Friday Feature: THE CONNECTION

even though they are kinda dead now, i fondly remember mix tapes (40-somethings)and mix cd's (30-somethings).  i loved making mixes.  and because i'm so utterly in love with my own cleverness, i used to make theme mix tapes where i tried to pull together a bunch of tracks that all had a common element.  songs with lady names.  songs with one word titles.  songs that reference other songs.  songs about dead people.  it was so much fun.  so i'm kicking off a regular Friday feature that harkens back to those days, where i pick two songs i really love that aren't really related, but have a common element that will or will not blow your muthafuggin MIND.  check it.

so, John Lennon rules.  no need to get that into an explanation -- it's as close to an accepted truth as the music world gets.  that being said, i think his solo albums remain somewhat underrated.  everyone hated Yoko Ono and blamed her for the Beatles breakup, and John responded by naming his first proper solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and on the follow-up, Imagine, the closing track is this awesome ditty about how much he basically just loves saying her name.  not only is that an incredibly sweet thing to write a song about, but it's also like him saying "suck it, entire world."  that combination of sweetness and ferocity kinda seems like Lennon in a nutshell.  this song was also used to great effect in Rushmore (love that flick).

the second song is from a Philly band called Sun Airway. this was one of their first ever releases, first as part of a free EP and then they included it on their excellent first LP, Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier (2010).  the connection isn't exactly mindblowing (see song titles), but after listening to it many times, it only just occurred to me yesterday that it references John Lennon's song.  either that or it's pure coincidence, but I doubt that.  regardless, it's a wonderful song from a gem of an album that deserves more attention than it's gotten, and i really dig the one-two punch of songs that are only about the simple pleasure of calling out the name of the person you love.