We begin with a confession. I went into Bic Runga's performance last night not having heard her latest album, Belle. Or her 2005 album, Birds. Sure, I listened to 'Hello, Hello' and watched her mini-clip for 'This Girl's Prepared For War,' but I really had no idea what to expect from her new material. Did it maintain the same honesty and pop sensibilities of her debut Drive? Would it showcase an artist still growing, still learning and getting better with each step like Beautiful Collision? The answer to both questions is yes, but we'll get to that in a bit.
Australian singer-songwriter Ollie Brown took to the stage first, providing some awkward banter and perfectly acceptable tunes. In-between songs, awkward banter and even more awkward heckling from a drunk Irishman (true, I assume he was drunk because of his heritage... and because he was heckling) Brown won over a large portion of the crowd, even though he couldn't see anyone in the building. Powerhouse, why so dark?
With little fanfare, Bic Runga walked onto the stage, picked up her guitar and started playing for the crowd. Time away has made her look even more incredible and the image of her, guitar in hand and under the stage lights will stay with me for a long time. The darkness in the Powerhouse suddenly seemed perfect as the audience sat in silence, hanging on every beautiful word coming from Runga's mouth. As was to be expected, we were treated to a whole bunch of new material from Belle,performed with full backing band, and I was surprised the most by the risks Bic was willing to take with her vocal experimentation. Title track, 'Belle,' the theme song for an old French television show saw her reach for incredibly high notes while singing in French. Didn't see that coming. Other stand out new numbers that have encouraged me to purchase the album were 'Everything Is Beautiful and New' and 'This Girl's Prepared For War,' with the latter again leaving me impressed with Runga's astounding vocal range. The rest of the Belle tracks like 'Darkness All Around Us,' 'Good Love' and the crowd pleasing first single, 'Hello, Hello,' prove that the past six years haven't slowed Bic down. There's even more depth to be found in her lyrics than usual and she pushes her boundaries by stepping into new genres. Still, she manages to maintain a familiarity with her previous work. Some of the tracks wouldn't feel out of place on either Drive or Beautiful Collision.
Sprinkled throughout the night were brilliant versions of older numbers. The first highlight was 'Drive.' With everyone's attention firmly placed on the magic taking place on stage, Runga delivered a stunning solo rendition of the track. Every solo track was memorable. 'Bursting Through,' and 'When I See You Smile' were mesmerizing, giving you the feeling that it was just you and Bic Runga in a room and she was singing just for you. When the band was out, it was the slightly more uptempo favourites like 'Listening For The Weather,' 'Get Some Sleep' and 'Beautiful Collision,' that left the crowd wanting more. To close out the set came the song I had been waiting the whole night for. I don't mean that in a bad way and I'm sure a lot of people would say the same thing. 'Sway' is one of the greatest pop songs of the 1990s. It's one of my favourite songs of all-time. Seeing it live... yeah, it was fantastic. Ah, the 90s. Rapturous applause, encore, beautiful solo performance of 'She Left On A Monday,' show over, happy crowd. Come back soon, Bic!
Why hello there, gentle readers. Welcome back to the 10 and 1! It's been some time since we busted one of these out, but we're going to be bringing you our own special little list every Tuesday from now on. Unfamiliar with the concept? We tackle some type of topic, like this week's one... songs that should have been #1 hits... and give you ten examples of tracks that really deserved to make it all the way to #1. Then we leave you with the one; in this case a song that made it to #1 that really (really) shouldn't have. Get it? Great. Here we go!
SONGS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN #1 HITS
Work It
by Missy Elliott (2002)
US: #2, UK: #6, AUS: #6
It's not just that 'Work It' never made it to #1, it's that for ten weeks, Missy Elliott stayed firmly planted in the runner-up position to Eminem's 'Lose Yourself.' A great song that one, but Elliott's 'Work It' was a masterpiece; the greatest rap song ever delivered unto us by a female artist. Fun, catchy and sexy with just the right amount of random thrown in for good measure... this one had every element required of an incredible chart topping smash hit. Every. Single. Element. I'm assuming there was just some clerical error one week at Billboard that kept Missy from claiming a very deserved #1. Yep... clerical error.
Seven Nation Army
by The White Stripes (2003)
US: #76, UK: #7, AUS: #17
Every year there's an act that's touted as the saviours of rock and or roll. Young people, disenfranchised by the popular music of today run screaming through the streets, "rock lives! Long live rock!" A week later, their saviours have abandoned the now-lost flock, either having gone their own separate ways after incredibly lame in-fighting, or the realisation that they actually suck dawns on the world. The young people rock back-and-forth in a huddled mess crying, "rock is dead." There is absolutely nothing to fear, for in two months the cycle will begin again. In 2003, The White Stripes were already established to be the next big thing. White Blood Cells had catapulted them into the spotlight and if there was ever a time for a rock group to hit it big, the time came with the release of 'Seven Nation Army.' It didn't suck. It didn't suck at all. I'm not alone in my belief that, at the time of its popularity, 'Seven Nation Army' seemed destined to top the charts and restore the dominance of rock once more. Probably not in the US, but there was a good chance it could have claimed #1 in the UK. Everyone's so much cooler in the UK. Kidding! Kinda. (I love you American readers... never forget that.) The White Stripes would never hit #1 with 'Seven Nation Army' and life went on, but at least the kids weren't claiming, "rock is dead." The White Stripes proved to the world that the genre still had a lot of gas in the tank.
