Another gem from the White Album. John Lennon loved to sleep…he referenced it in another song on Revolver named “I’m Only Sleeping.” Paul would have a songwriting session planned with Lennon and would arrive at John’s house only to have to wake him up. I’ve always liked this song and fit perfectly with the diverse song styles of the album.
John wrote this at a transcendental meditation camp in India when he couldn’t sleep. He was meditating day and night, and after three weeks of meditation and lectures by the Maharishi, he thought of his future wife Yoko Ono while his current wife Cynthia was there with him. and came up with the song. He even thought of inviting Yoko with him along with Cynthia… that would have added some spice to the trip. Bringing a date on a trip with your wife…probably a bad idea.
John mumbles something at the end of the song.
Mark Lewisohn’s book “The Beatles Recording Sessions” explains this final bit of Lennon mumbling as “Monsieur, monsieur, how about another one?“, insinuating that he was requesting another attempt at the backing vocals. This final mumbling was the only one that made it onto the finished mix.
In 1969 when the “Paul is dead” rumor went around the world people insisted when the mumbling at the end of this song was played backward, John was saying “Paul is dead, miss him, miss him, miss him!” This made for yet another clue for the poor departed Paul …but of course was not true and Paul was and is very much alive… but it did ruin a lot of record player needles in the process of trying to find out.
John said this about the song: “One of my favorite tracks. I just like the sound of it, and I sing it well“.
From Songfacts
The voice at the end sounds like, “Paul is dead man, miss him,” when played backward. This helped fuel rumors that McCartney was dead and replaced by an actor that looked like him.
The line “When I hold you in my arms, and feel my finger on your trigger” from “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” appears in bootlegged, unreleased versions of this song as “When I hold you in your arms, when you show each one of your charms, I wonder should I get up and go to the funny farm.”
The word “get” as used in this song is a well-known term as a quite mild insult that is still commonly used on Merseyside. Lennon is cursing Sir Walter Raleigh (who is credited with introducing tobacco to Britain from America in the 16th century) for indirectly getting him hooked on cigarettes.
At the bottom below the lyrics, I found a version of Paul singing the song and having a good time. It possibly is from the Let It Be sessions…I’m not sure.
I’m So Tired
I’m so tired, I haven’t slept a wink I’m so tired, my mind is on the blink I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink No, no, no.
I’m so tired, I don’t know what to do I’m so tired, my mind is set on you I wonder should I call you but I know what you would do
You’d say I’m putting you on But it’s no joke, it’s doing me harm You know I can’t sleep, I can’t stop my brain You know it’s three weeks, I’m going insane You know I’d give you everything I’ve got For a little peace of mind.
I’m so tired, I’m feeling so upset Although I’m so tired, I’ll have another cigarette And curse Sir Walter Raleigh He was such a stupid get.
You’d say I’m putting you on But it’s no joke, it’s doing me harm You know I can’t sleep, I can’t stop my brain You know it’s three weeks, I’m going insane You know I’d give you everything I’ve got For a little peace of mind.
Give you everything I’ve got For a little peace of mind.
I’d give you everything I’ve got For a little peace of mind.
This sounds like it should have been a hit but it was never pushed as a single at the time. It was the B side to Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914) which is an experimental song and was a big surprise to the band that it was picked as the first single. Both are from the great album Odessey and Oracle in 1968. There are several songs on this album that could have been in the charts but Time of the Season was the only one that made it and it was a year after the album was released.
Bruce Eder of AllMusic gave the album five stars out of five, calling it “one of the flukiest (and best) albums of the 1960s, and one of the most enduring long-players to come out of the entire British psychedelic boom”.
On recording Odessey and Oracle….Rod Argent
“We had the chance of going in and putting things down in the way we wanted people to hear them and we had a new studio, we walked in just after The Beatles had walked out [after recording Sgt. Pepper]. We were the next band in. They’d left some of their instruments behind … I used John Lennon’s Mellotron, that’s why it’s all over Odessey and Oracle. We used some of their technological advances … we were using seven tracks, and that meant we could overdub for the first time. And it meant that when i played the piano part I could then overdub a Mellotron part, and it meant we could have a fuller sound on some of the songs and it means that at the moment the tour we’re doing with Odessey and Oracle it means we’re actually reproducing every note on the original record by having extra player with us as well.”
