There are certain songs from films that, when heard, make many people think (or say), “That came from a film?” Blondie’s “Call Me” was the theme song to “American Gigolo,” “Kiss from a Rose” set the tone for “Batman Forever,” and “Stay (I Missed You)” became the anthem for the quintessential movie about post-college angst, “Reality Bites.”
Lisa Loeb both wrote and sang “Stay (I Missed You),”, and on July 21, she will be in the Omaha metro with Straight No Chaser in support of their “Summer: The 90s” tour.
In the 30 years since Loeb became the first artist to achieve number one status without a label, she’s released over 15 albums, become a mother, co-created a New York Times crossword puzzle, started the Camp Lisa Foundation, and more.
Still, “Stay” is that signature hit that most people at the Astro will recognize. The song has been covered by several artists, such as Dave Grohl, and parodied several times, one of the latest appearing in an episode of “That ’90s Show” that aired in late June.
“You know you’ve made it when somebody’s parodying your song,” Loeb said during an interview with Omaha Magazine. “When I was a kid, you would see Paul Simon or someone one “Saturday Night Live,” and I always loved that overlap of comedy and music.”
The song has been been commercialized as the music in ads for Geico and Goldfish crackers, and, like much music from the 1990s these days, it’s also sometimes the soundtrack to a grocery run.
“I do hear it at CVS a lot,” Loeb said, thinking of odd places she’s heard her own tune. “But recently I went to see Sarah McLaughlin, and then I saw a few people I thought were recognizing me as I was coming to sit down … and then all of a sudden, in the pre-show music, my song came on. And everyone was just…they all turn.”
People can expect to hear the song at the Astro when Loeb comes to Papillion, and she’s happy to bring it to her fans.
“It’s a short set,” she said. “I love playing the songs that people know, that I had on the radio in the 1990s.”
Loeb isn’t the only singer bringing nostalgic vibes that Sunday night. Straight No Chaser’s set will also have people dancing to songs to a decade that spanned everything from grunge to boy bands.
The a cappella group is known for cleverly combining songs such as their popular mix of Boyz II Men’s “Motown Philly” with Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do it.”
“We know we wanted to do “Motown Philly,” said Walt Chase, who also spoke to Omaha Magazine. Chase is one of the 10 members, and three remaining founders, of Straight No Chaser. “So what I’ll do is get a loop of the drum beat, and the bass, and I’ll try to think of other songs that will work.”
Those who think of a cappella as a bunch of college students singing “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” will be pleasantly surprised that the show will have a little bit of a lot of different sub generes within a 1990s-inspired show.
“We have a medley in our show called’ Women of the ‘90s, which is songs that everyone who lived in that time or knows music from that time will recognize,” Chase said. “We play a little bit of Radiohead, a little bit of Cranberries. We touch on every type of music from the ’90s and put it into a tight hour-and-a–half show.”
Straight No Chaser with special guest Lisa Loeb will appear at The Astro in Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. Tickets range from $44-$94.
