Hey there Dialophiles!
It’s that time again… the time in which the Dial delivers
two equally strong tracks from one musical artist. In cases like this when it’s
just too difficult to decide, we present both cuts to you, in one fun filled
entry. It’s a little thing we like to call “Two-Fer Tuesday”, and today’s
Two-Fer features Art Alexakis, Craig Montoya and Greg Eklund; Portland Oregon’s
own Everclear; and a pair of great tracks from their 2000 LP Songs from an American Movie Vol.1: Learning to Smile.
“KHJ Los Angeles -
Portions of today’s programming are reproduced by means of electrical
transcriptions, or tape recordings”
A short station I.D. and disclaimer delivered by KHJ newsman
Art Kevin opens “AM Radio”, a string
of humorous recollections laid over a sampled bed of Jean Knight’s 1972 classic
“Mr. Big Stuff”. Alexakis and company
touch on cruising in his sister’s Pinto in ’72, getting busted for pot in ’75,
and seeing his first Zeppelin concert in ’77. Along the way, he laments his
mother’s insistence on watching TV other than Good Times and Chico and the
Man, and playful sneers are made at DVD players, portable CD players, and
other modern entertainment devices… “There
wasn’t none of that crap back in nine-teen-seven-ty…”
The incredibly fun video features a parade of visual
“shout-outs” using either actual period footage (American Bandstand,
Jimmy Carter, Muhammad Ali, Mr. Rogers, Abba, the Captain & Tennille, KISS,
Skylab, Pong, TRS 80 computers), or Everclear spoofing decade icons such as The
Brady Bunch, Kojak, The Partridge Family, Sid and Marty Krofft shows, and Mr. Potato
Head.
Alexakis insists over the closing refrain that he liked rock,
he liked soul, he liked pop, but he never liked disco. While I can’t say that I
personally share his disco disdain, I can say that AM Radio is among the best, and most fun-loving tributes to ‘70s
pop culture ever laid to wax. It’s the musical equivalent of the “Have a nice
day” happy face! There is no way you can’t smile or nod your head while
listening!
“Yeah, when things get
stupid, and I just don’t know where to find my happy… I listen to the music on
the AM radio… you could hear the music on the AM radio”
The song
immediately following the celebratory “AM Radio” on the American Movie LP is a
brilliant cover of a 1967 Van Morrison smash, itself a major hit carried via AM
frequencies to the transistor radios of America. Allow us to introduce “Brown Eyed Girl”.
A nostalgic ode to a former girlfriend, Morrison’s lyrics
poetically recant the carefree days of experiencing the elation of young love with his special lady.
“In the misty morning
fog with our hearts a thumpin’ and you… My brown eyed girl.”
In making the song Everclear’s own, Alexakis slows the
tempo, reflecting a man weary from life’s trials and tribulations, wistfully
recollecting innocent times shared with a past love he still carries a torch
for.
Opening with an a cappella variation on the original’s “sha la la la la” refrain, then adding the drums, and a lyrical intro that thematically harkens back to the previous song on
the album (and in this very post): “I
hear a song makes me think of a girl I used to know… I sing along when I hear
it on the radio now…”
The classic song’s iconic lyrics combine with Art’s
restrained and slightly somber vocals to create an unconventional, yet emotionally open re-invention.
“Sometimes I’m
overcome thinkin’ ‘bout, making love in the green grass… behind the stadium
with you…”
Neither track stormed the singles charts (a damn crime…), as
AM Radio just missed the Hot 100 at #101, but did better on the US Adult Top 40
chart by reaching #17. Brown Eyed Girl peaked at #26 on that same chart, with
no appearance at all on (or outside) the Hot 100.
AM Radio and Brown Eyed Girl complement each other quite
nicely when enjoyed back-to-back. Both reference fond memories, the former of
music and pop culture, and the latter of a special girl and young love, and
both acknowledge, in their respective ways, that those bygone days can never be
returned to.
“Do you remember when, we used to sing… Sha la la la la
la la la la la la la?”
