Joanna Newsom Ys released

Ys Joanna Newsom

Released: November 14, 2006 Peak: 134 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 0.25 US Genre: indie rock/new Americana

Tracks: Song Title [time] Emily [12:07] Monkey & Bear [9:29] Sawdust & Diamonds [9:54] Only Skin [16:53] Cosmia [7:15] All songs written by Joanna Newsom. Total Running Time: 55:38

Rating: 3.735 out of 5.00 (average of 30 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Singer/songwriter Joanna Newsom was born in 1982 in Grass Valley, California, but grew up in North Carolina. Her mother was a classically trained pianist and her father played guitar. She asked her parents for harp lessons at age five. She self-released her first EP, Walnut Whales, in 2002 and Yarn and Glue a year later. In 2004, she released her first album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, through the independent Chicago-based record label Drag City. She released her second album, Ys (pronounced “Eess”), in 2006. It was named after the city of Ys, “which according to myth was built on the coast of Brittany and later swallowed by the ocean.” WK It “widens the scale set up by…The Milk-Eyed Mender, crafting a rich and grandiose orchestral album that adeptly narrates tales of sorrow and change as if the text was pulled straight from a medieval tale.” PM “As fantastical as it is, Newsom asserts that each of the tracks were inspired by real events within her own life,” PM including “the sudden death of Newsom’s best friend, a continuing illness, and a tumultuous relationship.” WK “The gravity of these potent emotions ground the whimsy of the album into a stately and striking monument of work with both depth and eccentricity.” PM Pitchfork’s Chris Dahlen said the album is “great because Newsom confronts a mountain of conflicting feelings and sifts through them for every nuance.” WK “Newsom’s signature harp is showcased throughout, accompanied by a stirring blend of strings, reeds and woodwinds. Jaunty strums of banjo decorate the tracks, embellishing the album with surprising whimsical flare and texture. The complex and sweeping arrangements feel as though they were carried here from a distant and enchanting land.” PM Celebrated reviewer Robert Christgau negatively assessed the songs as “reveal[ing] only that her taste for the antique is out of control.” WK “Ys conjures an inexplicable magic that is as expansive as it is intimate. With only five tracks, Newsom arranges an ambitious and mythical 55-minute epic of internal struggle and wonder.” PM AllMusic.com’s Heather Phares says the album is “a demanding listen, but it’s also a rewarding and inspiring one.” WK “It’s widely regarded as Newsom’s best work for good reason: Ys showcases her reaching unforeseen heights with grace and mastery.” PM Slant magazine’s Jimmy Newlin called it “a precious – in every sense of the word – masterpiece.” WK

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Joanna Newsom PM PasteMagazine.com (6/3/2024). “The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time” WK Wikipedia First posted 6/13/2024; last updated 9/11/2026.

50 years ago: “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” charted

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Bing Crosby with Lennie Hayton’s Orchestra

Writer(s): E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, J. Gorney (see lyrics here) First Charted: November 19, 1932 Peak: 12 US, 8 GA, 9 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Rudy Vallee

First Charted: November 26, 1932 Peak: 12 US, 8 GA, 6 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.2 video, -- streaming

Awards (Bing Crosby): Click on award for more details. Awards (Rudy Vallee):

About the Song: “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” is “probably the song most associated with the Great Depression.” JA When it was released, thirteen million Americans – a quarter of the working population – were out of work, a ripple effect created by the 1929 stock market crash. LW Mainstream pop songs largely steered clear of the uncomfortable subject area, but when E.Y. “Yip” Harburg was penning tunes for Broadway revue New Americana, the topic was unavoidable. SS The “deeply political” SS Harburg, who also wrote the classic Wizard of Oz tune “Over the Rainbow,” crafted lyrics which were simultaneously tongue-in-cheek and illustrative of his social consciousness. TY Along with Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein, and Lorenz Hart, he was a gifted lyricist born around the turn of the century who was inspired by Gilbert and Sullivan’s light operettas. LW Unlike most of his contemporaries, though, Harburg wrote songs which spoke to the underprivledged who hadn’t benefited from the American dream. LW Harburg knew he wanted to write about the bread lines he’d seen throughout New York City. SS Composer Jay Gorney said that he and Harburg were walking in Central Park and were approached by a well-dressed man who said, “Buddy, can you spare a dime?” SS The idea for the song was born. Harburg tapped President Roosevelt’s campaign imagery of the Forgotten Man as the focal point for the song. SS Rex Weber performed the song in the revue while standing in a bread line. TY The show opened on October 5, 1932, and three weeks later, Bing Crosby recorded it. SS-39 A week after his version charted, Vallee followed suit. Both songs topped the charts for two weeks, with Rudy’s version unseating Bing’s. Rudy’s is the higher-ranked version according to Dave’s Music Database. Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Rudy Vallee DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Bing Crosby DMDB Encyclopedia entry for E.Y. “Yip” Harburg JA David A. Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 28. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 66. SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 37-8. TY Don Tyler (1985). Hit Parade 1920-1955. New York, NY: Quill. Page 63. Related Links: First posted 11/19/2016; last updated 11/22/2022.