With all the hoopla about Katy Perry and her hit song "I Kissed A Girl" I thought this week I'd ask about the original girl-kisser, Jill Sobule.Sobule's "I Kissed a Girl" was, as opposed to Perry's track, actually good. It caused quite a stir in the early 90's for it's content. Of course, it would hardly make a ripple of controversy nowadays.
Sobule had a couple of other hits, including "Supermodel" from the Clueless soundtrack.
We haven't heard much from her lately. So this week I ask: whatever happened to Jill Sobule?
5 praise/complaints:
At the beginning of the year Jill asked her fans to contribute to her next record (http://www.jillsnextrecord.com)in exchange for lovely gifts. She raised over $80,000. Don Was produced the CD. (He has also produced the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, ect.) She recorded the CD in the same studio where Joni Mitchell's "Blue" and Carol King's "Tapestry" were recorded.
I heard the CD this weekend -- I'm one of her sugar daddies and she wanted help on which tracks to use. The record is amazing, heartbreaking and funny; all about her last few years of living in California and not in her beloved Brooklyn. The CD will be released in January of next year.
Her web site is;
http://www.jillsobule.com/
To give you an idea about her career, "10 Other Songs by Jill Sobule That You Must Hear" is on my music blog STRANGE LIGHT;
http://vincentblackwo.livejournal.com/7224.html
Jill has still been making some of the most relevant music out there today. Her sharp, witty lyrics and catchy pop hooks on timely subjects still recieve critical acclaim.
Jill fell off the MTV/Pop Radio charts because the music industry tried to market her as a novelty act. Jill was never one to embrace the mainstream and was dropped from the record company machinery and radio playlists because she refused to write another 'I Kissed A Girl'.
As previously stated, Jill's latest record is a real 'Do It Yourself' venture. No cash advance from record labels, she recieved funding from her rabid fanbase to ensure that she produces a record of her choosing, rather than a marketing executive that wants another Gold record of the same old generic, manufactured crap you hear on Pop Radio or MTV.
If you get a chance, catch her live act. She won me over at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit back in 2001. I only knew her as the 'I Kissed A Girl' girl but she won me over... a former Punk Rocker/rabid Pearl Jam fan at a show that included talents such as Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, Tracy Chapman and R.E.M.
I'm still love punk rock and Pearl Jam and many other rock and pop acts... but, I also include Jill Sobule as one of my favorite singer/songwriters out there.
...
And to top it off... she is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
Thanks!
This is the kind of info I was hoping for.
Jill is definitely alive and well and has produced a number of great recordings since her 1995 self-titled album (the one with I Kissed a Girl on it). All of Jill's albums have met with nearly universal critical acclaim, but alas, big time commerical success has so far eluded her (a story as old as the hills, I know, but still it's a shame).
I'd encourage you (and your readers) to check out the websites mentioned by the above commenters; I can guarantee you you'll find a lot of good info about Jill at either site (since I personally put most of it there!)
If you'd like to get an idea of what she's been up to musically, you might want to check out this page or this other page, both at the jillsnextrecord.com website, where you can listen to a sampling of her work over the years (or, if you follow the second link, and entire live show recorded last year in NYC).
Check it out. I may be a tad biased, but I think it's good stuff!
Jill is still going strong. About to release a new album in March, and I just saw her live in Seattle. Here is a review of the show that I wrote.
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