Song of the Day: 'Whispering Your Name' by Jules Shear

I'm guessing we all have songs that whenever we hear them, we have to play them a dozen times more because we can't believe how brilliant they are. This is one of mine -- the desperation you feel when listening to "Whispering Your Name" is so palpable I get chills each and every time. Although I'm a big fan of -- and have even spent some time with -- Jules Shears, I actually first learned this song via Alison Moyet's sublime 1994 cover, which gave it a haunting lesbian twist. (Certainly not the first time the public learned about one of his songs via a gender-flipped cover, what with the Bangles recording "If She Knew What She Wants" and Cyndi Lauper doing "All Through the Night"!)

But what I didn't realize until recently is that the first version ever released wasn't even by Jules, but rather by Filipino-born Aussie Ignatius Jones, whose cover peaked at No. 100 on the charts Down Under back in 1983. Check 'em both out below and let me know which one you like best. The Jules video -- in which he seems to be teaching a classroom full of children the art of falling apart -- is epic! 

Jules wrote and recorded it for his 1983 solo debut, "Watch Dog," which also included the aforementioned "All Through the Night," later a top 5 hit for Cyndi.

Belinda Carlisle has nothing on this guy's dance moves!

Song of the Day: 'Whispering Your Name' by Alison Moyet

I'm a sucker for a GENDER-FLIPPED cover song, especially a haunting one that adds a lesbian twist to the drama!

Jules Shear and Pal Shazar at the Living Room, March 16

From a release:

Jules Shear and Pal Shazar invite you to celebrate the release of their new CD, "SHEAR SHAZAR"

The Living Room
Saturday, March 16th @ 8pm
154 Ludlow St
New York, NY 10002

The event will be taped for the series: "From the Living Room to the Loft" on Sirius/XM radio channel 30

Feel free to come along and clap very loud!

Song of the Day: 'See That Star' by Shear Shazar

    Here's the first release from the new album by Jules Shear and Pal Shazar. You may know Shear as the talented singer/composer, who wrote the hits "All Through the Night" (Cyndi Lauper), "If She Knew What She Wants" (Bangles) and "Whispering Your Name" (Alison Moyet), while his life partner, Shazar, is best known for the brainy New Wave band Slow Children ("President Am I?"), as well as a half dozen solo LPs, T-shirt designs and paintings. For updates, click HERE. Buy the album HERE.

P.S. SHEAR SHAZAR will be performing January 12th at the terrific venue CLUB HELSINKI HUDSON. They will be opening the show for legendary band BEAUSOLIEL ("That's my kind of music!"-Bob Dylan).  Club info: Club Helsinki Hudson / 405 Columbia Street, Hudson, New York / 518-828-4800 / or click HERE.

Class of '85

It's no secret that I'm hopelessly stuck in the '80s, so I know exactly who Shakespears Sister is. And I know who Jules Shear is. But after flipping through Rolling Stone last night somehow I feel like I should know who Scissor Sisters and Jake Shears are. Right?

(Covered what? Well, at least I know who Bowie is ...)