Well, this one was a no brainer. This one wraps up this short series. The song was off of the C’mon, C’mon album which peaked at #2 in 2002.
In the music video for the song, Sheryl Crow recreates the car chase scene from McQueen’s movie “Bullitt” and the motorcycle chase from his film “The Great Escape.”
Sheryl won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for this song.
Steve McQueen
Well I went to bed in Memphis And I woke up in Hollywood I got a quarter in my pocket And I’d call you if I could But I don’t know why I gotta fly
I want to rock and roll this party I still want to have some fun I want to leave you feeling breathless Show you how the west was won But I gotta fly I gotta fly
Like Steve McQueen All I need’s a fast machine And I’m gonna make it all right Like Steve McQueen Underneath your radar screen You’ll never catch me tonight
I ain’t takin’ shit off no one Baby that was yesterday I’m an all American rebel Making my big getaway Yeah you know it’s time I gotta fly
Like Steve McQueen All I need’s a fast machine And I’m gonna make it all right Like Steve McQueen Underneath your radar screen You’ll never catch me tonight
Like Steve McQueen Like Steve McQueen
We got rock stars in the White House All our pop stars look like porn All my heroes hit the highway They don’t hang out here no more
You can try me on my cell phone You can page me all night long But you won’t catch this free bird I’ll already be long gone
Like Steve McQueen All we need’s a fast machine And we’re gonna make it all right Like Steve McQueen Underneath your radar screen You’ll never catch us tonight
Like Steve McQueen All we need’s a fast machine And we’re gonna make it all right Like Steve McQueen Underneath your radar screen You’ll never catch me tonight
Hollywood is under me, I’m Martin Sheen, I’m Steve McQueen, I’m Jimmy Dean
This song was Michael Stipe’s goodbye to the 20th Century: “This next song is our little valentine to the 20th century and I’m so personally thrilled to be in the 21st century right now, cos the 20th century offered some really great stuff but it offered some really not great stuff.”
The lyrics were inspired by Michael Stipe’s time living in Los Angeles, and his love of the city’s lights as viewed from up above.
Electrolite peaked at #96 in 1997 in the Billboard 100.
The song also mentions Martin Sheen and Stipe told Sheen about it: “I had a dentist in Los Angeles, who was also a dentist to Martin Sheen, and Martin Sheen was in the dentist’s chair, getting his tooth drilled, when I went up to him and said, ‘We have a record coming out in a couple of weeks and you’re mentioned in one of the songs, and I just want you to know that it’s honoring you; I don’t want you to think that we’re making fun of you.’ And he was saying [impression of Sheen speaking with the dentist working on his mouth] ‘Thank you very much!’. He was very nice about it.”
From Songfacts
When R.E.M. performed this at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, on May 29, 2008, Stipe said: “There’s a funny story about this song. I thought it was not good enough to go on a record, and Peter and Mike convinced me otherwise. They were right, and now it’s one of my favorite songs. The song for me embodies the time I was living in Santa Monica for a couple of years. Every now and then I would go on one of those late night drives when there’s no traffic. We’d climb up into the hills, go up Mulholland and think about the people that have come to this beautiful city.” Stipe was referring to Mulholland Drive, which goes through Santa Monica and Hollywood. Tom Petty sang about the road in his song “Free Fallin’.”
Mike Mills wrote the music for this song on a piano at his then-girlfriend’s apartment in Chicago, he recalled in the liner notes for Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage.
Peter Care and Spike Jonze directed the music video for this at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles where Robert Kennedy was killed. “That place was spooky,” Stipe said. The opening scenes are shot upside down as Stipe performs the song among rubber reindeer, while various people are shown tethered to poles, trash cans, and vehicles throughout the city by lengths of chains.
Your eyes are burning holes through me
I’m gasoline
I’m burnin’ clean
Twentieth century, go to sleep
You’re Pleistocene
That is obscene
That is obscene
You are the star tonight
Your sun electric, outta sight
Your light eclipsed the moon tonight
Electrolite
You’re outta sight
If I ever want to fly
Mulholland Drive
I am alive
Hollywood is under me
I’m Martin Sheen
I’m Steve McQueen
I’m Jimmy Dean
You are the star tonight
Your sun electric, outta sight
Your light eclipsed the moon tonight
Electrolite
You’re outta sight
If you ever want to fly
Mulholland Drive
Up in the sky
Stand on a cliff and look down there
Don’t be scared, you are alive
You are alive
You are the star tonight
Your sun electric, outta sight
Your light eclipsed the moon tonight
Electrolite
You’re outta sight
Twentieth century, go to sleep
Really deep
We won’t blink
Your eyes are burning holes through me
I’m not scared
I’m outta here
I’m not scared
I’m outta here
“Steve walks warily down the street…with the brim pulled way down low. Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet…machine guns ready to go.”
Supposedly Steve McQueen is Steve in the opening lyrics. Steve died the year this was released on November 7, 1980.
You couldn’t go anywhere in 1980 without hearing someone sing, whistle, or hum this song. I remember the high school band did a version of it.
Brian May: “Freddie sung until his throat bled on Another One Bites The Dust. He was so into it. He wanted to make that song something special.”
The song peaked at #1 in 1980 in the Billboard 100. It was on the album The Game…which also peaked at #1 in 1980. While the band and producer Reinhold Mack were mixing the track, Brian May’s roadie suggested it be released as a single; the band didn’t like the idea but were finally talked into doing it when Michael Jackson, after a concert, suggested the same idea.
From Songfacts
This is one of the hardest Queen songs to understand. The opening line reads, “Steve walks warily down the street, his brim pulled way down low. Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet, machine gun ready to go…” Also, the last phrase spoken in the song is not “Shoot Her” or “Shooter,” but “Shoot Out.”
Though probably not intentional unless someone did an excellent splicing job, the “another one bites the dust” line quite clearly says “decide to smoke marijuana” when played backwards. This is especially clear toward the end of the track when Mercury repeats the line with only the drums playing.
Queen bass player John Deacon wrote this song. All four members of Queen wrote songs, and each wrote at least one hit. Deacon also wrote “You’re My Best Friend.”
Deacon was influenced by the Chic song Good Times. In an interview with the New Musical Express, Chic bass player Bernard Edwards said: “Well, that Queen record came about because that bass player spent some time hanging out with us at our studio. But that’s OK. What isn’t OK is that the press started saying that we had ripped them off! Can you believe that? ‘Good Times’ came out more than a year before, but it was inconceivable to these people that black musicians could possibly be innovative like that. It was just these dumb disco guys ripping off this rock ‘n’ roll song.”
Deacon played most of the instruments on the track: lead and rhythm guitars, bass, reversed piano and additional percussion. Brian May did some guitar effects with harmonizer (in the interlude), and Roger Taylor played the drum loop. Surprisingly, there are no synthesizers.
The drum track and the handclaps were looped. They repeat throughout the song.
