Crucial Track for May 19, 2025

"Summer In Siam" by The Pogues

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Summer in Siam by the Pogues. I discovered the Irish folk-punk band in the late 80s when the local college station WXYC in Chapel Hill played a few of their songs, including Sunny Side of the Street. I bought the CD Hell's Ditch and sort of ignored it for about a year. Then one day for whatever reason, I sat still, and really listened to it and was blown away. The whole album is amazing, mixing Irish and southeast Asian melodies and instrumentation. One song that I still love from those sessions was Summer in Siam, a song tinged with sadness, about reminiscing and change and life's travails. As I prepare to leave the beautiful northerm California coast after living here for 24 years to move across the country, I'm already feeling twinges of sadness and loss. I definitely foresee putting this album on during my cross-country drive.