Greetings and salutations Hivers. It's Tuesday and you know what that means—it's time for another Evening Groove / Three Tune Tuesday post.
As always, thanks to 
Today I have a maybe unique mix for you. Two 80s songs and then jumping back to a popular 1930s song. Sound fun? Sound interesting anyway? Cool—let's go!
Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies
Released on their 14th album in 1987, this reached number four on the Billboard 100. It was one of 4 top 20 songs from that album; the album itself went three times platinum. This is a great song, written by McVie and her then-husband. It's a familiar situation to almost all of us, where we are in a relationship we know is broken but we hesitate because we don't want it to end. Many people have wondered if this song is actually about the troubled relationships between the band members. I don't think there has ever been any comment on that interpretation, but it would certainly fit.
The song was later covered by Hilary Duff so you may have heard her version. Her cover was critically panned, but it's there. For me, nothing touches the original. The video is great too!
Speaking of covers...
The Presidents of the United States of America - Video Killed the Radio Star
This song by the Buggles may be most famous for being the very first music video shown on MTV in 1981. At only 2 years old I was too young to be aware of that original showing, but later knew about it as I grew up of course as we all did in the years following. It's a fun song, full of very catchy sounds that make it quite the earworm. It is singing of nostalgia for the past and fear that kids of "today" won't understand or appreciate the past because of changing technology, which makes it an interesting choice for MTV's first song. It was a huge hit all over the world. In the years since it's been covered a lot, but for my money the best cover was by The Presidents of the United States of America which was recorded for the 80s nostalgia film The Wedding Singer. Although it's not as good as the original, it is a really nice reinterpretation of the song.
And just in case you haven't heard it, here is the original.
Al Bowlly - Guilty
Jumping back to an old old hit recorded by Bowlly in 1931. This really has a pleasant old sound, which is probably why most youtube videos of the song feature an old record player spinning it to set the mood. I first became aware of the song a dozen or so years ago when I was at a photography workshop and one of the presenters used this song as the background to a slideshow. It stuck in my head enough that I asked him what the song was afterwards and went off to discover Al Bowlly. From what I read, Bowlly had a really great career. He influenced a number of people you probably have heard of, including Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Unfortunately his career was cut short as he was killed by a bomb during the Blitz in WWII.
This isn't music to rock out to, but rather to sit back and just enjoy the pleasant feel of. This may be your grandparents (or great-grandparents) music, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it as well.
So what's your favorite?
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| David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |