Songs you forgot you knew by heart

There are days when I love, love, love the music-finding abilities inherent inside the Internet (thanks, Al Gore!). There are all these songs which I listened to in early high school on mix tapes that I have subsequently totally forgotten about — lost into wherever high school memorabilia goes — and then I find them and 1994 glows in my memory. It is a beautiful thing.

“Purple Haze” – The Cure (Hendrix cover)
This is another one where I think I heard the cover BEFORE I ever really heard the Hendrix original. I know, I keep getting it backwards. It was on a compilation CD Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix. This is a sublime version of this song, all lush and gothy.

“Just Like Honey” – Jesus & Mary Chain
Thank you Live 105 when you were cool. Also notably used recently (and perfectly) in the movie Lost in Translation.

“If I Only Had A Brain”
(link fixed 4/10/06)
- MC 900 Ft. Jesus
From a mix tape my friend Shannon made me from the bowels of the KSCU radio station, deep in the basement of Swig. She was a DJ, I was her accomplice in a totally unofficial way. She did this the “Shanny-edit” way and bleeped out the profanity. Because we were such wholesome & unspoilt girls. Photographic evidence on the right.

Oh, and I think this song may actually suck, but my judgment is clouded by youthful memories of merrymaking to this tune.

“Your Ghost” – Kirsten Hersh & Michael Stipe
Also on a mix tape that a friend made for me; I love the harmonies and I always sang Michael Stipe’s part when I sang along. Usually in the car, 1987 red Nissan Sentra style.

“Natural One” – Folk Implosion
Used in the gritty movie Kids, about 13 and 14 year olds running amok and having unprotected sex and what have you. This was a world I knew nothing about, but I liked this song, specifically the thumping beat.

“Euro-Trash Girl” – Cracker
Cracker w/ Counting Crows was the first real concert I saw, my freshman year with my friend Shannon (aforementioned DJ), and I remember singing along to this song at the top of my lungs. I wince as I remember that I think I even crowd-surfed to it. Yeah. Hurts to admit it in a public forum. But it seemed really, uh, punk rock at the time? Come on, I was 14.

“Money (That’s What I Want)” – Flying Lizards (Beatles cover)
From the soundtrack of the oft-watched Empire Records, notably, played especially for thieving employee Lucas. Such a weird and quirky version that it is almost cool. It’s Rex Manning Day!

“Detachable Penis” – King Missile
Yeah, I put this one up and can’t believe I did because, well seriously. What’s going on in this song? Gotta love King Missile. “I asked them to check the medicine cabinet, because, for some reason, I leave it there sometimes.” You’ll either laugh if you remember this song, or else ask yourself what, exactly, Heather is smoking.

“Twiggy, Twiggy” – Pizzicato 5
Japanese girl-rock meets game-show music accompaniment in this guilty little piece of fluff.

“Feed The Tree” – Belly
This was a great album (Star). Uber-lovely chick band rock. Check out other favorite tracks on the album “Gepetto” and “Slow Dog.” Yeah, the lyrics could arguably make more sense, but that never stopped R.E.M. Listening to Belly always reminds of my Amanda, back when we were both rockin’ the braces and/or foxy retainers. Do you think I should do my bangs like that again? Yeah, probably:

You are hereby released into this weekend, so that you can party like it’s 1994. Godspeed.