BuffyFest Two

Buffy Sainte-Marie has been singing to me again today in the build-up to her birthday. I've had a lot of love songs on my iPod today, some country style songs and some experimental electronic music from the late '60s.

The Hashishin

This is an interesting track from the soundtrack to 'Performance' (yes, the Mick Jagger film). It drips drugs, a hippy-trippy melange of sitar and mouthbow that conjours up images of swirling dope and incense smoke in a room full of Indian shawls and stoned hippies... perfect for the film. It's a very atmospheric piece.

97 Men In This Here Town Would Give Half A Grand In Silver Just To Follow Me Down

That's possibly one of the longest titles to any song but part of me just loves this song. It's Buffy as sex kitten telling her man that he's lucky to have her, a tongue-in-cheek joke that I can almost see being part of a sketch on the 'Sonny & Cher Show' with Buffy teasing all the men dancers she'd be surrounded by and flirting with the audience. It's all just another aspect of the human condition that Buffy writes so eloquently about. I'd love to see her play this song live.

It's My Way

'It's My Way' is the title track to Buffy's first album from 1964 and it seems to be an ongoing manifesto for how Buffy lives her life. Buffy is still an activist and hasn't mellowed with age and it's still her way. It's a brave way too, leading to being blacklisted.

'I've got my own sword in my own hand
I've got my own plan that only I can know...
... Your day will come, your day alone...'

I like the way that Buffy turns it round to say that we too can have our day, that we too are a bit special

Sons & Daughters by The Neville Brothers

Buffy collaborates with other artists every now and then and one of my favourites that popped up on my iPod today was 'Sons & Daughters' with the Neville Brothers, a moody piece with Buffy singing in excellent voice in the second half of the song. It's a collaboration to die for.

Again, scoot on over to the Buffy tribute site to hear samples of '97 Men' and 'It's My Way'.