Keith Richards once said about the Black Crowes…” they have me down pretty well.” The riff in this song was played in open G tuning. Many musicians have played in that tuning but Keith Richards made a career out of it. Songs like Start Me Up, Can You Hear Me Knocking, etc… were wrote in that tuning and has a certain sound that you can only get with that.
Rich Robinson the guitar player and brother Chris the singer wrote this song and it does have a Stones feel to it.
The Black Crowes album Shake Your Money Maker was released in 1990. This album shocked me when I heard it. After longing for something with that 70’s tone…here it was with this new band. I always thought they sounded like The Stones/Faces musically with a Rod Stewart type lead singer.
Jealous Again was the first single off of the album. It only peaked at #75 in the Billboard 100 in 1990. After this single they released “Hard To Handle” and it recieved much more airplay.
Jealous Again
Cheat the odds that made you Brave to try to gamble at times Well I feel like dirty laundry Sending sickness on down the line Tell you why
‘Cause I’m jealous, jealous again Thought it time I let you in Yeah, I’m jealous, jealous again Got no time, baby
Always drunk on Sunday Try’n to feel like I’m at home Smell the gasoline burning Boys out feeling nervous and cold
[Repeat 1st Chorus]
Stop, understand me I ain’t afraid of losing face Stop, understand me I ain’t afraid of ever losing faith in you
Never felt like smiling Sugar wanna’ kill me yet Find me loose lipped and laughing Singing songs ain’t got no regrets
[Repeat 1st and 2nd Chorus]
Don’t you think I want to Don’t you think I would Don’t you think I’d tell you baby If I only could Am I acting crazy Am I just too proud Am I just plain lazy Am I, Am I, Am I, ever
So come on Virginia show me a sign Send up a signal and I’ll throw you the line The stained-glass curtain you’re hiding behind Never let’s in the sun Darlin’ only the good die young
I still turn this one up when I hear it on the radio.
This is a song from Billy Joel’s 1977 rock album The Stranger. The song was successful but not as successful as I thought. It peaked at #24 in the Billboard 100 and #18 in Canada.
Virginia, as mentioned in the first line is Virginia Callaghan, a girl Joel had a crush on when he first started playing in a band. She didn’t even know he existed until she saw him at a gig, but 13 years later he used her as the main character in this song about a Catholic girl who won’t have premarital sex.
Some radio stations and Catholic schools such as Seton Hall University banned the song from college radio, which helped boost sales of the single. But Billy said the song is not anti-religion so much as it is “pro-lust.”
Guess what the ban did? As usual, it boosted the sales and helped the song become a hit.
Billy Joel:“Jewish guilt is visceral, it’s in the stomach. Catholic guilt is in the belfry of the cerebrum, it’s gothic and its got incense, bells tolling, and it has all to do with sin. I wanted to write a song about it, about a guy trying to seduce a Catholic girl. I don’t know what all the fuss was about, because she stayed chaste. I remember taking it over to the drummer, Liberty (DeVitto). ‘Well, it’s true,’ he said, ‘but I don’t know how people are going to respond to it!”
From Songfacts
Many musicians join bands to meet girls, but few overachieve the way Joel did, dating models and even marrying one of them (Christie Brinkley). Virginia Callaghan was the first of these girls who thought differently of Joel after seeing him perform. Billy explained to Uncut in 1998: “I originally started in bands just to meet girls – it was round the time The Beatles first hit America – but I didn’t know you could actually make a living out of it. My first gig was in a church, about ’64 – we did Beatles songs, and this girl I had a crush on, Virginia Callaghan, who normally wouldn’t look twice at me, just stared at me through the whole gig. And I thought, ‘This is so cool!’ And then all these other girls were lookin’ at me as well. Then, at the end of the night, the priest comes up and gives us like 15 dollars apiece, which in ’64 was a fortune! Girls and money! Man, I was hooked.”
This song was originally recorded with a reggae groove, which can be heard on some bootlegs that were inadvertently leaked via drummer Liberty DeVitto’s camp. DeVitto didn’t like the reggae beat, which is why Joel changed it.
This didn’t do very well until church officials around the US heard it and condemned the song. The controversy was great publicity and sent the song up the charts. Joel recalled to the Metro newspaper July 6, 2006 about the controversy stirred up by this number: “That song was released as a single back in 1977, I think. It was not really doing very well, just languishing in the charts. Then it was banned by a radio station in New Jersey at a Catholic university. The minute the kids found out it was banned, they ran out in droves and it became a huge hit. If you tell kids they can’t have something, that’s what they want. I don’t understand the problem with the song. It’s about a guy trying to seduce a girl but, at the end of the song, she’s still chaste and pure and he hasn’t got anything. So I never understood what the furor was about. But I did write a letter to the archdiocese who’d banned it, asking them to ban my next record.”
Melissa Etheridge did a particularly prurient version of this song at a 2014 Billy Joel town hall event hosted by Howard Stern. Etheridge explained that she grew up playing Joel’s songs in piano bars and cover bands, but she never had the chance to perform this one, which was one of her favorites. She explained: “It was the end of the ’70s, and a girl could not sing this song. But of all of his songs, this one really resonated with me. When I was a senior in high school, it hit really close to home. The song is about pure lust. It’s the physical, carnal pleasure: let’s do it.”
Joel’s drummer, Liberty DeVitto, based the opening drum riff on what Mitch Mitchell played at the beginning of the 1967 Jimi Hendrix Experience track “Up From The Skies.”
