News & Notes

“Candy hearts to say ‘I love you,” – such are the lyrics beginning the chorus of “Michelle,” a cynical examination of someone stumbling through the milestones of life out of a sense of obligation rather than enthusiasm. Are not the majority of us so cursed, though?

“Michelle” was originally released as the opening track to the 2006 LP The Forever Syndrome. A single edit of the song was released in advance of Valentine’s Day the following year. It would be in the year 2012 that the 24-hour Crappy Valentine’s Day download first occurred, becoming a yearly tradition ever since. It will likely continue as such until someone at the department of all things Illusion of Joy overhears a youth ask, “what’s an MP3?”

Click the link to download:

Michelle-Say It In Japanese.zip

Even though this year’s download window has closed, you can still Or just stream The Forever Syndrome:

On January 30^th of 2007, just in time for Valentine’s Day that year, a single edit of “Michelle” from The Forever Syndrome LP was released. Included as a metaphorical B-side – because compact discs only have one playable side – was the non-LP track “Say It In Japanese.” This was obviously a cynical marketing ploy to encourage people to buy the single as the full LP version of “Michelle” is the best version.

While The Forever Syndrome has long been available on streaming services, the “Michelle/Say It In Japanese” single remains stubbornly out of print and artificially obscure. Thus, the annual Valentine’s Day tradition of offering both songs as MP3 downloads for 24 hours persists. Click the link below and feel the…love?

Michelle-Say It In Japanese.zip

It’s the time of the year again…Valentine’s Day. It’s the day where people pass around candy hearts to say, “I love you” and candy hearts to say “please me mine.” Here at the department of all things Illusion of Joy, we don’t comfort you with lies. We do, however, open up an MP3 download for the “Michelle” single with non-LP track “Say It In Japanese” for 24 hours every year.

Michelle-Say It In Japanese.zip