The Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files: Semisonic’s “Chemistry” Lesson

Brian Raftery | February 12, 2007 12:46 pm
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Time for another installment of the Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files, where we raid our archives in search of a lost gem.

Artist: Semisonic Album: All About Chemistry, 2001 What happened: If you thought the bespectacled dude standing next to the Dixie Chicks at the Grammys looked familiar, you were right: That was Dan Wilson, a well-known songwriter-for-hire who used to front the Minneapolis pop-rockers Semisonic. And while his group is best remembered for the mid-’90s sing-along “Closing Time,” its best album remains the career-capping, audience-ignored All About Chemistry. Why it should have been a hit: The opening single, “Chemistry,” is a soft-pop classic; as Entertainment Weekly noted, it predated the Hall & Oates revival a by a good few years. And many of the album’s highlights–including the darkly devotional “She’s Got My Number”–could have been deep-cut FM staples, had anyone at radio (or at the band’s label) paid them any attention.

Semisonic – Chemistry [MP3, link expired] Semisonic – She’s Got My Number [MP3, link expired]

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