John Richards

Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to the last day of KEXP's Spring Drive. If you've been waiting to contribute...if you love The Morning show...if you're feeling connected to this powerful community....now's the time to donate! Support the station that affirms that you are not alone!: www.kexp.org -- Oh, my! This was the debut album for Pearl Jam. Watch Pearl Jam perform "Alive" live in Seattle 27 years later in 2018: www.youtube.com

"Those creatures jumped the barricades and have headed for the sea She began to breathe, to breathe at the thought of this freedom Stood and whispered to her child, "Belong" She held the child and whispered, with calm calm, "Belong"....: genius.com --- Donate now to the station where you belong: www.kexp.org

1991's "Doubt" was Jesus Jones' second album. Many people know it because of the huge hit "Right Here, Right Now." -- "International Bright Young Thing" contains a sample of Clyde Stubblefield's work on "Funky Drummer." It also samples drums from The Beatles' "Birthday." -- See the official music video: www.youtube.com

Speaking of Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now".... -- Jesus Jones originally sampled Prince's "Sign O' The Times" for the song and constructed a guitar solo out of "lots of Jimi Hendrix samples mashed together." None of this sampling made it onto the record, because of fears of being sued.

Did you know that EMF stood for Epsom Mad Funkers? Read the "unbelievable" story behind the band: rockandrolltruestories.com -- No, wait! Donate first...and then read.: www.kexp.org

Released in 1991, this tune was Blur's second single from their debut album, "Leisure." -- Kurt Cobain told NME that "There's No Other Way" was his favorite British song of 1991.

"Ah, sweet lovin' Christ...that's a grrreat song!" --- Here's the actual meaning of the song, straight from songwriter John Penney himself. "When I wrote it, what happened was I was starting to become aware of the environment. That was what ‘Grey Cell Green’ was about. A lot of people think it’s a love song. It isn’t a love song. I mean, people can have it as a love song. But what I was writing at the time was related to lots of people saying, “We’ve got to get in touch with Mother Earth. It’s in the trees. It’s all around us. We’re gonna get all conceptual and love the planet,” and I was saying, “Actually, it’s down to us. We’ve got to not chuck our crap on the floor, we’ve got to stop eating meat.” That was my thing. I was already starting to get worried about fisheries and overfishing and pumping chemicals into cows—and this is 1989! And then now, look where we are… It doesn’t please me to feel clever. It doesn’t, because nothing has changed, in fact it’s worse! I’m looking back thinking I could have pushed that point a bit more, possibly. But the past is what it is, isn’t it? But these days I do use it, I do you use it—if I say so myself, the concept of making your grey cells turn to green issues, I think that’s a decent hook for where we’re at right now."

Ahhh....the Friday song! (Thanks for that thoughtful introduction, John.) You can keep the Friday song on the air each Friday by donating to KEXP now!: www.kexp.org

Deborah in West Seattle: I am already an amplifier but had to donate more today because this week has been so enjoyable and I want to keep this station around for more generations. John and Morgan you have been so fun to listen to with your energy and improv. I hope you get rest this weekend! -- "You on point, Phife? All the time, Tip..." -- The hook samples Minnie Riperton’s 1975 song “Baby, This Love I Have” and the classic horn sample from Average White Band’s 1976 song “Love Your Life”

"If you value shoegaze, noise, and one of the greatest albums ever released".....donate now to KEXP: www.kexp.org --- Want to know more about this masterpiece that went through several years of crafting?: www.altpress.com

Brian in Greenville, SC: You always remind me of the power of sharing music. All the good it can do in keeping us connected and human. Thank you. --- Yesterday, The Edge discussed the release of the band’s 1991 album, Achtung Baby, which incorporated more alternative rock and electronic dance music into their sound. “We started to become caricatures on that basis, like the Joshua Tree period had way overexaggerated this sense of earnestness and responsibility,” the guitarist explained. “We just had to own up and say, ‘Actually… we’re very silly, we’re not those characters.'” Learn more here: bit.ly

