Monthly Archives: November 2013

My iPod #165: They Might Be Giants – Canajoharie

1 Reply

“Canajoharie” was one of the first songs from “Join Us” to be performed live by the band. The first time being in September 2010, months before the album was actually released.

This performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington was the first time I’d ever heard the song. Not because I was there, but because it was the first option that came up when I searched “They Might Be Giants – Canajoharie” on YouTube. Thinking about it now, I remember not being to overwhelmed by it. The verses were carried along by a steady boom-boom-clap back-beat and Linnell started blaring out the song title in the chorus. But back then, the lyrics had still not been deciphered yet. So I didn’t know what else to make of the song.

That all changed when the album actually came out in 2011. I was on holiday in the US after finishing my GCSEs, and listened to the album in full. There was just something about the studio version of “Canajoharie” that made me like it a lot more. Now I could understand what Linnell was singing about, and everything just sounded a lot tighter. “Canajoharie” is a real place too, which surprised me a bit. The band have a tendency to sing about weird things so I just thought it would be a made up word. It’s not.

Jamie.

My iPod #164: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Can’t Stop

Leave a reply

I used to always become bored before the song started when I saw the video on Kerrang! After seconds of wondering and waiting to see what would be at the end of the yellow tube, just to see Anthony’s face was very disappointing. I would change the channel just as the guitar began to play.

That changed when I finally gave in and decided to watch what followed. A lot of random, surrealistic events occur. Flea plays the bass whilst wearing a fake hippo head, Chad balances a huge container on his finger. It’s all very fascinating. Watch it for yourselves.

“Can’t Stop” was the third single from “By the Way”. The combination of the funky, rap driven verses, reminiscent of the band’s earlier work, and the melodic, sweet choruses which the band had been focusing on for their more recent albums of that time established the song as a favourite for many of their dedicated fans. Including me. I truly enjoy this song too.

Jamie

My iPod #163: The Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now

Leave a reply
 

A “hate you but I love you” type of song at its very finest.

Pete Doherty and Carl Barât were not getting along with one another as they did in the years before 2004. Pete was doing drugs, Carl did not like it, they argued and the band split up later.

But what better way to express their feelings to one another than through song? With memorable call and response verses, the two lead vocalists express their feelings to each other. No metaphors or other literary devices are used which may try to place ambiguity on any lines… it’s just pure emotion. Not like soppy emotion. But the truth. Straight from the heart.

The song is the lead track from the band’s last album. It almost got to number one in the charts. It peaked at number two. It got beaten by this.

Jamie.

My iPod #162: The Offspring – Can’t Repeat

Leave a reply

The Offspring, again? Okay…

“Can’t Repeat” was the new song recorded for the band’s compilation released in 2005. The days were counting down to the end of my final year of primary school, and this song hit me hard during that time. Lots of references about time, and getting older and looking onwards to tomorrow did not help. I didn’t want to go to secondary school…. but I had to. So this taught me to make the most of every minute of the present, something I still try and live by to this day.

The video also played on MTV2 a lot. It’s a simple one. No concept. Just the band performing in a dimly lit room, which is fine. More videos should be like that, we never just see a performance video anymore. There is an alternate version of the video with actors looking at photographs and reflecting on memories. But I prefer the one above.

Jamie.

My iPod #161: They Might Be Giants – Can’t Keep Johnny Down

1 Reply
 

Last post for today.

It was my sixteenth birthday when the details of They Might Be Giants’ forthcoming fifteenth album “Join Us” were released to the public on Pitchfork. I was so excited. A new They Might Be Giants album? What could be better? Only a link to the brand new single!

Yes, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down” was probably the first song in full that They Might Be Giants fans heard from “Join Us”. The band had been releasing ‘teaser’ videos of work in the studio, but this was the the moment that they had all been waiting for in 2011.

Although it did take a few listens for me to get into the swing of things, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down” was an appropriate choice of song for people to hear. Some may have been worried how the band would sound after they had released children’s albums in 2008 and 2009 with “The Else” being their last ‘adult’ album in 2007. This song proved that there was no need to be worried at all.

I did assume that it was autobiographical, probably just because it has the name “Johnny” in the title. As in “Johnny” Linnell or “Johnny” Flansburgh. But that was until they said that it was from the point of view of an ‘asshole’. Those are Linnell’s words, not mine.

The band then commenced the biggest fan contest to have ever existed. That was to create their own video for the song, and whoever won it received a cash prize. The winner was the entry above.

Jamie.