2000 Great Songs #1360: No Guilt
While The Waitresses ' 1982 debut LP Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful is so thoroughly of its moment, I still have great affection for the record. And, yeah, "I Know What Boys Like" is the more obvious selection, a defining moment in the new wave music era and one of those consummate high school songs for me; but it can be a little grating once the novelty wears off. That said, so can its b-side "No Guilt" (originally released as a single in 1980, way ahead of its time!), but, being far less overplayed over the course of my lifetime, I'm still good with it. The band's ska-tinged party music is overlaid here with a spoken word-ish narration, a young woman coming into her own after a break-up, and while her milestones seem underwhelming--buying stamps, paying the phone bill, doing laundry, contemplating grad school--there's such a giddy, triumphant feeling of relatable independence that I can't help but root for her. Live: See the entire Top 2000 to ...