Only The Good Die Young
Come out Virginia, don’t let ’em wait You Catholic girls start much too late Aw but sooner or later it comes down to faith Oh I might as well be the one
Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray They built you a temple and locked you away Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay For things that you might have done Only the good die young That’s what I said Only the good die young Only the good die young
You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd We ain’t too pretty we ain’t too proud We might be laughing a bit too loud Aw but that never hurt no one
So come on Virginia show me a sign Send up a signal and I’ll throw you the line The stained-glass curtain you’re hiding behind Never let’s in the sun Darlin’ only the good die young Woah I tell ya Only the good die young Only the good die young
You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation You got a brand new soul Mmm, and a cross of gold But Virginia they didn’t give you quite enough information You didn’t count on me When you were counting on your rosary (Oh woah woah)
They say there’s a heaven for those who will wait Some say it’s better but I say it ain’t I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints The sinners are much more fun
You know that only the good die young I tell ya Only the good die young Only the good die young
Well your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation Aw she never cared for me But did she ever say a prayer for me? oh woah woah
Come out come out come out Virginia don’t let ’em wait You Catholic girls start much too late Oh sooner or later it comes down to faith Oh I might as well be the one You know that only the good die young
I’m telling you baby You know that only the good die young Only the good die young Only the good Only the good die young
Peter Green has passed away at age 73. I’ve been listening to that version of Fleetwood Mac a lot lately and he was a great guitar player and songwriter.
Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green has died at the age of 73.
His family have confirmed his death in a statement released by solicitors Swan Turton, who are acting on their behalf.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep,” the statement read. “A further statement will be provided in the coming days.”
The guitarist was born in London on October 29, 1946. He played in several bands after beginning to play professionally at the age of 15, including Bobby Dennis And The Dominoes, and The Muskrats.
In 1965, he met drummer Mick Fleetwood while a member of Peter B’s Looners, with whom he would go on to form Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac alongside guitarist Jeremy Spencer. John McVie later replaced Bob Brunning on bass and the band released their self-titled debut album in February 1968.
John Mellencamp took a three-chord pattern that is used many times in rock and roll (Cherry, Cherry is one) and turned it into Rock in the USA. The song worked well…in the middle of the eighties, he turned this very 60’s sounding song into a big hit. The song peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100 and #7 in Canada in 1986.
Mellencamp name-drops several artists, particularly Frankie Lyman, Bobby Fuller, Mitch Ryder, Jackie Wilson, Shangra La’s, Young Rascals, Martha Reeves and James Brown. These artists were Mellencamp’s influences while growing up.
This song was on the Scarecrow album. To prepare for this album Mellencamp had a great idea. He had his band run through 60’s rock songs for a month. They learned them inside and out and applied the feel on the new songs they were working on the album.
Larry Crane the guitarist: “We got a bunch of those tapes you see advertised on TV with all the old songs on them, and God, we learned everything.”
Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Best Albums of the Eighties,” ranked Scarecrow at #95… that surprises me that it’s that low on the list. In my opinion, this album was the peak of his career.
From Songfacts
“R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” is subtitled “A Salute to ’60s Rock,” and despite Mellencamp’s feeling that “I don’t think people are getting the idea of what the song’s about, so I must’ve not done a very good job,” the song became a big hit. It tells the story of how rock and roll emerged in America, and how those (now infamous) musicians that were not afraid to take personal risks for the sake of their music became a strong influence on the next generation, including Mellencamp, who sings: “[They] Filled our head full of dreams, turned the world upside down.”
Growing up, Mellencamp listened to AM radio at a time when the same station would play a mix of styles, exposing him to rock, folk, soul and R&B at an early age.
John Mellencamp released “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” in 1985 on his eighth album Scarecrow. The album peaked at #2 in the US, with three Top 10 hit singles, this being the biggest. The overall theme of the album is the decay of societal foundations in rural America, but this song is a departure from that theme. Far from satirical, Mellencamp intends to portray a mournful U.S.A. that has been slowly eaten out from inside by the industries that substitute greed for the American Dream, but “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A” was so against the grain of this album’s emotional profile that Mellencamp almost excluded it from the album.
Mellencamp’s interest in recreating the sounds of the heyday of rock & roll has spanned his entire career; in 2009 he recorded songs for the 2010 album No Better than This at Sun Studios (in the footsteps of Elvis) and other historical locations. The recording techniques used for this album are purposefully raw in an attempt to reconnect with his roots, a reflection of Mellencamp’s ideology of “Real music, for real people!”
In this way, Mellencamp was paying homage, but he was also paying his dues. For example, the late Bobby Fuller’s mention on a Top 10 song, and a platinum album, was enough to revive flagging interest in the artist (as well as get Mellencamp a credit on a Bobby Fuller Four Best-Of album). Said Mellencamp: “When I played in Albuquerque, I think it was, his [Fuller’s] mom and some of his family came down to see me play. They acted like I gave them 60 million dollars just for mentioning his name. They gave me his belt that he died in.”
The instrumental break in this song is very clever. When we first hear it, it’s played on an ocarina, which is a small wind instrument of ancient Eastern origins, thought to be 12,000 years old, and often made in the shape of a bird and used to imitate its fluting song. This is a nod to the song “Wild Thing” by The Troggs, which featured an ocarina solo. In Mellencamp’s song, the riff is then played on guitar and later on keyboards, going through various musical forms popular in ’60s rock. In concert, Mellencamp would often bring a fan onstage to dance with him during this section.
