I bought Teaser and the Firecat because I enjoyed Steven’s album Tea For The Tillerman so much. I wasn’t disappointed…this was the first song I connected with on the album.
The song peaked at #30 in the Billboard 100 in 1971. The album peaked at #2 the same year.
Cat Stevens on the song: ” “I was on a holiday in Spain. I was a kid from the West End (of London) – bright lights, et cetera. I never got to see the moon on its own in the dark, there were always streetlamps. So there I was on the edge of the water on a beautiful night with the moon glowing, and suddenly I looked down and saw my shadow. I thought that was so cool, I’d never seen it before.”
He wrote part of the story of an animated short film that featured this very song. It was shown at the Fantastic Animation Festival in 1977. It begins with a still of the two characters from the “Teaser and the Firecat” album cover who then come to life.
From Songfacts
Stevens wrote this about finding hope in any situation. Be present and joyful. See life as it is, right now, and don’t compare it to others’ lives, or other times in your life. Every moment in life is rich and unique; whether we are aware of it or not, we are always leaping and hopping on a moonshadow – the inescapable present moment. If we are wrapped up in our whirlpools of worry and concern about what could be, or what has been, we are missing the richness of life as it is.
In the bridge of the song, Stevens seems to be speaking of faith, indicating clearly that, although he is experiencing this ecstasy in the present, despite all the losses and suffering of existence, it is the light that has found him, and not the other way around. He is surrendering to a power greater than himself – the “faithful light.”
Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, considers this his favorite of his old songs. It’s one of the songs that convinced him to release a Greatest Hits record of his work as Cat Stevens. He felt its uplifting message could help people.
Director John Landis wanted to use this song in his 1981 horror comedy An American Werewolf in London. The film featured a number of songs with “moon” in the title (“Moon Dance”, “Blue Moon”, etc.) but Stevens, who had recently converted to Islam, refused permission because he did not like the subject matter of the film.
Stevens has in recent years called this song the “Optimist’s anthem.”
This song was used for a “Teaser And The Firecat” animation. The cover of the album came to life as the boy and cat ride on the moon while this song plays. It can be found on the Cat Stevens – Majikat (Earth Tour 1976) DVD.
Artists to record this song include LaBelle, Roger Whittaker and Mandy Moore.
Moonshadow
Oh, I’m bein’ followed by a moonshadow, moon shadow, moonshadow Leapin and hoppin’ on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow
And if I ever lose my hands, lose my plough, lose my land Oh if I ever lose my hands, Oh if I won’t have to work no more
And if I ever lose my eyes, if my colours all run dry Yes if I ever lose my eyes, Oh if I won’t have to cry no more
Oh, I’m bein’ followed by a moonshadow, moon shadow, moonshadow Leapin and hoppin’ on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow
And if I ever lose my legs, I won’t moan, and I won’t beg Yes if I ever lose my legs, Oh if I won’t have to walk no more
And if I ever lose my mouth, all my teeth, north and south Yes if I ever lose my mouth, Oh if I won’t have to talk
Did it take long to find me? I asked the faithful light Did it take long to find me? And are you gonna stay the night
Well, tell him this is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance, Because a record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance… That is a liberating lyric and sold the song to me.
After appearing on the covers of Time and Newsweek in October 1975, Springsteen sometimes changed the words to “Tell your papa I ain’t no freak, ’cause I got my picture on the cover of Time and Newsweek” when he performed it live.
I’ve seen Bruce do this song live and it is special. It’s one of the best live songs I’ve ever heard along with The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again. The song is exciting as he pleads with Rosie and calls out the nicknames of their friends.
The song was his second album The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle peaked at #59 in the Billboard Album charts in 1975.
From Songfacts
This is Springsteen’s musical autobiography. After touring relentlessly around the Jersey Shore, he finally signed a record deal and got some money. Springsteen called the song, “A kiss-off to everybody who counted you out, put you down, or decided you weren’t good enough.”
Springsteen considers this the best love song he ever wrote, which he would often declare before performing it. It’s proof that a love song does not have to be slow or sappy.
This is one of Springsteen’s most popular live songs, and a dependable capper. It was the last song before the encore at most of his shows from 1973-1984; in 1999 during his E Street Band reunion tour, Springsteen played 15 sold out shows at the Continental Airlines Arena (later known as the Izod centre) and he used this song to close out the final show of the stand. This became very popular in England when British TV aired a clip of Springsteen performing this at a concert in Phoenix in 1978.
The live film clip of this is the closest thing Springsteen had to a music video until he started making them in 1984, starting with “Dancing In The Dark.”
The first time Springsteen performed this song was at a concert at Joe’s Place in Boston on January 5, 1974.
This was one of the first songs to showcase Clarence Clemons on sax. With his bright suits and imposing size, he quickly became the most popular member of the E Street Band.
The audience always went crazy when Springsteen sang: “The record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance.” He got a $25,000 advance from Columbia Records when he signed his first record deal, proving to his father and others who doubted him that he did have a real job.
Springsteen never liked his nickname “The Boss,” and sometimes sang: “You can call me Lieutenant, Rosie, but don’t ever call me Boss.”
Springsteen wrote this to be a live show-stopper. He was inspired by the soul revues in the ’60s where the artists would pour all their energy into their final song, and just when it seemed to be over, keep playing. He knew his audience would remember this when he played it.
According to Diane Lozito, who was Springsteen’s girlfriend around the time he was writing this song, he got the title from the name of her grandmother, Rose (“Rose Lozito” “Rosalita”).
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Spread out now Rosie, doctor come cut loose her mama’s reins You know playin’ blind man’s bluff is a little baby’s game You pick up little dynamite, I’ll pick up little gun And together we’re gonna go out tonight and make that highway run You don’t have to call me lieutenant, Rosie, and I don’t want to be your son The only lover I’m ever gonna need’s your soft, sweet, little girl’s tongue And Rosie, you’re the one
Dynamite’s in the belfry, baby, playin’ with the bats Little gun’s downtown in front of Woolworth’s tryin’ out his attitude on all the cats Papa’s on the corner, waitin’ for the bus Mama, she’s home in the window, waitin’ up for us She’ll be there in that chair when they wrestle her upstairs, ’cause you know we ain’t gonna come I ain’t here on business, baby, I’m only here for fun And Rosie, you’re the one
Rosalita, jump a little higher Senorita, come sit by my fire I just want to be your lover, ain’t no liar Rosalita, you’re my stone desire
Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knee Willie, don’t you know they’re gonna be there Ah Sloppy Sue and Big Bone Billy, they’ll be coming up for air We’re gonna play some pool, skip some school Act real cool, stay out all night, it’s gonna feel alright So Rosie, come out tonight, little baby, come out tonight Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor Oh, closets are for hangers, winners use the door So use it, Rosie, that’s what it’s there for
Rosalita, jump a little higher Senorita, come sit by my fire I just want to be your lover, ain’t no liar Rosalita, you’re my stone desire, alright
Now, I know your mama, she don’t like me, ’cause I play in a rock and roll band And I know your daddy, he don’t dig me, but he never did understand Your papa lowered the boom, he locked you in your room, I’m comin’ to lend a hand I’m comin’ to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man Someday we’ll look back on this and it will all seem funny But now you’re sad, your mama’s mad And your papa says he knows that I don’t have any money Oh, your papa says he knows that I don’t have any money Oh, so your daddy says he knows that I don’t have any money Well, tell him this is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance Because a record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance
And my tires were slashed and I almost crashed, but the Lord had mercy And my machine, she’s a dud, out stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey Well, hold on tight, stay up all night, ’cause Rosie, I’m comin’ on strong By the time we meet the morning light, I will hold you in my arms I know a pretty little place in Southern California, down San Diego way There’s a little cafe, where they play guitars all night and all day You can hear them in the back room strummin’ So hold tight, baby, ’cause don’t you know daddy’s comin’ Everybody sing
Rosalita, jump a little higher Senorita, come sit by my fire I just want to be your lover, ain’t no liar Rosalita, you’re my stone desire
Yesterday I posted a Wings song so today I’ll even it up with John.
