Santigold - Shove It

I might not be remembering this correctly, but, I recall a mid-1990s interview with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips in which he said he kept a tape that had bits of songs that he liked. Not full songs, just the moments from various tracks he’d come upon that he liked. I imagine he wasn’t the only artist to do so back when everything was recorded on cassette tapes. But I get the impulse, there are some pieces of pieces of music that just rule. Santigold’s “Shove It,” off her self-titled 2006 debut has one such moment. It’s kinda like an EDM drop after a big build up, but that description’s not quite right.

The moment of absolute kick-ass rule happens at the 35 second mark. But don’t skip to it! The moment requires the slow build up of the fade-in. The distant, distorted chatter. The bass, the horns and Santigold setting the stage. You need all that to raise the tension before it all releases at the 35 second mark as a clap/stomp that crashes in and carries you along like a category 5 rapid (well, maybe Category 4).

Not for nothing, the lyrical hook, “We think you’re a joke, shove you’re hope where it don’t shine,” is harsh. Though the harshness of “We think you’re a joke” is somewhat tempered by the old timey insult to “shove your hope where it don’t shine.” That’s kinda weird, right? Like a Richie Cunnigham retort. But that’s a quibble, this song rulez most definitely with a “z” and if you don’t agree, well, you know where you can shove it (Juuuuuuuust kidding).