The lyrical theme of �6060-842� seems pretty mundane for the B-52s. Tina goes to the ladies room, sees a phone number scrawled on the wall, and so decides to ring it. Hmm� doesn�t sound like it�s gonna be a tale the measure of �the time our car was hijacked by the devil� and the like. Still this IS the B-52s, and recognisably so, �if you�d like a very nice time, just give this number a call� reads the unlikely graffiti. So something must happen. The band are optimistic too, bouncing along excitedly on a jumpy new wave rhythm. Tina, we reckon, is much like the band. She lives for wild parties and crazy adventures. This 6060-842 could be just the ticket. �Oh my gawd! I�m gonna give that there number a ring. You see if I don�t!� So she drops a dime in the phone slot and, �prays she gets the line.� She�s biting her lip, stabbing her nails into her finger tips, �come on� come ON!!!�

But pause a moment. Is she really so na�ve? Does she really think a �really nice time� awaits her? In the gnarled and weather beaten hands of a social realist singer-songwriter, the number 6060-842 would lead to abuse, to prostitution, and ultimately, to death. In the hands of the B-52s? I don�t know, you tell me. A debauched toga party in a 1950s vision of the future�? Well, it�s neither. It�s just a brilliant anti-climax. You see Tina and the B-52a might be deranged, but the world they live in is not. It�s bloody typical. She dials 6060-842, and can�t get through! �The number�s been disconnected�� monotones the operator. But Tina won�t accept this, no, and neither will the band. They can�t end the track with Tina accepting the disappointment with a sigh of weary resignation, �ah well, nevermind� maybe next time.� No, no, this anti-climax has worked them up into an angry frenzy. Ricky Wilson vents his frustration with viscious slashes of electric guitar whilst Tina just keeps dialing and dialing, and getting rebuffed and rebuffed, �HELLO!!!� �sorry�� The track probably ends with them all smashing up the phone box. A superb, and much over-looked track.

optimistic synth pop from the early eighties that is the perfect track to play directly after hearing "white car in germany" by the associates.Paul Haig made a few near perfect pop songs that got nowhere ,millions of people can be so wrong

Has anyone ever seen "The Hudsucker Proxy?" You know the scene where Tim Robbins first comes to work for Hudsucker and he gets an orientation that lasts exactly one minute ("Punch in late and THEY DOCK YA!")? "First Day" is more or less that scene's musical equivalent.

Clocking in at two minutes and not wasting a second, "First Day" describes someone's first day at work that begins optimistically enough ("And they say this is the job that people die for / I hope you're ready for the next stage"). Eventually, the day goes on too long (through dinner!) and his spirits are dampened by a coworker ("And he says like it or not / You have to do what they say / And it is something that you would like to talk about / But it is only your first day"). And then things just go out of hand.

"And they say 'faster, faster!'"
The song speeds up slightly.
"AND THEY SAY 'FASTER! FASTER!!'"
And the song now reaches breakneck speed. Incredible!

I have no doubts that "First Day" could've been one of the greatest, most brilliant post-punk singles ever, had it been released 25 years ago. As it stands, the Futureheads are becoming quite popular in England with the impending release of their first full-length album (for which "First Day" was re-recorded). They are a band worth hearing and I can only hope their album gets an American release.

cool high speed clean guitar instrumental with a 1950s tonalizer sound. I feel like I'm watching Sputnik in orbit while hearing a jet break the sound barrier when I listen to this. Deke and the Ecco-Fonics are noted for a phenomenal period-style production on albums, retro but never wistfully nostalgic songwriting, and exceptional virtuosity at live performances. The rest of this CD is loaded with great vocals and hip tunes.

This song starts with lush orchestration and a pretty melody, followed by Ben Folds' sweet and wonderful voice, and then the bouncy piano line kicks in and the whole effect is sublime. I really like this song, and I'm not usually much of a Ben Folds fan, even.

This is my favourite song of all time. I can really identify with a song about a girl who wants to sleep all the time and dream about horses. Whenever I'm feeling down, I listen to this song and the trumpet line always makes me feel a bit better.

Lush electronica from the masters of the art. In the early 1990s, the Pet Shop Boys produced some of the finest electronic pop ever heard. This lyrical, optimistic song is a superb example. "Your love is liberation".

Powerful song by relatively unknown band. Empowering. The kind-of song you want to listen to if you're in need of a reminder that things will get better.

This song will probably be very hard to find. They are kind of a local band and not that well known. But they are really cool--unique, passionate, free spirited. Basically hippies. In Premonitions they express concern over the state of the planet but remain upbeat and optimistic.

"Let's be creative with our destinies..."

A dour but sincere take on Liverpools finest,Mr Chippington narates this love song in the third party promising a female friend that if he see,s her love he will indeed tell him that "she loves you".Teasingly short and breezy set to lounge core backing,if the irony is missed it could sound twee or contrived but its sincere delivery endears the listener and involves him or her in an ongoing domestic upset .A unique approach to one of the most optimistic love songs of all time

A gentle, easy-listening inspired song which is pretty much perfect so long as you can manage to avoid finding it overbearingly kitsch. The naively optimistic, yet sophisticated lyric is beautifully matched by the music and arrangement.

A wonderful guitar based pop song which strongly evokes the early 90s to me. The guitar work is superb - a clean electric sound with the kind of fast strumming I love (and used to try and imitate). It's an optimistic and uplifting track - check it out! The Peel session version sounds the best to me, but that's probably because I heard it first. At one stage Mark Edwards had made this available online.