YUI comes from a very modest single parent family and so of course there was no money for a car or driving lessons, so when she became successful, one of first the things she did was obtain her driving license and buy a car. She was so happy, she wrote three songs about her car after that ! ! ! This one is about a trip in the car to the seaside and it is very carefree and cheerful ! ! ! It is really popular at her live shows and there is even a special dance that the fans do to the track ! ! ! I always find myself singing it when I am in the car ! ! !
02 Icona Pop – I Love It ~ bishbosh
Is there anything better than a couple of girls raucously yelling about how rubbish boys are? I don’t know that there is. Like Shampoo crossed with Republica crossed with Girls Aloud crossed with… oh, you get the idea. Now pogo, goddammit!
03 Minnie Riperton – Les Fleur ~ barbryn
My girls’ favourite song right now is “Up, Up and Away” by The Fifth Dimension, which I have as the opening track on a Big Chill compilation. We listen to it a lot. If I’m lucky we go on to track 2 (Lambchop’s wonderful “Up With People”), and then this classic. Best chorus ever?
04 Phoebe Snow – In My Girlish Days (Memphis Minnie cover) ~ tincanman
Languish in the groove of the highlight of a 2012 Maria Muldaur-led tribute album; few but Snow, who died in 2011 at age 60, could equal the legendary Minnie’s singing and the guitar players she married.
05 Spanky Wilson – Sunshine Of Your Love ~ wilemena
A Creamy classic gawn well funky.
06 Majornas 3dje Rote Med Tomas Von Brömssen – Flickorna I Göteborg ~ Pairubu
Stumbled across this by accident. Swedish Cajun ! Makes me smile every time. What more can you ask of a tune? The title translates as ‘The Girls In Gothenburg’.
As the close-down of the ‘Earworms wiv wilemena’ broadcast has already been announced, I’ll add to that by saying a huge Thanks to all you lovely listeners and contributors. Please send no cards or flowers, but donations to the Earworm Fund would be most welcome.
Best wishes to the next worm charmer.
YUI: Ooh, that sounds like a drivetime classic waiting to happen. Appropriately for a song about a car. Yeah, this is fun – great energy.
Icona Pop: Me again. Oops! Another one I love for the energy. As well as lines such as “I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs”. Take that, loser!
Minnie Riperton: I can imagine this following on nicely from “Up With People”. Bigly chilled. Ah now, I know the chorus. I didn’t think I knew the song before this bit, but it’s deffo familiar. Has it been used in an ad or something?
Phoebe Snow: Gorgeous voice. I tend to find vibrato-heavy voices a bit much, but hers is lovely/the vibrato sounds unforced.
Spanky Wilson: Great name. Great tune to cover. Great version. Great.
Majornas etc: As ridiculous-sounding as I could have hoped. Yep, I’m grinning. Lots of fun.
Well, that was a very ‘up’ playlist, by and large. Very sorry to lose you after such a short stint, wilemena (you’ve done a fab job – and without beginners’ glitches or anything!), but hope you’ll still be around the ‘Spill lots!
Cheers bish. And yes, I’ll still be popping in now and again to pester peeples!
I will listen later but I just want to wish wilemena all the very best of whatever is necessary in her life at the moment:
You’ve been a breath of (fresh? innuendo-laden?) air in RRland and I do hope that fings get sawted aht very soon.
Ta for the parting cheeky pic. Pairubu would thank you for his video but he has his mouth full at the moment.
. . . wouldn’t he have to have a rib or two removed to manage that?
This is a really nice playlist and I liked all of the m very much ! ! !
Icona Pop – I loved this track, I thought the lyrics were really fun and the arrangement and retro synths were really great ! ! ! It has a great hook and I was singing “I don’t care – I love it” before the end so that is a really good sign ! ! !
Minnie Riperton – I really liked this is sounded at times like something from a musical theatre production maybe one of the Hippy productions – Jesus Christ Superstar or something like. I liked it a lot she has an amazing voice ! ! !
Phoebe Snow – I love the blues when it is sung by a girl. I think this is very nicely arranged track, it has all the elements that a classic blues should have, the guitar solo, the twinkly piano, but it manages to avoid the clichés. I really enjoyed it ! ! !
Spanky Wilson – WOW ! ! ! This really is funky ! ! ! It really had me dancing around my apartment ! ! ! I really enjoyed this track so much. I liked her voice a lot. It had a great tone that suited the track perfectly. I liked the saxaphonje part also very much.
Majornas 3dje Rote Med Tomas Von Brömssen – Swedish Cajun – Of course it is ! ! ! I love these strange combinations and discoveries, mine was Handsome Hank the Swiss Bluegrass band. But I think it is energy, fun and directness that this music has that makes people from totally different cultures want to make it. I like the trad Jazz influences in this a lot also. This is really classic track that makes me want to dance ! ! ! Do they make jambalaya in Sweden ? ? ?
Yui - This was my pick of course. and the track is one of my favourites of her more pop style tracks . Towards the end there is part where she sings “Onegai Venus…” (please Venus) and then she sings about the journey home and ends with “I am in love” It somehow just makes my hair tingle ! ! ! For me it is a true earworm as it really does get stuck in my mind ! ! !
The dance the fans do is coped from the Promo Video for the track. For the Hotel Holidays in the Sun tour there was a dance competition for fan club members in different areas where the concerts were held and the winners had the chance to do the dance the on stage during the performances. You can see Yui perform it live in this clip, and about half way into the clip, you will the fan dancers join Yui on stage. I think you will see what a popular track it is live ! ! !
If you have time you can see it herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyyheC_c0ZQ
Thank you so much Wilemena for looking after us and I hope everything goes well for you ! ! !
