Back in the days when I used to buy Greatest Hits CD’s (you don’t see that too much anymore now that we can all make our own with iTunes or Napster), one of the ones that brought me the greatest pleasure was OMD. That’s because they had so many great songs. Man could those guys churn out hits; I think I’m in love with pretty much any song on there. OMD (or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) were always much bigger worldwide than they were here. In fact, they were said to be miffed that they were forced to open for Depeche Mode in the US since everywhere else in the planet they were bigger than DM. Boo hoo.
It wasn’t until the giant soundtrack to Pretty in Pink and “If You Leave” that OMD really crossed over here. But this is really one of my least favorite songs by them and anyway, you probably already have it on your iPod. No, instead I prefer this song which sounds like it should come from a soundtrack but doesn’t. It’s one of the more developed OMD songs in terms of structure, is catchy as hell, and as is typical for them is both upbeat and wistful at the same time. Everything works: the verses, the bridge, the chorus, even the dated instrumental break.
For the first time this week, we’re going to try box.net streaming audio. As well, thanks to my usual “I’m always awake when no one else is” thing, I’ve uploaded all but a couple of the iPod Songs of the Week and you can stream them singly or as a long list over on the iSotW page. We’ll see how that works. Privacy advocates who freak out when they think about me knowing that someone from Terre Haute, Indiana visited twice in one day should know that I have no way of knowing whether you listen to “A Little Respect” eight times in a row.
Napster:
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – (Forever) Live And Die
Streaming audio available on iPod Song of the Week page.
