Some Songs Considered

“Buddy Holly” – Weezer
(Words/music: Rivers Cuomo, available on Weezer (1994), DGC 1994) 

So the enduring icon from the past changed from Buddy Holly to the Fonz in the video, but the nostalgia stays the same.  On its own, “Buddy Holly” makes early ‘90s fuzz-pop feel timeless.  Even if the distortion doesn’t fit Holly’s era, the song’s bounce and reliance on melody goes back as far as popular music stretches back.  If its dressed in the sounds of the ‘90s, it has an “old soul.” 

It’s this timelessness that keeps the video from feeling anachronistic.  On paper, a ‘90s song set to a ‘70s show about teens in the ‘50s sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Spike Jonze’s video – what I imagine has to be a labor of love considering the Happy Days footage he poured through – has the sort of magic that transcends time.  It comes back to the common thread – the idea of “cool.”  No matter the era or the styles, coolness endures – it’s how Buddy Holly, Arthur Fonzarelli, and Rivers Cuomo each exhude their own sort of charm despite their aesthetic differences.  It’s also the quality that makes this video (and song) timeless.  Even today, many no longer consider Weezer “cool,” yet “Buddy Holly” would still drive a room nuts the same way it did fifteen years ago.  A generation from now, this will be a similar kind of touchstone – one referenced in our children’s popular culture as a symbol of the enduring and ever-evolving idea of cool. 

More on Weezer: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Always on My Mind” – Phantom Planet
(Words/music: Alex Greenwald, available on The Guest, Epic 2002)

Like many people, I first fell for Phantom Planet because Max Fisher from Rushmore played drums for them.  Thus, the one time I saw Phantom Planet years ago the goal was to meet actor Jason Schwartzman (Phantom Planet’s former drummer) and try not to geek out by asking any questions about Bill Murray.  Between a cult film star playing drums and a song used as the theme song to one of the more iconic teen shows of the decade, Phantom Planet faced an uphill battle that a little power-pop band wasn’t equipped to handle.  It’s a shame, as they played power pop with the best of them, and put on a hell of a show too – including an unexpected cover of Radiohead’s “Airbag” and Weezer’s “El Scorcho.”

My favorite Phantom Planet performance is their cover of Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby,” so that might explain why I think of “Always on My Mind” as its kid nephew.  Like Browne’s perfect pop composition, “Always on My Mind” piles melody upon melody.  Alex Greenwald’s cheery vocals join the keyboard, slide guitar, and a perfectly placed mandolin (right?) in the solo section.  Most importantly, “Always on My Mind” carries itself with the same effortless charm that makes Browne’s song so ebullient.  Even if the transitions aren’t completely seamless, the verses and choruses roll right into each other, creating one big melodic chain for three and a half minutes.  If it’s not as good as the masters of power pop, it’s clearly aiming in the right direction.  While Phantom Planet might be on an “indefinite hiatus,” I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more gems of this caliber if they find their way back together.

More on Phantom Planet: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm