My song of the day is “There She Goes” by the La’s. It’s is such an original and lovely alt-rock/Brit-pop gem. Jangly guitars. Check. Cute boys (sorry, cougars gonna cougar) obsessing over a woman of grace, allure, charm and possibility. Check. Vocals ranging from a sweet near-falsetto to a sand-papery cry of need. Checkity-check.
For those of you who have seen the wonderful 1993 romantic comedy “So I Married an Ax Murderer”–arguably Mike Mayers’ best film and certainly, other than a gratuitous moment where we see Mayers’ bum, his least self-indulgent–this 1990 song is used to great effect in the movie. I can recommend the flick alone for a cameo by Phil Hartman as an enthusiastic if slightly twisted tour guide at historic and now-shuttered San Francisco prison Alcatraz, once thought to be inescapable. It’s comedy gold.
Sixpence None the Richer made a sweet cover of “There She Goes” in 1997, but I’d already been spoiled for it by the original.
Wikipedia, which I often use as musical Cliff Notes, tells me the English rock band was from Liverpool, with a career spanning from 1983 until 1992. Having created this lengthy post, I have a new item on my to-do list. Time to retroactively listen to more music in the La’s catalog.
–Sarah Torribio
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