Great song but every time I hear it…it’s December 1980 again and I’m watching news stories about Lennon’s death. Double Fantasy was a strong comeback album for John…a little more Yoko than I would have liked but a good album all the same.
When it was released Ringo had said John Lennon sounds like Elvis at the beginning of this song…then he said no…he doesn’t sound like Elvis…he is Elvis. John Lennon himself said: “All through the taping of ‘Starting Over,’ I was calling what I was doing ‘Elvis Orbison.’ It’s like Dylan doing Nashville Skyline, except I don’t have any Nashville, being from Liverpool. So I go back to the records I know – Elvis and Roy Orbison and Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis.”
The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK, #1 in Canada and #2 in New Zealand.
From Songfacts
This song embodied the sense of renewal in Lennon and Yoko’s professional and personal lives during the writing and recording of Double Fantasy. “It was kinda obvious what ‘Starting Over’ was about,” said journalist David Sheff, who did the last major interview with Lennon, to Mojo. “He’d been untrusting of Yoko, she’d been untrusting of him, all that kind of stuff. But in that one song was this incredible optimism and joy.”
This was released in the United States October 27, 1980, which was the same day Mark David Chapman bought the gun he would use to kill Lennon on December 8. “Starting Over,” which came out in the UK on October 24, was Lennon’s first release since 1975. The Double Fantasy album was issued on November 17.
Lennon wrote this while vacationing in Bermuda earlier in the year.
Despite being the first single in five years from one of the most famous musicians on the planet, this song took a while to catch on. In America, it entered the Hot 100 on November 1, 1980 at #38 and made a slow but steady climb up the chart. Here’s the progression:
When Lennon was killed, fans quickly scooped up the single along with lots of other Lennon material, but it took a few weeks for the chart to reflect these sales. When it hit #1, it stayed there for five weeks.
This was recorded at The Power Station in New York City. Musicians included Tony Levin on bass, Earl Slick on guitar, and Andy Newmark on drums.
Double Fantasy was released on David Geffen’s record label, DGC. Many labels were competing for the album, but Geffen impressed Lennon when he wrote directly to Yoko and agreed to release it without hearing it first. All of Lennon’s previous albums were released on The Beatles’ label, Apple.
John and Yoko were considering doing a tour when this was climbing the charts.
This was one of the last songs recorded for the album. Lennon was not sure he should record it, but his producer and session musicians convinced him it would be a hit. It became the first single from Double Fantasy.
The day this was released, Yoko Ono hired a skywriter to write “Happy Birthday” above New York.
The copy of Double Fantasy that Mark Chapman asked Lennon to autograph might be the most valuable record in the world. The record, which figured in the court case, not only has Lennon’s autograph but also boasts Chapman’s fingerprints on the cover. In 2003, the record was sold for £525,000 but its value has since rocketed.
(Just Like) Starting Over
Our life together Is so precious together We have grown, we have grown Although our love is still special Let’s take a chance and fly away Somewhere alone
It’s been too long since we took the time No-one’s to blame, I know time flies so quickly But when I see you darling It’s like we both are falling in love again It’ll be just like starting over Starting over
Everyday we used to make it love Why can’t we be making love nice and easy It’s time to spread our wings and fly Don’t let another day go by my love It’ll be just like starting over Starting over
Why don’t we take off alone Take a trip somewhere far, far away We’ll be together all alone again Like we used to in the early days Well, well, well darling
It’s been too long since we took the time No-one’s to blame, I know time flies so quickly But when I see you darling It’s like we both are falling in love again It’ll be just like starting over Starting over
Our life together Is so precious together We have grown, we have grown Although our love still is special Let’s take a chance and fly away somewhere
This was the first song recorded by Paul McCartney’s group Wings to feature another member on all lead vocals. It is an anti-drug song sung by lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (ex-Thunderclap Newman). Colin Allen, who was the drummer in the band Stone The Crows with McCulloch, wrote the lyrics, and McCulloch wrote the music.
Jimmy McCulloch was a guitar prodigy… He was playing in a band called The Jaygars when he was 11. He was in the band One In A Million supporting The Who when he was 14 and in the band Thunderclap Newman in 1969 when he was 16. He went on to play with John Mayall (Mayall knew how to pick guitar players) and Stone the Crows… He then went to play with Paul McCartney and Wings in 1974. He gave Paul’s songs an edge and I wish he would have stayed in Wings longer.
He left Wings to play with the reformed Small Faces in 1977. In 1979 he sadly died of heart failure due to morphine and alcohol poisoning. You have to wonder how much more Jimmy could have achieved if he would have lived.
The version I’m most familiar with is the live version from Wings Over America. The song was originally on the Venus and Mars album. Venus and Mars peaked at #1 in 1975 in the Billboard Album Charts and Wings Over America peaked at #1 in 1977.
Medicine Jar
What’s wrong with you? I wish, I knew You say, time will tell I hope that’s true
There’s more to life than blues and reds I say, I know how you feel Now your friends are dead
Dead on your feet, you won’t get far If you keep on sticking your hand In the medicine jar
Now don’t give up Whatever you do You say, time will tell I hope that’s true
If you go down and lose your head I say, I know how you feel Now your friends are dead
Dead on your feet, you won’t get far If you keep on sticking your hand In the medicine jar
I said, “Dead on your feet, you won’t get far If you keep on sticking your hand In the medicine jar”
Check it
What can I do? I can’t let go You say, time will heal But very slow
So don’t forget the things you said I say, I know how you feel Now your friends are dead
Dead on your feet, you won’t get far If you keep on sticking your hand In the medicine jar
Dead on your feet, you won’t get far If you keep on sticking your hand In the medicine jar
Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar
Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar Medicine jar
I asked my son Friday night…What are you listening to? He told me Victoria by the Kinks… so Victoria it will be.
Victoria was written for Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire), a soundtrack to a British TV play on which Ray Davies collaborated with dramatist and screenwriter Julian Mitchell. The program was canceled at the last minute when the producer was unable to secure financial backing and has never been produced. However, Davies’ music was still recorded by the Kinks and released as a concept album.
The album peaked at #105 in the Billboard 100 in 1969. The song Victoria peaked at #62 in the Billboard 100 and #33 in the UK in 1970. It was the band’s first release to reach the chart since their Top 20 hit “Sunny Afternoon” in 1966.
From Songfacts
“Victoria” is a typically satirical Ray Davies song, containing many of his themes from his late ’60s material such as English nostalgia and the little people. It finds him fusing the image of the historical 19th Century UK queen and the grim realities of her downtrodden subjects’ life during her reign with the British rule of its Empire, which had reached its peak in Queen Victoria’s reign.
