r/tipofmytongue • u/a_big_brat • 5h ago
Solved [TOMT] [SONG] [early 2000s] Indie song that has been driving me to distraction for ~17 years
In the late aughts, I lived with a young woman who was very involved in the local Twin Cities, MN punk scene. She exclusively dated musicians and while she was extremely chaotic and toxic, she had phenomenal taste in music. I heard this song a couple of times in this woman’s car and from her room in our place. I asked her about it several times but she was incredibly weird about people “stealing” her taste in music and would refuse to tell me.
There is no way this song came out after 2009, I first heard it in the late summer/early autumn of that year. Given how on top of indie music she was, I’d guess this came out sometime after 2003.
The song featured a feminine vocalist with a strong, clear voice. The main instruments were piano and drums. The vibes were very Dresden Dolls but more upbeat. Matt & Kim but extremely lo-fi. If this makes sense, the piano was more heavy on the percussion than the melodic.
The only lyrics I can recall are from the chorus, which I have googled a million-billion times over the years. They go something like:
> Oh pretty baby
> You shoulda loved me when you had me
> You shoulda loved me when you
> Had the chance, had the chance
Vocaroo link (don’t be a jerk, I’m not a singer and this will be flat/off-key): https://voca.ro/1i2tUrKk0640
I suspect this song may be too local or indie to be found but wanted to give this a final shot before giving up. Thank you for any help!
Editing to add/emphasize:
• I cannot stress how absolutely lo-fi this song was, which is part of why I think it may be too local to Minnesota or too Indie to be tracked down. I said this in another comment, but the production value was that of a high school punk band playing in a garage.
• The vibe of the song is not sad, not even angry, more like “sucks you want me back, you should have appreciated what you had because I’ve moved on.” Mood: Cheeky / amused / sarcastic.
• What I liked about this song was how percussive it is. Piano is both melodic and percussive but in this song, it was basically an extra drum. The melody of the song is carried by the vocals. If there are instruments aside from piano, drums, and vocals to this song it’d be something like a bass guitar. Nothing synthy.
• The closest in terms in the vocalist’s range is Kori Gardner of Mates of State. I don’t think it’s them, though!
• While I only really remember the lyrics of the chorus, there was little poetry to it. It was very matter of fact.