John Deacon claimed in a 1980 interview that Roger Taylor opposed the song’s drumbeat. This is backed up by the comments of several figures in the Days of our Lives documentary, who noted that Taylor hated having tape put on his drums to deaden the sound.
However, the drummer denied this in an interview with Mojo magazine in October 2008. He insisted: “I’d already had an ineffectual pop at that kind of music with ‘Fun It,’ on the Jazz album. I was never against ‘Another One Bites The Dust,’ but I was against releasing it as a single.”
In 1998, this was used in a commercial for AIWA sound systems. In the ad, a guy drives around with this blaring from his car stereo. At the end of the commercial, we realize he is driving a hearse.
During the production of the movie Rocky III, this was used in a key scene where Rocky is training for a fight. Producers could not get permission to use the song, so Sylvester Stallone hired Survivor to write an original song instead, which turned out to be “Eye Of The Tiger.”
Queen were originally reluctant to release this as a single, but backstage after a Queen gig at the Los Angeles forum, a visiting Michael Jackson convinced them it would be a hit. “Michael and all his brothers were all going, ‘That’s a fantastic track. You must release it,'” recalled Queen drummer Roger Taylor to Q magazine December 2009.
This meeting lead to several recordings and collaborations between Freddie Mercury and Jackson, all of which remain unreleased.
Weird Al Yankovic got his first chart placing with his parody of this song: “Another One Rides The Bus.” It bubbled under on the Hot 100, placing at #104 in 1981. After a few more minor hits, he landed “Eat It” at #12 in 1984.
This was the single that really broke the band in America, and it garnered a huge following amongst American disco audiences, with many fans and journalists convinced it was a black man singing lead vocals (these people obviously hadn’t heard of Queen before so didn’t know what Freddie looked like). The band occasionally were unsure of how to deal with this – Roger Taylor jokes in the Days of our Lives documentary of having fans shouting “you guys are bad!” in the street, and he had to ask “does that mean good or what?”
This was used in a 2016 commercial for the Hyundai Genesis that first aired on the Super Bowl. In the spot, Kevin Hart uses the Car Finder app to track down the guy who is using it to take his daughter on a date. After tormenting her suitor, Hart says, “A dad’s gotta do what a dad’s gotta do.”
Another One Bites The Dust
Oh, let’s go
Steve walks warily down the street With the brim pulled way down low Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet, Machine guns ready to go
Are you ready, hey, are you ready for this? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat? Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat
Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I’m gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust
How do you think I’m going to get along Without you when you’re gone? You took me for everything that I had And kicked me out on my own
Are you happy, are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat? Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat
Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I’m gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust
Hey Oh take it Bite the dust Bite the dust Hey Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust oww Another one bites the dust hey hey Another one bites the dust eh eh
Oh shooter There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man And bring him to the ground You can beat him, you can cheat him You can treat him bad and leave him when he’s down
But I’m ready, yes, I’m ready for you I’m standing on my own two feet Out of the doorway the bullets rip Repeating to the sound of the beat oh yeah
Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I’m gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust
I wanted to think of some theme that would be fun and take us through Thanksgiving. I watched Papillon last week and wondered how many songs reference Steve McQueen…the King of Cool.
Those of you who are sensitive to sexual phrases and words…you should STOPNOW. The song is really GRAPHIC
They mention not only Steve McQueen but also his then-wife Ali McGraw and for good measure…John Wayne also.
It’s catchy but it’s the Stones at their most blatant. The F-Bomb is plentiful in this song.
Atlantic Records who distributed the Stones records were afraid of legal troubles with Steve McQueen. They wanted the Stones to change the lyrics…The Stones would not budge and Ahmet Ertegun said “let’s send a copy to McQueen and if he okays it then the single could be released.” He okayed it and the single was released. What is funny, is why Atlantic would not have insisted that Ali McGraw also okay it, however, no one could hear clearly what was actually said on the record.
To most, it sounds like Jagger speaking to the groupie saying ”yeah I’m really not mad with you for” Jagger did not clarify the matter and it slid past. Same with the John Wayne line. Most think that it says “your man” However when one listens to the live bootlegs, the line is clearly Ali McGraw as well as John Wayne. Steve was amused by the song.
A drummer I played with a band in high school wanted to play this song in a fall talent show at school. He said it would really “shake them up”…uh…yea it would have shaken us out of school for 5 days at least. Cooler heads prevailed and we played Jumping Jack Flash instead.
From Songfacts
This song is about groupies. Songwriters often write about subjects they’re familiar with, and Mick Jagger was an expert in this area.
Originally, this was called “Starf–ker,” which is slang for a groupie. Atlantic Records made them change it, eliminating “f–k” from the title, although the band always refers to it by the original title.
Feminist groups were outraged at the negative portrayal of women. Mick Jagger did not apologize, saying he was just describing what he saw.
This contains the lyric, “She’ll get John Wayne before he dies,” but John Wayne refused permission to use his name. Engineer Andy Johns put some echo over the lyric and convinced the record company that it was unrecognizable, which it wasn’t. When Goats Head Soup came out on CD, the lyric was not distorted.
The Stones blew up a giant, inflatable penis when they performed this on their 1975 tour.
This was banned by the BBC.
In contrast to John Wayne, Steve McQueen was reportedly amused by the reference to him in the lyric. In addition to the John Wayne lyric, references to ‘keeping her pu**y clean’ was also distorted at the original release and subsequently restored in later issues (US only..in Europe they came through unscathed).
During The Stones 1975 tour, Mick Jagger said: “People always give me this bit about us being a macho band, and I always ask them to give me examples. “Under My Thumb”… Yes, but they always say Starf–ker, and that just happened to be about someone I knew. There’s really no reason to have women on tour unless they’ve got a job to do. The only other reason is to f–k. Otherwise, they get bored, they just sit around and moan. It would be different if they did everything for you, like answer the phones, make breakfast, look after your clothes and your packing, see if the car was ready, and f–k. Sort of a combination of what (road manager) Alan Dunn does and a beautiful chick.”
Star Star
Baby, baby, I’ve been so sad since you’ve been gone Way back to New York City Where you do belong Honey, I missed your two tongue kisses Legs wrapped around me tight If I ever get back to Fun City, girl I’m gonna make you scream all night
Honey, honey, call me on the telephone I know you’re movin’ out to Hollywood With your can of tasty foam All those beat up friends of mine Got to get you in their books And lead guitars and movie stars Get their toes beneath your hook
Yeah, you’re a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star Yeah, a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star Star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star
Yeah, I heard about you Polaroid’s Now that’s what I call obscene Your tricks with fruit was kind a cute I bet you keep your p**** clean Honey, I miss your two tone kisses Legs wrapped around me tight If I ever get back to New York, girl Gonna make you scream all night
Yeah, you’re a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star Yeah, a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star Star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker star Yes you are, yes you are, yes you are
Yeah, Ali McGraw got mad with you For givin’ h**d to Steve McQueen Yeah, you and me we made a pretty pair Fallin’ through the silver screen Honey, I’m open to anythin’ I don’t know where to draw the line Yeah, I’m makin’ bets that you gonna get John Wayne before he dies
Yeah, you’re a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star Yeah, a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star A star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star
Yeah you are, a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star A star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star A star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star
Yeah, a star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star Star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker Star f**ker, star f**ker, star f**ker, star, yes you are, yes you are
This will wrap up the banned songs I’ve featured this past week. Thank you all for reading. This one I would have never guessed.
