This is our love letter to the lost art of letter-writing…in songs. Consider it a carefully folded note passed across time. Signed, sealed, AND delivered by the Postal Service, or by hand. Song as letter, or letter as song, whatever the concept, these musical missives hit our hearts in ways an email can’t.
Christina, the letter-writing, penpal-having, lover of the USPS, picked this theme, and with it she chose “Dear God” by the British post-punk band, XTC. A letter from an atheist to an unknown deity, the song received a number of letters from beings on this planet… in the form of hate mail. A Florida radio station received a bomb threat for playing the song… and a high school student held a staff member at his school hostage, forcing her to play the song on the school’s PA system. Who knew religion was such a controversial topic!? Still, it’s an excellent song and resonates with many listeners thanks to its challenging subject matter.
Christine’s song about a letter comes from another Brit, Lulu, whose song “To Sir with Love” can be heard throughout the 1967 film by the same name. This song, from the perspective of a former pupil, honors their beloved teacher, and we’re pretty sure it’s not a romantic love, but it does describe some pretty epic gestures the singer would undertake to show their appreciation for their mentor and friend. As much of an impact this song had after its release (including topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 5 weeks!) it was snubbed for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 1968. Hopefully someone wrote a letter to complain…
If you know us… you know we love audience participation. So PLEASE, do us a big favor and cruise over to the Stereothematica Instagram where you can share your favorite songs about snail mail. And also, don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!
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