In the months prior to recording Scarecrow, Mellencamp’s band worked their way through nearly a hundred cover songs. Mellencamp hoped that through these covers, they would absorb the stylistic essence of the era through osmosis. Mellencamp’s bassist Toby Myers admitted that, “I thought he was giving us busywork, but he wanted us to understand what made those songs tick so we could put some of that grit into his songs.” The band was surprised by the sheer quantity of different styles that characterized the era. “Take an old Rascals song for example,” Mellencamp said. “There’s everything from marching band beats to soul music to country sounds in one song.”
For the Scarecrow album, Mellencamp moved away from the stage-name, John Cougar, which had been given to him by Tony DeFries, his first manager, and became “John Cougar Mellencamp” (he would drop the “cougar” completely by 1989). This was a fortunate move, because 2009 saw the release of the hit sitcom Cougar Town starring Courteney Cox (as the main “cougar”). The ensuing taunts that would have come with the transition of cultural interpretation from a cougar being an imposing catamount to a sexy middle-aged woman might have been enough to revive Mellencamp’s reputation as a hothead prone to bursts of anger in his old age. As if continually being compared to Bruce Springsteen wasn’t enough…
This song forms part of a greater genre of songs that spell out words in the lyrics, like Otis Redding’s song “Respect” (made famous by Aretha Franklin) or “Lola” by the Kinks.
Mellencamp’s title wasn’t too far from Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.,” released a year earlier. That song was often misinterpreted as a celebration of America, when it was really about the plight of a Vietnam War veteran.
In keeping with ’60s hit single tradition, Mellencamp kept this song under three minutes long – it clocks in at 2:54.
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
They come from the cities And they come from the smaller towns Beat up cars with guitars and drummers Goin crack boom bam
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A., Yeah, Yeah! Rockin’ in the U.S.A.
Said goodbye to their families Said goodbye to their friends With pipe dreams in their heads And very little money in their hands Some are black and some are white Ain’t to proud to sleep on the floor tonight With the blind faith of Jesus you know that they just might, be Rockin’ in the U.S.A. Hey!
Voices from nowhere And voices from the larger towns Filled our head full of dreams Turned the world upside down
There was Frankie Lyman-Bobby Fuller-Mitch Ryder (They were Rockin’) Jackie Wilson-Shangra-las-Young Rascals (They were Rockin’) Spotlight on Martha Reeves Let’s don’t forget James Brown Rockin’ in the U.S.A. Rockin’ in the U.S.A. Hey!
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A., Yeah, Yeah! Rockin’ in the U.S.A.
This song is iconic and known all over the world. I automatically think of motorcycles and bar bands. We played in a few bars that bikers were visitors…this song was a requirement if you wanted to continue breathing.
Born To Be Wild has been used in countless amounts of shows and movies…One request to use the song however was turned down in 2004. Paris Hilton wanted to use it as part of her reality show The Simple Life 2. Kay denied it, telling the Toronto Star, “There are certain things even a rock ‘n’ roller will not stoop to.”
After reading that…my respect for John Kay just took a giant leap!
The song was used in the 1969 movie Easy Rider, the counterculture classic. Another Steppenwolf song, “The Pusher,” was also used in the film.
When the movie was in production, this was simply a placeholder. Peter Fonda wanted Crosby, Stills, and Nash to do the soundtrack. It became clear that the song belonged in the movie, and it stayed. Being included in this movie cemented the song’s association with motorcycles… “Teach Your Children” just doesn’t have the same ring, does it?
This was written by Mars Bonfire, which is the stage name of Dennis Edmonton. He wasn’t a member of Steppenwolf, but his brother Jerry was the band’s drummer. Bonfire wrote a few other songs for Steppenwolf as well, including “Ride With Me” and “Tenderness.”
With the line “heavy metal thunder,” this became the first popular song to use the phrase “heavy metal,” which became a term for hard rock. William Burroughs is credited with coining the phrase, as he used it in his 1961 novel The Soft Machine, describing his character Uranian Willy as “the Heavy Metal Kid.”
The song peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #30 in the UK, and #32 in New Zealand in 1968.
Mars Bonfire (Writer): “I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard one day and saw a poster in a window saying ‘Born to Ride’ with a picture of a motorcycle erupting out of the earth like a volcano with all this fire around it. Around this time I had just purchased my first car, a little secondhand Ford Falcon. So all this came together lyrically: the idea of the motorcycle coming out along with the freedom and joy I felt in having my first car and being able to drive myself around whenever I wanted. ‘Born To Be Wild’ didn’t stand out initially. Even the publishers at Leeds Music didn’t take it as the first or second song I gave them. They got it only because I signed as a staff writer. Luckily, it stood out for Steppenwolf. It’s like a fluke rather than an achievement, though.”
Born To Be Wild
Get your motor runnin’ Head out on the highway Lookin’ for adventure And whatever comes our way Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once and Explode into space
I like smoke and lightning Heavy metal thunder Racin’ with the wind And the feelin’ that I’m under Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once and Explode into space
Like a true nature’s child We were born, born to be wild We can climb so high I never wanna die
Born to be wild Born to be wild
Get your motor runnin’ Head out on the highway Lookin’ for adventure And whatever comes our way Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once and Explode into space
Like a true nature’s child We were born, born to be wild We can climb so high I never wanna die
And the preacher said, you know you always have the Lord by your side And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran Twenty red lights in his honor Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord
When I saw the Rolling Stones in the 90s there was a vote on a song for them to play. This one won and I didn’t suspect it. Frankly, I would rather hear this than yet another version of Satisfaction or Jumping Jack Flash although I love those songs.
