Category: 2000s

Jake Bugg – Lightning Bolt

The song peaked at #26 in the US Adult Alternative Songs Billboard, #15 in the UK in 2013.  The song was on his self-titled debut album. Jake is an artist that could have debuted in the 60s and 70s and fit in perfectly. I saw him in 2017 and the audience was a mixture of young and old.

Jake was 19 when this song was released. he said: “Before age 12, I had no interest in music,”  “Then, me uncle came around with a guitar and showed me basic chords. I started listening to Jimi Hendrix and it just blew me away.

“It was also disheartening. I mean, when you listen to Jimi Hendrix for the first time, you think, ‘How am I going to be able to play like that?’

He started to write songs at 14. Along with Hendrix, he counts the Beatles among his earliest musical influence “They’re a starting point for anyone, I should think. Then, I traced things back to Buddy Holly and Elvis, just discovering all those great records.”

From Songfacts

This gritty stroll through the streets of Bugg’s hometown of Clifton, Nottingham, was released as the third single from his debut album. He penned the tune with long-time Snow Patrol collaborator, Iain Archer. Bugg recalled to The Daily Telegraph: “When I was writing with Iain, we had a fag, a cup of tea, a bit of a play. The way I see it, it’s jamming.”

The song’s Michael Holyk directed video was shot in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The song featured in an American a commercial for Gatorade sports drinks that aired during the 2013 NBA championships.

Lightning Bolt

Morning, it’s another pure grey morning
Don’t know what the day is holding
When I get uptight
And I walk right into the path of a lightning bolt

Sirens of an ambulance comes howling
Right through the center of town and
No one blinks an eye
And I look up to the sky for the path of a lighting bolt

Met her as the angels parted for her
But she only brought me torture
But that’s what happens
When it’s you who’s standing in the path of a lightning bolt

Everyone I see just wants to walk with gritted teeth
But I just stand by and I wait my time
They say you gotta tow the line they want the water not the wine
But when I see the signs I jump on that lightning bolt

And chances, people tell you not to take chances
When they tell you there aren’t any answers
And I was starting to agree
But I awoke suddenly in the path of a lightning bolt

Fortune, people talking all about fortune
Do you make it or does it just call you
In the blinking of an eye
Just another passerby in the path of a lightning bolt

Everyone I see just wants to walk with gritted teeth
But I just stand by and I wait my time
They say you gotta tow the line they want the water not the wine
But when I see the signs I jump on that lightning bolt

It was silent, I was lying back gazing skyward
When the moment got shattered
I remembered what she said
And then she fled in the path of a lightning bolt

The Manic Street Preachers – The Love of Richard Nixon ——— Songs that reference Richard Nixon

The love of Richard Nixon, death without assassination, The love of Richard Nixon, yeah they all betrayed you

This band took a more sympathetic view than some of the other songs that mention the former President. The Welsh band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The song was written by band members James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, and Sean Moore. One member of the band  Richey Edwards who suffered from depression disappeared in 1995 never to be seen again.

This song was released in 2004 the song peaked at #2 in the UK. Altogether they had 41 UK top 75 songs, 34 Top 40 songs, 15 Top 10 and 2 number 1’s. Bass player Nicky Wire: “If Radiohead are Kennedy, then Manic Street Preachers are Nixon; the ugly duckling who had to try ten times harder than anyone else. Paranoid megalomaniacs.”

From Songfacts

The Manic’s primary lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards gained early notoriety by cutting the words “4REAL” into his arm with a razor blade. Since that episode and his later disappearance, now presumed dead, the band have been somewhat overshadowed by the events of Richey Edwards’ troubled life. This provocatively titled single, is a sympathetic appraisal of someone else whose achievements were eclipsed by one event. “The main thrust of the song,” bassist Nicky Wire explained to Repeat Fanzine, “is the idea of being tarnished with a certain part of your life forever. With us, people might think of Richey’s disappearance or 4 REAL.

With Nixon, people will always associate him with Watergate and being a crook, not the fact that he was the first president to go to China to build up relations. Or the way he de-escalated the arms race with the Soviet Union – quite admirable things.”

Wire added concerning his sympathy for the devil: “There’s always been a ridiculousness to Manic Street Preachers. Not humour, not funny-ha ha, but a question of ‘Do they really mean it?’ But there’s probably more empathy [with Nixon] than I should admit. Nixon wasn’t a good president, but he wasn’t George W Bush. He was a brilliant man, and not all Republican presidents have been. I do think he’s a fascinating character, particularly in today’s climate. He probably ended the Vietnam War. Whatever you think his reasons were – and conspiracy theories abound – he signed off at the end of it.”

