This is a new feature: every Friday I’ll pick a song–new, old, borrowed, blue–that’s been on my mind and in my ears, and write a short post about it.
The inaugural Song of the Week is “Side Girl” by Organos.
I reviewed this album back in April and have listened to it quite a bit since then. The other day “Side Girl” came on the shuffle and it’s been bouncing around ever since. The first thing I’ll say about this song is: handclaps. I love some good handclaps in a song, and this one uses handclaps as the sole instrument other than voice. Even better: there’s nothing ornate about the clapping; it just provides a straight beat for the voice to play off. That voice sings out a really simple and pretty melody with really sharp, thoughtful lyrics to match: “And when the lights go out / And there’s room for doubt / Don’t you know / I’m gonna have your back babe.” In my review I called this song a folk song that should be and now is; like good folk songs, “Side Girl” is simple without being simplistic and fun without being stupid (in fact, it’s pretty damn smart). Its simplicity also gives it a certain flexibility that allows it to be adapted, reshaped and just generally played around with: witness the aRoaRoa remix, which you can download for free here. There you have it: handclaps, voice, melody, plenty of space for playing around. What more do you need to head into a weekend?
