She & Him Bring Country Charm to Toronto to Start Tour

"You guys all look so great and you sound so great too!" gushed actress Zooey Deschanel (the titular "She") to a smitten audience at the Opera House in Toronto, opening their premiere North American tour. "So do you!" shouted one concertgoer in return.

Whether you were lost in Deschanel's baby blues or not, original songs like "Black Hole" and "Change Is Hard" boasted a rootsy, alt-country flavor, relayed by an experienced band that includes Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark. But there's also a "Him" involved in this equation: Portland's M. Ward, whose surf punk guitar solos and low-heeled harmonies were the shadow to Deshanel's sunshiny Linda Ronstadt-like vocals. Deschanel's melodic tenor got its strongest showcase during a cover of Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio," the evening's obligatory Canadian content.

"This is our last song," she revealed to sighs of disbelief, bridging into the poppy "Sweet Darling" that featured an extended piano solo with both her and Ward tickling the ivories. "It's true — we only have one record!"

She & Him Set List:
"Black Hole"
"Change Is Hard"
"I Was Made For You"
"Sentimental Heart"
"You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio" (Joni Mitchell cover)
"You Really Got A Hold On Me" (Smokey Robinson cover)
"Take It Back"
"(Untitled New Song)"
"Got Me"
"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"
"This Is Not A Test"
"Sweet Darling"
"Bring It On Home To Me" (Sam Cooke cover)
"Magic Trick" (M. Ward)

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

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