A new old song from the Stones. This song has been in the vault…it will be included with the reissued “Goats Head Soup,” out Sept. 4. Two more unheard tracks will be on the reissue. Thanks to Deke for pointing this song out last week.
It’s a cool funky track produced by Jimmy Miller.
“The remastered “Goats Head Soup” box set and deluxe editions will all feature 10 bonus tracks, including “Criss Cross,” the previously unheard “Scarlet,” featuring guitar by Jimmy Page, and a third newly unearthed song, “All The Rage.” All three songs were recorded more than 40 years ago but were never officially released until now. ”
Baby. Ooh! Baby Save me. Ooh! Save me. Ah! Yeah, here come a woman Givin’ me a criss cross mind Save me Save me. Ooh! Yeah, here come a woman Giving me a criss cross mind Oh I got a lotta knots in my hair I can’t seem to straighten out Ah, I think I need a blood transfusion Yeah, here come a lady Giving’me a criss cross mind
Darling Darling Ooh! Touch me Ooh, yeah! Kiss me Ooh, yeah! Ooh, yeah! Lip to lip Fingertip Skin to skin Ring to ring Tongue to tongue Thigh to thigh Oh baby Yeah All the time Baby Save me Yeah here come a lady Giving’ me a criss cross mind Mama walkin’ around in the rain She want you every night An’ think I need a blood transfusion Yeah here come a woman Givin’ me a criss cross mind Yeah, yeah Darling Darling Baby Save me. Save me. Save me. Save me And feed me, yeah Baby. Baby. Baby Save me Cheek to cheek Ohh yeah Tounge to tounge
This may be my favorite Queen song. I loved to play this in my car when I was a teen with a stereo that could blow your hair back.
This song is sung with a gospel feel, with the voices of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor multitracked to sound like a choir. According to Brian May, the gospel sound was inspired by the music of Aretha Franklin.
Freddie Mercury wrote Somebody To Love. In interviews Freddie has said the lyrics reflect a man calling out to God, asking why he works so hard, but can’t find love. At the end of the song, he finds hope and decides he will not accept defeat
The song peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100, #2 in the UK, and #5 in Canada in 1977. The song was on the album A Day At The Races.
The band was super talented and it wasn’t just Freddie’s voice that made it… All the members contributed. Brian May’s guitar playing and sound was just as much part of Queen. John Deacon’s bass playing and songwriting that produced some of their big hits. Roger Taylor who is an excellent drummer also wrote some of their bigger songs.
From Songfacts
.Peter Hince, the head of Queen’s road crew, recalled to Mojo magazine September 2009 that “among the road crew there were songs you liked and songs you didn’t like.” He added that this was, “always one of Queen’s best. The studio version was very polished, but on-stage there was so much more guts to it.”
Hince recalled to Mojo the video was “filmed at Wessex Studios while they were making the A Day at the Races album.” He added: “Aesthetically, you had to have all four around the microphone, but John (Deacon) didn’t sing on the records. By his own admission he didn’t have the voice. He did sing on-stage but the crew always knew to keep the fader very low.”
Several bootleg recordings and live videos exist where evidently John’s mic was not turned down, and it becomes painfully obvious that the above statement is true – one particular live performance of “In The Lap Of The Gods” is wince-inducing!
In October 2009 a remake by the cast of the Fox TV musical comedy Glee returned this song to #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #26 on the UK singles chart. Their version was featured in the episode “The Rhodes Not Taken.”
Frank Turner covered this for the B-side to his vinyl release of “I Still Believe” in 2011.
The Voice contestant Jordan Smith’s rendition took the song back into the upper reaches of the Hot 100. The week after his performance of the song on the December 7, 2015 episode of the singing competition, Smith’s version debuted at #21 on the chart.
This was used in a commercial for the Honda Ridgeline that debuted during the 2016 Super Bowl. In the spot, a flock of sheep sing this song, having heard it when they were transported in a Ridgeline with a truck-bed audio system, which we’re sure is quite handy for teaching songs to sheep.
Somebody To Love
Each morning I get up I die a little Can barely stand on my feet (take a look at yourself) Take a look in the mirror and cry Lord, what you’re doing to me I have spent all my years in believing you But I just can’t get no relief, Lord Somebody uh (somebody) somebody (somebody) Can anybody find me somebody to love?