This Will Be A Year
The warmth of your love Is like the warmth of the sun And this will be our year Took a long time to come
Don’t let go of my hand Now darkness has gone And this will be our year Took a long time to come
And I won’t forget The way you held me up when I was down And I won’t forget the way you said, “Darling I love you” You gave me faith to go on
Now we’re there and we’ve only just begun This will be our year Took a long time to come
The warmth of your smile Smile for me, little one And this will be our year Took a long time to come
You don’t have to worry All your worried days are gone This will be our year Took a long time to come
And I won’t forget The way you held me up when I was down And I won’t forget the way you said, “Darling I love you” You gave me faith to go on
Now we’re there and we’ve only just begun And this will be our year Took a long time to come
Yeah we only just begun Yeah this will be our year Took a long time to come
My sister…lover of the Osmonds and everything unholy in music to me…somehow had this fun R&B groove single by Joe Tex. The song peaked at #2 in 1972 in the Billboard 100.
“I Gotcha” shows more than a little James Brown influence. Some say it wasn’t just influence but more than a little mocking. The two, who sometimes shared a stage, feuded quite a bit…dating back to the 50s. Tex said Brown copied his moves and later stole his girlfriend, Brown didn’t like the way Tex made fun of him. This supposedly led to an incident where Brown allegedly used a gun to fire a few rounds at Tex in a nightclub, then paid off the patrons with $100 bills so they wouldn’t call the police.
The battle began in earnest when James Brown stole Tex’s girlfriend, Bea Ford. Then, just to twist the knife, Brown sent Tex a letter telling him that he was through with the Bea and Joe could have her back. This led to the record “You Keep Her”, where Joe calls James out by name, saying he was better off without the Bea anyway.
Eventually, the two patched things up enough for Joe to write the line: “If I was a dancefloor, James Brown could mash potatoes on me all night long!”
From Songfacts
This was Joe Tex’s highest-charting career single as far as the Billboard Hot 100 was concerned. It is all original Joe Tex, in his own absolutely inimitable style – he’s known as one of the precursors of rap music.
While Joe Tex may have been charting on the Hot 100 since 1965, his previous highest score had been #5 for his breakout single “Hold What You’ve Got”. Since that time, he’d barely tasted the Top-10. This song was actually the B-side of “A Mother’s Prayer” – Radio station DJs would flip it and play this side instead, giving him his highest-charting hit.
We have yet another Tarantino hit! The film Reservoir Dogs features this song prominently. It’s used for the scene where three of the robbers transport the hostage cop to their warehouse hideaway, where they proceed to beat the nickels out of him, both because they suspect they were set up and just to work off some frustration after their robbery plan goes to pieces. The action is even choreographed to the music a little; watch Michael Madsen pulling off a length of duct tape in time to the lyrics for a beat or two.
Joe Tex re-recorded “I Gotcha” for his 1978 album Rub Down, this time as a ballad.
I Gotcha
I gotcha, uh huh, huh
You thought I didn’t see ya now, didn’t ya, uh huh, huh
You tried to sneak by me now, didn’t ya, uh huh, huh
Now gimme what you promised me, give it here
Come on
Hey
Good God
Hey
Hey
You promised me the day that you quit your boyfriend
I’d be the next one to ease on in
You promised me it would be just us two, yeah
I’d be the only man kissin’ on you, yeah
Now, kiss me
Hold it a long time, hold it
Don’t turn it a-loose, now hold it
A little bit longer, now hold it
Come on
Hold it
Hold it
Hold it
Hold it
Now ease up on me now, good god
Hey
Good God
Hey
The girl’s alright, y’all
Ha ha
Good God
You made me a promise and you’re gonna stick to it
You shouldn’t have promised if you weren’t gonna do it
You saw me and ran in another direction
I’ll teach you to play with my affection
Now, give it here
You never should’ve promised to me, give it here
Don’t hold back, now give it here
Don’t say nothin’, just give it here
Come on, give it here
Give it here
Give it here
Give it here
Give it to me, now
Good God
Hey
I gotcha
Shouldn’t made a promise to me
I gotcha
You never should’ve promised to me, gotcha
Give it on, here
I gotcha
You thought you got away from me, didn’t ya?
