Dillinger - "Cokane in My Brain" (1976)
I don't know who Jim is. The producer's name was Joseph, but he apparently went by Jo Jo. I can only hope that somewhere, Jim has learned how to spell New York.
I gotta be honest, I think this might be one of those songs that became popular because it mentioned drugs a lot, and so in the time, it sounded cool. Much like Afroman's "Because I Got High" it doesn't really hold up years later. The music is The People's Choice's "Do It Any Way You Wanna" but played by in house Jamaican studio musicians. The don't play it the same, but it's the same tune nevertheless. They've got some good funk going on, but the original is funkier.
There's really only two lyrics worth talking about. The first is the answer to the question that Dillinger asks over and over again. "/A knife, a fork, a bottle, and a cork/ That's the way we spell New York" (Bullock). The line is a sort of Cockney rhyming slang that dates back until at least the 1910s. A article in the Syracuse Herald from 1915 mentions the phrase in relation to an address on a letter. Other artists, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Information Society have used the phrase in songs. The other lyric is the common complaint of people who throw house parties. "/No matter where I treat my guest/ They always like my kitchen best/" of course Dillinger follows it up with a reason. "/ Because I've got a whole lot of Cocaine.../".
Showing posts with label Dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dance. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
"Let's Dance"
David Bowie - "Let's Dance" (1983)
One of the few albums that did not feature long time Bowie collaborator Carlos Alomar on guitar. He says he was busy, rumor has it the pay was too low; regardless he returned for five more albums after this break.
The song is one of Bowie's most popular, and is seen by purists as the beginning of his commercial stage. Bowie became a household name, stopped dressing up funny, and recorded duets with Queen, Mick Jagger, and Bing Crosby. Older fans cried sellout but the new fans embraced him and made his post disco dance music an international success.
There is a big collection of early 80s talent here on this cut. Niles Rodgers and Tony Thompson from Chic played guitar and drums on the track respectively. You've most likely never heard of keyboardist Robert Sabino, or saxophone player Stan Harrison,but I promise you, they've both played with dozens of popular 80s bands. Niles Rodgers also produced not only this song, but with Bowie, produced the entire album. His Dance and R&B influence can be heard all over the record. The guitar solo at the end of the song is played by Stevie Ray Vaughn, recorded right before he broke huge into the American mainstream.
The song's video is anti-capitalist, and considered by Bowie to be anti racist, but to the modern eye seems to lean a little hard on the 'Noble Savage' archetype. The lyrics are mostly just a hopeless romantic asking his partner to dance, but there lies just underneath the hint of something darker, as if the love affair might be ending. The music is funked along by the bass, while the echo-y guitar and saxophones give it a dreamy cushion on either side of the bouncing/walking/grooving protagonist of the bass. I can't forget to mention two things vocally. The first is the rising do-wop backing singers heard at the beginning and elsewhere, giving the song an odd homage/throwback feel that has enthused listeners since then. The second is Bowie's shaking vocals as the song grows and he honestly makes us sound like it's not just the love affair we have to worry about ending; maybe we're dancing at the end of the world!
One of the few albums that did not feature long time Bowie collaborator Carlos Alomar on guitar. He says he was busy, rumor has it the pay was too low; regardless he returned for five more albums after this break.
The song is one of Bowie's most popular, and is seen by purists as the beginning of his commercial stage. Bowie became a household name, stopped dressing up funny, and recorded duets with Queen, Mick Jagger, and Bing Crosby. Older fans cried sellout but the new fans embraced him and made his post disco dance music an international success.
There is a big collection of early 80s talent here on this cut. Niles Rodgers and Tony Thompson from Chic played guitar and drums on the track respectively. You've most likely never heard of keyboardist Robert Sabino, or saxophone player Stan Harrison,but I promise you, they've both played with dozens of popular 80s bands. Niles Rodgers also produced not only this song, but with Bowie, produced the entire album. His Dance and R&B influence can be heard all over the record. The guitar solo at the end of the song is played by Stevie Ray Vaughn, recorded right before he broke huge into the American mainstream.
