Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing
It's officially summer, and our panel of public-radio hosts clearly had the warmer months in mind when we asked them to select their favorite songs of the moment. Their mix includes an impossibly catchy jam from BØRNS that could have been crafted especially for summer nights, a road-trip-worthy surf-rock anthem from Django Django, and a dream-pop creation from Portland duo Wishyunu. Hear all the songs below.
Heavy Rotation is a monthly sampler of public-radio hosts' favorite songs. Stream Heavy Rotation picks from the first half of 2015 via our Spotify playlist.
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Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
And on your next day off, here's a song that would be great to hear on a drive to the beach or the pool with the sun shining coming out of the car radio.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELECTRIC LOVE")
MONTAGNE: This is "Electric Love" by the band BORNS. It's one of this month's Heavy Rotation picks. That's where we ask our colleagues at public radio music stations to name a new favorite song. "Electric Love" caught our ear, as it did for John McGue. He's the program director of WNKU at Northern Kentucky University. Listeners know him as John Patrick. McGue explains that the band's name, BORNS, comes from its front man.
JOHN MCGUE: His name is Garrett Borns, and it's kind of like the Van Halen thing - same idea. But it's one guy, basically, and he's put this band together who are really awesome.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELECTRIC LOVE")
BORNS: (Singing) Candy - she's sweet like candy in my veins. Baby, I'm dying for another taste.
MCGUE: He's from Grand Haven, Mich. It's a cool little beach town on the east coast of Lake Michigan. And he was a visual artist when he was kid - did these great paintings and drawings. Lucky for all of us, he ran off to Los Angeles to join the circus.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELECTRIC LOVE")
BORNS: (Singing) Baby, you're like lightning in a bottle. I can't let you go now that I got it. And all I need is to be struck by your electric love - baby, your electric love.
MCGUE: It's really catchy and clever, but not too clever. I think you can get too wordy or maybe to rhyme-y (ph), if that's a word. This doesn't. This just works.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELECTRIC LOVE")
BORNS: (Singing) And every night, my mind is running around her. Thunder's getting louder and louder and louder. Baby, you're like lightning in a bottle.
MCGUE: Yeah, I don't get tired of hearing this one. I really don't. Summertime is here, and it just seems like a great summer song.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELECTRIC LOVE")
BORNS: (Singing) And all I need is to be struck by your electric love.
MONTAGNE: That's John McGue of public radio station at WNKU in Kentucky talking about the song "Electric Love" by BORNS. Hear more Heavy Rotation picks at nprmusic.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELECTRIC LOVE")
BORNS: (Singing) Rushing through me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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