Tag: San Francisco Days

In 1993 Chris Iaasak released the album San Francisco Days. I’ve had this album playing at work, where I listen a lot. It is well-balanced and very likable. I picked this song for the guitar sound of James Wilsey, it’s a little different from his reverb playing because it has more crunch to it. He is the guitarist who played the guitar for Wicked Game and made it memorable with that dreamlike quality. 

San Francisco Days was his fourth studio album, was inspired by the city, and features some rock, blues, and his unique singing style. He is a guy that I know because of Wicked Game but like Greg Kihn, there are more things to like but the hits by him. He did have a hit on this album called Can’t Do a Thing (to Stop Me) that peaked at #7 on the Billboard Alternative Charts and #36 in the UK. I will post it above Round ‘n’ Round at the bottom.

When Chris was growing up he was influenced by 1950s rock and roll and country music. Two of the artists that influenced him were Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. You can hear those two artists in his work, especially Orbison. He developed a unique singing style and he can be called a crooner. He released his first album, Silvertone, in 1985. He did get some critical acclaim but not much commercial success.  That all changed with this third album Heart Shaped World with the single Wicked Game which was featured in the David Lynch film Wild At Heart.

Chris Isaak on making San Francisco Days: “I kind of set out to make this one a little bit different, People did say that the other albums were very similar. But I’ve always felt like I had something legitimate to say with that style. Otherwise, it would be like a painter saying, ‘I already used blue in my early paintings, so I’m not using it anymore.’ Still, I always want to learn some new tricks.”

Round ‘n’ Round

Here we go round & round.
State your case and then sit down.
Tell me why you want to go,
I don’t love you anymore.

Here you go mad again.
Tell me that your just a friend.
Tell me something I don’t know.
I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore, yeah.

When I do go, I’ll let you know.
It might hurt you, but I don’t think so.

Here we go round & round.
State your case and then sit down.
Tell me why you want to go,
I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore.

…