TWO-FER TUESDAY: Everclear

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?”

"Dominoes" by Robbie Nevil

“Steam was rising in the Asian quarter, as she stepped out… in the street. Voices dropped and every eye was on her, as she braved the midnight heat.”

So begins Robbie Nevil’s “Dominoes”, tonight’s intriguing musical tale on Kyle’s Radio Dial.

“Dominoes” introduces us to Dominique, a devastatingly beautiful woman whom makes men swoon upon first sight. She could literally have any man she wishes, but she longs for a specific mate she cannot have, and remains morose and unfulfilled. The implication is that the singer, (Nevil’s character), is the one Dominique longs for.

“And no one sees the tears that I see falling, urgent whispers calling me.”

However, the lovely lady and the target of her affection will soon be reunited as Nevil conveys in the chorus…

“Dominoes… dominoes… I'm coming back to find you…
Don't let the shadows blind you from love when it's mine.”

And what of the dominoes that are referenced throughout the song? This clever game piece metaphor is actually a reference to Dominique’s swooning suitors. Derisively identified as “soldiers of fortune” and “conquering heroes”, the idea being that even those macho men who tend to view women as conquests find Dominique completely irresistible, hence, they all fall like dominoes when she’s around.

“Dominoes” peaked at US #14 and UK #26, and was extracted from Nevil’s 1986 self-titled LP. Dominoes was Robbie’s second single, following his signature hit “Cest La Vie”, which peaked at US #2. 

I was always taken with Dominoes’ funky bass line, the brief Asian styled interjections (heard best at 1:24 and 2:35), and its interesting sound collage effects, in particular, the descending notes which kick off the song, and the occasional “creaking” sound heard throughout. Nevil’s masterpiece sounded like nothing else on top 40 at the time, and his lyrics are marvelously descriptive in setting up the locale and mood of an oppressively hot summer city night.  

After Nevil charted three LPs, he shifted his focus to writing and production for others, including… Melissa Ethridge, Smashmouth, Mark McGrath, Jessica Simpson, and Jesse McCartney. No word on whether any of these folks plan to cover Nevil’s Dominoes, but no doubt it would serve as an interesting shout out to a prior collaborator.

“It's one more night of Dominoes (dominoes)
every heart is falling, but something else is calling her into the night”

"Tell Her No" by Juice Newton

Howdy, Dialophiles! Tonight, the Dial tunes into a frequency from country crossover legend Juice Newton, as she puts her spin on the mid ‘60s pop/rock hit “Tell Her No”.

The first single pulled from Newton’s 1983’s LP Dirty Looks, “Tell Her No” peaked at #27 on the Billboard top 40, and would be her final entry on that chart, following earlier smashes “Queen of Hearts”, and “Angel of the Morning”. THN was pushed exclusively to pop/top 40 stations, and had no special mix or release for country music stations.

Juice Newton was one of the prominent figures of what is now known as “Countrypolitan” music. A variant of country incorporating strong pop elements, artists like Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap, and Eddie Rabbitt all enjoyed multiple crossover hits on top 40 even as their more traditional country leaning singles continued to find favor on country formats. The Countrypolitan genre tended to borrow elements of whatever the prevailing trend in top 40 was at the time, such as disco (Dolly’s “Two Doors Down”), soft rock (Milsap’s “There’s No Getting Over Me”), and even new wave, such as this excellent track by Ms. Newton.

Originally a #6 hit in 1965 for British rock legends The Zombies, the original THN is a warning from a jilted lover to a friend, cautioning him against moving forward with the singer’s unfaithful former flame so as to avoid heartbreak himself.

Juice’s gender switched version changes the story, into a tale of a woman warning her lover not to stray to another, for his love belongs to her.

The country cross over train derailed by mid-decade as top 40 became increasingly rock and soul based (no doubt due to influence from a certain Music Television channel), and traditional country performers often voiced their displeasure at crossover artists.

Juice recovered from this stumbling block beginning in 1985 with six consecutive top 10 country singles including the #1 “You Make Me Want To Make You Mine”, and the #5 “Old Flame”. By the end of the decade, Juice’s chart career had come to an end. 

Whenever I listen to Juice’s THN (which I heard a few times back in the day), I visualize dim rooms lit by neon streaks flashing in time to the ascending and descending notes in the chorus, like something you’d expect to see in an ‘80s club or bar. Not sure where I got this mental image, as there doesn’t appear to have been a music video for this track, but it’s a quintessentially 80s visual for a great forgotten track. Sit back, and enjoy.

“And if she should tell you “I love you”… if she whispers with her charms…
And if she should tell you “come closer”, if she tempts you into her arms…
You tell her no, no. You tell her no, no, NO! You tell her no, no.
Don’t hurt me now, for your love, belongs to me.“