I work (he works hard) hard every day of my life I work ’til I ache my bones At the end (at the end of the day) I take home my hard earned pay all on my own I go down on my knees And I start to pray (praise the Lord) ‘Til the tears run down from my eyes Lord, somebody uh (somebody) somebody (somebody) Can anybody find me somebody to love?
(He works hard) everyday (everyday) I try and I try and I try But everybody wants to put me down They say I’m goin’ crazy They say I got a lot of water in my brain I got no common sense I got nobody left to believe Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, Lord Somebody uh (somebody) somebody (somebody) Can anybody find me somebody to love?
(Can anybody find me somebody to love?) Got no feel, I got no rhythm I just keep losing my beat I’m alright, I’m alright (he’s alright) I ain’t gonna face no defeat I just gotta get out of this prison cell Someday I’m gonna be free, Lord
Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) Somebody find me, somebody find me somebody to love Can anybody find me Somebody to come on, love, yeah
Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody, somebody, somebody to love (find me somebody to love) Find me, find me, find me, find me uh somebody to love Find me somebody to love Find me somebody to love (anybody, anywhere) Somebody, somebody to love yeah yeah oh (find me somebody to love)
This song is a pure joy to listen to although the song is about Iggy Pop’s life as a heroin addict. He was trying to get clean around this time and was somewhat sober.
David Bowie co-wrote this song with Pop, with Bowie composing the music on a ukulele. It was inspired by the opening to the American Forces Network News, which they listened to in Berlin.
The song was released in 1977 but didn’t chart. The song was re-released as a single in 1996, featured on the soundtrack for the British film Trainspotting.
While the song didn’t chart when it was first released, this reissue peaked at #26 in the UK in 1996.
Iggy Pop: “Once a week the Armed Forces Network would play Starsky & Hutch and that was our little ritual. AFN would broadcast an ID when they came on the air, a representation of a radio tower, and it made a signal sound, ‘beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-ba-beep.’ And we went, ‘Aha we’ll take that!’. David grabbed his ukulele, worked out the chords, and away we went.”
Lust For Life
Here comes johnny yen again With the liquor and drugs And the flesh machine He’s gonna do another strip tease. Hey man, where’d ya get that lotion?
I’ve been hurting since I’ve bought the gimmick About something called love Yeah, something called love. Well, that’s like hypnotizing chickens.
Well, I’m just a modern guy Of course, I’ve had it in the ear before. I have a lust for life ‘Cause of a lust for life.
I’m worth a million in prizes With my torture film Drive a g.t.o Wear a uniform
All on a government loan. I’m worth a million in prizes Yeah, I’m through with sleeping on the sidewalk No more beating my brains
No more beating my brains With liquor and drugs With liquor and drugs.
Well, I’m just a modern guy Of course, I’ve had it in my ear before Well, I’ve a lust for life (lust for life) ‘Cause of a lust for life (lust for life, oooo)
I got a lust for life (oooo) Got a lust for life (oooo) Oh, a lust for life (oooo) Oh, a lust for life (oooo)
A lust for life (oooo) I got a lust for life (oooo) Got a lust for life.
Well, I’m just a modern guy Of course, I’ve had it in my ear before Well, I’ve a lust for life ’cause I’ve a lust for life.
Here comes johnny yen again With the liquor and drugs And the flesh machine He’s gonna do another strip tease.
Hey man, where’d ya get that lotion? Your skin starts itching once you buy the gimmick About something called love Love, love, love Well, that’s like hypnotizing chickens.
Well, I’m just a modern guy Of course, I’ve had it in the ear before And I’ve a lust for life (lust for life) ‘Cause I’ve a lust for life (lust for life)
Got a lust for life Yeah, a lust for life I got a lust for life A lust for life Got a lust for life Yeah a lust for life I got a lust for life
Lust for life Lust for life Lust for life Lust for life Lust for life
I remember this song well…it was a breakthrough song for REM. I knew some very intense REM fans and they were not happy that they were in the top 10. The cat was out of the bag and the band was not their secret anymore.
The moment that guitarist Peter Buck played that riff on his Rickenbacker 325 I knew I liked this song. It had the jangly sound that previous REM songs had but this one had a larger commercial appeal. This song broke them through to the masses.
The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, #11 in Canada, #16 in the UK, and #6 in New Zealand in 1987.
