February 2024: These Are The Good Old Days
I'll sing it one last time for you, and then we really have to go.
Much like how the month of February echoes other months, masking the coldness of winter with the promise of spring, this playlist echoes other playlists (both recent and past) while also echoing itself. Also like February the month, it’s slightly longer in a way nobody cares about, and it’s temperamentally all over the place.
Let’s leap1 in and let the music speak for itself.
“Big Time, Sucka” Leslie Stevens - This was heavily played on KCRW (it was one of their Top Tunes in Jan) but, really, how better to kick off this playlist than with
I′m drunk and I'm tired and
I′m laying on the bathroom floor
In Hollywood
I've done this before
“Dancing With Myself,” Maren Morris - The first of two Billy Idol songs here, but unlike Nouvelle Vague’s below, ‘Dancing With Myself’ finds Morris using Idol’s hit as a means of letting go, of acceptance and reflection; the video finds her alone, singing in and moving through a record store in Nashville, as fitting an image as there can be for the past year of her life and moving on to what’s next.
“Good Old Days,” The Revivalists & The Head and The Heart - The title of this playlist comes from this song, and it was all I could do not to name it after the last lyric of this chorus, because every playlist in 2024 can’t include lonely in the title2:
I've been dreaming, I've been pushing through
I'm not the star of a story
And I've been hurt and I've been missing you
I'm that special kind of lonely“Colors,” Black Pumas - One of the highlights of February, and the only show I went to, was seeing Black Pumas perform live at KCRW HQ in Santa Monica. Though it was in support of their latest album, they still played tracks from their first, including this one, one of my favorites.
“Do Your Worst” Rival Sons - As heard in last years JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL, which I finally watched last month.3
“Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” American Aquarium - American Aquarium put out two albums of 90’s country music covers during covid, and though my fav tracks are these two, I would be remiss if I didn’t include this one, originally written and performed by Toby Keith, who died last month. I’m not a fan of Keith’s per se, but he was an early champion of Taylor Swift, which almost makes up for the fact he’s built shitty restaurants in my hometown. Also, he gave us this:
Go west young man, haven't you been told?
California's full of whiskey, women and gold“Turn Down The Moon” Jonah Smith feat David Hidalgo - Another track featured in Justified’s latest.
“The Leader” Oxford Drama - Heard this one on KCRW and it stuck.
“Rebel Yell,” Nouvelle Vague feat Mélanie Pain - I’ve always enjoyed NV’s takes on 80’s hits (their I Melt With You remains a top favorite) and this is no exception.
“Big Love,” Camera Obscura - Camera Obscura is BACK! I cannot emphasize enough how much Camera Obscura’s music defined (defines?) my playlist-making way of falling in love, but ‘French Navy’ will never not be the song4. This is the first track from their new album and I can’t wait for more. “"It was a big love, " she said. That's why it took ten years to get her out of your head.”
“Burial Ground,” The Decemberists feat. James Mercer - The first new stellar single from The Decemberists, who are touring this summer and you can catch them two nights at the Bellwether in LA.
“Feel The Love Go,” Franz Ferdinand - Kickin’ it up a notch as we get moving’.
“Send Me An Angel - ‘89 Extended Mix” Real Life - I read the Boss Fights book about Super Mario Bros. 3, which of course talked about the 1989 movie THE WIZARD, which of course led me to listen to this absolute banger non-stop.
“Beam Me Up - Jacques Renault Remix,” Midnight Magic - As heard on KCRW and which became a staple of my cycling mix.
“One Night/All Night,” Tame Impala feat Justice - Another new Tame Impala track that’s a bop.
“Nobody Like U,” 4*TOWN - PIXAR’s ‘TURNING RED’ was (re)released in theaters in February, and it continues to be a favorite, and once cannot ignore how great the 4*TOWN songs are in that movie.
“If You Leave,” Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - I know, I know: I used the cover of this two playlists ago and I didn’t think I’d be using the original anytime soon BUT I watched PRETTY IN PINK for the first time (I know5) and how could I not?
“The Promise,” When In Rome - I’ve always been partial to Sturgill Simpson’s incredible cover, but this popped up in LISA FRANKENSTEIN and I’ve been giving it another chance.
“Tainted Love,” Gloria Love - KCRW’s wonderful podcast ‘Lost Notes’ returned with an episode about this, the original version of Tainted Love, and it’s worth a listen.
“Saturday Night (Need You Now),” José James - First stellar track off of his new album, and I can’t wait for more.
“My Golden Years,” The Lemon Twigs - I was turned onto this band, and their new single, by author Michael Chabon, who was praising their retro 60’s sound and harmonies.
“Laugh, Laugh” The Beau Brummels - Which led me to listen to a lot of that era of music, including this classic.
“Date With The Rain,” Eddie Kendricks - We got (and connie to get) a lot of rain in SoCal in February, and one would think you’d run out of finding new classic rain songs to listen to but much like the rain, they never end.
“Lonely in My Grief,” The War And Treaty - Another gem from this season of Justified, and a haunting track.
