Weekly Playlist (12/5/2024)
Photo Courtesy of Joni Mitchell Official Instagram
Editor’s Note: Sorry we missed the last couple of weeks! With Thanksgiving break and a lot of work, time got away from me. This week we are back with Weekly Playlist, with picks brought to you by Lauren McCarty ’26. — Bryce Russell ’25 | Arts & Entertainment Editor
Lauren McCarty ’26 | Contributing Writer
“Coyote” — Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell has one of the most beautiful voices, at 81 she’s still making musical appearances. She made me tear up a bit when she sang at last year’s Grammys. I recently saw a video of her performing Coyote alongside Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn at Gordon Lightfoot’s house- Dream Billiards rotation. This song is a sweet folk song off Mitchell’s eighth album Hejira in 1977. Mitchell rambles through long verses backed up by a unique sound achieved by the idiosyncrasy of Mitchell’s tuning and structure. This song and album are a great companion for the gloomy weather.
“Wonder 2” – Perfume
This song has been helping me boost my mood lately. I just love the techno beat and the charming non-lexical vocables in the chorus- the “na na nas” can be understood universally. The refrain lyrics translated from Japanese to English read “It’s eternity, wonder2.” The song is about the simple moments that build an endless love affair. Perfume is a Japanese girl group from the 90s- early 2000s they are described as technopop for their electronic-pop music and futuristic aesthetic. This song from their 2006 album Perfume- Complete Best- is a catchy dance to spice up your playlist.
“The Witch” – Mark Fry
This song would have been perfect for Halloween. Unfortunately, I just discovered it this week- just a little late, regardless this is another perfect tune for gloomy weather. The Witch is an underground psychedelic folk rock song from Mark Fry’s 1972 album Dreaming with Alice. It’s an incredibly enchanting song from its mysterious lyrics to the sitar riffs. Fry mentions in a 2016 interview with It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine, when he was young he was inspired by early Pink Floyd and the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and when writing this album The BBC’s adaptations of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and Alice Through the Looking Glass. The lyrics and instrumentals reflect these influences throughout the whole album which although I only recently discovered is becoming a favorite of mine.
“Sweet November” – SZA
This song released on SZA’s 2014 Album Z has been a long-time favorite for me. SZA sings over an instrumental by Marvin Gaye titled Mendota. SZA’s ethereal voice adds what the original song is missing, her lyrics are a reflection of her past self and how she has grown and changed over time. Gaye produced and helped SZA write the lyrics for Sweet November, this intergenerational collaboration is iconic. The pair created a melancholic song that feels like November blues.
“Dear Prudence” – Siouxsie and the Banshees
Dear Prudence is originally a Beatles song from their 1968 White Album. Siouxsie and the Banshees’ 1983 cover was a huge hit for the band. While touring Scandinavia they were casually listening to the Beatles and decided to do their second cover of one of their songs, the other being Helter Skelter, I’m not a huge fan of that cover, but Siouxsie’s “eighties-ified” “Dear Prudence” is great. This interpretation of a Beatles classic, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney during their trip to India, by a post-punk/ psychedelic goth group works surprisingly well.