Some radio stations found it too suggestive that a man would be at a party wearing only a towel. He is… this close from being naked!
The song was written by Bobby Darin and Murray Kaufman (Murray The K). Kaufman bet Darin that he couldn’t write a song beginning with the words, “Splish Splash, I was takin’ a bath.” Darin accepted the challenge, and they immediately went to work and co-wrote “Splish Splash.” The song’s authorship was credited to Darin and “Jean Murray” (a combination Kaufman and Kaufman’s mother’s name), which was done to avoid any accusations of payola.
The song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100 in 1958. The lyrics mention several characters from other songs of the period, including “Lollipop,” “Peggy Sue,” and “Good Golly Miss Molly.”
One song I didn’t cover that Listening To Records brought up…Link Wray’s song “Rumble”….an instrumental! I’ve read because the name of the song would incite gang violence.
From Songfacts
This song was written quickly, but it wasn’t written by Darin alone. Peter Altschuler at the Murray the K archives explains:
“The title was suggested by Murray ‘the K’ Kaufman’s mother, Jean, but she also penned the music; Bobby and Murray wrote the lyrics. Murray was a very influential DJ in New York, and had been championing Bobby for awhile, but Darin’s recordings weren’t going anywhere. The two, however, had become good friends and, one weekend, played together in a softball game in Central Park. Afterward, they walked to Murray’s apartment just south of the park and recovered by soaking their feet in basins of Epsom salts.
As she did every day, Murray’s mother Jean called to check on her only son, and Murray told her about the game (a celebrity event to promote some good cause or other) and about ‘the agony of de feet.’ As soon as the call ended, the phone rang again, and Jean, who’d been a piano player in vaudeville, announced she had an idea for a song – ‘Splish, splash, take a bath.’ With that as a starting point, Murray and Bobby worked on the lyrics, Jean collaborated on the tune, and they marched the song over to Atlantic Records, which was Darin’s label. At Atlantic, according to Jerry Wexler when I spoke with him in the mid ’80s, he thought that the song had a chance, but Ahmet Ertegun was dead set against it. Jerry, of course, prevailed, and the tune became Darin’s first of many hits.
Whether Wexler’s story is accurate (Ertegun claimed in a PBS documentary about Darin that he was the song’s defender) is moot. Yet the notion that ‘Splish Splash’ leapt fully formed from Darin’s mind like Athena from the head of Zeus is just as mythological.”
Murray also co-wrote and performed “It’s What’s Happenin’, Baby” (backed with “Sins of A Family” by P.F. Sloan), a song that was done primarily to promote Murray’s signature phrase and his connection to the CBS television special of the same name that he hosted and co-produced in 1965 for the Federal Office of Economic Opportunity. Beyond that, his contribution to the world of pop music was two novelty tunes from the early ’50s: “Out Of The Bushes” (co-written by guitar great Billy Mure who also composed Murray’s “Swingin’ Soiree” theme, which was performed by the Delicates who, later, became the Angels) and “The Crazy Otto Rag” – on which he was the singer, plus “The Lone Twister” which he did as a contest promo for WINS radio, his home from 1958-1965.
In their continuing quest to encourage kids to take baths, Sesame Street has used this on a few of their albums. It is a very popular song for kids, especially when performed by Elmo.
This was released on Atlantic Records at a time when they were struggling to pay their artists. According to Jerry Wexler, who ran the company with Ahmet Ertegun, they had stopped paying themselves and needed money to resign The Clovers when this song and “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters broke through and got the company out of trouble. Atlantic went on to sign Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones and many other legendary artists.
The “Movin’ and a groovin'” lyric was lifted from a 1958 Duane Eddy song called “Moovin’ ‘N’ Groovin’.” Eddy claimed that Darin asked permission to use it, which he happily granted. “That’s just music, sharing little bits of melody and all,” said Eddy.
This was Bobby Darin’s first hit. He had signed with Atlantic Records after an unsuccessful stint at Decca. After three unsuccessful sessions at Atlantic with Herb Abramson producing, Ahmet Ertegun, who was head of the label, decided to produce Darin himself. “Splish Splash” was recorded on April 10, 1958 along with “Judy Don’t Be Moody” and “Queen of the Hop.” The recording took place at Atlantic’s studios in New York with their renowned engineer Tom Dowd at the controls. Darin soon became a star, but left Atlantic for Capitol Records in 1962.
Splish Splash
Splish, splash, I was takin’ a bath Long about a Saturday night, yeah A rub dub, just relaxin’ in the tub Thinkin’ everythin’ was alright
Well, I stepped out the tub I put my feet on the floor I wrapped the towel around me and I Opened the door
And then a-splish, splash I jumped back in the bath Well, how was I to know There was a party goin’ on?
There was a-splishin’ and a-splashin’ Reelin’ with the feelin’ Movin’ and a-groovin’ Rockin’ and a-rollin’, yeah, yeah
Bing, bang, I saw the whole gang Dancin’ on my living room rug, yeah Flip, flop, they was doin’ the bop All the teens had the dancin’ but
There was lollipop with a Peggy Sue Good golly, Miss Molly was-a even there, too A- well-a, splish, splash, I forgot about the bath I went and put my dancin’ shoes on, yeah
I was a-rollin’ and a-strollin’ Reelin’ with the feelin’ Movin’ and a-groovin’ Splishin’ and a-splashin’, yeah
Yes, I was a-splishin’ and a-splashin’ I was a-rollin’ and a-strollin’ Yeah, I was a-movin’ and a-groovin’ We was a-reelin’ with the feelin’ We was a-rollin’ and a-strollin’ Movin’ with the groovin’ Splish, splash, yeah
Splishin’ and a-splashin’ One time I was splishin’ and a-splashin’ Ooh, I was movin’ and a-groovin’ Yeah, I was splishin’ and a-splashin’
This was released as a single in December 1967, the same month Jim Morrison was arrested at a show in New Haven when he delivered an on-stage rant against a police officer who confronted him backstage with a young girl.
This incident, combined with the lyrics of “Love Me Two Times,” scared them away from some family-friendly radio stations that refused to play the song. The song was considered to be somewhat risqué for radio airplay, being banned in New Haven for being “too controversial”.
Robby Krieger credited a rather obscure song for inspiring the guitar lick on this song: “Southbound Train” by John Koerner, whose trio Koerner, Ray & Glover was one of Krieger’s favorite acts.
The song peaked at #25 in the Billboard 100 in 1968.
From Songfacts
Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote this song after their keyboard player Ray Manzarek implored the band members to go home and write some songs. Krieger came up with this one “Light My Fire” in about an hour. It was a rare Doors song where lead singer Jim Morrison did not contribute lyrics.
Krieger’s lyrics were inspired by both The Doors going on the road and American soldiers going to Vietnam. The theme is sex as a way to survive in strange times, and the need to be “loved two times” before going away. Keyboard player Ray Manzarek called it, “Robby’s great blues/rock classic about love and loss, or multiple orgasms.”
Through most of the song, Jim Morrison left off the “s” in “two times,” creating a double meaning to the phrase.
This continues the theme on Strange Days of an uncertain future. It continues the story of the estranged lover from “You’re Lost Little Girl.”
Although this was released as a single and became a hit, it was recorded for the first Doors album, but didn’t make the cut. When it came time to record the second Doors album Strange Days, “Love Me Two Times” was ready to go.
Ray Manzarek played a clavinet on this track.
Aerosmith recorded this in 1990 for the Air America soundtrack. In 2000, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek added slide guitar and keyboards to the existing recording, which was remixed & included on The Doors tribute album Stoned Immaculate. >>
In 2000, the surviving members of the Doors taped a VH1 Storytellers episode with guest vocalists filling in for Morrison. Pat Monahan from Train sang on this.
Love Me Two Times
Love me two time, baby, love me twice today Love me two time, girl, I’m goin’ away Love me two time girl, one for tomorrow, One just for today Love me two times I’m goin’ away Love me one time, could not speak Love me one time, yeah, my knees got weak Love me two time, girl, lasts me all through the week Love me two times, I’m goin’ away Love me two times, I’m goin’ away Alright, yeah Love me one time, could not speak Love me one time, baby, yeah, my knees got weak Love me two times, girl, lasts me all through the week Love me two times, I’m goin’ away Love me two time, babe Love me twice today Love me two time, babe, ’cause im goin’ away Love me two time, girl, one for tomorrow, One just for today Love me two times, I’m goin’ away Love me two times I’m goin’ away Love me two times I’m goin’ away
Barney Miller was a brilliant, complex, highly literate, superbly written show with depth and high social commentary. The show was never in the top 10 in ratings but the show has held up well over the years. A few of the reasons the show was not in the top 10 was because of the intelligent writing and the humor wasn’t obvious…also the show was on ABC which at the time was the least popular major network.
The writers also made sure that for the most part, the show followed it’s own history very well. The show is about the Detectives at the 12th Precinct.
One very interesting part of Barney Miller is they had a bunch of good character actors pass through the show. They had a very good excuse because usually the guests were either witnesses or they committed some sort of small crime so it was a natural parade of people passing through.
The show was not all about humor. They had stories dealing with domestic abuse, social, and racial tensions and interaction close to real life.
Det. Phil Fish:First time in 20 years I felt this good and it has to be illegal!
Capt. Barney Miller:Stay home until you feel better. Det. Ron Harris:Okay Barn, I’ll stay, but I ain’t never gonna feel no better.
Det. Sgt. Nick Yemana:[feeling the effects of the brownies] Barney, Barney, Barney… was your mother from Killarney?
Det. Sgt. Nick Yemana: [feeling the effects of the brownies] Hey Barney… let’s go down to the beach and shoot some clams!
Barney Miller: Hash
The Characters: Barney Miller, Stan ‘Wojo’ Wojciehowicz, Dietrich, Phil Fish, Ron Harris, Sgt. Nick Yemana, Carl Levitt, Zbigniew Psczola, Janusz Makowski, and Frank Slater.
Wojo innocently brings hashish-laced brownies his new girlfriend made to the 12th Precinct, getting the detective squad stoned, while an actor and a critic square off with dueling swords.
Sometimes these bans can be head-scratchers, which is true of the 1990s ban on ABBA’s ‘Waterloo’. Due to its connotations with armies and fighting, amidst the ongoing Gulf War, BBC deemed it inappropriate to play, despite few actually connecting this song to literal war.
The song peaked at #6 in 1974 in the Billboard 1oo. All together Abba had 20 top 100 songs, 4 top ten, and one #1 with Dancing Queen. I thought they had more top 10 hits.
This song also reached #1 in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, and West Germany.
From Songfacts
Waterloo is the place where Napoleon Bonaparte met his defeat at an epic battle in 1815. This song uses the battle as a metaphor for a woman who gives in and falls in love with a man – he’s her “Waterloo.”
Originally recorded in Swedish, it was ABBA’s Swedish version that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, giving the band a huge career boost.
This was one of many ABBA hits used in the 1994 movie Muriel’s Wedding.
Even though this song constantly repeats the name of the battle that spelled the end of Napoleon’s empire, the French, like the rest of Europe, was more than happy to buy this song in large quantities. The single spent 12 weeks on the French charts, peaking at #3. In Belgium, where the Battle of Waterloo took place, this song spent five weeks at #1.
ABBA not only recorded this song in their native Swedish and then in English but they also recorded a version in French for the French markets and one in German for the German markets. There is also a version in both French and Swedish that is an overdubbing of both the Swedish and French versions.
Waterloo
My my At Waterloo Napoleon did surrender Oh yeah And I have met my destiny in quite a similar way The history book on the shelf Is always repeating itself Waterloo I was defeated, you won the war Waterloo promise to love you for ever more Waterloo couldn’t escape if I wanted to Waterloo knowing my fate is to be with you Waterloo finally facing my Waterloo
My my I tried to hold you back, but you were stronger Oh yeah And now it seems my only chance is giving up the fight And how could I ever refuse I feel like I win when I lose Waterloo I was defeated, you won the war Waterloo promise to love you for ever more Waterloo couldn’t escape if I wanted to Waterloo knowing my fate is to be with you Waterloo finally facing my Waterloo
So how could I ever refuse I feel like I win when I lose Waterloo I was defeated, you won the war Waterloo promise to love you for ever more Waterloo couldn’t escape if I wanted to Waterloo knowing my fate is to be with you Waterloo finally facing my Waterloo
The lines “We both fell sound asleep / Wake up, little Suzie, and weep / The movie’s over, it’s four o’clock / And we’re in trouble deep” were suggestive enough to cause the song to be banned by several radio stations. Although it’s pretty clear the Suzie and her date were at the movies but that didn’t matter.
As with the case of other songs being banned…it only made it more appealing to teenagers at the time. The song peaked at #1 in Billboard and #2 in the UK in 1957.
This was written by the husband and wife team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who wrote most of The Everly Brothers songs in the ’50s. Their songs were also recorded by Bob Dylan, Elvis, and Buddy Holly.
From Songfacts
This is about a young couple who fall asleep at the drive-in, realize they are out past curfew, and make up a story to tell Susie’s parents.
Some Boston radio stations banned this because of the lyrics, which imply that the young couple spent the night together. At the time, staying out late with a girl was a little controversial.
For The Everly Brothers, this was the first of four US #1 hits. It also went to #1 on the Country & Western charts.
At an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show while campaigning for President in year 2000, George W. Bush was asked by Oprah what his favorite song was. He said: “Wake Up Little Susie – by Buddy Holly.”