The timing of the single’s release, two weeks before George W. Bush’s victory at the 2004 US presidential elections, was most likely significant. Many suspected it was a statement by the Manics concerning the reputation of the USA’s leadership at the time.

The song finishes with a sample of Nixon himself stating “I have never been a quitter.” Wire explained to NME October 8, 2011: “We thought that applied to us as a band. I just find him really interesting and kind of like myself.”

“The Love Of” peaked at #2 on the UK singles chart helped by a marketing ploy that was deliberately designed to encourage multiple purchases. The single came complete with a special offer whereby fans could purchase all three formats (2 track CD, 3 track CD and DVD) for just £5. You don’t have to be a maths professor to work out what the effect of this was.

The Love of Richard Nixon

The world on your shoulders
The love of your mother
The fear of the future
The best years behind you
The world is getting older
The times they fall behind you
The need it still grows stronger
The best years never found you

The love of Richard Nixon, death without assassination
The love of Richard Nixon, yeah they all betrayed you
The love of Richard Nixon, death without assassination
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too

Love build around the sandy beaches
Love rains down like Vietnam’s leeches
Richard the third in the White House
Cowering behind divided curtains

The world is getting older
The times they fall behind you
The need it still grows stronger
The best years never found you

Ah, the love of Richard Nixon, death without assassination
The love of Richard Nixon, yeah they all betrayed you
The love of Richard Nixon, death without assassination
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too

The love of Richard Nixon, death without assassination
The love of Richard Nixon, yeah they all betrayed you
People forget China and your war on cancer
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too

In all the decisions I have made in my public life,
I have always tried to do what was best for the nation.
I have never been a quitter

Beady Eye – Beatles and Stones ——— Songs that reference The Beatles

Well, this reference is pretty obvious…

I’m gonna stand the test of time Like Beatles and Stones

Beady Eye was a band formed by  Liam Gallagher of Oasis with former members of Oasis. This song was written by Liam Gallagher and it was on the Different Gear, Still Speeding album released in 2011.

They recycled the Who’s My Generation riff to good effect. They defiantly have that mid-sixties mod thing going on.

Beady Eye released two albums. Different Gear, Still Speeding (#3 UK) in 2011 and BE (#2 UK) in 2013. In 2014 Beady Eye broke up because of the failure to gain popularity in the US according to Liam Gallagher.

Beatles and Stones

Well it beats me mama, I just want to rock and roll
Well it beats me mama, I just want to rock and roll
I’m gonna stand the test of time
Like Beatles and Stones

Well it freaks them mama
I’m not doin’ what I’m told
Well it freaks them mama
You know I can’t be bought and sold
I’m gonna stand the test of time
Like Beatles and Stones

I’m on my way home, just get back to what’s mine
And when I get home, well I’ll be alright

Well it beats me mama, I just want to rock and roll
I’m gonna stand the test of time
Like Beatles and Stones

I’m on my way home, just get back to what’s mine
And when I get home, well I’ll be alright

What’s that you say?
Get out the way!

Well it beats me mama, I just want to rock and roll
Well it beats me mama, I just want to rock and roll
I’m gonna stand the test of time
Like Beatles and Stones

Well it freaks them mama

I’m not doin’ what I’m told
Well it freaks them mama
You know I can’t be bought and sold
I’m gonna stand the test of time
Like Beatles and Stones

I’m on my way home, just get back to what’s mine
And when I get home, well I’ll be alright
Well it beats me mama, I just want to rock and roll
I’m gonna stand the test of time
Like Beatles and Stones

I’m on my way home, just get back to what’s mine
And when I get home, well I’ll be alright

What’s that you say?
Get out the way!

Bob Dylan – Duquesne Whistle

This song was off the 2012 album Temptest. Bob wrote this song with Robert Hunter, the Grateful Dead lyricist. The album peaked at #3 in the Billboard Album Charts. My son is who called my attention to this one. Unlike some other older performers, Bob somehow stays relevant to the times.

The memorable video is directed by Nash Edgerton. Bob looks just really cool in this video as he leads some kind of gang.

