Musical Mondays: A Family Affair

Last week’s duets left off with sisters Chloe x Halle Bailey, so this week will pick up with sisters Aly & AJ Michalka.

Aly & AJ “Sirens”

Two years ago after a show in Sacramento, Aly & AJ’s tour bus was caught in the crossfire of a shooting that left six people dead. They’ve finally processed the trauma enough to write about it and “Sirens” is the result.

Cherish “Do It To It”

I wanted to get twins Fallon and Felisha on here and it was a coin toss between Cherish and that trainwreck of a group they were in on BET’s Encore, but I think I will save that for a Reality TV week instead.

INXS “Need You Tonight”

One of my earliest memories of seeing a man and thinking “ooooo a man” was Michael Hutchence in the music video (currently being blocked by SESAC) for “Need You Tonight.” Andrew, John, and Tim Farriss put together a group called The Farriss Brothers with Michael and another guy rounding out the set — eventually, this became INXS.

Oasis “Champagne Supernova”

On the list of Brothers who Hate Each Other, I think only Cain and Abel are more famous than Liam and Noel Gallagher. If you wished for “Wonderwall” here instead….make your own playlist because this one is mine.

The Jackson 5 “Too Late to Change The Time”

In 1973, Michael Jackson’s voice broke and he started to come into the adult tenor we would know him for. Get It Together was the first album after the change, and on this song, Michael also used his vocal hiccup that we also know him for. Motown didn’t like it though, so he put it into retirement until he went solo.

The Aces “Girls Make Me Wanna Die”

I actually like Fake Haim (The Aces) better than real Haim. Sisters Alisa and Cristal Ramirez and their friends always sound like they’re having more fun.

Nu Shooz “I Can’t Wait”

I think I was in my mid-twenties when I discovered that not only is Nu Shooz white, but they’re a married white couple from Portland, Oregon.

30 Seconds to Mars “The Kill”

Jared Leto is the only reason 30 Seconds To Mars came to my attention way back in the day. So, the fact that his brother Shannon is in the group too meant I should probably drop them on this list too.

The Clark Sisters “You Brought The Sunshine”

Growing up in the church or not, The Clark Sisters are probably your favorite singer’s favorite group (if they have any chops, mind you). This song came out in 1983, back before they kicked Denise out the group for being a sinner, but this performance as a foursome from right before they started losing weight was clutch.

The Judds “Give A Little Love”

My entire childhood, I thought Naomi and Wynonna were sisters, but I think they’re probably the most successful mother-daughter duo in music.

Arcade Fire “No Cars Go”

From Montreal, husband and wife team Win Butler and Regine Chassagne assemble like 87 people into Arcade Fire, so I’m stretched the boundaries of a family affair.

Infinity Song “Slow Burn”

The Boyd Siblings are still scratching that good ol’ soft rock itch.

The Ronettes “Be My Baby”

Fun fact: The Ronettes are not Latina! I just assumed, being from Washington Heights and all, that they were Dominican or Puerto Rican, but nope. Ronnie and her sister Estelle are just mixed — Black & Cherokee from mom and Irish from dad. Unclear whether cousin Nedra has the same background, but I’m just gonna assume so.

Cleopatra “Come and Get Me”

For some reason, this song peaked at #29 on the UK charts after a string of hits off their first album. Maybe the public wasn’t ready for them to grow up, because this is a bop.

The Corrs “Breathless”

A few months ago, I went to see Tinashe at Terminal 5 and the pre-show DJ played a lot of VH1 jams, including this one by the Corr siblings of Ireland.

DeBarge “A Dream”

Another case of mistaken identity from my youth, I definitely thought the DeBarge family was either Latino or some kind of fancy European when I was growing up. But nope — mom was Black and dad was a white soldier. They have bigger hits, but I wanted to drop this one on the list because of how popular the sample is from this song.

Kings of Leon “Soft”

The Followills (brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared with cousin Matthew) went mainstream after a few albums and I’m not one of those “I liked them better before!” dweebs because one: get your coins and two: the glossy sheen of their big-budget albums sounds really good! Still, I do like to look back on that era when they were doing Southern alt-rock about erectile dysfunction and touring with The Stills (where I first saw them!).