This song is actually Hynde’s tribute to guitarist and founding band member James Honeyman-Scott, who died of a drug overdose in 1982 at the age of 25.
“2000 Miles” was released as a single in December of 1983 and appeared as the 10th track of The Pretenders’ Learning to Crawl album. The single was popular in the UK, where it peaked at #15 on the UK Singles Chart. Learning to Crawl peaked at #5 in the Billboard 200 albums chart.
In 2014, while finishing up her album Stockholm, Hynde collaborated with Bjorn Yttling on an updated version of “2000 Miles. It was released as a Christmas single in the UK that December.
2000 Miles
He’s gone two thousand miles It’s very far The snow is falling down Gets colder day by day I miss you The children will sing He’ll be back at Christmas timeIn these frozen and silent nights Sometimes in a dream you appear Outside under the purple sky Diamonds in the snow sparkle Our hearts were singing It felt like Christmas timeTwo thousand miles Is very far through the snow I’ll think of you Wherever you go
He’s gone two thousand miles It’s very far The snow is falling down Gets colder day by day I miss you
I can hear people singing It must be Christmas time I hear people singing It must be Christmas time
Here is a rocker by the Ramones to make your Christmas wonderful…and don’t fight!
This song was released in 1989 and was on the album Brain Drain. The album peaked at #41 in the Billboard 100 and #75 in the UK in 1989.
It is the last Ramones release to feature bassist/lyricist/vocalist Dee Dee Ramone, the first to feature Marky Ramone since his initial firing from the band after 1983’s Subterranean Jungle and the band’s last studio album on Sire Records.
I’ll revisit power-pop next year.
Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with you
Where is Santa at his sleigh? Tell me why is it always this way? Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby? Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas
All the children are tucked in their beds Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads Snowball fighting, it’s so exciting baby
I love you and you love me And that’s the way it’s got to be I loved you from the start ‘Cause Christmas ain’t the time for breaking each other’s heart
Where is Santa at his sleigh? Tell me why is it always this way? Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby? Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas
All the children are tucked in their beds Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads Snowball fighting, it’s so exciting baby
Ay yeah yeah yeah
I love you and you love me And that’s the way it’s got to be I knew it from the start ‘Cause Christmas ain’t the time for breaking each other’s heart
Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight with you
My favorite song off of John and Yoko’s album Double Fantasy released in 1980. Three singles off of the album made it to the top ten. (Just Like) Starting Over, Woman, and Watching The Wheels which peaked at #10 on the Billboard 100.
This song was John describing his absence from the music scene since 1975. As always he was straightforward and honest. People could not believe he gave up a career to stay at home with his family. Nowadays no one would blink an eye with waiting 5 years for an album. His last album Rock ‘n’ Roll (old rock and roll covers) was released in 1975.
I found this on The Beatles Bible…Engineer Tony Davilio… “Jack” is Jack Douglas the producer
Jack heard this guy named Matthew Cunningham playing dulcimer on the street and he was good. This guy was a real hippie with stringy long hair. He was a typical street musician. They brought him in to play dulcimer on Watching The Wheels. He came in looking pretty spaced out. When you play the dulcimer you sit in that Indian position on the floor. Jack told me, ‘Tony, go out there and make sure he’s in tune.’ So I went over to the piano and plucked out some notes and he kept shaking his head and said, ‘That sounds sour, that’s not in tune,’ but it was. So he’s sitting there playing along with the track and the tape stops. John was standing up in the control room and said something to him over the talkback. Matt squinted his eyes, looking at him, and said, ‘What’s your name?’ And John gets back on the talkback and says ‘My name’s John.’ This guy’s just staring at him and goes, ‘Hi, John.’ And then John says, ‘Hi, Matt’ and then I see them all laughing in there because this guy didn’t know who he was. Apparently, he was the only person in the country who wouldn’t know John Lennon.
From Songfacts
John Lennon wrote this ode to inactivity to explain what he had been up to in the last six years. Until Double Fantasy, his last album was Walls And Bridges, which was released in 1974. He was no longer interested in fame, and dedicated himself to family: his wife Yoko and young son Sean (John became the world’s most famous househusband, baking bread and feeding Sean).
The song makes a statement that taking it easy and spending time with loved ones is anything but crazy. Working way too hard in an attempt to be a productive as possible, on the other hand, can be quite unfulfilling in the end.
The mindset Lennon describes in this song is a stark contrast to his 1973-’74 self, when he embarked on his “lost weekend,” leaving Yoko and engaging in self-destructive behavior. He returned to Yoko in 1975, sinking into domestic life.
Explaining the message of this song after Lennon’s death, Yoko said: “Let’s have that inner space to dream, the dream power.”
