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My iPod #487: The Strokes – Hard to Explain

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So I may not have been the right age to realise the importance The Strokes’ debut album Is This It had for rock music when it was released in 2001. I was six. But from what I’ve read since listening to the band and just doing my research, it came out at a time when indie rock seemed to be dying. The music industry was dominated by boy-bands, pop-princesses, nu-metal and other dated musical movements. The Strokes came out with the album and showed that everything was going to be okay. It wowed everyone. And not just because they were so different, but because all the songs on there were to good to be passed on.

“Hard to Explain” was the band’s first ever single, and is a track that has remained in the hearts of many a Strokes fan for all these years. An exhilarating listen from the moment the drum-machine sounding kit provided by Fab Moretti begins pounding, the track always keeps you moving and entranced whether it be through the constant rhythm, the enjoyable interchanging guitar lines provided by Albert Hammond Jr and Nick Valensi or simply the vocal performance of Julian Casablancas. And even when the track stops for those few brief seconds, the anticipation of when it will start up again never leaves. It is one of the band’s greatest tracks.

I’ve always tried to think about what this song may be about; I never been able to really come to a full conclusion on it. I see it as something from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know how to react in some situations, or generally feels indifferent to what goes on around them. I’m not sure. It’s hard to explain. Ha.

My iPod #486: The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night

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John Lennon took on the task of writing the theme song for The Beatles’ movie debut; something that grabbed the audience’s attention as soon as the first shot of the film hit appeared on the screen, would get the crowd excited for what was to come. He did so over one night. He then came up with a final lyric whilst on the way to Abbey Road Studios to record the track the next morning. Less than three hours later, “A Hard Day’s Night” was complete.

Taking its name from an accidental but witty remark by Ringo Starr, “A Hard Day’s Night” begins both the album and film of the same name with a strident, hard-to-replicate guitar chord, before launching into its first verse in which Lennon declares to us that it has been ‘a hard day’s night’ because he’s been working too much. He wants to sleep, but when he gets home to his lady all the stress goes away. Pretty standard subject matter, right? But Lennon used it to make one of the most exciting album openers of the 1960s. Paul McCartney provided some help too.

You have probably heard it already, if not, take some time now. It’s only two and a half minutes.

My iPod #485: Small Faces – HappyDaysToyTown

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Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake would be the last album the English rock band Small Faces released during their original stint from 1965-1969. It utilises different styles from bass-heavy psychedelia to full-on hard rock, but it is the second half of the album that separates it from many, many other albums out there. On top of providing the listener with six unrelated, memorable songs the following six are based on a fairy-tale on a boy named Happiness Stan, who goes on a journey to find out where the other half of the moon has gone after seeing only the other half of it during the night. You think I’m making this up? It has to be heard to be believed.

“HappyDaysToyTown” concludes the story, as well as the whole album, with a good ol’ Cockney knees-up about the meaning of life. Sung by both lead singer Steve Marriott and bassist Ronnie Lane, the track teaches us that “life is just a bowl of all-bran” and to generally enjoy every moment you have in this world as best you can. Have a sing, a dance, and give a happy-days-toy-town-newspaper smile. What does that mean? It means a lot actually, despite the nonsensical phrasing.

And with that ended one of the most unusual albums to come from the 60s, as well as one of the most influential mod and psychedelic acts of the time too. They would (kinda) reform in the 70s, but no one talks about that so much. Good song.

My iPod #484: Röyksopp – Happy Up Here

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So it was one day when I was listening to the radio on an old Nokia mobile phone that the station (what it was I can’t recall) was frequently reminding the audience that they could vote to hear the exclusive premieres of two brand new singles to be released from their respective upcoming albums. One was by Calvin Harris (that turned out to be “I’m Not Alone“) and the other being Röyksopp’s new song “Happy Up Here”. Calvin Harris was the popular pick. Not really sure a mainstream audience would have really known who Röyksopp were, and Harris was already known for songs like “The Girls” and “Acceptable in the 80s“. “I’m Not Alone” got played to death and reached number one. Though it “Happy Up Here” that I started to like, maybe a few days/weeks later, when its video started showing in various places.

The track was something of a comeback single by the Norwegian electronic duo, released four years after their then most recent album The Understanding in 2005, and appeared as the first song on its album Junior. Its melody is driven by a sample of a twinkling keyboard riff taken from the song “Do That Stuff” by the 70s soul group Parliament alongside various electronic blips and swooshes, a steady beat, synthesized strings at some points and calming, airy vocals which come together to make a relaxing, uplifting, and comfortable two minutes and fourty-five seconds of your time. Another song about being happy, but in the case of feeling content with where you are at certain moment in time.

After hearing it the first couple of times I was sure that I heard that keyboard part somewhere in the past. It had the same sound, though it wasn’t the same note pattern. Turned out I was thinking of “Eple“, coincidentally another song by the duo. Quite funny.

My iPod #483: The Maccabees – Happy Faces

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Orlando Weeks implores you to ‘run, boy, run’ throughout the ninth song on The Maccabees’ debut Colour It In, and it is hard to not follow his demands due to the sheer positivity and good vibes the track exudes. You ever have one of those times when you feel so happy that you have to show it by running through a field and embracing the vast space ahead, behind, and around you? This is very much the song that plays whilst that situation is happening.

Whilst the final notes of the previous track are in the midst of fading out to silence, the guitars of “Happy Faces” quietly start playing and slowly make themselves heard until the rhythm section begin and really give the track its momentum that is maintained for its duration. Lyrically, there’s not much to say. It’s about being happy for no particular reason at all. Just one of those days when that feeling comes to you. Well the first verse is. The second ones concerns the days when things aren’t going so well, the ones on which you reflect on what could have been different in the past. The serious tone is gone by the last line and from then on it’s back to the all-out excitement that was playing beforehand, climaxing in an almighty yelp of the song’s title by Weeks before the closing moments.

It’s cute. Very enjoyable.