It was on the album Document and it peaked at #10 in the Billboard Album Charts, #13 in Canada, #28 in the UK, and #17 in New Zealand.
Michael Stipe describes this song as about using people over and over. It sounds like a love song until the line, “A simple prop to occupy my time.”
Mike Mills (Bass Player): “Peter Buck came up with the riff on his porch. I remember Peter, showing me that riff and thinking it was pretty cool, and then the rest of the song flowed from there. We played the whole song as an instrumental until Michael (Stipe) came up with some vocals for it.”
From Songfacts
The lead vocal on the chorus contains just one word: “Fire,” which Michael Stipe draws out into a long wail. In the background, you can hear bass player Mike Mills singing, “She’s comin’ down on her own, now.”
This is not based on any real person or event. The band made up the lyrics while they were on a tour.
For a while, Stipe thought this was too brutal a song to record. He told Q magazine in 1992: “It’s probably better that they think it’s a love song at this point. That song just came up from somewhere and I recognized it as being really violent and awful. But it wasn’t directed at any one person. I would never write a song like that. Even if there was one person in the world thinking, This song is about me, I could never sing it or put it out… I didn’t want to record that, I thought it was too much. Too brutal. I think there’s enough of that ugliness around.”
This was R.E.M.’s first hit song. They had been recording since 1981 and growing a following.
Bush played this at Woodstock ’99 with a much harder sound.
Robert Longo directed the music video for this song, which has images of tenement buildings, dancers and lonely couples, mixed with sweeping clouds, lighting bolts and bursts of flame. The director of photography was Alton Brown, who would go on to be a Food Network star with shows like Good Eats, Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen.
Speaking to Mojo in 2016, Stipe said that he wasn’t at all dismayed that so many people misinterpreted the sarcastic and spiteful lyrics as a straightforward love song. “I didn’t like the song to begin with,” he explained. “I felt it was too brutal. I thought the sentiment was too difficult to put out into the world. But people misunderstood it, so it was fine. Now it’s a love song, so that’s fine.”
The One I Love
This one goes out to the one I love This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind A simple prop to occupy my time This one goes out to the one I love
Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now) Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now)
This one goes out to the one I love This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind A simple prop to occupy my time This one goes out to the one I love
Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now) Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now)
This one goes out to the one I love This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind Another prop has occupied my time This one goes out to the one I love
Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now) Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now) Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now) Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now)
This single won the Grammy for Best Rock VocalPerformance by a Male in 1979. Dylan performed the song at that same ceremony.
Slow Train Coming was Bob Dylan’s first release since becoming a born-again Christian. What a way to start it out…
I’ve always liked this song and this part of his career. It didn’t matter to me if it was a Christian song …it’s a good song.
The song peaked at #24 in the Billboard 100 in 1979.
Much of the album thus deals with Dylan’s faith and Christian teachings. While some of his older fans were not happy…he did gain some new fans because of it.
This was one of three songs Dylan played when he was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 1979. It was the only time he appeared on the show.
You Gotta Serve Somebody
You may be an ambassador to England or France You may like to gamble, you might like to dance You may be the heavyweight champion of the world You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes Indeed you’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You might be a rock ‘n’ roll addict prancing on the stage You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage You may be a business man or some high-degree thief They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes you are You’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk You may be the head of some big TV network You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame You may be living in another country under another name
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes you are You’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a construction worker working on a home You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome You might own guns and you might even own tanks You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes You’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes You’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes Indeed you’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray You may call me anything but no matter what you say
Still, you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes You’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Alex’s drum intro and the opening guitar riff is great. The song was a natural hit and opened doors for them.
This was the first top twenty song Van Halen released. They would have more after this… The record company wanted to release this song first against the band’s wishes. Van Halen didn’t think it represented their overall sound but.. the record company released it anyway…and it was a hit.
The original title was “Dance, Lolita, Dance” but Eddie talked Dave into renaming the chorus to Dance The Night Away to make it more accessible.
Van Halen’s tour for this album was the first one that they headlined. It was delayed when David Lee Roth hurt his foot performing a jump at the photoshoot for the album. Needless to say, this song helped them gain more fans by the wide spread airplay they got.
The song peaked at #15 in the Billboard 100 and #28 in Canada. The album Van Halen II and it peaked at #6 in the Billboard Album Charts, #15 in Canada, and #23 in the UK in 1979.
Dance The Night Away
Have you seen her? So fine and pretty Fooled me with her style and ease And I feel her from across the room Yes, it’s love in the third degree
Oh, baby baby Won’t-cha turn your head my way? Oh, baby baby Ah come on take a chance You’re old enough to
Dance the night away Whoa-oh (ah) come on g-girl, dance the night away
A live wire, barely a beginner But just watch that lady go She’s on fire, ’cause dancin’ gets her higher than-uh Anything else she knows
Oh, baby baby Won’t-cha turn your head my way? Oh, baby baby Well don’t skip romance ’cause You’re old enough to
Dance the night away Oh oh oh (ah) come on g-girl, dance the night away
Oh, oh oh oh oh yeah
Dance the night away hey, hey, yeah Dance, dance, dance the night away Ah come on baby (dance the night away) hey, hey yeah Dance, dance, dance the night away Uh, come on baby, baby, dance the night away oh, ooh, yeah Dance, dance, dance the night away ah, ha ow
I always liked the intro vocal and then it kicks into what sounds like an old Goffin and King sixties type of rhythm…but to my surprise Mark Farner wrote this.
Farner wrote this while going through a bad divorce…well none are probably any good…but while he was writing this song she was throwing pots and pans in the kitchen.
The Jayhawks also covered this song in 1995.
The song was on the album All theGirls in the World Beware!!! (Really subtle huh?).
The song was very successful peaking at #4 in the Billboard 100, #3 in Canada, and #19 in New Zealand in 1975.
Bad Time
I’m in love with the girl that I’m talking about I’m in love with the girl I can’t live without I’m in love but I sure picked a bad time To be in love To be in love
Well, let her be somebody else’s queen I don’t want to know about it There’s too many others that know what I mean And that’s why I got to live without it
I’m in love with the girl I’m talking about I’m in love with the girl I can’t live without I’m in love but I feel like I’m wearin’ it out I’m in love but I must have picked a bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love
All the stories coming back to me From my friends and the people I don’t want to see The things they say I know just couldn’t be true At least not until I hear it from you
‘Cause I still love the little girl I’m talking about I’m in love with the girl I can’t live without I’m in love but I feel like I’m wearin’ it out I’m in love but I must have picked a bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love
You know that I love the little girl I’m talking about I’m in love with the girl I can’t live without I’m in love but it feels like I’m wearin’ it out I’m in love but I must have picked a bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love A bad time to be in love
This song has some of my favorite vocals by Alice Cooper. It was released in 1971 on the album Killer. The album contained this song, Under My Wheels, and Desperado.
Be My Lover peaked at #49 in the Billboard 100 in 1972. I thought this was more successful than that. I first heard it on my Alice Coopers Greatest Hits that I had at one time.
The album peaked at #21 on the Billboard Album Chart and two singles from the album made the Hot 100 chart.
On a side note…Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols called Killer the greatest rock album of all time.
Be My Lover
She struts into the room Well I don’t know her But with a magnifying glance I just sort of looked her over, hmm We have a drink or two Well, maybe three And then suddenly she starts telling me Her life story She says
Baby, if you wanna be my lover You better take me home ‘Cause it’s a long long way to paradise And I’m still on my own
Told her that I came From Detroit City And I played guitar In a long-haired rock and roll band She asked me why The singer’s name was Alice I said listen, baby You really wouldn’t understand
And I said
Oh baby, if you wanna Be my lover You better take me home ‘Cause it’s a long long way to paradise And I’m still on my own
Oh baby, if you wanna Be my lover You better take me hoooooome ‘Cause it’s a long long way to paradise And I’m still on my oooooown
Riders on the Storm sounds like a song some cool jazz midnight DJ (WKRP fans…think Venus Flytrap) would spin in the old days when they actually could pick what they played. It’s a song to chill out to and I’ve always liked it.
The song is off The Door’s last album with Jim Morrison…LA Woman. The song peaked at #14 in 1971 in the Billboard 100, #5 in Canada, and #22 in the UK.
This song evolved out of a jam session when the band was messing around with “Ghost Riders In the Sky.” It was Jim Morrison’s idea to alter the title to “Riders On The Storm.”
This would be the last song Jim Morrison recorded. He went to France and died a few weeks later.
Ray Manzarek: “There’s a whisper voice on ‘Riders on the Storm,’ if you listen closely, a whispered overdub that Jim adds beneath his vocal. That’s the last thing he ever did. An ephemeral, whispered overdub.”