The song refers to the Duquesne train service that used to run between New York Penn and Pittsburgh Penn Stations, which was named after the 18th century Fort Duquesne in the latter city. That route is now served by the daily Amtrack Pennsylvanian service.

From Songfacts

The bluesy song  The lyrics show Dylan’s distaste at times a changing’. “Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing,” he demands. “Blowing like it’s gonna sweep my world away.”

The Nash Edgerton-directed music video is set on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Dylan appears briefly throughout the clip.

The line, “I’m gonna stop at Carbondale and keep on going” refers to Carbondale, Pennsylvania, in the northeast corner of the state. Like all of the region, it’s now a small rust belt town, but at the time when the Duquesne train line was running, Carbondale was fat off the anthracite coal industry.

Duquesne Whistle

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it’s gonna sweep my world away
I’m gonna stop at Carbondale and keep on going
That Duquesne train gon’ rock me night and day

You say I’m a gambler, you say I’m a pimp
But I ain’t neither one

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Sound like it’s on a final run

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she never blowed before
Little light blinking, red light glowing
Blowing like she’s at my chamber door

You smiling through the fence at me
Just like you’ve always smiled before

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she ain’t gon’ blow no more

Can’t you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing?
Blowing like the sky’s gonna blow apart
You’re the only thing alive that keeps me going
You’re like a time bomb in my heart

I can hear a sweet voice steadily calling
Must be the mother of our Lord

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like my woman’s on board

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it’s gon’ blow my blues away
You’re a rascal, I know exactly where you’re going
I’ll lead you there myself at the break of day

I wake up every morning with that woman in my bed
Everybody telling me she’s gone to my head

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it’s gon’ kill me dead

Can’t you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing?
Blowing through another no good town

The lights on my native land are glowing
I wonder if they’ll know me next time ’round
I wonder if that old oak tree’s still standing
That old oak tree, the one we used to climb

Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she’s blowing right on time

My 5 Favorite Baseball Announcers of All Time

This list will be different for every baseball fan. Many times it’s your team’s announcer and other times it’s a network announcer you grew up with. I tend to like announcers who are not complete homers although some I like… like Harry Caray. He made it fun even though he openly rooted for the Cubs…and Budweiser.

There are many more that could be on this list.

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5: Harry Caray – He injected fun into the game. It was like a fan announcing the game. He wasn’t technically the best baseball announcer but he was enjoyable.

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4: Mel Allen – I remember Mel when I was a kid on “This Week in Baseball.” That voice was a part of my childhood.

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3: Bob Uecker – “Just a bit outside” the more I listen to him the more I appreciate him.

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2: Jack Buck – NOT Joe… You could hear his excitement for the game in his voice. For me, the best is between Jack and…

Image result for vin scully

1: Vin Scully – Being a Dodgers fan I was spoiled by Vin Scully… my number 1 favorite. If you tuned into a Dodger game you would not know who employed Mr. Scully. He would not root for the Dodgers and he knew when not to say anything and let the action speak for itself.

Vin

Jack

 

 

CeeLo Green – Forget You

Heard this song and loved it. It’s so catchy and I even liked the video. I also laughed because I heard the other version which is called F**k You…but I try to keep this blog at least PG-13 so we will go with Forget You today. But…if you want to hear the other be my guest.

This song peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100 in 2011. The songwriters were Bruno Mars, CeeLo Green, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine. The song has a good pop hook and it has a few different styles thrown in.

You may have thought the inspiration for this song was from a breakup but Green said the hit came about as a result of creative differences with his label, Elektra Records.

“I did ‘F— You’ to be an a–hole, to be spiteful toward the label,” “Because it had taken about three years to do The Lady Killer, and I just felt that after recording almost 70 songs I could not please them.”

From Songfacts

This is the radio-friendly version of Cee-Lo Green’s expletive-laden viral hit, “F–k You.” In the original rendition of the song about being jilted for a Ferrari-driving slickster, Cee-Lo drops 16 f-bombs in just 3 1/2 minutes.

The song features Green’s Elektra labelmate Bruno Mars. It originated during a session in L.A. with Mars and Phil Lawrence of the production team the Smeezingtons. The pair played to Cee-Lo a rough demo of a song they weren’t sure was worth completing. “When Bruno first sung ‘F—- You’ to me, they were still a bit indecisive on whether or not it could work at all,” Green told Entertainment Weekly.”I was like, ‘I like it. Let’s record it.'” The trio then completed the song with Cee Lo contributing many of the verse lyrics.