The song's video is anti-capitalist, and considered by Bowie to be anti racist, but to the modern eye seems to lean a little hard on the 'Noble Savage' archetype. The lyrics are mostly just a hopeless romantic asking his partner to dance, but there lies just underneath the hint of something darker, as if the love affair might be ending. The music is funked along by the bass, while the echo-y guitar and saxophones give it a dreamy cushion on either side of the bouncing/walking/grooving protagonist of the bass. I can't forget to mention two things vocally. The first is the rising do-wop backing singers heard at the beginning and elsewhere, giving the song an odd homage/throwback feel that has enthused listeners since then. The second is Bowie's shaking vocals as the song grows and he honestly makes us sound like it's not just the love affair we have to worry about ending; maybe we're dancing at the end of the world!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
"Move Any Mountain - Progen 91"
The Shamen - "Move Any Mountain - Progen 91" (1991)
This song was so popular that whole albums of remixes were released.
The entire U.K. was in love with this song and one of the albums released had sixteen samples from the song broken out on separate tracks so that the home listener/burgeoning dance producer could create their own version. The song is a blend of electronic effects, drum track, orchestra hits, really tinny keyboard solos, drone-like spoken verses, an out of nowhere rap, and a positive message melodically sung for a chorus. I like the message and in fact I think the vocals here are pretty good. The drone, and the mechanical nature of the music makes me think of being beaten down and defeated, but the verses and chorus are uplifting and both of the rap interludes are upbeat. Such powerful positive lyrics means that on second listening I can't help but hear the song as more about positive energy, but I still say on first listen that such a mechanical sound and droning verses makes the song seem downbeat.
The Shamen started life as a psychedelic indie rock band from Scotland. Over the course of a few years they lost some vocalists, a keyboardist, and their drummer, so that by 1990 they were just four members, two of which had never been on an album. One of those was a female singer, who appeared on the Album En-Tact but not this specific track. Rap vocalist Mr. C was also new to the band, but you can hear him twice on this track. Will Sinnott had been with the band a few years as bassist, vocalist and keyboardist, and rounding on the act was only original member left; Colin Angus, on guitars keyboard and vocals. As the four got together to record the album, they continued on in the direction of electronic dance music, which Sinnott and Angus had been pushing the band towards since their previous album. The new dance sound gave them the biggest hits of their career to that point, and so they were given money to record a video. Tragically, just days after the video for this song was shot, Sinnott drowned in the very waters they had been filming in. The band continued to record and perform, getting more popular until finally imploding in a huge fight with their label in 1996, though they did release an independent album in 1998 before splitting for good.
This song was so popular that whole albums of remixes were released.
The entire U.K. was in love with this song and one of the albums released had sixteen samples from the song broken out on separate tracks so that the home listener/burgeoning dance producer could create their own version. The song is a blend of electronic effects, drum track, orchestra hits, really tinny keyboard solos, drone-like spoken verses, an out of nowhere rap, and a positive message melodically sung for a chorus. I like the message and in fact I think the vocals here are pretty good. The drone, and the mechanical nature of the music makes me think of being beaten down and defeated, but the verses and chorus are uplifting and both of the rap interludes are upbeat. Such powerful positive lyrics means that on second listening I can't help but hear the song as more about positive energy, but I still say on first listen that such a mechanical sound and droning verses makes the song seem downbeat.
