“Madonna of the Wasps” - Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians
(Words/music: Robyn Hitchcock, available on Queen Elvis, A & M Records 1989)

Sometimes, a song becomes an unlikely gateway into musical exploration.  Even though I probably heard it before, I first knowingly heard “Madonna of the Wasps” after receiving Rhino Records’ Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the ’80s Underground box set a few years ago (which is an excellent compilation for anyone who wants to explore some of the really exciting and important bands in the 1980s).  It’s a catchy song and its jangly guitar riff immediately caught my ear – as an R.E.M. Fan, I’m conditioned to respond positively to a jangle-pop Byrds-quoting guitar riff.  I also knew Robyn Hitchcock through his connection with R.E.M. (in recent years, Hitchcock collaborated with The Minus 5, a project spearheaded by R.E.M.’s side instrumentalist Scott McCaughey and featuring Peter Buck), so “Madonna of the Wasps” earned frequent plays both on my college radio show (appropriately titled Left of the Dial, hence my attraction to the box set) and in my personal playlists.  It’s the kind of song that I might not be an immediate recommendation to a friend, but it’s the kind of thing I’d never skip if it came up on shuffle.

For many songs, the story ends with the song integrating itself into my iTunes library and becoming a welcomed visitor when it pops up on shuffle or while playing the compilation.  However, after digging  a bit deeper to find out more about the song, I discovered a few interesting facts.  For example, the Peter Buck-sounding riff was played by Buck himself – a fact that didn’t shock me (as Buck played with a lot of bands over the years).  Then, while reading the Allmusic entry on the song, I found that when Hitchcock performs the song live (both before and after recording the Queen Elvis album), he prefaces the song with an oddly endearing vocal introduction.  My curiosity about this intro, which sounds more like the chanting that starts the song rather than the ringing guitar riff, led me to a video of Hitchcock performing the song with Paul Shaffer’s band on David Letterman’s NBC show.  While I knew of Hitchcock in his current incarnation as a gray haired alt-troubadour, I was amused to see him looking more like the energetic young man that fronted the Soft Boys.  In this video, Hitchcock looks loose, even conversing with Shaffer’s guitar player mid-song, perhaps coaching him through the arrangement.  It’s an excellent performance I’ve added to my bookmarks – and ultimately one that makes me glad that I didn’t just move on to the next song on the box set without wanting to look a little deeper.

More on Robyn Hitchcock: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm