I've seen other folks post their Three Tune Tuesday compilations from time to time, and I thought I might join in with a trio of guilty pleasure cheesy cheerful tunes.
You've probably heard of Beck. You may not have heard of this song, and especially not the original version by Bruce Haack and Miss Nelson, unless you explore weird corners of music history. Haack was a pioneer of electronic music in the 1960s. I claim no expertise in music history, but I have been known to follow strange rabbit holes as I browse around.
If you want to explore electronic music with more polish and less outsider art roughness, the Dimension Mix tribute album is worth a look. Your library may offer access to Freegal music, and if so, you should be able to download it all digitally.
I first ran across Pigeon John at least 15 years ago when I heard one of his tracks on a sampler album. This track samples Angeline by Neil Innes & The World. Innes also worked with Monty Python, and was also a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, which is worth a look if you like off-beat music or just want to know more about that other band in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour.
Back to Pigeon John, this song is so superficially cheerful, yet the lyrics explore the contrast between outward appearances and internal strife.
Wake up to another day,
Gotta peek out just make sure it safe,
Cause these times are changing and reshaping,
Into something I can't face.
And later on in the bridge, he says,
I'm having a great day, everything's okay,
I'm doing fine just don't look in my eyes.
I still think the song holds some underlying optimism, but with a lot of brutal honesty about the struggles of real life as well. And this song also appears to be available on Freegal.
The first song was a cover, and the second relied heavily on a sample, but this is an original tune by one of the greatest masters of the American folk music tradition. I first borrowed this album from the library in Sandpoint, Idaho almost 20 years ago, and I have been a fan of Hartford's music ever since. His original compositors and unique arrangements of traditional melodies are all an absolute joy.
This tune is about a real steamboat he piloted on the Mississippi River, and that real connection adds another dimension of authenticity to his music. You owe it to yourself to explore this corner of Americana. You won't regret it. But you'll probably need to look outside Freegal on this one. Sorry.
Mean person, I'm gonna sing my funky little song.
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