JUNE 29, 2022

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Editor-in-Chief's Note (6/26, 9:00 a.m.): From the "Better Late Than Never" File, the Detroit Free Press has finally acknowledged Ford's ongoing nightmare with its endless stream of product recalls with a front page story in Sunday's paper headlined: "Ford's 'self-inflicted' recalls put automaker at a disadvantage." That the Freep has been late to this story is no surprise, since it spends most of its time generating story after story praising the company's "I'm a genius, just ask me" CEO. As I wrote a few weeks ago in "The 'New" Ford Looks A Lot Like The Old Ford," things are no different despite Ford PR minions' best efforts to paint the picture differently. The Dearborn-based automaker is hemorrhaging ca$h on stupid and frankly unforgivable recalls at this point, and the "fix" appears to be nowhere in sight. The reality? Ford's alleged "visionary" CEO is mired up to his ass in recall costs that he promised would be taken care of under his tenure, and there's no amount of carefully calculated PR that can make that reality go away. All Together Now: Not. Very. Good. -PMD

(Hyundai images)
The Hyundai 6 is the Korean automaker's new entry in its IONIQ dedicated BEV lineup emphasizing streamlined aesthetics and functional efficiency under the design theme of "Ethical Uniqueness." (Catchy name, that. -WG) What are Hyundai's PR minions hyping? "Cocoon-like" cabin with comfort features and customizable lighting offers personalized and spacious interior space; Single-curved aerodynamic profile and carefully crafted contours create Hyundai’s lowest drag coefficient of 0.21. The IONIQ 6 introduces newly designed "H" emblem and uses more than 700 Parametric Pixels for uniqueness; Sustainable materials are applied to throughout, reflecting a commitment to "clean mobility values." The official IONIQ 6 world premiere will take place in July, when Hyundai will reveal the full specifications, including the electrified streamliner’s features and advanced technologies.

(Mercedes-Benz images)
Mercedes-Benz continues to push its EV range envelope. The Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX beat its own efficiency record in real-world driving with another 1,000 km+ (621 mile+) trip on a single battery charge. On the heels of its record-breaking drive from Stuttgart to Cassis (France) in April, the VISION EQXX set the bar even higher, with a 1,202-kilometer (747-mile) road trip from Stuttgart to Silverstone in the UK. After negotiating an autobahn closure and requesting cross-country diversion near Stuttgart, the VISION EQXX crossed the French border near Strasbourg then cruised across northern France at highway speeds to Calais, where it boarded the Eurotunnel. Once in the UK, the machine took the M25 around London then stopped off at Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix in Brackley, where it was greeted by the Formula 1 and Formula E experts who helped develop its advanced drivetrain. The VISION EQXX then carried on to Silverstone, where it was welcomed by special guest driver Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman, who races for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E team, opted not to go easy on the research vehicle, taking it up to its maximum speed limit of 87 mph on the iconic British race track. Making the most of the occasion, de Vries completed 11 laps, using the last of the charge on the pit lane. Throughout the road trip, the VISION EQXX used its innovative thermal management system to achieve an average consumption of 8.3 kWh/100 km in heavy traffic and summer temperatures.

The AE Song of the Week:

I want you to know, that I am happy for you
I wish nothing but the best for you both
An older version of me
Is she perverted like me?
Would she go down on you in a theater?
Does she speak eloquently
And would she have your baby?
I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother

'Cause the love that you gave that we made
Wasn't able to make it enough for you
To be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me
You'd hold me until you died
'Til you died, but you're still alive

And I'm here, to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It's not fair, to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know

You seem very well, things look peaceful
I'm not quite as well, I thought you should know
Did you forget about me, Mr. Duplicity?
I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner
It was a slap in the face
How quickly I was replaced
And are you thinking of me when you fuck her?

