Love the guitar riff, the vibe, and the artist. To my surprise this was not released as a single in the US, but in 1995 a live version was used as the B-side of Kravitz’ “Rock And Roll Is Dead” single.
I first learned of Lenny Kravitz in 1989 with Let Love Rule which is probably my favorite song by him. I do like this one because it’s aggressive and right in your face. The song was released in 1993.
The song is about Jesus Christ, whom Lenny referred to as “the ultimate rock star.” It’s about how God gives choice to man about where to turn.
Lenny Kravitz:“I thought the subject matter was really interesting, because it’s coming from the mouth of Jesus Christ, as I thought. So basically, ‘Are you gonna go my way?’ meaning ‘my way of love.’ I had no idea that that song would become what it became. No idea. There was nothing on the radio like that. And the recording is so raw, it’s ridiculous.”
The music video, directed by Mark Romanek, finds Kravitz and his band performing beneath a brilliant chandelier. The clip earned him the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Artist.
From Songfacts
. The opening lines spell it out:
I was born long ago I am the chosen I’m the one I have come to save the day And I won’t leave until I’m done
Kravitz played this on Saturday Night Live in 1993.
In an interview posted on his website, Kravitz explained the origin of this song: “We were just jamming in the studio. You know, I was jamming with Craig Ross, who I wrote the song with. It was one of those songs that happened in 5 minutes. We were jamming. I thought there was something happening. I told Henry to turn the tape machines on, and we played it. And that was it. And then I went and wrote the lyrics on a brown paper bag, I remember at my loft on Broome Street at the time. Went in and sang it the next day. And that was it.”
This was a #2 hit on the Modern Rock chart. Because it was released as an airplay-only single in the US, it wasn’t eligible for the Hot 100. At the time, many record labels chose to only release promo singles to radio stations so listeners would have to buy the whole album to hear the song. While the strategy worked for album sales, it also kept artists off the chart until the rules changed in 1998.
Are You Gonna Go My Way was Kravitz’ first Top 20 album in the US, where it peaked at #12. It hit #1 in the UK, Switzerland, Canada, and Australia.
This earned Kravitz Grammy nominations for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo and Best Rock Song. He lost to Meat Loaf for “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” and Dave Pirner for Soul Asylum’s “Runaway Train,” respectively.
Tom Jones recorded this for the 1995 comedy The Jerky Boys. It’s also been covered by Robbie Williams, Mel B, and Adam Lambert.
This was used in the 1994 movie I Love Trouble, starring Julia Roberts. It also showed up on The Simpsons (“How I Spent My Strummer Vacation” – 2002) and Sex and the City (“Ghost Town” – 2001).
A remixed version was used at the opening theme to the 2001 video game Gran Turismo 3.
Are You Gonna Go My Way
I was born long ago I am the chosen I’m the one I have come to save the day And I won’t leave until I’m done
So that’s why you’ve got to try You got to breath and have some fun Though I’m not paid I play this game And I won’t stop until I’m done
But what I really want to know is Are you gonna go my way? And I got to got to know
I don’t know why we always cry This we must leave and get undone We must engage and rearrange And turn this planet back to one
So tell me why we got to die And kill each other one by one We’ve got to love and rub-a-dub We’ve got to dance and be in love
But what I really want to know is Are you gonna go my way? And I got to got to know
Are you gonna go my way? ‘Cause baby I got to know Yeah
I hope everyone is having a happy Monday…at least as happy as it can be.
I heard early REM albums from friends. They really made an impact with college kids and built a following. Then they released The One I Love and the dam burst. This song took it a step higher.
Peter Buck has commented that after this song’s success that the bands popularity soared. He mentioned that R.E.M. went from a respected band with a cult following to one of the biggest bands in the world.
This song was released in 1991 and on their Out of Time album. The song did very well. It peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, #19, and #16 in New Zealand in 1991.
The title is based on the Southern expression “lost my religion,” meaning something has challenged your faith to such a degree you might lose your religion or cool.
REM was surprised when their record label chose this song as the first single from Out Of Time. Running 4:28 with no chorus and a mandolin for a lead instrument, it didn’t seem like hit material, but it ended up being the biggest hit of their career.
Michael Stipe revealed the lyrics about obsessional love were heavily influenced by The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” which he called “the most beautiful, kind of creepy song.”
This won the Grammy in 1991 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Peter Buck:“The music was written in five minutes. The first time the band played it, it fell into place perfectly. Michael had the lyrics within the hour, and while playing the song for the third or fourth time, I found my self incredibly moved to hear the vocals in conjunction with the music. To me, ‘Losing My Religion’ feels like some kind archetype that was floating around in space that we managed to lasso. If only all songwriting was this easy.”
From Songfacts
R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe wrote the lyrics, which he has said are about “obsession” and “unrequited love,” which is powerful and dangerous combination. Throughout the song, he is baring his soul, searching for hidden meaning and hopeful signs, but driving himself mad in the process.
“I love the idea of writing a song about unrequited love,” he told Top 2000 a gogo. “About holding back, reaching forward, and then pulling back again. The thing for me that is most thrilling is you don’t know if the person I’m reaching out for is aware of me. If they even know I exist. It’s this really tearful, heartfelt thing that found its way into one of the best pieces of music the band ever gave me.”
This song has its origins in guitarist Peter Buck’s efforts to try learn to play the mandolin. When he played back recordings of his first attempts, he heard the riff and thought it might make a good basis for a song. Explaining how the song came together musically, Buck told Guitar School in 1991: “I started it on mandolin and came up with the riff and chorus. The verses are the kinds of things R.E.M. uses a lot, going from one minor to another, kind of like those ‘Driver 8’ chords. You can’t really say anything bad about E minor, A minor, D, and G – I mean, they’re just good chords.
We then worked it up in the studio – it was written with electric bass, drums, and mandolin. So it had a hollow feel to it. There’s absolutely no midrange on it, just low end and high end, because Mike usually stayed pretty low on the bass. This was when we decided we’d get Peter (Holsapple) to record with us, and he played live acoustic guitar on this one. It was really cool: Peter and I would be in our little booth, sweating away, and Bill and Mike would be out there in the other room going at it. It just had a really magical feel.
And I’m proud to say every bit of mandolin on the record was recorded live – I did no overdubbing. If you listen closely, on one of the verses there’s a place where I muffled it, and I thought, well, I can’t go back and punch it up, because it’s supposed to be a live track. That was the whole idea.”
The video was directed by Tarsem Singh, who also did En Vogue’s “Hold On” and the Jennifer Lopez movie The Cell. It’s a very ambitious video filled with striking, vivid, biblical imagery.
The concept is based in part on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. The novel tells the story of an angel who falls down from heaven and is displayed for profit as a “freak show.” Michael Stipe is a big Marquez fan and the whole idea of obsession and unrequited love is the central theme of the author’s masterpiece, Love in the Time of Cholera. The first line of that novel is: “It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.”
Michael Stipe’s dancing ties the video together as he moves like he is in the throes of revelation, a contrast to all the other characters who are barely moving. He wasn’t supposed to dance: The treatment had him singing lines from various poses, but when they shot it that way, it didn’t work at all. This put director Tarsem Singh’s grand production in jeopardy; he was so upset, he went to the bathroom and threw up. When he emerged, Stipe said, “Let me try to dance.”
There was no choreography – Stipe just let the spirit move him, and the results were sublime. He says his dancing is a mashup of Sinead O’Connor’s moves in her “The Emperor’s New Clothes” video and David Byrne’s gyrations in his “Once In A Lifetime” performances.
Stipe remembers being hot and bothered when recording his vocal. His heartfelt lyric needed a certain feel that was hard to achieve in the studio, so he recorded a lot of takes. He wasn’t happy with the engineer, who seemed out of it. “I was very upset,” he told Top 2000 a gogo. “I also got really hot because I was all worked up, so I took my clothes off and recorded the song almost naked.”
This was given the working title of “Sugar Cane” when the band demoed it in July 1990 at a studio in Athens.
A common misinterpretation of this song is that it was about John Lennon’s death, with the lyrics, “What if all these fantasies come flailing around” being a reference to Lennon’s last album Double Fantasy.
Michael Stipe took a laid-back approach with this song: “I remember that I sang this in one go with my shirt off. I don’t think any of us had any idea it would ever be … anything,” he noted in Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011. Peter Buck added that Warner Bros. didn’t even want the song as a single, and everyone was surprised when it took off. “It changed our world. We went from selling a few million worldwide with Green to over 10 million. It was in that area where we had never been before which isn’t bad,” he said.
Peter Buck recalled to Uncut: “I bought a mandolin on tour in ’87, I think. It became a good songwriting tool. It never occurred to me to play mandolin in a bluegrass style. For me it was a rock instrument.”
Producer Scott Litt recalled his contribution to Mojo: “I remember mixing ‘Losing My Religion’ at Paisley Park. I had Bill (Berry, drums) nudging up to me and saying, ‘You know, I think the drums could be louder’, and he was spot on. The strings and the vocals are maybe more memorable, but the drums are really important. He’s even doubling the mandolin figure at the beginning. The last mix on that song was ‘drums boosted’ and that became the track.”
When introducing the song during an appearance on MTV Unplugged, Stipe pointed to the audience and said, “This is about you.” Mojo asked him what he meant. He replied shrugging, “No idea. It’s something I said on a night in 1991. I have no idea why I said it. Of course we attach the narrative in a song to the person with the voice, which is me. And so I get that. But it was not autobiographic.”
Artists to cover this song include Tori Amos, Lacuna Coil, Trivium and Swandive. Two versions have charted in America: the Glee Cast took it to #60 in 2010, and Dia Frampton’s version went to #54 in 2011.
The video was the big winner at the MTV Video Music Awards, winning six moonmen, including Video of the Year and Breakthrough Video.
Losing My Religion
(One, two, three, four, one, two)
Oh, life is bigger It’s bigger Than you and you are not me The lengths that I will go to The distance in your eyes Oh no, I’ve said too much I set it up
That’s me in the corner That’s me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don’t know if I can do it Oh no, I’ve said too much I haven’t said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
Every whisper Of every waking hour I’m choosing my confessions Trying to keep an eye on you Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool Oh no, I’ve said too much I set it up
Consider this Consider this The hint of the century Consider this The slip That brought me to my knees Failed What if all these fantasies Come flailing around Now I’ve said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
But that was just a dream That was just a dream
That’s me in the corner That’s me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don’t know if I can do it Oh no, I’ve said too much I haven’t said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try
But that was just a dream Try, cry Fly, try That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream
I bought this single in 1981 and I still have it somewhere. After the opening chord (Abm) is strummed Gary US Bonds kicks into a very good Springsteen penned song. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100, #15 in Canada, #43 in the UK, and #11 in New Zealand. It came off the album Dedication.
