WEBVTT
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I'm Christine.
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And I'm Christina.
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In 2024, I moved to Texas from LA.
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And to keep in touch, Christine and I started a weekly game where we each pick a song that fits a chosen theme.
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This game deepened our understanding of each other and the songs that shape us, inspiring the podcast you're listening to now.
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Each week we share our pics, swap stories, and dig into tracks you might love.
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And a lot of the time have never heard of.
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Welcome to Stereothematica.
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Your favorite atypical music podcast.
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Hey there, Christine.
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Howdy.
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I was curious about something.
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Oh.
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And thinking of things we do every day.
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Uh-huh.
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Do you listen to music every day?
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Yes.
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I think so.
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Definitive, yes.
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Yeah, no, for sure.
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I mean, I don't listen to records every day.
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That's more of a special occasion.
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You know, we've talked about this.
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I need, I need like several hours to fully immerse myself in that experience.
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But music every day for sure.
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I think yes, as well.
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I mean, it's definitely something when I'm in the car, I want to be listening to music, when I'm, you know, making dinner or whatnot, music.
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But I was wondering if this is something that is a daily activity for most people.
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Because have you ever met someone who's like, I don't really like music?
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Oh, yeah.
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And it's a tricky one because I think they do.
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I agree.
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They're just not obsessive about music.
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But music, they they go to concerts, they enjoy hearing music, but I think they're just maybe not to the level that we enjoy music.
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I think it might even be more subliminal than that.
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Think about, you know, I love jingles, but you're even if you're listening to news radio, you might hear a jingle, or most advertisements have some music playing in the background.
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I even told you recently how I made a video and I was like, oh, I couldn't figure out how to do a backing like sound song to it.
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Yeah.
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So I think music is present every day, unless you really are like maybe living in a very secluded, you know, place where you don't have access.
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I just think it really is.
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Like music is part of everyone's life, whether or not they're seeking it out.
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Yeah.
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And even the the noises, the the natural environment.
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Yes, yes.
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The birds, the winds, the chirping of the cicadas.
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Yes.
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Is that what you call it?
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A cicada chair?
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Yeah, I think so.
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Whatever.
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Well, this brings me to my theme in a roundabout way.
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Because I picked the theme every day, meaning, you know, I wanted, I told you this is a song that should have every day of the week mentioned in it.
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Yes.
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And I picked this theme just because it felt fun and silly.
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And I think sometimes naming every day of the week in a song might seem tedious or even maybe a little elementary.
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Like, are we learning the days of the week?
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Exactly.
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Yeah.
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No.
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But somehow some artists have made it feel fun and fresh.
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Yes.
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So I wanted to know, apart from the songs that we picked for this week, are there any other everyday songs that you thought of?
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No, not everyday.
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I mean, the first one that came to mind when you pitched the theme was Eight Days a Week, which we all know there are not eight days a week.
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So, and actually in the Beatles song Eight Days a Week, they don't actually mention any day.
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Any day.
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They just talk about eight days a week.
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Funny.
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Funny that you mentioned that.
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Yeah.
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They have a song where they mention six days of the week.
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Oh, yes, I know that one.
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Lady Madonna.
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Yes, such a good song.
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Why would they not say Saturday?
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That's like the best day.
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That is weird.
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If I had picked that one, would you have accepted it?
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No.
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No.
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Okay, good.
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That's good.
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God, this is this feels good.
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I know what it's like to have power.
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Yeah.
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But you didn't pick it.
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But honestly, I don't think there's a lot of songs with all seven days mentioned.
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I think there's a few.
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Okay.
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So The Cure has Friday, I'm in love.
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Okay.
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That's a good one, in my opinion.
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It's funny because it's very poppy and it feels a little bit like almost Twee for the cure, who's a little dark, dark wave, you know.
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But that's a good one.
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And then there's the Beatles song.
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Lady Madonna is the Beatles song that says six of the seven days, which wouldn't count.
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But the thing that I realized when I was listening to that song today, I just realized that the same like melody and pacing is used in Sublime's what I got.
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We were just talking about Sublime with your hometown sound.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Did you pick up on that?
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No, I definitely not.
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Okay, go check it out.
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Actually, I should link to both of those.
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So let me uh remind myself.
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I love it when that happens.
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And then there's a very stupid song called Seven Days by Craig David.
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Do you know this one?
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I don't know who that is.
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He is a I think British singer.
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This came out probably in the early 2000s.
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And he's basically going, I met this girl on Monday.
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I took her for a drink on Tuesday.
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And then he talks about how they had sex every other day of the week except Sunday.
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That's a fun one.
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You move fast, dude.
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You move fast.
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Anyway.
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But yeah, I I was wondering because I obviously had a song in mind when I picked this because I was listening to my song pick when I thought of the theme.
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And this song, in my opinion, is a jam.
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It is.
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And yet, it still covers every day of the week, and they say them so many times.
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It's kind of ridiculous how many times they say it.
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It's a lot of fun.
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It is so fun.
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So let's take a quick listen to Saturday Love by Alexander O'Neill and Sherelle from the 1985 album High Priority.
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You will notice I didn't play any part of the epic opening where Sherelle and Alexander O'Neill see each other at the club.
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Because the opening of this song is one minute and 55 seconds of like just a skit, essentially.
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It takes a while to get into.
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It's just talking and yeah, it's an act.
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So talk about say less, right?
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Yeah, exactly.
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Nice call back.
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Thank you.
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But do I remember correctly?
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Did you think I was crazy for picking this song?
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Not crazy.
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Just like it was it was funny that you picked it because I knew this song growing up.
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Like this would be a song on the radio that my brother and I would sing along to.
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It wasn't necessarily a song I love, but it was a fun one of those fun songs that you hear on the radio and it's like not go get the tape recorder, let's let's record this, but like let's be silly to it.
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Uh-huh.
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Oh, I can totally, even though this song came out in 85, I could have seen myself like grooving along to this at the grocery store, you know, when it when I was a little kid.
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And I don't even know how I discovered this song, which is to think about.
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But it's kind of a deep cut for someone of your age.
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Yeah, it seems like something you might have heard at the club back in that time frame, right?
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Yep, for sure.
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Which I was not there.
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Yeah.
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And I'm guessing you weren't there either.
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Not at that time.
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Not at 85.
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Yeah.
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No.
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But I will have you know when I was prepping for our episode and playing this song, Andrew heard it and goes, I love that song.
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And I don't know if he was kidding or not, but I do love this song.
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So I will recommend for our listeners, if you go seek out the song, just go ahead and listen to the radio edit.
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Yeah.
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Listen to the the full song in its entirety once, just because it is like almost seven minutes long.
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And I'm telling you, almost two minutes of that is them playing this little, oh, who is that?
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Mr.
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O'Neal.
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There's a lady asking for you, but is it's still a jam.
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So let me tell you a little bit about these musicians, or at least Sherelle, who was born Cheryl Ann Norton, and changed her name to Sherelle after a manager yelled, Cheryl, you're late again.
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I don't know if that's true or not, but I like that.
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No, I didn't make it up.
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I saw it on her Wikipedia page.
