There are an absurd number of iconic pop star b-days in June. Paul McCartney, Prince, George Michael, Todd Rundgren, and Cyndi Lauper are among the glut of wondrous people who share the month. But I need to twist this notion for a minute. In addition to birthdays of actual human beings, June of 2023 ALSO marks the 20th birthday of an album that I love to pieces: Annie Lennox’s “Bare”.
“Bare” was an emotional crutch in CD form (that’s the form things took in 2003). I was going through some angsty, unhappy stuff at the time, and “Bare”, okay, it spoke to me. I listened to it repeatedly for months. Over and over and over again. It spent more time in the cruddy boombox at work than it ever did its actual jewel case. I played it every, f*cking, day. My tolerant office mate indulged my insatiable need, and let me get away with this selfishness for far longer than I deserved (bless you A). I needed to decompress before, during, and after work, and “Bare” was the musical equivalent of Linus’s blanket for me.
“Bare” was endlessly looping through my headphones on off days too. Annie articulated all the junk I was feeling so eloquently and tunefully at that moment in time, I didn’t feel like listening to much else. Ever have one of those albums you felt was speaking directly to you? Yeah, it was like that. To be clear, listening to “Bare” didn’t necessarily make me feel “better”, just a little less alone and more understood. And you know, sometimes that’s gotta be enough. I admit I listen to it far less frequently these days but it remains permanently nestled within my heart (as well as in my top 100 albums ever-ever list). And so Happy 20th b-day to angel Annie’s “Bare”, an empathetic friend and comrade of an album that was there for me at exactly when I freakin’ needed it.
And hey, it’s time for the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the finest songs that have crossed our path over recent days. 11 extraordinarily tuneful, rocking handsome devils await you and you alone below. Listen on Soundcloud OR Spotify.
P.S. You can find my disturbingly over-the-top love letter to the aforementioned “Bare” here.
Listen on Soundcloud
Listen on Spotify
PICKING UP ROCKS 
Bare, so sad Songs, but still a masterpiece…
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Yay! A new weekly wonders playlist AND a strong recommendation/tribute to an album that means so much to you. I’ll admit that this one has sneaked past me even though I was working in a record store at the time. I’ll give it a couple of spins on your recommendation though as we seem to share many musical likes. Looking forward to it.
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