MBW’s Key Songs In The Life Of… is a series in which we ask influential figures in the music industry about the tracks that have – so far – defined their journey and existence. This time it’s Jérémy Erlich, Global Music Director at Spotify – and with it, one of the most important decision makers in modern business. The Key Songs In The Life Of… series powered by Sony Music Publisher.
At first glance, you might not think that Jérémy Erlich is a musical mutant.
Erlich is now comfortably taking on the higher levels of corporate responsibilities in the music industry – not only at Spotify but also in his previous job, as departmental CFO & EVP. Business Development at Interscope Records.
He also excelled when he met MBW at Spotify’s Los Angeles office in a edgy blazer and dandy open-collar shirt.
He even – and this will be explained later in this interview – pronounces Serge Gainsbourg with a subtle gallant flair, rather than with your author’s lead-angled accent.
Despite all this, Erlich, and to some extent, as he puts it, still “loves the sound of angry protest”.
This is the joy of MBW’s Important song… series: it reveals the reality of the autobiography on which the modern-day presentations of top executives/entrepreneurs are built.
In the case of Erlich (whose team is preparing for Spotify’s Live stream the event This weekend) that realism goes through the furious sounds of Rage Against The Machine and Ice Cube, through Sublime, The Grateful Dead, BLACKPINK, Bob Dylan and the aforementioned Monsieur Gainsbourg.
However, as Erlich explains below, his musical life, historically speaking, began in France, as a child, watching his father spin Pink Floyd on the family turntable…
1) Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here (1975)
My taste in music, my love for music, it all started with my dad. And this is my first real musical memory – my dad’s record collection and especially Pink Floyd’s. Wish you were here.
Wish you were here ignited my love of music. That album and [its eponymous lead] The song has always been with me.
I was born in France, then moved to America as a child, and then back to France. Before coming to France, both my father and mother were born in Poland, before parting for Paris.
My father mainly listened to American music, classical British rock and jazz; my mom just really loves The Beatles.
My dad’s jazz collection was never my favorite as a kid. But the classic rock face [of his vinyl], from Deep Purple to Pink Floyd all resonated. The photo on the front of Wish you were herethe man who lit the fire, forever ingrained in my mind.
I was nine years old when I pulled that album out for the first time. I just remember thinking, ‘What the hell is this?!’ And then you hear the lyrics – “two lost souls swimming in an aquarium” – wow. I still listen to that song at least once a week.
2) Ice Cube, It Was A Good Day (1992)
I was born in Paris, then moved to Austin, Texas when I was 7 years old. In Austin, I attended American public school, and that’s where I learned English as a French kid… the hard way! And then, at the age of 11, I moved to San Francisco, then to Houston – I went to French schools both times – and at 15, I went back to France.
I was living in San Francisco when I first heard of Ice Cube. I’m not sure if you remember this, but there’s a problem with Columbia House CDs – when you can buy five albums for a penny or whatever, then cancel [the subscription] immediately because it was too expensive.
Ice cubes Hunter is one of those albums. The rest I’m not particularly proud of! But I’ve always been fascinated by the lyrics, and that album is very topical and very lyrical.
“I am a social conscious music fan, angry, the world is turning upside down. Ice Cube really opened my eyes to a part of that world, as an 11-year-old going to a French school in San Francisco.”
If someone ever asked me to describe my favorite genre of music, it was protest music. I am a lover of angry, socially conscious, world-upside down music. Ice Cube has really opened my eyes to a part of that world, as an 11-year-old going to a French school in San Francisco.
This song started my love for hip-hop. From there I went to Dre, to NWA, to Tupac, and that led to the people I like today, like Kendrick Lamar.
It was a good day was protest music in a very different way than protest music from that classical anti-rock era; it’s an upbeat, catchy song, but the theme is a real insight into a world I’m a complete stranger to.
It moved me and inspired me, as a kid trying to make sense of the world.
3) Wonderful, Santeria (1996)
When I lived in Northern California [San Fran]I’m 13 years old or so, and this era of [mid-nineties] Alternative rock music has become a huge influence in my life.
Santeria by Sublime summarizes it all. I can still sing every word of that song when it’s on the radio or in a playlist.