I gotcha
Ha ha ha
Oh, I gotcha
Give it on up, I gotcha
Give it on here, I gotcha
You tried to sneak by me, now didn’t ya?
Ha ha
I gotcha
Oh, I gotcha
Heard this song and loved it. It’s so catchy and I even liked the video. I also laughed because I heard the other version which is called F**k You…but I try to keep this blog at least PG-13 so we will go with Forget You today. But…if you want to hear the other be my guest.
This song peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100 in 2011. The songwriters were Bruno Mars, CeeLo Green, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine. The song has a good pop hook and it has a few different styles thrown in.
You may have thought the inspiration for this song was from a breakup but Green said the hit came about as a result of creative differences with his label, Elektra Records.
“I did ‘F— You’ to be an a–hole, to be spiteful toward the label,” “Because it had taken about three years to do The Lady Killer, and I just felt that after recording almost 70 songs I could not please them.”
From Songfacts
This is the radio-friendly version of Cee-Lo Green’s expletive-laden viral hit, “F–k You.” In the original rendition of the song about being jilted for a Ferrari-driving slickster, Cee-Lo drops 16 f-bombs in just 3 1/2 minutes.
The song features Green’s Elektra labelmate Bruno Mars. It originated during a session in L.A. with Mars and Phil Lawrence of the production team the Smeezingtons. The pair played to Cee-Lo a rough demo of a song they weren’t sure was worth completing. “When Bruno first sung ‘F—- You’ to me, they were still a bit indecisive on whether or not it could work at all,” Green told Entertainment Weekly.”I was like, ‘I like it. Let’s record it.'” The trio then completed the song with Cee Lo contributing many of the verse lyrics.
Cee-Lo told Entertainment Weekly that the lyrics about a gold-digging ex aren’t strictly autobiographical. “I mean, it’s based on something true… As far as me personally, it’s not a current event. It’s a figurative account. It’s not completely fictitious, though.”
Cee-Lo first appeared on the music scene in 1995 with the Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob. He is best-known as one-half of the duo Gnarls Barkley, who had a worldwide hit with “Crazy.”
The video broke the two million view mark on YouTube within one week of its release but also received criticism for the foul language used by Cee-Lo. The musician claimed rather loftily in an interview that it’s actually a work of art. “What I’ve tried to accomplish, like, is making art products … so I still believe that (the song) can be classified as art because it’s an original piece and the edge and alternative is there, and the integrity is intact,” he said.
Cee-Lo added that he was trying to elevate music with the song, something he feels the music industry does not do enough. “The system does not, you know, advocate art, so to speak, but it does package and promote products and product placement, and there’s a definitive difference between the two, art and product,” he said. “I have yet to sit down and try to write something for the sake of radio. I just never done it, not consciously.”
The Gnarls Barkley star admitted the revamped version with milder lyrics wasn’t part of the initial plan. “It wasn’t like we were looking for it to be a radio hit of some sort. It was only until a short time after that we considered doing a clean version just in case.”
Cee-Lo told NME about the song: “It’s a fictitious account of love lost. But it’s a trial that we’ve all been through some time or another, and I think that’s why people can relate to it.”
The official music video was released on September 1, 2010. It features grade school and high school versions of Green getting their heart broken by the girls they love. The singer told Billboard magazine that while he wasn’t directly in charge of casting, he had a large part in deciding who got the role. “I [did] have a final say in who I would think best represent me. I picked quite a few of the people that you see,” he said.
