Hella Good

Thirsty Thursday

Hella Good by No Doubt

"Gwen's sultry voice and that beat are everything."

With a glowing review from even the notoriously savage Urban Dictionary, this track clearly reaches out to a multitude of music lovers. It also received widespread kudos from more prestigious publications, which you can peruse to your heart's content here, and charted well.

Whether you know the name or not, you've heard this song. Unlike many popular songs, you'll recognize it well before the chorus. It's "that beat."

There are very few situations that would not be improved upon with the addition of Hella Good. It strikes that delicate and rare balance in which it is undeniably sexy but also safe to listen to with your grandparents.

I mean, it's just about dancing, right?

We all know that's not true, but none of the lyrics are explicit. Plus, despite there being a vaguely inappropriate word in the titular phrase, it's actually pretty easy to miss the hella unless you're already acquainted with the slang term.

That's very different from a real curse word, and that was an important distinction back when this song came out in 2002. I mean, I was 6.

And here I am 14 years later. Keep on dancing, indeed.

Overview:

Genre:
Funk Rock / Dance Punk

Favorite Lyrics:
Your love keeps on coming like a thunderbolt.

Verdict:
deserving of standing ovations

No Vaseline

Forget Subtweets; Come @ Me

No Vaseline by Ice Cube

Recommended by Robert E.

"Love old school battle rap, and this is the ultimate battle song. Aimed at his former crew and manager, Ice Cube holds nothing back. On its own the song is quite crude. For those that know the history the song is one slam after another."

I'm glad you sent this in because I have no experience with old school battle rap. If you asked about diss tracks, the only one I could name would be Drake's Back to Back.

You're right that this is named at "his former crew and manager," and it's no secret. He straight up name-drops N.W.A. at about 30 seconds into the track. For the record, they started it.

Anyway, this is a little vulgar for me, but I have to admit some of these lines are incredibly clever. Plus, the fact that it's battle rap is a pretty good indicator that it wasn't going to be easy listening, and the name No Vaseline gives a clear sign that we're looking at some sexual innuendo.

I like the beat, the rhythms, the rhymes. I like the way it jumps right into it without any intro whatsoever. And I respect the straightforwardness - this is not subtle shade. This is past passive and straight into aggressive.

Again, not my style of communication. But I can appreciate it.

I'm less appreciative of the politically incorrectness, though I'm sure some would tell me to stop being oversensitive. Which, you know, whatever.

Interestingly, when this song appears in the Death Row Greatest Hits album (Death Row Records is a record company), word "Jew" is censored (x).

We're not asking Ice Cube to mask the reality of the streets. By all means, flag the social problems, but don't exploit them by turning a professional spat between a former manager and an artist into a racial dispute. (source)

In response, Ice Cube said, "It's wrong for the rabbi to call me anti-Semitic. I respect Jewish people because they're unified. I wish black people were as unified."

Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, I found no comment on the ubiquitous use of homophobic slurs.

P.S. If you really want to understand this song, I suggest watching Straight Outta Compton. It's a very well-acted biopic that addresses subjects that are still relevant today. Plus if you dig this song, you'll dig that whole soundtrack.

Overview:

Genre:
Hip Hop

Favorite Lyrics:
Callin' me Arnold, but you been-a-dick.

Verdict:
need some ice cubes for that burn

Black Magic Woman

When You Do That Voodoo

Black Magic Woman by Santana

Recommended by Kim C.

"This one is for my dad who loves Santana. Also have you ever attempted this on the hard Guitar Hero level? Not easy my friend. Not easy."

Honestly, I have never attempted anything on the "hard level." I'm just out to have a good time.

This song, originally released as a 1968 Fleetwood Mac single, was written by Peter Green. He's an amazing guitarist - 38th on Rolling Stones' Top 100 and 3rd according to Mojo - and it shows in the instrumentation, with the bluesy riffs between the vocals (x).

The track took off to become a classical hit two years later, only after Santana covered it (x).

A mix of jazz, Hungarian folk, and Latin rhythms, the Santana arrangement has more character. It was created out of a "hippie ethos" and the "recreational activities of that time and place" (x/x). A bunch of musicians sharing a communal living space in San Francisco in the mid 1960s. You know.

More specifically, this version differs from the original in its addition of Caribbean percussion instruments, altered chord progressions, and complex polyrhythms. The mood-setting introduction is almost a minute and a half of conga drums, timbales, and simple guitar and bass riffs (x).

Another quirk: Santana's Black Magic Woman is typically (as in the recording above) played as a mashup with Gypsy Queen by Gábor Szabó. The Hungarian jazz musician is said to have been a major influence on Carlos Santana's guitar playing (x).

Overview:

Genre:
Psychadelic Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
Got me so blind I can't see
that she's a black magic woman.

Verdict:
It puts a spell on you.

The Sun Song

The Blog Post

The Sun Song by Michael Tolcher

"I just LOVE this song...my favorite Tolcher song! Reminds me of when my kids were little and we loved supporting our friend and his new album."

This song always reminds me of that book series Maximum Ride, by James Patterson.

You know when you listen to an album for the first time, and you play it on repeat for a while, and that becomes the soundtrack for a certain era of your life? Like how I was really into Taylor Swift in freshman year of high school, and now anytime I think about 2009, I hear Hey Stephen in my head.

Yeah, well I was introduced to Tolcher's album I Am around the time I as reading Maximum Ride, and this song fit particularly well because all those characters had, um, wings to fly away.

Regardless of its connections to any books, I like that line: I'm not afraid; I have my wings to fly away.