Musically, “Victoria” finds Ray Davies balancing the nostalgic music hall and rock sides of his songwriting. While the track is centered on a thumping rock electric blues guitar riff, the triumphant “Land of hope and gloria” bridge enhances the remainder of the song.
Commercially, “Victoria” represented a relative return of form for The Kinks. In the US, the song was chosen as the lead single from Arthur. It peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Victoria” was released as the album’s third single in the UK, and was the only one to chart, reaching #33.
A cover version by The Fall was the Manchester band’s second UK Top 40 hit in 1988 peaking at #35.
Victoria
Long ago life was clean Sex was bad, called obscene And the rich were so mean Stately homes for the Lords Croquet lawns, village greens Victoria was my queen Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, ‘toria
I was born, lucky me In a land that I love Though I am poor, I am free When I grow I shall fight For this land I shall die Let her sun never set Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, ‘toria Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, ‘toria
Land of hope and gloria Land of my Victoria Land of hope and gloria Land of my Victoria Victoria, ‘toria Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, ‘toria
Canada to India Australia to Cornwall Singapore to Hong Kong From the West to the East From to the rich to the poor Victoria loved them all
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, ‘toria Victoria, Victoria, Victoria
This is a fantastic sounding song by a band named Ride.
Ride were formed in 1988 in Oxford by school friends Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, before recruiting drummer Loz Colbert at the Oxfordshire School of Art & Design and local bassist Steve Queralt.
They broke up in 1996 because of differences between Andy Bell and Mark Gardener. Gardener wanted to go forward in a more dance style of music…Bell didn’t but both wanted to go more contemporary style. Bassist Steve Queralt said: The band had two future directions open to them, and they chose the wrong option.
They reunited in 2014 and released their first album in 21 years in 2017.
Twisterella peaked at #12 in 1992 in the Billboard Alternative Charts and #36 in the UK. The song was on the Really Going Back album and it peaked at #5 in the UK in 1992.
The band had 1 top ten song, 6 top 40, and 10 top 75 songs in the UK charts.
Twisterella
Any minute you will feel the chemistry Vibrations in the brain can’t ever be explained Slip away and out of sight, feel the magnet of a night The circus that you see is where you have to be
If I’ve seen it all before why’s this bus taking me back again? If I don’t need anymore why’s this bus taking me back again?
Feel the weight letting go, feel more lightness than you’ve ever known You can’t see when light’s so strong, you can’t see when light is gone
If I’ve seen it all before why’s this bus taking me back again? If I don’t need anymore why’s this bus taking me back again?
This song is an example that Badfinger was more than just their hits. Pete Ham’s ability to write memorable pop songs never wavered. Take It All was inspired by the band’s work on George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh project. Some of the band members were a little miffed on why Pete Ham got to play with George Harrison in the spotlight and they didn’t.
Take It All was on the album “Straight Up” This is my favorite album by them. It has Baby Blue and Day after Day but a host of other good songs. Money, Name of the Game, Suitcase, Sweet Tuesday Morning, and I’d Die Babe.
The album peaked at #31 in 1972 in the Billboard 100.
Take It All
In a way the sun has shone on me Makes it easy to make it hard Take an inch, take a yard, take it all I don’t need it at all
Any day the sun could shine on you Makes it silly to make it bad Take it good, take it glad, take it all
Don’t you know there’s a stronger thing Keeping us together Don’t you know there’s a song to sing Sing on, let the feeling take you high
Don’t you know there’s a stronger thing Keeping us together Don’t you know there’s a song to sing Sing on, let the feeling take you high
Any day the sun will shine on you Makes it silly to take it bad Make it good, take it glad, take it all I don’t need it at all, I don’t want it at all No, no, no
I remember hearing this song in the mid eighties and thinking that they were different than the usual bands at the time. Many bands from that era had an inflection in their voice that was down…monotoned…The Hooters were up…actually happy sounding.
The song peaked at #26 in the Billboard 100 in 1985.
Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman are the founding members of The Hooters. They played most of the instruments on Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 debut album She’s So Unusual, and Hyman co-wrote “Time After Time.” The same year, The Hooters released their first album on an independent label and grew their following in the Philadelphia area. When Lauper’s album became a huge hit, it got the attention of Columbia Records, who signed the band.
From Songfacts
Rob Hyman told us: “Eric and I would take road trips to do writing. We would get away and especially since the band was playing so much, we would just kind of hole ourselves up. In this instance, we went into the Poconos outside the Philadelphia region and we rented a couple little cabins, brought some recording gear, set up a 4-track studio and threw around a lot of ideas. As is often the case for me, I think we did 10 or 12 tracks, and the last thing we did, probably on our last day, was write the chorus to ‘And We Danced.’ It had a slightly different feel, but materially it was there. That was the strongest bit we brought back from that writing trip. We had that flash – this is something really great, we’ll finish it another day. Had we just stayed with it that moment more, maybe we would have done it, but it ended up taking a lot more time. We threw around a lot of verses and rhythmic ideas. It was a different feel, and then it got into more of a rock and roll feel.”
The Hooters played this at Live Aid in 1985. They were the first band to perform on the Philadelphia stage, going on after an introduction ceremony that included Joan Baez singing “Amazing Grace.” Eric Bazilian told us how they got there: “That was a stroke of genius on the part of our manager, Steve Mountain. He managed to finagle that with Bill Graham and Larry Magid to get us on that stage. Our first record was just coming out, and it was the perfect time. That was our moment in destiny.”
The distinctive sound that leads off the song and plays throughout is a Melodica, a combination keyboard/harmonica instrument they played. The band called it a “Hooter,” which is where they got their name.
Regarding the images he came up with in the lyrics, Hyman told us: “The Bop Baby on a hard day’s night, the union hall – we just felt it was kind of a basic, workingman’s rock and roll record. In a sense, a bit of territory that maybe Springsteen or somebody would cover, a little of that nostalgia, a little of the no-frills kind of straight ahead lyrics. I think the ornamentation and the embellishments that the band did with the melodica and the mandolins and the sounds that we were dabbling in put a different flavor to it. But at its heart, it’s a simple rock and roll song that evokes some of those same feelings that Chuck Berry or The Beatles had. I think those images were just straight-ahead pictures for us.”
In addition to their work with The Hooters, Hyman and Bazilian have written and produced songs for many artists, including Joan Osborne, Ricky Martin, Dar Williams and Jon Bon Jovi. Bazilian wrote Osborne’s hit “One Of Us.” (Thanks to Rob and Eric for speaking with us. To learn more, check out their websites at http://www.robhyman.com and http://www.ericbazilian.com.)
And We Danced
She was a be-bop baby on a hard day’s night. She was hangin’ on Johnny , he was holdin’ on tight I could feel her coming from a mile away. There was no use talking, there was nothing to say When the band began to play and play.
And we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced We were liars in love and we danced Swept away for a moment by chance And we danced and danced danced.
I met my be-bop baby at the Union Hall She cold dance all night and shake the paint off the walls. But when I saw her smile across a crowded room Well I knew we’d have to leave the party soon As the band began to play out of tune.
And we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced We were liars in love and we danced Swept away for a moment by chance And we danced and danced danced.
The endless beat she’s walking my way Hear the music fade when she says Are we getting too close, do we dare to get closer The room is spinning as she whispers my name
And we danced like wave on the ocean, romanced We were liars in love and we danced Swept away for a moment by chance And we danced, danced, danced.
