Illustration by N.C. Wyeth from John Hay's The Pike County Ballads, 1912
There's a weird synchronicity in "The Rainbow" coming up on the jukebox this week. Actually, there are two different synchronicities. The first is that this song is found on the new Apples (in Stereo) "greatest hits" collection that comes out in two weeks. The Apples aren't really a guilty pleasure for me, but I enjoy them with the understanding that their helium-filled bubblegum pop isn't for everyone. And a lot of their albums are considered to be uneven - "The Rainbow" comes from their 2000 album The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone, which is a favorite of mine even though it's considered spotty by some Apples fans. But their new collection, #1 Hits Explosion, is a very solid run-down of their best songs that would be a fun listen for even jaded pop-haters.
The other weird coincidence in "The Rainbow" showing up today is that it's on a tentative playlist I've been working on. I have some friends and relatives whose kids are getting to the age that their picking up on their parents' musical tastes. I thought it would be fun to make a mix of indie-friendly songs for kids that parents can enjoy too. It's a balancing act because it's easy to let things get really saccharine really fast, but here's a few things I've come up with so far:
"The Rainbow" by the Apples (in Stereo)
"Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys
"Everything Will Be All Right" by Andy Partridge
"Why Does the Sun Shine?" by They Might Be Giants
"Mr. Songbird" by the Kinks
"I Saw Cinnamon" by Dressy Bessy
"You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes
"Ride a White Swan" by T. Rex
"Be Nice to Animals" by the Salteens
"1 2 3 Red Light" by 1910 Fruitgum Company
"Black Balloon" by the Minders
"Yellow Balloon" by Jan & Dean
"All Together Now" by the Beatles
"Elephant Candy" by Fun & Games
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by R.E.M.
"Broccoli" by the Association
"Walking My Gargoyle" by the Gothic Archies
"Kites Are Fun" by the Free Design
"Sugar on Sunday" by Tommy James & the Shondells
"I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves
"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" by the Monkees
"Tally Ho" by the Clean
"Sweet Baby James" by the Pooh Sticks
Looking at that list, I'm starting to have my doubts. Also, I think my blood sugar may be spiking. It needs some work, obviously - leave a comment if I'm missing something obvious.
"The Rainbow" by the Apples (in Stereo)
1 comments:
Dylan and Caitlin are very into their off-brand iPod lately. You should totally burn us a copy of your mix.
Pretty hard picking a Beach Boys song, right? Maybe "Vege-tables" is the way to go.
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