Introductions

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Alan Jackson, Ken Yates, and song introductions

May 16, 2025

“Please allow me to introduce myself”

—Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones

This week, our Bonus Track is about the first time a song introduced itself to you. Those moments can change everything. Check out some interesting ways this week’s guest (and writer of one of the most famous Bonus Tracks of all time) discovered some important songs and artists.

But first up, Adam, Mat, and Kody have a few songs they’re excited to share—and maybe even introduce you to for the first time.

Adam’s Pick: Grow Wings and Fly by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Grow Wings and Fly
I'm shedding my skin like a snake slithering
You gotta stop the overwhelming self-doubt
Catch me dancing in the summer rain with my tongue out
Woohoo!

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is one of the most creative and eccentric bands to ever live. On the heels of their 27th studio album, in less than 15 years, they’ve released 3 singles as of today. Grow Wings and Fly is a hopeful and jovial tune with a delightfully weird music video. All in all, I’m very excited for this next album. Enjoy.

Mat’s Pick: Chattahoochee by Alan Jackson

Can you imagine a world where Alan Jackson didn’t chase that neon rainbow? I shudder at the thought. Summer is officially upon us in Gadsden, AL. School is over. The pool opens Monday. This song is a quintessential summer jam for me. Our summer travels will take us across the Chattahoochee several times. I can even see a burger and a grape sno-cone somewhere in my future. Many question Alan Jackson’s temperature scale, but nobody can question the summer vibes.

Kody’s Pick: Under the Cover of Light by Ken Yates

Let me introduce you to Canadian Ken (that’s what I call him). I met him via the algorithm this week. I was listening to Ruston Kelly’s new song, and Spotify decided to serve me up songs like it. The Swap text thread can attest that I’ve been wearing Yates out ever since. I love the pacing of “Under the Cover of Light”. It makes you tap your foot. The guitar in the background is pleasant, noticeable, but not overwhelming. If you listen closely, Ken kind of sounds like Ruston (thanks for pointing this out, Adam). If you like this one, check out Canadian Ken’s other song, Total Cinema.

Bonus Track: Introductions by David Simmons

Biography – Bob Dylan Center | Tulsa, OK

If I’m being honest, I have stumbled upon, in ways disproportionately random and embarrassing, much of the music that I would consider meaningful and impactful in my life. For example, how did I discover Bob Dylan, my favorite artist of all time (and also the favorite artist of my wife, his music being a shared interest that drew us together during the early stages of our courtship)? As a preteen in the early ’90s, I read the CD liner notes of my copy of Use Your Illusion II and discovered the actual author of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was not Axl but some old dude from the ‘60s. How did I first learn of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, which is now one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands (and a song and band my oldest son and I have bonded over)? I saw the title scroll across the screen on one of those Time/Life-type oldies music compilations that were advertised on TV once upon a time, and then I downloaded it on Napster because it sounded cool. Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah (which led me to Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Buckley)? Shrek, of course. Elton John’s Levon (which I listened to on repeat around the time of my first son’s birth)? American Idol season 5 (which, incidentally, also introduced me to Ray Lamontagne).

Years ago, before I had children and back when people went to stores and rented movies, my wife and I, on a whim, rented Harold and Maude. That twisted piece of cinema led to a long (and ongoing) Cat Stevens phase that included reading a playlist Stevens provided for iTunes in which he suggested an artist he shared a surname with: Sufjan Stevens. Listening to the song “Chicago” hooked me like few first listens ever have. My Christmases for the past 15+ years would have had vastly different soundtracks if I hadn’t discovered this remarkable artist in such a random way. Side note: one negative of discovering artists in unconventional non-word-of-mouth ways, at least for me, has been mispronunciation. There is a decent chance I said “Suff-Jan” Stevens and Bon “Eye-Ver” for years before people had the courage to gently correct me.

I know there are people out there who develop their interests in natural and cool ways. These people are born with unassailable discernment and are surrounded by families and friends with impeccable tastes. These people never go through the long phases of extremely questionable musical preferences that I have gone through (and am probably still going through), waiting to be randomly smiled upon by fate from time to time. Perhaps you are one of these chosen few, dear reader. Well, some of us never listened to Kate Bush before the most recent season of Stranger Things, and never heard of The The before watching a certain M&M’s commercial, and we are tired of hiding it.

Here is a playlist of songs that I came across in weird and random ways (and songs that those first songs led me to, and so on). I urge you not to be embarrassed by the ways fate has brought important songs, movies, books, and people into your life. All things work together for good. Everything that rises must converge (a title I discovered thanks to the TV show Lost).

David Simmons is a radiologist by trade. He resides in Gadsden, AL, with his beautiful wife Stephanie and their three amazing kids. The first CD he ever purchased was Cooleyhighharmony by Boyz II Men. He first heard “Piano Man” on his clock radio as a young child and immediately ran downstairs and asked his parents if they knew the name of the woman who sang it. He loves to connect with people over music, particularly in a tropical setting. He has been fortunate enough to see many amazing musical acts in his life and could never pick a favorite concert, but the best voice he has ever heard live belonged to Neko Case.

Share some stories about how you were introduced to a song. We love to hear from you, and we always respond. Thank you for reading this week!

-TheMusicSwap