The Shamen started life as a psychedelic indie rock band from Scotland. Over the course of a few years they lost some vocalists, a keyboardist, and their drummer, so that by 1990 they were just four members, two of which had never been on an album. One of those was a female singer, who appeared on the Album En-Tact but not this specific track. Rap vocalist Mr. C was also new to the band, but you can hear him twice on this track. Will Sinnott had been with the band a few years as bassist, vocalist and keyboardist, and rounding on the act was only original member left; Colin Angus, on guitars keyboard and vocals. As the four got together to record the album, they continued on in the direction of electronic dance music, which Sinnott and Angus had been pushing the band towards since their previous album. The new dance sound gave them the biggest hits of their career to that point, and so they were given money to record a video. Tragically, just days after the video for this song was shot, Sinnott drowned in the very waters they had been filming in. The band continued to record and perform, getting more popular until finally imploding in a huge fight with their label in 1996, though they did release an independent album in 1998 before splitting for good.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
"The Bomb (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)"
The Bucketheads - "The Bomb (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" (1995)
The title itself is a mondegreen. The actual lyric is: /Street sounds swirling through my mind/ (Wolinski)
Imagine your surprise when I tell you that I can't stand this song. This seems to be some of the least creative sampling, looping, and adding of any dance song I've ever heard. Based almost entirely on Chicago's "Street Player" on their universally panned Chicago 13 I can hear almost nothing that doesn't come straight from that 1979 critical and commercial flop. The drums that sound like a trash can being played too loud over a decent Latin dance beat while a 60's era "red alert" type sound plays are new. So credit to that can go to Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez who was 100% of The Bucketheads. The vocals are Peter Cetera of Chicago, the horns are other members of the Rock/Jazz fusion group. The song was already a disco song for the band, so the dance beat is not even new. I don't really care for the original track by Chicago, but at least it is that, original.
The title itself is a mondegreen. The actual lyric is: /Street sounds swirling through my mind/ (Wolinski)
Imagine your surprise when I tell you that I can't stand this song. This seems to be some of the least creative sampling, looping, and adding of any dance song I've ever heard. Based almost entirely on Chicago's "Street Player" on their universally panned Chicago 13 I can hear almost nothing that doesn't come straight from that 1979 critical and commercial flop. The drums that sound like a trash can being played too loud over a decent Latin dance beat while a 60's era "red alert" type sound plays are new. So credit to that can go to Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez who was 100% of The Bucketheads. The vocals are Peter Cetera of Chicago, the horns are other members of the Rock/Jazz fusion group. The song was already a disco song for the band, so the dance beat is not even new. I don't really care for the original track by Chicago, but at least it is that, original.
Friday, January 20, 2012
"Into the Groove"
Madonna - Into the Groove (1985)
"Desperately seeking Susan. Meet me, four o'clock, Battery Park. Keep the faith. Love, Jim."
One of the simplest songs Madonna ever wrote, this track nonetheless became an enormous success even though it was not released in the US as a single. It wasn't even available on an album when it first became popular. Due to disagreements with various record labels, the song wasn't on a Madonna album, or the soundtrack album to the movie it was featured in: Desperately Seeking Susan. Eventually it made it onto the B-side of the single Angel.
Vocally the song is an invitation; a very strongly worded, aggressive invitation, to dance with the singer. That's Madonna multi-tracked throughout the song, there are no back up singers. Musically the song has a fun conga drum part during the verse, but it is very hard to hear over all the electronic stuff. For the most part it's a synth bass line, keyboards and other electronic sounds held together with some disco/rock drums.
"Desperately seeking Susan. Meet me, four o'clock, Battery Park. Keep the faith. Love, Jim."
One of the simplest songs Madonna ever wrote, this track nonetheless became an enormous success even though it was not released in the US as a single. It wasn't even available on an album when it first became popular. Due to disagreements with various record labels, the song wasn't on a Madonna album, or the soundtrack album to the movie it was featured in: Desperately Seeking Susan. Eventually it made it onto the B-side of the single Angel.
