My introduction to this week's tune came back in the day when I was still living in my one-bedroom apartment in Belleville, IL. Memories being what they are, I can't remember if it was via the video on MTV or VH-1 or Much Music, or on my cable services radio on the TV. I was intrigued but not certain of the song after my first listen, if I recall, but after a few more times hearing it came to love its take on L.A.'s lifestyles of the rich and famous....
If ever there was an artist here on Friday Night Jukebox that met the definition of one hit wonder, it's Shawn Mullins. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Mullins got his start musically in high school (Clarkston Hight School in Clarkston, GA, not to be confused with Clarkston High School in Clarkston, MI where my youngest son went to school...oh the things we learn here on our Friday Night posts, or Sunday night as the case may be), continued during his time in the military (honorably discharged as a first lieutenant), and began in earnest when his military service ended. His big hit came in 1998, and it's allowed him to carry on as a musician now for thirty-five years. He also joined a supergroup (of sorts--they all had modest success), The Thorns, with emaycee kind of fave Pete Droge (first post, second post) and Matthew Sweet. For his career, Mullins has released 10 studio albums, five live albums, and three compilations.
Fun Fact: Please don't take this in the wrong way, because I thoroughly believe having even just one minor hit, let alone a top ten hit, in your musical career is utterly astounding, but one of Mullins' compilations is called The Essential Shawn Mullins and it struck me as kind of funny because how "essential" can the music of a one hit wonder be? Again, see opening words of previous sentence....
"Lullaby" was the first single released from Mullins' sixth album, the rather existentially entitled Soul's Core. The single would reach #7 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #2 in Canada--so many cool kids in the Great White North!), while the album peaked at #54 on the Billboard 200 (and was eventually certified as platinum--another feather in Mr. Mullins' cap).
For a hit single, "Lullaby" is certainly something of an oddity. For one, it's a nuanced portrait of a sad rich girl, growing up around the stars in L.A., and a gentle poke at the Los Angeles celebrity culture. For another, other than the chorus, it's more a spoken word performance than actual singing. But Mullins makes it work, delivering a deadpan description of her life and the star-studded city, and, probably most importantly to its hit status, absolutely nailing a catchy as all hell chorus. Throughout there's a discerning acoustic guitar, some nice electric guitar bits in the chorus, and just enough from the drums to keep the rhythm flowing. In the end, it's just a different enough take on a pop tune to keep you coming back for more, and a pat on the back to Mr. Mullins for rolling the dice and having it come up Top Ten Hit.
Lyric Sheet: "I ain't so sure about this place/It's hard to play a gig in this town/And keep a straight face/Seems like everybody's got a plan/It's kind of life Nashville with a tan..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
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