Year of Songs: April After All

April is such an inspirational month for songwriters that it took me all month to compile this list. There were so many choices that I was able to divide the list into thematic subcategories.



I. Overture:

Avery Island/April 1st - Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel is one of those bands that I just discovered within the past few months and wondered, "How come it took me so long to discover this?" Their 1998 album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea sounds like it could have been made today and so can hear its influence over current indie rockers. The band is quite fond of instrumentals such as "Avery Island/April 1st", none of which is cooler than this untitled instrumental off the aforementioned album, featuring the rockingest uilleann pipes solo ever:



II. April Holidays:

April Fools - Rufus Wainwright
This April Fool's Day was extra special in that it was my grandpa's 95th birthday. No foolin'!

It was also fun because I showed up at work that day rocking this suave look:

My boss did a legitimate triple take when she saw me. I had never seen a triple take outside of a Cary Grant movie.

Like Ron Sexsmith below, I discovered Rufus Wainwright through Elvis Costello's fantastic interview/concert show "Spectacle" on the Sundance Channel.

Start - The Jam
I wanted to include The Beatles' "Taxman" for Tax Day...



...but unfortunately Grooveshark has no Beatles tracks. So we'll have to settle for "Start!", the Jam's blatant ripoff of "Taxman." The Jam are one of those "huge in Britain, never really broke through in America" bands (think Arctic Monkeys or Robbie Williams) and they have plenty of great tunes that aren't direct ripoffs. Apparently the British public had no qualms about the overt plagiarism because this was a #1 hit in 1980.

Easter Parade - Judy Garland and Fred Astaire
I am the Family Home Evening co-chair for my ward and last week for FHE I pulled a gutsy move and did a Brian Presents:-style showing the 1948 Fred Astaire/Judy Garland classic Easter Parade. I knew that we would lose tons of people after the lesson, but I imagined that we might have 10-12 stick around. Wrong. Just 4. And two of them were me and my co-chair. And another one only stayed because her ride left and I had to take her home afterward.

III. April Tragedies:

Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2
MLK - The King's Singers
Bono has a huge Martin Luther King fixation that comes out in "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "MLK." It always bugged me how Bono rewrites history in this song, unless Bono's definition of "early morning, April 4" is liberal enough to include 6:01 p.m. I actually prefer the King's Singers cover of MLK to U2's original, probably because I sang this arrangement in my high school choir and have an emotional attachment to it.

April 14th, Part I - Gillian Welch
Draws connections between the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the sinking of the Titanic. Thanks to Amy J. for the recommendation.

IV. April in Paris:

April in Paris - Billie Holiday
April in Paris - Count Basie Orchestra
Two versions of this tune that totally different. The Count Basie version for its "string of self-initiated encores"* and for Count Basie and his Orchestra's cameo in Blazing Saddles.

*Source: Musicologist Peter Shirts

Une Américaine à Paris - Rupa & the April Fishes
A fun musical discovery at the suggestion of Amy J.

V. April Showers:

April Showers - Al Jolson
This song was requested both by my aunt Barbara and my friend Peter. Though it has been performed by dozens of popular singers of that era, I went with the Al Jolson (best known for his blackface performance in the first-ever "talkie," The Jazz Singer) at Peter's suggestion.

Little April Showers (from Bambi) - Disney Chorus and Orchestra
This was actually the first thing that came to mind when I thought about April songs.



April After All - Ron Sexsmith
Canadian singer/songwriter that I discovered through Elvis Costello's "Spectacle" show on Sundance Channel.

My Own Way - Duran Duran
Thorn of Crowns - Echo and the Bunnymen
Sometimes it Snows in April - Prince
Within this "April Showers" category there's a little '80s sub-genre. Prince raises the stakes though and elevates the showers to snow, which unfortunately happens sometimes.

VI. Apocalyptic April:

Country Disappeared - Wilco
April Skies - The Jesus and Mary Chain
Mad About You - Sting
Most songs about April are about rebirth and spring, but for those of you who like a little bit of apocalyptic imagery in the mix, here are three songs that you might enjoy. Peter Shirts recommended many songs for this list, but surprisingly he did not recommend the Sting song, since he is the man who has written the entry on String for the new edition of Grove's Dictionary of American Music (trust me, it's a big deal).

VII. April and Beyond:

Both of these songs start with April and progress through the coming months.

April, Come She Will - Simon & Garfunkel
Another Peter suggestion.** This was used recently in a very sweet scene on the show Parks and Recreation. (Mild spoiler alert if you're a few weeks behind on your Parks and Rec)

That´s Life - Frank Sinatra
Sinatra, Count Basie, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Billie Holiday, Al Jolson - this playlist has got a lot of old-school legends on it. They must all like April or something.

**Maybe you're noticing a pattern at this point - if you suggest songs to me I will most likely put them on the playlist. So, if you've got suggestions for May song, and there's a lot of them out there, or have any April songs to add to this playlist (even if they don't fit neatly in the predetermined categories), please leave a comment below.