My Top 1000 Songs #225: Little Babies

This song was my introduction to Sleater-Kinney, my buddy cranking this up on the speakers shortly after Dig Me Out's 1997 release and saying "you've gotta hear this." And it's one of those songs that makes you fall in love with a band within about 10 seconds. You've got the offsetting guitars and call-and-response vocals from Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein; the rousing "dum dum di-di-di dum dum" chorus; and of course Janet Weiss barreling through it all like a locomotive on the toms. By the time Tucker starts wailing "mother's little helper," the Stones sound like a bunch of lightweight pussycats rendered obsolete.

Live in 2015 (at 1:10 into the concert):

Last year's cover from the Linda Lindas: