John Richards

OMG, it's Friday, and this is The Morning Show with the indefatigable John Richards. Thank you so much for listening! -- Happy birthday, Jill, who has ascended to "Level 5"!! -- Lead Singer Michael Hutchence and keyboard player Andrew Farriss created this song in 1982 while recording their third album, 'Shabooh Shoobah'. An Australian reviewer writes, "Don't Change was INXS's first single to be released internationally. There's another way to look at it: this was the last time INXS could really be called "ours".......what makes the song so powerful? For my money, it's down to two things: that wafty keyboard riff from Andrew Farriss and the vocal harmonies from Kirk Pengilly.": www.theguardian.com

Even in hard times---- "The heart is a bloom Shoots up through the stony ground... It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away..." Bono describes the song as about "a man who has lost everything, but finds joy in what he still has." Musician Nichole Nordeman, who covered this song, said: "'Beautiful Day' just cries out for what's ahead. What's next. The light peering over the hill. The dawn. The crack in the heavy drapes. Don't let it get away." -- See U2 playing "Beautiful Day" Live From The FleetCenter, Boston, MA in 2001: youtu.be

Milo from Brooklyn--- on a road trip with my family. Could you please play running up that hill by Kate Bush? Rock on! -- Thanks to its appearance on "Stranger Things," this wonderful song has broken three Guinness World Records; (A) Longest time for a track to reach No.1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart, (B) Oldest female artist to reach No.1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart, and (C) Longest gap between No.1s on the UK’s Official Singles Chart.: bit.ly

Thank you, Matt in Bellingham ======= They'll be live on KEXP at noon on Thursday, July 7th, 2022 and will be playing The Neptune Theatre that night. -- Their new album "Madness" makes prominent use of Allovers, an “anthropomorphic production tool” designed by producer Ryan Olson (also Channy Leanagh’s husband) and Seth Rosetter. In 2019, the pair incorporated it into a MASS MoCA sound installation that transformed a museum building into a kind of living instrument, generating music based on the idle chatter and movements of patrons.: pitchfork.com

Hot Chip's cover of Dancing in the Dark would really hit the spot today. Thanks for all you do. You are very much appreciated. --Courtney from Spokane ====== This is a wonderful mashup of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends." -- "It takes some bottle to attempt a song by The Boss - he’s one of those people, like Prince or The Beatles, who kind of got it perfect themselves. The original has so much style, and now nostalgia, that his flawless version is hard to hear in any other way. That in mind, the only way Hot Chip could have made an impact on this was to take it back to the era and form a tangent universe from it. One in which Bruce never touched it.": www.thelineofbestfit.com

And now....the original... --- "You would have to feel for the keyboard player too – the song is built upon a metronomic one note line played at an incessant 140 bpm for the duration, which at four minutes would require an impressive level of stamina. The songs displays a level of repetition that Krautrock pioneers Can and Neu! would be proud of." -- Check out the official music video: www.youtube.com

Thank you, Charlie in Connecticut, for this request! -- This song bridged the gap between Joy Division's painful end (with Ian Curtis' suicide) and New Order's beginning: www.avclub.com -- Watch rare footage of New Order performing "Ceremony" in 1981: www.npr.org

Sean in Spokane asked for "your favorite Pixies song." Whew! -- Here are Pixies covering the great Leonard Cohen in 1991 with their version of, "I Can't Forget". This track originally appeared on Cohen's 1988 release, "I'm Your Man". Listen to the original here: www.youtube.com

"The repetition of the title phrase suggests that Cohen has not been blessed with some unique power of perception, but that these truths should be evident to anyone who walks through the world with even an ounce of coherence. “Everybody Knows” may not deliver news on the state of the world that anyone would want to hear, but, thanks to Cohen’s eloquent words and seductive delivery, you never tire of listening to it.": americansongwriter.com -- Live from Dublin, here's fedora-wearing Leonard Cohen's performance of "Everybody Knows": www.youtube.com

