John Richards

Mark Lanegan, performing 'River Rise' Live at the Astoria. 1998 www.youtube.com

Perfume Genius said this about "Sister Song" - “I was imagining someone leaving all the things in someone’s room the same after that person had died, or that they were going to rehab and their family and friends would hold down the fort while they were gone.

During the writing of this song, it began as a droning riff guitarist Stone Gossard started playing. The rest of the band started forming the track, and Eddie Vedder walked up to the microphone and poured out the words that would make up most of the lyrics. It was a very emotional song for Vedder, who was thinking about the pain and loss he had been through: he found out as a teenager that the man he thought was his father was actually his stepfather, and his real father died before they could connect. Eddie realized that the song had a similar meaning for his bandmates, who were still dealing with the death of Andrew Wood, who was the lead singer in Gossard and Jeff Ament's band before they formed Pearl Jam. "Release" was one of the first songs Eddie wrote with the band, and it's one that helped them find common ground. "We were strangers, but we were coming from a similar place," said Vedder.

Title track off the fourth album from the Denver, CO band. Watch the group performing it live at KEXP in 2009 here: www.youtube.com

Acclaimed in music publications, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was named Rolling Stone and NME Single of the Year for 1997 and is considered one of the defining songs of the Britpop era. The accompanying music video features Ashcroft walking down the busy pavement of Hoxton Street in Hoxton, East London, oblivious to his surroundings and refusing to change his stride or direction throughout. The song was released in the US as a single in March 1998, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the music video was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. In 1999, the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Here's the video www.youtube.com

During a live performance at Lee’s Palace in 2004, Sufjan revealed that this song is about one of his 3 sisters, Megan. The other two, Jamila and Djohariah, have songs written about them as well. Here's a live version, recorded at The Venue, Edinburgh, October, 30, 2004 www.youtube.com

The Smashing Pumpkins' debut album "Gish" was named after silent film icon Lillian Gish. In an interview, Corgan said, "My grandmother used to tell me that one of the biggest things that ever happened was when Lillian Gish rode through town on a train, my grandmother lived in the middle of nowhere, so that was a big deal". Later, Corgan joked that the album was originally going to be called "Fish", but was changed to "Gish" to avoid comparisons to jam band Phish.

"Classic Girl" is a love song about Perry’s then girlfriend Casey Niccoli, written in early 1987 by Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro. In early performances of this song Perry sang the line ‘circus bears on the quilt I wore’ instead of ‘dinosaurs on the quilt I wore’.

Chris, aka Christine & The Queens, performed an exclusive set for Live on KEXP at Home, back in May 2021. Savor the performance (and delightful interview with DJ Morgan!): bit.ly.

Antony and the Johnsons performs "You Are My Sister" live with Boy George www.youtube.com

"Homeward Bound" was written by Paul Simon after returning to England in the spring of 1964. He had previously spent time in Essex, and he became a nightly fixture at the Railway Hotel in Brentwood, beginning that April. It was a frustrating time for him as he was reeling from his brief period in the Greenwich Village folk scene, as well as the recording of his first album with Art Garfunkel, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., which he anticipated would be a failure. During this time, he met Kathy Chitty, who was working as a ticket-taker at the club. The two hit it off instantly, but it became clear that Simon desired to perform in London, resulting in an emotional farewell. Following a performance in Widnes, Simon was dropped off at Widnes train station for a train to his next gig in Humberside. He had been missing Chitty's company and he began to write "Homeward Bound" on a scrap of paper.

"If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" first appeared in the 1971 film Harold and Maude. Stevens wrote all the songs in Harold and Maude in 1970-1971, during the time he was writing and recording his 'Tea for the Tillerman' album. However, "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" and two other songs from that period were not released as singles nor placed on any album at that time and no official soundtrack was released from the film at that time. The song was finally released later on Stevens' 1984 album, 'Footsteps in the Dark: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2' and, of course, on the soundtrack when it was finally released.

John, My wife Janine and I were so saddened to hear of your loss. I believe you alluded to your sister briefly on the Mom Show this year, and we were hoping we hadn’t put the story together in our head but sadly we did. On 3/6/21 last year we lost our son Jackson to suicide and you did a show for him. I so strongly related to what you just said … the guilt, the self blame. It eats you alive and you have to continually remind yourself that this is not your fault. If there was something we could have done we would have done it and I have no doubt that applies to your relationship with your sister. You will have moments where you may revisit that blame, but do not allow yourself to walk down that dark alley. As we approach our 1-year anniversary, I have come to accept we could not have changed what happened, and the best we can do is help others to honor my son. This past Saturday I spoke to 70 kids about mental health and suicide. As you have helped so many out of the loss of your mom, I am sure you will honor your sister similarly in time. Be kind to yourself, John as you move through this grief process. You have helped a world of people doing what you do. It is time to let them all help you. We are deeply sorry for your loss. I pray for peace for you and your family as you move forward through this difficult time. One song that has comforted us in our grief process has been David Gray, Shine. I mention it in hopes it may help you and your wife take those first few steps every morning. You are not alone, John. I promise you that. John

From Pitchfork's 2016 review of "Sister" - “I want to to live life/I want to die right,” Olsen murmurs with aching sincerity. Her emotional climb is slow, and there is no clear peak until suddenly she’s repeating, “All my life I thought I’d change.” A shredding guitar solo suggests a whirlwind of insight. Olsen’s words carry a sense of finality, but “Sister” shows her crossing the threshold into a world of possibility. Read the whole review and see the video here pitchfork.com

In 1987 Bono explained that everybody in the group knows what the line "And you give yourself away" means: "It's about how I feel in U2 at times - exposed. I'm not going to do many interviews this year. Because there's a cost to my personal life, and a cost to the group as well."