Mick said he wrote this after driving through Bakersfield on a Sunday morning. He would listen to the country music stations and they would many times be broadcasting black gospel church services.
This tongue in cheek song was released as the B-side to Miss You. It’s a fun song because it’s so unlike them.
Mick Jagger: “I knew Gram Parsons quite well, and he was one of the few people who really helped me to sing country music — before that, Keith and I used to just copy it off records. I used to play piano with Gram, and on “Faraway Eyes” I’m playing piano, though Keith is actually playing the top part — we added it on after. But I wouldn’t say this song was influenced specifically by Gram. That idea of country music played slightly tongue in cheek — Gram had that in “Drugstore Truck Drivin’ Man,” and we have that sardonic quality, too.
Far Away Eyes
I was driving home early Sunday morning through Bakersfield Listening to gospel music on the colored radio station And the preacher said, you know you always have the Lord by your side And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran Twenty red lights in his honor Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord
I had an arrangement to meet a girl, and I was kind of late And I thought by the time I got there she’d be off She’d be off with the nearest truck driver she could find Much to my surprise, there she was sittin’ in the corner A little bleary, worse for wear and tear Was a girl with far away eyes
So if you’re down on your luck And you can’t harmonize Find a girl with far away eyes And if you’re downright disgusted And life ain’t worth a dime Get a girl with far away eyes
Well the preacher kept right on saying that all I had to do was send Ten dollars to the church of the Sacred Bleeding Heart Of Jesus Located somewhere in Los Angeles, California And next week they’d say my prayer on the radio And all my dreams would come true So I did, the next week, I got a prayer with a girl Well, you know what kind of eyes she got, well I’ll tell ya
So if you’re down on your luck I know you all sympathize Find a girl with far away eyes And if you’re downright disgusted And life ain’t worth a dime Get a girl with far away eyes
So if you’re down on your luck I know you all sympathize Get a girl with far away eyes
This post is a small double shot…I included the A-side Easy Livin’ but the one I like the most is the B side Traveler In Time. This wasn’t the original single…it was released a little later.
Sometimes I like going off the beaten path and I’m in the woods with this one. Traveler In Time, I picked up from the BBC TV show Life On Mars from 2006. I’m not a huge fan of progressive rock but the song has a good musical hook and the singer is unreal.
Traveler In Time and Easy Livin’ was on the album Demons and Wizards released in 1971. The album made it to #23 in the Billboard Album Chart, #22 in Canada, and #20 in the UK.
Easy Livin’ peaked at #39 in the Billboard 100 and #27 in Canada in 1972.
Easy Livin’ was the only Uriah Heep song to crack the Top 40 in the United States. It was an even bigger hit in the Netherlands and Finland, two countries that had a large Uriah Heep fanbase.
Traveller In Time
Every day I have to look to the sun To see where it was that I have come from I have a feelin that there must be a time When I’ll get a chance to go home ‘Cause I’m so tired of being here alone But I’m just a traveller in time Trying so hard to pay for my crime
If I could go back the same way I got here And see the people that I once held so near I’d do my best to find an answer for you But first I must wait ’til I’m set free And I don’t know how long that’s gonna be ‘Cause I’m a man with a whole lot on his mind Just out there somewhere travelling in time Travelling in Time I’ve tried for so long to find some way Of helping mankind
Breakdown is one of the first songs that I ever heard by Tom Petty. In my band days, my friend Chris showed me the intro to this on guitar…I still know most of it. The dynamics of this song makes it a great song to hear live.
At first, Mike Campbell’s guitar lick was only used at the end of the song. Dwight Twilley came by the studio when Petty was playing it back and suggested they use it throughout the song. Petty liked the idea and called the band back to the studio in the middle of the night to re-record it.
This was Petty’s first single. When it was first released in January 1977 it went nowhere, but after months of touring, it was re-released in October and it hit. It peaked at #40 in the Billboard 100 and #40 in Canada in 1977.
From Songfacts
Dwight Twilley, who had a hit in 1975 with “I’m On Fire,” was signed to the same label as Petty, and was on the same career path for a while. Petty sang on some of Twilley’s songs, including his 1984 hit “Girls.”
Lyrically more sparse than most Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers tracks, “Breakdown” finds Petty ready to end a union that has become toxic. “Go ahead and give it to me,” he tells her.
When the band first recorded this song, it was 7-minutes long, with an extended guitar solo at the end. The final version clocks in at a tidy 2:43.
This was featured in the 1978 movie FM. About a radio station in California, the movie was the basis for the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati. This was also included on the soundtrack.
Breakdown
It’s alright if you love me It’s alright if you don’t I’m not afraid of you runnin’ away, honey I get the feeling you won’t
You see, there is no sense in pretending Your eyes give you away Something inside you is feeling like I do We said all there is to say
Baby, breakdown, go ahead, give it to me Breakdown, honey, take me through the night (baby, baby, breakdown) Breakdown, now I’m standin’ here, can’t you see? Breakdown, it’s all right It’s all right It’s all right Yeah, it’s all right It’s all right
Breakdown, go ahead, give it to me Breakdown, honey, take me through the night (baby, baby, breakdown) Breakdown, now I’m standin’ here, can’t you see? Breakdown, it’s all right It’s all right It’s all right Yeah, it’s all right
Gotta feelin’ it’s all right Yeah, it’s all right It’s all right Well, is it all right? I wanna hear you in the studio Way back there Is it all right? Is everybody sure it’s all right? Yeah, it’s all right ‘Cause if you leave if you want to Baby, I don’t mind Been standin’, facin’ Livin’ with it every day of my life It’s all right Can walk on out that door, baby It’s all right Baby, breakdown It’s all right And if you want to leave It’s all right I don’t mind It’s all right It’s all right
The Fandango album was my first introduction to ZZ Top. The album was half live and half studio. This one and Tush were my favorites of the album.
