My themes for June are dance songs, telling people what to do (because that’s what a lot of dance songs end up being), observations about the universe (because telling people what to do is basically advice and advice usually involves making observations about things) and the moon (because it rhymes with June). June is a month about attempting to explain the world through dance. So bees. Bees fit into June as well. And the wind. Because the wind teaches things to dance.

M79- Vampire Weekend

This is a nice bright happy sounding song. And I like a good use of strings. It’s a new addition to my June playlist, so I haven’t spent much time analyzing it. 

Here are the lyrics:

“No excuse to be so callous
Dress yourself in bleeding madras
Charm your way across the Khyber Pass
Stay awake to break the habit
Sing in praise of Jackson Crowter
Watch your step along the arch of glass”

The lyrics aren’t entirely positive, but overall, the song seems to be about embracing multiculturalism, which is something I agree with. It reminds me a little of Cake’s Mr. Mastodon Farm which advises to “take swatches out of all material.”

 Dancing in the Moonlight – King Harvest

(recording of song with picture)

Interview with the song writer Sherm Kelley where he explains how he came up with the song. He and his girlfriend basically had a terrible experience getting attacked on a beach and he wanted to imagine a world where that sort of thing didn’t happen. Interesting interview, but it might mess up the song for some people. 

This fits two aspects of the monthly theme: the moon, and dancing. It’s also just a wonderful happy song, even with its tragic back story.

We like our fun and we never fight
You can’t dance and stay uptight
It’s a supernatural delight
Everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight

Video for Toploader cover of the song. This has more of a November feel to it.

Lizard #3 – Go! Go! 7188

This is a live version of the song. I prefer the singing in the recorded version, but the live version is great for the guitar solo and and for the feeling of general awesomeness. The name of the song is Tokage Sango, which literally translates to lizard number 3. And on the surface, the song appears to be about a lizard.  But In a bizarre, very Japanese fashion, the song also seems to be about coming to terms with one’s limitations and one’s place in the universe.

Tokage sangou tokage sangou
Shippo no kireta HAchuurui
Tokage sangou tokage sangou<
Onaka aohikari HAchuurui

KIRAKIRA to hikaru ano buttai wa nanda ? 
Kinou arukidashita kono jimen ni wa shiranai nomo ga
Takusan aru sa

Ore to kage kuro to kage tsuite kuruna ore tokage 

My translation:

Lizard #3 Lizard # 3 
With the bright blue belly
Lizard #3 Lizard #3
With the cut off tail

What is this sparkling and shining thing?
Yesterday I didn’t know what it was that I saw<
It’s a lot isn’t it?

Me and my black shadow and my lizard self that I cannot control.

The Wind – PJ Harvey

She dreamt of children’s voices
And torture on the wheel
Patron Saint of nothing
A woman of the hills
She once was a lady
Of pleasure and high born 
A lady of the city
But now she sits and moans
And listens to the wind blow
Listen to the wind blow

This is a great song. Spooky and innovative and yet with a groovy beat. The lyrics are also intriguing. Before I saw the video the imagery I got was of a craggy hill in Scotland or maybe New Zealand where some lonely church stands weathered by time and neglect while some hermit woman sit contemplating dark things. The video is neat its own right, placing Catherine the protagonist of the song in the cityscape of New York and emphasizing the contrast between the bustle on the surface and the serenity of the high places. 

This is the kind of song you want to hear again right after you hear it the first time. It’s a novel compressed into the poetry of song and you can’t figure out exactly what it’s about, only that there is something that pulls you in. 

It’s also kind of an anthem for introverts.

Other June Songs

I Bet That You Would Look Good on the Dance Floor – Arctic Monkeys Live video

The Weight (Take a load off, Fanny) – The Band This is a version of the song done with the Staple Sisters.

The Boys of Summer – Don Henley 1984 music video

Hey Ya – Outkast Official music video.

The Dark of the Matinee – Franz Ferdinand Official music video. Great direction on this one IMHO

(Give Me Back My) Bunty Bunty – The Bombay Royale Live

Bee Girl – Pearl Jam Music only

How about You? (I like New York in June) – Frank Sinatra music with moving pictures

Little Acorns (Be like the squirrel girl)- White Stripes Music with Spanish subtitles and timed visuals.

Clarissa – Mindless Self Indulgence Music with lyrics. Some offensive content.

Discoball World- David Garza Live version. The recorded version is better I think, but this has video.

Spiderwebs – No Doubt Official music video. Ska Gwen!

Tom the Model (Do What You’re Gonna Do) – Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man Music video. Beth Gibbons is the lead singer of Portishead. Excellent stuff.

Handbags and Gladrags – Rod Stewart Live

Derelict – Beck Live video. Nice and weird. The vocals are a bit rough though.

In this City – Enon Music video