This song was one of my favorite early 80’s hits. You could easily hear Springsteen singing this as well.
Bruce Springsteen, a big fan of Bonds, played his songs at many of his concerts in the ’70s before and after his rise to stardom. Gary had a #1 hit in 1961 with the song Quarter To Three.
. This was a comeback for Bonds and he was backed by members of the E Street Band and The Asbury Jukes. Bonds influenced Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt musically growing up.
I liked this song the first time I heard it…This bouncy song fit’s Gary’s voice and style perfectly.
“This Little Girl (Is Mine)”
Here she comes Walkin’ down the street You know she’s walkin’ just like She’s walkin’ to come and see me Oh, she’s so young and she’s so fine
I know what’s on your mind Know what you want to do But if you mess with her I’m gonna mess with you You better watch your step You better stay in line
This little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl This little girl This little girl is mine
Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl This little girl This little girl is mine
Well, if the world was mine to do with What I want to do, sir Well I’d wrap it up in a bow And give it all to her, yeah And all my love All of the time You know I’d hold her tight I’d never let her go And late at night You know I’d love her so Yeah, I’d treat her right So she’d never mind
This little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl This little girl This little girl is mine
Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl This little girl This little girl is mine Mine, mine, mine
[Instrumental Interlude]
Hey, you better watch out I’m telling you the score Are you going to be sweepin’ your Broken heart up off the floor Oh, and that ain’t all I’m telling you my friend I know what’s on your mind Know what you wanna do But if you mess with her I’m gonna mess with you You like the way she moves You like to watch her walk You better listen up ‘Cause man this ain’t just talk You better watch yourself You better stay in line
Now, mister I said This little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl is mine This little girl This little girl This little girl is mine
Oh-oh, this little girl This little girl This little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl This little girl
This little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl This little girl This little girl is mine
Yeah, yeah, yeah This little girl is mine Oh-oh, this little girl is mine Oh-oh this little girl This little girl This little girl She’s mine all mine
Now, this little girl is mine Oh-oh this little girl is mine Oh-oh this little girl This little girl This little girl is mine, mine, mine, mine
I got into Bob Marley and the Wailers a little later but better late than never. Jammin’ is on their ninth studio album Exodus. The album peaked at #20 in the Billboard Album Charts, #8 in the UK, and #46 in Canada.
In Jamaica, the word “jamming” refers to getting together for a celebration. Although it can also mean an impromptu musical session.
Marley wrote the song in exile in Nassau after the 1976 attempt on his life.
On December 3, 1976 several men raided Marley’s house and shot three included Marley but all survived. It was politically motivated…Marley and his band was rehearsing for a show that some viewed as Marley supporting the Prime Minister and his democratic socialist People’s National Party. Marley claimed he was neutral not supporting anyone. In the song Marley wrote the lyric No bullet can stop us now, we neither beg nor we won’t bow.
The gunmen were all captured and executed. The song peaked at #9 in the UK in 1977.
A detailed account of the assassination attempt is here.
Ooh, yeah! all right! We’re jammin’: I want to jam it wid you. We’re jammin’, jammin’, And I hope you like jammin’, too.
Ain’t no rules, ain’t no vow, we can do it anyhow: I’n’I will see you through, ‘Cause everyday we pay the price with a little sacrifice, Jammin’ till the jam is through.
We’re jammin’ – To think that jammin’ was a thing of the past; We’re jammin’, And I hope this jam is gonna last.
No bullet can stop us now, we neither beg nor we won’t bow; Neither can be bought nor sold. We all defend the right; jah – jah children must unite: Your life is worth much more than gold.
We’re jammin’ (jammin’, jammin’, jammin’) And we’re jammin’ in the name of the lord; We’re jammin’ (jammin’, jammin’, jammin’), We’re jammin’ right straight from yah.
Yeh! holy mount zion; Holy mount zion: Jah sitteth in mount zion And rules all creation.
Yeah, we’re – we’re jammin’ (wotcha-wa), Wotcha-wa-wa-wa, we’re jammin’ (wotcha-wa), See, I want to jam it wid you We’re jammin’ (jammin’, jammin’, jammin’) I’m jammed: I hope you’re jammin’, too.
Jam’s about my pride and truth I cannot hide To keep you satisfied. True love that now exist is the love I can’t resist, So jam by my side.
We’re jammin’ (jammin’, jammin’, jammin’), yeah-eah-eah! I want to jam it wid you. We’re jammin’, we’re jammin’, we’re jammin’, we’re jammin’, We’re jammin’, we’re jammin’, we’re jammin’, we’re jammin’;
Hope you like jammin’, too. We’re jammin’, we’re jammin’ (jammin’), We’re jammin’, we’re jammin’ (jammin’). I want to (i want to jam it wid you) – I want to –
I want to jam wid you now. Jammin’, jammin’ (hope you like jammin’ too). Eh-eh! I hope you like jammin’, I hope you like jammin’, ‘Cause (i want to jam it wid you). I want to … wid you.
