MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1 – “The Bends” intro)

On March 13th of 1995…

Radiohead released their second album in the U.S.

The Bends.

(Music Cut #2 – “The Bends”)

After the success of “Creep,”

the band was fighting the fear of becoming

a one-hit wonder.

One of the album’s defining songs,

“Fake Plastic Trees,”

almost wasn’t working.

(Music Cut #3 – “Fake Plastic Trees”)

So the band went to see
Jeff Buckley
play a small club.

His voice completely floored them.

They went back to the studio.

Thom Yorke recorded two acoustic takes—

and burst into tears.

That take became the song.

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“If I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time.“ – Radiohead “Fake Plastic Trees”

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1)

This song was in heavy rotation by March 12th of 1995

as it was climbing towards #1 on the Modern Rock chart.

Toadies.

“Possum Kingdom.”

(Music Cut #2)

Over the years, this song kind of turned into

a ghost story. Fans still argue about it.

Is the narrator a vampire?

A serial killer?

Or something even stranger.

(Music Cut #3)

One theory says

he was actually part of a cult.

Already dead.

Reduced to “just smoke.”

Now he’s haunting Possum Kingdom Lake…

in search of someone

to burn with him

and stay beautiful forever.

(Music Cut #4)

Certainly sounds like a vampire but – lead singer Vaden Todd Lewis denies this

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“Don’t be afraid
I didn’t mean to scare you
So help me Jesus.” – Toadies

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1 – “All Mixed Up” opener)

On March 11th…

it only feels right to talk about this band.

311.

(Music Cut #2 – “All Mixed Up, You Don’t Know What To Do” lyric)

The group formed in Omaha in the late 80s,

blending rock, reggae, funk, and rap

into a sound that didn’t really fit

any one genre.

But the band name?

That came from something completely different

(Music Cut #3)

While growing up,

the band learned that “311” was a police code

used in Omaha

for indecent exposure.

So they kept it for themselves.

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“You’ve got to trust your instinct
And let go of regret
You got to bet on yourself now.” – 311 “All Mixed Up”

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1)

By March 10th of 1994 …
this song was starting to explode on modern rock radio.

The Offspring.

“Come Out and Play.”

(Music Cut #2 – “You gotta keep ’em separated)

That one line helped turn this track

into one of the biggest hits of the decade.

But Dexter Holland didn’t think his voice sounded right for it.

So they brought in a friend –

Jason “Blackball” McLean.

(Music Cut #3)

Since they couldn’t afford a session singer,

they paid him…

with a Double-Double from In-N-Out.

And they helped him get a photo

with the guy recording next door –

Snoop Dogg.

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“You gotta keep ’em separated.” – The Offspring

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1)

On March 9th of 1995…
this song was on the move

and would eventually climb to #5 on the Modern Rock chart.

Sponge.

“Plowed.”

(Music Cut #2)

The song came from their debut album

Rotting Piñata.

The band wanted to capture that Detroit garage energy,

so they tracked the instruments live in the room.

(Music Cut #3)

The song’s lyrics came from an equally ordinary moment.

Singer Vinnie Dombroski

didn’t write “Plowed” in a studio.

He wrote them on a Sunday afternoon in Michigan,

while shoveling snow in his driveway.

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“Will I wake up? Some dream I made up
No, I guess this is reality.” – Sponge

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1 – “Piggy”)

On March 8th of 1994…
Nine Inch Nails released one of the darkest albums of the decade.

The Downward Spiral.

(Music Cut #2 – “Closer”)

The album told a brutal story about

A character slowly destroying himself.

Along the way came songs like “Closer”…

which the label worried was too disturbing for radio.

But the tale concludes with the final track.

“Hurt.”

(Music Cut #3 – “Hurt”)

Eight years later…

Johnny Cash recorded his own version of “Hurt”

When Trent Reznor heard it, he said:

“That song isn’t mine anymore.”

(Music Cut #4 – Johnny Cash “Hurt”)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way.” – Nine Inch Nails “Hurt”

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1)

On March 7th of 1990…
this song was climbing the Modern Rock chart.

All while a fish kept flopping at the end of the video.

Faith No More.

“Epic.”

(Music Cut #2)

The sound was different.

Rap.
Metal.
Funk.

Nobody was sounding like this.

But one future star –

became a huge fan of this song.

(Music Cut #3)

Before she was a global pop icon,

Lady Gaga

used “Epic” as her entrance music

when she performed as a burlesque dancer
in New York City.

She later said the song’s energy

was the only thing that could get her
into the right headspace for the stage.

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“You want it all, but you can’t have it.
It’s in your face, but you can’t grab it.” – Faith No More

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1)

By March 6th of 1999…
this song was still all over the radio.

Nearly a year after its release.

There’s a reason.

The Goo Goo Dolls.

“Iris.”

(Music Cut #2)

By that point, it had become
one of the longest-running radio hits of the decade.

The song was written for the movie
City of Angels.

But oddly enough…

the word “Iris” never appears in the lyrics.

(Music Cut #3)

Singer Johnny Rzeznik was on a plane
flipping through a magazine while writing the song.

And he saw the name of singer
Iris DeMent.

He liked how it sounded for the song title.

So he used it – “Iris”

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know you’re alive.” – The Goo Goo Dolls

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1)

On March 5th of 1993…
this song was climbing the Modern Rock chart.

And before long —
it would hit number one.

Belly.

“Feed the Tree.”

(Music Cut #2)

That guitar riff may sound a little unusual.

Almost like the chords are… backwards.

But – there’s a reason for that.

(Music Cut #3)

Singer and guitarist Tanya Donelly is left-handed.

But instead of restringing a guitar…

she just flips a right-handed one upside down.

So the thick bass strings sit on the bottom.

And the thin strings are now on top.

Which is why the riff sounds backwards.

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“So take your hat off when you’re talkin’ to me
And be there when I feed the tree.” – Belly

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS – “Lyric of the Day”

(Music Cut #1)

On March 4th of 1998…
this track was all over the radio and MTV

It’s the Beastie Boys.

“Intergalactic.”

(Music Cut #2)

By this point, they’d been around for over a decade.

So… more mature?

Not at all

Because to get that voice—

they used an actual children’s toy.

(Music Cut #3)

Mike D ran his vocals through a toy walkie-talkie.
And then pushed it through a robot-voice effect.

They wanted it to sound like it was broadcasting from a distant spaceship.

That “futuristic” sound?

It all came from the toy aisle.

(Music Cut #4)

LYRIC OF THE DAY:
“From the Hudson River out to the Nile.
I run the marathons ’til the very last mile.” – by Beastie Boys

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