my power pop addiction, no. 139 (211)

Marshall Crenshaw was one of a handful of artists in the late 70s and early 80s who threw a monkey wrench into heavily focus grouped FM radio playlists. My station of choice at the time was WNEW FM in New York, and it was not unusual to hear a track from Steely Dan, followed by a track from Pink Floyd, followed by a track from Marshall Crenshaw, followed by a track from Led Zeppelin. It was similar to that Sesame Street song, one of these things just doesn’t belong here. …Crenshaw’s best songs have a lovely melodic feel, one part Buddy Holly, one part Beatles, and his hooks tend to stay with you for awhile. Today’s song is a perfect example of this. After playing it once this morning, I’ve been singing the refrain to myself all day long. Crenshaw never became a huge star, but he injected some freshness into an increasingly stale environment when he arrived on the scene. It’s also gratifying to see that his stature seems to have grown over the years. His talents as a songwriter and performer deserve a lot of recognition.