We all have that one artist we adore. This week, each writer selected one artist to highlight and wrote about three of their songs.

Nick’s picks

1. Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”
2. Stevie Wonder – “For Once In My Life”
3. Jackson 5 – “Who’s Lovin You”

This week’s theme for the playlist is picking songs from the same artist. While each song I picked is fronted by different musicians, one piece stays the same between them: bassist James Jamerson. Starting with Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Jamerson’s skill is on full display. The bassline starts pretty static, repeating variations of the same rhythm and similar chord structures, but as the song progresses, Jamerson is free to start throwing in differing rhythms and moving across the fretboard. Contrasting Gaye’s ever-changing, politically charged vocals, the bass line is constant and steady. Jamerson’s bass line on “What’s Going On” is revered in the bass community: A mix of simplicity and character, Jamerson makes “What’s Going On” the classic we all know it is. 

Moving to Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life,” Jamerson’s bass playing matches the tone perfectly. After a bass-less intro, Jamerson’s is crafted perfectly for Wonder’s orchestration. During the first verse and chorus, Jamerson builds an increasingly complex bassline, jumping from low to high in ways that only Jamerson can make sound simple. When the vocals fall away for a harmonica solo, Jamerson simplifies his bass line to just the essentials, giving the solo the room to shine. Simply put, Jamerson shows off when he has the chance to, but when he needs to give others room to develop their own musical ideas, he does so without thinking twice. That is bass playing at its best.

After two complex bass lines, many would expect something that’s full of complex rhythms and intricate harmonies, but Jamerson’s bass playing on Jackson 5’s “Who’s Lovin You” is anything but. Just like the other two tracks, “Who’s Lovin You” features studio work from The Funk Brothers: particularly Earl Van Dyke on piano/organ and, the one and only, James Jamerson on bass. After Van Dyke’s soulful electric piano intro and Michael Jackson’s opening riff, Jamerson’s simple bass, full of long notes, lets the rapid drums and the Jackson 5’s backing vocals do the work. Jamerson definitely shows off a little, but overall, his bass lines are simpler than normal on this track. 

Daniel’s picks

1. Madeon – “La Luna (Feat. Dan Smith)” 
2. Madeon – “No Fear No More”
3. Madeon – “Dream Dream Dream”

Madeon is an underrated French DJ who definitely deserves a lot more credit. The song’s name, “La Luna,” is Spanish for “The Moon.” One of the first songs I discovered of his is “La Luna,” featuring Dan Smith from the band Bastille. The song seems to be telling a story about two people who were once in a relationship. After an unfortunate turn of events, the two had a falling out. However, years later they try to reconnect and potentially become a couple. The song leaves a lot up for the listener to interpret as its instrumentals reflect a sense of reminiscence like moonlight reflecting off a clear lake. 

“No Fear No More” is a song described by Madeon as “celebrating the childish confidence of knowing that you can achieve your dreams.” The song is much more upbeat and optimistic compared to “La Luna,” as the lyrics provide a sense of hope for the future. The childish confidence portrayed in the song is doubled down on with the inclusion of a choir of children chanting “no fear no more.” The song spawned a remix that features EARTHGANG but with the choir removed. The remix features a solo from EARTHGANG which pushes for more of a “don’t be afraid to take risks” message.

Where “No Fear No More” is about being confident for the future, “Dream Dream Dream” is about being afraid of the future but in the end, coming to terms with it. The song has a sense of being lost but still optimistic for the future. It has a dream-like atmosphere in its lyrics and instrumental with the words “I feel the weight in my dreams.”

Eli’s picks

1. The Walker Brothers – “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”
2. Scott Walker – “Duchess”
3. Scott Walker & sunn O))) – “Brando”

One of the many bands that was once heralded as “America’s answer to The Beatles,” The Walker Brothers’ 1965 single “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” remains one of the most iconic songs of its era. Featuring a rich, Phil Spector-inspired production, Scott Walker’s dramatic, emotional vocal performance gives the song a tragic sense of urgency. Though this is likely the only Scott Walker song that most will know today, he would go on to have a diverse and experimental career as a solo artist.

On Walker’s fourth solo album, he traded in his unique orchestral pop style for an Ennio Morriccone-inspired Western sound. Compared to the decadent melodrama of the early Walker Brothers hits, “Duchess” is more simplistic and low-key. With lyrics like, “And your look of loss when you’re coming across / Makes me feel like a thief when you’re bleeding,” Walker takes a much more poetic approach to songwriting than he had in the past. The song may be more abstract than “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore,” but the bittersweet emotions ring loud and clear in one of Walker’s most enduring compositions.

On “Soused,” his final studio album before his death in 2019, Walker collaborated with experimental metal band sunn O))) to create a sound that would have deeply traumatized his rabid teenage fans in the ‘60s. The opening track “Brando” instantly throws the listener into an intense and unsettling atmosphere. In a 2014 interview with The Quietus, Walker said, “It’s a song of unfulfilled longing. A song of masochistic longing.” The result is a jarring, often disconcerting glimpse into the darkest parts of Walker’s conscience, both musically and lyrically. For a former teen idol who wholeheartedly rejected fame after just a few years, “Soused” serves as a fitting swan song for an artist who refused to conform to the standards of mainstream pop music. 

Sarah’s picks

1. Phoebe Bridgers – “Funeral”
2. Phoebe Bridgers – “Scott Street”
3. Phoebe Bridgers – “Moon Song”

Phoebe Bridgers crafts a haunting melody of loss in her 2017 song “Funeral.” Bridgers sings about someone young who died, someone who she personally knew and how, after their death, she fell into a state of depression. The lyrics feel heart-wrenching and real, such as when Bridgers describes how she feels there’s a hole inside her, and that she’ll feel empty the rest of her life. The loss of another person isn’t the only theme here. Bridgers has also lost herself as youth and innocence deteriorate around her, making her feel “so blue all the time.” This song is a somber reflection of real life, making it easy to understand the pain Bridgers sings about. 

“Scott Street” is probably Bridgers’ most well-known song and one of her saddest. It’s a song of contemplation and moving on from the past. Bridgers speaks to an old lover and feels a sense of loneliness as memories of what once was come back to her. The song opens with the lyrics, “Walking Scott Street, feeling like a stranger” and ends with Bridgers repeating, “Anyway, don’t be a stranger.” It’s almost as if she needs to remind another person not to forget her so that she herself doesn’t feel the crushing weight of never existing to anyone. 

It’s easy to compare “Moon Song” to a slow, painful death. Bridgers once again crafts a song about reflecting on a past relationship and painfully remembering how it ended. The title is “Moon Song” due to the bridge being, “And if I could give you the moon / I would give you the moon.” Bridgers sings this part with longing, communicating to the listener that she still loves this person and would do the impossible to make them love her again. The song’s soft instrumentals and pining tone imitate a romantic ballad.