This song is a tribute to the “Border Blaster” radio stations in Mexico, specifically the two that were run by the famous disc jockey Wolfman Jack, XERF in Via Acuna, , and XERB, (in Rosarito Beach near Tijuana).
Mexican radio stations did not have to adhere to the power limits of US stations, which gave them the ability to pump their signal well into the States.
This song was on the Fandango album and was not released as a single. The album peaked at #10 in the Billboard Album Chart and #60 in the UK.
The album was helped by the hit single Tush that peaked at #20 on the Billboard 100.
Billy Gibbons:“All Mexican stations’ call letters begin with X. The X stations used to be heard everywhere because of their enormous power. The Mexican government granted licenses with no wattage ceiling. The US, back in the ’20s, established 50,000 watts as the maximum. WLS in Chicago is 50,000 watts, and you can hear it like a police call in Houston. I’m sure 500,000 watts you can pick up here in Canada. You can probably pick up XERF. It was just outrageous. You could pick it up everywhere and we’d go. And it would bury everything else. KDRC in Houston was on a close frequency, and they would get stomped on. They had to move. XERF is 1570 on the dial. I think that remains the most powerful station.”
Dusty Hill: “They’ll sell segments to anybody. There are a lot of preachers on there. I heard them one time selling autographed prayer cloths. They were to put on your radio when you’re listening to these programs. But this one was autographed by Jesus himself. Then you’d hear a 15-minute country western show. Then there’d be a blues show. You could just buy your slot and do whatever. They didn’t have a whole lot of restrictions.”
From Songfacts
Asked if ZZ Top was ever played “on the X,” Gibbons said: “We did, in fact. They do not have a pop music playlist, but the song was brought to the attention of the station owner, who, it turns out, is an attorney in Del Rio who considers the station his favorite toy. He decided to have a 15-minute pop music segment, and we did get played on XERF and then on XERB in Rosarita. They also have XROC in Juarez. So it went full circle. We heard ‘I Heard It in the X’ on the X.”
Members of ZZ Top share the same influences, which helped forge their sound. The first line of this song is a nod to those influences, which they heard on the border blaster stations:
Heard It On The X
Do you remember Back in nineteen sixty-six? Country Jesus, hillbilly blues, That’s where I learned my licks. Oh, from coast to coast and line to line In every county there, I’m talkin’ ’bout that outlaw X Is cuttin’ through the air.
Anywhere, y’all, Everywhere, y’all, I heard it, I heard it, I heard it on the X.
We can all thank Doctor be Who stepped across the line. With lots of watts he took control, The first one of its kind. So listen to your radio Most each and every night ’cause if you don’t I’m sure you won’t Get to feeling right.
Anywhere, y’all, Everywhere, y’all, I heard it, I heard it, I heard it on the X.
Another new old song from the upcoming reissue of Goats Head Soup. This one features Jimmy Page and was probably named after his daughter. It has a very cool groove to it.
The Stones’ Keith Richards has his own recollections on how “Scarlet” took shape and how “we walked in at the end of a Zeppelin session. They were just leaving, and we were booked in next and I believe that Jimmy decided to stay.”
“Scarlet” was a freak accident. “We weren’t actually cutting it as a track,” enthuses Richards in a statement, “it was basically for a demo, a demonstration, you know, just to get the feel of it, but it came out well, with a line up like that, you know, we better use it.‘’
Baby you excite me But you talk too much Won’t stand on a corner Love you more, oh yeah
Scarlet, why you wearing my heart, on your sleeve Where it ain’t supposed to be
Scarlet, why you tearing my heart, all to pieces It ain’t the way it’s supposed to be
Scarlet, why are you keeping my heart, to yourself It ain’t the way it’s supposed to be
Scarlet, Scarlet Ooh yeah!
You don’t have to change your mind And leave this neighbourhood so far behind Honey you don’t have to cry no more When I come a knocking, right at your front door
Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet
Scarlet, why you wearing my heart, on your sleeve Where it ain’t supposed to be Scarlet, Scarlet, oh
Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet Why you wearing my heart
Scarlet, why you wearing my heart Scarlet, why you wearing my heart Scarlet, why you wearing my heart Scarlet
This was made during a period where Eric was doing some country-inspired songs. I love the intro and the guitar in the song.
The song was written by Eric Clapton, Marcy Levy, and George Terry. This was released as a single with Cocaine as the B side.
Marcy Levy, one of Clapton’s backup singers, wrote this with him and sang on it. Also getting a songwriting credit on this track is George Terry, who also played guitar on the track. Terry was a member of Clapton’s band.
Lay Down Sally is one of Clapton’s biggest American hits. He wrote it in the style of one of his favorite songwriters, the Oklahoma musician J.J. Cale…Clapton said the song was as close as an Englishman could get to being J.J. Cale.
The song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100, #3 in Canada, and #39 in the UK in 1978. The song was on the album Slowhand.
From Songfacts
In this song, Clapton tries to convince a girl to hang out with him in bed instead of leaving. The song is not typical of Clapton’s work, which is often based on the blues.
