John Richards

Bush wrote this for a sequence in the 1988 John Hughes' movie She's Having A Baby where a man is waiting in a hospital while his wife gives birth in the next room. Bush wrote this track from the man's point of view.

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, O'Connor's second studio album, was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1991, including Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Music Video, Short Form for "Nothing Compares 2 U", winning the award for Best Alternative Music Performance. However, O'Connor refused to accept the nominations and award.

The beginning of the song, "All God's children need traveling shoes" is the title of a book by the writer Maya Angelou. It is the fifth and last book of her autobiography series in which Angelou writes about her dream to return home as a black American woman to Africa and her subsequent emigration to Ghana.

Jenn Wasner launched Flock of Dimes, a solo project formed in 2011 to explore the more atmospheric side of pop. Flock of Dimes allows Wasner to experience more experimental recording techniques and songwriting outside of the burgeoning success of her main musical outlet Wye Oak. Her new album came out on April 2nd, 2021 on Sub Pop. flockofdimes.bandcamp.com

Marlon Magnée, frontman of French avant rockers La Femme revealed that they wrote this song eight years ago, and their third (and first self-produced) album was the perfect fit to include it. lafemmeressort.bandcamp.com

KEXP was lucky enough to have Charlotte Gainsbourg stop by the (old!) KEXP studio for a Live In-Studio Performance back in 2010, where she performed this track: www.youtube.com

British soul singer Celeste's track “Hear My Voice” was co-written with Golden Globe-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton and is the focus track of the Netflix film “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” written and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network,” “Molly’s Game”)

The latest full-length from Valerie June, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers emerged from a long-awaited revelation on the part of the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter. “With this record, it finally became clear why I have this dream of making music,” June says of her third album for Fantasy Records. “It’s not for earthly reasons of wanting to be awarded or to win anybody’s love—it’s because dreaming keeps me inquisitive and keeps me on that path of learning what I have to share with the world. I think when we allow ourselves to dream like we did when we were kids, it ignites the light that we all have within us and helps us to have a sort of magic about the way we live.” valeriejune.bandcamp.com

Happy Birthday to singer/songwriter Nilüfer Yanya! Watch Nilüfer Yanya's Live on KEXP at Home performance (and interview with Cheryl Waters) from March 2021: bit.ly. niluferyanya.bandcamp.com

A resident of Topanga Canyon for many years, Tim Booth wrote the lyrics of "Beautiful Beaches" in response to climate change migrations and the subsequent increasingly regular Californian fires bringing devastation to his community. It was inspired by a friend who lost his 'fire proof' home and had to flee for his life to the beaches and a recurring vision Tim had last year of earthquakes and fires in California - a vision which resulted in his family packing up and leaving the Canyon. 'That life we left behind, we're racing down to those beautiful beaches'. bit.ly

Second single released from the Manchester band's fourth album. "Well, anyway, it's looking like a beautiful day / Throw those curtains wide!"

"Hey John! Today is my last day listening to the morning show as a college student. Thank you for these past 4 years and all the great music! I would love to hear some Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene today! Have a great day, Nathan from Missouri" This track samples the *great* Francis Bebey's "The Coffee-Cola Song"!

Written by ABBA members Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, this absolutely perfect track drew inspiration from the 1974 George McCrae disco hit "Rock Your Baby," and from the drumming on the 1972 album Gumbo by Dr. John.

Listen to more infectious grooves of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio featuring their first tune of the new drummer Dan Weiss. delvonlamarrorgantrio.com

London-based electronica duo Jungle are playing the Moore Theatre on Friday, October 22nd! bit.ly Enjoy the band's 2019 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters here: bit.ly. www.junglejunglejungle.com

A listener request! Chris Difford of Squeeze stated, "the lyric was inspired by my picking up my notebook one day and seeing a coffee stain on it, which inspired the first line. It was a very vivid image for me and inspired this song of loss and regret."

Let's hear it for the 7th best day of the week.

Sleater-Kinney have put out their first new single in over a year, “Worry With You" and have announced a new album, Path of Wellness, out June 11th. Sleater-Kinney will also be co-headlining the It’s Time Tour in the U.S. with Wilco this summer after the tour was postponed from last summer due to Covid-19. The first show is August 5 – Spokane, WA @ First Interstate Center for the Arts.

Bachelor is the new collaborative project of Californian indie rock artist Jay Som and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner. Melina Duterte (Jay Som) is the daughter of Filipino immigrants, and cites her parents' immigrant background and cultural customs as major influences : bachelortheband.bandcamp.com This May, KEXP is celebrating Pushing Boundaries! Beyond Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we’re celebrating artists of Asian and Pasifika descent from around the world: www.kexp.org

"Supernova" is from the second album 'Whip-Smart' released in 1994. Phair described Whip-Smart as particularly difficult to make because at the time she didn't have many songs that weren't about the music industry, which displeased her manager. In total, Whip-Smart took about one month to record. The album was recorded in two distinct sessions: the first in August 1993 in Chicago, and the second in February 1994 in the Bahamas. bit.ly Here is the video for "Supernova": youtu.be

Brand new music from the Boston artist Juliana Hatfield: julianahatfield.bandcamp.com And you can check out her KEXP Live In-Studio Session from last year here: www.youtube.com

Girlfriend is the third studio album by American alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1991. The album was ranked at number 61 on Paste magazine's list of "The 90 Best Albums of the 1990s".

"Unsmart Lady" pairs one of the band’s heaviest grooves with lead vocalist Florence Shaw’s spoken lyrics about body image (“Fat, podgy, non-make-up/Unsmart lady”), everyday frustrations (“If you like a girl, be nice/It’s not rocket science”), and the Kerry Bog Pony, a hardy Irish horse breed known for working in tough conditions. : bit.ly Enjoy live video from Dry Cleaning's Live on KEXP at Home performance just a few weeks ago: bit.ly.

