“Happiness is a Warm Gun”
by The Breeders (originally by The Beatles)
from the album Pod
1990
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I’m already a day late, and with 11 minutes to spare, nearly two days, so I’ll follow Lance’s lead and go with one where I’m slightly embarrassed to admit I only knew this cover version for a long time before I ever heard the original.
“Lightning Crashes”
by Live
from the album Throwing Copper
1994 Radioactive
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I’m totally behind on my posts, so I was feeling a bit stressed on what to pick for the karaoke entry. I had something completely different in mind when I decided to hit MNP to see what Chris had cooked up for his entry. Upon seeing “Brick” I thought FUCK IT and countered with my own depressing karaoke song. Ladies and gentled, the song you should never sing with expectant parents in the room… “Lightning Crashes.”
“Brick”
by Ben Folds Five
from the album Whatever and Ever Amen
1997
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This isn’t exactly a karaoke upper. For people who don’t know it, it’s a bit of a downer in sped, but if you do know what the song is about, it’s downright depressing. Which of course hasn’t stopped me from doing it a time or two.
Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Brick”
“Summer of ’69”
by Bryan Adams
from the album Sparkle and Fade
1984
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I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. It wasn’t even in my mind until Lance did 1979, and we were discussing how timeless the song was even if 1979 wasn’t your summer. This song is the same.
It’s not about being there in the summer of 1969 – it’s about having all the time in the world on your hands, starting a band with your friends, and having it eventually fall apart because everyone grows up and apart. Any of those relevant and timeless? Check, check, and check.
Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I’d always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life
I used to associate this song with my childhood and watching it on MTV, but now there’s a different association. It must be stated that this is the song that Lance and I start every single karaoke night with. It makes a great duet, it warms the voice up, and traditions are important. And damn if this isn’t incredibly fun to sing. This deserves to be sung with your pal, sharing the mic, thinking of days gone by, even if it is just in some tiny, dark karaoke room.
“1979”
by the Smashing Pumpkins
from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
1995
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The first time I heard this track I hated it. And I continued hating on it for the next dozen or listens. Then the video came out.
“Head On”
by the Pixies (originally by The Jesus and Mary Chain)
from the album Trompe Le Monde
1991 4AD
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Confession time: I got into the Pixies really late in the game. I was familiar with them from watching 120 Minutes but for some reason nothing really stuck with me at the time. I now consider them one of my all-time favorite bands, but I can’t cop to being there at the beginning like most of my other friends. Why did I take so long for me to catch on? I’m not sure, but when it did, it stuck. Hard.
“Hey Jealousy”
by Gin Blossoms
from the album New Miserable Experience
1992
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I wasn’t too sure what to post this week. Nothing was really calling out to me, but was just looking at my karaoke playlist and this jumped out. Probably because it’s so much of the same time as Lance’s pick. I never really got into the Gin Blossoms. I think I had this album at one point but got rid of it, but man, this song is great.
“Kill Your Television”
by Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
from the album God Fodder
1991
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I had fully intended on picking a song I regularly sing at karaoke because I’m trying to make it a week without being whiney. I didn’t wanna get sucked into the black hole that is “Man, I wish they had ____.” But fuck man, I wish karaoke joints had some Ned’s Atomic Dustbin jams.
“Summerland”
by Everclear
from the album Sparkle and Fade
1995
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I’m not sure how I feel about Lance’s theme for the month, but that’s mostly because it’s been cold and miserable here the past few days, which made it feel like the awful winter is truly never going to leave. Hopefully throughout this month I can get into the right summer song mindset. Regardless, onward.
“Summertime Rolls”
by Jane’s Addiction
from the album Nothing’s Shocking
1988 Warner Bros.
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Chris gave me the honor of picking this month’s theme on MNP and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. I’m in NYC on business, I’m way behind on work for my second job, I missed a good party in Austin this week and my shoes are still soaked from a freakish monsoon that hit NYC yesterday. But this morning the clouds parted and Manhattan was just gorgeous, bathed in sunlight and warm. I was mulling over the theme when I had lunch with an old friend who always reminds me of Jane’s addiction. “Summertime Rolls” came to mind and in my mind that’s a perfect summer song.