Chris in Maplewood, NJ: Amplifier and long time listener. In addition to my monthly amount I try to give one time donations during these drives to help as much as I can! KEXP is a big part of our daily family routine, its always on! I have also been loving the Runcasts lately in prep for the NYC half this weekend! Thanks for everything you do and this amazing community! -- "Temple of the Dog" is the only studio album by the Seattle supergroup Temple of the Dog, released in 1991. It is a tribute to Andrew Wood, the former lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who died on March 19, 1990, of a heroin overdose.: www.allmusic.com

Erin in West Seattle: KEXP is my family's soundtrack. Last year was hard. Somehow, every time I turned on the radio, I got the song I needed in that moment. Thank you for human-curated music and connectivity. And International Goth Day, my family's favorite holiday. -- Here's Nirvana in a live performance of "Breed" at the Paramount back in 1992: www.youtube.com --

John was up there when Mudhoney performed live from the Space Needle during the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee Broadcast on July 11, 2013.: www.youtube.com

Smashing Pumpkins' debut album arrived in May, 1991. Here's a retrospective: loudwire.com -- After an awkward introduction by Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofolo, watch Smashing Pumpkins perform "Bury Me" live in 1992: www.youtube.com

This elementary music teacher just upped her monthly donation. Thanks for making my morning commute to educate short musicians fun and inspiring. ---Katherine -- “Girlfriend” was the lead off single from Matthew Sweet’s third album, Girlfriend. Despite being one of Sweet’s most popular songs, reaching #4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, Sweet had doubts about the song. Friend and musician on the album Lloyd Cole was the one to convince Sweet that the song was good enough for the album. -- The video for the song, directed by Roman Coppola, features a number of clips from the Japanese anime Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie.: www.youtube.com

Lindsay in Bellingham: KEXP keeps the light of love burning bright Thank you for your passion, commitment and creativity. I love you! -- "Not Too Soon" was guitarist/vocalist Tanya Donelly's first and last single with the Throwing Muses. The straightforward pop style she had developed during her tenure with the band is exemplified in the song. bit.ly -- Throwing Muses gave a terrific performance for KEXP VIP Club members from Seattle's Triple Door in 2014: youtu.be

Last year, Public Enemy dropped a new animated video for "Lost at Birth." It transforms the members into colorful cartoons and sets them up in a battle to reclaim a city: www.youtube.com

Kevin in Devon, Alberta: Listen to the Morning Show on the way to work and in my office at the high school I work at. Love the positivity and all the great music. Stay safe friends. -- "Kiss Them For Me" is a tribute to the '50s and '60s blonde bombshell actress Jayne Mansfield, and includes Manfield's famous catch phrase "divoon." This song is the opening track of "Superstition," the 10th studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1991.

David in Everett, WA: What do I love about KEXP? It's the Music, DJs, special programing, the shows, the events, the magic and turning on a dime when an event happens. I love KEXP!!!! --- "3 Strange Days" was the lone hit by School Of Fish, reaching #6 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Many critics and fans feel that the band's talent was much greater than that of a "one-hit wonder." -- Josh Clayton-Felt, a co-founder and lead singer of the band School of Fish who went on to become a solo recording artist, died of testicular cancer on January 19, 2000 at the age of 32.: www.nytimes.com

Ken in Lynnwood: I'm an amplifier making an additional gift. We define who we are, as an individual and as a society, by what we do, what we create, what we support. I'm so grateful that we as a community have KEXP, all the people who keep it running, and all of the joy it brings to our community. I am so grateful to have the ability to support KEXP and do my part in keeping it going. -- This song is about the architect of the Eiffel Tower Alec Eiffel. When it was being built, people thought his design was stupid and that it would not fit in with the Parisian landscape. See the official music video for "Alec Eiffel": www.facebook.com