From Songfacts
The song can be seen as an autobiographical account of Morrison’s life: he considered himself a “Rider on the storm.” The “killer on the road” is a reference to a screenplay he wrote called The Hitchhiker (An American Pastoral), where Morrison was going to play the part of a hitchhiker who goes on a murder spree. The lyrics, “Girl you gotta love your man” can be seen as a desperate plea to his long time girlfriend Pamela.
As it says in Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend by Stephen Davis, in 1962, while Jim was attending Florida State University in Tallahassee, he was seeing a girl named Mary Werbelow who lived in Clearwater, 280 miles away. Jim would oftentimes hitchhike to see her. “Those solitary journeys on hot and dusty Florida two-lane blacktop roads, with his thumb out and his imagination on fire with lust and poetry and Nietzsche and God knows what else – taking chances on redneck truckers, fugitive homos, and predatory cruisers – left an indelible psychic scar on Jimmy, whose notebooks began to obsessively feature scrawls and drawings of a lone hitchhiker, an existential traveler, faceless and dangerous, a drifting stranger with violent fantasies, a mystery tramp: the killer on the road.”
The Doors brought in bass players Marc Benno and Jerry Scheff to play on the album. Scheff came up with the distinctive bass line after Manzarek played him what he had in mind on his keyboard. It took a while to figure out, since it was much harder to play on a bass than a keyboard.
Ray Manzarek used a Fender Rhodes electric piano to create the effect of rain.
This was the last song on the last Doors album with Morrison. Fittingly, it ends with the storm fading slowly to silence. The remaining Doors released two more albums without Morrison before breaking up in 1972. In 2002, Kreiger and Manzarek reunited as “The Doors Of The 21st Century.” Densmore, who says he wasn’t invited to join them, went to court and eventually got a ruling preventing the group from using The Doors in its name, so they changed their name to “Riders On The Storm” after this song.
The single was shortened for radio play. Some of the piano solo was cut out.
In 2000, the surviving members of The Doors taped a VH1 Storytellers episode with guest vocalists filling in for Morrison. Scott Stapp from Creed sang on this track.
Creed contributed a version of this to the 2000 Doors tribute album Stoned Immaculate. Creed also performed it with Doors guitarist Robby Krieger at Woodstock ’99. Krieger sat in on Creed’s “What’s This Life For” during the set.
Doors drummer John Densmore wrote a book called Riders On The Storm about his life with Jim Morrison and The Doors.
Eric Red, the screenwriter of the 1986 film The Hitcher, has said that his screenplay was inspired by this song. He said in an interview with DVD Active: “I thought the elements of the song – a killer on the road in a storm plus the cinematic feel of the music – would make an terrific opening for a film. I started with that scene and went from there.”
When the 71-year-old Ray Manzarak was asked by the Somerville Journal in March 2010 if he turns up or turns off Doors music when he hears it on the radio. Manzarek said, “Oh, God, turn it up! Are you kidding? Living up in northern California, it rains a lot, so they play the heck out of ‘Riders on the Storm.’ And when that comes on, I crank that sucker, man.”
When he recorded this song, Jim Morrison had already decided that he was going to leave the band and go to Paris, where he would die. Some of the lyrics in this song (“girl, you gotta love your man…”) relate to his love for his girlfriend Pam Courson, who went with him to France.
At the end of this song, there are sound effects of thunder, and the faint voice of Jim Morrison whispering, “riders on the storm.” This was envisioned as his spirit whispering from the beyond.
Riders on the Storm
Riders on the storm Riders on the storm Into this house we’re born Into this world we’re thrown Like a dog without a bone An actor out on loan Riders on the storm.
There’s a killer on the road His brain is squirming like a toad Take a long holiday Let your children play If you give this man a ride Sweet family will die Killer on the road, yeah.
Girl you gotta love your man Girl you gotta love your man Take him by the hand Make him understand The world on you depends Our life will never end Gotta love your man, yeah.
Riders on the storm Riders on the storm Into this house we’re born Into this world we’re thrown Like a dog without a bone An actor out on loan Riders on the storm.
Peter Wolf was a great frontman for J Geils. Peter and keyboard Seth Justman wrote most of the songs for them. They hit big in 1982 with their more pop-oriented album Freeze Frame. Up until that time they were more R&B.
