When I read last week that Funny or Die had commissioned Jewel for a video in which she went to a karaoke bar in disguise and sang her own songs to see how people would react my first thought was, "Jewel? Does anyone know who Jewel is anymore?" I finally got around to watching the clip and while it is somewhat amusing -- the audience doesn't seem to get they were duped even after Jewel comes out with her disguise off -- it reminded me of some other Jewel-related duping I heard about years ago.
While the singer is known for using an outhouse, yodeling and living in a van, one thing that isn't well known is that her famed debut album, "Pieces of You," initially did not impress executives much back in the day. In fact, according to a source in the music business, Go-Go's guitarist Charlotte Caffey -- a gifted songwriter by anyone's definition -- had to be brought in to whip it into shape before it could even be released. Caffey was paid a nominal fee at the time and not credited for her work, but was promised a percentage if the album sold well. After initially failing to take off on the charts, "Pieces of You" became one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, going platinum 12 times, and making Caffey more money than anything the Go-Go's ever did.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Jewel: Her Lips Are Sealed
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I think you're right that people have forgotten who "Jewell" (!) is.
Is there a reason you keep spelling it 'Jewell" and not 'Jewel'?
Michael: I think it's my Geri Jewell obsession rear its ugly head again (oh, and not really knowing who she is). Thanks to both of you for pointing out the error of my ways. Everyone else on the "copy desk" -- aka my readers -- was too lazy to bother!
Post a Comment