James Murphy is right. There shouldn’t be a ring of silence when it comes to loss. Why “Someone Great” by LCD Soundsystem is the Best Song About Loss Ever Written: bit.ly

Thank you for this note Dashka, you are not alone. Oh dear John, love and loooong embraces your way. I am so immensely grateful that you are a human On Feb 24th the world for me as is - ended, my parents, my family, my friends are all in Kyiv, Ukraine I have never experienced deeper heartache in my life, there are no words, no organs in my being to grasp what is happening Coming to Seattle 13 years ago, I would not stay sane without KEXP. You became my family and community away from home, i treasure and love every one of you and grateful for the work you all are happy to do, staying humans With each hour and endless news lines, glimpses of messages from my parents it is becoming more and more difficult to stay human. Rage, anger, bitterness, emptiness all replacing hope in my soul I am hanging on listening to KEXP 24/7 Dashka, Ukrainian human

A reminder that KEXP's Spring Drive starts this Friday at 7pm. If you'd like to make a donation now and skip the long lines (!) you can make a donation here www.kexp.org Thanks for making KEXP's 50 years on the air possible! #listenerpoweredradio

Speaking about the somewhat obscure and enigmatic lyrics of "Twist in My Sobriety", Tikaram has offered different views on their meaning, but said it's mostly about the particular relationship with the world one feels when entering adulthood. "The song is really about not understanding - when you're 18, you've got a very particular emotional relationship with the world, you feel very isolated, and everybody else is so distant and cold. And I think I was singing about not feeling anything or not being moved by things around. I think this is a strong feeling when you're just after adolescence."

'In the End' is the eighth and final studio album by The Cranberries. It is the band's first and only release since the death of singer Dolores O'Riordan in 2018. The surviving band members pieced together her demos with in-studio recordings over the course of the subsequent year and worked with long-time producer Stephen Street to finalize the album.

Husband and wife, Don and Karen Peris, lead this band that hails from Lancaster, PA. theinnocencemission.com

This song's title was a kind of joke. It had taken the Sundays a couple of years to follow up the debut album and the first single from the second album - this song - was "Goodbye" prompting the NME to say "Goodbye already? You only just bloody came back!"

As part of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund's recent 'For The Crew' fundraising event, Peter Hook's son Jack teamed up with Mark Lanegan (Mark Lanegan Band/Screaming Trees), Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder and drummer Shane Graham for a special live version of the Joy Division classic 'Disorder'. Here's the video www.youtube.com All funds raised by this event went towards supporting out of work touring crews who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. You can still donate here: givebutter.com

Shaedra from Albuquerque wrote - Hi John. I missed your shows! Since you shared, I will too. Today is the anniversary of my mothers death. She died similarly to your sister. I lost her during formative years when life was just starting to take shape. I identified so much with the feelings you shared about sorrow, grief, relief, guilt. YOU are not alone. I got sober two and a half years ago as I was heading down the same path. It IS hard. But so important for my family. To show up and be present in a way that my family member never could due to addiction. Love love love from someone you don't even know. Be kind to yourself. Be present for your family. Handle the things you CAN today. Right now. Again, thank you for what you do.

Final track to New Orders incredible 'Power, Corruption, & Lies' In 1989, 'Power, Corruption & Lies' was ranked number 94 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s, with the magazine citing it as "a landmark album of danceable, post-punk music". Rolling Stone also placed the album at number 262 on the 2020 edition of its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time (it was not included on the original 2003 and 2012 lists). It was placed at number 28 on Pitchfork's list of the best albums of the 1980s, with William Bowers' accompanying write-up for the album citing it as "the peak of the New Order's stellar 80s output." In 2013, it was ranked at number 216 on NME's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

"Procession" is the second single that New Order ever made. It is regarded as an intermediate between Joy Division and New Order. "Everything's Gone Green" was the B-side.

From The Stone Roses' debut album. And here's 10 things I bet you didn't know about the debut album www.radiox.co.uk

Found on the seventh album from the San Francisco-based band. Frontman Mark Eitzel went on to release a bunch of solo work after the band originally split in 1995.

The band's James Moginie has said that this song "...was inspired by a TV show I saw about NASA astronauts who have gone into space looked back down on earth. You can see the outline of the continents, the rivers, the weather patterns and of course you see the stains, the oil spills in the gulf or whatever else is wrong." #noplanetB

Here's a live version recorded at Beachland Tavern in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday, May 7, 2010 www.youtube.com

You are not alone.