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But yes, her debut album was released in 1984 under the production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who we recently spoke about in our explicit episode, as they also produced many of Janet Jackson's number one hits.
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And while Saturday Love didn't make it to number one, it did reach number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the US RB chart.
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The song's not deep.
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I mean, it's you're hearing the the days of the week over and over, but it's basically talking about some ex-lovers seeing each other at the club and recounting how they met on Drumroll Please, a Saturday.
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I love it.
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It's so simple and obvious.
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And I mean, sometimes pop songs just are, which is really fun.
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But one thing I do like is they mention another song that names all the days of the week.
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And I'm curious if you caught it.
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Let me play it real quick.
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Let's sing it.
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Alright, so they say, and this is one of my favorite parts, which we've just played, when they say never on a Sunday.
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No.
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I mean, it's now it's familiar, but just tell me.
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Okay.
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That I did not catch it.
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Okay.
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And and I'm curious if you know, well, that to me it stood out because I was like, hmm, that sounds like something I've heard before.
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Not only is it a song from 1950 by the Cordettes, which of course I'm going to link to.
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Yeah.
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But it's also a movie.
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But the movie's actually called Never on Sunday.
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Oh.
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And apparently it's a Greek rom-com about a free-spirited sex worker named Ilya and her American love interest, Homer.
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That sounds like fun.
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It does sound fun.
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I think I would love to watch that actually.
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Wait, what year did that come out?
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1960.
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Oh wow.
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Okay.
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I have a feeling it might not be um very politically correct.
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Probably not.
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And maybe not even that interesting.
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Yeah, because when I read it a little bit about this movie, it was like talking about how, oh Homer, he meets this.
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They quote, and this is not my, I use the word sex worker.
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Yeah.
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They call the, I guess it's a character trope, uh, the happy hooker.
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Oh.
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Which is kind of messed up.
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Yep.
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Anyway, but who knew you could have another day of the week Easter egg in a day of the week song?
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And that quorette song is pretty goofy.
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Do you did you ever see the uh SNL sketch where it's like the sisters who are singing like on the Bob Hope show, and then they've got Kristen Weed with the weird little hands.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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It kind of reminded me of that type of, you know, okay, okay.
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You know, that kind of thing.
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Anyway, well, back to my my song, since I'm going off on a tangent, since I haven't said much or anything really about Alexander O'Neill, I'd love to give a little bit uh of excellent music trivia about him.
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So after Mr.
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O'Neill moved to Minneapolis at age 20, he started a few bands, most notably Flight Time, and that's spelled with a Y in Flight and Time, which included Monty Moir, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.
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Okay, a couple of very famous friends.
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Uh-huh.
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And then based on his success with Flight Time, he met with none other than Prince to discuss starting a band called You Guessed It.
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Oh.
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The Time.
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That's amazing.
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Isn't it crazy?
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Yeah, it is kind of crazy.
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Guess what's crazier?
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What Mr.
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O'Neill had a disagreement with the purple one and was reprince?
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The Prince.
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Because he got into an argument with him and I think was being a little bit too egotistical.
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He was replaced as lead singer by Morris Day.
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Wow.
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Can you imagine how differently his life would have been if he would have been the lead singer of the time?
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Oh, that's that's a fun bit of trivia there.
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It is a little fun, fun fact.
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But I also love Morris Day.
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So I mean, I'm really glad he's in the time.
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Yeah.
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You've seen Purple Rain.
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Yes, of course.
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Okay.
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And and I love the time.
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Oh, yeah.
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So the first time I saw Purple Rain was in the movie theater.
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Uh-huh.
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I was like in my 20s, but I was so happy and excited.
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Like, because I had never seen it before.
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I was like standing up and cheering.
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Oh, wow.
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I loved it.
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It was incredible.
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Anyway, speaking of Morris Day, and we're talking about days.
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Do you see?
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Does that work?
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Yeah.
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Can I get away with that?
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Yeah, you yeah, you got that one.
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Okay.
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That'll be my ending note.
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So I appreciate you joining me on my wacky journey, Christine.
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And I can't wait to hear about your days of the week jam.
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Okay, well, thank you for that.
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That was kind of a blast from the past for me.
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So I enjoyed re-listening to that a few times.
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When you proposed this, Eight Days of the Week was the one that came to my mind.
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I couldn't think of other ones right off the top.
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I did think of a lot of Monday songs.
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Yes.
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Monday, Monday, Manic Monday.
00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:51.120
Oh, that's a good one.
00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:51.919
The song you picked.
00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:52.720
Blue Monday.
00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:54.159
Yeah, Blue Monday, of course.
00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:55.519
I don't like Mondays.
00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:56.480
The one you just talked about.
00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:57.600
Oh, yeah, that's right.
00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:58.320
OMG.
00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.120
So I'm like, oh, this is gonna be a hard one for me.
00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:04.960
Like, I really thought this would take the entire week for me to figure out.
00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.960
But then, like, all of a sudden, I felt the song.
00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:10.159
It just came to me.
00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:10.879
Oh, yeah.
00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:27.279
It's such a great feeling when like you have it's almost like a loop, and it's not exactly the lyrics that you want that you need to be confirmed, but you kind of like you you hear it in your mind, and then you you like try to play it out, and then you like it's it's a Eureka moment.
00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:28.960
Oh I love that moment.
00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:34.720
And I kind of think I I pretty quickly, like maybe an hour later, sent it to you after you proposed it.
00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:35.200
Nice.
00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:38.320
So yeah, I just I let go and and I got it.
00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:45.759
And no days of the week are in the title, but in a way, they are really the heart of the clashes police on my back.
00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:15.679
I was very proud when I shared this with you.
00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:17.120
Were you impressed?
00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:18.480
I was super impressed.
00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:20.159
Were you thinking of that one?
00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:20.879
I wasn't.
00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:24.799
And when you said it, I was like, oh shit, that's a really good one.
00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:25.360
Yeah.
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:31.360
Like, and I love this song, I love the clash, but I was like, holy crap, because I didn't even think of that one.
00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:33.919
I think I was like laser focused on my pick.
00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.679
But then I was trying to think of some of the other ones.
00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:36.080
Uh-huh.
00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:44.000
And speaking of your Eureka moment, I was trying to have that with a Beatles song, thinking it was a days of the week song, but it was actually just them counting.
00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:46.000
And I'm like, that's stupid.
00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:46.559
Anyway.
00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:48.240
Well, do you remember what the song was?
00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.080
No, give me a minute and I'll think of it.
00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:51.200
Sure, sure, sure.
00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:55.360
But anyway, I had been listening to a lot of Clash when you pitched the theme.
00:15:55.519 --> 00:16:02.879
It was the one song episode on London Calling with Fred Armison that really reignited this flame I had for the clash.
00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:04.480
Did you listen to that episode?
00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:05.360
It was last year.
00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:06.960
No, I haven't listened to it.
00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:09.120
I actually haven't listened to enough one sound.
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:09.759
Oh, okay.
00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:11.759
Yeah, I'll send this one to you.
00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.720
I mean, it's it's actually it's it's linked in our show notes.
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:16.720
Wait, did I say one sound?
