Semisonic
The ubiquitous nature of some one-hit wonder songs cannot be measured by singles charts or requests to Casey Kasem or Rick Dees. Take, for instance, "Mickey" by Tony Basil. A number one hit, yes, but the song has had staying power, showing up in all kinds of movies, TV shows, commercials, sporting events, and absolutely anything that has to do with cheerleaders, legitimate or not. It's a song that pretty much anyone under the age of 50 could select and play in their head from start to finish. I'd wager you couldn't go a month or two without hearing the song in some form if you're a regular media consumer. I have nothing but anecdotal evidence to support this theory, but so what? Likewise Devo's "Whip It" or Yello's "Oh Yeah."(note--Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" is on a whole other level, which I call the "Right Said Fred/Sir Mix-A-Lot Level"--I'm sure I'll come to those one day).For anyone who came of age in the '90s, Semisonic's "Closing Time" no doubt holds that same power. It may not be on the level of a "Whip It" yet, but it's getting there and its popularity hasn't waned in the past decade. For a few years, that song was absolutely everywhere. Strike that, it continues to be used everywhere. It's been used countless times as the soundtrack for clip montages and as the closing credits song for TV shows like Friends, Melrose Place, Cold Case, and Entourage. It even showed up in an episode of The Simpsons aptly titled, "That '90s Show." And, thanks to its extremely literate lyrics, even a decade later, some a-hole bartenders tend to think it clever to play the song over the P.A. when the early morning hours roll around at the corner pub.
"Closing Time" seems to ask the question--what would Ben Folds Five sound like if they were a little more slickly produced and had some rocking guitars? That isn't meant as a slight. It's a great pop song, with an indelible piano part and a rousing chorus that really hasn't left my head for a decade. Anytime the name "Semisonic" gets mentioned in casual conversation (more often than you might think) my mind's jukebox starts playing "I know who I want to take me home, take me hooooOOOOooome." And I don't even hate it. That's got to say something, right?
And that innovative split-screen video (with each screen showing an uninterrupted shot) directed by Chris Applebaum (notable for directing videos for other one-hit wonders like Everything, Superdrag and Luscious Jackson) didn't hurt much either.
The song also gained entry into an elite corner of the pop-culture zeitgeist--it was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic on one of his polka medleys, in this case "Polka Power" from 1999's Running with Scissors. Screw the Grammys--getting parodied by "Weird" is what cements you as a pop culture phenomenon.
It's been purported that the song is actually about the birth of singer/songwriter Dan Wilson's child (the womb is what's "closing"?), and despite drummer Jacob Slichter giving the theory credence in his book So You Want to Be a Rock N' Roll Star, Wilson himself has refuted the interpretation, insisting the lyrics are deliberately vague.
I can hear you yelling at me to get on with it: who the hell were Semisonic anyway and where'd they go?
The origins of Semisonic began in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a band called Trip Shakespeare. Trip Shakespeare were an obscure indie band that played arty indie music and were made up mostly of Harvard grads and dropouts. With an emphasis on instrumental interplay, the band was a far cry from the tight-pop of Semisonic, though a strong melodic force was already present in Dan Wilson's songwriting. Originally on the Twin/Tone label, the group eventually signed to A&M where they released two records, their last being Lulu in 1991. In 1995, four years after the break up, two members--Dan Wilson along with bassist John Munson--teamed up with a drummer, Jason Slichter to form a band called Pleasure.
Tripping ShakespearePleasure released a self-titled EP on the Boston label, CherryDisc, and somewhere along the way renamed themselves Semisonic. In 1996 they signed to Elektra and due to some management problems, ended up being dropped and were picked up by MCA. That year they released Great Divide to favorable reviews. The album had a semi-successful single on the rock charts, "F.N.T."
Their sophomore effort, 1998's Feeling Strangely Fine (bands loved those non-sequitur album titles in the '90s, didn't they?) featuring "Closing Time" would be their breakthrough.
The band recorded the album in an unusual fashion, recording only basic demos (guitar or piano
and vocals) so that the album recordings would be the first full-band recordings of the songs. They also insisted on having no deadline. Using an old antique store as a studio (and at times a professional studio) the group took four months to complete the album and used computer software to graft the songs together--no doubt something of a pioneering step for an album produced in 1997. Going into the studio with 60 songs, the group recorded 20 and ended up with 12 on the final album.
The album peaked at number 43 on the album charts and by 1999 would be certified platinum, but "Closing Time" took off, hitting #1 on the Modern Rock charts, #8 on Top 40 and #11 on the Hot 100.
The follow up single was "Singing in My Sleep," a song about falling in love with somebody over a mixtape they made--something we music nerds like to imagine happens everytime we slip a girl a CD with Sharpie written all over it. The song failed to chart on the Hot 100, which is appropriate as the song shows off the band's rock side--well, power-pop, to be exact--more heavily than "Closing Time." The song still gets played on rock radio occasionally, and with good reason, it's a terrific song featuring a ridiculously catchy repeating keyboard riff and hasn't aged a bit. Unfortunately, the song had the problem so many power-pop songs have--not poppy enough for pop radio but too sugary for rock radio. Still, "Singing in My Sleep" put in a good performance hitting #11 on the Modern Rock Tracks. As a side note, I'm pretty sure this is one of those songs that tons of teen dramas and MTV reality shows use as transition/montage music. Don't ask me for examples, cause I have none, but trust me on this one.