My last Halloween post…hope you enjoy the day and especially the night!
This song peaked at #45 in the Billboard 100 in 1975. The album of the same name peaked at #5 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1975. Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier) parted with The Alice Cooper Band to make this album solo.
When Alice Cooper released Welcome To My Nightmare in February 1975, he was already one of the most famous rock celebrities on the planet. Between 1971 and 1974, the Alice Cooper Band, which consisted of Cooper himself (born Vincent Furnier), guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith, had notched up an impressive run hit albums.
Alice Cooper: “People would come and see us play and just assume that as I was the lead singer then I must be Alice Cooper,” he explains today. “But originally the band was simply called the Alice Cooper Band. But because everyone thought I was Alice I decided it would be easier and better for the band to simply start calling myself Alice.Of course, later, when I would go solo for Welcome To My Nightmare, I’d really become Alice Cooper.”
From Songfacts
This was the centerpiece to Cooper’s 1975 tour, which opened with this song and set the stage for the macabre scenes that followed. Cooper approached the song as a production number, and that’s how he performed it. For the tour, the musicians were hidden in the back of the stage while Alice performed with various dancers and props. He would emerge in a haze of smoke, singing this song on a bed; the rest of the show was based on the idea that we were seeing his nightmares brought to life.
Any meaning in the song is up to the listener, as Alice explained, “I project images to the audience and they make up their own story to fit it. I have no message at all. I never did.”
In 1975, Cooper turned the stage show built around this song into a concert movie called Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare, and a TV movie called The Nightmare. The famous horror movie actor Vincent Price played “The Spirit of the Nightmare,” narrating the show. The movie was a precursor to long-form music videos, as it was a theatrical production set to music. The most famous long-form video arrived in 1984 with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” also featuring narration from Vincent Price.
Welcome To My Nightmare
Welcome to my nightmare I think you’re gonna like it I think you’re gonna feel like you belong A nocturnal vacation Unnecessary sedation You want to feel at home ’cause you belong
Welcome to my nightmare Welcome to my breakdown I hope I didn’t scare you That’s just the way we are when we come down We sweat and laugh and scream here ‘Cause life is just a dream here You know inside you feel right at home here
Welcome to my breakdown Whoa You’re welcome to my nightmare Yeah
Welcome to my nightmare I think you’re gonna like it I think you’re gonna feel that you belong We sweat laugh and scream here ‘Cause life is just a dream here You know inside you feel right at home here Welcome to my nightmare Welcome to my breakdown Yeah
This song was banned by the BBC from their airwaves in 1962 for “being too morbid.”…Really BBC?
Elvis Presley had no sense of humor about this song…he was not a fan and called it the dumbest record he ever heard… this coming from the man who sang Clambake…but I still love Elvis.
The song charted more than once…It peaked at #1 in 1962 in the Billboard 100 and #3 in the UK. It peaked at #91 in 1970 in the Billboard 100. It also charted at #10 in the Billboard 100 in 1973…and again in the UK in 2007 at #60.
Pickett and Lenny Capizzi wrote this song in about two hours. They recorded a demo to tape and brought it to Gary Paxton, lead singer of The Hollywood Argyles (“Alley Oop”). They recorded the song with Paxton and studio musicians Leon Russell, Johnny McCrae and Rickie Page, who were credited as “The Cryptkickers.” Paxton, who is credited as the song’s producer, also added the sound effects.
Paxton put the song out on his Garpax label and distributed it to radio stations around Southern California. The response was overwhelming, as the stations saw their phone banks lighting up with requests for the song. A deal was struck with London Records, who distributed the song worldwide.
From Songfacts
Pickett was a nightclub entertainer who performed with a group called The Cordials. He wrote “Monster Mash” with his friend Lenny Capizzi. They were both big horror movie fans, and Pickett would do an impression of the actor Boris Karloff (known for playing the monster in many Frankenstein movies) during the speaking part of “Little Darlin'” that went over well in his act. As Capizzi played the piano, he and Pickett put together this song with his Karloff impression in mind. They came up with the plot about Frankenstein’s monster starting a dance craze.
The lyrics are based on the story of Frankenstein, which started as a 1818 novel by Mary Shelley and evolved into various film adaptations. In the story, Dr. Frankenstein creates a creature who comes to life, but what he created is a monster. The book is sober tale of regret and unexpected consequences, but the story is often played for comedy. In this song, the monster throws a big dance party, which is enthusiastically attended by many other creatures of lore (Dracula, Wolfman).
Pickett is imitating Boris Karloff, but is narrating the story as Dr. Frankenstein, not the monster that Karloff famously portrayed.
This is a dance song based on the “Mashed Potato” dance craze, which is where The “Mash” in the title comes in.
The original title was “Monster Twist” in an attempt to jump on the Twist craze, but that fad was fading so they tried calling it “Monster Mashed Potato,” then settled on “Monster Mash.”
This being 1962, many of the sound effects had to be created in the studio. The sound effects on the song were done as follows:
The coffin being opened was made by pulling a rusty nail out of a lump of wood with the claw of a hammer.
The bubbling sounds came from blowing through a straw in a glass of water.
The sound of the chains was made by dropping chains onto plywood planks on the record studio floor.
This is arguably the most successful novelty song of all time. Bobby Pickett accomplished the rare feat of reaching the top 100 music chart three times with the same song. On October 20, 1962, the original release hit #1 in the US. The song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 on August 29, 1970 peaking at #91, and then again on May 5, 1972 when it went all the way to #10. The song has sold over four million copies and continues to be a Halloween favorite.
The song made little impact in the UK until it was re-released there in 1973 and reached #3 on the Singles chart. By this time Boris Pickett was a 32-year-old part time New York cab driver.
Pickett quickly followed up this song with “Monsters’ Holiday,” where the monsters throw a mischievous Christmas party. The song, which was written by Paul Harrison of “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” fame, did well, reaching #30 and giving Pickett back-to-back holiday hits in 1962. The following year, he reached #88 with “Graduation Day,” his first entry that wasn’t a novelty song. “The Monster Swim” reached #135 in 1964, which was his last chart appearance until the “Monster Mash” re-issues.
This has been used in several TV shows, including Cheers, The Simpsons and Happy Days. It’s also been used in the movies Halloween III and Sweetheart’s Dance. In 1995, Monster Mash: The Movie was released, starring Pickett as Dr. Frankenstein.
Boris Karloff loved this song. He performed it on a special Halloween edition of the variety show Shindig! on October 30, 1965.
Artists who have covered this song include The Beach Boys (on their first live album – Beach Boys Concert, released in 1964), Misfits, Mannheim Steamroller and Sha-Na-Na. >>
Pickett was diagnosed with leukemia in 2000 and died in 2007. In his autobiography Monster Mash: Half Dead In Hollywood, he wrote: “Gone is that conditioned, morbid fear of physical death. I feel that psychological death is much more grueling and painful. Besides, to quote the great Bela Lugosi as Dracula, ‘To be dead… to be really dead… that must be glorious!’ Poor guy. A vampire’s half-life must really suck.”
Around Halloween in 2004, Pickett re-recorded the song as “Monster Slash.” The new version was a protest against President George W. Bush and his support for logging, mining and other environmental policies Pickett felt were harmful. Sample lyric: “The guests included big timber, big oil, mining magnates and their sons.”
