I know you're NOT a cannonball.

April 30, 2009 5:09 PM

Another name-that-song: female vocalist, driving guitar line, 90's alternative?

I heard a song on my alternative/classic rock station (KRNA) this morning and never thought it would get so stuck in my head. I need to listen to it all the way through or I'll go crazy. Can someone help me out?

Here's what I know
- it was a popular song, but not hugely so, probably in the early/mid-90s
- has driving guitar line (almost constant eighth-notes), not much drum line
- female singer who sounds like The Breeders or Veruca Salt, but none of their hits (as listed by Wikipedia) are the right song
- partial line "I've been waiting... all my life" or maybe "I've been waiting... for you"
- opening part has mellow singing that blends with guitar chords, but I seem to remember that it gets much more exciting/yelling towards the end

posted by parkerjackson to media & arts (26 comments total)

"Milk" by Garbage?
posted by blenderfish at 5:16 PM on April 30 [2 favorites]

Sixpence None The Richer?
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:20 PM on April 30

I know it doesn't fit the time frame, but maybe "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups? It's definitely got that sound. (But that's a MAN, BABY!)
posted by The Tensor at 5:21 PM on April 30

Oh, crap, forgot the link.
posted by The Tensor at 5:21 PM on April 30

Contact KRNA. Do not accept "I don't have access to that information." They have to keep logs of what they play, for the FCC.
posted by adipocere at 5:22 PM on April 30

They have to keep logs of what they play, for the FCC

What? As of when? Cite?
posted by sageleaf at 5:25 PM on April 30

I think they have to accurately track what songs they played to ensure correct royalty payments (and counter fraudulent claims, perhaps?).
posted by Brockles at 5:42 PM on April 30

i would guess that The Tensor has it right. That seems to fit all Lazy Eye, including the feminine sounding vocals.
posted by theDrizzle at 5:49 PM on April 30

First thing I thought of was I Think I'm Paranoid by Garbage.
posted by iconomy at 5:53 PM on April 30

Cherry by Curve? It's not one of the tracks available at LastFm, but it fits the description (to my mind anyway).
posted by crush-onastick at 5:58 PM on April 30

What? As of when? Cite?

As of forever, no? It's called a Proof of Performance List (aka playlist) and has track name, artist, and time played. It's how ASCAP and BMI and other publishers collect royalties.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:02 PM on April 30

Instead of demanding their playlist as if you're somehow magically entitled to it, why don't you ask the DJ nicely? (I'm guessing it was during her block)
posted by O9scar at 6:11 PM on April 30

Wow, Tensor is amazing. I got two VERY important aspects wrong, but still he got it. How did you do that?! Another mystery solved, thanks mefites!

In my defense, doesn't it sound like a chick towards the beginning? And isn't it so very 90s Breeders/Veruca Salt?? Is there any chance it's a cover?

As for playlists, all radio stations should really offer that on their site. I think 99.9% of stations have computerized systems now, so it would be trivial to provide.
posted by parkerjackson at 6:33 PM on April 30

parkerjackson, I thought the vocalist was female for a long time as well. It isn't just you.
posted by synecdoche at 6:41 PM on April 30

I got two VERY important aspects wrong, but still he got it. How did you do that?!

Well, except for your guess about the date, it's otherwise a very accurate description of the song -- driving guitar line, singer who sounds like the Kim Deal, mellow beginning with some shouting later on, and a partial quotation. And, like you, I thought it was a female singer until I saw the video, so I didn't let that deter me. Furthermore, I first heard "Lazy Eye" in a supermarket and was curious who sang it, so I memorized a snippet of the lyrics (which may very well have been "waiting for this moment all my life") and looked it up later on the 'net. Great song, very catchy, and well worth tracking down.
posted by The Tensor at 6:44 PM on April 30

Yeah, the reason I remembered that bit of lyric was that I thought I could look it up later. But I didn't get quite enough to get a match (unsurprisingly "I've been waiting" is a line in a lot of songs).

Thanks, synedoche, for backing me up. It's interesting that the video features two quite androgynously pretty actors given my mistake about the singer. Coincidence?
posted by parkerjackson at 6:59 PM on April 30

publishers collect royalties

BMI and ASCAP are not the FCC.
posted by sageleaf at 7:27 PM on April 30

Actually, radio stations only track their playlists for BMI and ASCAP for like 2 weeks per year.
However, there are laws that say that a station can only play so many songs by the same artist and so many songs from the same album in a certain period of time (I think it's like 3 songs by one artist every 2 hours or something, but I forget). I believe that's because of the DMCA.

I worked in radio for four years.
posted by fructose at 7:37 PM on April 30

Contact KRNA. Do not accept "I don't have access to that information." They have to keep logs of what they play, for the FCC.

Nope, flat out wrong. BMI et al occasionally ask for logging for short sampling periods, like 48 hours, just so they get a sense of what your playing.

All the FCC really cares about is that the station is A) on the air and actually using the airwaves licensed to it, and B) not interfering electronically with other radio spectrum users. If the public bitches about obscenity (shock jocks, wardrobe malfunctions, etc.) then they'll step in, but they otherwise don't care one iota about content.
posted by intermod at 7:38 PM on April 30

And really nice video, thanks The Tensor.

and your username reminded me of about a year of college mathematics
posted by intermod at 8:04 PM on April 30

Hunh. The two stations I hung about kept books on this, for the FCC. One was even marked "FCC Logs." They were working out a format for their electronic auto-DJ system, too. Both of these stations were non-commercial, which may explain something. Perhaps that particular status required a higher level of logging?
posted by adipocere at 8:56 PM on April 30

All the FCC really cares about is that the station is A) on the air and actually using the airwaves licensed to it, and B) not interfering electronically with other radio spectrum users. If the public bitches about obscenity (shock jocks, wardrobe malfunctions, etc.) then they'll step in, but they otherwise don't care one iota about content.

I'm not sure that's an exhaustive list. As an example of something missing from your list, the FCC requires station periodic station identification (every hour I think.)
posted by blenderfish at 10:03 PM on April 30

You've described The Pixies cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You" with Kim Deal singing, available on the Pixies - Complete 'B' Sides [UK] disc, which is chock full of good.
posted by dong_resin at 12:53 AM on May 1

also^, I meant to say
posted by dong_resin at 12:54 AM on May 1

Lazy Eye is in the latest Guitar Hero (World Tour) if you're into pseudo-rockin' with a plastic guitar.
posted by Gainesvillain at 7:46 AM on May 1

adipocere, my college radio station did that. I believe it is related to the non-commercial license that sort of station holds. There are other requirements, too, one of which was a certain number of public service announcements per hour.
posted by _Skull_ at 9:41 AM on May 1