Fascination, Modern Love

Those of you who know me pretty well know just how passionate I am about music, all music, pop to folk to opera to bluegrass, I love just about any GOOD music out there I can find, and I especially love analyzing, in my own particular way, why I like a song, and what about it appeals to others. This is the first of many bulletins I hope to distribute, let me know what you think, feel free to agree or disagree, but most of all, enjoy a little new music, old music, cover music, you name it. Comment or message me any concerns.

"Fascination"" is an infectious tune from the Danish band Alphabeat. With a driving drum line, cute boy-girl harmonies, and 80s drum beats, it's hard not to want to get up and bounce to it. It's a clever send up of Bowie's "Modern Love" which actually was a tribute to Little Richard, and bears a slight resemblance to Elton John's "I'm Still Standing." There's a lot of cute 80s imagery in the video, I love the guy singer's skinny suspenders, and the bright bright colors. There's also a Bowie nod in the lyric about "all the young dudes. (The guitar beat and countermelody seems to come from The Pointer Sister's "I'm So Excited" on closer listening, this was added after first posting, check out the video at the end)

Compare the opening drum beat, the call and response shout, and overall harmonic basis of the Alphabeat track to "Modern Love." Bowie's 80s classic is also a cleverly disguised discourse on God and Man, while Alphabeat's slight grasp of English gives us passion rhyming with passion, and a tribute to the "pace age" (sic.) And I can't tell you just how much I love Bowie's "blue-eyed soul.

On first hearing, my immediate reaction was "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins, and "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina & The Waves. Both of these songs had an infectious dance beat, and make great wedding reception standards. Everyone I've introduced the song too (which was introduced to me by the fabulous Richard Ellender, music maven extraordinaire) has had similar reactions, mentioning an 80s song it reminds them of, very New Wave in it's conception. I hope you enjoy it for what it is, light airy pop.

I've added a video for "Modern Love", a tremendous Nile Rodgers production, with guitar by Stevie Ray Vaughn. I've also thrown in a cover version by The Last Town Chorus that was, of course, featured on "Grey's Anatomy" (talk about a discourse on God, Man, and angsty hospital dramas) It's a really nice slowed-cover, drowsy lapl steel, british female vocals, move over Cat Power! Okay, Cat Power's covers are magnificent in and of themselves, but you get the drift.

- JJ -

Alphabeat - "Fascination"




David Bowie - "Modern Love"




The Last Town Chorus - "Modern Love" (cover)




The Pointer Sisters - "I'm So Excited"



So there you go, let me know what you think, too much info, too little, maybe you had a different response, maybe you're just happy to hear something new, or old . . . I'm gonna keep these up as long as I have a little time to share. Tomorrow, the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On."