The song topped the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and was a top ten hit in many other territories including Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow performed this song on “The Substitute” episode of Glee, in which she plays a substitute teacher who Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison) falls for. The Glee version debuted at #11 on the Hot 100 marking Paltrow’s first entry on the chart. Can you name the two previous other songs the actress has contributed vocals to, which have graced other Billboard charts?
1. Her Huey Lewis duet “Cruisin’ ” topped Adult Contemporary the week of December 16, 2000.
2. Simultaneously with her success with this song, Paltrow also charted on Country Songs with “Country Strong,” the title track from the 2010 film in which she co-starred.
Some Gwyneth aficionados might have come up with “It’s Only Love,” a track from Sheryl Crow’s 2002 album, C’mon C’mon. However, this never featured on any Billboard chart.
The sweary version was named by Spin magazine as their Best Song of 2010.
Bruno Mars explained to Rolling Stone that when he came up with the piano riff, he thought it was an old soul riff from the ’60s or ’70s. Said Mars, “I guess I’d know by now if it wasn’t original. When Cee-Lo got in there and sang, we all got the chills.”
In what looked a lot like Elton John’s appearance on The Muppet Show in 1977, Cee-Lo performed this song at the Grammy Awards in 2011 dressed in feathers and backed by a band of puppets. The song became a duet when Gwyneth Paltrow joined in, eventually ending up on top of Cee-Lo’s piano. The song was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and won for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
When the Glee version debuted at #31 in the UK on the day of the 2011 Oscar ceremony, Gwyneth Paltrow became the sixth Academy Award winner for Best Actress to also make that country’s singles chart, following Liza Minnelli, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet.
Bruno Mars recalled to Q magazine: “For years I’d been saying, ‘I wanna work with Cee lo Green.’ We came up with the title and sung the chorus for him. We were a little nervous about it cos we didn’t want it to be like a skit. He said, ‘That’s incredible, let’s go.’ We wrote it in two hours.”
In a February 2012 promo for Fender guitars, Bruno Mars said he played his 57 Reissue Stratocaster on the song.
Forget You
I see you driving ’round town With the girl I love and I’m like, Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo I guess the change in my pocket Wasn’t enough I’m like, Forget you! And forget her too! Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?) And although there’s pain in my chest I still wish you the best with a Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo
Yeah I’m sorry, I can’t afford a Ferrari, But that don’t mean I can’t get you there. I guess he’s an Xbox and I’m more Atari, About the way you play your game ain’t fair.
I pity the fool that falls in love with you (Oh shit she’s a gold digger) Well (Just thought you should know ) Ooooooh I’ve got some news for you Yeah go run and tell your little boyfriend
I see you driving ’round town With the girl I love and I’m like, Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo I guess the change in my pocket Wasn’t enough I’m like, Forget you! And forget her too! Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?) And although there’s pain in my chest I still wish you the best with a Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo
Now I know, that I had to borrow, Beg and steal and lie and cheat. Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya. ‘Cause being in love with your a** ain’t cheap.
I pity the fool that falls in love with you (Oh shit she’s a gold digger) Well (Just thought you should know) Ooooooh I’ve got some news for you Ooh, I really hate your ass right now
I see you driving ’round town With the girl I love and I’m like, Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo I guess the change in my pocket Wasn’t enough I’m like, Forget you! And forget her too! Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?) And although there’s pain in my chest I still wish you the best with a Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo
Now baby, baby, baby Why d’you wanna wanna hurt me so bad? (So bad, so bad, so bad) I tried to tell my momma but she told me “This is one for your dad” (Your dad, your dad, your dad) Yes she did And I was like Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy lady? Oh! I love you oh! I still love you. Oooh!
I see you driving ’round town With the girl I love and I’m like, Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo I guess the change in my pocket Wasn’t enough I’m like, Forget you! And forget her too! Said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya Ha, now ain’t that some shit? (ain’t that some shit?) And although there’s pain in my chest I still wish you the best with a Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo
I was a little too young to get the Sex Pistols when they were together. They did have a huge influence while only releasing one album…Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols. I never was a big fan but this song is alright for what it is.
