Marie Provost Did Not Look Her Best

I've become a full-on convert to Nick Lowe's 1978 masterpiece Pure Pop For Now People, an LP that could just as well have been called Pure Pop for Future People. Lowe's ability to meld cheeky irony and effervescent melodies was well ahead of its time. The aim of his wit is true: When David Bowie came out with the album Low in 1977, Lowe put out an EP the same year called Bowi. He also sang a song making fun of the Bay City Rollers in the style of the Bay City Rollers. His friend Elvis Costello borrowed a lot from his sensibility, especially how he inhabits all kinds of pop forms mainly to tell jokes and spin literate yarns. But you can tell he just loves pop, too. It's a pre-Ween schematic.
All of which is to direct you to "Marie Provost," a song about a silent screen star gone to seed (see photo, left) who overdoses on quaaludes in her apartment and is later discovered half-eaten by her pet dachshund. Try turning that tale into a power pop hook! And yet just listen to the opening and feel the sensation. It never felt so good to chuckle so blackly.

Marie Provost - Nick Lowe

From the previous post, see also:

Tonight - Nick Lowe