Cee-Lo told Entertainment Weekly that the lyrics about a gold-digging ex aren’t strictly autobiographical. “I mean, it’s based on something true… As far as me personally, it’s not a current event. It’s a figurative account. It’s not completely fictitious, though.”

Cee-Lo first appeared on the music scene in 1995 with the Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob. He is best-known as one-half of the duo Gnarls Barkley, who had a worldwide hit with “Crazy.”

The video broke the two million view mark on YouTube within one week of its release but also received criticism for the foul language used by Cee-Lo. The musician claimed rather loftily in an interview that it’s actually a work of art. “What I’ve tried to accomplish, like, is making art products … so I still believe that (the song) can be classified as art because it’s an original piece and the edge and alternative is there, and the integrity is intact,” he said.

Cee-Lo added that he was trying to elevate music with the song, something he feels the music industry does not do enough. “The system does not, you know, advocate art, so to speak, but it does package and promote products and product placement, and there’s a definitive difference between the two, art and product,” he said. “I have yet to sit down and try to write something for the sake of radio. I just never done it, not consciously.”

The Gnarls Barkley star admitted the revamped version with milder lyrics wasn’t part of the initial plan. “It wasn’t like we were looking for it to be a radio hit of some sort. It was only until a short time after that we considered doing a clean version just in case.”

Cee-Lo told NME about the song: “It’s a fictitious account of love lost. But it’s a trial that we’ve all been through some time or another, and I think that’s why people can relate to it.”

The official music video was released on September 1, 2010. It features grade school and high school versions of Green getting their heart broken by the girls they love. The singer told Billboard magazine that while he wasn’t directly in charge of casting, he had a large part in deciding who got the role. “I [did] have a final say in who I would think best represent me. I picked quite a few of the people that you see,” he said.

The song topped the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and was a top ten hit in many other territories including Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow performed this song on “The Substitute” episode of Glee, in which she plays a substitute teacher who Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison) falls for. The Glee version debuted at #11 on the Hot 100 marking Paltrow’s first entry on the chart. Can you name the two previous other songs the actress has contributed vocals to, which have graced other Billboard charts?

1. Her Huey Lewis duet “Cruisin’ ” topped Adult Contemporary the week of December 16, 2000.

2. Simultaneously with her success with this song, Paltrow also charted on Country Songs with “Country Strong,” the title track from the 2010 film in which she co-starred.

Some Gwyneth aficionados might have come up with “It’s Only Love,” a track from Sheryl Crow’s 2002 album, C’mon C’mon. However, this never featured on any Billboard chart.

The sweary version was named by Spin magazine as their Best Song of 2010.

Bruno Mars explained to Rolling Stone that when he came up with the piano riff, he thought it was an old soul riff from the ’60s or ’70s. Said Mars, “I guess I’d know by now if it wasn’t original. When Cee-Lo got in there and sang, we all got the chills.”

In what looked a lot like Elton John’s appearance on The Muppet Show in 1977, Cee-Lo performed this song at the Grammy Awards in 2011 dressed in feathers and backed by a band of puppets. The song became a duet when Gwyneth Paltrow joined in, eventually ending up on top of Cee-Lo’s piano. The song was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and won for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

When the Glee version debuted at #31 in the UK on the day of the 2011 Oscar ceremony, Gwyneth Paltrow became the sixth Academy Award winner for Best Actress to also make that country’s singles chart, following Liza Minnelli, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet.

Bruno Mars recalled to Q magazine: “For years I’d been saying, ‘I wanna work with Cee lo Green.’ We came up with the title and sung the chorus for him. We were a little nervous about it cos we didn’t want it to be like a skit. He said, ‘That’s incredible, let’s go.’ We wrote it in two hours.”

In a February 2012 promo for Fender guitars, Bruno Mars said he played his 57 Reissue Stratocaster on the song.

