One Perfect Song: Pogo Til I Puke Tonight
"This could be the show I remember that changed my life"
One Perfect Song is an ongoing series in which I highlight a song that always grabs my attention when I hear it.
Previously on One Perfect Song:
Today’s Song: Pogo Til I Puke Tonight by The White Wires, from their 2010 Single “Pogo Til I Puke Tonight”
First: We are so back1. More on that at the end of this piece. And in the footnotes, of course.
To business: One could reasonably assume that a series about Perfect Songs would lend itself to the A-Side of 7” singles (maybe you’re hip and call ‘em 45s), but somehow this is the first such entry and we’re on the sixth entry2 in the series. Disclaimer: a couple of the previous entries have been released as singles but also featured on albums. This is a pure single-only release, which is what I meant.
A weird quirk of time passing is that its kind of, surprising isn’t the right word exactly, not sure what is, so let’s say notable that White Wires had the second release ever on Trouble in Mind Records (their single before this one), because spinning back through the TiM Roster, White Wires are a lot more bubblegum than most other things, and a very different sound to current day TiM. That said, and hopefully this isn’t nostalgia speaking, turn of the decade (2010) White Wires was notable hot shit and absolutely should have been an early release by any label getting going at that time. I never saw ‘em live3 but the hype was big and by all accounts, legit. I believe there was a particularly clutch Gonerfest show?
Regardless, we have Dirtnap to thank (yet again) for a lot of White Wires notable works, bit wierdly enough, not this release, which features, what I have decided is the premier4 White Wires song.
What are the essential elements of a White Wires song? A super-hooky bass part, simple but effective drums and guitars, earnest lyrics and simple home production that is suitably garage-y without being excessively lo-fi. All of these elements are found here, loud and proud, locked in by the all timer hook.
The very relatable story being told in this song should take anyone back to their youth, being excited to hit the streets and see a show. In my minds eye, as I listen to this song, the narrator is wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses and is thriving in the joyful hedonism undertaken in that indestructible stretch of life we call your early twenties. I revel in the thought of such a carefee vibe, nstead of being jaded and being concerned with parking, set-times and other such adult concerns.
The White Wires back-catalog often expresses a simple sense of joy, yet Pogo might do it better than any? What’s more purely joyful than the endorphin rush of seeing a show you’re wildly excited for, after getting off work, grabbing a slice and a drink and heading downtown? Who amongst us hasn’t pre-gamed too hard, and pogo’d themself into some physical discomfort (puke or otherwise?)
I guess minimalism is another key element of the White Wires, and of course garage rock in general, and this song is certainly a study in doing purely what you need to: have a great hook and don’t overstay your welcome. Get in and get out. It’s almost too effective in its simplicity, because it leaves me with little room for the oft-expected Negative Progression deep-dive.
However, I have come to realize that every perfect song doesn’t need a deep dive5. The point is merely to highlight that these perfect songs exist. Also, a “deep Google” suggests to me that I am the first person to ever write about this song, so if I’m not doing it the most, at least I’m almost certainly doing it first.
So, please, I urge you listen to this song, and think about how good we had it when a band as good as the White Wires were pumping out hit singles and there was nothing much else to worry about besides finding the best spot to in which to pogo~!
PS - Hi! How are you? It’s been a while again, huh? I’m still cookin’ a couple things on the back burners, let’s see if I can how many posts I can get done before the end of year Wrap Bag. Thanks for reading!
If you understand the we’re so back / it’s so over hype-cycle/meme, you know that just by me typing that, that it’s so over already.
This is the second band from Ontario to be featured, however. “Famously fertile waters” I wrote back in the Pow Wows entry. Which is dumb, because soil is fertile. Water is just wet.
Blame Covid, again, cuz we should have seen them in the 2020 Dirtnap Anniversary that was cancelled and they did not make it to the rescheduled 2022 edition. See also: Martha, another Perfect Song subject.
I dunno about that, tbh. There’s a lot of good options.
Not having lots and lots to say about a song has definitely slowed me down on writing this series and this realization should help unclog the perfect song pipelines…