Single Saturdays: March 23, 2024
Single Saturdays is Five Cent Sound’s weekly roundup, where our staff members share a song that they’ve fallen in love with and make their case for why others should give it a listen.
“Mansard Roof” by Vampire Weekend
By Emily Zeitz
It’s spring, and things are feeling quite light and happy to me! If you feel the same, consider adding “Mansard Roof” by Vampire Weekend to your playlist this week. I first heard this song in a viewing of the Netflix film Someone Great. It immediately stood out to me as one of those special songs that can bring about a feeling of increased energy and happiness in the listener in just a few short minutes, and it took me even less time to get it added to my playlist.
It is not only an upbeat and uplifting song, but also musically very pretty. The string orchestral melody that can be heard at the beginning might feel solemn in any other context, but with the song’s unique drum rhythms it turns into a listen that can only be described as joyful. This song is perfect for when you need to just get up, jump around, and spend 2 minutes and 8 seconds shaking off the day. We <3 Vampire Weekend :D
“Dinata Dinata” by Antique
By Anastasia Petridis
Have you ever wondered what late '90s Swedish dance-pop mixed with Greek laïkó music might sound like? Me either. When I heard “Dinata Dinata” by Antique for the first time, I was on a rainbow-lit dance floor, surrounded by tens of sweaty, Greek young adults. I was immediately captivated by its absurdly catchy chorus and the nostalgic underlying track. The mix of pseudo-house pop sound and traditional Greek folk instruments really began to intrigue me when I streamed the song on repeat to cease the earworm gnawing on my brain.
As it turns out, ‘Dinata Dinata’ by Antique is actually one of several different covers of a song called “Dynata (Homecoming),” originally sung by Eleftheria Arvanitaki (there is, in fact, a Wikipedia page detailing the song’s many alternate versions). While the lyrics are exactly the same between these two versions, the original has a striking absence of Nordic dance-pop influence and instead echoes the expected traditional laïkó, Greek urban folk music. You can still very clearly hear the original song in Antique’s version — albeit sped up and sounding like it belongs on a '90s House Mix. Despite being a Greek-singing duo, the fact that both members of Antique were born and raised in Sweden slips into their sound and cements itself in the rest of their discography. This unique melange of traditional folk instruments and synthy dance-pop ultimately became a massive hit and was a staple in Balkan pop music in the 2010s, birthing beloved, global hits like “Stereo Love” and “Danza Kuduro.” If you’re looking for a Balkan pop classic that marries folk and house beats, this is the song for you.
“Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” by Olivia Rodrigo
By Delaney Roberts
One catchy tune that’s been on repeat for me recently is “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” by Olivia Rodrigo. The punk rock song with predominant electric guitar is the fifth track on her sophomore album, GUTS. This song resonates with me so much because of what she’s saying, and what makes it even better is the angry tone she uses while delivering every line. Throughout this song Rodrigo recalls past encounters she’s had and labels them as “social suicide” and, boy, can I relate. Social anxiety makes every interaction I have – whether it’s casual, academic, or making awkward eye contact with someone on the street – feel like social suicide. As Rodrigo says, it makes me, “wanna curl up and die!”
Even though this song is uniquely its own, its message reminds me of “Brutal,” which is the opening track of Rodrigo’s debut album, SOUR. The song is equally as angsty, highlighting and listing all of her teenage insecurities. Honestly, I think many people can relate to what Rodrigo talks about in this song. She does a good job of lightly tapping on all of the insecurities that people may develop in their adolescent years, whether it be hating all their clothes, cringey flirting, oversharing, or instantly regretting their actions. I consider this song my social anxiety anthem and I think it’s a fun little song to dance around to or scream in the car with your friends.
“Bocanada” by Gustavo Cerati
By Sofia Waldron
“Bocanada” paints the story of words left unsaid. A relationship is deteriorating, and both sides feel empty and distant. The continuous mention of “smoke” throughout becomes a metaphor for what exists of their current relationship, as both wander in the void that remains between them.
The sound of the radio switch at the beginning of the song tunes into the world of their relationship. As the record spins, Cerati poetically delves into this fleeting relationship, with passion and longing for moments that are far gone.
“Bocanada,” translated to “puff” in English, is the title track of Cerati’s second solo album, Bocanada, released in 1999. Cerati is a member of the renowned Argentinian band, Soda Stereo, who rose to fame in the late 80’s to mid 90’s. “Bocanada” is a fusion of electronic influence with a psychedelic feel, a change from Certai’s previous pop-rock sound.
When I was first moving to Boston, I had “Bocanada” on repeat, not for the same longing that Cerati has implied throughout, but more of a longing for the home I left behind. Growing up, Cerati was a big name in my household, and once I moved away I have had him on repeat to keep a piece of home with me at all times.
“Jim Song” by Dr. Dog
By Emma O’Keefe
“Jim Song” by Dr. Dog is one of my all-time favorite songs from one of my all-time favorite bands. It's a song about a man being cheated on, but it spins the breakup song narrative on its head. Instead of the singer missing his ex-lover or yearning to get revenge, he’s more focused on wanting back his pride. “I don't really miss her like I miss my pride,” he sings at the end of the first verse.
The lyrics go straight from scathing — “Well, in no time flat she found a faster ride / She took the first good-looker and she opened wide,” to the ego blow a breakup can give you — “While I've been sufferin' alone in the great divide / But I don't really need her like I need my pride.”
Dr. Dog’s usual Beatles influence takes a backseat on this song for a Bob Dylan take, with the harmonica playing beautifully throughout. It's the stripped-back instrumentation that completes this song and allows listeners to focus on its heartwrenching lyrics.