Say you're leaving, say goodbye

Dear friends,

I've got a migraine that won't go away and a tiredness like a waterside suicide. I have no energy, all I can do in my off hours is sprawl on the couch and watch endless hours of bad TV*. It was there, watching Idol, that I caught One More Time being used in a car commercial. How fitting! I've been putting this song on car mixes since adolescence, it's all motion and strife. Perfect for rolled down windows and scream-alongs. The lead vocal by Joe Jackson is stylistic perfection. Yes, it's pop punk snarl but within all the hissed out melodic venom, there's this tender vulnerability. Note the way he sings the lines "Tell me one more time your tears are only sad confusion/Tell me it's just been so long and that is all" and the way the last words trail off, cast down and dejected. You can hear the pit in the stomach. The stone being kicked across the road.

One More Time/Joe Jackson (mp3)


Maybe Look Sharp! is too catchy and slick to merit inclusion in some people's cool lists. I disagree, it's got real heart beneath the pop sheen. Highly recommended.

Purchase Look Sharp! by Joe Jackson on Amazon Digital.

Love, D

* Notice I never mentioned this past season of ANTM? Because it was a JOKE. For an en pointe recap of the ridiculous finale, go HERE.