Favorite Songs: "I Couldn't Smile" by The Junk Monkeys

My friend Gerg is someone who, when talking to a new person about music, always asks to “borrow” some of their albums, unfortunately it’s usually asked in the heat of the moment and afterwards, the albums go un-listened to and unreturned! 

So one day I take Gerg along with me to visit one of my Alternative/Punk gurus James, and seeing his huge collection, Gerg asked James, ‘So what’s the hot thing you’re listening to nowadays?” to which James pulled out a CD and said “I’ve JUST been getting into these guys and they’re pretty terrific!” 

I already knew what was coming, and sure enough, Gerg said, “Wow man, can I borrow that?” I tried to step in and say that we could just record it some other time, but James was happy to nurture new fans and said “SURE! I think you’ll dig it!” 

A few weeks went by and James asked me, “Hey, how’s that Gerg guy liking the CD I let him borrow?”...But when I asked Gerg, he still “hadn’t had time to listen to it.” “No problem,” said James. 

Then a few MONTHS went by and once again James asked, “Did your friend Gerg get a chance to listen to that album yet?’ to which, once again, I was told by Gerg he still hadn’t yet. 

Finally 4 months had gone by and James called, asking, “Hey man, can I get that album back from your friend? I wanna use one of the songs in a mix tape I’m making.” I apologized and told him I’d get on it. 

I need not mention to you that the thing I hated most of this situation was that I was the guy in BETWEEN this predicament, a situation I’d tried to avoid by not letting him borrow anything in the first place! But I went to Gerg and said, “Yo, you listen to that album yet? James wants it back.” 

“Argghh, I still didn’t have time to check it out yet. I’ll get on it right away.” 

In the end, he just returned the CD to me without EVER listening to it once, but I was relieved enough to be able to return it back to James! Case closed! 

Fast forward a few months later and I’m cruising with my friends Kipp and Al, the latter of whom told me he had a new music mix tape James had made for him and we could listen to it while we cruised! I was game, and off we went…and as the mixtape began, I was BLOWN AWAY by the mix’s opening track, a BLISTERING, ROCKING song called “I Couldn’t Smile”, and I just HAD to have a copy of the mix for my own! 

Calling James up, I gushed to him about that awesome song I heard on Al’s mixtape and asked who it was. James laughed with bemusement as he said “The group is the Junk Monkeys, that was the CD I let your friend borrow for half a year!” But he loved how much I dug it and told me “I’ll make a copy of that mixtape for you!” 

MAN, this song was so damn good, (well the whole mix was good, but that opening track was just chef’s kiss!), and when I played it for another friend of mine named Cassie, SHE loved it too, asking it I could dub a copy of the mix for her, to which I enthusiastically did! 

NOW, fast forward to a month or so later and Me, Cassie, and my aforementioned friend Gerg are in my car, going to see a movie. On the way, I dig up James’ mix tape, and from that cracking opening notes of I Couldn’t Smile, me and Cassie were rocking out, singing at the top of our lungs, air guitaring and drumming, all throughout the song til its crashing end, and once it was done, Gerg said “WHOA! That song was awesome! Who WAS that?’, to which I laughed, “DUDE, that was the Junk Monkeys, the CD James let you borrow for half a year and you never listened to!” 

“Argh!"” he said. Then after thinking, he sheepishly asked, “So…you think it would be “dick” of me to ask James if I could borrow it again?” 

I laughed and said “There ain’t no WAY I’m asking him to let you borrow anything again!, LOL!” 

But so affected was Gerg by not only the song but the sheer enthusiasm me and Cassie had while blasting the song in my car, that he went out and bought the CD for himself! And eventually, even I wasn’t satisfied with only having the song on a cassette mix, and bought a copy of Soul Cakes for my very own as well!

To this day, “I Couldn’t Smile is STILL one of the greatest cassette-mix openings I’ve even experienced, a perfect starter to ANY party mood!!!