Thanks Carmen! I’m glad you enjoyed the middle section—an AP Lit-style analysis was exactly my goal. Going through it like that ballooned the piece, but that close re-examining the song was so central to the understanding I gained last week that I couldn’t chop it up. You nailed it on the clarity music can deliver.
I am not surprised your playlist featured 80s tunes; I’d have been surprised if it didn’t! Your description of the Smiths hits how I feel about Taylor Swift’s catalog: I’m outside the experience of many of her best pieces, but I can still space for reflection in those. I haven’t listened to the Smiths much (beyond anything your radio show put out), but I listened to both of “Panic” and “Girlfriend in a Coma” and I see what you mean about the dissonance between lyrics and sound. The melody of the latter is still bouncing between my ears—I love their sounds. Which album would you recommend as an essential first listen for a newbie? Like your show, there are times when I prefer to just listen—since I sing or hum along with Taylor—and new music goes a long way.
I recommend their third album, "The Queen is Dead."
It's funny, last summer I half-jokingly told Alicia that I was going to convert her to a Smiths fan by the end of her senior year of high school. To my delight, she actually has become a bit of one! One time I was singing a line from "Girlfriend in a Coma" and then without realizing it, she automatically starting singing the rest. I was laughing at my success and she must have been thinking "Oh no, I'm becoming like Carmen!" 🤣
Feel free to give me an album recommendation if you'd like!
I just finished playing through “The Queen is Dead” and it is such pleasant music to work to! I absolutely lose track of the lyrics, which judging by the titles is probably a mistake, but it’s just really nice listening. (I think that was the general gist of the Netflix movie The Killer from late 2023, about an assassin who does all his work while listening to the Smiths.) Thanks for the recommendation.
I mostly cycle Taylor Swift’s music, but recommending her albums offers less discovering. But there’s one band that I love—whose Canada-centric touring preferences has slowed my love of their stuff down: Marianas Trench. I’ve liked almost all of their albums, but two stand out: 2011’s Ever After and 2015’s Astoria. I’ll make Ever After my recommendation. Be warned—their music works best in album form, as the songs all bleed into one another. Outside of Taylor’s discography, those two albums are my most-listened to albums of the last ten years. It’s pop music, but with often tight choral harmony that makes their songs as impressive musically and technically as they are fun. And Josh Ramsay is an incredible vocalist.
I appreciate the recommendation! I gave it a listen and my favorite song off the album was "Porcelain." I really liked the words on that one!
Speaking of music, my radio show returns April 1st, from 9:30 to 10:30 am. It will again be alternating Mondays, and I'll still be uploading it to YouTube :)
The vocals on “Porcelain” played in my head as soon as I read that. Glad you liked it. I think “Desperate Measures” always hooks me, but “Toy Soldiers” has that cool opening and the title track hits every musical motif well.
Glad to hear the show is returning—and in a later morning hour! I’ll look forward to listening on YouTube; I have one block left of your final show, and I’ve saved one earlier episode for an emergency :)
I really enjoyed how deep you went into analysing that song and how found that what it meant to you had changed as you had. But what I enjoyed the most about the piece was that it felt like I was watching you discover what that song meant to you in real time. It was like I was on journey with you, which is a cool thing to be able to do with your writing.
Thank you, Michael. I’m glad you enjoyed the journey to discovery part. When I originally started writing, I had a very different idea in mind and a totally different take on the song; I landed there after drafting half the piece and then reset. Tracking everything—the change in meaning, the Small Bow post, the poem, the people—added to the length, but that discovery felt so central to the understanding I arrived at that it felt incomplete without it. I’m glad you responded to it. Thanks, as always, for reading and for the thoughtful feedback.
Another great newsletter, Mr. Steele! I really enjoyed your little "AP Lit"-style analysis of Foreigner's song and reading about how its meaning has evolved for you. It is amazing how music can bring clarity to our thoughts and emotions and help us realize who we truly want to be!
When I was attending CRC, my driving playlist was full of, you guessed it, 80s music. 😁 I usually kept it on shuffle, but some days I would put my mind at ease by exclusively listening to songs by my favorite band, The Smiths. I can see aspects of myself in many of their songs, and I like how even the songs that I don't directly relate to still put me into a very thoughtful and reflective mood. And despite their "depression music" reputation, some of their songs just put a big grin on my face because of how absurd the lyrics are (**cough cough "Panic" and "Girlfriend in a Coma" 😅). Have you ever checked out The Smiths' music? I realize they're not for everyone, as their lead singer is unfortunately a major jerk and some of their songs are real downers, but they'll always be special to me! I first heard "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" back in 2020 and have been a fan ever since!
Thanks Carmen! I’m glad you enjoyed the middle section—an AP Lit-style analysis was exactly my goal. Going through it like that ballooned the piece, but that close re-examining the song was so central to the understanding I gained last week that I couldn’t chop it up. You nailed it on the clarity music can deliver.
I am not surprised your playlist featured 80s tunes; I’d have been surprised if it didn’t! Your description of the Smiths hits how I feel about Taylor Swift’s catalog: I’m outside the experience of many of her best pieces, but I can still space for reflection in those. I haven’t listened to the Smiths much (beyond anything your radio show put out), but I listened to both of “Panic” and “Girlfriend in a Coma” and I see what you mean about the dissonance between lyrics and sound. The melody of the latter is still bouncing between my ears—I love their sounds. Which album would you recommend as an essential first listen for a newbie? Like your show, there are times when I prefer to just listen—since I sing or hum along with Taylor—and new music goes a long way.
Have a great week!
I recommend their third album, "The Queen is Dead."
It's funny, last summer I half-jokingly told Alicia that I was going to convert her to a Smiths fan by the end of her senior year of high school. To my delight, she actually has become a bit of one! One time I was singing a line from "Girlfriend in a Coma" and then without realizing it, she automatically starting singing the rest. I was laughing at my success and she must have been thinking "Oh no, I'm becoming like Carmen!" 🤣
Feel free to give me an album recommendation if you'd like!
I just finished playing through “The Queen is Dead” and it is such pleasant music to work to! I absolutely lose track of the lyrics, which judging by the titles is probably a mistake, but it’s just really nice listening. (I think that was the general gist of the Netflix movie The Killer from late 2023, about an assassin who does all his work while listening to the Smiths.) Thanks for the recommendation.
I mostly cycle Taylor Swift’s music, but recommending her albums offers less discovering. But there’s one band that I love—whose Canada-centric touring preferences has slowed my love of their stuff down: Marianas Trench. I’ve liked almost all of their albums, but two stand out: 2011’s Ever After and 2015’s Astoria. I’ll make Ever After my recommendation. Be warned—their music works best in album form, as the songs all bleed into one another. Outside of Taylor’s discography, those two albums are my most-listened to albums of the last ten years. It’s pop music, but with often tight choral harmony that makes their songs as impressive musically and technically as they are fun. And Josh Ramsay is an incredible vocalist.
I appreciate the recommendation! I gave it a listen and my favorite song off the album was "Porcelain." I really liked the words on that one!
Speaking of music, my radio show returns April 1st, from 9:30 to 10:30 am. It will again be alternating Mondays, and I'll still be uploading it to YouTube :)
The vocals on “Porcelain” played in my head as soon as I read that. Glad you liked it. I think “Desperate Measures” always hooks me, but “Toy Soldiers” has that cool opening and the title track hits every musical motif well.
Glad to hear the show is returning—and in a later morning hour! I’ll look forward to listening on YouTube; I have one block left of your final show, and I’ve saved one earlier episode for an emergency :)
I really enjoyed how deep you went into analysing that song and how found that what it meant to you had changed as you had. But what I enjoyed the most about the piece was that it felt like I was watching you discover what that song meant to you in real time. It was like I was on journey with you, which is a cool thing to be able to do with your writing.
Thank you, Michael. I’m glad you enjoyed the journey to discovery part. When I originally started writing, I had a very different idea in mind and a totally different take on the song; I landed there after drafting half the piece and then reset. Tracking everything—the change in meaning, the Small Bow post, the poem, the people—added to the length, but that discovery felt so central to the understanding I arrived at that it felt incomplete without it. I’m glad you responded to it. Thanks, as always, for reading and for the thoughtful feedback.
It’s a wonderful thing when we discover more than we thought once we start writing— I enjoy that so much :)
Another great newsletter, Mr. Steele! I really enjoyed your little "AP Lit"-style analysis of Foreigner's song and reading about how its meaning has evolved for you. It is amazing how music can bring clarity to our thoughts and emotions and help us realize who we truly want to be!
When I was attending CRC, my driving playlist was full of, you guessed it, 80s music. 😁 I usually kept it on shuffle, but some days I would put my mind at ease by exclusively listening to songs by my favorite band, The Smiths. I can see aspects of myself in many of their songs, and I like how even the songs that I don't directly relate to still put me into a very thoughtful and reflective mood. And despite their "depression music" reputation, some of their songs just put a big grin on my face because of how absurd the lyrics are (**cough cough "Panic" and "Girlfriend in a Coma" 😅). Have you ever checked out The Smiths' music? I realize they're not for everyone, as their lead singer is unfortunately a major jerk and some of their songs are real downers, but they'll always be special to me! I first heard "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" back in 2020 and have been a fan ever since!