Mazzy Star had a short, but noticeable career. Releasing just three acclaimed albums from 1990 to 1996, they managed to leave their signature in the music industry. Described as “Psychedelic Pop and a blend of Blues and Folk” the band definitely had a cult following during the 90s and even made it on Billboard’s Hot 100 with their famous hit Fade Into You which stood on number 40. Here are 5 songs that made Mazzy Star.
Ghost Highway
This is a track from Mazzy Star’s first album, She Hangs Brightly. It demonstrates the band’s ability to perform in fast pace and in more dirty sounds. Roback’s gravelly guitar is only part of the heavy instrumentation and combines perfectly with Hope Sandoval’s dreamy, pure voice. Initially, the song was written for another project and this is why it might feel unfitting to the rest of the album at first, however Sandoval’s mesmerizing voice makes the experience a haunting and unforgettable listen.
Flowers in December
This is a song from the Among My Swan album from 1996. For this album Robback and Sandoval tried to create a more naked, clear folk sound, while keeping the band’s defining elements and sound. The instrumentation is more gentle and soft. In addition the employment of violins and harmonica sounds on the background, create a nostalgic country sound. Flowers in December is the perfect example of this. The song stayed in UK’s Top 100 at number 40 for two weeks, becoming the band’s highest charting track.
Common Burn
Among My Swan (1996) was the last album by Mazzy Star for a long 13 years. After a silent period where the band disappeared, they finally returned with a new album in 2011. Seasons of Your Day proved that Mazzy Star could still produce sound, similar to the one they produced in the 1990s. Common Burn is a great example of this and the combination of Sandoval’s dreamy vocals with Roback’s moving guitar tunes makes this song a pleasure to listen again and again.
Into Dust
A personal favorite, Into Dust is Hope Sandoval’s lyrical genius. On an interview, she explained that she didn’t even have to write down the lyrics of the song. When David Roback started playing the guitar, she came up with the words and they recorded the song right away. It was later augmented with strings. The song is a personal account of Hope Sandoval’s relationship with William Reid, guitarist of the Jesus and Mary Chain. Additionally, Red Hot Chilly Peppers referred to this song in their track Aeroplane:
I’m turning into dust again
My melancholy baby
The star of mazzy must
Push her voice inside of me
Fade Into You
We have to finish with Mazzy Star’s most popular song. Although the band released the album So Tonight That I Might See in 1993, it took more than a year for the track to become a hit. David Roback later shared, “It came almost at the same time. We weren’t trying to write a hit song – we were just writing a song. I think we had a melody and a feel and we just followed that feel. And that became the song… It was acoustic guitar and both of us singing, and after we’d written the song, then we arranged it for other instruments – piano and slide guitar, and drums.”
One thing is for sure. The song made Mazzy Star popular to the wider audience and led them to become one of the most influential bands of their generation.