“Bushwick Blues - Frank’s Full Moon Saloon Version,” Matthew Logan Vasquez - MLV just put out an album where he reinterprets some of his other music, from Delta Spirit and other side projects. ‘Bushwick Blues’ has always been one of my favorite Delta Spirit tracks, and I enjoy the variations in this version. “Because my love is strong and my heart is weak after all…”
“Hard Believer,” First Aid Kit - I was in Amoeba Records one morning in February, and they were playing this album, and it was just one of those moments where I found myself singing along while surrounded by music and music culture and it was just…. nice. I’ve always liked this song, but it never made it onto a playlist… until now. “And it's one life and it's this life and it's beautiful”
“You’re Gonna Go Far,” Noah Kahan & Brandi Carlile - “We ain't angry at you, love. You're the greatest thing we've lost.” Big fan of Noah’s new album, and this track with Brandi is pretty great.
“Fast Car,” Black Pumas - I’ve mentioned this cover before. It was a song I listened to a lot in covid. This February brought us the Grammys and Tracy Chapman being recognized, rightly so, for her talent and skill as she sang her song on stage with Luke Combs. But for my money, if we’re gonna talk about amazing covers of ‘Fast Car,’ the discussion begins and ends with Black Pumas version.
“Someday, Someday,” Pete Yorn - The newest single from mainstay Pete Yorn, who never disappoints.
“Someday,” All-4-One - This is taken from the 1996 Disney Animated movie ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME’ which I clearly saw as a kid but didn’t remember, and with good reason. It’s… a… movie all right. But this song, which plays over the end credits, by the most 90’s of 90’s bands, has been in my head ever since I watched it.
“Can’t Fight This Feeling,” JoJo - I really liked ‘LISA FRANKENSTEIN’ and not just because of the music BUT any movie that features REO Speedwagon’s hit as a pivotal moment is a great movie in my book. This cover by JoJo is pretty sweet.
“Maybe This Time,” Liza Minnelli - I caught ‘CABARET’ at The Vista Theater last month, as part of their IB Technicolor Print festival. It was another highlight of the month for me. What a picture.
“Run,” Leona Lewis - So, I included this cover of Snow Patrol way back on the previous version of these playlists, and was remiss to duplicate it here. But the version I used previously was the ‘Single Mix’ so technically this is a different version.6 In any event, this cover showed up in ‘ARGYLE,’ one of the mist absurd movie’s I’ve seen lately. I’ve always loved this cover, and Snow Patrol’s original. “I’ll sing it one last time for you, and then we really have to go…”
February Media:
Concerts:
Black Pumas @ KCRW HQ
In Theaters:
Past Lives (2023) (AMC)
Argyle (2024) (AMC)
Lisa Frankenstein (2024) (AMC)
Turning Red (2022) (AMC)
The Taste of Things (2023) (AMC)
Amelie (2001) (AMC)
Cabaret (1972) (The Vista)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) (The Vista)
Drive-Away Dolls (2024)
Streaming/Physical Media:
Garden State (2004)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
Silverado (1985)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Raya & The Last Dragon (2021)
X2 (2003)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Frasier S5, E14: The Ski Lodge (1998)
Justified: City Primeval (8 episodes, 2023)
Pretty In Pink (1986)
The Mummy (1999)
The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Books:
The World We Make, by NK Jemisen (2022)
How To Sell A Haunted House, by Grady Hendrix (2023)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Boss Fight Books vol. 13), by Alyse Knorr (2016)
Holly, by Stephen King (2023)
Swamp Story, by Dave Barry (2023)
Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell (2013)
Graphic Novels:
Fantastic Four: Heroes Reborn (1996) (collects the first six issues of Jim Lee’s run)
Nextwave: Agents of HATE vol. 1: This Is What They Want (2006) (collects Nextwave 1-6)
Comic Books: Avengers West Coast #100 (1993), Thundercats #1, X-Men #31, She-Hulk #5, Excalibur #66 (1993), Amazing Spider-Man #43, Fall of X #2, Superior Spider-Man #4, Wolverine #43, TMNT #148, Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom #1 (1983), Ultimate Spider-Man #2, Spider-Boy #4, Edge of Spider-Verse #1, X-Force #49, Rise of the Powers of X #2, Amazing Spider-Man #44, Wolverine #44, Avengers: Twilight #3, Resurrection of Magneto #2, Negaduck #4
The one and only leap day joke I’ll make.
Or can they! :)
And I loved it.
Relationships were something I used to do
Convince me they are better for me and you
We met by a trick of fate…
I missed a lot of the classic 80’s movies growing up, and though I caught up on some later, especially in college, Pretty In Pink wasn’t one of them. Neither was Sixteen Candles, which I also saw for the first time last month. Sixteen Candles has…. a lot… of problems. And I didn’t enjoy it at all. But Pretty In Pink fucking rocks. Annie Potts is a total babe. I loved everything about it, except the ending, because how fucking dare she take that fucking asshole back? Gah!
Also, nobody cares. Nobody keeps tracks of these things but me. But I care! I spend a lot of time thinking about these dumb things! I can’t help it!