Loved this piece, so appropriate for the new year on many levels. Optimism, but how much of it is sincere, how much performative? I agree with Graley, when the song came out it felt uncharacteristically sunny and pop for Sheryl. But it would make sense that 9/11 put a lot of things in perspective. And the 90s were famously brooding, maybe the new millennium needed a change in tone anyway.
I am a massive Sheryl Crow fan. Those first four albums stack up against anything from the era, and I still listen to her a lot. I'm especially drawn to her darker character studies in self-destruction, which makes me think that the sunny disposition of "Soak Up the Sun" is probably a "fake it 'til you make it" vibe from someone staring out at sunny L.A. with "Black Hole Sun" playing on repeat in a dark room. Thanks for writing about this one, Rebecca, and for sharing the Soccer Mommy cover, which I hadn't heard before.
an excellent summary of today's mundane struggles and a great song to pair it with!!!
Loved this piece, so appropriate for the new year on many levels. Optimism, but how much of it is sincere, how much performative? I agree with Graley, when the song came out it felt uncharacteristically sunny and pop for Sheryl. But it would make sense that 9/11 put a lot of things in perspective. And the 90s were famously brooding, maybe the new millennium needed a change in tone anyway.
I am a massive Sheryl Crow fan. Those first four albums stack up against anything from the era, and I still listen to her a lot. I'm especially drawn to her darker character studies in self-destruction, which makes me think that the sunny disposition of "Soak Up the Sun" is probably a "fake it 'til you make it" vibe from someone staring out at sunny L.A. with "Black Hole Sun" playing on repeat in a dark room. Thanks for writing about this one, Rebecca, and for sharing the Soccer Mommy cover, which I hadn't heard before.