00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:18.240
I think you said one song.
00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:19.120
Okay, sorry.
00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:25.039
But I was so excited when I learned that Fred's favorite clash song was the same as mine, Train in Vain.
00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:30.639
Do you have a favorite clash song or or two that you wanna let me know?
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:32.799
I love Straight to Hell.
00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:33.679
Oh, yeah, yeah.
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:41.679
Even though it's so sad, like it's such that's one I think we talked about with chills when like maybe, but I that's one of my favorites.
00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:44.639
And then oh wait, Lost in the Supermarket, is that embarrassing?
00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:46.000
I love that one.
00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:46.639
That's fun.
00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.799
Okay, yeah, no, I think that's a good one.
00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:50.720
They're a good band.
00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:51.679
Yeah, good.
00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:54.559
I kind of forgot about how big a fan I was.
00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:59.279
I was not like obviously when the band was together, I was a little too young for that.
00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:08.960
Although in 1982, when Combat Rock came out, like Rock the Caspa was on the radio a lot, and that's kind of when I was like having my musical awakening.
00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:15.920
They were one of the few somewhat contemporary bands in high school to break the Bob Dylan barrier.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:16.559
Oh wow.
00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:27.599
Yeah, I think it was that social, like socially conscious, like they were writing about problems and justice, and they were really fun too.
00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:33.519
It was it was it was punk, but it was like I it was very like pleasant to listen to.
00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:43.759
It was enjoyable, it was almost like sometimes a little rockabilly, sometimes just like poppy punk, which I I hope I'm not being offensive by saying that.
00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:45.200
But it's like palatable punk.
00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:46.720
Palatable punk.
00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:48.559
That's that's a better word for it.
00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:52.240
Um but plot twist here, once again.
00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:56.400
We're not going to focus too much on the Clashes version today.
00:17:57.119 --> 00:17:57.599
Interesting.
00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:02.319
Even though that's the one we are going to be playing, and it is my favorite version.
00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:11.839
I want to talk a little bit about the writer of the song, Eddie Grant, who released it 13 years earlier in 1967 with his band, The Equals.
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.039
And yes, we're talking about the Eddie Grant.
00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:16.640
Do you know who this is, Christina?
00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:17.680
I don't think so.
00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:18.240
Should I?
00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:18.799
Ah.
00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:19.599
Oh, good.
00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:21.039
No, this is wonderful.
00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:26.160
So I knew Eddie Grant because of his early 80s hits like Electric Avenue.
00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:26.960
Do you know that one?
00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:27.920
I definitely know that one.
00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:28.559
Okay, good, good.
00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.400
And I don't want to dance.
00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:32.079
Maybe.
00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:33.359
You you probably know it.
00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.000
I bet.
00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:35.119
And I won't sing it.
00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:43.119
Then in 1984, he did the track for a fun little Michael Douglas Kathleen Turner movie called Romancing the Stone.
00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:44.720
That one's not.
00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:45.279
Yeah, no.
00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:45.440
Okay.
00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.559
But I didn't know about the equals.
00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:50.880
And and I'm guessing you also did not know.
00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:52.160
I don't think so.
00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:55.839
So that's not part of like who did Electric Avenue?
00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:01.839
No, the the Equals were a band that he formed in London in 1965.
00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:05.680
His later work was a part of his solo career, basically.
00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.440
He he left the band um because of some health issues.
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:18.640
But anyway, so so the equals they did form in 65 in London, and they were known as the first interracial rock group in the UK.
00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:19.279
Wow.
00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:22.960
And this is like a year before Sly and the Family Stone formed in the US.
00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:24.480
So it is pretty remarkable.
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:25.680
Yeah, I'd say so.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:30.960
And Eddie Grant moved from Guyana to London at 12.
00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:35.039
He formed the Equals at around 16 with some school friends.
00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:40.160
Their biggest hit at the time was Baby Come Back in 1968.
00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:47.759
And you might be more familiar with the Pato Bonton cover from 1994 featuring a couple UB40 members, maybe.
00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:48.640
I don't know.
00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:52.079
I will link that one too, and I I bet you've heard it.
00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:52.480
Yeah.
00:19:52.720 --> 00:20:06.079
Now, y'all know we we love a scholarly article on stereothematica, and I was so happy when I found one about today's pick titled Police on My Back and the Post-colonial Experience.
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:06.640
Nice.
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:08.079
I'm giving fingershots.
00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:08.720
Oh yeah.
00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:09.279
Yes.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:23.119
So the writer John Stratton talks about how the song evolved from Grant's original version about a Jamaican Rude Boy fleeing the police to an anthem about racialized policing, migration, and colonialism.
00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:28.079
Now I'm not gonna go into all that, but I will link the article for further learning.
00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:34.079
But real quick, Rude Boy, I feel like you've talked about this before, have you?
00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:37.200
I don't know if I've talked about Rudeboys in particular.
00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:40.559
I'm familiar with the term and ska.
00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:41.440
Yeah.
00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:51.839
No, it's sc was really more of like a cultural movement that started in Kingston, Jamaica after um independence from the UK in the early 60s.
00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:55.519
It's a political expression of working class defiance.
00:20:55.680 --> 00:21:04.400
But these young men and women wore these like sharp tailored suits and pork pie hats, and were getting into ska and reggae at the time.
00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:13.039
And the Stratton piece does get into a bit more detail, but I'll link to actually a couple of articles that talk about the Rudies.
00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:19.359
And like if you listen to any ska, like every band's got a song referring to a Rudy.
00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:20.400
I think even the Clash does.
00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:22.480
I was gonna say Rudy Can't Fail is another one.
00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:23.039
Exactly.
00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:23.359
Absolutely.
00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:38.480
So in the article, Stratton spans about 40 years of covers and recognizing that there are several out there, he focuses on the original and four others, including, of course, the clash's 1980 cover.
00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:40.799
So we are talking about it somewhat.
00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:51.920
He also talks about the Spanish band, Amparanoia's La Semana from 1997, which was really exciting for me to learn about because I love Amparo Sanchez's solo work.
00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:56.640
And I hadn't realized how political she was and how like influenced by the clash she was.
00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:58.720
And of course, La Semana, the week.
00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:00.480
So Yeah.
00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:06.400
And then in 2003, there was a cover from Zebda and Asian Dub Foundation.
00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:14.960
Both groups were products of post-colonial Britain and France, and were actually using like real police sirens in their song.
00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:24.799
And then finally in 2007, there's Lethal Bizzle's cover, which is more of a hip-hop reimagining, where he samples the Clashes version.
00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:35.440
And in Lethal's telling, the protagonist has actually committed a crime, car theft, but as a result of unemployment and economic marginalization.
00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:39.920
So in the Clash's version, you got Mick Jones's guitar.
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:45.119
It's like this police siren sound, and it's a part of this emotional chaos of the song.
00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:51.599
And then his vocals make the narrator sound confused and frightened, especially when he sings, What Have I Done?
00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:29.359
Interestingly, in the Zebda version, they changed the lyrics from what have I done to what have you done, eliminating any sort of ambiguity.
