Drawn from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).
An infinite number of tracks can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!
Listen without prejudice.
The late George Michael used that direction as an album title, and it's good advice. As fans of pop music, we can be creatures of habit. And we can be resistant to the idea of opening our ears and minds to music that falls outside our familiar preferred soundtracks.
Today's GREM! spotlight shines upon a track by Madonna. STOP! Don't touch that dial. I've never been much of a Madonna fan, though I recognize her talent and have even tapped the ol' toe along with a few of her hit records. Granted, that hasn't happened often, but it has happened. Hell, I quite liked "Borderline" when it was rising on the charts, and I kinda liked "Open Your Heart" a little later on.
Madonna's music generally doesn't fit with whatever it is we try to do on our radio show. I mean, except when it does. I don't remember who it was, and it was several years back, but one of our intrepid listeners once requested we play "Dear Jessie," a track from Madonna's 1989 mega-lurchin' blockbuster album Like A Prayer. While we may have been a wee bit skeptical, I bought the track...and loved it. We played it that week. That was in 2011. A fresh spin proves that I still love it. And so, into the GREM! groove.
How much music do we dismiss without a thought? We have likes and dislikes, and that's how it ought to be. You know the mantra by now: Dig what you dig. But, sometimes, there may be more than meets the ear. Even an act you despise may be capable of crafting one (or more!) tracks that can turn your head and move your feet. Pop music is infinite.
For all that, I guess it's also worth reiterating that I never really disliked Madonna, either. If I'm a little surprised to realize that I love "Dear Jessie" as much as I do, I must remember that it's not the only Madonna track I've ever enjoyed. I mentioned my initial interest in "Borderline" as it was first climbing the charts in '84; I recall seeing the video in between sets at a Buffalo nightclub--an alt-rock hangout, mind you--and thinking it somehow reminiscent of Freda Payne. I can't articulate why the song brought Payne's "Band Of Gold" to my mind, but it was, then and now, a compliment.
I did not care for Like A Virgin, neither the album nor its singles, especially not its title track. HEY! Not my cuppa. I was okay with the subsequent (non-album) "Into The Groove," and I may even like it better now. When I was working in record retail in the '80s (a tale told within my lengthy reminiscence The Road To GOLDMINE), a customer once tried to return the 12" single of "Into The Groove" because, instead of being bouncy 'n' chirpy Madonna, it sounded like Tears For Fears or some other mopey-boy British act. The customer was, of course, playing the 45 at 33 1/3. The customer is always right? That has not always been my experience.
"Borderline." "Into The Groove." "True Blue." "Open Your Heart." "Like A Prayer." "Express Yourself." Each of these is a decent radio-ready pop record, if not specifically within the Beatles-Motown-Ramones axis that remain my raison d'être. I used to have a Madonna Express Yourself t-shirt, which I think I snagged as a free promo somewhere, and which I confess I wore primarily because the image of Madonna on the shirt was (ironically?) not wearing a shirt.
But we don't look at pop records; we listen to them. One time when we played "Dear Jessie" on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, singer-songwriter Dean Landew emailed us to compliment the sheer variety of our Madonna-led set--Madonna, Elvis Costello, the Coasters, Nick Lowe, Shoes, Sweet--adding that "Ray Of Light" was his favorite Madonna song. Another good choice, Dean. I was in an auto parts store that week, and "Cherish" came on the sound system. I didn't properly appreciate the track's pure pop appeal in '89, but its '80s version of the girl group sound was fresh and pleasing to these ears in this newfangled 21st century. And Madonna deserves rock 'n' roll props for asking the Stooges to perform on her behalf when she was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
I tell ya: We may not play Madonna very often, and we're probably not going to play her all that much in the future, either. Still, when we do decide to play Madonna again, we already know she fits our format just fine.
And "Dear Jessie" fits it perfectly.
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I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.