Watching The Wheels
People say I’m crazy Doing what I’m doing Well, they give me all kinds of warnings To save me from ruin When I say that I’m okay, well they look at me kinda strange “Surely, you’re not happy now, you no longer play the game”
People say I’m lazy Dreaming my life away Well they give me all kinds of advice Designed to enlighten me When I tell them that I’m doing fine watching shadows on the wall “Don’t you miss the big time boy, you’re no longer on the ball?”
I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round I really love to watch them roll No longer riding on the merry-go-round I just had to let it go
Ah, people ask me questions Lost in confusion Well, I tell them there’s no problem Only solutions Well, they shake their heads and they look at me, as if I’ve lost my mind I tell them there’s no hurry, I’m just sitting here doing time
I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round I really love to watch them roll No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go I just had to let it go I just had to let it go
In between new wave and hair metal, there was an occasional pop/rock hit in the 80s. This one was catchy and it stuck with you. The opening line “Josie’s on a vacation far away, Come around and talk it over” is hard to get out of your head after hearing it. It got massive airplay in my corner of the world.
The song was performed by the Outfield. Formed in Manchester, England and signed to Columbia Records as “The Baseball Boys,” the group changed their name to The Outfield. They released their debut album Play Deep in 1985 which peaked at #9 in the Billboard Album Charts. Your Love was on the album and peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100, #37 in Canada, and #83 in the UK.
“Your Love” was written by the band’s guitarist, John Spinks, who died of liver cancer in 2014 at age 60.
I don’t know whether I like the song or hate it because I can still hear the damn thing in my head.
From Songfacts
With a distinctive guitar riff and an unforgettable opening line, “Your Love” became one of the most memorable hits of the ’80s. When lead singer Tony Lewis declares, “Josie’s on a vacation far away, come around and talk it over,” we know he’s up to something. Our hero spends the rest of the song in seduction mode, trying to convince this girl (probably and ex-girlfriend) to have a one-night-stand. He pulls every trick from the player’s handbook:
Nobody Will Ever Know (“Stay the night but keep it undercover”) I Really Need Comfort (“Another shoulder to cry upon”) I Don’t Know Where Else To Turn (“I ain’t got many friends left to talk to”) It Won’t Mean Anything (“I just wanna use your love tonight”)
Does he capture his prey? We never find out, but it’s clear that Josie deserves better.
The song became an ’80s classic and the showcase song for the band, which scored four more Top 40 hits: “All the Love in the World” (#19, 1985), “Since You’ve Been Gone” (#31, 1987), “Voices of Babylon” (#25, 1989) and “For You” (#21, 1990).
In 2013, Saturday Night Live did a skit based on this song where host Josh Hutcherson speaks in the song’s lyrics, trying to convince Josie’s friend to have an affair. In the skit, Hutcherson is Josie’s younger brother. It’s a great visualization of the dynamic, as the girl rebuffs him at first, but is drawn in when he gets to the blue talk (“I can’t hide the way I’m feelin’…”).
Your Love
Josie’s on a vacation far away Come around and talk it over So many things that I want to say You know I like my girls a little bit older
I just want to use your love tonight I don’t want to lose your love tonight
I ain’t got many friends left to talk to Nowhere to run when I’m in trouble You know I’d do anything for you Stay the night but keep it under cover
I just want to use your love tonight I don’t want to lose your love tonight
Try to stop my hands from shaking But something in my mind’s not making sense It’s been a while since we were all alone But I can’t hide the way I’m feeling
As you’re leaving please would you close the door? And don’t forget what I told you Just ’cause you’re right that don’t mean I’m wrong Another shoulder to cry upon
I just want to use your love tonight I don’t want to lose your love tonight I just want to use your love tonight I don’t want to lose your love tonight I just want to use your love tonight I don’t want to lose your love tonight Use your love, lose your love, your love! I don’t want to lose your love tonight (I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna) Lose your love tonight (your love) Lose your love tonight (your love) Lose your love tonight (your love) (Lose your) I don’t want to lose your love tonight
While reading about Nirvana from other Seattle musicians…this band came up in the conversations as one of the great Seattle bands. The Heats were 10 years before Nirvana but were really popular in the Seattle area.
Before Grunge, The Heats played in the Northwest. In 1980 They were the biggest band in the area. Everyone was convinced they were only going to get bigger.
“They were top dog,” said fellow Seattle musician and KJET/KNDD personality Jim Keller. “Opening for them was like opening for a major concert artist, with barricades to keep the fans back at the front of the stage. “And more than any other group, they made it cool for Seattle bands to do original songs.”
