Nightly Song
Musings on Songs that Strike a Chord Tonight

Posts Tagged ‘Punk Folk

Come a Long Way by Michelle Shocked

October 8, 2010

Written and performed by Michelle Shocked.

Floating on an irresistible melody and a pulsing rhythm section, “Come a Long Way” uses a Los Angeles travelogue to tell the story of a girl falling in so far in love that’s she’s afraid of losing herself. That helpless feeling of love moprhs into anger as she storms away from her man and kick starts the tale

Kiss Off by the Violent Femmes

June 2, 2010

Kiss Off

Performed by the Violent Femmes. Written by Gordon Gano.

At their best – and that includes “Kiss Off” – the Violent Femmes distilled a raging stream of consciousness that gave voice to horniness, confusion, anger, fear, rebellion and a general what-the-fuck attitude. We’re not talking about the idea of teenage angst or anyone else’s idea of angst; we’re talking the thing itself. Their songs arose from the usual themes of sex, drugs, rock ‘n roll, or more precisely, a longing for sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll and they avoided clichés, wallowing and novel staring in favor of primal scream. “You can just kiss off/yeah, yeah, yeah” the bellow.

The Violent Femmes were three guys banging three unamplified instruments – upright bass, simple snare drum and acoustic guitar – for all their worth. In songs like “Kiss Off,” Gordon Gano sings with an urgency that captures the collision of what’s racing around his mind and coming from his crotch.