Simon & Garfunkel played this at their 1981 concert in Central Park. The live recording was released as a single the next year and hit #27 in the US.
Chet Atkins played guitar on this. Atkins, who died of cancer in 2001, was a Nashville musician who created a distinctive sound using a three-fingered picking technique.
This was a labor of love for the songwriting duo. “We persevered with ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ for many hours,” Boudleaux recalled to Country Music People. “I started writing one night, kept trying to get my ideas down, but it just wouldn’t happen. Finally I woke Felice, who took one listen to what I had so far achieved and came up with the final touches that I couldn’t get. The Everlys liked the song, but like me had problems with getting it right in the studio. They worked a whole three-hour session on that one song and had to give up, they just couldn’t get it right. We all trooped back to the studio the next day and got it down first take. That’s the way it happens sometimes.”
Wake Up Little Susie
Wake up, little Susie, wake up Wake up, little Susie, wake up we’ve both been sound asleep, wake up, little Susie, and weep The movie’s over, it’s four o’clock, and we’re in trouble deep Wake up little Susie Wake up little Susie, well
Whatta we gonna tell your mama Whatta we gonna tell your pa Whatta we gonna tell our friends when they say ?ooh-la-la? Wake up little Susie Wake up little Susie, well
I told your mama that you’d be in by ten Well Susie baby looks like we goofed again Wake up little Susie Wake up little Susie, we gotta go home
Wake up, little Susie, wake up Wake up, little Susie, wake up The movie wasn’t so hot, it didn’t have much of a plot We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot Wake up little Susie Wake up little Susie, well
Whatta we gonna tell your mama Whatta we gonna tell your pa Whatta we gonna tell our friends when they say “ooh-la-la” Wake up little Susie Wake up little Susie Wake up little Susie
As far as power-pop songs go this one is in my top 5. I posted this back when I first started to blog but it’s perfect for a Friday.
A song by a British band called The La’s. A very good pop song that has no verses…it just repeats the chorus four different ways four different times. The song charted many times in different releases…it peaked at #49 on the 1991 Billboard 100 and #13 on the UK charts in 1990, #65 in 1999, #94 in 2012, and #59 in 1988 in the UK.
It was written by the singer Lee Mavers and recorded in 1988 and remixed and released again in 1990.
Many people think the song was about heroin. Paul Hemmings an ex-guitarist for the band denies that rumor. Either way, it is a perfectly constructed pop song.
It’s been covered by a lot of artists but probably most successfully by Sixpence None the Richer. I’ve always liked The La’s version the best.
From Songfacts
“There She Goes” is a song with one crazy story, so hang on. It was written by the Liverpool singer and guitarist Lee Mavers, and recorded by his band The La’s. The La’s released it on their only album, titled The La’s. “There She Goes” was released as a single, not once, not twice, but four times!
The first release scratched the UK Singles chart in 1988 at #51. The second release in 1990 was the peak, with #13 on the UK Singles and also charting in the US. The third release was in 1999, and it charted the UK Singles at #65. The fourth release was in 2008, on vinyl only for the song’s 20th anniversary, and charted again at #181.
While rumors persist that this song was inspired by “There She Goes Again” by the Velvet Underground, no definitive evidence supports it. The songs do have a similar theme and similar lyric styles, but completely different music. On the other hand, the common knowledge that this song is about heroin seems to be a sure bet. “Racing through my brain” and “Pulsing through my vein” exclude just about everything else, and newspapers in England ran stories about The La’s “ode to heroin.” La’s bassist John Power gave a rather evasive answer when asked about it, while La’s ex-guitarist Paul Hemmings flatly denied it.
La’s frontman Lee Mavers is a pretty enigmatic character. If you examine them closely, you’ll find a lot in common with Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed: Both had limited success with their first band but a steady cult following since, both are evasive of the media and reclusive, both are rumored to have written songs about drugs and to be heavily into drugs, and both are widely cited by other music artists as an influence out of step with their commercial success.
Covers of “There She Goes” include those done by Sixpence None the Richer, Robbie Williams, The Wombats and The Boo Radleys. Film soundtrack appearances include The Parent Trap, Fever Pitch, Girl, Interrupted and So I Married an Axe Murderer.
This song was an ironic airplay favorite in the UK when Maggie Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in November 1990.
The La’s mainman Lee Mavers is a legendary perfectionist. The legend goes that he didn’t want the vintage studio equipment cleaned so the dust that had accumulated on it from the 1960s would remain.
“There She Goes”
There she goes There she goes again Racing through my brain And I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she blows (there she blows again) There she blows again (there she blows again) Pulsing through my vein (there she blows again) And I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she goes There she goes again She calls my name Pulls my train No one else could heal my pain But I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she goes There she goes again Chasing down my lane And I just can’t contain This feeling that remainsThere she goes (there she goes again) There she goes (there she goes again) There she goes (there she goes again)
I’ve listened to a lot of this band’s music. I haven’t heard a bad song. They were named “Milwaukee’s Best Band” by the Milwaukee Journal in 1982. The Shivvers were a band fronted by Jill Kossoris in the late seventies to early eighties that played power pop. I’m amazed that they didn’t catch on with a big label. Some reviewers have compared them to Blondie and the Raspberries.
They made recordings but never could get signed to a record deal. The band broke up in the early eighties and went their separate ways. Interest in the band started to build on the internet and in 2003, the Hyped to Death label issued the Shivvers retrospective Til the Word Gets Out. This song was recorded in 1979.
Another album with their songs was Lost Hits from Milwaukee’s First Family of Power Pop: 1979-82
This video was banned by MTV because they feared it would upset their sponsors. So, being Neil being Neil…wrote a letter to MTV that stated:
MTV, you spineless twerps.
You refuse to play “This Note’s For You” because you’re afraid to offend your sponsors.
What does the “M” in MTV stand for: music or money?
Long live rock and roll.
This parody of commercial rock was banned by MTV for its critique of the music industry’s cozy relationship with corporate America. The song and video mocked advertisements and did not shy away from dropping company names– the title itself is a jab at Budweiser’s ad campaign of “This Bud’s For You.” The song also made fun of pop artists such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Jackson’s legal threats prompted MTV to ban the video. They changed their minds when the song became a hit on Canada’s MuchMusic channel…the same as the BBC did with My Generation when it became a hit.
He has stuck to his policy of refusing to license his music out for commercials, let alone appear in them himself.
Now the music business…if there is still a music business…promotes their music being in commercials to expand their audience.
From Songfacts
This song is Neil Young’s critique of artists who “sell out” and allow their songs to be used in commercials, something he has never done. The title is a play on Budweiser’s venerable ad campaign, “This Bud’s For You.” In addition to Bud, Young mentions Coke, Pepsi, and Miller in the lyric.