They sold thousands of copies of the records they produced themselves. They played some big shows in Seattle and opened up for The Kinks and toured around the US with Heart and The Knack.
This song was the B side to “I Don’t Like Your Face” released in 1980
There has been many versions of this song but this one is the one I listen to the most.
Lou Baxter wrote this song but it was called “Merry Christmas Blues” and Charles Brown took it home to work it out. He rewrote it with the new title. Baxter wanted Charles Brown to record it the way Charles rewrote it and it became a big hit with Brown singing with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers. Then the music business struck again…The company promised Charles he would have a co-writer credit but of course, it didn’t happen and Johnny Moore had his name listed on the song instead. Charles never got paid royalties for the song. It was originally released in 1947 and peaked at #3 in the Charts.
Charles Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 but died before the induction.
Bruce Springsteen released a version of the song that I know the best.
This Dec 31st, 1980 performance of Merry Christmas Baby was recorded at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, during The River Tour. The song was played in its E Street Band arrangement. It was released in November 1986 as the B-side to WAR. This was the lead single from the Live/1975-85 box set.
It was also on a complication album A Very Special Christmas of various artists released in 1987.
Merry Christmas Baby
Bring it down, band!
Now, I just came here tonight to say… I just wanna say… I just wanna say…
Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice Come on, merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice I feel just like I’m living, living in paradise
Now listen Now you see, I feel real good tonight And I got music on the radio And I feel real good tonight And I got music on the radio And the boys in the band are playing pretty good! Now, I feel just like I wanna kiss you Underneath my mistletoe
But now listen Santa came down chimney, half past three With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice And I feel like I’m living, just living in paradise Come on boys!
Well now, Santa came down chimney, half past three With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice I feel like I’m living, I’m living in paradise
And I just came down to say Merry Christmas baby I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby And happy New Year, too! Oh yeah! Play it boys, go! Merry Christmas Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-happy New Year Ohhhh!
I always liked this song because I could/can relate to it. I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone else. It had its drawbacks but was a great place to grow up.
Mellencamp wrote this about his experiences growing up in the small town of Seymour, Indiana. The media portrayed Mellencamp as the champion of small-town America when the song was released. While he has remained true to his roots and often returns to Seymour, he claims he was simply writing about his life, and not trying to make a statement.
The song is on what I always thought was his best album Scarecrow. Small Town peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100 in 1985. Scarecrow peaked at #2 in the same year in the Billboard Album Chart.
From Songfacts
The music Mellencamp listened to growing up in the ’60s was a huge influence on his work, and he often put bits of classics songs from that era in his tracks. On the bridge of “Small Town,” you can hear the riff from The Supremes song “Back in My Arms Again.”
Mellencamp believes this was a hit because it makes people feel good. He thinks many of his songs don’t do well because they make people confront problems, like the plight of American farmers.
Mellencamp would sometimes add the line “My wife was 13 years old growing up in a small town when I wrote this song,” referring to his wife, the model Elaine Irwin, who is 17 years younger. The couple split up in 2010.
Mellencamp wrote this song after having a number of conversations with folks from New York who seemed to think he – and everyone else from the middle of the country – was a rube. “I wanted to write a song that said, ‘you don’t have to live in New York or Los Angeles to live a full life,'” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “I was never one of those guys that grew up and thought, ‘I need to get out of here.’ It never dawned on me. I just valued having a family and staying close to friends.”
Small Town
Well I was born in a small town And I live in a small town Probably die in a small town Oh, those small communities
All my friends are so small town My parents live in the same small town My job is so small town Provides little opportunity
Educated in a small town Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another boring romantic that’s me
But I’ve seen it all in a small town Had myself a ball in a small town Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town Now she’s small town just like me
No I cannot forget where it is that I come from I cannot forget the people who love me Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town And people let me be just what I want to be
Got nothing against a big town Still hayseed enough to say Look who’s in the big town But my bed is in a small town Oh, and that’s good enough for me
Well I was born in a small town And I can breathe in a small town Gonna die in this small town And that’s probably where they’ll bury me
This power pop band out of Charlotte, North Carolina sounded as close to Merseybeat music as you could get especially in the 80s. They formed in 1978 and are still together to this day! No need to state who their inspiration was…
They are yet another example that critical success doesn’t always translate to commercial success. This seems to be the fate of many power pop bands which I don’t understand. It makes me respect Tom Petty and the Cars much more than I already did.
The Spongetones have now released 9 LPs / CDs as well as been on a great number of compilations CDs. Plus there are solo CDs. If you’re in the Charlotte area, you’ll find that they are revered as local Rock Heroes
The A.V. Club (an entertainment website) says that “She Goes Out With Everybody” is the best Merseybeat song ever written and recorded by an American band.
She Goes Out With Everybody
She was a middle child of three
Squeezed and pushed from her family
She needed more than they could give
It takes much more than bread to live
She needed more than I could give
She goes out
(To get her fill)
She goes out
(Against her will)
She goes out
(To score a thrill)
She goes out with everybody
She goes out
(The walls have ears)
She goes out
(The walls have eyes)
She goes out
(The walls can tell)
She goes out with everybody
Became a woman at sixteen
To her that is what love means
She just got burned her first time
Bit his hook and she took his line
Think that she will end the next time
She goes out
(To get her fill)
She goes out
(Against her will)
She goes out
(To score a thrill)
She goes out with everybody
She goes out
(The walls have ears)
She goes out
(The walls have eyes)
She goes out
(The walls can tell)
She goes out with everybody
When she calls me
What do I say?
When she calls me
What do I say?
She’s a mother now with two of her own
Even with them she’s still alone
They need her more than she can give
It takes much more than bread to live
She will want more than they can give
This is my go-to Thanksgiving movie. Steve Martin and John Candy are a great team in this comedy. Personally, I think this is John Candy’s greatest movie. I watch it every year and always looked forward to it.
The movie is full of great scenes and some good lines from Candy and Martin.
John Hughes is the Director and writer. He shot over 3 hours and had to edit it down. Below is a short plot. For those who haven’t seen it…you are missing a funny movie. It was rated R because of a one minute scene with the F-Bomb used 18 times by mostly Martin. The movie was released in 1987.
Short Plot
In New York, a marketing executive Neal Page wants to travel home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. He has difficulties getting a taxi and his flight is canceled. He meets in the airport the clumsy and talkative shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith who has taken his cab and they travel side-by-side to Chicago. However the bad weather shuts down O’Hare Airport and they land at Wichita, Kansas. They both want to go to Chicago and they decide to travel together. Neal is cursed/blessed with the presence of Del Griffith, shower curtain ring salesman and all-around blabbermouth who is never short of advice, conversation, bad jokes, or company.
Along their journey, Neal changes his viewpoint about Del Griffith and his own behavior.
“Steve walks warily down the street…with the brim pulled way down low. Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet…machine guns ready to go.”
Supposedly Steve McQueen is Steve in the opening lyrics. Steve died the year this was released on November 7, 1980.
You couldn’t go anywhere in 1980 without hearing someone sing, whistle, or hum this song. I remember the high school band did a version of it.
Brian May: “Freddie sung until his throat bled on Another One Bites The Dust. He was so into it. He wanted to make that song something special.”
The song peaked at #1 in 1980 in the Billboard 100. It was on the album The Game…which also peaked at #1 in 1980. While the band and producer Reinhold Mack were mixing the track, Brian May’s roadie suggested it be released as a single; the band didn’t like the idea but were finally talked into doing it when Michael Jackson, after a concert, suggested the same idea.
From Songfacts
This is one of the hardest Queen songs to understand. The opening line reads, “Steve walks warily down the street, his brim pulled way down low. Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet, machine gun ready to go…” Also, the last phrase spoken in the song is not “Shoot Her” or “Shooter,” but “Shoot Out.”
Though probably not intentional unless someone did an excellent splicing job, the “another one bites the dust” line quite clearly says “decide to smoke marijuana” when played backwards. This is especially clear toward the end of the track when Mercury repeats the line with only the drums playing.
Queen bass player John Deacon wrote this song. All four members of Queen wrote songs, and each wrote at least one hit. Deacon also wrote “You’re My Best Friend.”
Deacon was influenced by the Chic song Good Times. In an interview with the New Musical Express, Chic bass player Bernard Edwards said: “Well, that Queen record came about because that bass player spent some time hanging out with us at our studio. But that’s OK. What isn’t OK is that the press started saying that we had ripped them off! Can you believe that? ‘Good Times’ came out more than a year before, but it was inconceivable to these people that black musicians could possibly be innovative like that. It was just these dumb disco guys ripping off this rock ‘n’ roll song.”
Deacon played most of the instruments on the track: lead and rhythm guitars, bass, reversed piano and additional percussion. Brian May did some guitar effects with harmonizer (in the interlude), and Roger Taylor played the drum loop. Surprisingly, there are no synthesizers.
The drum track and the handclaps were looped. They repeat throughout the song.
John Deacon claimed in a 1980 interview that Roger Taylor opposed the song’s drumbeat. This is backed up by the comments of several figures in the Days of our Lives documentary, who noted that Taylor hated having tape put on his drums to deaden the sound.
However, the drummer denied this in an interview with Mojo magazine in October 2008. He insisted: “I’d already had an ineffectual pop at that kind of music with ‘Fun It,’ on the Jazz album. I was never against ‘Another One Bites The Dust,’ but I was against releasing it as a single.”
In 1998, this was used in a commercial for AIWA sound systems. In the ad, a guy drives around with this blaring from his car stereo. At the end of the commercial, we realize he is driving a hearse.
During the production of the movie Rocky III, this was used in a key scene where Rocky is training for a fight. Producers could not get permission to use the song, so Sylvester Stallone hired Survivor to write an original song instead, which turned out to be “Eye Of The Tiger.”
Queen were originally reluctant to release this as a single, but backstage after a Queen gig at the Los Angeles forum, a visiting Michael Jackson convinced them it would be a hit. “Michael and all his brothers were all going, ‘That’s a fantastic track. You must release it,'” recalled Queen drummer Roger Taylor to Q magazine December 2009.
This meeting lead to several recordings and collaborations between Freddie Mercury and Jackson, all of which remain unreleased.
Weird Al Yankovic got his first chart placing with his parody of this song: “Another One Rides The Bus.” It bubbled under on the Hot 100, placing at #104 in 1981. After a few more minor hits, he landed “Eat It” at #12 in 1984.
This was the single that really broke the band in America, and it garnered a huge following amongst American disco audiences, with many fans and journalists convinced it was a black man singing lead vocals (these people obviously hadn’t heard of Queen before so didn’t know what Freddie looked like). The band occasionally were unsure of how to deal with this – Roger Taylor jokes in the Days of our Lives documentary of having fans shouting “you guys are bad!” in the street, and he had to ask “does that mean good or what?”
This was used in a 2016 commercial for the Hyundai Genesis that first aired on the Super Bowl. In the spot, Kevin Hart uses the Car Finder app to track down the guy who is using it to take his daughter on a date. After tormenting her suitor, Hart says, “A dad’s gotta do what a dad’s gotta do.”
Another One Bites The Dust
Oh, let’s go
Steve walks warily down the street With the brim pulled way down low Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet, Machine guns ready to go
Are you ready, hey, are you ready for this? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat? Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat
Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I’m gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust
How do you think I’m going to get along Without you when you’re gone? You took me for everything that I had And kicked me out on my own
Are you happy, are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat? Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat
Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I’m gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust
Hey Oh take it Bite the dust Bite the dust Hey Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust oww Another one bites the dust hey hey Another one bites the dust eh eh
Oh shooter There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man And bring him to the ground You can beat him, you can cheat him You can treat him bad and leave him when he’s down
But I’m ready, yes, I’m ready for you I’m standing on my own two feet Out of the doorway the bullets rip Repeating to the sound of the beat oh yeah
Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I’m gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust
As far as power-pop songs go this one is in my top 5. I posted this back when I first started to blog but it’s perfect for a Friday.
A song by a British band called The La’s. A very good pop song that has no verses…it just repeats the chorus four different ways four different times. The song charted many times in different releases…it peaked at #49 on the 1991 Billboard 100 and #13 on the UK charts in 1990, #65 in 1999, #94 in 2012, and #59 in 1988 in the UK.
It was written by the singer Lee Mavers and recorded in 1988 and remixed and released again in 1990.
Many people think the song was about heroin. Paul Hemmings an ex-guitarist for the band denies that rumor. Either way, it is a perfectly constructed pop song.
It’s been covered by a lot of artists but probably most successfully by Sixpence None the Richer. I’ve always liked The La’s version the best.
From Songfacts
“There She Goes” is a song with one crazy story, so hang on. It was written by the Liverpool singer and guitarist Lee Mavers, and recorded by his band The La’s. The La’s released it on their only album, titled The La’s. “There She Goes” was released as a single, not once, not twice, but four times!
The first release scratched the UK Singles chart in 1988 at #51. The second release in 1990 was the peak, with #13 on the UK Singles and also charting in the US. The third release was in 1999, and it charted the UK Singles at #65. The fourth release was in 2008, on vinyl only for the song’s 20th anniversary, and charted again at #181.
While rumors persist that this song was inspired by “There She Goes Again” by the Velvet Underground, no definitive evidence supports it. The songs do have a similar theme and similar lyric styles, but completely different music. On the other hand, the common knowledge that this song is about heroin seems to be a sure bet. “Racing through my brain” and “Pulsing through my vein” exclude just about everything else, and newspapers in England ran stories about The La’s “ode to heroin.” La’s bassist John Power gave a rather evasive answer when asked about it, while La’s ex-guitarist Paul Hemmings flatly denied it.
La’s frontman Lee Mavers is a pretty enigmatic character. If you examine them closely, you’ll find a lot in common with Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed: Both had limited success with their first band but a steady cult following since, both are evasive of the media and reclusive, both are rumored to have written songs about drugs and to be heavily into drugs, and both are widely cited by other music artists as an influence out of step with their commercial success.
Covers of “There She Goes” include those done by Sixpence None the Richer, Robbie Williams, The Wombats and The Boo Radleys. Film soundtrack appearances include The Parent Trap, Fever Pitch, Girl, Interrupted and So I Married an Axe Murderer.
This song was an ironic airplay favorite in the UK when Maggie Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in November 1990.
The La’s mainman Lee Mavers is a legendary perfectionist. The legend goes that he didn’t want the vintage studio equipment cleaned so the dust that had accumulated on it from the 1960s would remain.
“There She Goes”
There she goes There she goes again Racing through my brain And I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she blows (there she blows again) There she blows again (there she blows again) Pulsing through my vein (there she blows again) And I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she goes There she goes again She calls my name Pulls my train No one else could heal my pain But I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she goes There she goes again Chasing down my lane And I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she goes (there she goes again) There she goes (there she goes again) There she goes (there she goes again)
This video was banned by MTV because they feared it would upset their sponsors. So, being Neil being Neil…wrote a letter to MTV that stated:
MTV, you spineless twerps.
You refuse to play “This Note’s For You” because you’re afraid to offend your sponsors.
What does the “M” in MTV stand for: music or money?
Long live rock and roll.
This parody of commercial rock was banned by MTV for its critique of the music industry’s cozy relationship with corporate America. The song and video mocked advertisements and did not shy away from dropping company names– the title itself is a jab at Budweiser’s ad campaign of “This Bud’s For You.” The song also made fun of pop artists such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Jackson’s legal threats prompted MTV to ban the video. They changed their minds when the song became a hit on Canada’s MuchMusic channel…the same as the BBC did with My Generation when it became a hit.
He has stuck to his policy of refusing to license his music out for commercials, let alone appear in them himself.
Now the music business…if there is still a music business…promotes their music being in commercials to expand their audience.
From Songfacts
This song is Neil Young’s critique of artists who “sell out” and allow their songs to be used in commercials, something he has never done. The title is a play on Budweiser’s venerable ad campaign, “This Bud’s For You.” In addition to Bud, Young mentions Coke, Pepsi, and Miller in the lyric.
Artists like Young and Bruce Springsteen have never let their songs be used in commercials, feeling it cheapens their artistic integrity. Many other artists, like The Who and The Rolling Stones, have made lots of money by letting companies use their songs. Some classic rock artists like John Mellencamp resisted for years, but allowed their songs to be used for commercial purposes when they realized it was the best way to get them exposure. A band with a particularly interesting take on the subject is Devo, who feel it is part of their art.
The line, “I got the real thing, baby,” is a reference to the Coke slogan, “It’s the Real Thing,” which was introduced in 1969.
The line, “Ain’t singin’ for Spuds” refers to Spuds MacKenzie, the spokesdog for Bud Light. Introduced in 1987, Spuds was a bull terrier who appeared in their ad campaigns until 1989. Billed as “the original party animal,” Spuds became wildly popular and boosted sales of Bud Light significantly.
Directed by Julien Temple, the video is a parody of various ad campaigns. The opening noir is a sendup of the Michelob campaign that starred “practicing alcoholic” Eric Clapton. Michael Jackson, who was ripe for parody at the time, shows up in impersonator form for the line “ain’t singing for Pepsi” – later in the video his hair catches fire as it did when Jackson was shooting a commercial for the sugary beverage in 1984. Whitney Houston, who shilled for Diet Coke, gets a lookalike for the line “ain’t singing for Coke.”
Next up for mockery are the Calvin Klein “Obsession” commercials, one of the most memorable and baffling campaign’s of the ’80s. There were no rock stars associated with this one, but The Rolling Stones did have a tour sponsored by Jovan. Young’s video turns it into “Concession,” with a dialogue break in the style of the ads:
“Members of the jury, this man is on trial for his smell.” “Forgive me, but I am prettier than all of you.” “Liar, give me back my shoes.”
A faux-Spuds MacKenzie also shows up to mock Budweiser.
At the end of the clip, Young turns his beer around to reveal his own slogan: “Sponsored by Nobody.”
There was lots of raunchy debauchery on MTV around this time, but they had a strict policy against product placement, refusing to air videos where products were mentioned by name. This was designed to protect their advertisers and make their commercials more valuable (why would Pepsi buy airtime when they could put a can in a Duran Duran video?). Citing this policy, MTV banned the video, which generated a great deal of controversy and also proved Young’s point about corporate interests infiltrating music. The ban happened in early July 1988; Young sent an open letter to MTV stating:
Forced to admit they were refusing to air an excellent video to protect their sponsors, MTV went into damage control mode and agreed to air the video. They made it into an event, debuting the video on August 21 as part of a 30-minute special about the controversy. Then they awarded it Video of the Year at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. Young showed up to accept it.
Young discussed his reasons for accepting the award despite it being originally banned in an interview with Village Voice Rock and Roll Quarterly: “I dunno – must be the Perry Como in me. I could do the hard-line Marlon Brando thing, not accept the award, give it to the Indians. But that’s almost the predictable thing to do. You can’t get money to make videos if MTV won’t play them. In accepting the award I thought I’d be able to make more videos and get ’em played.”
MTV at the time was about as permissive as the cable landscape got – at least in terms of bawdy behavior. That’s why it was surprising anytime they deemed something not suitable for air. In 1992, Paul McCartney recorded a concert for MTV for their Up Close series, but the network edited out his song “Big Boys Bickering,” which was about politics and the environment. MTV claimed that the song was excised because of curse words in the lyrics, although it would have been easy enough to bleep them.
This wasn’t the first single from the album: “Ten Men Workin'” was. That song made inroads on rock radio and reached #6 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart in May 1988. “This Note’s For You,” predictably, had a harder time getting airplay because of the product mentions. It garnered the most attention during the video controversy, but still only reached #19 on that chart as radio stations continued to shy away from it.
This is the title track to the only album Young recorded with The Bluenotes as his backup band, members of which included Chad Cromwell on drums and Frank Sampedro on keyboards and a six-piece horn section. Befitting their name, This Note’s For You is a blues album.
This was released as a single with the A-side a live version recorded at The Palace in Los Angeles on April 14, 1988 and the B-side a studio cut from the album.
This Note’s For You
Don’t want no cash Don’t need no money Ain’t got no stash This note’s for you.
Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi Ain’t singin’ for Coke I don’t sing for nobody Makes me look like a joke This note’s for you.
Ain’t singin’ for Miller Don’t sing for Bud I won’t sing for politicians Ain’t singin’ for Spuds This note’s for you.
Don’t need no cash Don’t want no money Ain’t got no stash This note’s for you.
I’ve got the real thing I got the real thing, baby I got the real thing Yeah, alright.
We had fun with this song in high school. I’m surprised it only peaked at #65 in 1982 because it got a lot of airplay and MTV exposure. The song was on the album One On One and it peaked at #39 in the Billboard Album chart in 1982. I liked the album and it had my favorite Cheap Trick song…If You Want My Love.
Cheap Trick does what Cheap Trick does best in this song. They give us a great edge with the guitar with Beatles type harmonies. The song was written by Rick Nielson as were most of their songs. I only got to see them in concert once but it was worth it. They didn’t take themselves seriously and had a good time as did everyone else.
She’s Tight
When I’m down I make a call. Got the number written on the wall. First it’s busy then I try again. Oh, who’s she talking to, could it be him?
I got the number and it starts to ring. I get excited and I start to dream. I start to fantasize of memory lane. Then she answers and she says right way. She says I’m home on my own, home all alone. So I got off the phone.
(She’s tight.) She’s ahead of her time. (She’s tight.) She’s one of a kind. (She’s tight.) She’s a talented girl. (She’s tight.) She’s got her head down tight.
I have something got to say to you. Amnesia and my train of thought. On the tip, tip of my tongue. I had a vision when I was young.
You floated in, we floated up. Through the window and down the hall. I had a smoke and went upstairs. Turned the door and opened the key. She spoke… I’m on my own, home all alone. So I got off the phone.
(She’s tight.) She’s ahead of her time. (She’s tight.) She’s one of a kind. (She’s tight.) She’s a talented girl. (She’s tight.) She’s got her head down tight.
(She’s tight.) She’s giving me the go. (She’s tight.) She’s giving me the high sign. (She’s tight.) We’ll turn off the lights. (She’s tight.) Pull down the shades. (She’s nice, she’s tight.) Turn on the cam’ra. (She’s nice, she’s tight.) And getting ready for action.
This is one of the first movies I ever rented. It was one of the few left on a shelf at the video store…remember those? I had never heard of it but it was a good comedy.
This little movie from the early 80s gets forgotten but it a very good comedy. Ron Howard directed this movie about straight-laced morgue attendant Chuck Lumley (Henry Winkler) who gets a wonderfully crazy co-worker Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton in his breakout role) who talks Chuck into running a brothel out of the morgue…Chuck and Bill become unlikely pimps (or Love Brokers) after a group of call girl’s pimp gets killed by being dropped out of a window. Chuck falls for one of the prostitutes who is his neighbor named Belinda (Shelley Long).
