John Richards

Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to The Morning show with John Richards! Thanks for listening! -- This song - which guitarist, Johnny Marr, described as The Smiths' "most enduring record" - is about their frontman Morrissey's crippling shyness. It has since become an anthem for the alienated and socially isolated. Marr, who wrote the song, said that he set about composing a memorable introduction: "I wanted an introduction that was almost as potent as 'Layla.' When it plays in a club or a pub, everyone knows what it is." Here's how Marr came up with the classic riff: bit.ly

Leon in Pennsylvania writes: I would press my head gently to my wife's belly and sing "Randy Described Eternity" to both my daughters as they were still taking form and it was my go to indie rock lullaby to sing them to sleep in our nursery rocking chair. I didn't realize how much it had stuck until a couple years ago when my oldest daughter Lily Harper (now 14) who has cancer asked me to sing it to her as we drove to yet another predawn MRI. Music matters. Thank you! ~Leon in Manheim, PA ====== Built to Spill is playing The Wonder Ballroom in Portland tomorrow and Sunday, January 29th and 30th. -- Happy birthday to "Perfect From Now On," released on January 28th, 1997! Here's a retrospective review of this masterpiece.: pitchfork.com

This one's for Alice, on her way to school! -- Nick Littlemore of Empire of the Sun said, "We [communicate through] the nature of song... I think there was a large part of what we were writing about was distance and longing, and I guess some way of kind of sending out a message to the wider world, like that there is a force field that protects all of us and no matter where you are, if you feel for someone and they're in your heart, then you're always with them in some sense." bit.ly

Good morning John & team: I came across Austra's Utopia on a Runner Powered Podcast playlist earlier this week and my synth-pop loving heart has been obsessed ever since. I'd be giddy if there's a place for it in this morning's show. Cheers from Seattle, Manuch -- See the pink and yellow clothing as Austra performs it live in a KEXP in-studio performance from 2017: www.youtube.com

"Lucifer On The Sofa" is due out on February 11. The 10-track LP marks the first new Spoon album since 2017’s "Hot Thoughts." Mark Rankin (Adele, Queens of the Stone Age) co-produced Lucifer On The Sofa, which was recorded in the band’s hometown of Austin. -- Watch Britt Daniel exercise his acting chops in the Western-themed video for "Wild": youtu.be.

Matt Berninger explained the song's meaning: "It's about being stuck between an old version of yourself and the one you're becoming. I was trying to shed my skin. That's what the first line about lifting up my shirt means to me. I definitely didn't feel like the same person I used to be. I didn't feel like an Ohioan anymore and I definitely was not a New Yorker. I was married with a baby, living in Brooklyn, which was still a foreign land to me, and on the verge of becoming a rockstar if I didn't blow it. It was winter, and I remember pacing around ice puddles in (co-producer) Peter Katis's yard trying to finish the words." -- John was the host when The National performed live in our studio in 2017. Watch that wonderful session: www.youtube.com

"Time Escaping" is one of eight singles that Big Thief has released from their forthcoming 20-song album, "Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You," due for release on February 11th. At one point in this song, Adrianne Lenker states, “It’s music. It’s music!”—the press release reveals that this part came about when Lenker’s dog Oso ran into the vocal booth during the final recording. She plainly explains to the innocent creature the magic unfolding around it. Big Thief plays The Paramount Theatre on Monday, May 2nd, 2022.

Hi! I'd love it if you could play Harmonia's Dream by The War on Drugs for my husband Royal on his 48th birthday today. This is one of our favorite songs of the past year that got us up dancing and singing no matter what we were going through. Love you, Royal! --Anna from Seattle -- The War on Drugs will be performing at The Paramount Theatre on Monday & Tuesday, Feb 21-22, 2022. Get ready by watching this live performance of "Harmonia's Dream": www.youtube.com

This song, and the rest of the Naked album, was co-produced with the band by Steve Lillywhite, an Englishman known for his work with Peter Gabriel and U2. He was married to the folk singer Kirsty MacColl, who contributed backing vocals to this song. Johnny Marr played 12-string guitar on this track at the suggestion of Lillywhite. -- The video was directed by David Byrne and Sandy McLeod, a filmmaker who worked on Talking Heads' 1984 concert movie "Stop Making Sense." In the video, the band is joined by the musicians who played on the track, including Johnny Marr and Kirsty MacColl. As they perform in a studio setting, they are overlaid with design typography enhancing the visuals with various statements, factoids and words from the lyrics.: www.youtube.com.

