ladyislingering

So I realize I haven't posted this in a while, but I was priming myself for Sparks (even though there was really no need to, but anytime is a good time for a Sparks binge - and that happened to happen for a couple weeks). I suppose now is a good time for a Sparks entry (but I'm sure there will be more).

Up until just a few weeks ago I wasn't really familiar with their album "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" apart from the major singles (which I have on vinyl) but I fell for this song. Hard. I'm still tripping over myself trying to explain what I love about it. I guess I just love it.

"Frankly, Scarlett, I Don't Give a Damn"



This was a little difficult to pinpoint, but the next song was the first Sparks song I'd ever heard (and the lyrics are hilarious). I became a fan in late 2008. They came when I needed them most (but that's a story for another day).

"She Got Me Pregnant"



Here's a song my sister and I used to sing in the car, both on the way to drop her off at school, and on the way back. She's an excellent kid; I love her to death. How cool is it when your younger sister will sing Sparks songs in the car with you (because she learned the lyrics in her spare time)? Seriously.

"Moustache"



This next one was one we'd sing on the way back (usually because I'd leave for work and she'd spend the rest of the night with my mother). Check these crazy vocal acrobatics.

"Don't Leave Me Alone With Her"



I was suffering from a massive heartache at the time I first heard this song (excuse the dumb video that goes along with it, really) and it took me a couple years before I could listen to it without crying. It's possibly the only Sparks song that has a hint of sincere tenderness in it (most of their songs are bathed in irony, snark, inappropriate jokes, and all sorts of delightful terribleness).

"With All My Might"



This next one will always remind me of cruising home at night in my dad's shitty '91 Plymouth Acclaim, in the middle of summertime, windows down, engine smoking as it always did. (He had aptly named the car Christine because of its weird behavior - my sister and I named it "Zombaby" for its ability to keep coming back from the dead, and for our strange affection toward it.) I always feel great when I hear this song.

"When I'm With You"



With 23 albums, countless B-sides, outtakes, demos, etc. it's really difficult to just choose a handful of Sparks songs to share, but these are the main ones coming to mind right now, in terms of nostalgia.

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