Heather in Illinois asked for "literally anything " from Stevie Wonder. -- American Songwriter wrote, "Love is certainly one of the pet topics on Talking Book, and the album features the masterful closing ballad '“I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever.)' As romantic testaments go, it’s hard to top, in part because Wonder understands that the bright side of love looks all the more luminous when compared to the unfathomable darkness of loneliness." americansongwriter.com -- Here's Mr. Wonder in a live performance of this gorgeous song: www.youtube.com

Howdy morning show! I am on my way back from delivering in Seattle heading down to beautiful Boistfort WA where my wife and I grow flowers and raise kids. We’ve been working hard and are about to take a week off and go see the fam in rural SW NY. The morning show has been a solid constant in our lives as long as we have been together - thanks for always being there. Could you play "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers? --Valiant -- Toward the end of the song Withers holds a note for 18 seconds, the longest of any Top 40 hit in the United States. Music legend Bill Withers left us in 2020, but his beautiful song remains to brighten our days with hope - today and every day! Read a KEXP tribute: www.kexp.org

Hazel got her first COVID shot on Wednesday along with her other 6 month pokes. We would love to hear Three Little Birds by Bob Marley. Because as you said... "Everything's fine..." -Josh and Hazel -- "Don't worry about a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be all right." See the animated birds singing in this video for "Three Little Birds": www.youtube.com

A request from Nick... -- Someone wrote, "I have determined that it is an objective fact that Kim... is one of the top ten greatest pop songs in the history of the Universe." --- Joe Ross tells the actual story of Kim the Waitress here: www.angelfire.com --- Watch a live version from Seattle's Silver Platters Records: www.youtube.com

Hmmm. something's going on in Spokane. "...1979 brought us Joe Jackson's Look Sharp came out. One of my favorite artists. How about the title track, Look Sharp! ? Have a great weekend.! Vinton in .... wait for it...Spokane Valley!" -- Read the story of well-dressed Joe Jackson's "Look Sharp," the debut album that came out on January 5th, 1979.: ultimateclassicrock.com

I'd like for there to be a time when the song "Everybody Knows" doesn't apply to the situation we're all in, but until then, at least we have it. Could we please get some Blondie? Today is Debbie Harry's birthday (77!) --Nick in San Antonio -- Happy 77th birthday, Debbie Harry! She once said: “We probably, as primitive people, made music before we actually had a language, and that’s where language comes from.” Here is "a life in quotes" from birthday celebrant Debbie Harry: faroutmagazine.co.uk

Thanks, Kendra in Pullman, for requesting The Go-Go's! -- Go-Gos' rhythm guitarist Jane Wiedlin has cited "Head over Heels" as her favorite Go-Gos' song, describing it as "just a classic. Like a little pop truffle of chocolate that's just completely delicious." -- The Go-Go's were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame last year: www.rockhall.com

Are you kidding me with this Friday show??!!! Truly a DJ savant! I'm not sure I could request anything better than what you're gonna play anyway! But how about some vintage Garbage since I just recently saw them in concert - your pick cuz you know best!!! Thank you!!! 😘❤️😘 --Erica in Rhode Island -- Lyrically, Shirley Manson claimed “Vow” is about having feelings of vengeance. You have to face your feelings of revenge and work out why you feel that way. It’s about that conundrum when you’re really angry but in reality you’re in a pitiful state. Angry, twisted, but deep down, vulnerable. -- Watch a powerful live performance of "Vow": www.youtube.com

Ahhh....the Friday song. (That's what we pay you for, Henry!) KEXP is delighted to announce that Ethan Raup is our next President and CEO: www.kexp.org

This one's for Genna, who wanted to know "John, what's the song you play about ice cream??🤔🍦" -- "I don't need a number, I just wanna dance with my shirt off I don't want no other, I just wanna dance..." -- Watch Muscles ( Australian electronica musician Chris Copulos) play 'Ice Cream' live at Studio B in NYC during CMJ in 2007: youtu.be