Darlene Love, who sang the holiday favorite “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” claims that she was one of the backing singers on this track, which is plausible as she was one of the most popular session singers at the time. Love occasionally performed the song at Bette Midler’s Halloween shows.
The third release for this song in 1973 was a #1 hit in Australia, spending over 20 weeks on the Top 40 charts.
When a novelty song becomes a surprise hit, a hastily produced album typically follows (see: “Pac-Man Fever”). In this case, the album was called The Original Monster Mash and included songs like “Blood Bank Blues,” “Graveyard Shift,” “Transylvania Twist,” “Me And My Mummy” and “Irresistible Igor.”
Pickett extended the “Monster” brand throughout his career. In 1970, he released “Monster Man Jam,” 1973 saw “Monster Concert,” and in 1984 he released the inevitable “Monster Rap.”
Also an actor, Pickett made appearances on T.J. Hooker, Bonanza and The Beverly Hillbillies, and played Dr. Frankenstein in the 1995 film Monster Mash: The Movie, which also starred Candace Cameron and Jimmie Walker.
“Monster Mash” was the nickname of the professional basketball player Jamal Mashburn.
Monster Mash
I was working in the lab, late one night When my eyes beheld an eerie sight For my monster from his slab, began to rise And suddenly to my surprise
He did the mash, he did the monster mash The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash He did the mash, it caught on in a flash He did the mash, he did the monster mash
From my laboratory in the castle east To the master bedroom where the vampires feast The ghouls all came from their humble abodes To get a jolt from my electrodes
They did the mash, they did the monster mash The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash They did the mash, it caught on in a flash They did the mash, they did the monster mash
The zombies were having fun, the party had just begun The guests included Wolfman, Dracula, and his son
The scene was rockin’, all were digging the sounds Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds The coffin-bangers were about to arrive With their vocal group, ‘The Crypt-Kicker Five’
They played the mash, they played the monster mash The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash They played the mash, it caught on in a flash They played the mash, they played the monster mash
Out from his coffin’, Drac’s voice did ring Seems he was troubled by just one thing He opened the lid and shook his fist and said “Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?
It’s now the mash, it’s now the monster mash The monster mash, it was graveyard smash It’s now the mash, it caught on in a flash It’s now the mash, it’s now the monster mash
Now everything’s cool, Drac’s a part of the band And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land For you, the living this mash was meant too When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you
Then you can mash, then you can monster mash The monster mash and do my graveyard smash Then you can mash, you’ll catch on in a flash Then you can mash, then you can monster mash
Mash good! Easy, Igor, you impetuous young boy Mash good! Grrr!
Although this song has been played to death on the radio…I still will not turn the dial if I hear it come on.
Blue Öyster Cult’s first hit, this song was written by lead guitarist Donald Roeser, also known as Buck Dharma. He contributed his vocals to this track and also wrote their other Top 40 hit, “Burnin’ For You.” This song peaked at #12 in the Billboard 100 and #16 in the UK in 1976.
The album Don’t Fear The Reaper was on was Agents of Fortune. It peaked at #29 in the Billboard 100 in 1976.
The album features vocals and songwriting from Patti Smith. She was keyboardist Allen Lanier’s girlfriend at the time and had also contributed to one of BOC’s previous albums, Secret Treaties.
The song is played quite a bit on the radio but it is Halloween week so it fits.
From Songfacts
This was rumored to be about suicide, but it actually deals with the inevitability of death and the belief that we should not fear it. When Dharma wrote it, he was thinking about what would happen if he died at a young age and if he would be reunited with loved ones in the afterlife. Dharma explained in a 1995 interview with College Music Journal: “I felt that I had just achieved some kind of resonance with the psychology of people when I came up with that, I was actually kind of appalled when I first realized that some people were seeing it as an advertisement for suicide or something that was not my intention at all. It is, like, not to be afraid of it (as opposed to actively bring it about). It’s basically a love song where the love transcends the actual physical existence of the partners.”
Blue Öyster Cult was considered a “cult” band, somewhere in the realm of heavy metal with complex and often baffling lyrics dealing with the supernatural. Those inside the cult took the time to understand that like Black Sabbath, BOC combined outstanding musicianship with fantasy lyrics, and they weren’t for everyone. “Don’t Fear The Reaper” exposed them to a wider audience, which was good for business but bad for art. Buck Dharma said in a 1980 interview with NME: “Ever since ‘The Reaper’ was a hit we’ve been under pressure to duplicate that success; the body of our work failed. Even on (1977 album) Spectres everyone tried to write a hit single and that’s a bad mistake. The Cult is never destined to be successful at a format. To be a singles band you have to win the casual buyer.”
Some of the lyrics were inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet. In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo swallows poison when he believes Juliet is dead. Juliet responds by taking her own life. This led many people to believe the song was about suicide, but Dharma was using Romeo and Juliet as an example of a couple who had faith that they would be together after their death.
For the lyrics that begin, “40,000 men and women,” Dharma was guessing at the number of people who died every day.
An April 8, 2000 Saturday Night Live skit with Christopher Walken made fun of the extremely loud cowbell in this song. In the skit, the band would get upset when Will Ferrell would play the bell too loud, but Walken kept calling for “More Cowbell.” In the skit, Walken plays a super-producer named Bruce Dickinson, who the band respects enough to put up with his cowbell antics. There really is a Bruce Dickinson (besides the Iron Maiden lead singer), but he didn’t produce “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – that was David Lucas, who also brought us the General Electric “we bring good things to life” and the AT&T “reach out and touch someone” jingles. Dickinson is an archivist who works on album reissues, which means gathering master tapes to ensure the best sound quality. He is credited as the reissue producer on a later version of the album, which apparently is how he was named in the sketch.
Lucas and Dickinson both appeared on the Just My Show podcast, and Lucas explained that the cowbell was his idea, as the song “needed some momentum.” He grabbed a cowbell from a nearby recording studio and “just played four on the floor… not hard to do.” He found out about the SNL skit when a friend instant messaged him as it was airing.
Dickinson says he’s always felt a little funny about getting the producer role in the famous skit, but it has made life more interesting. Said Dickinson, “I work with Iggy Pop on a lot of stuff and a lot of times when he calls and I pick up the phone, he goes ‘More cowbell!'”
Blue Öyster Cult released their last album in 2001, but continued touring with core members Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom. When we spoke with Bloom in 2016, he said he still enjoyed performing this song, but he’s a little more ambivalent about the “More Cowbell” skit. “I saw it live on my TV in my house, and did not know it was going to be on, so I was more shocked than amused when it was on,” he said. “I certainly see the humor after it was on. It certainly has legs – it has become part of Americana at this point. Somebody brings it up to me on a regular basis.”
This has been used in several horror movies, including Halloween, The Frighteners and Scream (the version used in Scream is an acoustic cover by Gus Black). It was also used in a very non-horror capacity in the party scene of the Disney movie Miracle, which is about the US Hockey team beating the USSR at the 1980 Olympic Games.
This wasn’t released as a single in the UK until 1978, where it became their only hit in England.
Stephen King quoted the lyrics to this song in his novel The Stand, in which 99.9% of the US population is killed by a manmade disease called “Superflu.” It is also used in King’s miniseries of the same name during a montage showing the corpses of those who had been killed by the disease. King often quotes songs in the beginning of his books.
