Name That Tune (In Your Heart)

Another week, another issue about music!

Specifically, the songs that – well, that put a song in one’s heart. When you hear a song that makes you prick up your ears, notice your arm is all over goosebumps, and feel like the notes themselves are somehow washing away whatever vexations were preoccupying you moments before, what is it, exactly, that’s enthralling you?

This week, Dame Sophie heard the new single from the Killers, “boy”, and burst out laughing because somewhere around the 30-second mark, she realized this song might as well have been built in a lab to appeal to her. It’s a grandiose tiny symphony for the dancefloor lovers and car karaoke artists among us. It opens with a four-on-the-floor beat and Brandon Flowers’ very slightly distorted, pleading vocals surrounded by big, melodic guitars and minor-key synths giving us their best homage to New Order and OMD. It’s way too sincere and corny to be cool, but you know what? I’ll take a half-dozen to go, thank you! 

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Welcome to Dame Sophie’s Sonic Smorgasbord

With a good pair of headphones you can have the kitchen dance party of your dreams wherever you go!

I think I first started working on a personal list of sonic catnip elements when I heard a podcaster sneeringly object to songs with “baby” in the lyrics (yes, it was a rockist man, no, I don’t listen to that podcast much anymore), and thought “hey, back off of one of my favorite things!” My list expands every now and then, and while I don’t think I’d want to hear all of these elements together at once, “Born To Run” makes a pretty strong case for a Long Island Iced Tea approach. Throw ‘em all in, shake it up, see what happens!

Herewith! A little list of songs featuring elements likely to prompt my instant, delighted interest:

• “Everyday”,  by Buddy Holly, featuring the orchestral instrument closest to my heart – the celesta – and hand claps

• “Where the Streets Have No Name”, by U2 – ok, so a great deal of U2’s oeuvre could easily find a home on this list. They’re very good at big chiming and swooshing guitars and impassioned, anthemic singing, and as chronicled here more than once, I am very into their whole deal even when I haven’t been super-into their most recent music. I think Streets is their best song, but I have to give a shoutout to my overall favorite, “Bad”. If this floats your boat, they’ve got some more very dreamy synthy songs on their underappreciated weird transitional album The Unforgettable Fire, largely courtesy of their collaboration with weird dreamy synthy guy/producer Brian Eno

• “Step”, by Vampire Weekend and the aforementioned “Born To Run”, by Bruce Springsteen – these shouldn’t go together, but they do in my weird little mind, thanks to their use of unexpected instruments. “Step” is built around the harpsichord and “Born to Run” makes excellent use of the glockenspiel. More old-timey instruments in pop music, please! The Boss is also a king of the male vocalist sounding nearly unhinged due to the agonies of love he is experiencing (see also: “Drive All Night” and “Brilliant Disguise”). It’s a sonic nutritional supplement for these ears!

• “Baby, It’s You”, by the Beatles. This cover uses lovelorn vocals and sha-la-las (and maybe some handclaps hiding in the background of the mix) to great effect. In general, I also appreciate how frequently the Beatles talk about the women they’re into in their lyrics – not the generic could be anyone woman, but actual named, individual characters. 

• “Let’s Go Crazy”, by Prince: I love a talking segment in a song! The opening track to Purple Rain summons listeners to worship (“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called LIFE”) even as that holy summons is swept clean (well, dirtily) away by “Darling Nikki” four songs later. We love this classic paradox for many R&B and Soul singers (Ray Charles, Al Green, et al.).

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Dame Karen’s Song Lab: Elements That I Always Enjoy In A Tune

• I love an interpolation aka a song featured within another song but not as a sample, as sung/played by the band. My first memory of this is the Beatles singing their own song, “She Loves You”, at the end of “All You Need Is Love”. I remember thinking it sounded kind of sarcastic and as a teen I figured it was the band doing a brief commentary on how they’d come so far musically and I felt very proud of myself. Other favs include Shirley Manson singing “Don’t worry baby….” a la Brian Wilson in “Push It” and Ariana Grande’s exquisite use of that perennial banger “My Favorite Things” in “7 Rings”.

• Studio chatter! Let’s hear it for Janet Jackson, who is always including excellent “interludes” on her albums, including Rhythm Nation’s “Hey Baby” in which she says “You’re not taping this are you?” in the cutest, most charming manner before letting loose with her beloved signature giggle. See also the chit chat between the Pixies on the Surfer Rosa album, including the “you fuckin’ DIE!” convo at the end of “Oh My Golly!” which is actually an extremely pedestrian discussion about not touching each other’s stuff and Kim Deal’s now shockingly problematic but still endlessly quotable “there were rumors he was into field hockey players…” speech that kicks off “I’m Amazed”, which my friends and I loved shouting out in the car on our way to the Whately Diner to drink endless cups of coffee and smoke the four cigarettes we had between us.

• Solos featuring unexpected instruments! Ok, there’s obviously the chainsaw solo on hair metal novelty act Jackyl’s debut single “The Lumberjack”, which my junior high self thought was the funniest thing that had ever happened. [NOTE: Jackyl fans, please no hate mail for calling them a novelty act. I am merely a Jackyl dilettante and I apologize.] I adore the marimba solo in Starbuck’s smooth ‘70s sleazy listening classic  “Moonlight Feels Right” [a great, left field karaoke option if you’re in a place where the “yacht rock” is the order of the evening, btw].

  

  I’ve also been known to burst into tears if it’s been a long day and I’m picking up some snacks and nail polish at CVS as a conciliatory treat for my sad brains and suddenly the melodica-and-mandolin intro to “And We Danced” by the Hooters comes on as I’m standing in line with my ExtraCare coupons. BRUTAL!   

• Three! Part! Harmony! I was recently lucky enough to see Brandi Carlisle with the Indigo Girls at Tanglewood and Brandi told a charming story about loving three part harmony while living and working in Seattle during peak grunge times. She saw fellow three part harmony master Stephen Stills (as in Crosby and Nash and Sometimes Young) on an airplane and gave him a demo tape and he wrote to her and encouraged her! Thank you, Stephen Stills! Let’s listen to “The Eye” followed by “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” to celebrate! Need more? Just go right to all of “Trio” featuring Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris being the fairy godmothers we all need.

• Countdowns! Of course Beyoncé’s “Countdown” is my gold standard at this point (“Make me feel so lucky seven / He kiss me in his six / We be making love in five” if you know it, sing along!) but I will always have a soft spot for yet another high school car screamer, “Kiss Off” by the Violent Femmes (“Three three three for my heartache and four four four for my headache” is still powerfully relevant) and you’ve never really seen someone losing it on the dance floor in the most unhinged manner possible unless you’ve seen me sweating my entire face off while screaming/counting along to “House of Jealous Lovers” by The Rapture which hasn’t happened in probably 19 years but by the time I go dancing again maybe it will be a golden oldie. See you there?

You can find all of these songs on this lovingly crafted playlist: Two Bossy Dames: Name That Tune (In Your Heart)