A request from Tom... -- "On May 10, 1983, Ministry released their debut LP, 'With Sympathy,' a dark New Wave album that band leader Al Jourgensen later completely disowned. In hindsight, it's understandable why he dislikes the record: 'With Sympathy' is light years removed from the harsh electro-industrial-metal for which Jourgensen would later become known. Recorded in Boston at the Cars' studio, Syncro Sound, with producers Vince Ely (the ex-drummer of Psychedelic Furs) and Ian Taylor, 'With Sympathy' was full of British-inflected, slick synth-pop." Read more about this "disavowed" release: ultimateclassicrock.com

Hello and good morning! I've just emerged from a 4-day migraine which always results in WAY too much energy. So, should the mood be right for it (and if it pleases the DJ, of course), maybe Pump Up the Volume? Take care and get rest this weekend. Hug Siouxie extra tight on Monday. ❤️ --Jennifer in Portland -- "Pump Up the Volume" is the only single by British recording act M|A|R|R|S. Recorded and released in 1987, it was a number-one hit in many countries. The song derives its title directly from a lyrical sample from "I Know You Got Soul", a hit single by labelmates (4AD) Eric B. & Rakim, released months prior in that same year. -- M/A/R/R/S was a one-off collaboration between members of A.R. Kane (Alex and Rudi Kane) and Colourbox (Martin and Steve Young), both veteran 4AD artists. They took their name from the four collaborator's initials plus that of label boss Ivo Watts-Russell, who suggested they get together. Those four are the credited songwriters on the track.

It's my dad Dale's birthday!!! If you can fit Space Oddity in, that's his favorite💛 To my favorite morning crew, thank you for today!! --Ondie -- In a 2003 interview, Bowie explained: "In England, it was always presumed that it was written about the space landing, because it kind of came to prominence around the same time. But it actually wasn't. It was written because of going to see the film 2001, which I found amazing. I was out of my gourd anyway, I was very stoned when I went to see it, several times, and it was really a revelation to me. It got the song flowing. It was picked up by the British television, and used as the background music for the landing itself. I'm sure they really weren't listening to the lyric at all (laughs). It wasn't a pleasant thing to juxtapose against a moon landing. Of course, I was overjoyed that they did. Obviously, some BBC official said, 'Oh, right then, that space song, Major Tom, blah blah blah, that'll be great.' 'Um, but he gets stranded in space, sir.' Nobody had the heart to tell the producer that."

Jeremy in Seattle: Why does a dance song with nasa samples make me cry? Is it because it reminds me we can do amazing things if we work together and value each other and try to work towards good things? === My son just completed space camp and is hanging out with me today. We have been talking about rocket launches a lot. Can you play that song that has the “Go” checklist sequence from the Apollo launch? Thanks, --Wes in Ridgeland, MS -- "Go" commemorates the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, piloted by Neil Armstrong, with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the first manned landing on the moon. Armstrong landed the "Eagle" lunar module at 20:17:40 UTC on Sunday, July 20 1969, with roughly 50 seconds of fuel remaining. -- "Go!" was a KEXP Song of the Day in 2015. www.kexp.org publicservicebroadcasting.bandcamp.com

"Living it up, it's a big kick, it's good for you Watch the big freeze slip, crack the jackpot, get out of control If you put yourself down, you'll never win, get out of that hole Keep your mind open, your head up, you'll never ever get old..." -- Don't miss the skeletons dancing in the video for "Go!": www.youtube.com

Oh, it was "Go," "Go"...and now it's "Stop"! -- "Stop! was primarily written in the warehouse of a clothing store in Venice, California called NaNa’s — which, back in the late Eighties, was one of the only punk-rock clothing stores in Los Angeles. We rehearsed in the warehouse where they kept all the boots and shoes, so it was wall-to-wall Doc Martens and creepers, and every variation of punk-rock shoe and clothing, all around us in this dingy little warehouse." - Dave Navarro -- Watch a live performance in Sydney in 2010: www.youtube.com

"The main architect of the group's sound is producer and guitarist Ian Parton, who is joined by a rotating cast of singers and musicians, most notably singer/rapper Ninja. The 2004 album Thunder, Lightning, Strike was the band's grand debut, knocking the blogosphere on its collective ear and setting the group's template in stone." Here's a biography of this Brighton band: www.allmusic.com -- Don't miss this live performance by The Go! Team in KEXP's Gathering Space in 2018: www.youtube.com

