Laurie Anderson: The Letter

This is week two of a new song of the day concept in which I provide songs by an artist whose career spans over 40 years. This week’s artist is Laurie Anderson. It has been 10 years since Anderson released her last album, the spoken word collection Heart of a Dog. She is now 77 years old and is one of the most successful avant-garde artist of the last 50 years. There was no reason to believe she would release more music unless she felt greatly inspired to do so, and clearly her new album Amelia provided that inspiration. This 2024 release presents the story of Amelia Earhart as diary entries spoken over a minimalist soundscape. It is hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing, pulling you into its storytelling from the start and not letting go until its conclusion 34 minutes later. It is not hard to believe that Anderson would find comparisons to Earhart in her own life. Both present the same groundbreaking, adventurous spirit in their accomplishments, and if Earhart had survived to the age of 77 it would not have been surprising if she had continued to serve as an icon for women throughout the 20th century. If this is the final work of Anderson in her long, influential career, it is a perfect end note.

To learn more about Laurie Anderson (and I think everyone should do so with vigor), check out her Wikipedia page. The depth and breadth of her importance and success goes far beyond her musical discography.

To listen to all of the songs of the day, check out the Radio Faux Show Song of the Day playlist.

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