John Richards

Good morning, a very happy Friday, and welcome to The Morning Show with John Richards! You are not alone. --- Frank Black acknowledges he would never have completed this song without some words of encouragement from his then-girlfriend and future wife, Jean Walsh. "I was strumming the guitar in the bedroom, and she stuck her head out and said, 'Finish that song, that's a good one,'" he recalled. "So I was, like, 'Oh, OK.' And she had never said anything like that to me before, and hasn't ever since."

Brian Eno was responsible for introducing Talking Heads to Africa’s most challenging musical export Fela Kuti, which explains the Afrobeat undertones in this song. Read the story behind this song: faroutmagazine.co.uk --- See the official video for "Once in a Lifetime": www.youtube.com

The song's refrain of "Everything's gonna be OK," is about the self-delusion that is sometimes necessary for surviving modern life. The band's Dave Sitek said: "The 'I keep telling myself...' line means that it might not be true. Everyone goes through that, on multiple levels. There's a lot of doubt floating around. What has modern living and its aspirations led to? ''Trouble' at least for me, is about putting your helmet on." -- In the video for this song, frontman Tunde Adebimpe encourages and consoles strangers he meets on the street.: www.youtube.com

On this date (June 4th) in 1986, the first of a six-date Conspiracy of Hope tour was held at Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. The benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International were held to increase awareness of Amnesty on the 25th anniversary of its work for human rights. The shows were headlined by U2 and Sting. --- “Bloody Sunday” was a term given to an incident which took place on 30th January 1972 in Derry, Northern Ireland where British Soldiers shot 28 unarmed civilians who were peacefully protesting against Operation Demetrius. Read the story behind this overtly political song: bit.ly

Before there was a song called “Gloria,” there was a poem called “Oath.” Smith wrote “Oath” in 1970, opening with a line that wouldn’t become famous for five more years: “Christ died for somebody sins but not mine.” A giant kiss-off to her Jehovah’s Witness upbringing, the poem rattled off lines like “Christ, I’m giving you the goodbye, firing you tonight.” That poem and a loud bass note became the basis for "Gloria." Read the story of the origin of this great song: www.covermesongs.com

Mackenzie Scott (TORRES) will sing this song at the Tractor Tavern on Monday, September 27th. Her new album, "Thirstier," comes out on July 30th. -- This new single is an upbeat rocker that she says shows off a newfound sense of joy she has felt in her life recently: "I’ve been conjuring this deep, deep joy that I honestly didn’t feel for most of my life. I feel like a rock within myself. And I’ve started to feel that I have what it takes to help other people conjure their joy, too."

pronoun is the blossoming musical project of Berklee grad and Brooklyn artist Alyse Vellturo. Her new EP is called "OMG I MADE IT," and it will be out next Friday, June 11th. -- “’I'M RIGHT BACK IN IT’ is tough internal talk in an attempt to call myself out in a semi-loving way,” says Vellturo. "... it continues the theme of conversing with myself, looking in the mirror, and dissecting what's honestly going on internally that's making me so unhappy. It shows the two different sides of me, one's logistical and reasonable, the other is sticking its tongue out.”: bit.ly

Today, June 4th, Brisbane outfit The Goon Sax shared a new video for their latest single ‘In The Stone’, recorded live from their home city.: www.youtube.com

Spiral XP is a new project from Max Keyes, drummer from the excellent Seattle indie rock project Versing. KEXP had the privilege of premiering "Atrophy" on Wednesday, June 2nd.: www.kexp.org

Good morning, John - would you play either Are Friends Electric or Down by the Park by Gary Numan? Thanks! --Stevie B from Seattle -- This song is about man living among robots - how you can lock yourself in a dark room away from any other human. Numan has Asperger's Syndrome, and many of this songs deal with themes of technology and isolation. -- Speaking to Dutch TV NTR, Numan said the song is about a robot prostitute and had the BBC known at the time, they wouldn't have playlisted it. "It was a futurist version of getting pornography in the post, what comes in a brown envelope so your neighbors don't know what it is."