Forget You

I see you driving ’round town
With the girl I love and I’m like,
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn’t enough I’m like,
Forget you!
And forget her too!
Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya
Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?)
And although there’s pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo

Yeah I’m sorry, I can’t afford a Ferrari,
But that don’t mean I can’t get you there.
I guess he’s an Xbox and I’m more Atari,
About the way you play your game ain’t fair.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(Oh shit she’s a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know )
Ooooooh
I’ve got some news for you
Yeah go run and tell your little boyfriend

I see you driving ’round town
With the girl I love and I’m like,
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn’t enough I’m like,
Forget you!
And forget her too!
Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya
Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?)
And although there’s pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo

Now I know, that I had to borrow,
Beg and steal and lie and cheat.
Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya.
‘Cause being in love with your a** ain’t cheap.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(Oh shit she’s a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know)
Ooooooh
I’ve got some news for you
Ooh, I really hate your ass right now

I see you driving ’round town
With the girl I love and I’m like,
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn’t enough I’m like,
Forget you!
And forget her too!
Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya
Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?)
And although there’s pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo

Now baby, baby, baby
Why d’you wanna wanna hurt me so bad?
(So bad, so bad, so bad)
I tried to tell my momma but she told me
“This is one for your dad”
(Your dad, your dad, your dad)
Yes she did
And I was like
Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy? Uh!
Whhhy lady? Oh! I love you oh!
I still love you. Oooh!

I see you driving ’round town
With the girl I love and I’m like,
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn’t enough I’m like,
Forget you!
And forget her too!
Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya
Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?)
And although there’s pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo

Ween – Even If You Don’t

I heard this in 2000 for the first time and right away I liked it. It has a slight Beatle influenced feel and is extremely catchy. Ween does not take them seriously and they are fun to listen to. The Band formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania by childhood friends Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo.

This song didn’t chart but it was played on many alternative stations.

From Wiki

Ween signed with Elektra Records and released their major label debut Pure Guava on November 10, 1992. Pure Guava featured their highest charting single, “Push th’ Little Daisies” which gained them media and MTV attention, as the video was a highlighted target on MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head. The song was also a hit in Australia, reaching #18 on the singles chart.

They also wrote and performed the song “Ocean Man” for the Spongebob movie.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FlnlHRO3Lk&ab_channel=sergeantrock

Even If You Don’t

I’m goin’ crazy trying to keep you sane
Takin’ my prescriptions, forging my name
I was happy this morning, ya finally got yourself dressed, eatin all the bacon
Its okay i was still impressed

I love you, even if you don’t
you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?

Rooting though the garbage for treasures in the trash pile, seein my expression will always make you smile
Please don’t touch my phone book, my friends are getting pissed off
Ya wake em I’m the morning, I’m acting like a jerkoff

I love you, even if you don’t
you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?
I love you, even if you don’t
you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?
I love you, even if you don’t
you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?
Ooh-yeah-yeah

 

The Butterfly Effect

I’m not a big Ashton Kutcher fan but I do like this movie. It got panned by many critics when it was released in 2004. I am a sucker for Time Travel movies and for me, this is a decent one. It does get very grim at times and shows that a slight change in one event can change many others that come after.

Kutcher plays Evan Treborn who is basically a good guy who keeps having blackouts as a kid. The doctors cannot figure out why, but he has a gift or curse that was passed down from his dad. If he reads and concentrates on the journals he made as a youth he can go back in time to what he wrote about. He spends the movie trying to right wrongs that shape all of his friend’s future. Every change he makes has a consequence and leads to sometimes disastrous results.

He had been in love with Kayleigh Miller since he was a kid and Kayleigh lives with her sexually abusive father and her brother is a psychopath because of his home life. They both had a choice to live with their mom or dad but they picked their dad.

I can’t go any further without ruining it. The film has plenty of flaws but if you like Time Travel you might like this. It’s not Gone With The Wind but an enjoyable movie but with adult situations…not for kids.

One thing about it…I would suggest NOT to watch the Directors Cut first because four alternative endings were filmed and personally I liked the theatrical version the best. Whichever one you see you can watch the other endings on Youtube or the DVD.

 

Cast

  • Ashton Kutcher as Evan Treborn
  • Amy Smart as Kayleigh Miller
  • Melora Walters as Andrea Treborn
  • Logan Lerman as Evan, age 7
  • Elden Henson as Lenny Kagan
  • William Lee Scott as Tommy “Tom” Miller
  • John Patrick Amedori as Evan, age 13
  • Eric Stoltz as George Miller
  • Ethan Suplee as Thumper
  • Cameron Bright as Tommy, age 8
  • Irene Gorovaia as Kayleigh, age 13
  • Nathaniel DeVeaux as Dr. Redfield
  • Tara Wilson as Heidi
  • Jesse Hutch as Spencer
  • Sarah Widdows as Kayleigh, age 7
  • Jake Kaese as Lenny, age 7
  • Kevin G. Schmidt as Lenny, age 13
  • Kevin Durand as Carlos
  • Callum Keith Rennie as Jason Treborn
  • Lorena Gale as Mrs. Boswell
  • Jacqueline Stewart as Gwen
  • Jesse James as Tommy, age 14

Careless Love…The Unmaking of Elvis Book

Hanspostcard recommended Last Train to Memphis and this sequel Careless Love The Unmaking of Elvis Presley… and both are excellent recommendations for anyone who wants to learn about Elvis. This one begins where the other left off with Elvis going to Germany in the Army and ends…at the end.