Don’t Fear The Reaper
All our times have come Here but now they’re gone Seasons don’t fear the reaper Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are
Come on baby, don’t fear the reaper Baby take my hand, don’t fear the reaper We’ll be able to fly, don’t fear the reaper Baby I’m your man
La, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la
Valentine is done Here but now they’re gone Romeo and Juliet Are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet 40,000 men and women everyday, like Romeo and Juliet 40,000 men and women everyday, Redefine happiness Another 40,000 coming everyday, We can be like they are
Come on baby, don’t fear the reaper Baby take my hand, don’t fear the reaper We’ll be able to fly, don’t fear the reaper Baby I’m your man
La, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la
Love of two is one Here but now they’re gone Came the last night of sadness And it was clear she couldn’t go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared The candles blew then disappeared The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don’t be afraid
Come on baby, and she had no fear And she ran to him, then they started to fly They looked backward and said goodby, she had become like they are She had taken his hand, she had become like they are Come on baby, don’t fear the reaper
This was Jimi Hendrix’s favorite song of The Who…which didn’t amuse Pete.
This was the first Who song written by bass player, John Entwistle. Pete Townshend asked him to write a song for their second album…A Quick One. A common story about the song is that “Boris the Spider” was written after John had been out drinking with Bill Wyman. They were making up funny names for animals when Entwistle came up with Boris the Spider.
The song became a huge concert favorite because it was so fun and offset many of their more serious songs. Also, the popularity of the song eventually wore off on Entwistle himself, and he began ritualistically wearing a spider medallion on stage.
Pete Townshend had this to say about the song: Politics or my own shaky vanity might be the reason, but ‘Boris The Spider’ was never released as a single and should have been a hit. It was the most-requested song we ever played on stage, and if this really means anything to you guitar players, it was Hendrix’s favorite Who song. Which rubbed me up well the wrong way, I can tell you. John introduced us to ‘Boris’ in much the same way as I introduced us to our ‘Generation;’ through a tape recorder. We assembled in John’s three by ten-foot bedroom and listened incredulously as the strange and haunting chords emerged. Laced with words about the slightly gruesome death of a spider, the song had enough charm to send me back to my pad writing hits furiously.”
From Songfacts
Entwistle was afraid of spiders as a kid. He wrote this about seeing a spider crawling from the ceiling and squishing it.
Entwistle wrote this as a joke, but it became a concert favorite. It is a fun song that offset many of the more serious Who songs.
This was the only song from the album that they continued to play live.
In the UK, the album was called A Quick One. It was changed to Happy Jack in the US to avoid being offensive.
After he wrote this, Entwistle started wearing a spider medallion at concerts.
Boris The Spider
Look, he’s crawling up my wall Black and hairy, very small Now he’s up above my head Hanging by a little thread
Boris the spider Boris the spider
Now he’s dropped on to the floor Heading for the bedroom door Maybe he’s as scared as me Where’s he gone now, I can’t see
Since Halloween is coming upon us I thought I would feature a few songs referencing the normal culprits throughout the week.
When I was a teenager the song spooked me a bit…and still does. It’s powerful and dynamic with its samba beat. Mick Jagger has said this is about the dark side of man, not a celebration of Satanism. It does, in fact, show the dark side…the lines that stand out to me are: I shouted out, Who killed the Kennedys When after all It was you and me.
Mick Jagger: The satanic-imagery stuff was very overplayed [by journalists]. We didn’t want to really go down that road. And I felt that song was enough. You didn’t want to make a career out of it. But bands did that – Jimmy Page, for instance. I knew lots of people that were into Aleister Crowley. What I’m saying is, it wasn’t what I meant by the song “Sympathy for the Devil.” If you read it, it’s not about black magic, per se.
This song is infectious, it’s a great piece of writing by Mick. The lyrics were inspired by The Master and Margarita, a book by Mikhail Bulgakov. British singer Marianne Faithfull was Mick Jagger’s girlfriend at the time and she gave him the book. Faithfull came from an upper-class background and exposed Jagger to a lot of new ideas. In the book, the devil is a sophisticated socialite, a “man of wealth and taste.”
I usually keep my posts short and quick but songfacts for this song have a book of info on this one so read it if you want. A lot of interesting info.
From Songfacts
This perpetuated the image of the Stones as frightening bad boys, as opposed to the clean-cut Beatles. It was great marketing for the band, who got some press by implying an interest in the occult.
A documentary by French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard called One Plus One captured the recording of this song, which took place over five days: June 5, 6, 8 – 10, 1968. At one point, a lamp for the documentary started a fire in the studio. The tapes were saved, but a lot of the Stones’ equipment was destroyed.
The original title was “The Devil Is My Name.” Said Jagger: “Songs can metamorphasize, and ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ is one of those songs that started off like one thing, I wrote it one way and then we started the change the rhythm. And then it became completely different. And then it got very exciting. It started off as a folk song and then became a samba. A good song can become anything. It’s got lots of historical references and lots of poetry.”
Keith Richards (2002): “‘Sympathy’ is quite an uplifting song. It’s just a matter of looking the Devil in the face. He’s there all the time. I’ve had very close contact with Lucifer – I’ve met him several times. Evil – people tend to bury it and hope it sorts itself out and doesn’t rear its ugly head. ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ is just as appropriate now, with 9/11. There it is again, big time. When that song was written, it was a time of turmoil. It was the first sort of international chaos since World War II. And confusion is not the ally of peace and love. You want to think the world is perfect. Everybody gets sucked into that. And as America has found out to its dismay, you can’t hide. You might as well accept the fact that evil is there and deal with it any way you can. Sympathy for the Devil is a song that says, Don’t forget him. If you confront him, then he’s out of a job.”
The song took on a darker meaning when The Stones played it at their Altamont Speedway concert on December 6, 1969, before a fan was fatally stabbed by Hells Angels gang members hired for security. As they played it, the crowd got more unruly; a few songs later, during “Under My Thumb,” the stabbing occurred. [This is all documented in the film Gimme Shelter]. The Stones kept “Sympathy” in the their setlists, playing it throughout 1970.
Some of the historical events mentioned in this song are the crucifixion of Christ, the Russian Revolution, World War II, and the Kennedy assassinations. Robert Kennedy was killed on June 5, 1968, after Mick Jagger started writing the song. His original lyric was “who killed Kennedy?” referring to the 1963 John F. Kennedy assassination, but he changed it to “who killed the Kennedys?”
Other historical events alluded to in the song include the Hundred Years’ War (“fought for ten decades”) and the Nazi Blitzkrieg (“the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank”).
The “whoo-whoo” backing vocals were added when Richard’s girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg, did it during a take and the Stones liked how it sounded. Pallenberg sang it on the record along with Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Marianne Faithfull and Jimmy Miller.
Stones producer Jimmy Miller: “Anita (Pallenberg) was the epitome of what was happening at the time. She was very Chelsea. She’d arrive with the elite film crowd. During ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ when I started going whoo, whoo in the control room, so did they I had the engineer set up a mike so they could go out in the studio and whoo, whoo.”
On their 1989 Steel Wheels tour, The Stones performed this with Jagger standing high above the stage next to a fire. Mick wore a safety belt in case he fell.
The Stones performed this on Rock and Roll Circus, a British TV special The Stones taped in 1968 but never aired. It was released on video in 1995. During the performance, Jagger removes his shirt to reveal devil tattoos on his chest and arms.
