John Richards

R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck explained about "Nightswimming": "We used to sneak on this guy's property in Athens and go swimming in this water hole. It'd be great: 30 of us all running around naked."

This was featured in the 1989 movie Say Anything in a scene where John Cusack plays this from a Boom Box he holds over his head to win the heart of Ione Skye. Cameron Crowe, who directed the film, was going to use Billy Idol's "Got To Be A Lover," but it didn't work with the scene. Crowe got the idea to use this when he played a tape from his wedding which had the song on it. Because it was a deeply personal song, Gabriel did not want to let him use it, but when Crowe called and sent him a tape of the movie, Gabriel loved it and gave his approval.

“To Build a Home” truly captures the emptiness of an old home that is no longer yours. It seems a part of you has been left in that place. Hopefully the person or things that later inhabit it appreciate the little things you once noticed and held dear. This song is not one that is entirely depressive, because at the end it lifts you up—as if to say, “There is always hope for the future; there will be brighter days.”

The The are releasing a 7" single for Record Store Day 20202. ‘I WANT 2 B U’ and ‘Velvet Muscle Scream’ are taken from the forthcoming film Muscle.

Low is reminding us that we're not alone via their Twitter with a quote from Mr. Rodgers: “You’ll always find people helping...it’s one of the best things about our wonderful world.” bit.ly

#52 - Watch this live KEXP performance here: bit.ly and donate at kexp.org!

#51 - DJ Cheryl Waters hosted this Frightened Rabbit in-studio session in October 2010. bit.ly

Songwriter Matthew Caws on "Always Love": "I still have strong feelings for this song. The words still resonate with me. I feel like most people can identify with wanting to feel part of a loving relationship, of a warm and mutually supportive partnership. I’ve never gotten tired of singing it."

The Beatles played this for the first time on the "Our World" project, the first worldwide TV special. Broadcast in 24 countries on June 25, 1967, the show was six hours long and featured music from 6 continents, with The Beatles representing Britain. The Beatles were supposedly recording this live during the show, but they used a prerecorded backing track and John Lennon's vocal was redone a few hours later. Eric Clapton mimed guitar on this during the special.

This song had a profound impact on Ozzy Osbourne, who said it was the first single he ever bought. "Imagine you go to bed today and the world is black and white and then you wake up, and everything's in color," he said of hearing it for the first time. Osbourne knew at that moment he wanted to make music his life, and The Beatles proved that even poor kids from small towns in England could pull it off.

In January, Lord Huron sold off some of their vintage studio gear, including some guitars, and 100% of the proceeds were donated to WIRES Wildlife Rescue's bushfire relief efforts in Australia.

Morrissey drew lyrical inspiration from the 1957 novel On the Beach by Nevil Shute, which describes a group of people in Melbourne awaiting nuclear fallout.

Sharon Robinson, who become a frequent writing collaborator of Leonard Cohen recalled: "Leonard had most of the lyric done when he handed it to me. There's a profound honesty in it. He's exposing something we all know and talk about with those close to us, but not publicly. It says we're not really in control of our destiny, there are others running things, and we go about our daily lives with that in the background."

'Stranger Than Kindness' the book will be released on March 23rd. It is "a journey in images and words into the creative world of musician, storyteller and cultural icon Nick Cave." Find it here: linktr.ee

Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, is a tribute album to Mulcahy that also served as a benefit for him. Mulcahy's wife Melissa died unexpectedly, leaving him to take care of his three-year-old twin daughters. He needed help to keep making music and fortunately got it.

Everything *will* be ok and we *will* all get through this. Together. You are not alone.

#50 - In addition to "The Joke," Brandi's full 2018 in-studio includes: "Most Of All" "The Mother" "Whatever You Do" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'." See them all here: bit.ly

DJ Kevin Cole's Prince tribute, "Nothing Compares 2 U: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Prince" is one of the amazing things your donation allows us to do. Read about it here: bit.ly

This was not banned by the BBC or by many US radio stations because censors did not understand phrases like "giving head." Depending on the regional US market, the song was, however, edited for other lyrics. Reed leads into the female vocalists' "Doo, doo-doo" hook with the words, "And the colored girls say," but some stations played a version that replaced the phrase with, "And the girls all say."

In a 2011 interview, Phife Dawg explained that the group has never received royalties from this song because of the Lou Reed sample. Phife Dawg is thankful he let his group use "Walk on the Wild Side," but he was disappointed that Reed didn't spread the wealth.

The lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie, but Guthrie never recorded it or wrote music down for it. No exact date is known for the lyrics - it could have been anytime from the 1930s until it 1940s. Although Guthrie's recording career was more or less over by 1947, his estate approached Billy Bragg in 1995 to set Woody's handwritten, unrecorded lyrics to music. Thus the song is a collaboration piece that took place 30 years after Guthrie died. Simple and direct, Guthrie's words paint a picture of sleeping beneath the beautiful California stars, and the lovely dreams that follow.

"People go nuts when I play it, it's easy to play, it's in my vocal range still. It's one of just superb-super-easy-fun-everybody-loves-it songs. Why would you not play those?" - Bob Mould Watch Bob Mould talking about "Hoover Dam." www.youtube.com

Bowie labeled the song "a sensitive young girl's reaction to the media" and added, "I think she finds herself disappointed with reality... that although she's living in the doldrums of reality, she's being told that there's a far greater life somewhere, and she's bitterly disappointed that she doesn't have access to it."

John Deacon wrote this song about his wife. He enjoyed a rather quiet home life, and particularly in the early days of the group he was very shy and quiet, unwilling to put his song suggestions forward.

Though he wouldn’t come out publicly for another six years, just a year prior, George Michael had come to the realization that he was gay when he met his first love, Anselmo Feleppa. “He was the first person I had ever loved, and I discovered he loved me too,” Michael said of Feleppa, who was HIV positive and died in 1993. The video was taken during rehearsals, so the audio isn’t great, but Michael’s voice comes through as he sings the words, “I just gotta get out of this prison cell / One day I’m gonna be free, Lord.” And if all of that isn’t enough to break your heart, there’s David Bowie watching in the background. youtu.be

#49 - Frightened Rabbit performed live at The Triple Door as part of KEXP's VIP Club Concert series in March 2013. Watch "State Hospital" and the full session here: www.youtube.com

Fran Healy (singer and guitarist from Travis) came up with the song as he watched a swingbeat video on MTV, leading him to write a basic melody called "Swing" about children in a swing set. As he performed with the rest of the band, he changed the song to "Sing", making the lyrics about the healing powers of singing. bit.ly Your support keeps the KEXP community growing strong. Call 206-903-5397 or online at www.kexp.org to donate today.