Obsessong: “Monster Mash”

I love Halloween. Something about the idea of ghouls and ghosts being embraced on a national level just sends shivers down my prickly spine. Which is why I’ve always wondered why there aren’t more Halloween songs? There’s got to be dozens of classic Christmas songs. It’s not like there’s not a great wealth of material to draw from; vampires, jack-o-lanterns, candy, the possibilities are endless. Then again, does the world need anymore when you already have the spooky classic that is “Monster Mash”?

Song: “Monster “Mash by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
Album: Is The Original Monster Mash
Year: 1962
Written By: Bobby Pickett and Leonard L. Capizzi
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Obsessongs: “Is This How You Feel?”

There hasn’t really been a precedent set on how recent these Obsessong things need to be, although so far I’ve made a habit of writing about songs that were recorded far before my time.  However, I’d say that finding a brand new song that you instantly fall in love with can be just as, if not even more exciting than discovering an old tune that’s worth obsessing over.  Also, I just feel way more compelled to write about this one song than any album that’s come out in the last few months.

Song: “Is This How You Feel?” by The Preatures
Album: Is This How You Feel? EP
Year: 2013
Written By: Isabella Manfredi, Luke Davison, Thomas Champion and Jack Moffitt Continue reading

Obsessongs: “I Only Have Eyes For You”

I don’t really have a reason for writing about this particular song other than the fact that I really like it, and that putting out less than 10 posts in a month just seems unacceptable.  Though I suppose we are approaching the dog days of August, and this is a song that tends to conjure up images of those long hot summer nights.  The kinds where a couple of lovelorn youngsters hook up at the local malt shop, go cruising around the town, end up making out at lover’s point, and ultimately die behind the wheel after Johnny swerves and crashes his dad’s Cadillac into a ditch.  Perhaps I should explain that last part.

Song: “I Only Have Eyes For You” by The Flamingos
Album: Single Only
Year: 1959
Written By: Harry Warren and Al Dubin Continue reading

Obsessongs: “One More Time”

I wanted to do an obsessong as soon as Colin debuted the feature, then immediately lost my drive. For one, it was writing about music, which I consider myself particularly poor at. But more than that, I wasn’t sure how to pick a song. What are the official criteria? Is it a single song that is so strong that it makes me listen to a whole album just to get to it? A song that I have to listen to over and over? One that I just like way more than I should? But with the release of Random Access Memories and the recent death of Anthony Moore, I thought this gem from Daft Punk was worth discussing.

Song: “One More Time” by Daft Punk
Album: Discovery
Year: 2001
Written By: Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Anthony Moore
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Obsessongs: “Roadrunner”

As I spent this past weekend in Boston, one thought that kept going through my head as I wandered around the city was, “Man, I can’t think of the last time a really great band came out of Boston.”  Sure, there where some good ones that rose out of Beantown’s underground scene in the 80’s (Mission Of Burma, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies), but beyond that, I’m kinda drawing a blank.  Anyways, The Modern Lovers may have been Boston’s first great underground band, which back then was another way of saying they were just unsuccessful.  Still, they managed to craft a song that for me embodies the timeless bond that teenagers form with rock music, and also serves as a nice tribute to the state of Massachusetts.

Song: “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers
Album: The Modern Lovers
Year: 1972
Written By: Jonathan Richman

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Obsessongs: “Landslide”

It’s become obvious to me that apart from our weekly podcasts, things have grown a little stale around here at Mildly Pleased.  And since I’m in a transitional point in my life where I have a bunch of time on my hands (most people call it being woefully unemployed), I figured I’d shake things up a bit with a new feature.  Now I’m sure we’ve all had those moments in our lives where a certain song becomes intertwined with our very existence, so much so that you develop this obsession over it, and thus slowly start to form an intense personal relationship with said song.  I call these “obsessongs”, which of course is a dumb title, but so are most things when you think about it.  Anyways, today’s song comes from ‘70s pop-rock superstars, Fleetwood Mac.

Song: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
Album: Fleetwood Mac
Year: 1975
Written By: Stevie Nicks

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