Guns ‘N’ Roses covered this in 1994 for the move Interview With The Vampire (the song appears at the end of the movie, which stars Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and a young Kirsten Dunst). Their version hit #9 in England, and marked the first appearance of their new guitarist Paul Huge (rhymes with “boogie” – he later went by “Tobias”), who replaced Gilby Clarke. Axl Rose brought in Huge, and it caused considerable conflict in the band, which broke apart over the next few years. At one point, Matt Sorum called Huge “the Yoko Ono of GNR.”
In our 2013 interview with Gilby Clarke, he recalls this recording as a signal that the band was over. “I knew that that was the ending because nobody told me about it,” he said. “Officially I was in the band at that time, and they did that song without me. That was one of the last straws for me, because nobody had said anything to me and they recorded a song by one of my favorite bands. It was pretty clear I’m a big Stones fan, and they recorded the song without me. So I knew that was it.”
The song ended up being the last one Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan recorded together. “If you’ve ever wondered what the sound of a band breaking up sounds like, listen to Guns N’ Roses’ cover of ‘Sympathy for the Devil,'” Slash wrote in his memoir.
The beat is based on a Samba rhythm. Keith Richards said it “started as sort of a folk song with acoustics, and ended up as a kind of mad samba, with me playing bass and overdubbing the guitar later. That’s why I don’t like to go into the studio with all the songs worked out and planned beforehand.”
The opening lines of this song, “Please allow me to introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste,” were quoted by the Devil character (played by actor Rick Collins) in the 1989 film The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie.
Carlos Santana thought The Stones were playing with fire on this song. “I don’t have no sympathy for the devil,” he said in an NME interview. “I like the beat of the song but I never identify with the lyric. Jagger and Richards don’t really know the full extent of what they’re talking about. If they knew what they were getting into when they sing that song they would not be doing it. The devil is not Santa Claus. He’s for real.”
Santana was one of the performers at the ill-fated Altamont concert, and Carlos claimed he could feel a “demonic presence” during their set – a striking contrast to Woodstock, where the group conjured up peace and love. Santana didn’t allow any of their footage into the Gimme Shelter film.
In 2003, The Stones released this as a “maxi-single,” with four versions of the song. The original was on there, as well as remixes by The Neptunes, Fatboy Slim, and Full Phatt.
The line, “And I laid traps for troubadours who get killed before they reach Bombay” possibly refers to the notorious Thuggee cult, who worshiped Kali, the Hindu goddess of death. They would waylay travelers on the roads of India, then kill the entire group in order to make off with their valuables. This seems to be the closest well known historical incident to fit the lyrics. Also, the Thuggee would have been well known in England, since the British Army put a stop to the cult during the colonial period.
Another interpretation is that the line refers to the hippies who traveled the “Hippie trail,” a passage through Turkey, Afghanistan, India and a few other countries that was popular in the counterculture community. Many of these travelers were killed and ripped off by drug peddlers in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Those shady deals could be the “traps.”
Some other worthy covers: Sandra Bernhard, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Bryan Ferry, Jane’s Addiction, The London Symphony Orchestra, Natalie Merchant, U2.
One verse of lyrics was recited by Intel vice president Steve McGeady during his testimony in Microsoft’s antitrust trial in November 1998. McGeady had written a memo about Microsoft with the subject “Sympathy For The Devil,” and when asked whether he was calling Microsoft the Devil, McGeady recited the passage about using your well-learned politesse.
In his book Mystery Train, Greil Marcus states that this was influenced by Robert Johnson’s song “Me and the Devil Blues.” Keith Richards describes Johnson’s influence as “Like a comet or a meteor” in the liner notes to Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings.
Fitting for a song about Satan, the song is heavy on the low end, with the bass, percussion and piano prominent throughout the track. The guitar doesn’t come in until 2:50, when the solo comes in. It doesn’t return until nearly two minutes later, when it returns for some licks. The Stones typically change the arrangement when they perform it live, bringing the guitar in for the first “pleased to meet you line,” sometimes punctuated with pyro or other visual elements.
Jagger (1995): “It has a very hypnotic groove, a samba, which has a tremendous hypnotic power, rather like good dance music. It doesn’t speed up or down. It keeps this constant groove. Plus, the actual samba rhythm is a great one to sing on, but it’s also got some other suggestions in it, an undercurrent of being primitive – because it is a primitive African, South American, Afro-whatever-you-call-that rhythm. So to white people, it has a very sinister thing about it. But forgetting the cultural colors, it is a very good vehicle for producing a powerful piece. It becomes less pretentious because it’s a very unpretentious groove. If it had been done as a ballad, it wouldn’t have been as good.”
Jagger (1995): “I knew it was a good song. You just have this feeling. It had its poetic beginning, and then it had historic references and then philosophical jottings and so on. It’s all very well to write that in verse, but to make it into a pop song is something different. Especially in England – you’re skewered on the altar of pop culture if you become pretentious.”
In 2006, this was included in The National Review magazine’s list of the 50 most conservative rock lyrics. They claimed that this is an anti-Communist, conservative song and that the devil being referred to is Communist Russia.
The opening line was used in Volume 2 of 10 of the graphic novel V For Vendetta. >>
This song was used for a title of a episode of the anime series Cowboy Bebop. “Honky Tonk Women” is also the title of an episode.
In the TV series Will and Grace, The character Karen states that she always wanted to walk down the aisle when she got married for the fourth time to “Sympathy For The Devil.” When her husband-to-be refuses, she fights with him.
The industrial band Laibach released an entire album containing different covers of this song. The character and tone of the Laibach covers are largely very different from the Stones original. In the opening track the lead singer sings/shouts in a very deep bass voice with a thick Slavic accent. One of their covers contains references to the violence at the Altamont raceway.
Sympathy For The Devil
Please allow me to introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste I’ve been around for a long, long year Stole many a man’s soul to waste
And I was ’round when Jesus Christ Had his moment of doubt and pain Made damn sure that Pilate Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name But what’s puzzling you Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersburg When I saw it was a time for a change Killed the czar and his ministers Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank Held a general’s rank When the blitzkrieg raged And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, oh yeah Ah, what’s puzzling you Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee While your kings and queens Fought for ten decades For the gods they made
I shouted out Who killed the Kennedys? When after all It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste And I laid traps for troubadours Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what’s puzzling you Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what’s confusing you Is just the nature of my game, mm yeah
Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails Just call me Lucifer ‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah
Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah
But what’s puzzling you Is the nature of my game, mm mean it, get down
Oh yeah, get on down Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Tell me baby, what’s my name Tell me honey, can ya guess my name Tell me baby, what’s my name I tell you one time, you’re to blame
Oh, right
What’s my name Tell me, baby, what’s my name Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name
Sometimes I just have to hear some Devo to break the monotony. This is Devo from back in 1981. This song peaked at #43 in the Billboard 100, #8 in New Zealand and #17 in Canada. The song was not on their album New Traditionalists which was out at this time but it came packaged as a single included with the album.
It was also on the soundtrack of Heavy Metal.
It was written by Allen Toussaint in the early 1960s. Toussaint, as a pianist, writer, and producer, was part of the second wave of New Orleans’ Jazz and Blues culture. He worked with many big names from the era including Fats Domino, Chris Kenner, Benny Spellman, and Diamond Joe.