Hi Sakura. The YUI live gig looks a lot of fun and isn’t she just beautiful!! I love the energy in the song, that hits you straight off and doesn’t let go. The dance looks fun too, but best not to try it whilst driving! Love wilemena x
Is that two bald blokes peeping through a net curtain ?
A fine parting shot, wiley ( sad to see you go, BTW).
1. Yui.
What a load of old rubbish *
2. Icona Pop LOVEIT ! Great grinding synths. Will be investing my shekels in this one later..
3. Minnie Riperton. Very partial to Ms Riperton. Squeaky but delightful, like a coquettish mouse.
4. Not so keen, sorry. Can be doing with the blues much these days.
5. Spanky . Ha ! Should anyone ask me to define “turgid” then I’d probably play them the original of this song. This wees all over it ( in a good way), great fun
6. What kind of idiot etc….Swedish is a great language, I don’t think it’s possible to sing anything in it and not sound funny. Flickorna !
* Joke ! ( You can stop hitting me now, Sakura).
I like to imagine Yui in a little yellow , open topped car, rather like Noddy. Those regimented dancing things are weirdly fun, I’ve seen other examples on Youtube.
Yui is definitely a “grower” of an artist. Love it.
I am not sure that Icona Pop is for sale in this country, iTunes-wise. I searched and ended up downloading it for free (I think legally) from the interweb. You should be able to do the same but right-clicking on the linky for it above, I expect. Glad it was to your taste anyway!
Hi Wilemena, have enjoyed your time as Earworm Mistress, wanted to add my thanks and best wishes.
My favourites were Icona Pop, Yiu and Spanky, love the original, but this is loads of fun
I LOVE Minnie Ripperton!!!
It wasn’t quite the same but that opening note/chord of es-car had me singing “it’s been a hard day’s night!”. Yes it does sound like drive-time music – and I don’t even drive. Very enjoyable.
Icona Pop sound like a cross between Transvision Vamp and Bananarama to me – not that that’s a bad thing – I liked it. Oh! I just looked them up and they’re (mostly) Swedish too.
Minnie – I only know “Loving You” and this is a different kettle of herring altogether – excellent stuff.
I like the little I’ve heard by Phoebe Snow, I don’t always like the blues when it’s performed later than the 1920s by somebody who isn’t from the Mississippi Delta but sometimes I do and here and her I do indeedie do.
Great voice – but do Americans actually name – I mean christen or register – their offspring “Spanky”? Anyway, regardless of that it sounded much more enjoyable to me than the original although I don’t hate that version like Mr Ubu seems to.
Squeaking of which – I like PairUbu’s contribution very much but (and?) kept thinking of the chef from The Muppets singing with the house band. Mind you I haven’t watched the video yet. Is it terribly Benny Hill? Only one way to find out………
Spanky was a childhood nickname given to her by her Dad coz she used to get spanked a lot for getting into mischief. I don’t actually know her real name.
Well, Wilemena, an outstanding playlist, my friend. It really is par excellence. Your wormcasts may have been of short duration but I am sure you’ve left your mark with your warm personality and wit. Well done and thanks.
There are some YUI songs I like more than others – I prefer her more thoughtful, accoustic songs in general, but this is nice and a perfect driving song.
Icona Pop is highly energetic and I was laughing out loud at the lyrics. it was great fun – and I like Severin’s description.
Minnie Riperton didn’t sound at all like the screechy lady I vaguely remember. This is beautiful yet still shows off her remarkable vocal range. Very sweet indeed.
I love Phoebe Snow and I believe I’ve nominated it on RR so I know it’s a killer of a song.
I got a sneak preview of Spanky Wilson because I’d early showcased Ella doing the same song and I love this version. Kicks ass.
And then the giggles returned for the Swedish Cajuns. What a priceless find.
Thank you all.
Short maybe, but not without it’s value. I can now do a ‘Spill post all by myself, thanks to you. If I ever want to that is. Ta for everything x
love that Icona Pop track – heard it a few months ago and nearly sent it in as an Earworm myself!
Great, innit? I came across it in one of those end-of-year Best Of lists. About the only track (in amongst all the Frank Oceans and Carly Rae Jepsons and Jessie Wares) that I really loved, rather than admired in a ‘meh’ sort of way.
A nice upbeat list. Willy, I like yours best, closely followed by Pairubu’s choice (that’s twice I’ve really liked something from Pairubu, I’m starting to get worried. And I hope his rib operation isn’t too painful).
Anyway, best of luck, thanks for a great list and I hope everything goes well with whatever you need to do.
Fashionably late here…hope it’s still OK to play…
First song – thought at first Hard Days Night was starting up…soon proved wrong, though. If I didn’t know this was Japanese, I would’ve thought it was an entry for Eurovision…..More Happy Darling! (as my colleague’s Indonesian fiance likes to say)
Second song – Finnish? Swedish? Oh blimey, I know this one….so that means it’s either been a massive hit over here or used in an ad….or both? I don’t LOAVE it that much – it’s a bit too noisy for me, in the wrong sort of way (loud rather than noisy. Is brash the word I’m struggling for? What’s happened to my English?). Little’un’s up off her sick bed prancing to this, so I’m obviously the wrong demographic….
Song Three – Best beginning so far, chorus from Hair? I think I’m being carried away to the Age of Aquarius….absolutely late 60s/early70s and rather flowery lyrics (see what I did there?)
Song Four – blues, oh yeah. Luuuurve this one!
Song Five – this is a toon I know isn’t it? My god, a funky Cream cover. Socks…knocked…off! Where can we find more?
Song Six – it’s Beausoleil suomeksi…or something like that…ace!
Great list! Sorry you’re passing the Keys to the Wormdom on so soon wilemena – hope all those other things in your life work out.