This week we’re happy to present a two-sided theme mixtape: one side for one of our nation’s greatest tragedies, the other for one of its greatest holidays.
SIDE A – JFK Assassinated: 47 Years Later
Drugstore: “El President”
A song most notable for Thom Yorke’s vocal duet with singer Isabel Monteiro and its striking chorus that boasts the line, “they killed the president,” that soars oddly over a dreamy cello part.
The Flaming Lips: “Five Stop Mother Superior Rain”
05 Five Stop Mother Superior Rain by spacechef
Wayne Coyne was born January 13, 1961 – not “the day they shot JFK,” and certainly not “the day they shot John Lennon’s brain,” but it makes for a striking surrealist set of lyrics on this ballad from the Lips’ first truly great record, “In a Priest Driven Ambulance.”
The Jesus and Mary Chain: “Reverence”
01 Reverence by spacechef
The Jesus and Mary Chain got some heat for the lyrics, “I wanna die just like JFK/I wanna die in the USA,” in this song – BBC 1 and Top of the Pops both refused to play it. Regardless of controversy, it’s a strong track from their underrated “Honey’s Dead” album.
Lou Reed: “The Day John Kennedy Died”
A mournful song about dreaming it never happened, complete with a personal account of Reed’s own “where were you?” story.
The Byrds: “He Was a Friend of Mine”
A reworked version of the old folk song to reflect the events of JFK’s death. The song became a concert staple for the rest of the band’s career. One such performance at the Montery Pop Festival earned a bit of criticism for David Crosby’s oration about the Kennedy assassination being a National Conspiracy. Perhaps Jim Garrisson was at that show.
Fugazi: “Margin Walker”
08 Margin Walker by spacechef
From the band’s second EP and their first recording with Guy Picciotto on guitar, “Margin Walker” can be construed as a first person account of JFK’s assassin with resentful lines like, “you make yourself look so beautiful…this margin walker wants a clear shot/and now I’m shooting it right on you.”
The Misfits: “Bullet”
Misfits – 13 – Bullet by Blinga
An early burst of punk energy from The Misfits, the song starts out as a tirade against Texas, blaming the state for his death, before launching until an odd request for sexual gratification from Jackie O.
SIDE B – Thanksgiving Day Fun Mix
Big Star – “Thank You Friends”
Alex Chilton’s sincere letter of thanks to his friends and loved ones – the song sounds like a declaration made at the dinner table through song. This cheery montage of Big Star recording helps the sentiment a great deal.
R.E.M.: “Pilgrimage”
From R.E.M.’s landmark debut “Murmur.” This was back when Michael Stipe’s lyrics were a bit more abstract, yet still this one could get spun towards a Thanksgiving theme easily enough.
Michael Penn: “Macy Day Parade”
Michael Penn won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1989 for the song, “No Myth” (the one that people think is called “Romeo in Black Jeans”). Since then he’s had a small cult following and has worked on music for a few Paul Thomas Anderson movies. He’s also married to Aimee Mann, another underrated songwriter from the ’80s who has some later career credits on PT Anderson movies – coincidence? This song is from the “Godzilla” soundtrack, of all places.
The Sugarhill Gang – “Rappers Delight”
Everyone knows at least one verse from this one. The one we’re focusing on, of course, is the line about the Thanksgiving meal from Hell. You know, at that friend’s house where “the food just ain’t no good/I mean the macaroni’s soggy, the peas are mushed and the chicken tastes like wood.” We included the full version to help you dance some of those pounds off.
Dinosaur Jr: “Goin’ Home”
Often times, Thanksgiving is a refuge from our problems, like on this Dino track from “Where You Been.” However, this sentiment is a little hard to back up effectively because J Mascis is sort of always trying to get away from his problems (like his band members).
Rick James & Ike Turner: “Love Gravy”
The sexiest way to give thanks imaginable from two late masters of funk. This track is of course made famous by Isaac Hayes as Chef on “South Park,” but this version is one that will have you screaming “thank you!” over and over again.
Pixies: “Levitate Me”
The Pixies – Levitate Me by hells-belles
“Come on pilgrim you know he loves you!”
Happy Thanksgiving everybody, and RIP JFK.
