365 Days of Song Recommendations: July 9
Halleluhwah—CAN
We’re overdue for some old krautrock, aren’t we? I could spend the entire week on this topic, but I’ll spare you and just stick with one song. I thought long and hard about throwing down Vitamin C, a legit classic, but it’s a bit too predictable and if you know CAN that’s probably why you know them.
So let’s get real and get straight to the band’s best song. It also just so happens to be the 40th anniversary of their great second album, Tago Mago, an achievement worth celebrating. They threw a little bit of everything into this album — long, sprawling experimental tracks like Halleluhwah, a psychedelic masterpiece that features a blend of funk drums, a ridiculous bass line, and some heroin-era Lou Reed Velvet Underground weirdness that reminds you of just how goddamn cool music was in the early ’70s.
This is music that continues to influence great bands to shun the mainstream pressure and make the album they want to make, not the retread album fans think they want. Here’s to hoping this anniversary year feeds the album to a new generation of bold, experimental musicians.
Seriously, though, what’s up with these lyrics?
Did everybody see this snowman
Standing in the wind alone?
When mother did that, pick his head
And you’re feeling sleepy at
It’s my recording, stitch remain
But I record in his head
Knowing that too big mouth
Oh, ice can flow away, no one knows
Oh, shadow coming out
While I call the story, storey that
Oh, sample all about
Spinning that all the time
My powers strike me out
Did I slip this thing on their life?
And my God buying out
Oh, it gets me inside
Searching for my brother, yes, I am
Searching for my brother, yes, I am
Searching for my brother, yes, I am
Searching for my brother, yes, I am
Did you see the day?
Every fever may I search in
We can find now harder steam
Change his kind, fly away
Oh
They’re all alone there, let me in
Oh, she asked me the first day
For my name
So she wasn’t going where I was singing
Mushroom head, oh yeah, paperhouse
I went day, first the game
It wasn’t a game after this
Oh, shadow coming out
While I call the story, storey that
Oh, it’s all about
Spinning that all the time
Shoot all the proof and lust and shout and it’s all, just you sow
Shoot all the proof and lust and shout and it’s all, just you sow
Shoot all the proof and lust and shout and it’s all, just you sow
Shoot all the proof and lust and shout and it’s all, just you sow
Searching for my brother
Searching for my brother, let him, let him, let him up
Searching for my brother, let him, let him, let him up
Searching for my brother, let him, let him, let him up
Searching for my brother, let him, let him, let him up
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
Ash you
And the hills are blue
And she’s so
Got my fever, why do I go?
Got my fever, why do I go?
Got your soles into your shoes
Got my fever, why do I go?
Got my fever, why do I go?
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
Lalalalalalalalalala, let him up
~
“Halleluwah” is the 190th song on the exclusive #365Songs playlist!
