You know how you can get, like, one stupid song stuck in your head for the day? I get that, but more often it is a really good song, and it stays stuck for months. I was late to the party finding Sam Phillips, but once I found her she really made herself at home in my music lobe. She is another of those artists who cannot record a mediocre song, but even within her stellar catalog, there are a few songs that stand above the rest. Her signature  single, Fan Dance--and, in particular, the version you can find on KGSR Broadcasts, Vol. 13--is one of the most lyrically imaginative songs I've ever loved.

 

The fan dance is a dance performance where the artist creates an illusion of appearing to let you see her naked, but who is cleverly shielding herself from full view by means of strategically placed feather "fans". It is a perfect metaphor for Phillips own confessional style of songwriting, which seems to tell us everything about her, and, at the same time, very little.

 

This video does not quite capture the essence of the recorded piece, but maybe if I put it out there, I can get this song out of my head for  a day or two.