SOMETHING OLD
Roberta Flack - No Tears (In the End)
1973
Roberta Flack - No Tears (In the End)
1973
Roberta Flack sang some truly gut-wrenching, tragic songs.
This isn’t one of them.
This isn’t one of them.
To me, this is a gorgeous anthem of acceptance and living in the moment. Between the I don’t want no tears in the end (when it’s over) chorus are verses recounting what it felt like falling in love. And it’s not “if it’s over,” it’s “when it’s over,” accepting that all things must pass, like George Harrison said. It carries a beautiful sentiment of appreciating what you had even when it inevitably slips away.
No Tears was written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter, and perfectly interpreted by Flack. Sonically, this is one of her most thrilling songs. The introduction builds first with almost impressionist piano and subdued, almost aimless bass notes. Then comes in the percussion, followed by the bass finding its place in accompaniment with the intoxicating guitar. There are even some super unique, funky brass arrangements here. “Building” is actually what this song does best, and it never really comes back down; it just keeps getting better.
Other highlights for me are:
1:08 - The lyrical delivery of I wanted it too sounds like the precursor to her 1975 song, I Wanted It Too!!!! She even sings the line similarly!!!
3:06 key change in the second time she says it’s too late to turn around. Goosebumps.
1:08 - The lyrical delivery of I wanted it too sounds like the precursor to her 1975 song, I Wanted It Too!!!! She even sings the line similarly!!!
3:06 key change in the second time she says it’s too late to turn around. Goosebumps.
SOMETHING NEW
Natalie Bergman - Lonely Road
July 10th, 2025
Natalie Bergman - Lonely Road
July 10th, 2025
This song is the opener to Natalie Bergman’s latest album, My Home Is Not In This World. I discovered Bergman fairly recently through her 2021 song Shine Your Light On Me – a tune from Mercy, her debut solo record (following a potential break or departure from her brother-sister duo Wild Belle) full of original psychedelic gospel soul songs. I was intrigued and then found Gunslinger, her latest single at the time. I fell in love with her unique sound and female-spun storytelling of a no-good gun-slingin’ cowboy. Between all the old macho western songs and Hey Joe, if a man’s gonna shoot his woman down, at this point I wanna hear about it from her. Although... this cowgirl doesn’t seem to mind his faults.
Lonely Road, however, was the next and final single released following Gunslinger – and it’s even less critical of her so-called cowboy. It’s somber and echoes the same message of Yvonne Elliman’s 1978 If I Can't Have You (I don't want nobody, baby). A narrator who would rather be alone than without the man she loves. The are some truly beautiful melodies and strings happening here. I particularly love the backing vocal harmonies that arise toward the end, just before the song ends with a tambourine rattle and brief piano glissando and takes us into Gunslinger.
HEY! BEEN TRYING... TO MEET YOU.
Hey is one of Pixies' most iconic songs from their beloved 1989 album Doolittle. In all his glory, frontman Black Francis screams “HEY!” surrounded by complete silence in a way that makes you kind of slowly turn around and go...
Hey is one of Pixies' most iconic songs from their beloved 1989 album Doolittle. In all his glory, frontman Black Francis screams “HEY!” surrounded by complete silence in a way that makes you kind of slowly turn around and go...
Then comes solo bass as he continues to shout and grunt. Eventually the rest of the band builds up. This is the sort of wild, post-punk thing you did just to experiment in the 80s. But what do you do when that’s all been done and you want something fresh 30 years later?
That’s where Nilüfer Yanya comes in. You give it more of a synth feel and whisper the “hey” instead of shouting it. That’s what you do.
My streaming algorithm often recommends Yanya songs to me, and it only takes a few moments for me to realize it's her. There’s something very distinct about her voice and sound. Bearing this individuality in mind, it’s no surprise she breathes such unique and fresh life into this song. Distorted guitar, synthesizers, echo effects on her voice (which is, by the way, much more polished than that of Black Francis) are how she brings such a stripped down, dawn of indie rock song into the 2010s digital age. Because what’s the point of a cover if you’re just going to repeat what’s already been done (and revered)?
SOMETHING... heard in a bathroom
Marden Hill - Hijack
1994
Marden Hill - Hijack
1994
You might’ve never heard of Marden Hill, but if you’ve ever heard of Trip Hop, then you now have someone to credit as pioneers of the genre. Coined the world’s “laziest, sexiest band” by NME, what were they doing in the bathroom?
Okay, the story is bit more dignified than it sounds.
My work desk is a few yards away from the studio where The Brian Lehrer show on WNYC is produced, and the restroom is in between the two. So, the speakers in the bathroom play WNYC 24/7, and I suppose I’m often in there during the BLS. Every time the show began or came back from break, I heard this brilliant guitar, bass, and drum refrain. Brief, but there was something really special about it. I assumed maybe it was a royalty free instrumental break or perhaps recorded for the show. It took a little bit of googling to finally find Hijack, which is so much more than its intro (which I still think is just great).
Lyrics like you’re taking over, I’m taking orders, you’re taking hold of my time sound like a partner overstepping in your life and autonomy. However, there’s a sound byte in the beginning of a flight attendant announcing the gate of an American Airlines flight, and my post-9/11 brain can’t help but wonder if there are some plane hijacking implications at play, even though it’s from 1994.
But honestly, the fact that I’m pondering the lyrics at all is a miracle because the instrumentation is so lush (there’s even FLUTE!), it’d be fine without words. There is really no better way to describe this song than simply “very cool.”