'Cause the love that you gave that we made
Wasn't able to make it enough for you
To be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me
You'd hold me until you died
'Til you died, but you're still alive

And I'm here, to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It's not fair, to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know

'Cause the joke that you laid in the bed
That was me and I'm not gonna fade
As soon as you close your eyes, and you know it
And every time I scratch my nails
Down someone else's back I hope you feel it
Well, can you feel it?

And I'm here, to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It's not fair, to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know

"You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morrisette, from the album "Jagged Little Pill" (1995)*. Watch the Official 4K Music Video here. 

*An angry message from a scorned ex-girlfriend directed at her former lover; Morissette has said it is about a specific person, but that person has not contacted her and probably doesn't know it's about him. Morissette claims she will never say who this is about, just as Carly Simon has done with "You're So Vain." The song was rumored to be about the actor Dave Coulier, whom Morissette dated for a time - Coulier says it was in 1992 when Alanis would have been 17 or 18 years old and he would have been 32 or 33 (hence the line "an older version of me"). Coulier played Joey on the TV show Full House, and is known for his Bullwinkle impression. In a 2008 interview with the Calgary Herald, Coulier claimed the song is about their rocky former relationship. The actor/comedian said that he first heard the track when he was driving. "I said, 'Wow, this girl is angry.' And then I said, 'Oh man, I think it's Alanis,'" Coulier revealed. "I listened to the song over and over again, and I said, 'I think I have really hurt this person.' I tried to contact her and I finally got a hold of her. And at the same time, the press was calling and saying, 'You want to comment on this song?' I called her and I said, 'Hi. Uh, what do you want me to say?' And she said, 'You can say whatever you want.' We saw each other and hung out for an entire day. And it was beautiful. It was one of those things where it was kind of like, 'We're good.'" Coulier later said that he only admitted to being the subject of the song to placate reporters who kept asking him about it. In 2014, he told Buzzfeed: "The guy in that song is a real a-hole, so I don't want to be that guy." The lyrics came from a journal entry Morissette wrote during what she describes as "a very devastated time." She told Spotify: "When I hear that song, I hear the anger as a protection around the searing vulnerability. I was mortified and devastated. It was a lot easier for me to be angry and feel the power from that anger versus the broken, horrified woman on the floor." Morissette started out as a dance-pop singer, releasing her first album in her native Canada in 1991 when she was 16. Another album was released a year later, but then she was dropped from her label. Looking to change direction, she went to Los Angeles and met with producers, looking for someone to help fulfill her vision. She found her man in Glen Ballard, who worked for Quincy Jones' label and produced the first Wilson Phillips album. They had an instant rapport and easy songwriting chemistry, completing one song every time they met for a session at Ballard's studio. "You Oughta Know" was written on October 6, 1994, after a three-month hiatus. By this time, Morissette was comfortable enough with Ballard to reveal her deeply personal lyric. After they worked up the track, she blasted out the vocal in one take. In a Songfacts interview with Ballard, he said: "The most wonderful thing for me as a writer is to hear someone's voice in the room, and she was constantly auditioning how to do it, so at the end of the night on 'You Oughta Know,' we had a track, and she just went out and sang it one time, and since I was the engineer too, I was hoping I'd got it. It's not the best recorded vocal in the world - some of it is too hot - but that's the only time she ever sang it in the studio. Even when we were getting ready to put the record out, all those vocals were the original vocals. I've never done anything that authentically live. Really, that's what it was, a live vocal, but she's so damn good that she could pull it off. There was some talk about refining things and re-doing things, but she was adamant that there was something about the moment of creation when we did it." Radio stations played this with different degrees of editing. The offending lines are "Would she go down on you in a theater" and "Are you thinking of me when you fuck her." Some stations played a version that completely eliminated "down" and "fuck," while others left in "down" and only cut a little of "fuck." It took a degree of courage for Alanis to sing these lines, and it was her producer Glen Ballard who offered the crucial encouragement. Said Alanis: "I thought, This is exactly how I feel, but I don't want to hurt anybody. Glen just said, You have to do this." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG