Music to grow up with
What were your first musical memories?
Last week, New Your Times newsletter writer Lindsay Zoladz wrote about her earliest musical memories (subscribers only), which she called "Sonic Baby Pictures." A George Harrison song was the first song she remembers, which certainly qualifies her to move on and become a professional music critic.
My nine songs may be more lowbrow than that, but for all of them, I can still remember when I first heard them and what I thought. I invite you to go down that memory lane as well. It is fun and enlightening.
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Gershon Kingsley - Popcorn (1972)
My family lived in Paris from 1972 to 1974, and one of my memories from that time is running around in a brand new shopping mall near Versailles where "Popcorn" was played over the PA. The instrumental track is the biggest hit from the synth pioneer and Moog Lifetime Achievement Award winner Gherson Kingsley.
Les Humphries Singers - Mama Loo (1973)
"Mama Loo" was my first favorite song. Not because of the repeated use of "mama" – I never called my mother that – but for its harmonies.
Baccara - Yes sir, I can Boogie (1977)
Baccara was the duo of two female flamenco dancers who had a couple of disco hits in 1977. In my family, there was lots of ridicule about them: they couldn't sing, didn't speak proper English, and were just puppets of some producers. But I was a fan and loved it every time the radio played them.
Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street (1979)
If you grew up in Bavaria late 70s/early 80s, Thomas Gottschalk did your pop music education; he ran a public radio show before he became an A-list TV celebrity. While falling asleep, I listened to Pop Nach Acht ("Pop After Eight"). Gottschalk loved "Baker Street," and so did I – not only for the famous eight-bar saxophone riff but also for dropping the title only once in the first verse.
Village People - Y.M.C.A. (1979)
"Y.M.C.A" was a number one hit in Germany, and I loved it for being able to understand the letters of the English alphabet. When my Dad told me that "Y.M.C.A" was nothing mysterious but just what CVJM was in German, I was a bit disappointed. Still, it was hard not to feel the positive energy of this song.
Dschinghis Khan - Dschingis Khan (1979)
This song was Germany's entry for the Grand Prix 1979 and an international hit. Today this song would be canceled in no time for its cultural appropriation of Mongolian leader Ghengis Khan and its glorification of rape, violence, and alcohol abuse. But the late 70s were different times, and we all loved the song for its fresh wind in German music. Never mind that it was written by the same songwriter duo Siegel/Meinunger responsible for almost all hits back then.
Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2) (1980)
"Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2)" was a number-one hit in 1980 (released in 1979), and it was music like nothing I had heard before: there is no chorus, just two lyrically identical verses sung by Dave Gilmour and a children's choir. My mother bought me The Wall, and I must have driven my parents crazy by playing it on the living room stereo on repeat.
Kim Wilde - Kids in America (1981)
I saw Kim Wilde performing "Kids in America" on TV. I loved her looks and voice, and the new wave-tinged pop was also good. So I fell hopelessly in love with her for a long time.
Ideal - Eiszeit (1981)
"Eiszeit" came out in 1982 at the height of the Neue Deutsche Welle that made German language rock music famous. At this time, my passion for music was already piqued, and there were many other songs that I had taped from the radio. I chose "Eiszeit" because its theme – depression and isolation – gave me an eerie glimpse into life post-childhood.
Song Pick of the Day
Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.
Emotions make us human, and Sarah-Jayne Riedel, aka Dutch Mustard, advises that sometimes you better “let them run wild” and “Feel Everything.” The exuberant indie rock track comes with an atmospheric video.
Eleonora Danese hails from Rome, Italy, but she takes her moniker Kuni from Japan, more precisely from the computer game Tekken. Her songwriting is far less geeky, though: “Piece of Land” is “a loving reminder that somewhere someone (maybe it is ourselves) is working very hard to make us feel in the right place, even if it is outside of our comfort zone.” She also released an EP, Walls Have Told Me, on the Italian label Factory Flaws.
Like Glasser last week, London-based musician Laura Misch is signed to the UK label One Little Independent, which is apparently looking for beautifully complex, nature-inspired music. Her new song, “Portals,” reflects the death of a loved one in a spiritual context. Laura will release her debut record, Sample The Sky, in October.
Marie Louise Bacardi goes by mlbarard¡. The last character is a signo de apertura de exclamación, which I hope she chose in defiance, not in ignorance of SEO rules. But if you can find her (tip: use our link above to access her music), you get state-of-the-art songwriting with a mix of rock, electronic, and hip-hop. “REAL” is about a dream experience. “I had fallen in-love with someone in a dream and when waking up I’d tried to collect the fragmented memories of this now lost love,” she explains.
“At Last, The Children Have Been Synthesized,” or the short “A.L.T.C.H.B.S,” is the title of the new song by Oakland-based band Candy Whips. You need to listen yourself to find out what this could mean, but we were taken by the song’s references to 80s synth pop and simply took it at face value.
The songs of Jessica Woodlee masterfully depict the various challenges one faces during the transition from teenager to young adult. Naturally, the “Suburbs” are a place your feel stuck during this period, even though it is still your home. Jessica is a student at Berklee College of Music and has much more music to come this year.
The beautifully meditative “In And Out” by Liverpool-based musician Slye, closes out this week’s playlist. He says: “Inspired by my time traveling Europe and the people I met I wanted to capture the feeling where I truly felt ‘I am in this moment.’”
Also Happening at glamglare
The Nashville band Arts Fishing Club has released their debut album Rothko Skies, which includes our Song Pick of the Day, Doug Song. Also, London-via-Sweden trip Junodef dropped their debut EP Catastrophical.
Nine Photos from a Summerly Peekskill