I like – I hope you – I hope you like jammin’, too. I want to jam it; I want to jam it.
Duel was a TV movie that came out in 1971. It’s a great suspense movie that will keep you entertained.
It was Steven Spielberg‘s first full-length movie. It came out as a TV movie in the US but after some scenes were added it was released in theaters in Europe and Australia. It starred Dennis Weaver. This is a very good first movie by Spielberg. It had some grit to it that some of his movies lack…probably because of it’s low budget.
Duel was much better than your regular TV movie. Dennis Weaver was superb in it. Another star was the Truck itself. It had its own personality. This is one of the best TV movies ever made.
Steven Spielberg told Dennis Weaver at one time that he watches this movie at least twice a year to see what he did as far as techniques.
The story is simple but effective. It still works today.
It’s about a man who is driving to a business meeting and part of his journey is through the desert. He starts being followed by an ugly as hell diesel Peterbilt truck. The truck starts passing Weaver and then starts bumping him later on. The suspense in this movie is great. You cannot see the truck driver but he has plates from all over the US that makes you think he picks random people out and starts harassing them.
It reminds you of a Hitchcock film. The suspense builds and builds and you feel Dennis Weaver’s fear.
Weaver is run off the road by the truck and he sees a diner.
He stops at a diner and phones his wife about a fight they had the night before… He gets off the phone and thinks he finds the truck driver that’s been targeting him for miles inside the cafe…
If you like suspense movies the movie is worth a watch.
This is my tenth-round choice from Hanspostcard’s album draft…100 albums in 100 days. This wraps up the Desert Island Album portion of our show…now on to other albums and music movies.
When I was 18 in 1985 I heard Brown Eyed Girl for the first time. Somehow I missed that song growing up…which seems impossible but the song took me down a great path. I started to order imports of Van’s early Them records and then started on his 70’s solo albums.
I bought them out of order but I ended up with his late sixties and seventies albums like Astral Weeks, Moondance, His Band and Street Choir, Veedon Fleece, Wavelength, Tupelo Honey, Hard Nose The Highway and this one (I then worked on the 80’s albums). I traveled a lot in my car in those days…seeing a girlfriend or just cruising about. Saint Dominic’s Preview was an album I kept going back for Van’s voice, phrasing and songwriting.
The album peaked at #15 in the Billboard Album Charts and #14 in Canada in 1972.
When I got the album I had a summer job in the middle of nowhere in this back water town. I had to drive over an hour to get there and Van kept me company singing about Safeway’s Supermarket and Redwood Trees. One listen to this album and I’m young, carefree, and having a really good time living life. Music brings back memories and this one makes me feel exactly like I felt then.
The title track Saint Dominic’s Preview is a great piece of work. This song and Tupelo Honey are probably my favorite Van Morrison songs. This one takes you on a lyrical journey…And for every cross cuttin’ country corner, country corner For every Hank Williams railroad train that cried, And all the chains, badges, flags and emblems, And every strain on brain and every eye
Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile) is all about happiness. Whenever I feel down…I play this and it’s impossible to feel down. The song is an obvious tribute to the great Jackie Wilson. I’m in heaven, when you smile
Almost Independence Day is an epic song. It has a nice flow to it and it was largely improvised. Van Morrison and guitar player Ron Elliot are trading guitar licks and then Lee Charlton joins with some great jazz-influenced drums. The over all sound of this is fantastic.
Redwood Tree evokes nostalgia and memories of growing up, in a similar way as his song And It Stoned Me. Oh redwood tree, Please let us under When we were young we used to go, Under the redwood tree
So we are set on our respective islands with our top ten albums now. The only regret I have is that we didn’t have more favorite album picks…but it has to be some limit. The Beatles, The Who, Big Star, The Zombies, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Van Morrison. Not a bad 10.
Now let’s move on to the last three.
1. Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile) 2. Gypsy 3. I Will Be There 4. Listen to the Lion 5. Saint Dominic’s Preview 6. Redwood Tree 7. Almost Independence
I’ve been listening to the Replacement recently after I read a post on them by Aphoristical. I listened to them quite a bit in the eighties but lost touch at the end of the decade…
This song is on the band’s 1987 album Pleased To Meet Me. The band was formed in band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979. Skyways are one of Minneapolis’s signature features. They are second-story pedestrian bridges between buildings that are called skywalks or skybridges.
The album peaked at #131 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1987. It’s a gorgeous song…
Paul Westerberg: It’s our own little private song for Minneapolis. They’re basically the sidewalks above the streets, because it’s too cold in the winter to walk, and the businesses, y’know, feel they won’t get people to come downtown. It’s like you can walk for miles and not ever go outside. You can walk around the whole city through the skyway system. And it’s generally the people who are shoppers and [who] work. And so this song was sort of written from the point of a guy who’s like myself who — I don’t go up in the skyways, y’know. [laughs] What do I have to do up there? I never go shopping or anything. So I sit down there and watch the people walk by.
