A couple of weeks ago, Robyn released a really cool cover of Neneh Cherry’s 1988 classic “Buffalo Stance” (listen here). And unsurprisingly, it inspired me to revisit and fall down the rabbit hole of reminiscing, like every damn pop song from the ’80s does.
But “Buffalo Stance’ was special. It’s hard to explain how out there and amazing it sounded in comparison to everything else in late ’88. I’m not exaggerating when I say hearing it for the first time was revelatory, and a genuine “what the fuck?!” musical moment.
I was instantly, endlessly smitten with the sound and Neneh herself. I had the picture at the top of this piece hanging on my wall for years ( that is the actual artifact, complete with pinholes).
In the early ’90s, one of my best pals, Angel Ugarte, a tall, lanky, and debonair DJ, got invited to a party in NYC where she was the guest of honor. I could have gone but for reasons I cannot recall, didn’t (absolute idiot move). Neneh made a big entrance at the event, doing a dramatic descent down a long staircase as everyone gasped and cheered. Angel was standing along the staircase railing and as she was coming down, she stopped and kissed him. She freakin’ kissed him. Just him. When he told me about it the next day I was both overcome with jealousy because I wished it had been me, and ridiculously thrilled that she had chosen him above all others. And I get why she did it because he really was the coolest.
Angel passed away from AIDS in 1996 and I still miss him a ton. I know he would find it ridiculously funny that whenever I hear “Buffalo Stance” I think of him and that legendary kiss. I am also 100% sure he would rather have been making out with Peter Gabriel but hey, Neneh is a pretty damn good runner-up pal 😉
And now it is time for the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the finest new songs that have come down the pike over recent days. They are melodic, anthemic, jittery, weird, and beautiful to the last. You can listen on Soundcloud or Spotify below.
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of…
Listen on Soundcloud
Listen on Spotify
PICKING UP ROCKS 