Come Back was included on the Love Stinks. With that album, the band began to update their sound for the new decade. This record setup Freeze Frame to be a huge hit.
Peter Wolf and Seth Justman wrote this song.
The song peaked at #32 in the Billboard 100 and #19 in Canada in 1980.
Come Back
When you left me all alone You left me cryin’ on my own Tell me, tell me, what you gonna do Tell me pretty baby ‘Cause I’m still in love with you
Come back (baby) Come back-won’t you come back to me Come back (baby) Come back-won’t you come back to me
Here I’m standin’ such a fool It’s not like you babe Oh, don’t be cruel Help me, help me ‘Cause you know I’m not that strong Help me, help me darlin’ I’ve been lonely for too long
Come back (baby) Come back-won’t you come back to me Come back (baby) Come back
Tell me, tell me, what you gonna do Tell me pretty baby ‘Cause I’m still in love with you
Come back (baby) Come back-won’t you come back to me Come back (baby) Come back-won’t you come back to me Come back (baby) Come back-please come back to me darlin’-aah Come back (baby) Come back-won’t you come back to me
This song has been covered by so many bar bands that the smell of beer comes with the song.
This was written and originally recorded by no other than J.J. Cale. Clapton gave Cale a huge boost he recorded Cale’s song “After Midnight” in 1970 and released it as his first solo single. This helped earn Cale a record deal.
This was on Clapton’s album Slowhand. The version that was a hit was the live version from Just One Night.
In his autobiography Clapton, Clapton said when he recorded this song he had kicked a serious heroin habit but was filling his body with cocaine and alcohol. His attitude at the time was that he could manage his addiction and quit at any time…he just didn’t want to; that’s why he could sing so objectively about a drug that was consuming him.
After he cleaned up, Clapton removed this song from his setlist because he thought it gave the wrong message about cocaine use. He started playing it again after he rearranged the song to include the line, “That dirty cocaine” into the choruses.
The song peaked at #30 in the Billboard 100 and #3 in Canada in 1980.
From Songfacts
When Clapton was looking for songs for his Slowhand album, he once again looked to Cale, and chose “Cocaine,” which became the first song on the set. Clapton would later cover Cale’s song “Travelin’ Light,” and in 2006, the pair teamed up to record an album together called The Road To Escondido.
The lyrics are about drug addiction, something Clapton knew quite well. As he When he finally did get off drugs and alcohol, he had to learn how to make music while sober, which was a big transition as everything sounded very rough to him. He also realized how damaging his addiction was to himself and others on a personal level, and became active in helping others get through their addictions; in 1998 he opened the Crossroads rehab center in Antigua, where clients go through a 29 day wellness-centered approach to treatment.
During the Slowhand sessions, Clapton and his band got to see a J.J. Cale concert, and Cale brought Clapton on stage to duet on this song.
This is one of Clapton’s most famous songs, but the studio version was never released as a single. Clapton included the song on his 1980 live album Just One Night (Live At Budokhan), and the version from this show was released as the B-side of “Tulsa Time,” which was also taken from the concert. This single charted at #30 in the US.
When J.J. Cale wrote this song, he envisioned it as a jazz number. His producer, Audie Ashworth, convinced him to make it a rocker, which required some overdubbing by Cale, since he played very simple guitar parts. Cale did three single-string overdubs of the riff. He played the bass himself, but had session pro Reggie Young play the guitar solo. Clapton’s version has a much more complex guitar line and vocals that are more prominent in the mix.
After Clapton recorded this song, J.J. Cale saw many new faces at his concerts, but many of them expected him to sound like Clapton. Cale didn’t conform, and took a more laid-back approach to his next album, 5, which was released in 1979. There were no hits on that one, although a Santana cover of one of the cuts, “The Sensitive Kind,” made #56 in 1981.
Cocaine
If you want to hang out, you’ve gotta take her out, cocaine If you want to get down, get down on the ground, cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
If you got that lose, you want to kick them blues, cocaine When your day is done, and you want to ride on cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
If your day is gone, and you want to ride on, cocaine Don’t forget this fact, you can’t get it back, cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
This is a perfect song for a slow Sunday…kick back and enjoy this 1971 classic song by the Stones.
Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics about his breakup with Marianne Faithfull.
Bobby Keys played the saxophone on this track and Jim Price, who also came up with the horn arrangements, played the trumpet. They both joined The Stones for their 1970 European tour. Billy Preston also played the gospel organ on this track.