I started trying to sneak into Grateful Dead shows [in this era]; I remember trying to find a ticket, and then Jerry Garcia died. It was the most traumatic day of my life when I was 14 years old.
4) Rage Against the Machine, Killing In The Name (1992)
Rage Against The Machine was the first concert I consciously attended with my own money. I absolutely loved Rage, and I love them to this day.
Killing in the Name It’s clear that pure protest music opens your eyes to the plight of different people around the world.
When I first heard this, I was probably in Houston, and I was 15 or 16 years old. You can feel the anger, rebellion in the instruments. I think Rage against the machine album and Sinister Empire are some of the best protest music ever recorded.
“I kept the Rage T-shirt I bought at that gig for about 10 years too long.”
They were all geniuses in that band, but Zach’s lyrics, his performance on stage, “Fuck, I won’t do what you tell me”… I mean, that Not Shakespearean, but those are some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard. His rhythm too, for a ‘rock’ band it was very different at the time.
I kept the Rage T-shirt I bought at that gig for about 10 years too long. Every time I hear a song like this in my life, it evokes much deeper considerations – and a desire to find out what these causes are.
5) Bob Dylan, Blow in the Wind (1963) / Leonard Cohen, Bird On The Wire (1969)
I could choose any song by these two artists.
I’m in college in Chicago, early 20s [studying Economics and International Relations at Northwestern]when I really started to appreciate Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
Bob Dylan is like God in my mind, and I think Leonard Cohen is second. Both of these songs I wish I had written. They are lyrically perfect.
“It is pure poetry, worthy of the Nobel Prize for literature. That’s all I think a song should be.”
Both of these artists are ‘separate’ vocalists, the tunes of these songs are not particularly complicated, just words. It is pure poetry, worthy of the Nobel Prize for literature. That’s all I think a song should be.
Creating timeless lyrical songs is a difficult thing to do. These two songs are perfection.
6) Serge Gainsbourg, Je suis venu te dire que je m’en vais (1973)
Serge Gainsbourg deserves to be ranked with the Dylans and Cohens. He’s a great lyricist, and this is simply the best sad love song ever written.
It’s all about leaving someone, but it’s just a beautifully written piece of music.
As a very proud Frenchman, I needed a French song here because French music in general has had a huge influence on and in my life. I was playing with this: Do I put a Daft Punk song in? But they’re mostly in English so it doesn’t really count! Gainsbourg is to me one of the best French lyricists ever.
“This is simply the best sad love song ever written.”
We speak French at home, I go to French school, have enough French influence in my life [to expose Erlich to French music as a teenager]. But I’ll also watch MTV, I’ll try to sneak into Grateful Dead concerts, I’ll go see Rage Against the Machine – the culture around me is very American.
Then, when I went back to France at the age of 15 or 16, living in the suburbs of Paris, I fell in love with the music that I knew basically, but I never got lost in.
That’s where my deeper appreciation of French music comes in. I have never lost that cultural connection since then.
7) DDU-DU DDU-DU, BLACKPINK (2018)
My friend from the same school as me in London, JJ [Joojong “JJ” Joe]used to work at YG North America, will always email me about Korean music. And one day, while I was working at Interscope, he sent me this song by BlackPink.
I watched the video and was like, ‘Damn, this is great music’ – even though I obviously don’t speak Korean. BTS has become something [in the US] at this point, but K-pop isn’t what it is today, it’s still in its early stages.
This is the first song [as someone working in the music industry] I really believe in an artist, and risk my own reputation saying, We have to do something about them.”
I just really believe in [Blackpink] and the fertility of these four women. Finally, I’ve been to Korea many times, fell in love with Korean culture, signed with Interscope through a partnership with YG, and I’ve been close to the band ever since.
This is the first song [as someone working in the music industry] I really believe in an artist and risk my reputation saying, ‘We have to do something about them. They are outstanding and I will continue to do whatever I can to help them reach their full potential.’ As soon as I heard it, I thought: ‘We don’t have anything like this in America’.
I’m still close to all the members: they’re amazing, hard-working and very talented. But they are also the perfect team: they are all very opinionated, they are very different, they are very talented in different ways – but bring them together and everything will be very successful.
I feel honored to be in the front seat to watch them grow into what they are today. They are wonderful.