00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:32.400
And the accusation is kind of directed back at the cops.
00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:32.960
Nice.
00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:45.839
So to get back to the quotidian of it all, the singing of each day of the week, while pretty catchy, especially in the clash version, and well, all the versions, it's it's kind of a fun, fun hook.
00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:55.839
It's really about that relentless pursuit and fear and all the trauma that comes along with being a black person in a systemically racist society.
00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.599
Like there's no escape.
00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:59.039
It's just every day.
00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:06.559
And when you think of a socially conscious activist punk band like The Clash singing about that in 1980, that's one thing.
00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:19.200
But when you go back to the origins with the equal singing about the daily plight in a very poppy and accessible way, it actually feels even more subversive than the more recent and overtly political versions.
00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:27.680
And when the equal song came out in 1967, the clashes, Nick Jones and Joe Strummer, were around 12 and 15.
00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:38.240
And it's kind of fun to imagine how that song may have made an impression on them and like just got them thinking about what they want to do with their lives.
00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:38.799
Yeah.
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:46.880
In the article, Stratton quotes Tony Fletcher's book, The Clash Music That Matters, which is about every clash song ever written.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:47.440
Wow.
00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:53.519
And in this, he quotes that the band loved the equal song and that it was a tour bus favorite.
00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:57.279
And they often played it to ease into their own recording sessions.
00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:58.240
I love that.
00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:01.119
And more importantly, Eddie Grant approved of it.
00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:08.079
In a pop essentials interview in 2018, he said it was one of his favorite covers of the song.
00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:08.960
Wow, cool.
00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:09.599
Yeah.
00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:14.000
And I realize I did not talk much about the clash today.
00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:17.680
There's so much to say about them.
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:25.200
And I feel like since we both love them so much, maybe that's a special episode at one point.
00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:30.160
But all I could say for our listeners, just go listen to their music.
00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:38.960
This this songs on their fourth studio album, Sandinista, and another stellar, though not perfect album to listen to is London Calling.
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:39.440
Yeah.
00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:43.039
I'm not really into their um reggae stuff.
00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:45.200
I I have a feeling you probably like it more.
00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:48.240
I have to like think about that before I answer.
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:51.200
So let me let me revisit and then I'll let you know.
00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:58.960
Yeah, those are the ones that I like kind of skip over, but with the record, I do have London Calling on vinyl, and it's it's harder to skip.
00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:00.960
So you kind of just have to win endure.
00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:12.799
Um, but there's also a lot more to say about Eddie Grant, and I'll link to a podcast interview where he talks about the origins of the equals and his brushes with death.
00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:22.160
He was in a car crash with the band in like 1969, and that almost killed him.
00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:22.720
Oh no.
00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:29.440
His band members were mostly unscathed, and then like a couple years later, he had a heart attack.
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:31.200
Totally healthy guy.
00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:41.440
Like I vegetarian, non-smoker, non-drinker, and and that kind of was the thing that made him stop touring with the band, go solo.
00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:55.119
And eventually in the 80s, he broke out, broke out in the US specifically with Electric Avenue, which actually I think hit number two with the hot 100 in 1983.
00:26:55.519 --> 00:27:09.200
But final fun fact Trump used Grant's biggest US hit, Electric Avenue, in a 2020 campaign video where a Trump train outruns a Biden hand cart.
00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:22.319
Of course, the fools didn't get permission to use the song, and Grant, appalled for so many reasons, sued the campaign for 300,000, which is very reasonable.
00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:22.720
Yeah.
00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:26.240
And after four years, they eventually settled out of court.
00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:30.319
So I guess you could say Eddie fought the law and he won.
00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.640
Or rather, Trump ignored it again and again and lost.
00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:35.680
Well, yeah.
00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:38.000
I like that final fun fact.
00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:39.440
Yes, I know.
00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:40.480
So stupid.
00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:41.519
Anyway.
00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:51.039
Also like the yin and yang of our songs, where mine is like lol seven days, and yours is like uh post-colonialism and racism.
00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:56.720
It's like goes to show we can cover a lot of ground with our selections.
00:27:57.039 --> 00:27:58.400
No, that it's it's true.
00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:09.359
And honestly, getting into it, I mean, obviously it's the clash, so I knew it was political, but I didn't expect this little twist of going back to the equals.
00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:12.640
So um, so that kind of opened it up a little bit more for me.
00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:13.440
Unexpectedly.
00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:19.119
I'm not gonna lie, I did forget to share one other cool thing, which was my song, Saturday.
00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:23.599
Yeah, Saturday Love, sorry, has been sampled over a hundred times.
00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:24.480
Oh, really?
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:26.799
Even by my buddy Charlie XCX.
00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:28.319
So I'm gonna go.
00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:29.839
Yeah, you gotta link to that one.
00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:33.279
I'll link to that because that's gonna be a really cool thing to check out.
00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:36.720
No, I I love finding all the samples and listening to those.
00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:39.759
I love how it's on who's sampled, they make it so easy.
00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:44.400
Yeah, like they go to directly to the part and then they have a comparison video.
00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:45.519
It's just it's perfect.
00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:46.960
Yes, I love it.
00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:48.000
Well, thank you.
00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:49.680
That was thank you, Christine.
00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:51.920
I really uh appreciate you indulging me.
00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:56.559
And since we're winding down, do you mind if I just give a little bit of unsolicited advice?
00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:57.839
I'm ready for it.
00:28:58.160 --> 00:28:59.440
Have a hot dog.
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:01.440
Summer's almost over.
00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:04.319
Well, hot dogs can certainly be consumed year-round.
00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:12.400
There's something magical about holding a scrumptious frankfurter in one hand and an ice cold beverage in the other while you're standing by a body of water.
00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:13.519
Um, what?
00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:15.680
Wait, aren't you vegetarian?
00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:17.680
Indeed, I am, Christine.
00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:19.119
Indeed I am.
00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:23.920
And the veggie dogs these days are far superior to the tofu dogs of yesterday.
00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:31.119
You can find all kinds of delicious vegan francs at the grocery store, at IKEA, and even at Dodger Stadium.
00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:36.720
I am a fair weather fan of the Astros, but I'm a veggie Dodger Dog devotee.
00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:42.160
Oh man, I can't believe I'm still learning things about you, things that disgust me.
00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:43.039
Sorry.
00:29:43.359 --> 00:29:44.160
Fear not.
00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:47.119
There's nothing disgusting about a veggie hot dog.
00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:53.759
There is something disgusting about denying yourself tubular meat squish between bread and absolutely smothered and mustard, though.
00:29:54.079 --> 00:29:55.200
Advice over.
00:29:55.920 --> 00:30:00.480
Christine, what will you be delighting us with for our next episode?
00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:02.880
I think it's gonna be a surprise.
00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:06.079
Thank you for listening to Stereothematica.
00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:10.240
If you like what you're hearing, please consider a review, a rating, or sharing with a friend.
00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:15.200
And follow us on Instagram at Stereothematica, where you can share your favorite days of the week song.
00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:18.960
We've also got our infinite Spotify playlist linked in our show notes.
00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:22.880
And visit stereothematica.com for more fun.
00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:05.120
I'm Christine.
00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:06.480
And I'm Christina.
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In 2024, I moved to Texas from LA.
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And to keep in touch, Christine and I started a weekly game where we each pick a song that fits a chosen theme.
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This game deepened our understanding of each other and the songs that shape us, inspiring the podcast you're listening to now.
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Each week we share our pics, swap stories, and dig into tracks you might love.
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And a lot of the time have never heard of.
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Welcome to Stereothematica.
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Your favorite atypical music podcast.
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Hey there, Christine.
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Howdy.
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I was curious about something.
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Oh.
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And thinking of things we do every day.
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Uh-huh.
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Do you listen to music every day?
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Yes.
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I think so.
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Definitive, yes.
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Yeah, no, for sure.
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I mean, I don't listen to records every day.
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That's more of a special occasion.
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You know, we've talked about this.
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I need, I need like several hours to fully immerse myself in that experience.
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But music every day for sure.
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I think yes, as well.
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I mean, it's definitely something when I'm in the car, I want to be listening to music, when I'm, you know, making dinner or whatnot, music.
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But I was wondering if this is something that is a daily activity for most people.
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Because have you ever met someone who's like, I don't really like music?
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Oh, yeah.
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And it's a tricky one because I think they do.
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I agree.
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They're just not obsessive about music.
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But music, they they go to concerts, they enjoy hearing music, but I think they're just maybe not to the level that we enjoy music.
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I think it might even be more subliminal than that.
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Think about, you know, I love jingles, but you're even if you're listening to news radio, you might hear a jingle, or most advertisements have some music playing in the background.
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I even told you recently how I made a video and I was like, oh, I couldn't figure out how to do a backing like sound song to it.
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Yeah.
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So I think music is present every day, unless you really are like maybe living in a very secluded, you know, place where you don't have access.
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I just think it really is.
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Like music is part of everyone's life, whether or not they're seeking it out.
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Yeah.
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And even the the noises, the the natural environment.
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Yes, yes.
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The birds, the winds, the chirping of the cicadas.
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Yes.
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Is that what you call it?
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A cicada chair?
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Yeah, I think so.
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Whatever.
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Well, this brings me to my theme in a roundabout way.
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Because I picked the theme every day, meaning, you know, I wanted, I told you this is a song that should have every day of the week mentioned in it.
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Yes.
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And I picked this theme just because it felt fun and silly.
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And I think sometimes naming every day of the week in a song might seem tedious or even maybe a little elementary.
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Like, are we learning the days of the week?
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Exactly.
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Yeah.
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No.
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But somehow some artists have made it feel fun and fresh.
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Yes.
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So I wanted to know, apart from the songs that we picked for this week, are there any other everyday songs that you thought of?
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No, not everyday.
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I mean, the first one that came to mind when you pitched the theme was Eight Days a Week, which we all know there are not eight days a week.
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So, and actually in the Beatles song Eight Days a Week, they don't actually mention any day.
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Any day.
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They just talk about eight days a week.
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Funny.
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Funny that you mentioned that.
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Yeah.
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They have a song where they mention six days of the week.
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Oh, yes, I know that one.
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Lady Madonna.
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Yes, such a good song.
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Why would they not say Saturday?
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That's like the best day.
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That is weird.
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If I had picked that one, would you have accepted it?
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No.
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No.
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Okay, good.
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That's good.
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God, this is this feels good.
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I know what it's like to have power.
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Yeah.
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But you didn't pick it.
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But honestly, I don't think there's a lot of songs with all seven days mentioned.
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I think there's a few.
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Okay.
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So The Cure has Friday, I'm in love.
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Okay.
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That's a good one, in my opinion.
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It's funny because it's very poppy and it feels a little bit like almost Twee for the cure, who's a little dark, dark wave, you know.
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But that's a good one.
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And then there's the Beatles song.
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Lady Madonna is the Beatles song that says six of the seven days, which wouldn't count.
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But the thing that I realized when I was listening to that song today, I just realized that the same like melody and pacing is used in Sublime's what I got.
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We were just talking about Sublime with your hometown sound.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Did you pick up on that?
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No, I definitely not.
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Okay, go check it out.
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Actually, I should link to both of those.
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So let me uh remind myself.
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I love it when that happens.
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And then there's a very stupid song called Seven Days by Craig David.
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Do you know this one?
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I don't know who that is.
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He is a I think British singer.
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This came out probably in the early 2000s.
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And he's basically going, I met this girl on Monday.
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I took her for a drink on Tuesday.
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And then he talks about how they had sex every other day of the week except Sunday.
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That's a fun one.
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You move fast, dude.
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You move fast.
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Anyway.
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But yeah, I I was wondering because I obviously had a song in mind when I picked this because I was listening to my song pick when I thought of the theme.
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And this song, in my opinion, is a jam.
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It is.
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And yet, it still covers every day of the week, and they say them so many times.
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It's kind of ridiculous how many times they say it.
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It's a lot of fun.
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It is so fun.
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So let's take a quick listen to Saturday Love by Alexander O'Neill and Sherelle from the 1985 album High Priority.
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You will notice I didn't play any part of the epic opening where Sherelle and Alexander O'Neill see each other at the club.
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Because the opening of this song is one minute and 55 seconds of like just a skit, essentially.
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It takes a while to get into.
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It's just talking and yeah, it's an act.
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So talk about say less, right?
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Yeah, exactly.
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Nice call back.
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Thank you.
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But do I remember correctly?
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Did you think I was crazy for picking this song?
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Not crazy.
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Just like it was it was funny that you picked it because I knew this song growing up.
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Like this would be a song on the radio that my brother and I would sing along to.
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It wasn't necessarily a song I love, but it was a fun one of those fun songs that you hear on the radio and it's like not go get the tape recorder, let's let's record this, but like let's be silly to it.
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Uh-huh.
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Oh, I can totally, even though this song came out in 85, I could have seen myself like grooving along to this at the grocery store, you know, when it when I was a little kid.
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And I don't even know how I discovered this song, which is to think about.
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But it's kind of a deep cut for someone of your age.
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Yeah, it seems like something you might have heard at the club back in that time frame, right?
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Yep, for sure.
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Which I was not there.
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Yeah.
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And I'm guessing you weren't there either.
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Not at that time.
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Not at 85.
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Yeah.
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No.
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But I will have you know when I was prepping for our episode and playing this song, Andrew heard it and goes, I love that song.
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And I don't know if he was kidding or not, but I do love this song.
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So I will recommend for our listeners, if you go seek out the song, just go ahead and listen to the radio edit.
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Yeah.
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Listen to the the full song in its entirety once, just because it is like almost seven minutes long.
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And I'm telling you, almost two minutes of that is them playing this little, oh, who is that?
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Mr.
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O'Neal.
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There's a lady asking for you, but is it's still a jam.
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So let me tell you a little bit about these musicians, or at least Sherelle, who was born Cheryl Ann Norton, and changed her name to Sherelle after a manager yelled, Cheryl, you're late again.
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I don't know if that's true or not, but I like that.
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No, I didn't make it up.
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I saw it on her Wikipedia page.
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But yes, her debut album was released in 1984 under the production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who we recently spoke about in our explicit episode, as they also produced many of Janet Jackson's number one hits.
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And while Saturday Love didn't make it to number one, it did reach number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the US RB chart.
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The song's not deep.
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I mean, it's you're hearing the the days of the week over and over, but it's basically talking about some ex-lovers seeing each other at the club and recounting how they met on Drumroll Please, a Saturday.
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I love it.
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It's so simple and obvious.
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And I mean, sometimes pop songs just are, which is really fun.
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But one thing I do like is they mention another song that names all the days of the week.
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And I'm curious if you caught it.
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Let me play it real quick.
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Let's sing it.
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Alright, so they say, and this is one of my favorite parts, which we've just played, when they say never on a Sunday.
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No.
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I mean, it's now it's familiar, but just tell me.
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Okay.
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That I did not catch it.
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Okay.
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And and I'm curious if you know, well, that to me it stood out because I was like, hmm, that sounds like something I've heard before.
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Not only is it a song from 1950 by the Cordettes, which of course I'm going to link to.
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Yeah.
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But it's also a movie.
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But the movie's actually called Never on Sunday.
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Oh.
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And apparently it's a Greek rom-com about a free-spirited sex worker named Ilya and her American love interest, Homer.
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That sounds like fun.
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It does sound fun.
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I think I would love to watch that actually.
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Wait, what year did that come out?
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1960.
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Oh wow.
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Okay.
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I have a feeling it might not be um very politically correct.
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Probably not.
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And maybe not even that interesting.
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Yeah, because when I read it a little bit about this movie, it was like talking about how, oh Homer, he meets this.
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They quote, and this is not my, I use the word sex worker.
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Yeah.
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They call the, I guess it's a character trope, uh, the happy hooker.
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Oh.
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Which is kind of messed up.
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Yep.
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Anyway, but who knew you could have another day of the week Easter egg in a day of the week song?
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And that quorette song is pretty goofy.
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Do you did you ever see the uh SNL sketch where it's like the sisters who are singing like on the Bob Hope show, and then they've got Kristen Weed with the weird little hands.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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It kind of reminded me of that type of, you know, okay, okay.
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You know, that kind of thing.
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Anyway, well, back to my my song, since I'm going off on a tangent, since I haven't said much or anything really about Alexander O'Neill, I'd love to give a little bit uh of excellent music trivia about him.
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So after Mr.
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O'Neill moved to Minneapolis at age 20, he started a few bands, most notably Flight Time, and that's spelled with a Y in Flight and Time, which included Monty Moir, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.
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Okay, a couple of very famous friends.
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Uh-huh.
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And then based on his success with Flight Time, he met with none other than Prince to discuss starting a band called You Guessed It.
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Oh.
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The Time.
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That's amazing.
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Isn't it crazy?
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Yeah, it is kind of crazy.
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Guess what's crazier?
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What Mr.
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O'Neill had a disagreement with the purple one and was reprince?
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The Prince.
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Because he got into an argument with him and I think was being a little bit too egotistical.
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He was replaced as lead singer by Morris Day.
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Wow.
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Can you imagine how differently his life would have been if he would have been the lead singer of the time?
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Oh, that's that's a fun bit of trivia there.
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It is a little fun, fun fact.
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But I also love Morris Day.
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So I mean, I'm really glad he's in the time.
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Yeah.
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You've seen Purple Rain.
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Yes, of course.
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Okay.
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And and I love the time.
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Oh, yeah.
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So the first time I saw Purple Rain was in the movie theater.
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Uh-huh.
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I was like in my 20s, but I was so happy and excited.
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Like, because I had never seen it before.
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I was like standing up and cheering.
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Oh, wow.
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I loved it.
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It was incredible.
00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:18.159
Anyway, speaking of Morris Day, and we're talking about days.
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Do you see?
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Does that work?
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Yeah.
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Can I get away with that?
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Yeah, you yeah, you got that one.
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Okay.
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That'll be my ending note.
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So I appreciate you joining me on my wacky journey, Christine.
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And I can't wait to hear about your days of the week jam.
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Okay, well, thank you for that.
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That was kind of a blast from the past for me.
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So I enjoyed re-listening to that a few times.
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When you proposed this, Eight Days of the Week was the one that came to my mind.
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I couldn't think of other ones right off the top.
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I did think of a lot of Monday songs.
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Yes.
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Monday, Monday, Manic Monday.
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Oh, that's a good one.
00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:51.919
The song you picked.
00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:52.720
Blue Monday.
00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:54.159
Yeah, Blue Monday, of course.
00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:55.519
I don't like Mondays.
00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:56.480
The one you just talked about.
00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:57.600
Oh, yeah, that's right.
00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:58.320
OMG.
00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.120
So I'm like, oh, this is gonna be a hard one for me.
00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:04.960
Like, I really thought this would take the entire week for me to figure out.
00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.960
But then, like, all of a sudden, I felt the song.
00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:10.159
It just came to me.
00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:10.879
Oh, yeah.
00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:27.279
It's such a great feeling when like you have it's almost like a loop, and it's not exactly the lyrics that you want that you need to be confirmed, but you kind of like you you hear it in your mind, and then you you like try to play it out, and then you like it's it's a Eureka moment.
00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:28.960
Oh I love that moment.
00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:34.720
And I kind of think I I pretty quickly, like maybe an hour later, sent it to you after you proposed it.
00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:35.200
Nice.
00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:38.320
So yeah, I just I let go and and I got it.
00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:45.759
And no days of the week are in the title, but in a way, they are really the heart of the clashes police on my back.
00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:15.679
I was very proud when I shared this with you.
00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:17.120
Were you impressed?
00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:18.480
I was super impressed.
00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:20.159
Were you thinking of that one?
00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:20.879
I wasn't.
00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:24.799
And when you said it, I was like, oh shit, that's a really good one.
00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:25.360
Yeah.
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:31.360
Like, and I love this song, I love the clash, but I was like, holy crap, because I didn't even think of that one.
00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:33.919
I think I was like laser focused on my pick.
00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.679
But then I was trying to think of some of the other ones.
00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:36.080
Uh-huh.
00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:44.000
And speaking of your Eureka moment, I was trying to have that with a Beatles song, thinking it was a days of the week song, but it was actually just them counting.
00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:46.000
And I'm like, that's stupid.
00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:46.559
Anyway.
00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:48.240
Well, do you remember what the song was?
00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.080
No, give me a minute and I'll think of it.
00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:51.200
Sure, sure, sure.
00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:55.360
But anyway, I had been listening to a lot of Clash when you pitched the theme.
00:15:55.519 --> 00:16:02.879
It was the one song episode on London Calling with Fred Armison that really reignited this flame I had for the clash.
00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:04.480
Did you listen to that episode?
00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:05.360
It was last year.
00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:06.960
No, I haven't listened to it.
00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:09.120
I actually haven't listened to enough one sound.
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:09.759
Oh, okay.
00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:11.759
Yeah, I'll send this one to you.
00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.720
I mean, it's it's actually it's it's linked in our show notes.
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:16.720
Wait, did I say one sound?
