Planted and Enchanted: Vol. 3 - April '20

Planted and Enchanted
Written By Evan Hammonds
Artwork by Sudhith Xavier

Artwork by Sudhith Xavier

 
“Rulers make bad lovers
You better put your kingdom up for sale
Up for sale”
— Gold Dust Woman, Fleetwood Mac
 

You can enjoy the Planted and Enchanted: Vol. 3 playlist in its entirety on Spotify. Just click on the included Spotify plugin.

Playlist Highlight: Gold Dust Woman, Fleetwood Mac

Have you ever heard of the “Denzel Test?” It’s pretty simple and goes something like this:

Imagine you’re at a party with your significant other and you’re mixing with some old friends and some new, and as you move around the room you find yourself outside a circle of people chatting and a guy you don’t know goes, “Jeez. I just can’t stand Denzel Washington. He’s awful. Terrible guy. Terrible actor. Whenever he’s on the TV, I change the channel. I can’t respect anyone who’s a fan of him.”

On the drive home, there is a 100% chance you are having a “what the heck was that guy’s deal with Denzel” conversation. I mean, who has that strong negative feelings toward Denzel?

That’s what the Denzel Test is: Would mentioning your strong dislike of something or someone cause immediate uproar and befuddlement? If yes, congratulations, it passed the Denzel Test and is a strong indication that what’s being described has a near universal approval rating.

Here are some other things that pass the Denzel Test in no particular order:

  • Pixar

  • Paid time off

  • Being dead tired and falling onto a clean and freshly made bed

  • Abraham Lincoln

  • When that jerk who cut you off in traffic gets pulled over by a cop a few miles down the road

  • Ice cream

  • Hopping out of a relaxing shower and drying off with a warm and toasty towel

  • Tom Hanks

  • Youtube videos of dogs reuniting with their owners

Fleetwood Mac makes this category as well, and their 1977 hit “Gold Dust Woman” – the coda of their super-duper-mega-popular album Rumours – is the centerpiece of this month’s playlist.

While it’s probably a song about abusing cocaine while being in a toxic relationship, that didn’t stop nine-year-old me listening to this song on FM Radio and going, “OMG. This is so relatable.” (Which probably says as much me as it does about the widespread appeal of this song.)

Sonically, the whole track just drips with signature 70’s sound. The first thing that jumps out to me is the unfamiliar instrumentation. I looked it up and something called an “electric harpsichord with a jet phaser” is being played (which I’m 99% sure is the newest men’s razor model manufactured by Philips Norelco). Later in the recording, you can hear Mick Fleetwood actually breaking glass, a perfect sound effect given the song’s tone.

Lyrically, it’s quite possible that the events described are taking place in a Game of Thrones episode. There are references to “ancient queens,” “kingdoms for sale,” and even the “shadow of a dragon.” The crazy part? None of it seems out of place because Stevie’s late-70’s, drug-fueled, hurting-but-defiant vocals insist that you take her seriously. And we do.

So, here’s to “Gold Dust Woman,” perhaps a perfect song off the perfect album by a perfect band, and what I’d wager is Denzel Washington’s favorite Fleetwood Mac song…

What is Planted and Enchanted?

If you’re anything like me, you surely have a “junk drawer” somewhere in your home. It probably consists of an old flashlight with dead batteries in it, a handful of rubber bands alongside some pens running low on ink, enough loose keys for you to qualify as a middle school janitor, some birthday cards given to you years ago (how quickly can I throw these away without it being rude? Better wait another decade just to be safe.), the box to your old iPhone simply because it’s a pretty darn cool box, and a small library of service manuals for among other things: your refrigerator, hot water heater, and that Instant Pot you used just the one time.

I don’t consider my junk drawer “worthless” mind you, but rather see it a collection of delightful discoveries (Hey! I didn’t know I had a yo-yo!), and delightful rediscoveries (So that’s where my playing cards were!).

That’s my aim for this playlist series: Planted and Enchanted. A monthly track list consisting of songs that likely won’t fit perfectly together in a classic album sense, but are useful in planting the seeds of discovery of new genres, artists, and songs as well as the unearthing of music you loved but had long since forgotten about. Who knows, there may even be a hidden theme or two that the savvy listener can piece together. The best part about this playlist? If you don’t like it, that’s okay. We are talking about junk after all.

If you have a specific song that you’ve recently discovered or come to love, we’d love to hear from you. Just email us at freshcutfinds@gmail.com. We’re planning to roll out more content and a new playlist series in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Each month, we put together a playlist of our favorite discoveries new & old. Each playlist will be about the length of a mix CD (80 mins) and will be sent around the 15th of each month. Subscribe with your email address to receive the monthly Planted and Enchanted playlist, plus other occasional speciaty playlists.

Evan Hammonds
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Unearthed Vol. 10 - May '20
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Off the Beaten Path: Vol. 1 - The National