Project 1001: June 9, 2024; 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields
You said you were in love with me / Both of us know that that's impossible / And I could make you rue the day / But I could never make you stay
Another brand-new artist to me (which is one of the primary reasons for the existence of this project!). The band is described on their website this way:
The Magnetic Fields are the music of songwriter- producer-instrumentalist Stephin Merritt, who lives and records in New York City. Adept at computer music programming and production, Merritt records his own albums and plays almost everything on them with help from cellist Sam Davol, banjo player/second guitarist John Woo, percussionist/pianist Claudia Gonson, and singer Shirley Simms.
I will defer to the artist to describe this album:
In 1999, the Magnetic Fields surged into the mainstream when Merritt penned his virtuosic 3-disc set, "69 Love Songs." Conceived originally as a cabaret song cycle for the stage, Merritt set out to write 69 love songs using most of the known popular music styles, from punk to country to soul and jazz. The album earned top-10 kudos from most major publications, and has since sold 130,000 copies worldwide.
69 Love Songs provides an abundance of really good songs. But this is probably the longest record I’ve ever heard of clocking in at almost three hours. Three! Something that long becomes a chore to listen to in one sitting, so I’ll be revisiting the second and third parts at a later date. I really enjoyed each song so far.
The high point for me is The Book of Love. I’ve loved this song ever since it came out. Well, at least the Peter Gabriel version. In fact, I always assumed Gabriel is the songwriter. Nope! It’s our esteemed Stephen Merritt. Merritt’s version is terrific and beautiful. I still prefer Gabriel’s. <shrug emoji>
And you know what they say about assuming…
I love singer Stephen Merritt’s voice, which has been described as a “rough bass”.1 It seems quite versatile and he draws out deep emotions that move the listener to feel what he feels.
Spin magazine describes this record as Merritt’s “masterwork” and “pop hasn’t seen a lyricist of Merrit’s kind and caliber since Cole Porter.”2
The album topped Robert Christagau’s Pazz & Jop 1999: Dean's List.3
The number one song at the time of 69 Love Songs’ release was Bailamos by Enrique Iglesias, a tune a rather like.4
Chritina Aguilera’s debut album Christina Aguilera led the album chart.5
The Sixth Sense was vexing movie audiences6
Regis Philbin was delighting America with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. ER, Friends, Frasier, and Monday Night Football were also very popular.7
Serena Williams wins her first Grand Slam title at the US Open by beating World #1 Martina Hingis.8
Mario Lemieux's ownership group officially takes over the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins; Lemieux is first player in the modern era of sports to buy the team he once played for.9
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
Check out all the videos on the playlist at my YouTube channel: You're Welcome 92; 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields
And if you prefer Prime for your streaming: 92. 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields
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