*But the feeling that you're under can really make you wonder...*

The White Stripes have been a part of my music collection for quite a while now, though, I think I first became aware of them because of an episode of Gilmore Girls. The first album I purchased was White Blood Cells because of the song loud, punk-like song, “Fell In Love With A Girl”. It wasn’t until a year later that I heard Get Behind Me Satan and quickly fell in love with the entire album – and it’s still my favorite of their albums.

 

But instead of going album by album today, I’m just gonna do a quick inventory of my favorite White Stripes tunes. “Truth Doesn’t Make A Noise” is fantastic for the amazing and addictive guitar riff and the piano’s response to the riff. “The Denial Twist” was my favorite for a very long time for the fun, dance-y, ‘60s feel. “I’m Bound To Pack It Up” is very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin to me – but I love the acoustic guitar and minimal percussion. “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart” is awesome because of the featured slide guitar (I do love slide guitar!). More recently, I’ve found myself entirely addicted to the noisy “There’s No Home For You Here”. I love the harmonies and the driving guitar, but my favorite part is the bridge – and of course, the guitar is pretty impressive as well. “Apple Blossom” is another song that sounds like it was ripped right out of the ‘60s and I love it. Of course, there are numerous songs of theirs I could include in this list, but I am a bit pressed for time today, so that will have to wait for a later date…

 

But the thing I really love about The White Stripes is how bare their recordings are. Those oddly rustic guitars, the boyish vocals, the simple drumming, it all sounds out of place in this era, as if Jack and Meg White stayed under a rock for a quarter century and then came out and started making music. I mean, it’s just what it is… it’s not over dressed, not over produced. It is just plain and simple rock and roll. Fabulous! Love the way Jack uses piano in so much of his music. And Meg? No, she’s not a great drummer, but what she adds is a raw quality, that any technically talented drummer would completely destroy.  Somehow, though, the band’s stripped-down sound and lo-fi production just works. Jack White combines his acoustic guitar strumming with lots of bluesy licks and riffs, and Meg's insistent drumming propels the songs forward effectively. The vocals are another high point, as Jack comes out sounding like Mick Jagger and at other times sounds boyishly innocent. Music made by two people, sounding like it was recorded in a garage, has no right to pack this much of a punch. But it does. The conviction the White Stripes bring to their music alone would be enough to give them a listen.

*Yes, and I ain't saying you ain't pretty...*

Just a brief ramble about my song of the moment...

The past week or so I've been listening to a lot of music from 1966 and 1967. During the course of this, I've stumbled back onto a song that has been a part of my music collection for many years, but somehow I've not paid a lot of attention to it, other than the fact that it's a pleasant song. Hearing it again this week, after not really listening to it for a while, I've found myself completely addicted.

The song is "Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys. I think I first became aware of this song when I was around 14 or so. It was played on a radio station called "Memories" (that has since become a country music station) quite often. I enjoyed the song and would always sing along with it, but it was several years later before I realized that the song was penned by Monkee, Michael Nesmith.

Coincidentally, I got into The Monkees around that same time (the TV show was on in the mornings before I had to go to school), but I'd never considered any of The Monkees songwriters at that time. Strangely enough, Mike Nesmith wrote some of my favorite songs The Monkees performed like "Tapioca Tundra", "Listen to the Band", and "The Girl I Knew Somewhere". But I'd honestly never heard Mike's version of "Different Drum" until this week. (How behind am I?!) His version has a lot more of a country flavor to it and features some cool guitar work, but I still think Linda Ronstadt's rendition is the definitive version. Her voice seems to resonate with a defiance that seems to be missing from other performances I've found of this song.

As for the song itself... I love the lyrics, though I suppose they're a bit wordy - at least in comparison with a lot of what was going on in the Top 40 of the mid-'60s. I am finding that I have a thing for unusual rhymes, which this song has a few. I love the classical influence in the production, featuring a harpsichord and strings... and I love the unconventional structure to the song - not following the typical verse-bridge-verse configuration of many pop songs of the time. Also, as I think I've mentioned before, I dig the fact that it's quite clearly a break up song ("It's just that I am not in the market for a boy who wants to love only me") and it's set to a rather upbeat tune. Love the contrast of that.

Anyway, I suppose I've rambled enough for now, so I'll just leave you with the song.

Dancin' Through the Decades

So… this post isn’t going to be strictly about music, but I do think music and dance do go hand in hand a bit.

 

I’ve been thoroughly infatuated with popular dances of the past 100 years or so. To me, it’s fascinating to watch how dance has evolved throughout history, and it evolves just as the music evolves. You also can see influences from earlier dances in more recent dances. It’s crazy to think about the fact that during the 1910s, there was a craze of Animal Dances, like the Fox Trot, Kangaroo Hop, Duck Waddle, Chicken Scratch, Turkey Trot, or Grizzly Bear. From my research, they all seem to be fairly similar, one-step ballroom type dances. What’s also rather amusing to me is that when the Fox Trot first came on the scene, it was considered shocking

 

The 1920s is one of my favorite eras – especially in dance. It’s just so much about letting go and having a good time – and The Charleston is so much fun (and a pretty good cardio workout). There was also The Black Bottom, The Shimmy, and The Varsity Drag. As I’ve gotten better at these dances, I’m finding they’re all pretty easy to combine, but of course when you’re dancing in this style, it’s helpful to have 1920s jazz on. It makes it a lot more fun.  In the 1930s, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers style ballroom dancing was at the forefront of popular dance and as “jazz” merged into “swing” through the late 1930s and early 1940s, a number of swing dances became popular, like the Lindy Hop or the Jitterbug. There were also a number of Latin dances, like the Rumba, that caught on while on the dance floors. I thoroughly enjoy swing dancing, though, it’s really hard to properly swing dance without a partner!

 

As Rock ‘n’ Roll became popular, the Jive joined the Jitterbug on the dance floor – most of the rock ‘n’ roll dancing was a more wild version of swing dancing from decades before. Also, the Hand Jive and the Stroll made some appearances throughout the decade. A hybrid of the Rumba and Swing evolved as well, known as the Mambo. The ‘60s is one of my favorite decades of dance, because it’s so bouncy and fun – kind of like the style in the ‘20s. And you don’t need a partner – which is good for me because I can’t always find someone willing to dance with me! The Twist is probably the most famous of the 1960s dances, but there were a ton of jerky Mod dances – like The Pony, the Watusi, the Swim, the Monkey, the Jerk, the Freddy, and the Mashed Potato.  As the ‘60s rolled on, Psychedelic dances started – which are completely experimental and freeform and all about “feeling the music”. And of course in the 1970s, we’ve got the explosion of disco. I don’t know too many disco dances, but I think I’ve perfected The Hustle! I’ve yet to do too much research on dances of the 1980s and 1990s (though, I think I can remember the Macarena), and I don’t know if I could ever bring myself to do the Gangnam Style dance…

 

I think, however, my favorite dance from a previous decade at the moment wasn’t even really a popular dance craze. While I was doing my research on dances from the 1970s, I ran across the music video of Kate Bush’s song, “Wuthering Heights”. I love the song, but had never seen the video before. I think her style of dance would fit more in the freeform, psychedelic area, and while it may look a little silly as I dance with Kate in my living room, it’s a whole lot of fun!