Waxahatchee (Katie Crutchfield) wrote the music for the Apple TV animated series El Deafo! El Deafo is based on Cece Bell’s best-selling children’s book of the same name. The story follows a character named Cece, who must learn to navigate life after she loses her hearing. To do so, she creates an alter ego named El Deafo to face new challenges. bit.ly waxahatchee.bandcamp.com

The vocals were provided by Röyksopp's occasional collaborator, Kings of Convenience singer Erlend Øye. -- The video shows a day in the life of a woman working in London's Square Mile solely through infographics; this includes labelled close-ups of everyday objects, product lifecycles, schematic diagrams, charts, and is generally illustrated in a simple isometric visual style.: www.youtube.com

I work in the mental health field, and would love to hear Alright by Kendrick Lamar (edited version I assume 😊) This song has a lot of meaning for myself and for many of my clients. Making one’s way through life as a person who experiences mental health challenges can often feel like a daily battle. The power of music-- for myself and my clients-- can be such a game changer in so many ways. Alright is one of those songs that helps myself and my clients feel ‘normal’, ok, hopeful, seen, and understood. Sending you John so much health and happiness. I started listening to your show when I lived in Seattle in the early 2000’s. I consider you an artist, and a talented one at that. And I really appreciate how you and KEXP have amplified the mental health crisis many of us have been dealing with. Many thanks. --Amanda in Colorado -- "Four hundred years ago, as slaves, we prayed and sung joyful songs to keep our heads level-headed with what was going on," Lamar said. "Four hundred years later, we still need that music to heal. And I think that 'Alright' is definitely one of those records that makes you feel good no matter what the times are.": www.npr.org

Talking about how long January felt. It hit me that, crap, it's only been 28 days it felt like 3 months. Leaving the apartment very sparingly to avoid whatever variant we are on. I am lucky that my girlfriend and I love each other and can spend every waking moment without killing each other in a one bedroom apartment in NYC. Could you please play By My Side by INXS for Gayla? Thank you for all that you do for our mental health. I appreciate you on many levels. --David -- By My Side" is one of the few INXS songs from the Michael Hutchence era that he didn't co-write. It was written by Andrew Farriss and Kirk Pengilly, both of whom played various instruments in the band. Farriss was married, and the touring lifestyle was wearing on him. He rarely wrote music when the band was on tour, but was moved to write "By My Side" because of the circumstance. "When I wrote that song it was about missing family and people on the road, which is why I was able to write that song on the road," he said in a interview.

Tempers will be at The Crocodile on Saturday, April 16th, 2022. -- Tempers is the NYC synthpop duo of vocalist Jasmine Golestaneh and producer Joe Cooper. Their self-produced album "New Meaning" will be out on April 1st. The album comes with a companion book of original artwork and lyrics. Golestaneh created a hand-made collage for each song, translating its sonic landscapes and lyrical themes into concrete images.

U2 lead singer Bono listed this song on his "60 Songs That Saved My Life" playlist. “These are some of the songs that saved my life,’ Bono wrote of the playlist. “The ones I couldn’t have lived without… the ones that got me from there to here, zero to 60… through all the scrapes, all manner of nuisance, from the serious to the silly… and the joy, mostly joy.'” bit.ly -- See Depeche Mode perform this song about redemption, forgiveness, and understanding live on The Letterman Show: www.youtube.com

The Smile is the new band from Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet's Tom Skinner on drums. “The Smoke” is produced by Nigel Godrich and features contributions from Sons of Kemet tuba player Theon Cross and British jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen. Additional contributors include saxophonists Chelsea Carmichael and Jason Yarde, trombonist Nathaniel Cross (brother of Theon), and multi-instrumentalist Robert Stillman.

