911 / Mr. Lonely (Contains Explicit Language)
The first season of this show has been kind of top-heavy with it’s Tyler, the Creator songs, as he’s shown up in 3 out of the 4 episodes so far. While “9/11 / Mr. Lonely” will be his last appearance until next semester, I’m sure a lot of fans would argue I saved the best for last.
House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls (Contains Explicit Language)
Years before he became the biggest voice in mainstream R&B, The Weeknd was the biggest voice in alternative R&B. “House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls” comes from his first mixtape, which took its name from the first half of the song, making this song ALMOST a title track. It’s been over a decade since the release of that project, and despite the sheer volume of inescapable (and high quality) #1 hits, this is still my favorite song he’s ever put out.
Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane (Contains Explicit Language)
And speaking of great artist’s best songs, when ScHoolboy Q released “Groovy Tony” back in 2016, it instantly became one of my favorite singles of that year. But things got even better when the album “Blank Face LP” came out, and the song became “Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane,” giving the song an entirely new second half and a wonderfully menacing guest verse from Jadakiss.
Almost Had To Start A Fight / In And Out Of Patience (Contains Mild Language)
Post-punk quartet Parquet Courts’ 2018 album “Wide Awake” is full of danceable grooves and social commentary, and “Almost Had To Start A Fight / In And Out of Patience” is no exception. I find the second half all too relatable, as it’s largely about how we, as humans, need each other, but how exhausting it can be to try to give your all to everyone.
Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey
Paul McCartney is often credited with being the main creative force behind the “Abbey Road” medley from The Beatles album of the same name, so it’s no surprise that he would continue to toy with song structures on future releases. “RAM”, one of the few albums released post-Beatles but pre-Wings is a collaboration with his late wife Linda McCartney, who, while not being a trained singer, provides backing vocals that elevate already great songs into classics, as is the case with “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey.”
COVER STORY: Tainted Love, Where Did Our Love Go, and Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go
Tainted Love
Whenever I get the chance to do so, I love making at least two of the segments on this show have some kind of connection. Which is why for this installment of “Cover Story,” we’re looking at a cover that’s actually a combination of two different covers.
Where Did Our Love Go
Gloria Jones and The Supremes had two of their songs combined by Soft Cell with their 80s hit, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, “Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go?” This is probably the biggest example of a cover being more well known than the original that you’ll see on this show, but does that mean that Soft Cell’s take is necessarily better? I’ll let you be the judge of that!
Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go?
Masseduction