Artists like Young and Bruce Springsteen have never let their songs be used in commercials, feeling it cheapens their artistic integrity. Many other artists, like The Who and The Rolling Stones, have made lots of money by letting companies use their songs. Some classic rock artists like John Mellencamp resisted for years, but allowed their songs to be used for commercial purposes when they realized it was the best way to get them exposure. A band with a particularly interesting take on the subject is Devo, who feel it is part of their art.
The line, “I got the real thing, baby,” is a reference to the Coke slogan, “It’s the Real Thing,” which was introduced in 1969.
The line, “Ain’t singin’ for Spuds” refers to Spuds MacKenzie, the spokesdog for Bud Light. Introduced in 1987, Spuds was a bull terrier who appeared in their ad campaigns until 1989. Billed as “the original party animal,” Spuds became wildly popular and boosted sales of Bud Light significantly.
Directed by Julien Temple, the video is a parody of various ad campaigns. The opening noir is a sendup of the Michelob campaign that starred “practicing alcoholic” Eric Clapton. Michael Jackson, who was ripe for parody at the time, shows up in impersonator form for the line “ain’t singing for Pepsi” – later in the video his hair catches fire as it did when Jackson was shooting a commercial for the sugary beverage in 1984. Whitney Houston, who shilled for Diet Coke, gets a lookalike for the line “ain’t singing for Coke.”
Next up for mockery are the Calvin Klein “Obsession” commercials, one of the most memorable and baffling campaign’s of the ’80s. There were no rock stars associated with this one, but The Rolling Stones did have a tour sponsored by Jovan. Young’s video turns it into “Concession,” with a dialogue break in the style of the ads:
“Members of the jury, this man is on trial for his smell.” “Forgive me, but I am prettier than all of you.” “Liar, give me back my shoes.”
A faux-Spuds MacKenzie also shows up to mock Budweiser.
At the end of the clip, Young turns his beer around to reveal his own slogan: “Sponsored by Nobody.”
There was lots of raunchy debauchery on MTV around this time, but they had a strict policy against product placement, refusing to air videos where products were mentioned by name. This was designed to protect their advertisers and make their commercials more valuable (why would Pepsi buy airtime when they could put a can in a Duran Duran video?). Citing this policy, MTV banned the video, which generated a great deal of controversy and also proved Young’s point about corporate interests infiltrating music. The ban happened in early July 1988; Young sent an open letter to MTV stating:
Forced to admit they were refusing to air an excellent video to protect their sponsors, MTV went into damage control mode and agreed to air the video. They made it into an event, debuting the video on August 21 as part of a 30-minute special about the controversy. Then they awarded it Video of the Year at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. Young showed up to accept it.
Young discussed his reasons for accepting the award despite it being originally banned in an interview with Village Voice Rock and Roll Quarterly: “I dunno – must be the Perry Como in me. I could do the hard-line Marlon Brando thing, not accept the award, give it to the Indians. But that’s almost the predictable thing to do. You can’t get money to make videos if MTV won’t play them. In accepting the award I thought I’d be able to make more videos and get ’em played.”
MTV at the time was about as permissive as the cable landscape got – at least in terms of bawdy behavior. That’s why it was surprising anytime they deemed something not suitable for air. In 1992, Paul McCartney recorded a concert for MTV for their Up Close series, but the network edited out his song “Big Boys Bickering,” which was about politics and the environment. MTV claimed that the song was excised because of curse words in the lyrics, although it would have been easy enough to bleep them.
This wasn’t the first single from the album: “Ten Men Workin'” was. That song made inroads on rock radio and reached #6 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart in May 1988. “This Note’s For You,” predictably, had a harder time getting airplay because of the product mentions. It garnered the most attention during the video controversy, but still only reached #19 on that chart as radio stations continued to shy away from it.
This is the title track to the only album Young recorded with The Bluenotes as his backup band, members of which included Chad Cromwell on drums and Frank Sampedro on keyboards and a six-piece horn section. Befitting their name, This Note’s For You is a blues album.
This was released as a single with the A-side a live version recorded at The Palace in Los Angeles on April 14, 1988 and the B-side a studio cut from the album.
This Note’s For You
Don’t want no cash Don’t need no money Ain’t got no stash This note’s for you.
Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi Ain’t singin’ for Coke I don’t sing for nobody Makes me look like a joke This note’s for you.
Ain’t singin’ for Miller Don’t sing for Bud I won’t sing for politicians Ain’t singin’ for Spuds This note’s for you.
Don’t need no cash Don’t want no money Ain’t got no stash This note’s for you.
I’ve got the real thing I got the real thing, baby I got the real thing Yeah, alright.
There’s a gonna be some changes made, Right here on nursery hill, You’ve set this chicken your last time, ‘Cause now I’ve got the pill
By the time Loretta Lynn recorded “The Pill” in 1975, the birth control pill had been on the US market for over a decade, but the conservative country music scene still wasn’t ready for a song celebrating the use of contraception. Many country stations pulled the song from their playlists and it stalled at #5 in the Billboard Album Chart. But controversy breeds curiosity and curiosity boost record sales, so the song became Lynn’s highest-charting solo single on the pop chart at #70 in the Billboard 100.
Loretta Lynn: “If I’d had the pill back when I was havin’ babies I’d have taken ’em like popcorn. The pill is good for people. I wouldn’t trade my kids for anyones. But I wouldn’t necessarily have had six and I sure would have spaced ’em better.”
“The Pill”, written by Lorene Allen, Don McHan, T. D. Bayless, and Loretta Lynn.
From Songfacts
The singer couldn’t understand what the fuss was all about. In our interview with Loretta Lynn, she explained: “I didn’t understand that, because everybody was taking the pill. I didn’t have the money to take it when they put it out, but I couldn’t understand why they were raising such a fuss over taking the pill.”
Although it was written by a team of songwriters, Lorene Allen, Don McHan, and T. D. Bayless, Lynn could certainly relate to the narrator who is sick of having babies left and right and is “makin’ up for all those years, since I’ve got the pill.” By the time she was 19, Lynn had three children and would give birth to three more, including a set of twins, just as the pill was gaining traction by 1964.
Doctors were grateful to Lynn as the song introduced the availability of the pill to women living in rural areas.
Unbeknownst to Lynn at the time, she was almost banned from singing this at the Grand Ole Opry. She recalled in an interview with Playgirl Magazine: “You know I sung it three times at the Grand Ole Opry one night, and I found out a week later that the Grand Ole Opry had a three-hour meeting, and they weren’t going to let me [sing it]… If they hadn’t let me sing the song, I’d have told them to shove the Grand Ole Opry!”
Lynn performed this on Dolly Parton’s variety show, Dolly, in 1988, and on Roseanne Barr’s talk show, The Roseanne Show, in 1998.
This is the first popular English-language song about birth control.
