Song of the Day: 'Because the Night' by 10,000 Maniacs

So here we are, the final selection for my series of Songs that Peaked at No. 11 -- and it's a memorable one. I've always thought if I had been born maybe five years later -- and I weren't such a big queen who loves glamour girls -- Natalie Merchant might have been my Debbie Harry. As it would happen, though, she was my Natalie Merchant, the college rock chick who dazzled me with her poetic lyrics and artsy ways. Although she would go on to have a solo career that saw her first four singles go Top 25 -- including one Top 10 -- and three bestselling albums, including one that's certified 5 x platinum -- 10,000 Maniacs managed to score just one hit, which came off "MTV Unplugged," their sixth and last album with Merchant. That it was a cover of a Patti Smith song that was nearly a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song is ironic given Merchant's songwriting skills. But it was simply unfair that such a brilliant rendition didn't even give the band a Top 10 hit as she saw herself to the exit. 10,000 Maniacs 2.0 ended up having a second Top 40 single -- their cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This" somehow reached No. 25 in 1997 -- but never charted again. These days Natalie barely releases new music -- just three albums in the past 20 years -- although she still hasn't completely vanished.

In an article in The Guardian earlier this year, she explains that she'd actually quit 10,000 Maniacs to slow down because she was tired of being a marketable commodity -- only to have her debut album outsell everything her band had ever done. ("Then came the treadmill again.”) The next time she "retired." she took it more seriously. These days she teaches arts and crafts to underprivileged children in her native New York state, which is about the most Natalie Merchant thing I've ever heard.

Note: I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I could go on -- Elvis had four No. 11s, Neil Diamond had three, and Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair (/Canticle)," the Crystals' "He's Sure the Boy I Love" and my beloved Petula Clark's "A Sign of the Times" were all No. 11s as well. But 20 songs of the day plus the Top 10 from old blog posts -- "Head Over Heels" by the Go-Go's; "Jesse" by Carly Simon; "Tired of Being Alone" by Al Green; "Her Town Too" by James Taylor and JD Souther; "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive; "Promises, Promises" by Naked Eyes; "Baby Hold On" by Eddie Money; "Last Christmas" by Wham!; "Walking Down Your Street" by the Bangles; and "A Love Bizarre" by Sheila E -- seemed like a good place to stop. Stayed tuned, though. I have a few more themes in the works for the months ahead! 

Song of the Day: 'Starman' (live) by 10,000 Maniacs

 I'd forgotten about this wonderfully understated cover of the David Bowie classic. The album on which it is included, "Campfire Songs," also includes a cover of "To Sir, With Love" featuring Michael Stipe, which seemed odd until it didn't.

Song of the Day: 'Eat for Two' by 10,000 Maniacs

Damian got me on a bit of a Natalie Merchant the other night, so I looked to see if she was touring. Turns out she'd recently performed at the Beacon Theatre -- only the set list revealed I totally dodged a bullet. It's fine that she doesn't really do 10,000 Maniacs songs. But she also ignores nearly all of her solo hits from the 1990s, straight out of the Morrissey playbook.

Song of the Day: 'These Are Day' by 10,000 Maniacs

These are days to remember, to be sure, like spending the weekend visiting my brother Bill in Washington. He's slowly on the mend from having a rod put in his right femur, installed to reinforce the bone after a tumor caused a hairline fracture. Although he's in considerable pain -- his other leg now hurts even more from all of the compensation -- the surgeon swears he's healing beautifully and that the mass is now necrotic. He'll have five insurance radiation sessions before starting an immunotherapy clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health, assuming everything goes according to plan. His prognosis is daunting. But spending two days with him -- with his wife, Jacqueline, Damian and (backup brother) Terence on Sunday -- was just what my heart needed, and has me cocked and ready for the next phase of his fight. The Arizona family has plans to spend time in D.C. next month, which I'm looking forward to being part of, too. xo

Song of the Day: 'The Painted Desert' by 10,000 Maniacs

I'm in Arizona this week for Thanksgiving and to celebrate my mom's 75th birthday. This year hasn't been a good one. Still, I try to remind myself that just when you think things couldn't get any worse they could -- so why not hold on to what you have to be thankful for?