9 Comments

Oh my God, one of the very best of the 69 Love Songs.

That album should come with every music-producing device (with royalties to Merritt).

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It's a standout, even with all the great tracks on 69 songs!

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I've been hearing a lot about The Magnetic Fields and 69 Love Songs. (25th anniversary or something?) Its been in my queue for quite awhile just waiting for that special day when I have 12 uninterrupted hours ;) This tune was not what I imagined, but it was cool. It calls for both a Yeee, then a Haw, in that order.

To the countdown:

5) Azuria Sky: I'm not feeling the whispery vocals and bleep bloop electronics

4) Korby Lenker: Similarly, the detached low-key vocals don't fit the vibes of this tune IMHO but +1 for minimizing the electronics.

2b) Sara Lov: This one I really liked. The loungey piano, her wistful vocals, and electronics that really work to enhance the mood. Its a more introspective interpretation, but just as quality IMHO

2a) Magnetic Fields: I have yet to listen to the other 68 Love Songs. Is this what Magnetic Fields are like ?

The deep, resonant voice hits completely different than Sara's, naturally. It's perrfect for these sad cowboy vibes. I'm not surprised none of the other covers tried to emulate his style; you just cant do it better.

1) Orville Peck / Molly Tuttle

This one feels more lighthearted and less emotionally resonant for me, which normally would be a drawback. But they're just both so good it works anyway. That classic co-ed country duet format is a natural for this tune and its subject matter. Even got Molly fingerpickin a little solo which sounded smooth and effortless.

First a Yeee, and then a Haw.

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Another great breakdown of the five selections, sir! I wasn't sure if this one would interest you much, but I'm glad it did. And for the love of Pete, listen to 69 Songs. It's an adventure!

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I was so excited when I saw you’d picked this song. I only listened to 69 Love Songs for the first time this year and I think Papa Was A Rodeo is one of the stand out tracks, as it is on Stampede which is a phenomenally good album. These two are definitely my favourite versions from this selection. They are very different treatments of the same song and I love how melancholy the original is in contrast with Peck’s cover (which has the edge for me because of its upbeat nature and fabulous harmonies.

I was looking for the Divorce cover of this song from earlier this year which I also really liked but it seems to have vanished.

Thoroughly enjoyed this playlist. Thanks, Mallie.

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I had the same experience -- forgetting for some reason that it was originally by the Magnetic Fields, despite loving 69 Love Songs and listening to it a lot. Very strange.

Thanks for sharing these other versions. I liked them, especially the ones by Sarah Lov and Azuria Sky.

Here's another version that I like a lot: https://open.spotify.com/track/3t9McwjIPA5fMS5XDAOVYk?si=62a0f363dafd471c

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Thanks so much for listening!

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My introduction to this song was hearing it live, performed by Richard Aufrichtig/Ocean Music - epic! This studio recording captures his interpretation nicely: https://open.spotify.com/track/3qHWeZlKnFykVsh3xGvesD?si=xopLeeEyS2e_qRXZ9CA-EA

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Thanks for sharing, Jeremy!

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