Guralnick covers everything here. Elvis’s gradual distaste of the movies he was making, the great comeback special, Las Vegas, the Richard Milhous Nixon meeting, two concert documentaries, recording good music again, Aloha from Hawaii, the freefall, and then death. In between these events, we see the girls, his buddies the Memphis Mafia, the drugs, the paranoia, his search for something more, and his huge generosity.

I always wondered why he didn’t try to blend in a little more and not be so noticeable…but he loved so much being Elvis Presley. Once he was in a restaurant and no one was noticing him…he walked by a couple of women near the bathroom and gave them a smile just so they knew. He also loved making people happy by being over-generous. If you were in the right place at the right time you could end up with a car or a diamond ring.

He was raised well by his parents and seemed like a good person. He could show flashes of anger at people around, have jealousy, even a Christ complex at times, unpredictable and living in denial about his drug problem. In other words…he was human and that is what I like about the book. It’s not elevating him too high nor turning him into a parody of himself.

The book also goes into his manager “Colonel” Tom Parker who at one point was getting 50 percent of what Elvis was earning. He could have done much better than Parker but Elvis was loyal and in some ways insecure. If you want to know about Elvis…get Last Train to Memphis and this one…Careless Love.

Here is a fan-made “trailer” of the book.

 

 

 

 

 

Everclear – Wonderful

My favorite song by Everclear is “Wonderful” that was released in 2000 on the album “Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile.” It’s about divorce through a child’s eyes. I can relate to that so the song hit home in a lot of ways. The line that I liked was after the parents separated and the child was living in a new place…”I want the things that I had before Like a Star Wars poster on my bedroom door”

In 2000 the song peaked at #3 in the Billboard Alternative Charts and #11 in the Billboard 100 charts, and #1 in the Canadian Alternative Charts.

From Songfacts

Lead singer Art Alexakis wrote this from a child’s perspective. He was dealing with a recent divorce and the effect it had on his daughter, Anna. He says, “I was a child of a broken marriage, my daughter was the child of a broken marriage, and it was hard to watch it happen to her. That was me trying to make sense of it.”

Alexakis: “It’s one of those songs where I take my experiences as a kid, some experiences of some friends of mine, and kind of put myself into this kid’s place. It’s not really autobiographical but it’s coming from a place that I understand very well. My characters tend to have aspects of my personality. It wouldn’t be real if it didn’t have a part of my reality.”

Along with “Father Of Mine” and “Santa Monica,” Alexakis considers this one of his most personal songs. He used to think these kind of songs were too serious and intense to be hits, but has found they strike chords with people and do very well. 

Wonderful

I close my eyes when I get too sad
I think thoughts that I know are bad
Close my eyes and I count to ten
Hope it’s over when I open them

I want the things that I had before
Like a Star Wars poster on my bedroom door
I wish I could count to ten
Make everything be wonderful again

Hope my mom and I hope my dad
Will figure out why they get so mad
Hear them scream, I hear them fight
Say bad words that make me want to cry

Close my eyes when I go to bed
And I dream of angels that make me smile
I feel better when I hear them say
Everything will be wonderful someday

Promises mean everything when you’re little
And the world’s so big
I just don’t understand how
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes
Tell me everything is wonderful now

(Na na na na na na na)

Please don’t tell me everything is wonderful now

I go to school and I run and play
I tell the kids that it’s all okay
I like to laugh so my friends won’t know
When the bell rings I just don’t want to go home

Go to my room and I close my eyes
I make believe that I have a new life
I don’t believe you when you say
Everything will be wonderful someday

Promises mean everything when you’re little
And the world is so big
I just don’t understand how
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes
When you tell me everything is wonderful now

I don’t want to hear you tell me everything is wonderful now

I don’t want to hear you say
That I will understand someday
No, no, no, no
I don’t want to hear you say
We both have grown in a different way
No, no, no, no
I don’t want to meet your friends
And I don’t want to start over again
I just want to my life to be the same
Just like it used to be
Some days I hate everything
I hate everything
Everyone and everything
Please don’t tell me everything is wonderful now

I don’t want to hear you tell me everything is wonderful now

Counting Crows – Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby

When I heard this song for the first time I liked it…the line “If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts” got my attention. It is a well-written song with great imagery.

The song peaked at #40 in the U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 in 2000.

Adam Duritz the songwriter/singer has finally admitted to how he wrote the song Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby. According to an interview he did he admitted he wrote the song about a person who falls in love with an idealized version of someone and not who they actually are. In this particular case, the character falls in love with an actress on a screen, Monica Potter.

Image result for monica potter

From Songfacts

This song deals with memories and hope (both the false ones and all the far-searching dreams). Mrs. Potter is a movie star who Adam Duritz is looking up at, admiring, and wanting her to be a part of his life. This song has a very dreamy feel about it all the way through, as does the video clip. Duritz says he wrote the song after going to a movie and wondering what it would be like to fall in love with a girl on the screen. 

Duritz had some particular insights here, as he has dated a litany of actresses, including Mary Louise Parker, Jennifer Aniston, Samantha Mathis and Emmy Rossum.

It was written about Monica Potter from the movies Con Air, Patch Adams and Saw. He says that after he wrote the song, he had dinner with a couple who brought an actress friend along. She and Duritz hit it off, and he invited her to the recording session, where he announced her as “Mrs. Potter.” She went out of town for a few days, during which time Duritz wrote a few songs inspired by their quick separation and long phone calls: “Colorblind,” “Four Days” and “Kid Things.”

When she returned, they started dating. Their producer Dennis Herring had given her a tape from the sessions, which she played for Duritz when he told her that they were having trouble mixing the song. One take on the tape sounded really good, so Adam played that one for the band and used it on the recording. They realized that they had overcomplicated the song, so they stripped it down, working from that one take.

This song runs 7:46, but Adam Duritz tells us that it took him only about 8 hours to write. “It’s a longer song, but it’s one sitting,” he said. “I would always sit in that feeling for a while.”

Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby

Well I woke up in mid-afternoon cause that’s when it all hurts the most
I dream I never know anyone at the party and I’m always the host
If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts
You can never escape, you can only move south down the coast

Well, I am an idiot walking a tightrope of fortune and fame
I am an acrobat swinging trapezes through circles of flame
If you’ve never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame
And though I’ll never forget your face,
sometimes I can’t remember my name

Hey Mrs. Potter don’t cry
Hey Mrs. Potter I know why but
Hey Mrs. Potter won’t you talk to me

Well, there’s a piece of Maria in every song that I sing
And the price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings
And there is always one last light to turn out and one last bell to ring
And the last one out of the circus has to lock up everything

Or the elephants will get out and forget to remember what you said
And the ghosts of the tilt-a-whirl will linger inside of your head
And the ferris wheel junkies will spin them forever instead
When I see you a blanket of stars covers me in bed

Hey Mrs. Potter don’t go
Hey Mrs. Potter I don’t know but
Hey Mrs. Potter won’t you talk to me

All the blue light reflections that color my mind when I sleep
And the lovesick rejections that accompany the company I keep
All the razor perceptions that cut just a little too deep
Hey I can bleed as well as anyone, but I need someone to help me sleep

So I throw my hand into the air and it swims in the beams
It’s just a brief interruption of the swirling dust sparkle jet stream
Well, I know I don’t know you and you’re probably not what you seem
But I’d sure like to find out
So why don’t you climb down off that movie screen

Hey Mrs. Potter don’t turn
Hey Mrs. Potter I burn for you
Hey Mrs. Potter won’t you talk to me

When the last king of Hollywood shatters his glass on the floor
and orders another
Well, I wonder what he did that for
That’s when I know that I have to get out cause I have been there before
So I gave up my seat at the bar and I head for the door

We drove out to the desert just to lie down beneath this bowl of stars
We stand up at the Palace like it’s the last of the great Pioneertown bars
We shout out these songs against the clang of electric guitars
You can see a million miles tonight
But you can’t get very far

Hey Mrs. Potter I won’t touch and
Hey Mrs. Potter it’s not much but
Hey Mrs. Potter won’t you talk to me

Jet – Are You Gonna to be My Girl

Are You Gonna Be My Girl is a song by the Australian rock band Jet. It was the first single from their debut record Get Born, which was released in 2003. I like this song because of the rawness of it. You can hear the amps buzz slightly when the song starts. The song’s drum beat and riff do sound like Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life.

Drummer Chris Cester said: “It’s funny because I asked him (Iggy Pop) point blank about that. He said I was crazy. He said that when he and David Bowie were writing ‘Lust for Life’, they were ripping off Motown’s beat. It’s funny that he said that to me because we also thought we were ripping off Motown more than ‘Lust for Life’.  

The song peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004.

This was a hit twice in the UK, in 2003 it reached #23 in the singles chart. The following year it was re-released after being featured in the Vodaphone picture messaging TV ads and this time it rose to #16 in the charts.

From Songfacts

This was Jet’s first hit song. It was also the first song to be used in the popular iPod commercials, where a black shadow of a person, listening to a white iPod danced to this tune in front of colorful backgrounds. These ads helped boost sales of iPods and of Jet albums.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl

Go!

So one, two, three, take my hand and come with me
Because you look so fine
That I really wanna make you mine

I say you look so fine
That I really wanna make you mine

Oh, four, five, six c’mon and get your kicks
Now you don’t need that money
When you look like that, do ya honey

Big black boots
Long blonde hair
She’s so sweet
With her get back stare

Well I could see
You home with me
But you were with another man, yeah!
I know we
Ain’t got much to say
Before I let you get away, yeah!
I said, are you gonna be my girl?

Well, so one, two, three, take my hand and come with me
Because you look so fine
That I really wanna make you mine

I say you look so fine
That I really wanna make you mine

Oh, four, five, six c’mon and get your kicks
Now you don’t need that money
With a face like that, do ya

Big black boots
Long brown hair
She’s so sweet
With her get back stare

Well I could see
You home with me
But you were with another man, yeah!
I know we,
Ain’t got much to say
Before I let you get away, yeah!
I said, are you gonna be my girl?

Oh yeah, oh yeah, c’mon!
I could see
You home with me
But you were with another man, yeah!
I know we
Ain’t got much to say
Before I let you get away, yeah!
Uh, be my girl
Be my girl
Are you gonna be my girl?
Yeah

Jet – Look What You’ve Done

Jet is an Australian band that came out in the 2000s and I really liked them. They have 60’s and 70’s sound to them. When I listened to the song the first time I liked it and noticed they borrowed from The Beatles White Album song “Sexy Sadie”….lyrically and some of the melody. Two brothers  Nic Cester and Chris Cester formed the group and were influenced by their father’s 60’s and 70s albums. The drumming on this song I really like.

The band broke up in 2012 and reformed in 2016.

The song peaked at #37 in 2005 in the Billboard 100 and #14 in Australia.

 

Look What You’ve Done

Take my photo off the wall
If it just won’t sing for you.
‘Cause all that’s left has gone away
And there’s nothing there for you to prove.

Oh, look what you’ve done
You’ve made a fool of everyone.
Oh, well, it seems like such fun
Until you lose what you had won.

Give me back my point of view
‘Cause I just can’t think for you.
I can hardly hear you say
What should I do?
Well, you choose

Oh, look what you’ve done
You’ve made a fool of everyone.
Oh, well, it seems like such fun
Until you lose what you had won.

Oh,look what you’ve done
You’ve made a fool of everyone
A fool of everyone
A fool of everyone

Take my photo off the wall
If it just won’t sing for you.
‘Cause all that’s left has gone away
And there’s nothing there for you to do.

Oh, look what you’ve done
You’ve made a fool of everyone.
Oh, well, it seems like such fun
Until you lose what you had won.

Oh, look what you’ve done
You’ve made a fool of everyone
A fool of everyone
A fool of everyone.

Babe Ruth’s last surviving daughter dies at 102

Julia Ruth Stevens, the adopted daughter of Babe Ruth, died on Saturday in an assisted living facility in Henderson, Nev.

Babe Ruth married Claire Hodgson on the opening day of the 1929 baseball season. He adopted Julia, and Claire adopted Dorothy (Babe Ruth’s biological daughter) in 1930, and they all lived together, with Claire’s extended family, in an apartment on West 88th Street.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26218325/babe-ruth-last-surviving-daughter-dies-102