Songoftheday 6/1/16 - Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box, religion is the smile on a dog...

"What I Am" - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
from the album Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 10

Todays song of the day comes from alternative-folk/rock band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, who came together in Dallas in the early 80s, adding Edie as lead singer in 1985. The band released their debut set, Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars in 1988, with the navel-gazing philosophy of "What I Am" as the lead single. Written by Edie with band guitarist Kenny Withrow, the song was one of the first breakthroughs of a new sound of modern rock that was more "jangle-pop" oriented instead of new wave.

"What I Am" became Edie and the bands sole top-40 pop hit in the U.S., making the top ten in March of 1989. The single reached the top ten on both Billboard's Mainstream (#9) and Modern (#4) Rock radio chart, and even crossed over to #30 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") list. Internationally, the song went to #1 in Canada, #18 in Australia, #23 in Ireland, and #31 in the UK.

The second single from Shooting Rubberbands..., "Circle", stalled out under the top-40 on the pop chart, though it did reach that mark on the rock list. In 1990, the band released their second album, Ghost Of A Dog, and while the album sold a half-million copies and made the album chart top-40, the single "Mama Help Me" missed the Hot 100 altogether, though it did OK on rock radio (Mainstream #26, Modern #17). Edie and the Bohemians split after that; she released a solo set, Picture Perfect Morning, in 1994; the single "Good Times" made the top-40 in the UK and #22 on the American Adult Contemporary list, and #60 on the pop chart, but it was most likely known for it by being automatically on the music selection of everyone's Windows 95 computer. The band and Edie reunited in 2006 and have been touring since, though since 2014 Edie's been performing with comedian Steve Martin on his bluegrass records and shows. She also married Paul Simon in 1992.

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Here's Edie and the New Bohemians playing on the Letterman show to promote the single...

In 1999, former Spice Girl Emma Bunton hooked up with the remix outfit Tin Tin Out to cover "What I Am", which was a huge hit in the UK, landing at #2 on the singles chart (way better than the original) and #14 in Ireland...

Up tomorrow: Some Irishmen find an urban holy roller.