00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:18.240
I think you said one song.
00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:19.120
Okay, sorry.
00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:25.039
But I was so excited when I learned that Fred's favorite clash song was the same as mine, Train in Vain.
00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:30.639
Do you have a favorite clash song or or two that you wanna let me know?
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:32.799
I love Straight to Hell.
00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:33.679
Oh, yeah, yeah.
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:41.679
Even though it's so sad, like it's such that's one I think we talked about with chills when like maybe, but I that's one of my favorites.
00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:44.639
And then oh wait, Lost in the Supermarket, is that embarrassing?
00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:46.000
I love that one.
00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:46.639
That's fun.
00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.799
Okay, yeah, no, I think that's a good one.
00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:50.720
They're a good band.
00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:51.679
Yeah, good.
00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:54.559
I kind of forgot about how big a fan I was.
00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:59.279
I was not like obviously when the band was together, I was a little too young for that.
00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:08.960
Although in 1982, when Combat Rock came out, like Rock the Caspa was on the radio a lot, and that's kind of when I was like having my musical awakening.
00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:15.920
They were one of the few somewhat contemporary bands in high school to break the Bob Dylan barrier.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:16.559
Oh wow.
00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:27.599
Yeah, I think it was that social, like socially conscious, like they were writing about problems and justice, and they were really fun too.
00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:33.519
It was it was it was punk, but it was like I it was very like pleasant to listen to.
00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:43.759
It was enjoyable, it was almost like sometimes a little rockabilly, sometimes just like poppy punk, which I I hope I'm not being offensive by saying that.
00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:45.200
But it's like palatable punk.
00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:46.720
Palatable punk.
00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:48.559
That's that's a better word for it.
00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:52.240
Um but plot twist here, once again.
00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:56.400
We're not going to focus too much on the Clashes version today.
00:17:57.119 --> 00:17:57.599
Interesting.
00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:02.319
Even though that's the one we are going to be playing, and it is my favorite version.
00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:11.839
I want to talk a little bit about the writer of the song, Eddie Grant, who released it 13 years earlier in 1967 with his band, The Equals.
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.039
And yes, we're talking about the Eddie Grant.
00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:16.640
Do you know who this is, Christina?
00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:17.680
I don't think so.
00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:18.240
Should I?
00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:18.799
Ah.
00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:19.599
Oh, good.
00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:21.039
No, this is wonderful.
00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:26.160
So I knew Eddie Grant because of his early 80s hits like Electric Avenue.
00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:26.960
Do you know that one?
00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:27.920
I definitely know that one.
00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:28.559
Okay, good, good.
00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.400
And I don't want to dance.
00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:32.079
Maybe.
00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:33.359
You you probably know it.
00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.000
I bet.
00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:35.119
And I won't sing it.
00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:43.119
Then in 1984, he did the track for a fun little Michael Douglas Kathleen Turner movie called Romancing the Stone.
00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:44.720
That one's not.
00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:45.279
Yeah, no.
00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:45.440
Okay.
00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.559
But I didn't know about the equals.
00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:50.880
And and I'm guessing you also did not know.
00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:52.160
I don't think so.
00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:55.839
So that's not part of like who did Electric Avenue?
00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:01.839
No, the the Equals were a band that he formed in London in 1965.
00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:05.680
His later work was a part of his solo career, basically.
00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.440
He he left the band um because of some health issues.
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:18.640
But anyway, so so the equals they did form in 65 in London, and they were known as the first interracial rock group in the UK.
00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:19.279
Wow.
00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:22.960
And this is like a year before Sly and the Family Stone formed in the US.
00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:24.480
So it is pretty remarkable.
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:25.680
Yeah, I'd say so.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:30.960
And Eddie Grant moved from Guyana to London at 12.
00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:35.039
He formed the Equals at around 16 with some school friends.
00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:40.160
Their biggest hit at the time was Baby Come Back in 1968.
00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:47.759
And you might be more familiar with the Pato Bonton cover from 1994 featuring a couple UB40 members, maybe.
00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:48.640
I don't know.
00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:52.079
I will link that one too, and I I bet you've heard it.
00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:52.480
Yeah.
00:19:52.720 --> 00:20:06.079
Now, y'all know we we love a scholarly article on stereothematica, and I was so happy when I found one about today's pick titled Police on My Back and the Post-colonial Experience.
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:06.640
Nice.
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:08.079
I'm giving fingershots.
00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:08.720
Oh yeah.
00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:09.279
Yes.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:23.119
So the writer John Stratton talks about how the song evolved from Grant's original version about a Jamaican Rude Boy fleeing the police to an anthem about racialized policing, migration, and colonialism.
00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:28.079
Now I'm not gonna go into all that, but I will link the article for further learning.
00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:34.079
But real quick, Rude Boy, I feel like you've talked about this before, have you?
00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:37.200
I don't know if I've talked about Rudeboys in particular.
00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:40.559
I'm familiar with the term and ska.
00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:41.440
Yeah.
00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:51.839
No, it's sc was really more of like a cultural movement that started in Kingston, Jamaica after um independence from the UK in the early 60s.
00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:55.519
It's a political expression of working class defiance.
00:20:55.680 --> 00:21:04.400
But these young men and women wore these like sharp tailored suits and pork pie hats, and were getting into ska and reggae at the time.
00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:13.039
And the Stratton piece does get into a bit more detail, but I'll link to actually a couple of articles that talk about the Rudies.
00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:19.359
And like if you listen to any ska, like every band's got a song referring to a Rudy.
00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:20.400
I think even the Clash does.
00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:22.480
I was gonna say Rudy Can't Fail is another one.
00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:23.039
Exactly.
00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:23.359
Absolutely.
00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:38.480
So in the article, Stratton spans about 40 years of covers and recognizing that there are several out there, he focuses on the original and four others, including, of course, the clash's 1980 cover.
00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:40.799
So we are talking about it somewhat.
00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:51.920
He also talks about the Spanish band, Amparanoia's La Semana from 1997, which was really exciting for me to learn about because I love Amparo Sanchez's solo work.
00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:56.640
And I hadn't realized how political she was and how like influenced by the clash she was.
00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:58.720
And of course, La Semana, the week.
00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:00.480
So Yeah.
00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:06.400
And then in 2003, there was a cover from Zebda and Asian Dub Foundation.
00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:14.960
Both groups were products of post-colonial Britain and France, and were actually using like real police sirens in their song.
00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:24.799
And then finally in 2007, there's Lethal Bizzle's cover, which is more of a hip-hop reimagining, where he samples the Clashes version.
00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:35.440
And in Lethal's telling, the protagonist has actually committed a crime, car theft, but as a result of unemployment and economic marginalization.
00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:39.920
So in the Clash's version, you got Mick Jones's guitar.
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:45.119
It's like this police siren sound, and it's a part of this emotional chaos of the song.
00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:51.599
And then his vocals make the narrator sound confused and frightened, especially when he sings, What Have I Done?
00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:29.359
Interestingly, in the Zebda version, they changed the lyrics from what have I done to what have you done, eliminating any sort of ambiguity.
