Dave Stewart "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"

Welcome to another segment of "Let Me Ruin This Song For You."

(If you missed the first entry, you should probably read this)

Let me give credit where credit is due. I'm not the one who is going to ruin this song for you. You can blame Jess.

It was she, who asked:

"Why are we playing two songs that sounds so similar?"

Which two songs?

"'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' and 'She Walks In So Many Ways'"

Those two songs don't sound anything alike!

So of course, she got out both CDs, and played the opening riffs, back to back.

Go ahead a listen below on the videos, from the beginning of each song, until the singing starts.

Then try not to think of the first song, whenever you hear the second one. Or vice-versa.

Thanks for ruining two songs, Jess!


Hear Dave Stewart on Youtube.


Hear The Jayhawks on Youtube.

The Jayhawks "She Walks In So Many Ways"

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

---William Shakespeare

"There's nothing wrong with crabgrass. It just has a bad name, that's all. Everyone would love it if it had a cute name, like, uh, elf grass."

---Homer Simpson

While Shakespeare understood that the intrinsic value of something doesn't changed based on its name, leave it to Homer to note that a name has everything to do with marketability.

I, for one, was sad in the mid-90s when Mark Olson left the band The Jayhawks. The way his voice intertwined and played off of co-lead-singer and songwriter Gary Louris made the band for me. Without that dynamic, without Olson, they were still a good band (and they continued to put out good records), but they weren't exactly what The Jayhawks were, to me.

Flash forward a decade later . . . Olson is ready to work with Louris again. They write some songs, do some shows, and eventually decide to make a record.

They release "Ready For The Flood" under the name "Mark Olson & Gary Louris." It is greeted warmly by old Jayhawks fans, receives some positive reviews, but makes only a minor impact on radio and record sales, only a minor impact culturally.

In 2011, however, Olson and Louris have recorded more songs, but this time they are releasing the record under the name "The Jayhawks." And yes, they do have some of their former bandmates in tow, and yes, those guys are great players. But does the addition or subtraction from the equation of the particular bass player, drummer and keyboard player make the record sound more or less like a "true" Jayhawks record? Not to me . . .

So how do you explain then, that while the Olson & Louris album was somewhat tepidly embraced, within a couple of weeks, The Jayhawks record is quickly climbing the Adult Alternative charts?

Clearly, Olson and Louris shouldn't have called their album "Ready For The Flood," they should have called it "Elf Grass."


See the video on Youtube.


See the album preview on Youtube.