"Hey ladies, where y'all going to?" "To the pool!" -- This terrific summer song is yours, for free, as a KEXP Song of the Day: kexp.org

Speaking of summer songs... DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince sampled Kool & the Gang's "Summer Madness" on "Summertime," the lead single from their 1991 release 'Homebase'. In this interview, Jazzy Jeff recalls some memories of how they made the song and the summer madness that their hit prompted.: www.esquire.com

Erik in Seattle asked for this fine song. -- Of recording the many voices for the harmony section, Garfunkel has said: “I started getting into open-mouth harmony, in a very loud, strident way. We were screaming at the top of our lungs and inside an echo chamber. I remember that day that Dylan dropped by to visit. We came out of the booth after all this screaming, and there he was.” -- Read the poignant story behind this "goodbye song" hat preceded the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel: norselandsrock.com

Good Morning John and Owen!!Next week I'll be taking a vacation out to London (a very un-American way of spending the 4th, which I'm more than content with). Would you mind playing The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" to help me get hyped for the trip? Much love, Jeremy from Boston -- Written by Kinks lead singer Ray Davies, he called this "a romantic, lyrical song about my older sister's generation." It is often claimed that the line, "Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station every Friday night" is about the relationship between actor Terence Stamp and actress Julie Christie. However, Ray Davies denied this in his autobiography. He subsequently revealed that it was "a fantasy about my sister going off with her boyfriend to a new world and they were going to emigrate and go to another country."

R.I.P., Dave Greenfield, keyboardist for The Stranglers, who died last year of COVID: www.nytimes.com They brawled with the Sex Pistols, duct-taped a journalist to the Eiffel Tower and got thrown out of Sweden twice. Read a 2021 feature on The Stranglers: www.theguardian.com

Hi John & company, 21 years ago today, the woman who would eventually become my wife was on an operating table, minutes from death. Fortunately, life-saving surgery was successful, and eventually we met, dated, and got married. In honour of her re-birthday, could you please play something by the New Pornographers? Love, as always, from your Toronto-based amplifiers Matt & Michelle. -- Happy re-birthday, Michelle!! -- See a live performance by these Canadian stalwarts in the KEXP studio in January, 2020: www.youtube.com

Joel Plaskett Emergency is a Canadian rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001. -- O, Canada...here's the video for "True Patriot Love": www.youtube.com

The hilarious video features cameos from comedians Paul F. Tompkins, Julie Klausner, and John Hodgman (among others) and a scene-stealing performance from Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus in one of the audience shots.: oneweekoneband.tumblr.com Here's that video: www.youtube.com

Go back in time to read about this Seattle band from the early 90's: earofnewt.com

"Not quite part of the Seattle scene, Tacoma, Washington’s Seaweed was nonetheless sucked up in the whole grunge thing in the early 90s. This is the complete story of the punk band that made a career on the outskirts of Seattle’s city limits -- and its success": www.revolutioncomeandgone.com

Seattle's Goodness was led by Carrie Akre, formerly of Hammerbox and also a solo artist. Goodness features Akre (vocals), Danny Newcomb (lead guitar), Garth Reeves (guitar), Fiia McGann (bass), and Chris Friel (drums). Akre, Friel, and Newcomb later joined Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Rick Friel to form the rock band The Rockfords. --- Goodness performed "Superwise" at Neumos/Moes 10/20 year celebration in 2014: www.youtube.com

Late and beloved Chris Cornell explained the song in an interview in April,1994: "One time I was on acid, and there were voices ten feet behind my head. The whole time I'd be walking, they'd be talking behind me. It actually made me feel good, because I felt like I was with some people. At one point I was looking back, and I saw that one person was wearing a black shirt and jeans, and the other person was wearing a red shirt. They were always there. It was kinda like a dream, though, where I'd wake up and look and focus once in a while and realize there was no one there. I'd go, 'Oh, f--k, I'm hearing voices.' '4th of July' is pretty much about that day. You wouldn't get that if you read it. It doesn't read like, 'Woke up, dropped some acid, got into the car and went to the Indian reservation.'"