Since we're on a roll with the optimism this week, I'll compare tonight's track to yesterday's. Rick Astley says that the angels will take care of you; Tolcher, rather, asserts that you can take care of yourself.

While I wouldn't say Tolcher's song is free from religious undertones - on the contrary, the lyric asking to be shown a path seems to directly address some sort of god - it's more generally spiritual.

The Sun Song is reminiscent of that quote about how a bird is unafraid of falling not because it trusts the branch but because it trusts its wings. I like the idea of a guardian angel, but I like even more the idea of being my own savior.

I get lost in the verses, but the message told in the chorus is clear and positively empowering.

As far as sound, I'm never disappointed by a guy and a guitar. At least, not when the guy's vocals sound as good as Michael Tolcher. More impressive - as I'm sure you can tell from the video above - he can even do it live.

The studio version of this song has a little extra going on in the way of production, but I'd rather not get into that since I embedded the acoustic performance. If you want to hear it, buy the album ;)

Fun fact: Michael Tolcher has opened for such acts as Maroon 5, Dave Matthews Band, and Hanson (x).

Overview:

Genre:
Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Show me a path, and I'll be led.

Verdict:
so the drama

Angels On My Side

More Than a Meme

Angels On My Side by Rick Astley

"He's still never going to give you up, he's just coming back with a new song this time. A tad repetitive, but the dancing's entertaining."

Let's keep that positivity from last night flowing.

Pop is almost always repetitive, and it doesn't have to be a bad thing. That makes the songs "sticky" and easy to learn and fun to listen to, immediately. If something is worth saying once, it's worth saying again.

And if a song is worth listening to once, it's worth listening to again and again and again...

I see some redundancy in that whole hope is for the hopeful and faith is for the faithful business, but those gems were probably not worth saying at all, even the first time.

Regardless, this song is catchy and positive. Optimism is always more effective if you say it a lot. Haven't you ever seen that self-esteem exercise where you repeat positive affirmations to yourself in the mirror? You're supposed to say the same things every morning.

Maybe try just singing this song to yourself everyday. I'll try it and report back.

We all know and love that 1987 hit that became an internet phenomenon, but I feel like Rick Astley is underappreciated as a legitimate artist.

Back in the day, he received a bunch of negative press saying that he was "a 'puppet' of Stock Aitken Waterman." This image persisted even though he wrote five of the tracks on his album (x).

Frustrated with the industry and interested in starting a family, he took a hiatus from music between 1993 and 2001.

But now he's back and better than ever.

Angels On My Side is on his most recent album, 50, which was released this year (2016) on the day after my birthday (June 10). The album, which debuted at No. 1 in the UK, includes 12 tracks that were all written and composed by our favorite more-than-a-meme-singer-songwriter aka Rick Astley.

If reading about that comeback story while listening to Angels On My Side in the background doesn't make you smile, you are truly hard-hearted.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Sometimes I just don't feel like waking up,
Wanna stay inside my dreams.

I got angels, you got angels.

Verdict:
I can see 'em.

What a Wonderful World

Only Love Can Do That

What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Recommended by Mom

"Just love this song and would like to hear whatever info you come up with about this one..."

A bit of history:

Intended as an antidote for the increasingly racially and politically charged climate of everyday life in the United States, the song also has a hopeful, optimistic tone with regard to the future, with reference to babies being born into the world and having much to look forward to. (source)

Yeah, and this song came out in 1967. So let's think about what we're really saying when we say, "Make America great again."

Anyway, I think that's a beautiful reason to write a song, and it's (unfortunately) just as appropriate in 2016 as it was back then.

There's nothing but peace and love when you listen to this song.

I appreciate the simplicity of the lyrics, hinting at how it's the little things in life that can sometimes mean the most. Trees and clouds. Flowers and rainbows.

He sings fondly about hearing babies cry. He romanticizes something as casual as friends shaking hands, and you realize that we sometimes take those little moments for granted. He makes you wonder why there's so much hate out in the world.

That simplicity is reflected, too, in the music. Beneath Armstrong's signature growl, it's rolling triplets and strings that mimic the melody. Nothing complicated.

This was the best-selling single of 1968 in Britain, yet Louis Armstrong accepted only $250 when he recorded it, to ensure that the orchestra got paid (x). Sounds like Armstrong was singing straight from a kind, generous heart. Gives you hope, doesn't it?

Live and love.

Overview:

Genre:
Traditional Pop
Is "non-instrumental wedding music" a genre?

Favorite Lyrics:
I see friends shaking hands, saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, "I love you."

Verdict:
The world we wish we lived in.

Bonus:

A video posted by kim crine (@kimcrime) on Oct 23, 2013 at 6:59pm PDT

Hands to Myself

Heart Emoji

Hands to Myself by Selena Gomez

"This song is just so catchy! Can't get it out of my head!!!"

This song is a massive comeback story for me.

When I first listened to Revival, I was underwhelmed with the whole album. Months later, I am still not crazy about all of the songs, but I am entirely in love with all of the singles. If anyone else feels the same, we can call that a success for Selena.

Even though I love this song now, I didn't think it was particularly special when I first heard it. I mean, we've got some breathy vocals, a catchy but not entirely infectious melody, and a very understated accompaniment.

To be fair, I heard it for the first time in a commercial. I think it was for Pantene.

Okay, guys. The Wikipedia article for this song is super long and extremely complementary, so maybe I'm missing something. But one thing I will never argue with:

 Some critics viewed the song's "I mean I could but why would I want to?" line as one of the best moments in pop music in 2015.

That line changed my life.

Rock on, Selena.

Overview:

Genre:
Dance-Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Your metaphorical gin and juice

Verdict:
party song