*Outside of the usual updates, Settling The Score is a Stan-specific update noting some of the sounds he’s using to soundtrack the adventure + any/all audible memories the week brings. All songs are linked via Spotify if you want to listen along. Volume up!
And we’re back! This weeks entry is specifically from our stint in Provincetown, so there’s a certain something about the choices below. Think of it like a cocktail: it’s one part camp, two parts earnestness with a dash of patriotism and shaken over ice. Grab your sunhat and let’s dive in:
“The Boys Night Out”- Patti Page
I’m sure when the song was written, it likely was referencing a very different boys night out. There’s maybe no other way I’d start this week’s list of songs than the Singin’ Rage herself, Miss Patti Page. Recorded in 1962, the song takes on a new level of camp with Page’s version (whereas a Sinatra-led version, for example, would read a little more closer to than anticipated intention.) While her song “Cape Cod” was the obvious choice for the week, I thought this styled-wig-of-a-song fit the mood perfectly this week- especially when the proverbial “boys night out” included martinis, lobster rolls and a drag show.
“At Last I Am Free”- Chic
When in Provincetown, the beach remains the holy grail of daily activities. Upon arrival to the promise-land that is “Boy Beach,” my mind instantly started to cool off and this 1978 track floated into my brain. Having always been someone who travels with a speaker, it didn’t take long for this to be playing in the stillness of the sand. The inhibition-less beach is an institution and a must-visit when on the Cape. Clothes were peeled off, speedos were donned and this song began to harmonize with the day. From Chic’s most critically acclaimed album “C’est Chic,” the 7 minute track takes disco into downtempo (a harder hat-trick than it sounds.) The floating melody of the song feels like that moment when a hot body hits the water at long last; free in more ways than one. (Sidebar: did you know the lead vocalist from Chic is named Diva Gray? Fabulous.)
“The Star Spangled Banner”- Whitney Houston
Please remove your caps and rise! For the Fourth, having spent a lot of time out and about, we opted for a night in- complete with hot dogs, wigs and a YouTube playlist of particularly gay-friendly patriotism. As soon as this started playing, all of us squealed with delight and immediately starting talking over each other exclaiming “this is the best version of this song!” or “turn it up!” Kicking off Super Bowl XXV in 1991, the performance is often regarded as one of the very best and for good measure. However, the context of the performance is equally important as well. Houston sings the song a mere 10 days into the Gulf War and the singer reflected on the somber mood in the stadium in an interview later. Like Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock performance, this rendition reflects a country at war as well. In these uncertain times, it helped to look to the past for its resilience and role artistry plays in that. There will never be anyone like Whitney.
“America”- West Side Story
Few songs pull at me like the standout (in my humble opinion) track from the 1957 musical, West Side Story. The slow build in the beginning, in what feels like it’s starting in the dead of night, to the inevitable burst of claps and shouts all set to a huapango rhythm. The song, as told through the characters Anita and Bernardo, show the dichotomy and mental gymnastics it takes to live in America; often clashing with ones self in the process even. In what is meant to be a pro-America song, it succinctly speaks to the immigrant experience in an unparalleled way that I don’t think has been so expertly explored in music. It’s also a hell of a number, from the 1961 version with Rita Moreno, to the 2021 version with Ariana Debose- earning both of them Academy Awards, respectively. This came across the playlist on the Fourth of July during our curated party at home and I thought it was an apt way to observe the holiday and the country that houses it.
“Have I Stayed Too Long At The Fair?”- Barbra Streisand
There was a moment on our last morning, as I sat amidst our luggage waiting for the ferry to shuttle us away from Provincetown, that this tried-and-true Barbra track came slinking into my headphones. I watched tried groups of gay men gather their sun hats and souvenirs and shuffle their way back towards real life; back towards the real world. The week had felt like a colorful blur, full of freedom. The day we arrived, it felt like the whole world was in front of us (having planned the trip for the better part of a year) and as though we couldn’t even begin to guess what was in store for us. Now, sitting there, wallets thinner and hearts fuller, there was almost a melancholia in the air. The closing track off of Streisand’s 1963 second album, hilariously and matter-of-factly titled “The Second Barbra Streisand Album,” has always been a favorite of mine. To me, last tracks on albums often act as the coda on the whole experience, summarizing the wildness that proceeded it. There’s a certain soft finality to the song that encapsulates the type of bittersweet ballad I look for in scoring these types of moments in my life. Looking at my bleary-eyed friends as we all silently ate our bagels, I knew it was time to leave the fair. And I knew we’d all be back again someday.
Other Notables:
“Let’s Get Away From It All”- Ed Ames
“Love For Sale”- Ernestine Anderson
“You’re The Top”- Jeri Southern
“Lujon”- Henry Mancini
The full Settling The Score playlist is here on Spotify and here on Youtube + I’ll be adding to it every week(ish) when this is published- in case you’d like to follow along.
Happy listening!
- Stan