Happy birthday, Nance. This is the day! -- This beautiful song was written on an omnichord by Matt Johnson.: www.dazeddigital.com

We just got our hands on the new music from Left At London. The album is called "TIAPFYH, (pronounced tee-APP-fuh) an acronym for "there is a place for you here." Our pal, KEXP DJ Marco Collins calls the album "a masterpiece," adding, "it's hands down the BEST thing she's ever done! Style wise it's all over the map but it's honestly like a hyper-pop musical." --- June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Nat Puff (Left at London) is a trans woman artist from Seattle.: leftatlondon.com

Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches have announced their fourth studio album. It’s called "Screen Violence" and it arrives August 27. The video for this fourth single features The Cure's Robert Smith appearing on a television screen (He filmed himself at home in front of a greenscreen.).: www.youtube.com

Aloha from lower QA, would luv to hear Grinding Halt by The Cure or anything by Roxy Music if possible 😻--- S'rae (pronounced Sir-ray) in lower Queen Anne --- Happy birthday (1956) to Reeves Gabrels, American guitarist, songwriter and record producer who worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 2000. He has been a member of The Cure since 2012. Here's an interview with the birthday boy: www.guitarguitar.co.uk

Is there anything better than Prince just showing up and making you happy to be alive and listening to keXp? Well, I mean - besides sitting in the gathering space sippin' a good cuppa. I suspect that's kinda just as good but a little better. Here's to a hopeful future! :scott, in durham, nc == Prince was notorious for planting hidden messages in his songs, so fans were confounded when the video for "Raspberry Beret" included a coughing jag before Prince started singing. What could it possibly mean? The answer is simple: "I just did it to be sick, to do something no one else would do," he told Rolling Stone in 1985.: www.youtube.com

According to the producer, Tony Visconti, this song's bass line and melody took inspiration from Bowie's 1975 hit, "Golden Years." King Crimson virtuoso Robert Fripp played guitar on this track. Fripp also played lead guitar on Bowie's 1977 song, "Heroes." Bowie had previously used that famous "beep beep" hook in a little-known song that he wrote in 1970 called "Rupert the Riley."

Ahhhh....the Friday song! **LOOKING FOR THE KEXP TOTE? This special item is offered ONLY ON JUNE 11 during certain hours – tune in to find out when and check back often!** : www.kexp.org

In this feature, supermodels recall intimate moments and "naughty" antics from the making of the iconic video for "Freedom! 90": bit.ly

"Kylie Minogue is the most charming and unassuming pop superstar of all. She’s never been as provocative as Madonna or a vocal marvel to rival Mariah Carey, but her career has proven equally fascinating and enduring. The performer who was dismissively dubbed ‘the singing budgie’ when she broke through with The Loco-Motion in the late 1980s is now a gold-plated icon whose first name alone stands for joyous dance-pop brilliance." Read a tribute to Australian's best-selling female artist who released her fifteenth album, "DISCO," last year: bbc.in

"Everything I've found in the months I've spent thinking about it, talking to people about it, working it into my bones, has shown that this song, all about being alone, has helped people find community and togetherness." This great breakup song was the subject of an NPR American Anthem feature: www.npr.org

"Dancing with Myself” originated from Billy Idol and one of his homies actually witnessing people dance with themselves, in front of mirrors, in a Japanese disco. That’s why at the beginning of the song he gives a shoutout to “Tokyo”. -- It must be mentioned that Idol wasn’t the first to release this song. The history of the song actually dates back to the late 1970's, when Idol was a member of a band called Generation X. The band was the first to record a demo of “Dancing with Myself”. Afterwards a later iteration of the band, this time just called Gen X, actually released their own version of the song in 1980.

Morning John, I was just streaming KEXP while cleaning beer draft lines in Coeur D'Alene. Then someone in the kitchen showed up and started playing just horrendous music. I need the loudest LCD Soundsystem song you have. Please! Danny in Coeur d'Alene --- "LCD Soundsystem’s second studio album, 'Sound Of Silver,' begins with a fairly obvious reference to Kraftwerk‘s 1978 'The Robots' on 'Get Innocuous!'. Though you might immediately assume we’re talking about that hissing mechanical rhythm that serves as an intro, the truth is that it’s actually the chunky, arped-out bassline. The overall effect is a tip of the hat to the legendary Düsseldorf outfit in the form of creative reinterpretation.": www.electronicbeats.net

It kind of feels like a Frankie Goes To Hollywood Friday here in Minnesota. Hope that you you all have a great weekend.--Chris -- June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Read a biography of Frankie Goes To Hollywood and its vocalist, Holly Johnson, (born William Johnson on February 19, 1960, in Khartoum, Sudan): musicianguide.com

How about pet shop boys or erasure this morn! Pet shop boys are coming to Seattle - lol in 2021--Tracy in Seattle --- Yes, Tracy. Pet Shop Boys and New Order will play Climate Pledge Arena on Friday, October 14th, 2022. Perhaps they'll perform "Opportunities": www.youtube.com

Tracy, here's some Erasure, too! -- Andy Bell was one of the first openly gay pop stars, and according to Spin magazine (February 1989), he would sometimes introduce this song on stage by saying: "When I was a little girl, I asked my mummy, 'Can I be gay when I grow up?' She replied, 'Yes, if you show a little respect." This song is known for the very high note Andy Bell hits toward the end, which gives you an idea of why Vince Clarke chose him from a long queue of applicants after he placed an ad in Melody Maker looking for a vocalist.