The Pill
You wined me and dined me When I was your girl Promised if I’d be your wife You’d show me the world But all I’ve seen of this old world Is a bed and a doctor bill I’m tearin’ down your brooder house ‘Cause now I’ve got the pill All these years I’ve stayed at home While you had all your fun And every year that’s gone by Another babys come There’s a gonna be some changes made Right here on nursery hill You’ve set this chicken your last time ‘Cause now I’ve got the pill
This old maternity dress I’ve got Is goin’ in the garbage The clothes I’m wearin’ from now on Won’t take up so much yardage Miniskirts, hot pants and a few little fancy frills Yeah I’m makin’ up for all those years Since I’ve got the pill
I’m tired of all your crowin’ How you and your hens play While holdin’ a couple in my arms Another’s on the way This chicken’s done tore up her nest And I’m ready to make a deal And ya can’t afford to turn it down ‘Cause you know I’ve got the pill
This incubator is overused Because you’ve kept it filled The feelin’ good comes easy now Since I’ve got the pill It’s gettin’ dark it’s roostin’ time Tonight’s too good to be real Oh but daddy don’t you worry none ‘Cause mama’s got the pill Oh daddy don’t you worry none ‘Cause mama’s got the pill
This song faced censorship on less common ground than most. I would have thought the subject line would have caused problems…but no. The original studio recording contained the word “Coca-Cola” in the lyrics, which violated BBC Radio’s policy against product placement.
The songwriter, Ray Davies, was forced to interrupt the Kinks’ American tour so he could change the lyric to “cherry cola” for the single’s release. He made a 6,000 mile round trip flight from New York to London and back just for this purpose.
The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, #2 in the UK, #1 in New Zealand and #2 in the UK in 1970.
Ray Davies: “‘Lola’ was a love song, and the person they fall in love with is a transvestite. It’s not their fault – they didn’t know – but you know it’s not going to last. It was based on a story about my manager.”
“The subject matter was concealed,” It’s a crafty way of writing. I say, ‘She woke up next to me,’ and people think it’s a woman. The story unfolds better than if the song were called ‘I Dated a Drag Queen.'”
From Songfacts
This song is about a guy who meets a girl (Lola) in a club who takes him home and rocks his world. The twist comes when we find out that Lola is a man.
As stated in The Kinks: The Official Biography, Ray Davies wrote the lyrics after their manager got drunk at a club and started dancing with what he thought was a woman. Toward the end of the night, his stubble started showing, but their manager was too tanked to notice.
Ray Davies revealed to Q magazine in a 2016 interview: “The song came out of an experience in a club in Paris. I was dancing with this beautiful blonde, then we went out into the daylight and I saw her stubble. “
He added; “So I drew on that but colored it in, made it more interesting lyrically.”
The Kinks came up with the riff after messing around with open strings on guitars. The group’s guitarist, Dave Davies, contended that he deserved a songwriting credit on the track, leading to additional friction with his brother Ray, who got the sole composer credit.
This revived the career of The Kinks, at least in America where their popularity was fading. Their previous Top 40 in the States was “Sunny Afternoon” in 1966.
Ray Davies said: “I wrote Lola to be a great record, not a great song. Something that people could recognize in the first five seconds. Even the chorus, my two-year-old daughter sang it back to me. I thought, ‘This must catch on.'”
The line “You drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola” was recorded as “it tastes just like Coca-Cola.” The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) refused to play it because of the commercial reference, so Ray Davies flew from New York to London to change the lyric and get the song on the air.
There was speculation, fueled by a 2004 piece in Rolling Stone magazine, that this song was inspired by the famous transgender actress Candy Darling, who Kinks lead singer Ray Davies allegedly dated for a brief time. This is the same Candy mentioned in Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” (“Candy came from out on the island, in the backroom she was everybody’s darling”)
The Kinks’ fans were not the type of people who would relate to a transvestite, but they loved this. It opened the door for artists like Lou Reed and David Bowie to explore homosexuality in songs that straight people liked too.
Weird Al Yankovic recorded a parody of this song entitled “Yoda” (based on the Star Wars movies) for his 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid.
Ray Davies used his National Steel resonator guitar for the first time on this song. He recalled to Uncut: “On ‘Lola’ I wanted an intro similar to what we used on Dedicated Follower Of Fashion, which was two Fender acoustic guitars and Dave’s electric guitar so I went down to Shaftesbury Avenue and bought a Martin guitar, and this National guitar that I got for £80, then double-tracked the Martin, and double-tracked the National – that’s what got that sound.”
The Kinks probably weren’t familiar with it, but an American song published in 1918 also mentions Lola and Coca-Cola. In “Ev’ry Day’ll Be Sunday When The Town Goes Dry,” we hear the line, “At the table with Lola they will serve us Coca-Cola.”
Ray Davies told interviewer Daniel Rachel (The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters) that he didn’t initially show the lyrics to the band. “We just rehearsed it with the la-la la-la Lo-la chorus which came first. I had a one-year-old daughter at the time and she was singing along to it.”
Lola is mentioned in the 1981 Kinks song “Destroyer,” which begins: “Met a girl called Lola and I took her back to my place.”
Lola
I met her in a club down in old Soho Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like Cherry Cola C-O-L-A Cola She walked up to me and she asked me to dance I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said, “Lola” L-O-L-A Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola
Well, I’m not the world’s most physical guy But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine Oh my Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola Well, I’m not dumb but I can’t understand Why she walked like a woman but talked like a man Oh my Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola
Well, we drank champagne and danced all night Under electric candlelight She picked me up and sat me on her knee She said, “Little boy, won’t you come home with me?” Well, I’m not the world’s most passionate guy But when I looked in her eyes Well, I almost fell for my Lola Lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola
I pushed her away I walked to the door I fell to the floor I got down on my knees Then I looked at her, and she at me Well, that’s the way that I want it to stay And I always want it to be that way for my Lola Lo lo lo lo Lola Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world Except for Lola Lo lo lo lo Lola
Well, I’d left home just a week before And I’d never ever kissed a woman before But Lola smiled and took me by the hand She said, “Little boy, gonna make you a man” Well, I’m not the world’s most masculine man But I know what I am and I’m glad I’m a man And so is Lola Lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola
Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola, lo lo lo lo Lola
This week I’ll feature songs that have been banned from the radio for one reason or another for a time. I will just feature pre-9-11 songs because after 2001 practically every song was banned for a little while.
My Generation featured the chorus “Hope I Die Before I Get Old” but that was ok…It was the vocals that resembled stuttering; afraid to offend people with actual stuttering problems, the BBC prohibited the song from receiving airplay. Later, when the song proved to be a huge hit, they allowed it.
The best part of this song for me was John Entwistle’s bass solo. You just didn’t hear many bass solos at that time. John Entwistle “I bought this Danelectro bass and it had these tiny, thin wire-wound strings on. They were so thin, they sounded just like a piano, an unbelievably clear sound. The only thing was that you couldn’t buy these strings. When we recorded ‘My Generation,’ I ended up with three of these Danelectros just for the strings. The last one I had, the string busted before we actually got into the studio to re-record it, so I did it on a Fender Jazz in the end with tape-wound La Bella strings.”
Pete wrote this song for British mods at the time who didn’t think older people understood what was going on. The song peaked at #74 in the Billboard 100, #2 in the UK, and #3 in Canada in 1966.