“Lay Down Sally” is grammatically incorrect, as it would mean taking Sally and actually placing her horizontally. When asking Sally to join him in bed, Clapton’s correct grammar would be “Lie Down Sally.” He’s in good company: Bob Dylan also ignored this rule of grammar in “Lay Lady Lay.”
Eric Clapton once had his hand slammed in a car door by a member of the band The Blues Project. As told in Al Kooper’s Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards, during the landmark 1967 concert “Murray the K’s Easter Rock Extravaganza,” Clapton, Steve Katz, and Kooper headed out to a local music store between sets and were a little late getting back. Hurrying out of the cab, “Steve was right behind me and as he left the cab he accidentally slammed the door right on Clapton’s hand! Eric began to scream in pain, and Steve turned around, ran back, and opened the door. Miraculously, Eric hadn’t broken any bones or even punctured his skin for that matter. Steve felt like a jerk, however. Can you imagine that kind of guilt?”
This is the first track on the album. Depending on who you ask, “Slowhand” was either a nickname given to Clapton by the group’s manager when he was with The Yardbirds (because of his laid-back guitar style), or derived from what would happen when Clapton would break a string on stage: the audience would do a “slow hand clap” while he fixed it.
Lay Down Sally
There is nothing that is wrong In wanting you to stay here with me I know you’ve got somewhere to go But won’t you make yourself at home and stay with me? And don’t you ever leave
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don’t you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I’ve been trying all night long just to talk to you
The sun ain’t nearly on the rise And we still got the moon and stars above Underneath the velvet skies Love is all that matters Won’t you stay with me? And don’t you ever leave
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don’t you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I’ve been trying all night long just to talk to you
I long to see the morning light Coloring your face so dreamily So don’t you go and say goodbye You can lay your worries down and stay with me And don’t you ever leave
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don’t you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I’ve been trying all night long just to talk to you
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don’t you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I’ve been trying all night long just to talk to you
When I hear jangly Rickenbacker guitars I’m automatically happy … The Byrds influence everyone from Tom Petty to Cheap Trick to Big Star to new bands now. If I could go back to any era… it would be the mid-sixties. Much of the music we hear today has elements of this period.
Bob Dylan wrote “Mr. Tambourine Man,” which was originally released on his fifth album Bringing It All Back Home in early 1965. His version wasn’t released as a single, but when The Byrds released their cover later in 1965, it was a massive hit.
It peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK, and #2 in Canada in 1965. topping the charts in both the US and UK. It’s the only song Dylan ever wrote that went to #1 in America.
Roger Mcguinn said he was trying for a vocal between John Lennon and Bob Dylan.
David Crosby:“He came to hear us in the studio when we were building The Byrds. After the word got out that we gonna do ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ and we were probably gonna be good, he came there and he heard us playing his song electric, and you could see the gears grinding in his head. It was plain as day. It was like watching a slow-motion lightning bolt.”
From Songfacts
Dylan wrote this on a road trip he took with some friends from New York to San Francisco. They smoked lots of marijuana along the way, replenishing their stash at post offices where they had mailed pot along the way.
The Byrds version is based on Bob Dylan’s demo of the song that he recorded during sessions for his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan (Dylan’s version was not yet released when The Byrds recorded it). It was The Byrds manager Jim Dickson who brought in the demo and asked them to record it – the group refused at first because they thought it didn’t have any hit potential. When The Byrds did record it, they took some lyrics out and added a 12-string guitar lead.
Only three of the five members of the Byrds performed on this song: Roger McGuinn sang lead and played lead guitar; Gene Clark and David Crosby did the vocal harmonies.
Session musicians were brought in to play the other instruments, since the band was just starting out and wasn’t deemed good enough yet by their management. The session musicians who played on this song were the Los Angeles members of what came to be known as “The Wrecking Crew” when drummer Hal Blaine used that term in his 1990 book. This group of about 50 players ended up on many hit songs of the era.
The Byrds who didn’t play on this one were bass player Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke.
This was the Byrds’ first single. In a 1975 interview with Let It Rock, Roger McGuinn explained how the unrefined sound of this song came about. Said McGuinn: “To get that sound, that hit sound, that ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ sound, we just ran it through the electronics which were available to us at that time, which were mainly compression devices and tape delay, tape-sustain. That’s how we got it, by equalizing it properly and aiming at a specific frequency.
For stereo-buffs out there who noticed that ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ in stereo isn’t really stereo, by the way, that’s because when Terry Melcher, the producer, first started mixing records he didn’t know how to mix stereo, and so he made all the singles up to ‘Turn Turn Turn’ mono. The label is misrepresentative. See, when Columbia Records signed us, they didn’t know what they had. So they gave production to someone low on the totem-pole-which was Terry Melcher who was Doris Day’s son who was getting a token-job-in-the-mailroom sort of thing. They gave him the Byrds and the Byrds were supposed to flunk the test.”
This was inspired by a folk guitarist named Bruce Langhorne. As Dylan explained: “Bruce was playing with me on a bunch of early records. On one session, [producer] Tom Wilson had asked him to play tambourine. And he had this gigantic tambourine. It was, like, really big. It was as big as a wagon wheel. He was playing and this vision of him playing just stuck in my mind.”
Dylan never told Langhorne about it (Bruce had to read about it in the Biograph album liner notes, like the rest of us). He wrote the song and recorded a version with Rambling Jack Elliot that got to the Byrds (known as the Jet Set at the time) before it was ever put on a record.