Vocally the song is an invitation; a very strongly worded, aggressive invitation, to dance with the singer. That's Madonna multi-tracked throughout the song, there are no back up singers. Musically the song has a fun conga drum part during the verse, but it is very hard to hear over all the electronic stuff. For the most part it's a synth bass line, keyboards and other electronic sounds held together with some disco/rock drums.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
"Crank That (Soulja Boy)"
Soulja Boy - Crank That (Soulja Boy) (2007)
/When I do that Soulja Boy/I lean to the left and crank that thing/Now you/
Following in the tradition of The Hokie Pokie, The Twist, The Pony, The Time Warp, The Macarena, and many more, this is nothing more than an updated version of a pop dance song where the singer teaches the listeners a new dance, and then performs a song designed to show it off. In this case this song, the dance is named after the performer. It incorporates other dance moves including the oft repeated "Superman" but the dance itself is explicitly called out as the"Soulja Boy" at the 22 second mark in the official video.
The instrumentation is simple. There is limited drum set, some heavy electrically "reverbed" bass drum, and some fast high hat, not at the same time, and often neither of them can be heard. There is liberal use of the orchestra hit effect on a keyboard. The most dominant instrument is the steel drum. Also called a Steelpan or Carnival drum, this instrument evokes a Caribbean Island playfulness in the tune.
Around two minutes in, Soulja Boy references being seen as the Rubberband Man. This could be a reference to T.I.'s single Rubberband Man five years prior, but that song is about how much money he has and therefore how many rubber bands he carries around to wrap up his money. I think he is referencing The Spinners hit The Rubberband Man which is about dancing and having a good time.
Soulja Boy has never replicated the success of this song, and love it or hate it, you have to respect the hard work and dedication it took to come together. He wrote performed and produced the track on his own, and released it to YouTube. It was remixed dozens and then hundreds of times, and instead of trying to fight it, he incorporated that into how he interacted with his fans. When he was signed and the song went on to become a huge hit he became the youngest artist to write produce and perform a song that hit number 1 on the Billboard hot 100 chart.
/When I do that Soulja Boy/I lean to the left and crank that thing/Now you/
Following in the tradition of The Hokie Pokie, The Twist, The Pony, The Time Warp, The Macarena, and many more, this is nothing more than an updated version of a pop dance song where the singer teaches the listeners a new dance, and then performs a song designed to show it off. In this case this song, the dance is named after the performer. It incorporates other dance moves including the oft repeated "Superman" but the dance itself is explicitly called out as the"Soulja Boy" at the 22 second mark in the official video.
The instrumentation is simple. There is limited drum set, some heavy electrically "reverbed" bass drum, and some fast high hat, not at the same time, and often neither of them can be heard. There is liberal use of the orchestra hit effect on a keyboard. The most dominant instrument is the steel drum. Also called a Steelpan or Carnival drum, this instrument evokes a Caribbean Island playfulness in the tune.
Around two minutes in, Soulja Boy references being seen as the Rubberband Man. This could be a reference to T.I.'s single Rubberband Man five years prior, but that song is about how much money he has and therefore how many rubber bands he carries around to wrap up his money. I think he is referencing The Spinners hit The Rubberband Man which is about dancing and having a good time.
Soulja Boy has never replicated the success of this song, and love it or hate it, you have to respect the hard work and dedication it took to come together. He wrote performed and produced the track on his own, and released it to YouTube. It was remixed dozens and then hundreds of times, and instead of trying to fight it, he incorporated that into how he interacted with his fans. When he was signed and the song went on to become a huge hit he became the youngest artist to write produce and perform a song that hit number 1 on the Billboard hot 100 chart.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
"Strict Machine"
Goldfrapp - Strict Machine (2003)
Distopian future dance hit.
A British electronic dance track about being trained to accept and in fact take pleasure in complying with orders given. It's synthesizer heavy and even the drum part sounds like it was played on a machine. The lower bass synth sounds and the highest synth sounds both really make me think of New Wave. The artists have said they were drawing from late 70s disco and glam, but all I'm catching is pure 80s. It even has backmasking, with backward recorded vocals inserted near the end. This song would not be out of place in a Tron style movie. Except in this version, the MCP wins. In fact, primary color and kaleidoscope inspired video not withstanding, this song really makes me think 1984 in more ways than one.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
"Yé ké yé ké"
Mory Kanté - Yé ké yé ké (1987)
More Dance Music.