John Lydon talked about the song: “It flowed quite naturally to me. These are just long, long-term motivations that are there and you can’t, can’t, can’t ever underestimate the sheer driving energy poverty will bring you. Being denied everything and access to everything. Government, schools, the lot, tell you that you don’t count. You are scum. Go with flow or else. That’s an incredible driving energy, to be better than their estimation of you.”
From Songfacts
Anarchy is a society without government or law. The Sex Pistols were very anti-establishment (as were many young people in England), but the song isn’t actually advocating anarchy. “I have always thought that anarchy is mind games for the middle class,” frontman John Lydon told Rolling Stone. “It’s a luxury. It can only be afforded in a democratic society, therefore kind of slightly f–king redundant. It also offers no answers and I hope in my songwriting I’m offering some kind of answer to a thing, rather than spitefully wanting to wreck everything for no reason at all, other than it doesn’t suit you.”
This was the Sex Pistols’ first single, and it caused quite a stir in England with its lyrics advocating violence against the government. Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols was not released until a year later, partly because of distribution concerns: after hearing “Anarchy In The UK,” some organizations refused to ship the album. >>
Sid Vicious, who died of a drug overdose in 1979 and was the subject of the 1986 film Sid and Nancy, had not yet joined the band. Vicious replaced original bass player Glen Matlock after this was released. Along with the rest of the band, Matlock is a credited writer on the track.
The Sex Pistols were dropped by two record companies before finally releasing the Never Mind The Bollocks album with Virgin Records. Virgin had a hard time promoting this song because no one would let them advertise it. The subsequent record store and radio bans helped generate publicity that was more valuable than what they could have bought.
The manager of The Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren, put them together to deliberately cause controversy. He knew the band would stir up trouble and get a lot of media attention in the process. That’s what happens when you have a lead singer named Johnny Rotten singing that he was an “anarchist” and the “Antichrist.”
Recording this song proved rather difficult. The first sessions were produced by Dave Goodman, who was the band’s sound man for concerts. “He had never really produced anybody properly, so he didn’t have enough clout or wherewithal to tell Malcolm McLaren not to be in the studio,” Glen Matlock said in a Songfacts interview. “And Malcolm was like the devil at his ear, going, ‘It’s not exciting enough – it’s got to be faster.’ And it was getting faster and faster, and losing all its groove.
In the end, we effectively went on strike, and said, ‘No, it’s fine,’ and we got a different guy in, Chris Thomas, who has done some fantastic work over the years. We set up, started playing, and he said, ‘I think we’ve got it now.’
The first part of the song is from take three, and the second part is from take five. We were waiting for Rotten to turn up and do the vocals, and he didn’t rush down because he was like, ‘You’re useless, you can’t play. You’ve been in there for weeks.’ And we said, ‘No. We’ve done it.’ We were right all along – we just needed the right person to realize it. And then Steve loaded up the guitars over the next few days.”
The line, “I use the enemy” is a play on words: “Enemy” is actually “NME,” a British magazine called New Musical Express. The Sex Pistols were famous for manipulating the media, and NME apparently took the bait: they said in their review of this song, “Johnny Rotten sings flat, the song is laughably naïve, and the overall feeling is of a third-rate Who imitation.”
After this was released, the band went on a British talk show where they repeatedly swore at and berated the host, Bill Grundy. This caused a great deal of controversy, which resulted in their record company, EMI, dropping the band and pulling the single.
Here’s an explanation of the alphabet soup in the lyrics:
MPLA: A political group in Angola – the Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola.
UDA: The loyalist supporters in Ireland conflict. The UDA (Ulster Defence Association) supported Britain and opposed unification of Ireland.
IRA: The Irish Republican Army, who opposed Britain and were in favor of unification in Ireland.
As a publicity stunt, the band performed this song on the Thames River from a boat called “The Queen Elizabeth” on June 7, 1977. Celebrations were underway for the Silver Jubilee, celebrating the Queen’s 25 years on the throne. Two days later, she was scheduled to ride on the river as part of the ceremonies, so the Sex Pistols decided to make a mockery of it.