Since U Been Gone
by Kelly Clarkson (2004)
US: #2, UK: #5, AUS: #3
"No, I'm pretty sure 'Since U Been Gone' was a #1 hit." Yeah well, I understand why you'd think that way, but I'm also pretty sure you should lose the attitude and accept that it's just not the case. Honestly though, who doesn't think Kelly Clarkson went all the way with this one? 'Since U Been Gone' would seem to be the definition of 'monster hit,' dominating radio and music TV for an entire year all over the world.
Tell Me
by Diddy ft. Christina Aguilera (2006)
US: #47, UK: #8, AUS: #13
Diddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, Puff Daddy, Sean John... whatever. This man can crank out a massive hit every now and then, unless of course that song is 'Tell Me,' which featured the last sign of greatness from Christina Aguilera. The original 'Dirrty' girl teams up with one of the biggest rappers of all time and they can only just break the top 50 in the US? Not good enough. The blame here lies squarely on the shoulders of those who were meant to be promoting it.
Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)
by Dramarama (1985)
Anything (anything) could make it to #1 in the 80s, unless it was a fine slice of 80s rock from a band that only loses points for the stupidity of their name. Dramarama. It's like the dude version of Bananarama, you know? No? No.
Sway
by Bic Runga (1997)
AUS: #10, UK: #93, NZ: #7
Holding off 'Sway' from reaching the top spot in Australia were classics like 'Viva Forever' by the Spice Girls, 'Lady Marmalade' by All Saints, 'Ladidi Ladida' by S.O.A.P and 'Horny '98' by Mouse T. This makes me want to repeatedly bang my head against the wall. Bubblegum pop and the movie song were dominating the charts in 1998 ('Dr. Jones' and 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing' - I will say no more) and a well written, beautifully performed track like 'Sway' really had no place in the upper echelon of the top 50. That it reached #10 at all is a testament to how amazing the song is... but it still should have been a #1 hit.
Cherry Lips
by Garbage (2001)
UK: #24, AUS: #7
What more could Garbage do to make a strong push for a #1 hit? Shirley Manson went blonde, sang like a seductive pixie, got naked in the music video and delivered one of the best singalong choruses of the early 2000s. All of that still wasn't enough for you, was it? WAS IT? 'Cherry Lips' was the most commercial track Garbage had ever released, a pop-rock smash dripping with sex appeal and a healthy dose of irony. It was almost as if the band was saying, "if this doesn't earn us a hit, nothing will... who gives a sh*t anyway?" This was everything we never thought a Garbage song would be, but it still managed to be perfect. You may have noticed that 'Cherry Lips' never charted in the US. Funnily enough, it was never released at all, with Interscope making the questionable choice (that's being very nice) to release 'Breaking Up The Girl' instead. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb (that's not being very nice).
Tiny Dancer
by Elton John (1972)
US: #41
Sometimes it takes years for the appreciation of an amazing song to grow and Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' has built up enough respect to be named one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded.
Call Your Girlfriend
by Robyn (2011)
NZ: #17
I don't care that it topped the US Billboard Dance Club Play Chart (nice name). The fact that 'Call Your Girlfriend' didn't claim the top spot all over the world is a travesty. Come on, this is definitely better than anything released last year from all of the Nicki Mi-Ke$ha's out there! Is it a lack of promotion or is there something about Swedish pop sensation Robyn that a large portion of the world just doesn't understand? Wait, what's not to understand? 'Call Your Girlfriend' is as good as pop gets! You can throw 'Dancing On My Own' in here too.
Thriller
by Michael Jackson (1984)
US: #4, UK: #10, AUS: #3
I can already envisage your mind being blown by this one. Arguably the most iconic single released from the world's best-selling album, it was accompanied by a revolutionary music video and... it never made it to #1. Well, it did in France and Spain. But it never did in the USA! Why didn't 'Thriller' take pole position in so many major markets? The simple answer is because it was the seventh single released from Thriller, which had been on the market for over a year. Bizarrely, the track took a backseat to 'Human Nature' and 'P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing),' both of which also failed to hit #1 and were seriously lame when compared to the brilliance of 'Thriller.'
AND 1:
Sexy And I Know It
by LMFAO
Do I even need to make an argument here? Nah... I'll just let the song speak for itself. You can go find it if you wish to torture yourself for it has no place here.