The song was made famous by Lee Dorsey in 1966.
From Songfacts on Working In A Coal Mine
Although “Working in the Coal Mine” sounds just like a jazz standard that could have been handed down from generation to generation of the American Old South, it was actually
In the ’60s, Toussaint wrote and produced several hits for Lee Dorsey, including “Ride Your Pony,” “Get Out of My Life Woman,” “Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky,” and “Holy Cow.”
In 1965, Toussaint wrote a song for Dorsey called “Work, Work, Work,” which was appropriate since Dorsey loved working on cars as much as he loved making music – he worked at a body shop and was often seen covered in grease. When he wrote for a specific artist, Toussaint would craft the song to that artist’s personality, which he did on “Working in the Coal Mine.”
Mining is very unpleasant work, but the incessant background vocals (“Workin’ in a coal mine, oops, about to slip down”) and Dorsey’s enthusiastic delivery turned the song – about a guy who is so tired from work that he can’t even have fun on Saturday – into a campy romp. An artist who didn’t appreciate and enjoy real work couldn’t have pulled it off, but Dorsey was the right man for the job. When he left the music business, he went back to bending fenders full-time.
That backing band on this track is The Meters, who were mainstays of the New Orleans funk sound. The Meters went on to work with Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Robert Palmer. They were also very successful recording on their own – in 1969 they hit #23 US with “Cissy Strut.”
A popular cover of this song was recorded by Devo and included on the soundtrack to the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal. Their version made #43 in the US.
In 1985, the country duo The Judds released the song on their album Rockin’ With The Rhythm.
This was recorded at J&M Studios in New Orleans, which was where just about every hit from that city was put to tape in the ’50s and ’60s. “Coal Mine” was one of the last hits recorded there, as financial problems led to its demise a few years later.
Dorsey’s label, Amy Records, commissioned a promotional film for his song (what would later be called a “music video”). The clip shows Dorsey emerging from the listening booth of a record store covered in dirt and wearing his work clothes. The clip was used to promote the song on British television shows.
You can also hear a snatch of this song in the Blaupunkt car stereo commercial of the ’90s. While we’re on the subject, we’re reminded of the fantastically popular (even record-breaking) indie video game Minecraft which has been storming the Internet gaming forums since its alpha release in 2010. Should the developers decide to create a TV advertisement, we can think of a song to recommend.
Working In A Coal Mine
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
Five o’clock in the mornin’ I’m already up and gone Lord, I’m so tired How long can this go on?
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
‘Cause I make a little money Haulin’ coal by the ton When Saturday rolls around I’m too tired for havin’ fun
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
Lord I’m so tired How long can this go on?
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
Five o’clock in the mornin’ I’m already up and gone Lord, I’m so tired How long can this go on?
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
The Runaways were formed in 1975 by producer Kim Fowley after guitarist Joan Jett and drummer Sandy West introduced themselves to him in hopes of starting a group. They eventually went on to recruit Lita Ford, Jackie Fox, and Cherie Currie. Lead singer, Currie, went into her audition with a rendition of Peggy Lee’s “Fever.” When the band refused to play the song, Jett and Fowley wrote the chorus of “Cherry Bomb”.
The album peaked at only #194 on the Billboard 100 in 1976. The Runaways materialized out of the Sunset Strip rock-club scene in the mid-1970s, enjoying a few years of fame. Their first gig was in 1975 and they broke up in 1979. The Runaways remain best remembered as the first band of both Joan Jett and Lita Ford.
From Songfacts
A “Cherry Bomb” is a small explosive device popular with kids, but in the context of this song, it means an underage girl who is lots of trouble – in this case taunting her parents and other adults with suggestions of promiscuity and bad behavior.
This was all by design, as Fowley was out to shock with The Runaways and generate a great deal of hype. The band earned a lot of press and a fair amount of rock credibility, since they played their own instruments and for the most part were genuinely talented. In many ways, however, Currie was the weak link – it was hard to take a band seriously when their lead singer wore lingerie on stage and presented herself as jailbait. Currie left the group in 1977 after their third album, and when asked why The Runaways were having a hard time being taken seriously, Joan Jett said, “It was that whole ‘Cherry Bomb With The Corset’ thing with Cherie.”
Joan Jett became the biggest star to come out of The Runaways, and her story was the focus of their 2010 movie, where she was portrayed by the fetching Kristen Stewart. When the group dissolved in 1979, she didn’t have a lot of offers, but the producer Kenny Laguna partnered with her, forming Blackheart Records and creating many classic songs, including the famous cover of the Arrows song “I Love Rock And Roll.” When we spoke with Laguna, he told us: “The record companies could care less about Joan Jett, they were busy signing every other Runaway. They thought Joan was the loser and they signed the other girls, who we’re all friends with, but I looked at the band and thought she was the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the band.”
To give you a hint as to how central this song is to The Runaways’ legacy, the poster of the 2010 Runaways movie features a juicy dripping cherry whose stem is lit and sparking like a bomb. Bevis and Butthead took one look at it and spontaneously combusted.
That’s Cherie Currie growling the vocals here, which were performed by Jett when she left the band. You know what else is on her resumé? Chainsaw artist. That is, she carves wood sculptures using a chainsaw. No, really, she’s good. Check her personal site here. How’s that for machisma? If you don’t see how carving art with a chainsaw is a metaphor for punk rock, we obviously haven’t been explaining this stuff clearly enough to you.
By the way, modern audiences might easily get Joan Jett and Lita Ford confused – their styles are very similar. They were both in The Runaways at the same time and basically wrote the book on all-girl punk bands in the ’70s – but really, they’re a continuation of the lineage first started by Suzi Quatro, whom Jett cites as an influence. You can hear the go-to-hell delinquent rebel in the style of all three, right?
Speaking at Kim Fowley’s memorial service, Joan Jett said that they wrote the song for Cherie Currie’s audition – the collaboration marked the first time Jett had written a song with someone else.
Joan Jett’s version was featured on the 1992 “Free Fall” episode of the TV series Highlander, which starred Jett as an immortal. The song can also be heard on a 2012 episode of True Blood and in the 1993 movie Dazed and Confused.
The song was featured in Marvel Studios’ 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. Director James Gunn explained how some of the music was used during the filming: “Where possible, the songs were played live on set,” he said. “When you see the gang walking down the hall to ‘Cherry Bomb,’ they were actually walking down the hall to ‘Cherry Bomb.'”
Accompanied by Dave Grohl, Joan Jett performed this song at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when she was inducted in 2015.
Cherry Bomb
Can’t stay at home, can’t stay at school. Old folks say ‘You poor little fool’. Down the streets I’m the girl next door. I’m the fox you’ve been waiting for.
Hello, daddy. Hello, mom. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! Hello world! I’m your wild girl. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!
Stone age love and strange sounds too. Come on, baby, let me get to you. Bad nights causing teenage blues. Get down ladies, you’ve got nothin’ to lose.
Hello, daddy. Hello, mom. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! Hello world! I’m your wild girl. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!
Hello, daddy. Hello, mom. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! Hello world! I’m your wild girl. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!
Hey, street boy, want some style? Your dead end dreams don’t make you smile. I’ll give you something to live for. Have you and grab you until you’re sore.
Hello, daddy. Hello, mom. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! Hello world! I’m your wild girl. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! Cherry bomb! Cherry bomb! Cherry bomb! Cherry bomb!
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