A listener request! This track samples Ennio Morricone's main theme to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. And if you've got a spare ten minutes today and want to feel ALIVE, here's the final duel scene from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: www.youtube.com. Enjoy!

"You see in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig - you dig." Famed Italian film composer of over 400 scores, Ennio Morricone, passed away on July 6th, 2020 at the age of 91. His work for 1966's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is considered to be one of the most influential soundtracks in history.

This blast of hardcore hip-hop was the first Wu-Tang Clan release. The Staten Island group financed the recording themselves and pressed a 12" single containing three versions of this song and a vocal and instrumental version of "After The Laughter Comes Tears" as the B-side. They also took care of distribution (bringing the single to local record shops and selling out of cars) and promotion (hitting up local clubs and radio stations) on their own.

"Good morning KEXP. I am an avid listener. John; now that you are playing Abba, you must make the world right by playing either IDLES, Fugazi, Pailhead, or Tool. Haha!! Thanks!!! You guys rock!! Mac in Scottsdale. Oh, my pups Wallace and Chapman are listening as well." Mac, we hope this Wu-Tang Clan and Fugazi combo does the trick.

The Argument is the sixth and final studio album from the post-hardcore band Fugazi released on October 16, 2001 through Dischord Records. It was recorded at Don Zientara's Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA and the Dischord House between January and April 2001. It was the band's last release (simultaneously with Furniture) before going on indefinite hiatus in 2003, until the release of First Demo over thirteen years later.

"how about some tune from THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN? maybe "You Are Invited"? take care. -john in Madison, WI" In 2013, The Dismemberment Plan performed live at Seattle's Triple Door in a concert for KEXP VIP Club members that included "You Are Invited": www.youtube.com

Ahhh Missionary Man brings back memories of dancing at the teen club in Salt Lake City. Every time they played that song you knew someone was getting ready to go on their Mormon mission. -Molly, West Seattle == This Eurythmics track was described as being inspired in part by Annie Lennox's 1984-1985 marriage to devout Hare Krishna Radha Raman. When discussing the song's inspiration and meaning, Lennox stated "Obviously, there is a personal meaning in [Missionary Man] for me, because of my past history. But I also think that there are a great deal of people in the media, in the form of politicians or religious speakers or philosophical people, people who are generally trying to have some power over other people, who I just don't trust."

Sting wrote this track when he was visiting actor Peter O'Toole at his house in Ireland (at the time, O'Toole was dating Sting's soon-to-be girlfriend and future wife, Trudie Styler). He gave it to Grace Jones, who recorded it in 1981, and The Police recorded their version the next year. bit.ly Watch The Police perform "Demolition Man" live in Madrid 2008: youtu.be

Today we celebrate Bob Marley, the great Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician, who passed away on this day in 1981. To spread positivity during this pandemic, last year, Bob Marley’s estate shared a new animated video for the reggae legend’s “Three Little Birds.” youtu.be “This song has helped provide hope and light for so many over the years, including me, and I hope it does the same for people now, especially with all that is going on in the world.” Marley’s daughter Cedella said in a statement of the new video.

Paul Simon was ahead of the trend when he released this reggae-infused song: Johnny Nash went to #1 US later in 1972 with "I Can See Clearly Now," and Eric Clapton topped the chart with "I Shot The Sheriff" (a Bob Marley cover) in 1974.

Modest Mouse will return in June with The Golden Casket, their seventh record, and marking their first new album in six years. Produced with Dave Sardy and Jacknife Lee in Los Angeles and Modest Mouse’s Portland studio, the record is said to reflect "the liminal space between raw punk power and experimental studio science," according to an official release. "The twelve tracks behave like amorphous organisms, undergoing dramatic mutations and mood swings that speak to the chronic tug-of-war between hope and despair that plays out in frontman [Isaac] Brock’s head." bit.ly

"Working from the Apt today on a super sunny NYC day day .. Any chance you could play either Kiwi Jr. - Murder in the Cathedral or some old school Pavement tune" -Kris in NYC

Mad Foxes performed on The Jimmy Fallon show last Friday night. Learn about John's contribution to that event: www.seattletimes.com

"Low" appears on Cracker's 1993 album, Kerosene Hat. Despite popular belief, lead singer David Lowery has stated that the song is not about drugs, with the phrase "being stone" often misheard as "being stoned", a misnomer that forced Lowery to write a letter to several radio stations affirming his claim.

"Subterranean Homesick Blues" is an amalgam of Jack Kerouac, the Woody Guthrie–Pete Seeger song "Taking It Easy" ("Mom was in the kitchen preparing to eat / Sis was in the pantry looking for some yeast") and the rock and roll poetry of Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business".

"I'm feeling super good about having my 2nd jab yesterday and feeling fine today. The key, I believe, is not only taking it easy but drinking a LOT of water. Hearing that stressed more and more so would love to mention that to my fellow community members. Perhaps, in honor of water, one of these? Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime Mos Def - New World Water Thanks!" Susan

Speaking of the track Kourtesis says: "'La Perla' is about staring at the sea, It's the first thing I'll do when I return to Peru. My dad used to say staring at the sea is like meditation, it clears your head. This song is for him. It's hard for me to listen to 'La Perla' as it wrote it during a time I lost my dad to leukemia. This song is for him, descansa en paz papa". sofiakourtesis.bandcamp.com

"Could you play DARE by Gorillaz? All the best, Tyler, Toronto, Canada"

Goodbye Tuesday Morning Show! This DJ Assistant will miss you mucho mungo!