harry - the ultimate sneering, posing front woman? Puh-lease!). And just a tick under two and half minutes, it’s pop punk perfection.
Something new:
St Lucia : Dancing On Glass
I discovered St Lucia at a Walk The Moon gig where the sound tech was whirling some of his own fave tracks pre-show on the PA.
Anyway, this is St Lucia’s new single Dancing On Glass and the album dropped last week, so it’s fresh as. With an 80’s synth, a gleaming pop heart beat and dance floor filling vibes, Dancing On Glass asks the pertinent questions about starting a relationship: will this last? for how long? is the break up inevitable? And will I get hurt?
I’ve had it on high rotation and each time I hear it, I just want to dance. Not on broken glass, because I have sensitive soles. But good pop does that to me.
Anyway. It’s catchy as all hell and I recommend sniffing out the entire album which is like a slab of party you won’t want to leave.
Something borrowed:
Pet Shop Boys : Always on my Mind
When I was a kid, this was a smash hit for the Pet Shop Boys in late 1987 (the Xmas #1 in the UK). They’d played it for a 10 year anniversary tribute to Elvis and because it was so popular, decided to record the track and release it as a single. The one thing I didn’t know was it was an Elvis Presley song. Only today, did I actually discover Elvis didn’t do it first and he covered it too. Ha!
That said, Always On My Mind is right up there with my favourite Pet Shop Boys songs. Better still, the regretful lyric is absolutely fabulous. Basically, the singer presents the facts: they’re a crap lover yet despite all their failings and despite admitting to taking the relationship for granted, the subject was always on their mind. It works perfectly as an apology or as a lament.
Great to sing out loud and the film clip is eccentric (clips from the Pet Shop Boys’ movie It Couldn’t Happen Here [released at their commercial peak in 1988 because they didn’t want to tour].
Something blue:
The Cure : Pictures of You
Robert Smith could write some really psychedelic pop songs and then he could write this, one of the greatest and most beautiful goth ballads of all time.
Lifted from 1989’s Disintegration, conceivably one of the greatest albums of all time, Pictures of You transcends everything. Deliciously melancholy, you need a dark room, candles, a bottle of red wine and pillow to cry in to for the ‘one that got away’ or that unrequited love.
Don’t believe me - check this lyric and try not to blub (or let your mascara run):
If only I’d thought of the right words
I could have held on to your heart
If only I’d thought of the right words
I wouldn’t be breaking apart
All my pictures of you.
I’d have no qualms calling this a masterpiece. It’s exactly what it is.
Sixpence:
Sixpence None The Richer : Kiss Me
Ahhh, Dawson’s Creek. I’m not sure if Katie Holmes ever got any of my fan mail. I’m thinking not. Sigh.
Sixpence None The Richer had a #1 hit here with Kiss Me an infectious little pop-ballad. The band followed it up with a so-so cover of There She Goes and then dived head first in to obscurity.
Why Joey ended up with Pacey, I will never know. Makes me want to jump up and down on the couch in frustration.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hidden ‘Cockles of your Heart’ Track
J Geils Band (criminally underrated / forgotten) : Love Stinks
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