Every Way Love’s a Little Stronger

“Everyday,” Buddy Holly

This week marks the anniversary of The Day the Music Died.  On 03 February 1959, the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper crashed into the cold Iowa night.  With this one twist of fate, half a generation’s musical promise was lost, and it seems futile to fathom what might’ve been, and even more difficult, still, to assess the extent to which we’ve suffered because these talents were barred from continuing to advance.  However, we are fortunate to have the recordings these greats left behind.

In so many ways, Holly defies categorization.  We know he belongs somewhere under the rock umbrella, but his experimental nature makes him hard to pin down.  His songs are humble and often lyrically simple.  But, that sound!  It changes you.  Tracks like “Rave On” and “Peggy Sue” continue to shape our expectations of what the best rock and roll can achieve.  

It is stunning how much impact “Everyday” achieves with such simple devices.  Everything is pared down: the lyrics are of a plaintive love ballad, and Holly’s singular vocal line is primarily accompanied by subdued hand slaps and a tinkling celesta.  This doesn’t really sound like a rock and roll song, but it doesn’t really sound like anything else, either.  The overall effect is almost like a music box playing, quiet and sweet—slow, but sure.  It’s remarkable how with a minimum of sound, it doesn’t feel like something is lacking.

“Everyday” was released as the B-side to 1957’s “Peggy Sue,” but it possesses a sound that is timeless.  This stripped down recording feels like it could have just as easily been recorded today as sixty years ago.  Holly sings about a tender love to last, and the barn-burner fireworks of many of his other tunes would have been an overstatement of such a gentle sentiment.  The track stands the test of time because it doesn’t feel as though it belongs to a time.  Even Holly’s signature glottal flourishes don’t date this song, because the best music just does not fade away.

Question:  Despite having such a brief career, Buddy Holly’s remarkable influence is enduring.  What other musicians do you think we were fortunate to have for a good time, if not a long time?

I'll Make You Cry Those Tears of Joy

“Two Kinds Of Teardrops,” Del Shannon

Two of the most persistent themes in classic rock are cars and love.  Del Shannon incorporates both of these touchstones into his identity because he is rumoured to have chosen his stage name after his favourite car, Cadillac’s Coupe de Ville, and he most always sang about romance.  Released in 1963, “Two Kinds Of Teardrops” wasn’t much of a hit outside of the UK.  However, this song is so much fun to listen to that it deserves a place alongside Shannon’s signature tune, “Runaway.”

Shannon sings lead, and a few sing-songy, child-like girls provide back-up vocals.  Instead of being overly cloying, though, the harmonic dissonance they provide is just jarring enough to complement Shannon’s rough-around-the-edges growl.  The light-heartedness of this counterpoint keeps the song moving and the sound fresh.  Shannon's phrasing transitions quickly between lines and makes the song really move.

The “two kinds of teardrops” represent relationships of the past and future.  Failed relationships produce “lonely tears,” but going steady with Shannon means things are going to change.  This song could be one-note, but the vocal stylings tone down the sugar and add dimension that wouldn’t be there with a lesser voice.  When Shannon sings, “I’m going to make you cry | Those happy teardrops,” he is at once playful, yet in control.  This hopeful promise is one Shannon makes you believe he’ll keep.

Question: Regardless of subject matter, what other songs do you think are “fun” listens?

It’s Been So Lonely Without You Here

“Nothing Compares 2 U,” Prince feat. Rosie Gaines

Although Prince wrote this track, it is most closely associated with Sinéad O’Connor because of her famous release of the single, “Nothing Compares 2 U.”  Three years after that cover version topped the charts, Prince’s 1993 compilation, The Hits 1, included this live performance of his song.  The O’Connor recording of this lament is well known, and it should be; the flight of her lilting vocals is chilly elegance.  However, it is a delight to discover how well the song translates as a duet, with Prince and Rosie Gaines trading verses and bringing the heat.

The beginning of this performance features soothing keyboards and an understated guitar riffing on the familiar “Nothing Compares 2 U” hook.  This quiet scene betrays none of the chaotic despair to come when the singers take their turn.  Prince displays his impressive vocal range, with extensive improvisational ornamentation that sustains interest with its delicacy, side-stepping the trap of becoming tiresome.  However, it is Gaines’ soulful blasts that are the real reason to come to this show; she is a woman on the verge of collapse, and one is left rattled by the sound of her heart breaking.

This tune is absolute catharsis.  Presented as an ambling, blues-y lament, every word becomes poignant; each syllable breaks with the emotional destruction of love lost.  This particular rendition is so powerful because conceiving of it as a duet transforms its character.  The two voices are in the same song, but they are somehow not speaking to each other, they are speaking about each other.  The lack of communication is frustrating, but it deepens the emotional release necessary when confronting a profound loss.  Each line reveals a new dimension of sorrow, effecting devastation.

Question: Performing this song as a duet adds impact to its already weighty subject matter.  What are some songs that you think are better for being duets rather than solos?