Ahhh...the Friday song! Happy birthday to twin teens Andrew and Jane and to Nora, turning 3 tomorrow! -- Tune in February 1st for "Black History is Now" on KEXP: www.kexp.org

Posdnous: "We came up with 'The Magic Number' working in Mase's basement. We took the main sample from (Bob Dorough's) 'Three Is A Magic Number' on Multiplication Rock, then took Double Dee & Steinski's 'Lesson 3' for the drums." Pasemaster Mase, continued: "We sampled them at my mother's house, on this little keyboard we had, a Casio SK1. It didn't even have an input on it so you could get a clear sample, you just had to put it right next to the speaker. So that's how we were doing pre-production then, before we even knew what pre-production meant.

Cypress Hill sampled Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man." In 2015, this song, which advocated for the use of cannabis, was the most popular song on Spotify's 4:20 playlist: www.xxlmag.com

This wonderful English vocalist, born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien, died in 1999 from breast cancer. She had a very long recording career, beginning in 1961 with her folk-pop trio The Springfields, and ending with her final album in 1995. Learn more about this artist: www.nytimes.com

Yard Act will be here in Seattle, performing at Madame Lou's on Monday, April 18th, 2022! -- NME calls this new album from the Leeds band a "wonderfully wacky debut": www.nme.com

Wet Leg will be playing a sold out show at Sunset Tavern on March 26, 2022! British band Wet Leg swept KEXP by storm with their singles, “Wet Dream” and “Chaise Longue” this year. KEXP’s Larry Mizell Jr. sat down with founding members Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, and realized just how silly this band really is. Listen to the interview on KEXP's Sound & Vision podcast: www.kexp.org Wet Leg's debut self titled album will be released April 8, 2022. Pre-order the album now! bit.ly

Inspiration for this song struck in 1989 when Mike Edwards was listening to the Simple Minds' version of "Sign O' The Times," which they recorded on a 1989 EP titled The Amsterdam. The song, written and originally recorded by Prince, is his perspective of the troubling events of the late '80s. While Edwards listened to the music, he watched the Berlin Wall coming down on television. "I never thought that I'd see such a thing in my lifetime," he told The Guardian in 2018, "and I wanted to write a sort of updated but positive 'Sign O' The Times' to reflect what was happening."

In 1989, EMF managed to do something most bands still can’t do and that was to get a record deal, with a major company, without a demo. They succeeded on the strength of just four concerts. Read the story of EMF and this particular single: www.jonkutner.com

The fourth studio album from The Chemical Brothers was released on this date in 2002. On Wednesday, we focused on the music of the year 2002 as part of KEXP's 50th anniversary celebration. You can stream the day's programming on our archive: www.kexp.org

More than 30 years old, the "New York group’s classic track is infectious, euphoric, nigh-on impossible to dislike. Slice ‘Groove is in the Heart’ in two and it bleeds good vibes and rubbery, melodic funk." Read how this terrific song captured the energy of 90's New York club culture: djmag.com

Earl Sweatshirt will be at The Paramount Theatre on Saturday, February 5th, 2022. -- The California rapper (whose real name is Thebe Kgositsile) has spent his career defying expectations.: www.rollingstone.com

This EP, released on January 28th, 2016, features trip hop artist Tricky for the first time since the release of Protection in 1994, and also features Scottish hip-hop group Young Fathers, London rapper Roots Manuva and singer Azekel. (That's Young Fathers collaborating on this song) -- Watch out for the floating orb in the unsettling video for this song: www.youtube.com

A squeal of feedback from guitarist Andy Summers opens this song, making it instantly identifiable. Summers was experimenting by cranking up the amp, standing close to it, and wailing away. He couldn't hear anything in his headphones but when they played back the tape he loved what he heard. -- Synchronicity is the theory that seemingly coincidental events are connected through their meaning. Psychologist Carl Jung created the term as a way to explain paranormal events. A synchronicity in this song could be seen as what is happening at the Scottish loch and what is happening inside "Daddy's" head. The monster is coming out of the water and approaching the cottage. Daddy's despair and futility over his life are boiling to the surface just as he's arriving home. We can only imagine what will happen when he goes into the house. Sting agreed with this assessment and added: "I was trying to dramatize Jung's theory of meaningful coincidence, but it was a rocking song nonetheless!"