Pete Townshend was asked if the line still resonated with him. “I think it does,” “The line actually came from a time when I was living in a really wealthy district of London, just by accident. I didn’t really understand quite where I was living at the time. And I was treated very strangely on the street, in an imperious way by a lot of people, and it was that that I didn’t like. I didn’t like being confronted with money and the class system and power. I didn’t like being in a corner shop in Belgravia and some woman in a fur coat pushing me out of the way because she was richer. And I didn’t know how to deal with that. I could’ve, I suppose, insisted on my rights and not written the song. But I was a tucked-up little kid and so I wrote the song.”
From Songfacts
Roger Daltrey sang the lead vocals with a stutter, which was very unusual. After recording two takes of the song normally, The Who’s manager, Kit Lambert, suggested to Daltrey that he stutter to sound like a British kid on speed. Daltrey recalled to Uncut magazine October 2001: “I have got a stutter. I control it much better now but not in those days. When we were in the studio doing ‘My Generation’, Kit Lambert came up to me and said ‘STUTTER!’ I said ‘What?’ He said ‘Stutter the words – it makes it sound like you’re pilled’ And I said, ‘Oh… like I am!’ And that’s how it happened. It was always in there, it was always suggested with the ‘f-f-fade’ but the rest of it was improvised.”
Pete Townshend wrote this on a train ride from London to Southampton on May 19, 1965 – his 20th birthday. In a 1987 Rolling Stone magazine interview, Townshend explained: “‘My Generation’ was very much about trying to find a place in society. I was very, very lost. The band was young then. It was believed that its career would be incredibly brief.”
Back in 1967, Pete Townshend called this song, “The only really successful social comment I’ve ever made.” Talking about the meaning, he explained it as “some pilled-up mod dancing around, trying to explain to you why he’s such a groovy guy, but he can’t because he’s so stoned he can hardly talk.”
This contains the famous line, “I hope I die before I get old.” The Who drummer Keith Moon did, dying of a drug overdose in 1978 at age 32. The rest of the band found themselves still playing the song 50 years later, giving that line more than a hint of irony.
A Singapore magazine called BigO is named for the famous line in this song – it’s an acronym for “Before I Get Old.”
This song went through various stages as they tried to perfect it. It began as a slow song with a blues feel, and at one point had hand claps and multiple key changes. The final product was at a much faster tempo than the song was conceived; it was Kit Lambert’s idea to speed it up.
This is the highest charting Who song in the UK, but it never cracked the Top 40 in America, where they were less known. In the UK, the album was also called My Generation, but in America it was titled The Who Sing My Generation.
Entwistle was the least visible member of the band, and his bass solos on this song threw off directors when The Who would perform the song on TV shows. When it got to his part, the cameras would often go to Pete Townshend, and his fingers wouldn’t be moving. Entwistle played the solos using a pick, since their manager Kit Lambert didn’t think fingers recorded well. Most of Entwistle’s next recordings were done with fingers.
The BBC refused to play this at first because they did not want to offend people with stutters. When it became a huge hit, they played it.
In 1965, Roger Daltrey stood by this song’s lyric and claimed he would kill himself before reaching 30 because he didn’t want to get old. When he did get older, he answered the inevitable questions about the “hope I die before I get old” line by explaining that it is about an attitude, not a physical age.
On September 17, 1967, The Who performed this song on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Keith Moon set his drums to explode after the performance, but the technical crew had already done so. The resulting explosion burned Pete Townshend’s hair and permanently damaged his hearing.
Also of note during this performance was Moon’s total disregard for the illusion of live performance. The band was playing along to a recorded track (common practice on the show), and while his bandmates synched their movements to the music, Moon made no effort to keep time, even knocking his cymbal over at one point.
Shel Talmy, who produced this track, was fired the next year. Talmy filed a lawsuit and won extensive royalties from future albums.
The ending of this song is electric mayhem, with Keith Moon pounding anything he can find on his drum kit and Townshend flipping his pickups on an off, something he also did on the album opener “Out in the Street.” Townshend and Daltrey go back and forth on the vocals, intentionally stomping on each other to add to the chaos.
This was covered by Iron Maiden, who was usually the Who’s polar opposite both musically and lyrically. One connection they share is the BBC-TV series Top of the Pops. Performances on the show were customarily lip-synched, but The Who performed live on the show in 1972. In 1980, Iron Maiden also performed live, and was the first band to do so since The Who. Maiden put their version of “My Generation” on the B-side to the single for “Lord of the Flies.”
The Who played this during their set at Woodstock, which didn’t begin until 5:00 a.m. on the second day. The group turned in a solid performance, but they weren’t pleased with the scheduling and weren’t feeling the peace and love – at one point an activist named Abbie Hoffman came on stage uninvited and was forcibly ejected by Pete Townshend.
Green Day recorded this for their 1992 album Kerplunk!.
When the teen pop singer Hilary Duff covered this as a B-side for her 2005 single “Someone’s Watching Over Me,” she made the curious decision to rewrite some of the lyrics. “I hope I don’t die before I get old,” doesn’t really have the same rock ‘n’ roll attitude as Townshend’s original words, and her rendition caused some consternation among Who fans.
This song fits nicely into the “primal rock” genre, which covers tunes that are raucous, rebellious, unusual, and also celebratory. Roger Reale, who was in one of these primal rock bands with Mick Ronson, explains the impact of the song:
“‘My Generation’ had no lead guitar, but a lead part played on the bass. It also had a bass breakdown, and unless you listened to a lot of jazz, there were no bass breakdowns in pop music. I remember playing the end of that track over and over and over again, because you could hear the feedback of the guitar, which was so exciting to listen to. In those days, you weren’t supposed to have an outro that was pure noise.”
My Generation
People try to put us d-down (talkin’ ’bout my generation) Just because we get around (talkin’ ’bout my generation) Things they do look awful c-c-cold (talkin’ ’bout my generation) I hope I die before I get old (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
This is my generation This is my generation, baby
Why don’t you all f-fade away (talkin’ ’bout my generation) Don’t try to dig what we all s-s-s-say (talkin’ ’bout my generation) I’m not trying to ’cause a big s-s-sensation (talkin’ ’bout my generation) I’m just talkin’ ’bout my g-g-g-generation (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
My generation This is my generation, baby
Why don’t you all f-fade away (talkin’ ’bout my generation) And don’t try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (talkin’ ’bout my generation) I’m not trying to ’cause a b-big s-s-sensation (talkin’ ’bout my generation) I’m just talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
This is my generation This is my generation, baby My my my generation
People try to put us d-down (talkin’ ’bout my generation) Just because we g-g-get around (talkin’ ’bout my generation) Things they do look awful c-c-cold (talkin’ ’bout my generation) Yeah, I hope I die before I get old (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
This is my generation This is my generation, baby My my my generation
(Talkin’ ’bout my generation) (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) this is my generation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) this is my generation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) this is my generation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) this is my generation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) this is my generation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) this is my generation (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) this is my generation
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