While the phrase was introduced in the 60s, it was the mid 80s before the music industry jumped on the idea of promoting World Music. This was one of the earliest hits of the nascent genre. Yéké is apparently "the sound young women make when they dance" according to the singer himself. So this is a song that can be hard to translate, but is close to "Shake it, shake it." Or perhaps "Boom-shakalaka". The chorus adds the word n'nimo which translates to sister-in-law which, when used in Guinea by young men is a way of casually flirting with women. So all together, the song is a playful command to bend over, because he wants to see you shake your tail feathers.
Traditional African drums and kora are almost supplanted by brass, fuzzy electric bass, orchestra hits, and multiple synths. You can really hear the kora at 2:00. The beat is traditional, and holds the song together, so that it is not just another repetitive drum machine and synth dance track, but it is a close thing.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
"Connected"
Stereo MC's - Connected (1992)
I can't find a version that will let me embed it here in blogger. So click on through, but be warned. It's not really worth it.
This song takes all the elements of an early nineties hit and puts them together in the right order. It's got an infectious bass beat, simple easy to sing along with lyrics, and just enough other elements to make the song stick out enough to get noticed. In this case we've got the loud accent of the baritone sax, the occasionally heard turntable scratching, and the even rarer flute hit. These elements are different enough to get some attention, but not scary enough to turn off listeners.
The song was used in a number of early 90s movies and TV shows and does certainly make you think of the times, but it ultimately fails to convince me that it is worth petitioning the label for a twentieth anniversary re-release. Or even adding it to my iTunes.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
"Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix)"
Tori Amos - Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix) (1996)
Honey bring it close to my lips...
DJ Armand Van Helden retains only two lines from this Tori Amos song in making his dance version. I just don't understand the appeal. The bass line is reminiscent of 70's era funky soul, which is great, but it never stops. The drum machine only knows two measures, and aside from spacey electronic sounds that is it. I've broken down the entire song for you. OK, not entirely, there is a interlude in the middle; echo effects over a verse mentioning Judas and Muhammad Ali, then right back to the dance.
Dance music is just not my thing, I'm going to have to make some sooner or later just so I can understand.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
"Hard to Beat"
Hard-Fi - Hard to Beat (2005)
Indie Rock with a dance beat. In fact, it's practically a disco song in disguise.
Obviously a real driving beat. During the verses the bass line is fast paced quarter notes and the guitar riffs on the 1s and 3s. There is a one vocal line - 4 measure spacer between the verses. It has a very airy electronic sound but with a weird almost underwater quality to the electric bass sound. The quote in the book from the writer of the song mentions listing to a lot of Daft Punk and that definitely comes to mind. The chorus is hard to break down instrumentally. There is guitar is playing sixteenth notes on the 1 and 2 letting it ring in to the rest of the measure and what sounds like keyboards is playing higher electric winds sounds. The first half of the chorus has very little bass, but the second half has a huge bass sound giving it a very different feeling. The drums keep on keeping on. I still feel like I'm missing something in the chorus. Between the chorus and the next verse, we get back to the guitar on the 1 and 3, but no bass line. A high pitched vocal yell echos off into nothing as the verse kicks back in.
After the second chorus we get a kind of break. The drums disappear aside from a very quiet high hat. The guitar really rings a long time and there is no bass at all. Then we get back into another chorus. Then they repeat the 4 measures between the verses 6 or 7 times while throwing out a very short rap. All this and it's a love song too.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
"Rhythm Nation"
Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation (1989)
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Definitely a song that is heavily tied to its video. The message is racial equality, the song is funky, and it really is a great dance track. There are some nice drum breaks, some horns I don't remember hearing back in the 80s, and a surprising nun-chuck break at the 3 minute mark. On the minus side, if you're not watching it, and are just listening, its a long track, but I don't know if that's a fair judgement. This is a song that is intended to get you up off your but and onto the dance floor. The fact that over 20 years later it does make me want to get up is a testament to Ms. Jackson.
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