This song is about the exploitation of fashion models, who must deal with dehumanizing shoots in a frenzied environment where they are objectified for the masses. The group was known for dating models, so they had plenty of firsthand accounts to draw from. It was written by the five members of the band. See the provocative video: www.youtube.com

Jungle will be here in Seattle, playing the Moore Theatre on Friday, October 22nd.: www.songkick.com -- "Talk About It" arrives with a freewheeling music video featuring choreographed dancers in an empty basketball court. It was directed by the band’s J Lloyd and Charlie Di Placido, with choreography by Nathaniel Williams and Cece Nama.: www.youtube.com

"Fools Gold" was built around a loop from James Brown's "Funky Drummer." It was guitarist John Squire who actually discovered the track. He recalled: "We were signing copies of our single, 'She Bangs The Drums,' in a Manchester record shop called Eastern Bloc. The owner said we could pick a couple of albums as a thank you and I picked out a breakbeats album because I liked the cover and I wanted to see what it was all about. That's where I heard the 'Funky Drummer' loop that we built 'Fools Gold' around."

"I'm here to stay Make you pay and understand That there ain't No other day but today..." Want to know what Rob Birch is singing/saying here?: www.lyrics.com

Weird facts about "Breathe": (1)The song features a drum break from the song "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy. (2)The whiplashing sword sound effect is a sample of the song "Da Mystery of Chessboxin", by Wu-Tang Clan. (3)The freakish music video, which came complete with bugs, cockroaches and a crocodile, was directed by Walter Stern: www.youtube.com But wait, there's more: www.radiox.co.uk

Tradition calls for Alice Cooper’s School’s Out please. Thanks! --Jean --- In a 2008 Esquire interview, Cooper said: "When we did 'School's Out,' I knew we had just done the national anthem. I've become the Francis Scott Key of the last day of school." Cooper starred in a TV commercial for Staples where a young girl is forced to shop for school supplies while a Muzak version of this song plays. She looks at Cooper and says, "I thought you said School's out forever." He replies, "No, the song goes, 'School's out for summer. Nice try, though." At this point, the real version of the song kicks in.

Hi John! Mary from Seattle here. My daughter Molly is graduating from 8th grade today. For her and all the kids who are coming out of this pandemic like butterflies from a very long and dark metamorphosis, will you play Iceblink Luck by the Cocteau twins? (Her fave song today) ---- The title never appears in the lyrics. An iceblink is a reflection of light off of large masses of ice, which can cause optical illusions in the sky. -- See Elizabeth Fraser singing in the video for this incredibly beautiful song: www.youtube.com

Go hear Nation of Language at The Crocodile on Thursday, October 14th, 2021. Their sophomore album, "A Way Forward," is coming out on November 5th. -- NoL's Ian Devaney says of the trio’s new track, "'Across That Fine Line' is a reflection on that moment when a non-romantic relationship flips into something different. When the air in the room suddenly feels like it changes in an undefinable way. It’s a kind of celebration of that certain joyous panic, and the uncertainty that surfaces right after it." bit.ly

"Enola Gay" is an anti-war song by the British synth-pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and the only single from the band's 1980 album "Organisation." The track addresses the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the aircraft Enola Gay on 6 August 1945, toward the conclusion of World War II. -- Read how Andy McCluskey created this memorable song: www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk

Olympia, WA "supergroup" CCFX gave their first live radio performance (It included "The One to Wait") on The Morning Show in 2018: www.youtube.com

The song's title is a reference to the otherwise unrelated song "Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" by Bruce Cockburn, from his 1978 album "Further Adventures Of". Its chorus consists of a sample from the B.B. King song "How Blue Can You Get" from his 1971 album "Live in Cook County Jail.": "I've been downhearted, baby, ever since the day we met." www.primitiveradiogods.info

Good morning all. Checking in on what seems like Funday Friday! What a great soundtrack to my morning. Can you fit in Beck's Wow? Or something from Odelay? Have a great weekend. Tom in cave creek --- Even by Beck's standards, this song has some pretty odd lyrics ("She's got the lily-white cavity crazes, she's got a carburetor tied to the moon"). Beck explained: "Most of the vocals on the record were scratch vocals. We just grew attached to them." -- The music video, directed by Beck himself, was nominated for 5 1997 MTV Video Music Awards and won 3 of its nominations.: www.youtube.com

The Weeknd will be here in Seattle, playing Climate Pledge Arena on Friday, March 4th, 2022. (And, yes, that's the beginning of the weekend.)