Easy Like Sunday Morning #2

Welcome to the second edition of our weekly update, Easy Like Sunday Morning. This week I will be jumping between genres to find some laidback tracks to make your hangover or whatever else seem more bearable. I've been thinking about this quite a bit, and although not all of my original inclusions will make it onto this list, they will definitely feature in another post sometime in the near future.

First up is Pearl Jam's seminal hit Jeremy. Taken from one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time, Ten, Jeremy is both famous and infamous. Although it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and had similar success on an international scale, the song was tarnished with controversy. After all, it was mainly inspired by a newspaper article about a young student, Jeremy Wade Delle, who shot himself in front of his English class in 1991. This subject matter is depicted in a somewhat raw manner within the music video, which climaxes with Jeremy putting the gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger, submerging his classmates in his blood. Naturally, MTV opted not to show the original ending, deeming it too unscrupulous for TV audiences, but lead singer Eddie Vedder maintains that there was a certain level that needed to be reached to do the article justice, "to give it that action, to give it reaction, to give it importance."

Pearl Jam - Jeremy

Secondly, we have Lupe Fiasco's The Coolest. It is likely that you have heard of Lupe Fiasco, both for his collaboration on Kanye West's Touch The Sky and from his huge hit from The Cool titled Superstar. Even though the latter track received a lot of airplay when it was released, I got a rather lukewarm feeling from it. It wasn't by any means bad, but it certainly wasn't the stand-out track from the album. Although I don't really listen to a lot of more commercial rap artists because they do little for me, Lupe Fiasco is one of the main exceptions to the rule. He is outstanding in almost every sense of the word and The Cool is a testament to that. It has some of the freshest production values seen on a hip-hop record, smooth flows and equally smooth beats. Most people aren't aware of this, but it is actually a concept album based on the darker realities of growing up on the streets and in the game. One of the main reasons I chose this track was because it helped me out on a potentially terrifying plane journey. When we were on our way back from Rock Werchter in Belgium, we decided to smoke an absolutely huge all-weed prerolled joint in Amsterdam just outside the airport. The experience was surreal to say the least and by the time we got on the plane we were incredibly stoned, so when it took off I wasn't expecting it at all and could hardly look out the window. Minutes later I decided to put on some music on my headphones and The Coolest was the first track picked. I went from serious nervous paranoia to absolute bliss in a matter of seconds and the plane ride became one of the most eventful I've ever been on.

Lupe Fiasco - The Coolest

When I woke up this morning and briefly thought about what tracks should be included in this post, the first thing that came to mind was Massive Attack's Teardrop, which is slightly strange as I haven't listened to it in years. The most likely reason for this sudden wave of consciousness is because it is, without a doubt, one of the most laidback tracks of all time. There isn't really much you can say about this track except that if you haven't heard it before, unless you listen to a lot of trip-hop, it will be unlike anything you have heard up until this point. What should be pointed out is that it is a long shot to even assume that people haven't heard this track because it is frequently used in a variety of different media outlets and has been covered by the likes of Incubus and Jose Gonzalez. Featuring Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins on vocals and sampling a Les McCann track 'Sometimes I Cry', Teardrop remains a contemporary classic of this generation.

Massive Attack - Teardrop

Next up is Jeff Buckley's Last Goodbye. Despite the fact that the more cynical amongst us would dismiss Buckley's phenomenal debut album, Grace, as an overrated cash-in, I disagree. Even today, Grace still remains both relevant and untainted. The songwriting displayed on the album is far and beyond effectually everything that has came since and the vocals retain a soothing, almost majestic quality. Of course you could put this down to the fact that, like Nick Drake, he died long before his time, but the difference between Buckley and other songwriters is that he knows how to convey the right emotions at the right times. This album isn't solely filled with heartwarming, accoustic ballads. Instead, it focuses on gradual stylistic shifts between heavier and softer tracks. This balance is conserved throughout the entire album and can best be demonstrated in songs such as Hallelujah and Eternal Life. Last Goodbye on the other hand is more difficult to define. It has a beautiful, sentimental quality to it that is never too much or too little. In many respects, it has the perfect equilibrium and that's why it has made it onto this list.

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye

I've perhaps saved the best for last, The Beatles' classic Blackbird. I personally consider The Beatles to not only be the most influential band of all time, but also the best. They didn't just create songs with feeling, they created songs that would change the musical landscape forever. There are few bands today who don't owe something to The Beatles. Their influence is so widespread that many consider Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band to be the first Progressive Rock work and I'm of the opinion that Helter Skelter was one of the first tracks to have Metal tendencies. Though it is impossible to pick a favourite album by them, The White Album has to be up there, as it is one of their most experimental albums due in large part to their fascination with LSD and other hallucinogenics around the time of recording. The track Blackbird, however, is not based around such activities. It was actually written as a reaction to the racist treatment of black people in America in 1968. This aspect alone validates Lennon and McCartney's songwriting ability because they were able to combine structurally uneven, free verse with a very real message of freedom without compromising the artistic or background functions.

The Beatles - Blackbird