Henry Winkler plays a character far removed from his Happy Day’s character…the cool Fonz. Henry is very good in this movie and is perfect as the straight man for Michael Keaton.
Micheal Keaton is great in this movie. His timing is perfect and foreshadows some of his comedies such as Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice.
Shelley Long had reservations about playing a call girl but decided to do it…Long, Winkler, and Keaton worked really well together. This was released a few months before she starred in Cheers.
Something to watch for…Kevin Costner makes one of his first big-screen appearance in a nonspeaking role in this movie.
Some quotes:
Chuck Lumley: As we sit here and idly chat, there are woman, female human beings, rolling around in strange beds with strange men, and we are making money from that.
Bill Blazejowski: Is this a great country, or what?
If you get a chance to watch this movie…give it a chance. It even has a 80s music montage.
Yesterday I posted a Wings song so today I’ll even it up with John.
Great song but every time I hear it…it’s December 1980 again and I’m watching news stories about Lennon’s death. Double Fantasy was a strong comeback album for John…a little more Yoko than I would have liked but a good album all the same.
When it was released Ringo had said John Lennon sounds like Elvis at the beginning of this song…then he said no…he doesn’t sound like Elvis…he is Elvis. John Lennon himself said: “All through the taping of ‘Starting Over,’ I was calling what I was doing ‘Elvis Orbison.’ It’s like Dylan doing Nashville Skyline, except I don’t have any Nashville, being from Liverpool. So I go back to the records I know – Elvis and Roy Orbison and Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis.”
The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK, #1 in Canada and #2 in New Zealand.
From Songfacts
This song embodied the sense of renewal in Lennon and Yoko’s professional and personal lives during the writing and recording of Double Fantasy. “It was kinda obvious what ‘Starting Over’ was about,” said journalist David Sheff, who did the last major interview with Lennon, to Mojo. “He’d been untrusting of Yoko, she’d been untrusting of him, all that kind of stuff. But in that one song was this incredible optimism and joy.”
This was released in the United States October 27, 1980, which was the same day Mark David Chapman bought the gun he would use to kill Lennon on December 8. “Starting Over,” which came out in the UK on October 24, was Lennon’s first release since 1975. The Double Fantasy album was issued on November 17.
Lennon wrote this while vacationing in Bermuda earlier in the year.
Despite being the first single in five years from one of the most famous musicians on the planet, this song took a while to catch on. In America, it entered the Hot 100 on November 1, 1980 at #38 and made a slow but steady climb up the chart. Here’s the progression:
When Lennon was killed, fans quickly scooped up the single along with lots of other Lennon material, but it took a few weeks for the chart to reflect these sales. When it hit #1, it stayed there for five weeks.
This was recorded at The Power Station in New York City. Musicians included Tony Levin on bass, Earl Slick on guitar, and Andy Newmark on drums.
Double Fantasy was released on David Geffen’s record label, DGC. Many labels were competing for the album, but Geffen impressed Lennon when he wrote directly to Yoko and agreed to release it without hearing it first. All of Lennon’s previous albums were released on The Beatles’ label, Apple.
John and Yoko were considering doing a tour when this was climbing the charts.
This was one of the last songs recorded for the album. Lennon was not sure he should record it, but his producer and session musicians convinced him it would be a hit. It became the first single from Double Fantasy.
The day this was released, Yoko Ono hired a skywriter to write “Happy Birthday” above New York.
The copy of Double Fantasy that Mark Chapman asked Lennon to autograph might be the most valuable record in the world. The record, which figured in the court case, not only has Lennon’s autograph but also boasts Chapman’s fingerprints on the cover. In 2003, the record was sold for £525,000 but its value has since rocketed.
(Just Like) Starting Over
Our life together Is so precious together We have grown, we have grown Although our love is still special Let’s take a chance and fly away Somewhere alone
It’s been too long since we took the time No-one’s to blame, I know time flies so quickly But when I see you darling It’s like we both are falling in love again It’ll be just like starting over Starting over
Everyday we used to make it love Why can’t we be making love nice and easy It’s time to spread our wings and fly Don’t let another day go by my love It’ll be just like starting over Starting over
Why don’t we take off alone Take a trip somewhere far, far away We’ll be together all alone again Like we used to in the early days Well, well, well darling
It’s been too long since we took the time No-one’s to blame, I know time flies so quickly But when I see you darling It’s like we both are falling in love again It’ll be just like starting over Starting over
Our life together Is so precious together We have grown, we have grown Although our love still is special Let’s take a chance and fly away somewhere
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