The People informed me that I neglected to include dumblonde on my list of Bodacious Blondes last week, so I’ma put em here to kick of Dynamic Duos to get you through the week.
dumblonde – “my”
There were a plethora of ways to release and market this album that would have been better than giving the songs one-word titles and doing no videos. Still, if you have time to get to know the album, Bianca is a top-notch disco moment (before the 2020s revival). Plus, Diddy is going to jail, so any reason to throw some shine on Aubrey O’Day is warranted.
K.P. & Envyi “Swing My Way”
Question: Do we know which one is KP & which one is Envyi?
Follow-up question: Did we ever determine whether ol girl in the Shocantelle drag is Black like P!nk was marketed as Black or Black like Mariah Carey is Black?
Tennis “Fields of Blue”
Working with your spouse must be challenging, but being in a musical group with your spouse seems nearly impossible ::cough Fleetwood Mac cough:: so the fact that Alaina and Patrick have six albums together with no signs of slowing down is really impressive.
Changing Faces “I Got Somebody Else”
I was today years old when I found out this song had a music video! Most people know Changing Faces’ second album from “G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.” but I almost never listen to that song. The real gem was this track, which I have been rocking religiously for decades without seeing a visual. And lo and behold! Won’t he do it!
(Also: R. Kelly had nothing to do with this song, so you can listen guilt-free!)
Evan and Jaron “Crazy for This Girl”
And here started Bel-Ami’s preoccupation with twins. (If you do not know what Bel-Ami is, you don’t need to look it up.)
Girlpool “She Goes By”
Sometimes I wanna give it all up and just be a Queer Caucasian AFAB in Silverlake with an assortment of hummus and questionably fashionable sneakers. And then I come to my senses and put on Girlpool to scratch that itch instead because I do not look good with bangs, which are basically required in That Lifestyle.
City Girls “Twerkulator”
Caresha cannot rap. Luckily that does not matter when you have JT doing the heavy lifting and Missy Elliott directing your video over a track with an Afrika Bambaataa sample (that they almost didn’t get cleared).
Sugarland “Still the Same”
Personally, my favorite Sugarland track is “Down in Mississippi (And Up To No Good)” which is the last single they released as a trio. However! They still put out bops as a twosome and Jennifer is one of those country ladies who clearly grew up in somebody’s church, so I’m still interested.
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Marvin and Tammi weren’t officially a duo, but I feel like if you have multiple hits, y’all officially go together (professionally).
Milk & Bone “Deception Bay”
I was looking for just the audio track of this song, but I think they pulled off a really good approximation of the studio version in this live performance. What I like about these two moody kids from Quebec is the way they just feel like best friends doing their little hobby together. Good for them.
Outkast “Bombs Over Baghdad”
No duo is more dynamic than Outkast and no rap song is more chaotic than B.O.B.
Zhane “Sweet Taste of Love”
The album version of this song is superior, not only because this is video is a damaged VHS rip but also because the bounce in the bass from the studio recording takes the song to a different kind of Cookout Spirit. But I wanted to share this video because we don’t really have music video channels on cable TV anymore where where you can randomly be flipping through on a Saturday afternoon and catch two girls from Temple University just singing with a piano.
The Indigo Girls “Galileo”
“Closer to Fine” is the song that always ends up on movie soundtracks, but “Galileo” is actually the only song by The Indigo Girls to crack the top ten on any chart, so I wanted to throw this forgotten gem in here instead.
Nick & Knight “Deja Vu”
I still haven’t decided if One Backstreet Boy plus One New Kid On the Block naming themselves after late night Nickelodeon is genius or corny, but I do know this song is a perennial summertime bop in my household.
Lion Babe “Impossible”
Lion Babe is like Blondie and Sade — the group is named after the dynamic lead singer. In this case, I just love Jillian and Lucas together because she went to him for music when she needed a song for a dance performance at The New School, and he convinced her to sing it herself. Being Vanessa Williams’ daughter, she probably avoided the microphone for a long time, but they made magic. And now, a decade later, they’ve also made a baby! Cutest couple in music, long may they reign.
Junior Senior “Move Your Feet”
What a silly fun song! And the big gay one co-wrote/co-produced “Born This Way” for Lady Gaga!
Chloe x Halle “Ungodly Hour”
The twins who are not twins really got us through the pandemic with this album, putting on performances in their backyard that rivaled any medium-budget music video. This is a case where the sum is stronger than its parts, so I hope they give us another collection of bops soon.
I was asked for a playlist last week, but I thought it would be too short with only 13 songs, so I added these onto it if you wanna throw it on. I’ll add some more next week for a new theme.
(From the Chloe x Halle video, can you guess the theme for next week?)
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