Welcome back to It's My Kind of Scene's world tour, in which we'll be selecting one male artist, female artist and group to represent each country in a battle for musical dominance! On our last stop we met Team Australia (Bernard Fanning, Missy Higgins and The Presets). Now we're taking the short flight to New Zealand to meet our second group of contestants. Are you ready to find out who will be representing the Kiwis?
Male Artist - Liam Finn
Liam Finn is a cool guy, pretty much destined to become a rock star in his own right (his Dad would be Neil Finn of Crowded House) and would be the best man to represent New Zealand. He'd definitely put on a show that could see him earn many new fans from around the world.
Female Artist - Bic Runga
Ladyhawke would be an excellent choice, but no other female artist from NZ can do a better live performance than Bic Runga. If you can get past how cool the TV presenters are in the video above, you'll understand why I chose her over the aforementioned Ladyhawke, Gin Wigmore or even Brooke Fraser. Plus, she deserves to be known for more than contributing 'Sway' to the American Pie soundtrack.
Group - Crowded House
Who else? They're the biggest band in New Zealand's history and currently on the comeback, with their 6th studio album, Intriguer, released in June of this year. Not content with just being crowd pleasers, they'd probably be the emotional high point of the show.
Well, that's Team New Zealand. Where should we look to next? How about... Canada! See you next time boys and girls.
All aboard, because it's the last stop before the all-important top 50, boys and girls! After this post we're 3/4 of the way through the countdown, which will sadly bring us closer to the end of unofficial 90s month here at It's My Kind of Scene. I think after this month I'll have to put a moratorium on 90s music for a little bit. Or not. Alright, mobile phones off please... the show's about to begin!
#60 - The Boy Is Mine (1998)
by Brandy & Monica
Collaborations between two superstars weren't as common during the 90s as they are these days, which made them all the more special. Brandy & Monica teamed up for 'The Boy Is Mine,' leading to them spending a massive 13 weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 in the Summer of 98. It was the first #1 song for both artists who have sadly slipped away from the public consciousness in recent years. Mekhi Phifer seems to want to stereotype himself as 'the serial cheating jerk boyfriend.' He played the same role in En Vogue's 'Don't Let Go' video. He seems to have sort of learnt his lesson, he's only messing around with two girls instead of four now. Nice.
#59 - Cornflake Girl (1994)
by Tori Amos
More people need to invest a couple of hours in listening to Tori Amos' catalogue of music. Tunes like 'Cornflake Girl' seem years ahead of their time. Oh, and they're AWESOME.
#58 - Every You, Every Me (1999)
by Placebo
Oh... sweet... Jesus. Sarah Michelle Gellar was smoking hot in Cruel Intentions. What? The song? Yeah, yeah it's real good.
#57 - Sway (1997)
by Bic Runga
'Sway' is one of those criminally underrated pop songs that should have been a mega-hit, but for one reason or another it never got to that level. It's perfectly crafted; Runga's voice, the lyrics and even the video which in its own way promotes stalking. Bic has continued to release material in her native New Zealand and has become one of their biggest stars. Think of her as the NZ Missy Higgins or uh, Norah Jones (without the jazz) for UK readers.
#56 - Always (1994)
by Bon Jovi
Yes, yes, yes! THIS is a rock ballad my friends. Bon Jovi may have had the bigger hits in the 80s, but the group tore up the charts with this one and launched the career of Keri Russell aka Felicity aka the homewrecker in this video.
#55 - Breathe (1996)
by The Prodigy
Have you ever been in a club when this comes on? The ensuing insanity can be one of the most exciting 4 minute periods in your entire life.
#54 - Glycerine (1995)
by Bush
Hey, it's Gwen Stefani's husband! I must have listened to this song a thousand times before I noticed there weren't any drums in it.
#53 - Enter Sandman (1991)
by Metallica
Before becoming mortal enemies with Napster and internet downloaders, Metallica were just the bestest little metal rockers in the whole world. 'Enter Sandman' would propel the band into superstardom, with sales of the album Metallica exceeding 25 million. Not too shabby. As a side note, please don't play this song to children prone to nightmares. Or, if you want to scare the crap out of a kid prone to nightmares, play this!
#52 - 1979 (1996)
by Smashing Pumpkins
If this doesn't stir some sort of memory or emotion in you... then I'm assuming you've never heard it. So you won't get it. So there. The Pumpkins 'nicest' song I guess... it's like chicken soup for the ears.
#51 - My Hero (1998)
by Foo Fighters
About time the Foo Fighters showed up. I always thought that Dave Grohl had written this song about Kurt Cobain but I don't know why. I'm pretty sure it's never been said that he intended this as a tribute. Still, it's a really cool track and the first of two Foo Fighters songs that will place on the list. Genius level intellect is not necessary to figure out what the second one's going to be.