Sticky Fingers was the first album The Stones recorded on their own label and the first in which Mick Taylor played guitar on nearly all the tracks. The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, and #1 in Canada, and the UK.
Many consider this and Exile on Mainstreet their best albums.
I’ve Got The Blues
As I stand by your flame I get burned once again Feelin’ low down, I’m blue
As I sit by the fire Of your warm desire I’ve got the blues for you, yeah
Every night you’ve been away I’ve sat down and I have prayed That you’re safe in the arms of a guy Who will bring you alive Won’t drag you down with abuse
In the silk sheet of time I will find peace of mind Love is a bed full of blues
And I’ve got the blues for you And I’ve got the blues for you And I’ll bust my brains out for you And I’ll tear my hair out I’m gonna tear my hair out just for you If you don’t believe what I’m singing At three o’clock in the morning, babe, well I’m singing my song for you
Curtis Loew is not the name of an actual person from Ronnie Van Zant’s life. Curtis Loew is a composite of different people, including Skynyrd lead guitarist Ricky Medlocke’s grandfather, Shorty Medlocke. Despite the song’s lyrics, Shorty was not black.
When Ed King was writing the liner notes for the Second Helping album, he decided to name the character after Loew’s Theater thus giving an old bluesman a Jewish name.
Personally, I think it’s one of their best songs. It has an old feel about it and the slide is perfect.
Many bands go into the studio without complete songs written and work on them in there. The two bands I’ve read about that were ready when they walked into a studio were this band and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Ronnie Van Zant ran the band with an iron fist and they were rehearsed like crazy. If someone missed a note on stage…it would not be a happy time afterward.
This song was on their second album Second Helping. Their first two albums were great and the next few dipped a bit but they came back strong with their last studio album Street Survivors.
Since the song mentions a dobro…A dobro is a resonator guitar with a mechanical amplifier. It was originally released in 1927. Gibson now owns the rights to the dobro guitar.
They had many great album cuts and this is one of them. It never was released as a single but remains on the playlist of classic rock stations.
The Ballad of Curtis Loew
Well, I used to wake the mornin’ Before the rooster crowed Searchin’ for soda bottles To get myself some dough Brought ’em down to the corner Down to the country store Cash ’em in, and give my money To a man named Curtis Loew
Old Curt was a black man With white curly hair When he had a fifth of wine He did not have a care He used to own an old Dobro Used to play it ‘cross his knee I’d give old Curt my money He’d play all day for me
Play me a song Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew Well, I got your drinkin’ money Tune up your Dobro People said he was useless Them people all were fools ‘Cause Curtis Loew was the finest picker To ever play the blues
He looked to be sixty And maybe I was ten Mama used to whoop me But I’d go see him again I’d clap my hands, stomp my feet Try to stay in time He’d play me a song or two Then take another drink of wine
Play me a song Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew Well, I got your drinkin’ money Tune up your Dobro People said he was useless Them people all were fools ‘Cause Curtis Loew was the finest picker To ever play the blues
Yes, sir
On the day old Curtis died Nobody came to pray Ol’ preacher said some words And they chunked him in the clay Well, he lived a lifetime Playin’ the black man’s blues And on the day he lost his life That’s all he had to lose
Play me a song Curtis Loew, hey Curtis Loew I wish that you was here so Everyone would know People said he was useless Them people all were fools ‘Cause Curtis you’re the finest picker To ever play the blues
I liked every era of The Kinks but I first bought their current records in the late half of the 70s and early eighties. This song was on the album Low Budget released in 1978.
This song was written by Kinks singer/songwriter Ray Davies, he called this “a very political song about people going on strike.”
Clive Davis who ran Arista Records wanted the Kinks to do a club-friendly song.
The Kinks didn’t love disco but it was huge at the time. They found a groove they liked and infused it with their sound. Davies sings about how an ordinary person has to be Superman to survive in these difficult times…kinda applies today also.
Ray Davies: “It was kind of a joke, taking the piss out of Clive wanting us to do a club-friendly record.”
The song peaked at #41 in the Billboard 100 and #43 in Canada in 1978.
