Day 21: Fiona Apple, Shameika | 30-Day Song Challenge 🎶

On Day 21 of the 30-Day Song Challenge, it’s all about the name “Shameika,” a gem from Fetch the Bolt Cutters, the fifth studio LP by Fiona Apple.

Embracing the trendiness of social media, The Musical Hype unleashes its own, month-long version of the 30-Day Song Challenge.

Day 21 Prompt: A song you like with a person’s name in the title

30-Day Song Challenge, Day 21: [Choose] a song you like with a person’s name in the title.  Ah, that’s easy, particularly since I released a playlist comprised of 13 Songs That Feature Proper Names in Their Title.  But guess what? The song that I’m choosing was released after I wrote the list, so, yeah… The song is “Shameika,” a memorable record from Fetch the Bolt Cutters, the long-awaited fifth studio album by Fiona Apple that arrives nearly eight years after her previous album.

It always takes Ms. Apple a ‘hot minute’ to release a new album but she never releases a bad one. Honestly, Fetch the Bolt Cutters ranks among the best albums I’ve heard in years by any musician.  But this isn’t about the album itself! No, it’s about “Shameika.”

“Shameika” may have missed the cut for the aforementioned names-centric list, but it will surely grace a future edition of it.  “But Shameika said I had potential / But Shameika said I had potential,” she sings on the infectious chorus. While Fiona doesn’t describe this Shameika as a friend, she certainly had an influence on her – one of many stories that adds to the sheer excellence of Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Throughout, she recounts her experiences as a child, not to mention throwing in a colorful lyric inspired by bassist, Sebastian.  Musically, the listener is blessed with acrobatic piano lines, and quick, rhythmic, and playful melodic lines. Sometimes, they’re not even melodic – chanted, spoken word.  This is art pop with a lot of approaches idiomatic of jazz.  “Shameika” previously tickled my fancy in April 2020.

Fiona Apple • Fetch the Bolt Cutters • Epic • 2020

Day 21: Fiona Apple, “Shameika” (30-Day Song Challenge) 🎶 [Photo Credits: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, Pixabay]