Song of the Week: Black Stiletto

Let's get this party started by saying that I'm going to enjoy every single one of the 800 times I will likely play this video while writing this. Mostly because I love Black Stiletto, but also because I tend to forget what I'm doing if I don't have something going in the background to help keep the train on the tracks. In this particular instance, there are worse problems to have.

Fun fact- Black Stiletto was actually one of the names Jackie and I bounced around for the name of this blog, but as you may have deduced from the web address, Bad Brains won in the end.

Have you ever heard someone excuse themselves by saying “I'm going to go slip into something more comfortable?” Don't ask me about the logistics, but this song is definitely what they are referring to. With the sophisticated allure of slinky guitars, Black Stiletto prowls the night like a tomcat in a moonlit alley, evoking the thrill of dancing until your legs can no longer hold you and laughing with your friends until your sides are aching with every breath.

Black Stiletto has a hypnotic, trance-like quality to it that is difficult to pinpoint, but it is absolutely lethal. The Peter Pan of the Skinner Brothers catalog, it never gets old no matter how many times you listen to it, and that is a great quality for people like me who will replay the same song multiple times on the drive home because I didn't appreciate it enough the first time it came on.

This deeply immersive track, featuring the charismatic alternative duo Good Health Good Wealth, is a monumental force of nature as their voices complement each other exquisitely. Bruce Breakey's sultry, spoken word delivery leads us off on a little adventure that we are all too happy to follow along with. As poignant as it is clever, the extra layer of vocal depth sucks you right in and creates a dynamic, unforgettable harmony that will be stuck in your head for days to come.

Good Health Good Wealth are no strangers to crafting brilliant tracks that live rent free in your head, either. With songs like Give Us a Break, Snatch, and Love Hangover they have already burrowed deep into our playlists and made themselves right at home. We won't even talk about the predominately black and white video for Black Stiletto, or how the random splashes of lightly-saturated color illuminates his eyes at just the right moment to make him look like he walked right out of the pages of an Anne Rice novel. Because I know you noticed that too, don't lie to me.

Haters don't dull my shine, get stronger every time

One of the most admirable qualities about the Skinner Brothers is their resilience in the face of adversity. If you check the comment section of a song from literally any other band (large or small) you'll see that the Skinner Brothers are certainly not alone in receiving their share of mindless hate from total strangers. But being an independent band means that unlike those other artists, the Skinner Brothers are actually reading those comments themselves, and making a conscious decision on a daily basis to not let that negativity get them down or influence the type of music they choose to release moving forward.

Truly, it would be much easier to just ignore the comment section altogether and not read it at all, but Zac has always given 110% back to his fans even if that means taking a few shots along the way himself. It stands to reason that if you wear your heart on your sleeve there will always be someone that comes along trying to tear you apart, but (true to the lyrics of Black Stiletto) he does come back stronger each time, and that seems to be a sacrifice he is willing to make for the sake of authenticity.

As evidence of his unshakable determination, Zac is also a prolific songwriter, and with the Skinner Brother's blossoming reputation of being genre-fluid with each new track they release, it's no wonder that Black Stiletto is another in a long line of fan favorites. At its core, this song is a celebration of owning the moment, with a sly bit of defiance toward the haters thrown in for good measure. It cuts through the noise of everyone trying to hold them back, turning pain into power and reaching euphoric new heights never imagined with every bang of the drum.

You can't help but walk away from this song with an energetic smirk on your face, feeling like you just got away with something illegal. Bliss can often be found somewhere between your birth certificate and epitaph, and Black Stiletto guides the way by inviting you to set your worries aside, dance through the chaos, and embrace your inner shine. Don't be afraid to let loose, and– as the song suggests– glide through life like a knife through butter.

☘️🖤

Lyrics found in the wild:

Jealously ain't on my mind
When I'm chllin' in the summer shine
Birdsong in my head
I'm hoping that it never ends
Haters don't dull my shine
Get stronger every time
Stage times I run away from me
Putting on my makeup coz i wanna hear the crowd like

Now I feel right
I'm in the spotlight
A black stiletto
I wanna let go now

The scene begins we're down the kings road
Looking fucking tremendous
With all lipstick and Stone Island
Beautiful and violent
And totally out of place
And the horse riders and skiers call us names we can't pronounce
And throw their toys out of their prams
And we just glide through the streets
Like a knife through butter

Haters don't dull my shine
Get stronger every time
Stage times I run away from me
Putting on my makeup coz I wanna hear the crowd like

Now I feel right
I'm in the spotlight
A black stiletto
I wanna let go now