Friday on My Mind: Songs About Home

It’s time again for Friday on My Mind, our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. Today we are fundraising for only 12 hours, thanks to our Amplifier Monthly Giving Club. Amplifiers have made it possible for me and all of the DJs to play more music during this past week, which usually would have been our Summer Donor Drive. As well during these 12 hours, it will also be your chance to celebrate Seattle neighborhoods and donate in the name of your home neighborhood for our Hood to Hood Challenge. Good luck to all of your home neighborhoods competing in today’s Hood to Hood Challenge and Happy Amplifiers Love Week to all of you. And now as each of you cheer on your home hood, here are a few songs about home to keep you motivated:

Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody) From their 1983 album, Speaking in Tongues, our first choice is “Naïve Melody (This Must Be The Place)” from Talking Heads. Talking Heads got their start opening gigs for The Ramones at CBGBs during the mid-70’s and then went on to become one of the most influential bands in modern music. “Naïve Melody (This Must Be The Place)” is just about one of the most perfect love songs to exist and is a favorite during The Morning Show. Here is the official music video for the song which shows the band hanging out at home and watching home videos… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFeforW2ycI The Beach Boys - Sloop John B From their 1966 seminal album, Pet Sounds, our next choice is “Sloop John B” by The Beach Boys. “Sloop John B” is actually The Beach Boys take on a traditional West Indies song which existed long before 1966. Phil Spector contributed to the production of the album, which is evident in the ‘wall of sound’ quality of the recordings. Pet Sounds was one of the fastest selling records at that time in the United States when it sold over 500,000 copies within the span of 2 weeks. And as it turns out, The Beach Boys shot a promotional video for the song, back during a time when MTV didn’t exist. Check out the black and white footage of the band for this song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSAoEf1Ib58 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros are the brainchild of Alex Ebert, who also records solo music under the name Alexander. The members came together back in 2007 and are known for their enthusiastic live performances. Ebert was formerly in the band Ima Robot, which had a very different sound than that of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. “Home” crossed over and became a mainstream hit for the band, but long before commercial radio picked up on this one, KEXP was playing this song and in fact playing the entire song and not editing the dialog like many other stations decided to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEOF_rcND8

Honorable Mention:

Sesame Street - People in Your Neighborhood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2bbnlZwlGQ