Dave Davies: “I think that one [‘Superman’] was, not the biggest mistake, but it could’ve been one of the biggest mistakes we made. I remember I had quite a difficult time with Ray while we were making the record, because I didn’t like the direction it was going. It was a strange time for music in general, anyway. The fact that it’s funny, that it was a humorous song, saved it. I don’t feel bad about that song at all, but it could have been a big mistake.”
The live version is a little more guitar based than the studio version.
(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman
Woke up this morning, started to sneeze I had a cigarette and a cup of tea I looked in the mirror what did I see A nine stone weakling with knobbly knees I did my knees bend press ups touch my toes I had another sneeze and I blew my nose I looked in the mirror at my pigeon chest I had to put on my clothes because it made me depressed Surely there must be a way For me to change the shape I’m in Dissatisfied is what I am I want to be a better man
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman Superman superman I want to be like superman I want to be like superman Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
Woke up this morning, what did I see A big black cloud hanging over me I switched on the radio and nearly dropped dead The news was so bad that I fell out of bed There was a gas strike, oil strike, lorry strike, bread strike Got to be a superman to survive Gas bills, rent bills, tax bills, phone bills I’m such a wreck but I’m staying alive
(Look in the paper, what do I see, Robbery, violence, insanity.)
Hey girl we’ve got to get out of this place There’s got to be something better than this I need you, but I hate to see you this way If I were superman then we’d fly away I’d really like to change the world And save it from the mess it’s in I’m too weak, I’m so thin I’d like to fly but I can’t even swim
Superman superman I want to fly like superman Superman superman wish I could fly like superman Superman superman wish I could fly like superman Superman superman I want to be like superman Superman superman I want to fly like superman
But they can’t touch me now And you can’t touch me now They ain’t gonna do to me What I watched them do to you
Great song by Bruce Springsteen that was written and recorded in 1977 for the Darkness on the Edge of Town album…but Bruce later included it on The River. They Ain’t Gonna Do To Me What I Watched Them Do To You. Lines like this keep me coming back to Bruce. This is one of the strongest songs on that album and one of my favorites of Springsteen.
According to Bruce’s autobiography and his song introduction, this song is about Springsteen’s relationship with his dad. They didn’t get along, but later in life, Bruce realized his father worked very hard to support his family and came to appreciate his efforts. Bruce can also thank his dad for inspiring the rebellious spirit that led him to follow his dreams. Determined not to work a typical factory type job like his dad, Springsteen followed his dreams and made music for a living.
Bruce Springsteen: “I could never talk to my old man, he could never talk to me, my mother couldn’t talk to him. So I was glad when I finally got old enough and I started to live alone. Then for about ten years I never saw my folks that much. And just recently we came back from Europe and I got a phone call a night or two later that my father had gotten sick.
I went out to California where he was in the hospital there. I started thinkin’ on the way about all the things that I always wanted to say to him and I never said and I always figured, well, someday we’ll sit down and we’ll talk about why it was the way it was when I was young, talk about why he felt the way he did. But the years go by and it never comes up. I guess it feels like a dangerous subject or something. But he got sick and I realized that he was gettin’ old and that if I had somethin’ to say to him, I should say it now.”
Independence Day
Well Papa go to bed now it’s getting late Nothing we can say is gonna change anything now I’ll be leaving in the morning from Saint Mary’s Gate We wouldn’t change this thing even if we could somehow ‘Cause the darkness of this house has got the best of us There’s a darkness in this town that’s got us too But they can’t touch me now And you can’t touch me now They ain’t gonna do to me What I watched them do to you
So say goodbye it’s Independence Day It’s Independence Day All down the line Just say goodbye it’s Independence Day It’s Independence Day this time
Now I don’t know what it always was with us We chose the words, and yeah, we drew the lines There was just no way this house could hold the two of us I guess that we were just too much of the same kind
Well say goodbye it’s Independence Day It’s Independence Day all boys must run away So say goodbye it’s Independence Day All men must make their way come Independence Day
Now the rooms are all empty down at Frankie’s joint And the highway she’s deserted down to Breaker’s Point There’s a lot of people leaving town now Leaving their friends, their homes At night they walk that dark and dusty highway all alone
Well Papa go to bed now it’s getting late Nothing we can say can change anything now Because there’s just different people coming down here now And they see things in different ways And soon everything we’ve known will just be swept away
So say goodbye it’s Independence Day Papa now I know the things you wanted that you could not say But won’t you just say goodbye it’s Independence Day I swear I never meant to take those things away
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