Dylan claims that despite popular belief, this was not about drugs: “Drugs never played a part in that song… ‘disappearing through the smoke rings in my mind,’ that’s not drugs; drugs were never that big a thing with me. I could take ’em or leave ’em, never hung me up.” >>
This was the first of many Bob Dylan songs recorded by the Byrds. Others include: “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue,” and “Chimes of Freedom.”
The production style was based on The Beach Boys song “Don’t Worry Baby,” which was the suggestion of producer Terry Melcher. Bill Pitman, Leon Russell and Hal Blaine had all played on that Beach Boys song, so it wasn’t hard for them to re-create the sound on this track.
This was the first influential folk-rock song. All of the characteristics of that genre are present, including chorus harmonies, a rock rhythm section and lots of thought-provoking lyrics.
This was discussed in the 1995 movie, Dangerous Minds. In the movie, they talked about the underlying drug references this song might entail… Example: “Mr. Tambourine Man”=Drug Dealer; “Play a song for me”=give me a joint. The basis for this theory was that music was heavily censored at that time, so musicians would share their feelings about drugs and unallowed subject material through coded songs. >>
Although the Byrds didn’t write this or play most of the instruments, they would later write the song “Rock N’ Roll Star,” which made fun of The Monkees for not writing their own songs and not playing their own instruments.
In the movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers (Mike Myers) attempts to play the CD of this album on a record player.
While many interpreted the song as a thinly veiled drugs record, McGuinn had other ideas. Having joined the Eastern cult religion Subud just 10 days prior to entering the studio, he saw the song as “a prayer of submission.” McGuinn told The Byrds’ biographer, Johnny Rogan, in 1997: “Underneath the lyrics to ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ regardless of what Dylan meant, I was turning it into a prayer. I was singing to God and I was saying that God was the Tambourine Man and I was saying to him, ‘Hey God, take me for a trip and I’ll follow you.'”
Chris Hillman admitted to Mojo that he’s never been a fan of The Byrds’ version. “Even though it opened the floodgates, I never liked that track,” he said. “I loved the song, but I never liked the track – it was too slick. I always wonder what would have happened if we cut it ourselves. But in a business sense Columbia were hedging their bets, because we were a pretty crude sounding band then.”
Bob Dylan didn’t make it to Woodstock, but four of his songs did, including “Mr. Tambourine Man,” which Melanie included in her set on the first day. Joan Baez and The Band both did “I Shall Be Released,” and Joe Cocker sang two Dylan songs: “Just Like A Woman” and “Dear Landlord.”
Roger McGuinn admitted to Uncut magazine he was petrified going into the studio to record “Mr. Tambourine Man.” “I was playing with the big boys, the Wrecking Crew. I was so nervous that Hal Blaine kept saying to me, ‘Settle down kid. Why don’t you go out and have a couple of beers?'”
Mr. Tamourine Man
Hey, Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me I’m not sleepy and there ain’t no place I’m going to Hey, Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle morning, I’ll come followin’ you
Take me for a trip upon your magic swirling ship All my senses have been stripped And my hands can’t feel to grip and my toes too numb to step Wait only for my boot heels to be wandering
I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade Into my own parade Cast your dancing spell my way I promise to go under it
Hey, Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me I’m not sleepy and there ain’t no place I’m going to Hey, Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle morning, I’ll come followin’ you
This is my second round choice from Hanspostcard’s album draft…100 albums in 100 days.
I bought this album when I was 14. I had a few albums by The Who…Face Dances, Big Meaty Big and Bouncy, and a greatest hits package called Hooligans. Hooligans was a 4 album set and had four songs from Who’s Next and that sample was enough to know I wanted the complete album.
With headphones on, I placed needle to vinyl and could not get over the sound…the sonic boom. The biggest sound I have ever heard before on record. I listened to every song three times through in the first sitting. I knew I finally found a band that moved me like no other except The Beatles. After this came Tommy, Quadrophenia, and The Who Sell Out…but this album left me speechless. Before this record. I liked the Who…after the album they were THE WHO.
It was 1981 and this album had been out for 10 years but that made no difference. As with the Beatles, I was late to the fan party but when I arrived… I arrived in style with Who’s Next under my arm.
There is not one clinker on the album. Forty-three minutes and thirty-eight seconds of pure bliss.
I have a Glyn Johns quote on recording the album to start this off.
I have a residing memory of sitting in the truck, my hair being parted by what was coming out of the speakers, a massive amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins. There have been a few occasions over the years when I have been completely blown away, believing without a doubt that what I was listening to would become much more than just commercially successful but also a marker in the evolution of popular music, and this was one of those moments.
Won’t Get Fooled Again… this is the best concert song I’ve witnessed on film or live in person. It has drama, action, suspense, and aggression… just as much as any movie. Every member of the band is at the top of their game. You have Pete’s thick power chords, John Entwistle’s rolling basslines, Keith Moon’s controlled chaos, and Roger holding it down and keeping it grounded.
When your bookends on an album are Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again you have a great album.
My favorite song on the album is Bargain. Moon’s drumming on this song alone makes it worth a listen. Pete Townshend has said the subject of the song is God…as one critic put it… it may be the angriest message God ever received.
Goin’ Mobile is a great vehicle for Townshend’s voice…and how could you not like the line..Play the tape machine, make the toast and tea, When I’m mobile.