00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:32.400
And the accusation is kind of directed back at the cops.
00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:32.960
Nice.
00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:45.839
So to get back to the quotidian of it all, the singing of each day of the week, while pretty catchy, especially in the clash version, and well, all the versions, it's it's kind of a fun, fun hook.
00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:55.839
It's really about that relentless pursuit and fear and all the trauma that comes along with being a black person in a systemically racist society.
00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.599
Like there's no escape.
00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:59.039
It's just every day.
00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:06.559
And when you think of a socially conscious activist punk band like The Clash singing about that in 1980, that's one thing.
00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:19.200
But when you go back to the origins with the equal singing about the daily plight in a very poppy and accessible way, it actually feels even more subversive than the more recent and overtly political versions.
00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:27.680
And when the equal song came out in 1967, the clashes, Nick Jones and Joe Strummer, were around 12 and 15.
00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:38.240
And it's kind of fun to imagine how that song may have made an impression on them and like just got them thinking about what they want to do with their lives.
00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:38.799
Yeah.
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:46.880
In the article, Stratton quotes Tony Fletcher's book, The Clash Music That Matters, which is about every clash song ever written.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:47.440
Wow.
00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:53.519
And in this, he quotes that the band loved the equal song and that it was a tour bus favorite.
00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:57.279
And they often played it to ease into their own recording sessions.
00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:58.240
I love that.
00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:01.119
And more importantly, Eddie Grant approved of it.
00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:08.079
In a pop essentials interview in 2018, he said it was one of his favorite covers of the song.
00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:08.960
Wow, cool.
00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:09.599
Yeah.
00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:14.000
And I realize I did not talk much about the clash today.
00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:17.680
There's so much to say about them.
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:25.200
And I feel like since we both love them so much, maybe that's a special episode at one point.
00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:30.160
But all I could say for our listeners, just go listen to their music.
00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:38.960
This this songs on their fourth studio album, Sandinista, and another stellar, though not perfect album to listen to is London Calling.
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:39.440
Yeah.
00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:43.039
I'm not really into their um reggae stuff.
00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:45.200
I I have a feeling you probably like it more.
00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:48.240
I have to like think about that before I answer.
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:51.200
So let me let me revisit and then I'll let you know.
00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:58.960
Yeah, those are the ones that I like kind of skip over, but with the record, I do have London Calling on vinyl, and it's it's harder to skip.
00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:00.960
So you kind of just have to win endure.
00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:12.799
Um, but there's also a lot more to say about Eddie Grant, and I'll link to a podcast interview where he talks about the origins of the equals and his brushes with death.
00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:22.160
He was in a car crash with the band in like 1969, and that almost killed him.
00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:22.720
Oh no.
00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:29.440
His band members were mostly unscathed, and then like a couple years later, he had a heart attack.
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:31.200
Totally healthy guy.
00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:41.440
Like I vegetarian, non-smoker, non-drinker, and and that kind of was the thing that made him stop touring with the band, go solo.
00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:55.119
And eventually in the 80s, he broke out, broke out in the US specifically with Electric Avenue, which actually I think hit number two with the hot 100 in 1983.
00:26:55.519 --> 00:27:09.200
But final fun fact Trump used Grant's biggest US hit, Electric Avenue, in a 2020 campaign video where a Trump train outruns a Biden hand cart.
00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:22.319
Of course, the fools didn't get permission to use the song, and Grant, appalled for so many reasons, sued the campaign for 300,000, which is very reasonable.
00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:22.720
Yeah.
00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:26.240
And after four years, they eventually settled out of court.
00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:30.319
So I guess you could say Eddie fought the law and he won.
00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.640
Or rather, Trump ignored it again and again and lost.
00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:35.680
Well, yeah.
00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:38.000
I like that final fun fact.
00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:39.440
Yes, I know.
00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:40.480
So stupid.
00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:41.519
Anyway.
00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:51.039
Also like the yin and yang of our songs, where mine is like lol seven days, and yours is like uh post-colonialism and racism.
00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:56.720
It's like goes to show we can cover a lot of ground with our selections.
00:27:57.039 --> 00:27:58.400
No, that it's it's true.
00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:09.359
And honestly, getting into it, I mean, obviously it's the clash, so I knew it was political, but I didn't expect this little twist of going back to the equals.
00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:12.640
So um, so that kind of opened it up a little bit more for me.
00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:13.440
Unexpectedly.
00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:19.119
I'm not gonna lie, I did forget to share one other cool thing, which was my song, Saturday.
00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:23.599
Yeah, Saturday Love, sorry, has been sampled over a hundred times.
00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:24.480
Oh, really?
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:26.799
Even by my buddy Charlie XCX.
00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:28.319
So I'm gonna go.
00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:29.839
Yeah, you gotta link to that one.
00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:33.279
I'll link to that because that's gonna be a really cool thing to check out.
00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:36.720
No, I I love finding all the samples and listening to those.
00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:39.759
I love how it's on who's sampled, they make it so easy.
00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:44.400
Yeah, like they go to directly to the part and then they have a comparison video.
00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:45.519
It's just it's perfect.
00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:46.960
Yes, I love it.
00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:48.000
Well, thank you.
00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:49.680
That was thank you, Christine.
00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:51.920
I really uh appreciate you indulging me.
00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:56.559
And since we're winding down, do you mind if I just give a little bit of unsolicited advice?
00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:57.839
I'm ready for it.
00:28:58.160 --> 00:28:59.440
Have a hot dog.
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:01.440
Summer's almost over.
00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:04.319
Well, hot dogs can certainly be consumed year-round.
00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:12.400
There's something magical about holding a scrumptious frankfurter in one hand and an ice cold beverage in the other while you're standing by a body of water.
00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:13.519
Um, what?
00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:15.680
Wait, aren't you vegetarian?
00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:17.680
Indeed, I am, Christine.
00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:19.119
Indeed I am.
00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:23.920
And the veggie dogs these days are far superior to the tofu dogs of yesterday.
00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:31.119
You can find all kinds of delicious vegan francs at the grocery store, at IKEA, and even at Dodger Stadium.
00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:36.720
I am a fair weather fan of the Astros, but I'm a veggie Dodger Dog devotee.
00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:42.160
Oh man, I can't believe I'm still learning things about you, things that disgust me.
00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:43.039
Sorry.
00:29:43.359 --> 00:29:44.160
Fear not.
00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:47.119
There's nothing disgusting about a veggie hot dog.
00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:53.759
There is something disgusting about denying yourself tubular meat squish between bread and absolutely smothered and mustard, though.
00:29:54.079 --> 00:29:55.200
Advice over.
00:29:55.920 --> 00:30:00.480
Christine, what will you be delighting us with for our next episode?
00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:02.880
I think it's gonna be a surprise.
00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:06.079
Thank you for listening to Stereothematica.
00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:10.240
If you like what you're hearing, please consider a review, a rating, or sharing with a friend.
00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:15.200
And follow us on Instagram at Stereothematica, where you can share your favorite days of the week song.
00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:18.960
We've also got our infinite Spotify playlist linked in our show notes.
00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:22.880
And visit stereothematica.com for more fun.