Morning John! One half of the dynamic duo of Mer and Megh here. My best friend (Mer) just got the news that, after a long, long process of job searching and applying in this pandemic life, she GOT THE JOB!!!!! I am so proud of her for sticking it out this long and not losing her mind or her patience. Can you please play Goshen ‘97 by Strand of Oaks so we can dance around in celebration??? Thank youuuuuu! You’re the best, as always, --Megh -- Sharp ears might recognize J Mascis playing the blisteringly loud solos on "Goshen ’97." -- "I was lonely, but I was having fun." Watch a great live in-studio performance that included "Goshen '97": www.youtube.com

Brooklyn band Bodega will release their second album on March 11th. -- Bandleader Ben Hozie explains: "'Thrown' was an attempt at a self-portrait track. The older I get the less I trust my own thoughts and perceptions of self. I realise most of my values and judgments come from the records, films, books, and advertisements I have consumed my whole life. Recognising this 'thrown-ness,' while slightly disturbing, has been a source of inspiration for my creative mind." bit.ly

This self-titled album from the Brighton rockers is out today!:thyla.co.uk -- Watch the official video for "Rabbit Hole": www.youtube.com

You can hear Blushing at the Lo-Fi Performance Gallery on Friday, April 22nd, as part of the Seagaze Festival. -- As the band explains, “‘Sour Punch’ originated In the summer of 2019 when our lead guitarist Noe shared an experimental, crunchy chord progression he’d written, unlike any the band had previously explored. He said he was watching the movie “Clueless” and was inspired to write something he could see being a title track to some 90’s teen rom-com.: weareblushing.bandcamp.com

Johnny Marr will be at Climate Pledge Arena (with The Killers) on Saturday, August 20th, 2022. -- A 16-track double LP is due to be released February 25th, 2022, making it the former Smiths guitarist’s first album of new music since his 2018 release "Call The Comet.": bit.ly

This record came out on this date in 1984! General Public was an English band formed by vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger of The Beat, and which also included former members of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Specials, and the Clash. -- Dave Wakeling talked about writing this song: "I used to like traveling with the trucks that carried the gear. I'd always been a big fan of that TV show Cannonball when I was a kid, and thought that the idea of American trucks was very romantic. So when we came on tour, I used to love to drive overnight with the truck drivers and talk rubbish on the CB in there. And so it was as if the trucks were driving in what's called 'the endless gray river.' And the notion was that you were driving around in there in America searching for the tenderness, whereas, of course, it's in your heart all the time. So it's like you're looking in the outside world for something that can only be discovered in yourself, because love is a verb, not a noun. That was the notion of it."

My husband David is retiring and this is his last day at work! Can you play freedom by Christine and the Queens? Oz in DC -- This is Christine and the Queens covering George Michael's hit "Freedom 90." Chris performed this at Global Citizen Live in Paris! 'Global Citizen Live calls for action to halt climate change and for wealthy countries to deliver on the $100B climate pledge..." www.globalcitizen.org

I came out on this day in 1967, and comin alive at 55! Grateful for the gift of gettin to do this life and dance with sun beams on the airwaves!✨🙏✨ ---Kristen -- Rosie Thomas's cover of Björk’s late 1990s single “All Is Full of Love,” which features vocals from Sufjan Stevens, the Shins, Iron & Wine, Alexi Murdoch, and many others. “All Is Full of Love” is part of Thomas’ new series Lullabies for Parents, a multimedia collection of music, podcast, videos, essays, resources, entertainment, and encouragement created in “an attempt to reach out to parents and help them self-sooth." See a complete list of all the guest vocalists: bit.ly

Watch a live version of Daughter's cover of this Daft Punk classic: www.youtube.com

This modern classic celebrates its 25th anniversary today!: classicalbumsundays.com