Skyway
You take the skyway, high above the busy little one-way In my stupid hat and gloves, at night I lie awake Wonderin’ if I’ll sleep Wonderin’ if we’ll meet out in the street
But you take the skyway It don’t move at all like a subway It’s got bums when it’s cold like any other place It’s warm up inside Sittin’ down and waitin’ for a ride Beneath the skyway
Oh, then one day, I saw you walkin’ down that little one-way Where, the place I’d catch my ride most everyday There wasn’t a damn thing I could do or say Up in the skyway
Yesterday was John’s birthday 80th birthday…that just doesn’t seem right. He has been gone for 40 years…the same amount that he lived.
I’m Losing You is on the Double Fantasy album released in 1980.
There are two versions of this song that are well known. Co-producer Tom Douglas brought Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos of the band Cheap Trick to play on this song, but it was eventually re-recorded with the studio musicians. That is the version that ended up on the album.
The Rick Nielsen and Ben E. Carlos version was included years later on the John Lennon Anthology Collection released in 1998.
Some say the edgier track with Nielsen and Carlos wasn’t used because Yoko didn’t like the version, the recording didn’t fit in with the rest of the album, or it sounded a little too much like Cold Turkey…a previous song by Lennon. If I had to guess I would say it was because the track would have stood out against the others. Personally I would have went with the Nielsen and Carlos version anyway.
While on vacation in Bermuda during the summer of 1980, Lennon tried to call Yoko Ono but couldn’t get through to her and wrote this song based on his frustration.
Double Fantasy peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, Canada, and The UK in 1981.
From Songfacts
This is a track from Double Fantasy, Lennon’s final album during his lifetime, released only three weeks before his murder. The song resulted from John’s inability to get Yoko on the phone at a time when he feared for their relationship.
Yoko Ono told Q November 2010 that this is one of her favorite Lennon songs. She said: “I’m Losing You is an incredible song. I think as a songwriter, that tops it all. Some of the songs I’m in. But it’s almost like Picasso drawing a lot of his wife because his wife was around. And I was very lucky I was his wife.”
Director Jay Dubin, whose work at the time included commercials for Crazy Eddie’s, was called in to shoot a music video to promote the Double Fantasy album. On August 10, 1980, he brought his team to the Hit Factory studio and captured Lennon performing this song, along with “I’m Moving On” and some cover tunes. The video was abandoned after Lennon’s death a few months later and the footage has never materialized.
Here are the two versions
I’m Losing You
Here in some stranger’s room Late in the afternoon What am I doing here at all? Ain’t no doubt about it I’m losing you I’m losing you
Somehow the wires have crossed Communication’s lost Can’t even get you on the telephone Just got to shout about it I’m losing you I’m losing you
Well, here in the valley of indecision I don’t know what to do I feel you slipping away I feel you slipping away I’m losing you I’m losing you
Well now you say you’re not getting enough But I remind you of all that bad, bad, bad stuff So what the hell am I supposed to do? Just put a band-aid on it? And stop the bleeding now Stop the bleeding now Well…
I’m losing you I’m losing you
Well, well, well I know I hurt you then But hell, that was way back when Well, do you still have to carry that cross? (Drop it!) Don’t wanna hear about it I’m losing you I’m losing you
This song is from their second album Radio City. Their other guitarist Chris Bell had left the band leaving Alex Chilton as the only guitarist. In this song Chilton’s guitar is pushed to the front and after about a 46 second intro the song is on it’s way.
It’s a bluesy, funky, rocky, and soulful riff all built into one. Alex just takes off on the guitar with this one all through the song. The guitar has a tone that you don’t hear everyday. Whenever I’m playing guitar I go back to their albums to try to emulate a tone that Chilton found.
Alex Chilton was not the only one writing songs on the album. Bassist Andy Hummel wrote or co-wrote five of the albums’s 12 tracks. Jody Stephens pitched in and co-wrote one song with Chilton and Hummel.
Chilton remained the constant variable that made the band’s music soar. His September Gurls is among the band’s finest songs and one of the prototypical power pop songs.
Radio City is not as polished as their debut album but it’s just as good and many say better.
O My Soul
O my soul mama I lose control Go ahead and shake if you wanna And I’ll never know Wull come on You know it’s alright We’ve got all night You’re driving me mad And you shouldn’t do that We’re going to get on up And drink till we drop. You’re really a nice girl And I think you’re the most And when we’re together I feel like a boss
Trying to see you I’d know off your doors dying to see you I’m down on the floor.
I can’t get a license To drive my car But I don’t really need it If I’m a big star. Never you mind Go on and have a good time.
The song was written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew and Fats released it in 1955.
Fats Domino really liked Cheap Trick’s version of the song…reportedly it was his favorite cover version of his song. Domino gave Cheap Trick his gold record for his 1955 single, which is held by guitarist Rick Nielsen! That is really special.
The song peaked at #35 in the Billboard 100, #10 in Canada, and #24 in New Zealand in 1979. It was from the album Cheap Trick at Budokan in 1979. Dave at A Sound Day had a nice write up about the album…that is probably why I thought of this one. Another live version of song, recorded in 1999, was released on the 2001 album Silver.
I’m a huge Fats Domino fan…I first heard Fats on Happy Days as a kid. This song and Blueberry Hill are the first songs I remember by him.
This was the first song to crossover from the R&B charts to the mostly white pop charts of the day. Like several other songs previously heard exclusively in black bars or nightclubs, it was covered by the crooning Pat Boone.
Concerned about how people would respond to the title…Pat was going to change it to “Isn’t It A Shame” but the producers realized that would not exactly be the same.
Yea Pat Boone covered it…like he did other songs. I usually am not negative in my posts but no I don’t like Pat Boone’s renditions of those great rock and roll songs. Saying that…did it help the artists he covered? Yes it gave Domino and Little Richard’s songs a boost…it’s a shame (No pun intended) it took that to help Fats and Little Richard.
Pat Boone: “When I recorded their songs, my records of their songs sold 10 times that – and introduced them to the white audiences, or the pop audiences. So, they were grateful for my having recorded their songs. And of course, we became friends, as well.”
From Songfacts
This is a heartache song about a breakup that was the other partner’s fault. Domino wrote it with Dave Bartholomew, who worked on most of Domino’s hits.
Boone’s cover was a huge hit, going to #1 on the US Pop charts and reaching #7 in the UK. This gave Domino’s original recording a boost, and helped it cross over.
Like he did on “I’m Walking,” Domino made sure the beginning of this song was quite memorable, since if the hook comes right at the beginning, it’s more likely to be heard.
You may not know the lyrics, but you probably know how the song starts:
You made… (bomp bomp) Me cry… (bomp bomp) When you said… (bomp bomp) Goodbye… (bomp bomp) Ain’t that a shame
This was a favorite songwriting trick of Domino’s, as he looked for a good, simple section to start a song. And even though songs like this one were often attached to melancholy lyrics, it was the sound that Domino felt was important – if he could make it sound happy, it would evoke pleasant memories.
This was Fats Domino’s first hit song that was not recorded in New Orleans, where the singer lived. He recorded it on March 15, 1955 in a Hollywood studio when he was on tour in Los Angeles. Imperial Records had the engineers compress Fats’ vocals and speed up the song a bit to make the song sound less bluesy and give it more mainstream appeal. This also made it more difficult for other artists to cover the song.
In 1960, Domino recorded a sequel called “Walking To New Orleans,” where he leaves and goes back to his hometown.
This was used in the 1973 movie American Graffiti. It was also used in the movie October Sky.
Cheap Trick’s 1978 cover went to #35 in the US and helped make their At Budokan album a huge hit. A portion of the first guitar solo in their version, played by Rick Nielsen, is lifted from the opening harmonica riff from the Beatles’ “Please Please Me.” That same riff is also used in the guitar outro to the track “The House is Rockin’ (Domestic Problems)” from the band’s 1980 album Dream Police. According to Nielsen, Cheap Trick got the idea to record the song after hearing John Lennon’s 1975 cover version.
In 2007, this was used in commercials for Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. >>
This was the first song that John Lennon learned to play. Lennon later recorded the song in a duet with Yoko Ono, and his fellow Beatle Paul McCartney also recorded the song.
A sample of this song is used as a response to an alien invasion in Buchanan & Goodman’s 1956 hit, “The Flying Saucer.”
Jon Batiste and Gary Clark, Jr. performed this in tribute to Domino at the Grammy Awards in 2018 along with “Maybellene,” in honor of another rock legend who died in 2017, Chuck Berry.
Ain’t That A Shame
You made me cry When you said goodbye
Ain’t that a shame My tears fell like rain Ain’t that a shame You’re the one to blame
You broke my heart When you said we’ll part
Ain’t that a shame My tears fell like rain Ain’t that a shame You’re the one to blame
Oh well goodbye Although I’ll cry
Ain’t that a shame My tears fell like rain Ain’t that a shame You’re the one to blame
You made me cry When you said goodbye
Ain’t that a shame My tears fell like rain Ain’t that a shame You’re the one to blame
Oh well goodbye Although I’ll cry
Ain’t that a shame My tears fell like rain Ain’t that a shame You’re the one to blame
This is a duet with blues legend B.B. King. American blues musicians were a big influence on U2, and the group had a great admiration for King. I bought Rattle and Hum when it came out and thoroughly enjoyed it. This song and Angel of Harlem sold it enough for me to get it.
In 1987, King played a show in Dublin and found out U2 would be in the audience. U2 had just released The Joshua Tree and were very popular, especially in their native Ireland. After the show, King was honored to meet the band and humbled to find out they were big fans. He asked Bono to think of him sometime when he was writing a song, and later on this was the result.
King performed “When Love Comes to Town” with the band for the first time during their Joshua Tree tour at a concert in Fort Worth, Texas on November 24, 1987. Parts of this show as well as the soundcheck were included in the U2 concert documentary Rattle And Hum, which contains a scene where Bono is rehearsing this with King.
The song peaked at #68 in the Billboard 100, #41 in Canada, and #6 in the UK, and #4 in New Zealand in 1989.
After King died on May 14, 2015, U2 paid tribute to him during a show in Vancouver the following night during the Innocence + Experience Tour by playing “When Love Comes to Town” for the first time in 23 years.
From Songfacts
B.B. King opened for U2 on their 1989 “Lovetown” tour, which went through New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Germany, and Holland. King joined U2 when they played this, which usually occurred near the end of their set.
The version used on Rattle And Hum was recorded with B.B. King at Sun Studios in Memphis, where King is royalty. This was one of several new songs on the album, which was a combination of live cuts from their 1987 tour and studio recordings.
This was a huge career boost for B.B. King. Although he was revered in the blues community, he wasn’t well known in the world of rock or pop. His association with U2 brought him a huge number of new fans and changed the dynamic of his audience, which became split between blues purists and rock fans who learned about him through U2. Many of King’s older fans did not appreciate the newcomers.
Admiration between King and Bono on this song was mutual; King was amazed that Bono could write such mature lyrics at such a young age, and Bono was blown away by King’s vocal. “I gave it my absolute everything I had in that howl at the start of the song,” Bono said. “Then B.B. opened his mouth, and I felt like a girl.”
This won the MTV Video Music Award for best video from a film in 1989. The video provided B.B. King with his first exposure to the MTV audience.
Near the beginning of their 1989 tour with B.B. King, U2 threw him a surprise birthday party. They invited King on a boat for what he thought was a fishing trip, but as soon as they left shore, they released balloons and sang Happy Birthday. That night, they had a fireworks display in his honor.
This was B.B. King’s biggest hit in the UK.
B.B. King got another career boost when he teamed up with Eric Clapton in 2000 to record an album called Riding With The King. Many blues legends remain in rock obscurity, but his collaborations with U2 and Clapton gave King a higher profile than any blues musician has achieved. After his recording with Clapton, King opened a series of nightclubs under his name. It helped that King remained a skilled guitarist and powerful vocalist into his 60s.
This was included on U2’s compilation, The Best Of 1980-1990.
BB King played his Gibson “Lucille” guitar probably through a Lab Series amp on this song.
Adam Clayton: “We discovered a common bond between us and some of these older artists like B.B. King. When we met him there was a whole world of understanding and nothing needed to be said. That has been the payoff of working ten years to get into this position. We no longer have to prove ourselves. It’s in the music and people can hear it.”
When Love Comes To Town
I was a sailor, I was lost at sea I was under the waves Before love rescued me I was a fighter, I could turn on a thread Now I stand accused of the things I’ve said
Love comes to town I’m gonna jump that train When love comes to town I’m gonna catch that flame Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down But I did what I did before love came to town
I used to make love under a red sunset I was making promises I was soon to forget She was pale as the lace of her wedding gown But I left her standing before love came to town
I ran into a juke joint when I heard a guitar scream The notes were turning blue, I was dazing in a dream As the music played I saw my life turn around That was the day before love came to town
When love comes to town I’m gonna jump that train When love comes to town I’m gonna catch that flame Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down But I did what I did before love came to town
When love comes to town I’m gonna jump that train When love comes to town I’m gonna catch that flame Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down But I did what I did before love came to town
I was there when they crucified my Lord I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword I threw the dice when they pierced his side But I’ve seen love conquer the great divide
When love comes to town I’m gonna catch that train When love comes to town I’m gonna catch that flame Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down But I did what I did before love came to town
I’m continuing my education on early Pink Floyd. Love what I’m hearing. This one is so sixties that you can smell the incense.
When I first heard this I thought one thing…sixties James Bond…and there is not more cooler than that. Cool guitar riff to open this one up.
It was on Pink Floyd’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. It was written by Syd Barrett.
This song is essentially an ode to Syd Barrett’s cat, Sam. However, it was rumored that it might refer to another man in some kind of relationship with Jenny Spires, who was Barrett’s girlfriend at the time.
In the line, ” Jennifer Gentle you’re a witch,” “Jennifer Gentile” is said to refer to Spires.
Jenny Spires
Rob Chapman, A Very Irregular Head – The Life of Syd Barrett‘Lucifer Sam’ is the odd track out on the Piper album. Neither lengthy instrumental nor three-minute fairy tale, its taut style is a throwback to the Floyd’s earlier raw R&B. ‘Lucifer Sam’ has a compact form and driving riff that would have made it a prime candidate for a single (or at least a perfectly serviceable B-side) if there hadn’t already been stronger contenders. It’s a character song like ‘Arnold Layne’ rather than a still-life study like ’The Scarecrow,’ and by Syd’s oblique standards it is specific and direct. Jenny Spires appears thinly disguised as Jennifer Gentle and although the whole thing wiffs of stoned paranoia (‘that cat’s something I can’t explain’ – it’s just a cat, Syd, there really is nothing to explain) and menacing undertones it also possesses a nimble and playful wit.
Lucifer Sam
Lucifer Sam, Siam cat Always sitting by your side Always by your side That cat’s something I can’t explain
Jennifer Gentle you’re a witch You’re the left side He’s the right side Oh, no! That cat’s something I can’t explain
Lucifer go to sea Be a hip cat, be a ship’s cat Somewhere, anywhere That cat’s something I can’t explain
At night prowling sifting sand Hiding around on the ground He’ll be found when you’re around That cat’s something I can’t explain
It’s good to know somethings just don’t change. This could have been recorded in 1980 and we would not have known. We need consistent things in life and AC/DC gives that to us.
This is a new sneak peak single off of their upcoming album.
Well…they continue their tradition of a riff and a few chords and it works every single time. Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd are back with them and they are coming out with a new album called…Power Up.
The album will contain unreleased songs that were written by Angus and his late brother Malcolm, who died in 2017.
“This record is pretty much a dedication to Malcolm, my brother,” Angus Young said… “It’s a tribute for him like ‘Back in Black’ was a tribute to Bon Scott.”
Here is a youtube comment I had to copy over:
by Thor Odinson
And ACDC came back to save the world.
Shot In The Dark
[Verse 1] I need a pick me up A Rollin’ Thunder truck I need a shot of you That tattooed lady wild Like a mountain lion I got a hunger, that’s the loving truth
[Pre-Chorus] You got a long night coming And a long night pumping You got the right position The heat of transmission
[Chorus] A shot in the dark Make you feel alright A shot in the dark All through the whole night A shot in the dark Yeah, electric sparks A shot in the dark Beats a walk in the park, yeah
[Verse 2] Blast it on the radio Breaking on the TV show Send it out on all the wires And if I didn’t know any better Your mission is to party Till the broad daylight
[Pre-Chorus] You got a long night coming And a long night going You got the right position The heat of transmission
[Chorus] A shot in the dark Make you feel alright A shot in the dark All through the whole night A shot in the dark Yeah, elеctric sparks A shot in the dark Beats a walk in the park, yеah
[Bridge] My mission is to hit ignition
[Chorus] A shot in the dark Make you feel alright A shot in the dark All through the whole night A shot in the dark Yeah, electric sparks A shot in the dark Beats a walk in the park, yeah
One of the best feel-good songs of all time. The reggae-influenced I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash. The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada and #5 in the UK in 1972. The song was written by Johnny Nash and a hit again for Jimmy Cliff in 1993.
It’s one of the first songs I remember.
I Can See Clearly Now
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone All of the bad feelings have disappeared Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin’ for It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there’s nothin’ but blue skies Look straight ahead, nothin’ but blue skies
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
This is the title song to the soundtrack album of the movie Magical Mystery Tour. In reality it was more of a very expensive home movie but I do like it. Like Paul McCartney said…where else would you see a video of the Beatles doing I Am The Walrus?
They began on the song two weeks after Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released.
In the 60s a “Mystery Tour” was a bus trip to an unknown destination. They were popular in England at that time…many times they ended up to see the Blackpool lights.
The song peaked at #2 in the UK. It was not released as a single in the US. The song was written by Lennon and McCartney. Paul’s concept and Lennon helped with the lyrics.
“Magical Mystery Tour” was released as the title track to a six-song double EP in the United Kingdom on 8 December 1967. It was the first example of a double EP in Britain. In the United States, the double EP was stretched to an LP by adding five songs previously released as singles.
Paul McCartney:“’Magical Mystery Tour’ was co-written by John and I, very much in our fairground period. One of our great inspirations was always the Barker. ‘Roll up! Roll up!’
Paul McCartney: “It used to just be called a mystery tour, up north,” “When we were kids, you’d get on a bus, and you didn’t know where you were going, but nearly always it was Blackpool. From Liverpool, it was inevitably Blackpool and everyone would go, ‘Oooo, it was Blackpool after all!’ Everyone would spend time guessing where they were going, and this was part of the thrill. And we remembered those. So much of The Beatles’ stuff was a slight switch on a memory; in ‘Penny Lane,’ the nurse and the barber and the fireman were just people we saw on a bus route, but this time they’d be with us. So we’d always just heighten the reality to make a little bit of surreality. That we were interested in.”
From Songfacts
Five months after recording this, The Beatles started making a TV special with this as the title track. The special aired in the UK in 1967, but didn’t appear in the US until 1976 when it was released in theaters, becoming the fourth Beatles movie. The film, which was an early precursor of today’s reality TV shows, didn’t go over well with critics or fans.
When they started recording this, they only had the title, a little bit of music, and the first line. Paul McCartney wrote the verses, John Lennon the refrain.
The carnival barker at the beginning is Paul McCartney.
In the 1978 movie The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash directed by former Monty Python member Eric Idle, this song is parodied by the title “Tragical History Tour.”
Charles Manson used to refer to life as “A Magical Mystery Tour” after hearing this song. He later warped other Beatles songs (“Helter Skelter,” “Piggies,” “Blackbird”) to explain a race war named Helter Skelter. He used to say that the Beatles were telling it like it is.
Magical Mystery Tour
Roll up roll up for the Mystery Tour Roll up roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up That’s an invitation Roll up for the Mystery Tour Roll up To make a reservation Roll up for the Mystery Tour
The Magical Mystery Tour Is waiting to take you away Waiting to take you away
Roll up Roll up for the Mystery Tour Roll up Roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up They’ve got everything you need Roll up for the Mystery Tour Roll up Satisfaction guaranteed Roll up for the Mystery Tour
The Magical Mystery Tour is hoping to take you away Hoping to take you away
The Mystery Tour
Ah
The Magical Mystery Tour Roll up Roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up That’s an invitation Roll up for the Mystery Tour Roll up To make a reservation Roll up for the Mystery Tour
The Magical Mystery Tour Is coming to take you away Coming to take you away
The Magical Mystery Tour Is dying to take you away Dying to take you away Take you today
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