Day 8 - A song about drugs or alcohol
Feel Good Hit Of The Summer by Queens Of The Stone Age
Okay, it's actually a song about drugs and alcohol - there's obviously never enough for Josh Homme. All together now: "Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, Ecstasy and alcohol, c-c-c-c-c-cocaine!"
Day 9 - A song that makes you happy
My Girl by The Temptations
Yep, every time. "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day." And, just like that, the clouds part...
Day 10 - A song that makes you sad
Shorley Wall by Ooberman
We've all got enough reasons to be sad at the moment but, anyway, this is just a beautiful song. It skirts close to being twee but the heart-rending ending monologue rescues it.
Day 11 - A song you never get tired of
Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads
40 years after it was recorded this song still sounds totally unique - a masterpiece of twitchy, neurotic funk-pop. It's one of those few songs that I usually have to play twice in a row - it's never long enough.
Day 12 - A song from your pre-teen years
Rubber Bullets by 10CC
When I was very young I was given a bunch of singles by an older friend which basically started my record collection. I've still got them and Rubber Bullets is still a favourite. The video above is actually the album version but the TOTP version I wanted to post is a heavily edited take of the single and, while it's a great view of a '70s band, this features more of the actual song...
Day 13 - A song you like from the '70s
Search And Destroy by Iggy & The Stooges
When I was in the Death Planet Commandos we used to cover Search & Destroy ( everyone did! ) and it was just great fun to play. A proto-Punk classic!
Day 14 - A song you'd love to be played at your wedding
Catch by The Cure
Actually a song we did have played at our wedding. Sarah and I were both great fans of The Cure and this was our "first dance" at our wedding disco. To be fair, the DJ probably got fed up with our lists of demands - play this, play that, no bloody "Agadoo" etc. etc.
So, Week 2 accomplished with a minimum of effort and even a guest appearance by Zia from the Dandy Warhols! ( Not that she knows about it but I'm sure she'd appreciate the sentiment and I know she digs a lot of the music here. )
If anyone else would like to join in I'd love to see your choices, just drop me a comment.
See you next week, same time, same channel ( probably )
Some excellent sections there, 10cc’s Rubber Bullets was going to be my “ Happy” song but choose a different one instead. The Temptations (how good are those voices!) “My Girl” is one of my all-time favourite songs and will no doubt crop up at some point on my list . I haven’t heard a lot of The Queens of the Stone Age, but I really liked that one and will need to check out more of their stuff.
ReplyDeleteDrugs and alcohol
The Bottle – Gill Scott Heron
So many great songs on this subject covering a vast array of musicians from Neal Diamond (Crackling Rose) to Neil Youngs truly brilliant 'The Needle and the Damage Done' and new (less subtle) songs like “I can’t feel my Face” by the Weekend etc. But Gil Scott Herons “The Bottle” takes my number one spot just for the line “…he’s done quit his 9 to 5 to drink full time , so now he's livin' in the bottle” a line “urban” author Charles Bukowski would be proud of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdhoX1Xu6ZI
Song that makes me happy.
Lola by the Kinks
This is just such a happy and catchy tune with cool lyrics and a great hook line . This came out when I was about 9 or 10 years old and my pals and myself sang it all the time and had no idea what it was actually all about. When my brother explained it to me (as much as a 10 year old in 1970 could understand transgender people) I realised songs were more than “spoon, June and moon” love songs they could cover other (deeper and darker) subjects and still be great fun pop songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFwP2huyNzg
Song that makes me sad
Wild is the Wind- David Bowie
Sadly my brother passed away at the outrageously young age of 57 and this was the last tune played at his funeral. Bowies voice on this is amazing its melancholy and melodic . It’s just a fantastic cover of the 1950s original by Nina Simone. Every time I hear this song I do feel sad, but it also brings a wee smile to my face remembering the times my “big bro” introduced me to Bowie (I wasn’t a fan at first) and other music and us pouring over lyrics looking for the deeper meanings in them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cSAKlu0OlU
Song I never get tired off
Starman – David Bowie
Just a great, classy and game changing pop song. Bowie’s performance of this song when it aired on Top of The Pops is credited with influencing so many artists like Boy George, John Lydon , Steve Strange and lots of other soon to be new wave and new romantic groups of the 80s. This is the song that really got me into music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI66hcu9fIs
Pre-teen years
Ob la di, ob-la-da – The Marmalade
Difficult one as I loved lots of silly songs from my pre-teens (still do) everything from Lilly the Pink by the Scaffold to Cinderella Rockefella" by Esther and Abi Ofarim and most in between. But it was the Marmalades version of the Beatles “Ob la di, ob-la-da” classic that I loved so much that it forced me to save up my pocket money pennies to purchase (the first single that I bought with my own money – I still have it). Back then 10 shillings (50p) was the price of a single and a major investment for a 9 year old to spend on a single item.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu2mEkhcrQA
1970’s
The Ruts -Babylon’s Burning
Almost impossible to pick one when you actually lived through the 70s as a kid up to being a young adult of 19/20 years of age . But as Punk (with all its faults) was really the first genre my generation had to ourselves as teenagers I would have to pick a song from that time and the Ruts song is for me one of the best of the 70s. The title sums up the latter years of the 1970s perfectly and is probably more relevant today than ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCkNu9OxThc
Song at my wedding
I wanna Marry you - Bruce Springsteen
As we are not married I cannot say (although we will do it at some point) so I will let you know when she tells me the song lol – I have added the above as an option and it’s a nice tender song by the Boss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6up-cRo9xE
Once again, some great songs there, Paul! Lola, Starman and Babylon's Burning are all favourites of mine, always good to hear them. I Wanna Marry You isn't exactly the first song you'd identify with The Boss but it is a lovely, if slightly corny track. The Gil Scott Heron song isn't one I know so I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your brother - that must have been a very difficult time. It's surprising what a big part music can play in helping us through hard times. Wild Is The Wind is a beautiful song and I can see how it could be something to lean on when you feel down. When my Mum was very ill I took a lot of solace from The Beatles' Abbey Road album, which seemed to contain so much life, wisdom and good humour ( especially for a band falling apart ) and it really helped me through the traumatic experience of losing someone so close.
Thanks again for joining in, mate. Stay safe.
Simon