Worthy of mention is their last single, "Secret Smile," a '70s sounding, Todd Rundgren-inspired love song that became a big hit in the UK, where it hit #13. Not surprising the Brits enjoyed it as wah-wahs, Rhodes pianos, a Wurlitzer and disco strings threaten to turn this thing into Electric Light Orchestra at any moment. A true soft-rock classic and one of the best songs on their album.
The band took their time with their follow up, releasing their third album All About Chemistry in 2001. Despite receiving some of their best reviews, the album failed to catch on in the US but managed to eek out a few more hits in the UK. The album even featured a collaboration between Wilson and Carole King, appropriate enough for a band whose songwriting is something of a throwback to the well-produced, tightly written '70s California rock sound that King helped popularize.
The band went on hiatus the same year, and frontman Dan Wilson began work on a solo career. He struck up a friendship with producer Rick Rubin who employed Wilson's songwriting skills for the Dixie Chicks album Home in 2006. He helped craft the song "Not Ready to Make Nice" with the Chicks and ended up winning a Song of the Year Grammy for his efforts. He eventually released his solo album, Free Life, on Rubin's record label American Recordings in 2007 to good reviews and poor sales.
Semisonic have reunited in concert several times since their hiatus, most recently at the McNally Smith River Rocks Music Festival in St. Paul, MN in September 2008. No word yet on an official reunion tour or album.
FIRST SINGLE: BSECOND SINGLE: A-THIRD SINGLE: A-
Download: Semisonic - Closing Time
Download: Semisonic - Singing in My Sleep
Download: Semisonic - Secret Smile
Visit Semisonic's official website and buy their stuff
Their sophomore effort, 1998's Feeling Strangely Fine (bands loved those non-sequitur album titles in the '90s, didn't they?) featuring "Closing Time" would be their breakthrough.
The band recorded the album in an unusual fashion, recording only basic demos (guitar or piano
and vocals) so that the album recordings would be the first full-band recordings of the songs. They also insisted on having no deadline. Using an old antique store as a studio (and at times a professional studio) the group took four months to complete the album and used computer software to graft the songs together--no doubt something of a pioneering step for an album produced in 1997. Going into the studio with 60 songs, the group recorded 20 and ended up with 12 on the final album.The album peaked at number 43 on the album charts and by 1999 would be certified platinum, but "Closing Time" took off, hitting #1 on the Modern Rock charts, #8 on Top 40 and #11 on the Hot 100.
The follow up single was "Singing in My Sleep," a song about falling in love with somebody over a mixtape they made--something we music nerds like to imagine happens everytime we slip a girl a CD with Sharpie written all over it. The song failed to chart on the Hot 100, which is appropriate as the song shows off the band's rock side--well, power-pop, to be exact--more heavily than "Closing Time." The song still gets played on rock radio occasionally, and with good reason, it's a terrific song featuring a ridiculously catchy repeating keyboard riff and hasn't aged a bit. Unfortunately, the song had the problem so many power-pop songs have--not poppy enough for pop radio but too sugary for rock radio. Still, "Singing in My Sleep" put in a good performance hitting #11 on the Modern Rock Tracks. As a side note, I'm pretty sure this is one of those songs that tons of teen dramas and MTV reality shows use as transition/montage music. Don't ask me for examples, cause I have none, but trust me on this one.
Worthy of mention is their last single, "Secret Smile," a '70s sounding, Todd Rundgren-inspired love song that became a big hit in the UK, where it hit #13. Not surprising the Brits enjoyed it as wah-wahs, Rhodes pianos, a Wurlitzer and disco strings threaten to turn this thing into Electric Light Orchestra at any moment. A true soft-rock classic and one of the best songs on their album.
The band took their time with their follow up, releasing their third album All About Chemistry in 2001. Despite receiving some of their best reviews, the album failed to catch on in the US but managed to eek out a few more hits in the UK. The album even featured a collaboration between Wilson and Carole King, appropriate enough for a band whose songwriting is something of a throwback to the well-produced, tightly written '70s California rock sound that King helped popularize.
The band went on hiatus the same year, and frontman Dan Wilson began work on a solo career. He struck up a friendship with producer Rick Rubin who employed Wilson's songwriting skills for the Dixie Chicks album Home in 2006. He helped craft the song "Not Ready to Make Nice" with the Chicks and ended up winning a Song of the Year Grammy for his efforts. He eventually released his solo album, Free Life, on Rubin's record label American Recordings in 2007 to good reviews and poor sales.
Semisonic have reunited in concert several times since their hiatus, most recently at the McNally Smith River Rocks Music Festival in St. Paul, MN in September 2008. No word yet on an official reunion tour or album.
FIRST SINGLE: BSECOND SINGLE: A-THIRD SINGLE: A-
Download: Semisonic - Closing Time
Download: Semisonic - Singing in My Sleep
Download: Semisonic - Secret Smile
Visit Semisonic's official website and buy their stuff
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