Album: Dirty
Year: 1992
. . .
Look, I know it was always a fools errand to hope that a band as experimental as Sonic Youth would ever fully break through to the mainstream, even in the wake of Nirvana. That said, I was a fool pushing 30 in 1992, and at the time I thought that “Sugar Kane” could have been that song. I mean, it felt like anything could happen!!
I mean, yeah, you’d have to chop a couple of minutes out of the instrumental section in the middle, but the verses & choruses of “Sugar Kane” are as pure pop as Sonic Youth were ever going to get. And I mean that as a compliment, as “Sugar Kane” is probably my second favorite Sonic Youth song — after “Tunic (Song For Karen)” of course — give or take a “Teen Age Riot,” or “Skip Tracer” of course.
Opening with the guitars of Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo soaring across the sky over a Steve Shelley build, “Sugar Kane” settles into — what’s this? recognizable chord changes? — a variation on the classic “Baba O’Riley,” “Sweet Jane” chord changes, with Kim Gordon’s bass carrying much of the load as both guitars float around.
Meanwhile, you better believe is Thurston Moore is in love, l-u-v.
You’re perfect in the way
A perfect end today
You’re burning out their lights
And burning in their eyes
I love you, Sugar Kane
A coming from the rain
Oh, kiss me like a frog
And turn me into flame
I love you all the time
I need you 8 to 9
And I can stay all night
Your body shining
And while “Sugar Kane” was the name of Marilyn Monroe’s character in Some Like It Hot, and apparently Moore has said that it’s about our love of celebrities, on the surface, it’s a straight out love song. And the surface is all the pop audience needs, no?
It gets even better on the chorus, as Lee Ranaldo’s guitar snakes a massive massive hook around Moore’s vocals.
And I know
There’s something down there, Sugar Soul
Back to the cross, a twisted lane
There something down there, Sugar Kane
After the second verse, there is an absolutely thrilling instrumental section, which starts off with the opening build again and ends up in tornadoland, both guitars seesawing against each other while Shelley alternates double-times and rolls, and finally breaking down all together, and eventually building back up for the outro, where all of that beauteous noise hasn’t distracted Moore at all.
Hey angel come and play
And fly me away
A stroll along the beach
Until you’re out of time
I love you, Sugar Kane
A crack into the dream
I love you, Sugar Kane
I love you, Sugar Kane
I love you, Sugar Kane
I love you, Sugar Kane
I love you, Sugar Kane
I love you, sugar
I mean, come on!! To me, it’s a fucking fantastic pop song, but even with a video that made suitable fun of the mainstreaming of the underground, “Sugar Kane” — the third single from Dirty — went absolutely nowhere here in the U.S. And this was despite the fact that the first single, “100%” made it to #4 on the alt-rock charts. That said, it did make it to #26 on the U.K. pop charts, which is something. Just not enough for me.
“Sugar Kane”
“Sugar Kane” Official Music Video
“Sugar Kane” live in Lisbon, 1993
“Sugar Kane” live in Germany, 1996
“Sugar Kane” live in 2011
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