You've come a long way, baby...
and these jarring juxtapositions
offer indisputable proof!
Welcome to Vol. 6 of my series
Jarring Juxtapositions:
That Was Then - This Is Now!
It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might be
for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists you
are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers
Jarring Juxtapositions:
That Was Then - This Is Now!
It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might be
for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists you
are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers
then... and now!
THAT WAS THEN
THE LENNON SISTERS
It's a different world, my friend. When I was a boy in the 1950s, girls looked,
sounded and behaved like The Lennon Sisters, the popular sibling singing
group on The Lawrence Welk Show. In 1960 the girls released the holiday
album Christmas With The Lennon Sisters. Listen as 'lil Chanet," Kathy,
Peggy and Dianne invite us to ditch the cold weather and spend the
holidays basking in the tropics on-- "Christmas Island."
""Christmas Island" - The Lennon Sisters
(from 1960 album Christmas With The Lennon Sisters)
THIS IS NOW
KITTIE
Our musical journey takes a jarring turn
and we find ourselves in the zombielike
clutches of Kittie, an all-female metal
band from Ontario, Canada. Formed
in 1996, Kittie names alternative
bands like Nirvana and Alice In
Chains as major influences.
In 2000, Kittie released their debut
album Spit with a dozen songs,
all written by band members
around age 14. As if by the
mysterious process of
spontaneous generation...
"Charlotte" arose from Spit!
"Charlotte" - Kittie
(July 2000, highest chart pos. #60 UK,
single from January 2000 album Spit)
single from January 2000 album Spit)
THAT WAS THEN
CILLA BLACK
Her real name was Priscilla White but she called herself Cilla Black.
I regret that I only came to fully appreciate the English sparrow's talent
a year or so before her death in 2015. Until that time the only Cilla Black
song I knew was "You're My World," a single that reached the top 30 in
the U.S. in 1964. Maybe it's because some of Cilla's best recordings
were not released stateside. Here's one of them, a cover of Dionne
Warwick's soulful ballad "Anyone Who Had A Heart." Cilla took
the song, made it her own and eclipsed Dionne's version in the
UK with a single that spent three weeks at the top of the chart!
"Anyone Who Had A Heart" - Cilla Black
(Feb./Mar. 1964, highest chart pos. #1 UK)
THIS IS NOW
AMARANTHE
To bring you down from your blissful Cilla Black-induced Brit girl high,
I give you Amaranthe, a Swedish metal band that boasts three lead zingers,
each performing a different style. The band has two clean vocalists, one male
and one female, plus a growling cookie monster who handles the rough stuff.
The beauty among the beasts is Elize Ryd who made Playboy Magazine's
list of "The 14 Hottest Metal Maidens in Face-Melting History." Eliza's
vocals start at the 55 second mark of the song if you can hang on
through the angry, transgressive rapping that precedes it.
Feel free to sway, snap your fingers, tap your toes and
zing along as Amaranthe assaults your senses with--
"GG 6!"
"GG 6" - Amaranthe
(Nov./Dec. 2019 single from Oct. 2018 album Helix)
THAT WAS THEN
DORIS DAY
"Whatever Will Be, Will Be
(Que Sera, Sera)" was intro-
duced in the 1956 Alfred
Hitchcock film The Man
Who Knew Too Much
starring Jimmy Stewart
and Doris Day. Doris
released the song as a
single. The record spent
27 weeks on the pop
chart and made a
determined run
at the #1 spot.
However Doris's ditty was blocked week after week by
the man who would be King - Elvis Presley - and his
colossal doublesider "Hound Dog," b/w "Don't Be Cruel"
along with another mega-hit,"My Prayer" by The Platters.
"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" - Doris Day
(July thru Sept. 1956, highest chart pos. #2, from June 1956
Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much)
Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much)
THIS IS NOW
IN THIS MOMENT
Image courtesy of DesignWeapons @ deviantart.com
Nearly identical to Doris Day in appearance and singing style
is fresh faced girl next door Maria Brink, but whereas Doris
sang "Whatever will be, will be," Maria leaves nothing to
chance, boldly commanding "Adrenalize me." (I'm sure
she's referring to an exciting game of shuffleboard.)
"Adrenalize" is the second single released by Maria
and her menacing male menagerie, the LA-based,
in-your-face metal band In This Moment, from
their 2013 album Blood. Ladies and germs,
if you can believe your eyes and ears...
experience the spectacle, the brutal
multi-sensory blitz, the sound and
the fury-- In This Moment!
"Adrenalize" - In This Moment
(Feb./Mar. 2013, highest chart pos. #18 Active Rock,
#20 Mainstream Rock, from Aug 2012 album Blood)
When I was young, I fell in love
I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead
Will we have rainbows, day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said.
"You're joking... right?"
Have a Shady day!