Behind Blue Eyes is a song that lulls you with a beautiful melody with sparse accompaniment (probably the longest Moon ever sat on his hands while recording) and then it happens…all hell breaks loose and Roger sings…no correction…he doesn’t sing…he demands When my fist clenches, crack it open, Before I use it and lose my cool… it’s like getting hit by a bus that you didn’t see coming…and then it’s over.
My Wife is a song John Entwistle wrote for the album and one of his best songs. A rocking and hilarious look at marriage by a desperate man. Love Aint For Keeping is a song that gets a lot of play at my home and car. It has a great message. Getting In Tune…this song starts off as a slow ballad and then The Who kicks it up a notch as usual.
The Song Is Over is a beautiful song with Pete and Roger taking turns singing.
Baba O’Riley…One of the most well-known intros in rock ever. Not much else to say about this song except dynamic and exhilarating…that about sums it up.
Who’s Next was released on August 14, 1971. It started off as a rock opera called Lifehouse. The problem was that Pete could not get the idea across to other band members, journalists, or even his producer Glyn Johns. It was suggested to dump the story and make a great standalone album of the songs. The Who did just that.
This album kicked down the door to the seventies and future. The mixture of synthesizers and guitars are perfect. The synthesizers still sound fresh and vibrant today. 1971 was an extraordinary year for great albums…this one helped lead the way.
So far on Max’s Desert Island, I have the White Album and Who’s Next. Life is good…I think I will pick up my guitar and play…just like yesterday.
Introgroove did a 50th-anniversary post on the great Cosmo’s Factory album and it got me thinking about this song again. This song has a gospel feel with soul. It’s the closest thing to a love song that John wrote while still with Creedence Clearwater Revival.
It was the B side to “Looking Out My Back Door.” This continued the great double A sided singles that they released.
Lookin’ Out My Back Door/Long As I Can See The Light peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100 and #1 in Canada in 1970.
John Fogerty:“About the loner in me. Wanting to feel understood, needing those at home to shine a light so that I can make my way back.”
Cosmo’s Factory peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1970.
Long As I Can See The Light
Put a candle in the window, ’cause I feel I’ve got to move. Though I’m going, going, I’ll be coming home soon, ‘Long as I can see the light.
Pack my bag and let’s get movin’, ’cause I’m bound to drift a while. When I’m gone, gone, you don’t have to worry long, ‘Long as I can see the light.
Guess I’ve got that old trav’lin’ bone, ’cause this feelin’ won’t leave me alone. But I won’t, won’t be losin’ my way, no, no ‘Long as I can see the light.
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Oh, Yeah!
Put a candle in the window, ’cause I feel I’ve got to move. Though I’m going, going, I’ll be coming home soon, Long as I can see the light. Long as I can see the light. Long as I can see the light. Long as I can see the light. Long as I can see the light.
I’ve always liked the flow of the guitar intro in this song. Many of the 1970’s southern rock bands were influenced by Cream, Free, and The Stones but they put their own spin on it.
The song peaked at #34 in the Billboard 100 in 1975.
This song’s chorus was written by Outlaws drummer Monte Yoho, and lead guitarist/singer Hughie Thomasson filled out the rest of the words.
Clive Davis of Arista Records discovered them and signed the group to their first record deal; they became the fledgling label’s first rock band. Their self-titled debut album quickly went gold on the success of hits like “Green Grass and High Tides,” and this song.
Guitar Player Henry Paul:“‘There goes another love song,’ that specific line, ‘Someone’s singing about me again, now I need more than a friend,’ was written by Monte. He was a man of very few words, our drummer. He was a very smart and sharp, witty guy, but he wasn’t the most poetic character. I’m not trying to say that he was a dumb guy, just that his sense of poetry was on the target, but it wasn’t close to the center. But he wrote that, and then Hughie sort of rounded out the song with the verses.”
From Songfacts
Henry Paul, founding member of The Outlaws, says this is another in their repertoire of songs about being on the road: “‘Trying to get back to where I know I belong,’ there we are again, sitting in some stupid Days Inn in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1974.” And even though they were doing something they loved, and on the edge of serious success, it didn’t assuage the caged feeling of not being able to see their loved ones. Says Paul, “Even as much as you love your job, there’s things about that lifestyle that’ll make you do things you don’t want to admit that you did. That’s why they throw TVs out of window. That’s why the rock and roll thing is so violent and self-destructive.It’s kind of like being a lab rat stuck in some treadmill hell, that in order to keep your sanity you’ve got to lash out at what’s right immediately there, whether it’s your hotel room or shooting a TV or being Keith Moon over and over again. But that’s where that song came from, and it had a very commercial appeal, and it was a single for us. And although it didn’t chart particularly high, it was obviously and definitely a cornerstone in our musical career.”
There Goes Another Love Song
Sometimes I feel like I’m getting kinda low Thoughts that I’m thinkin’ are the reason So I try to remember without talkin’ to myself Things that I said or maybe things that I felt about you
Sittin’ in a corner of a crowded bar room People all around me and I still feel alone Just when I know I’m gonna break down and cry Someone played a tune that dried the tear from my eye
There goes another love song Someone singin’ about me again There goes another love song Now I need more than a friend
Lonesome and lonely, far from my home Tryin’ to get back to where I know I belong Wishin’ and hopin’ I was already there I just heard a voice whispered in my ear, singin’
There goes another love song Someone singin’ about me again There goes another love song Now I need more than a friend
There goes another love song Someone singin’ about me again There goes another love song Now I need it more than a friend
There goes another love song Someone singin’ about me again There goes another love song Now I need more than a friend
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