Listen In!
Please excuse my non-postage pals, I’m away in Spain for a few weeks, making friends and meeting strangers. As a consequence of my travels, I have (understandably, I hope) left behind my technologies for a lighter adventure. I’m not naked though, so I can post here and there as available.
I was forewarned about the cultural journey I would soon embark upon (fried hard roe, white pidgeons, cervesa with real cerevisiae) but not about its various sounds. I write now from the centre of El Arenal (they have wifi), where the music is probably that new Jacob Dylan album they have for sale at the counter. What surprises me most about the country is a real struggle between preserving the authentic and building the new; in terms of infrastructure and transportation, this world is about thirty futures from my Estados Unidos. They have a working metro system in every city, cheap bike rentals, and trains that serve freshly-squeezed OJ and show Love Happens in a cheap dub. But they also have history — immense cathedrals, rich museums, festivals, restaurants that don’t serve Frosties, etc.etc. Accordingly, their music is caught in a strange limbo between old and new, with some incongruities that add up to sometimes jarring, sometimes pleasurable song/site correspondences.
Here’s a breakdown of the songs I’ve heard over here. Note that these are not merely the songs I recognize, rather, they are the ONLY songs I’ve heard. Forget the bells of La Giralda (I have), here’s the real music of Spain.
1. Mariah Carey — “Fantasy”
This is a real treat for me, seriously; not only is it Mariah’s best single, it’s one of my favorite songs of all time (ask Mike we’ve argued about this). When this is playing in the cafeteria of the Prado, well, I know that something’s come true for me.
2. Smashing Pumpkins – “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
Okay, here’s another one that was playing in a weird place (gift shop in Reina Sofia), but I think it kinda works. I just walked in from seeing Guernica, and the opening line “the world is a vampire” seemed just and very real.
3. Smashing Pumpkins — “Disarm”
Less acceptable and/or pleasurable, this one was in a Café & Te, which was my fault for being there I guess. I had a piece of toast. Bad breakfast conversation.
4. Theme to The Neverending Story
Kabob King in Grenada. Pushing doner kebap into my face. Wistful.
5–7. Every Coldplay single from X&Y
The time I’m thinking of involves shopping for a hoodie (Madrid was cold) and going into a place called “Wazzup.” Here “Speed of Sound” is low in the background. Actually, I’m also thinking of a small pub playing this too. And Dunkin’ Coffee (a “bakeplace,” so I’m told). And the three straight months of hearing this song 37 to 44 times a day on the in-store video loop at work (yes I counted). I like the song I think, but I can’t separate it from it’s cyclic rotation between a trailer for “Be Cool” and GOW ad spots.
8. Russian Red — “They Don’t Believe”
As seen on BTV once or twice, eating white melon and some toast. Russian Red had an album two years ago that did okay in the states. She’s still quite popular in Spain. I hope she releases something new this year, I think two years is the appropriate waiting time. I’m including the video because it’s practically necessary. This is just about the only song here that I felt comfortable acknowledging in public as a song I like, which says a bit about my problems.
9. Ke$ha — “Blah Blah Blah”
The second song I’m okay with acknowledging that I like it because it’s kinda post-ironic (and pre-lapsarian) in a sense. This was playing on a TV in front of El Corte Ingles, the Spain-equivalent of Macy’s, or Bloomingdales, or Piggly-Wiggly. It was also on BTV like twenty times in an hour.
10. The Cranberries — “Dreaming My Dreams”
Staying with primo Saul and su novia Lily, eating nice cheese and playing New
11. Willy DeVille — “Hey Joe”
Whistled by our host atop Montserrat. I think he said “Willy DeJoel,” trying to make a nice tie-in with my name (Joel).
12. The Tallest Man on Earth — “King of Spain”
Perhaps this is cheating, but I listened to this on every plane, every train, every car, during every sleepless night. Our soundtrack was a single song.
xoxo, J
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