The plan was to perform the song as they were floating by the House Of Parliament, but they didn’t get close, as police intercepted the boat. The record company executives who organized the event were arrested when they docked.
The stunt got them plenty of press and boosted their punk rock bona fides. “That came about, oddly enough, just as a giggle because of not getting gigs,” Johnny Rotten explained in Melody Maker. I had in my mind not the slightest knowledge of there being a Jubilee at all. I was quite stunned by it all.”
Mötley Crüe often played this song in concert, and they recorded it for their 1991 compilation Decade of Decadence. While their version is still titled “Anarchy in the U.K.,” Vince Neil sang it as “Anarchy For the USA,” with the lyrics changed to make references to American entities, including the PMRC, an organization that led a crusade to keep albums with explicit lyrics from being sold to minors.
Glen Matlock told Mojo magazine that this is his favorite Sex Pistols’ statement. He explained: “Everything about it is just right. It’s one of those rare moments captured, the vibe, the groove, and the bass ain’t bad! It still sounds outrageous.”
Megadeth did a popular cover of this song that was included on their 1988 album So Far, So Good… So What! and also released as a single. A video was made for this version directed by David Mackie.
Guitarist Steve Jones told Mojo that he thought when the specific moment when he felt the Pistols had clicked was when “Anarchy in the UK” came into the fold. He explained; “We had the riff and Rotten was in the corner writing words and McLaren started grooving on it. It felt like we were onto something then.”
the Sex Pistols re-recorded this song for the video game Guitar Hero 3.
Anarchy in the UK
Right now ha, ha, ha, ha, ha I am an anti-Christ I am an anarchist Don’t know what I want But I know how to get it I want to destroy the passerby
‘Cause I want to be anarchy No dogs body
Anarchy for the U.K. It’s coming sometime and maybe I give a wrong time, stop a traffic line Your future dream has sure been seen through
‘Cause I want to be anarchy In the city
How many ways to get what you want I use the best, I use the rest I use the N.M.E. I use anarchy
‘Cause I want to be anarchy Its the only way to be
Is this the MPLA Or is this the UDA Or is this the IRA I thought it was the U.K. Or just another country Another council tenancy
I want to be anarchy And I want to be anarchy (Oh what a name) And I want to be an anarchist (I get pissed, destroy!)
I heard this in 2000 for the first time and right away I liked it. It has a slight Beatle influenced feel and is extremely catchy. Ween does not take them seriously and they are fun to listen to. The Band formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania by childhood friends Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo.
This song didn’t chart but it was played on many alternative stations.
From Wiki
Ween signed with Elektra Records and released their major label debut Pure Guava on November 10, 1992. Pure Guava featured their highest charting single, “Push th’ Little Daisies” which gained them media and MTV attention, as the video was a highlighted target on MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head. The song was also a hit in Australia, reaching #18 on the singles chart.
They also wrote and performed the song “Ocean Man” for the Spongebob movie.
Even If You Don’t
I’m goin’ crazy trying to keep you sane Takin’ my prescriptions, forging my name I was happy this morning, ya finally got yourself dressed, eatin all the bacon Its okay i was still impressed
I love you, even if you don’t you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?
Rooting though the garbage for treasures in the trash pile, seein my expression will always make you smile Please don’t touch my phone book, my friends are getting pissed off Ya wake em I’m the morning, I’m acting like a jerkoff
I love you, even if you don’t you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?
I love you, even if you don’t you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?
I love you, even if you don’t you’ve got your knife up to my throat, what do you want to see with me?
This was released to radio on September 7, 1994, which would have been Buddy Holly’s 58th birthday.
The video for this song hooked me for not only the mention of Buddy Holly, Mary Tyler Moore but also the Happy Days set… Plus its afun song. This song peaked at #17 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 Charts in 1995.
Spike Jonze directed the video. Vintage Happy Days footage was intercut with shots of Weezer performing on the original Arnold’s Drive-In set. Al Molinaro, who played the diner’s owner on the series, made a cameo appearance in the video. One of the most popular clips of 1995, it scored four MTV Video Music Awards, including Breakthrough Video and Best Alternative Music Video, and two Billboard Music Video Awards, among them Alternative/Modern Rock Clip of the Year.
From Songfacts
With the “I’m yours – you’re mine” lyrics, this song sounds like a romantic missive, but lead singer Rivers Cuomo explained that it’s largely misinterpreted: the song is about defending a platonic female friend.
This was Weezer’s second single, following “Undone – The Sweater Song.” It got a lot of play on Top 40 radio and reached #2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, but in a bid to boost album sales, the song wasn’t sold as a single in America, which made it ineligible for the Hot 100 (it reached #18 on the Airplay chart).
When downloading became legal and practical, this song proved very popular, and in 2006 it became Weezer’s second Gold single (following “Beverly Hills”), thanks to downloads of over 500,000.
According to the book Rivers’ Edge: The Weezer Story, Cuomo didn’t think this song fit on the album and was tempted to leave it off. It was the album’s producer, Ric Ocasek, who convinced him to include it. Cuomo is glad they left it on, as it became one of his favorite songs to perform.
The popularity of the song skyrocketed after The Microsoft Windows 95 release included its video amongst a number of “Fun Stuff” items on the CD. Watching a music video on your computer was a pretty big deal at the time.
The early demo of this song had a slower tempo and some different lyrics. The chorus originally referenced famous dancing duo Fred & Ginger: “Oo-wee-oo you look just like Ginger Rogers, Oh, oh, I move just like Fred Astaire,” before it was changed to “Oh wee-ooh, I look just like Buddy Holly, Oh, oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore.”
Actress Mary Tyler Moore became a household name just a couple years after Holly’s death when she landed a starring role on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961 (and later her own Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970).
This runs a very compact 2:39.
This song was the centerpiece of a 2015 commercial for the Honda Pilot Elite minivan. In the spot, a large family sings the song while riding in the vehicle.
On their 2018 summer tour, Weezer re-created the video when they performed this song, complete with costumes and set design.
Buddy Holly
What’s with these homies dissin’ my girl?
Why do they gotta front?
What did we ever do to these guys
That made them so violent?
Woo-hoo, but you know I’m yours.
Woo-hoo, and I know you’re mine.
Woo-hoo, and that’s for all the time.
[chorus]
Woo-ee-oo, I look just like Buddy Holly.
Oh-oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore.
I don’t care what they say about us anyway.
I don’t care ’bout that.
Don’t you ever fear, I’m always there. I know that you need help.
Your tongue is twisted, your eyes are slit.
You need a guardian.
Woo-hoo, and you know I’m yours.
Woo-hoo, and I know you’re mine.
Woo-hoo, and that’s for all the time.
[chorus]
I don’t care ’bout that.
Bang bang knock on the door, another big bang, you’re down on the floor.
Oh no! What do we do?
Don’t look now but I lost my shoe.
I can’t run and I can’t kick.
What’s a matter babe, are you feelin’ sick?
What’s a matter, what’s a matter, what’s a matter you?
What’s a matter babe, are you feelin’ blue?
Oh-oh-oh
I was never into 80’s rock ballads but this one I liked. Maybe it was because of when I heard it, I don’t know. Kilzer released an album in 1988 “Memory in the Making” and the album contained some minor hits such as Green, Yellow, and Red, Red Blue Jeans, and Memory in the Making.
The album charted at #110 in the Billboard album charts in 1988. This song didn’t chart but got a lot of local airplay where I live. This is the only album that made it to the Billboard 200.
John Kilzer grew up in Jackson, Tennessee as a 6-foot-6-inches tall high school all American basketball standout, played for the Memphis to play for the Tigers from 1975-1978. He traded the complimentary tickets players receive with Mabon “Teenie” Hodges, author of the hit “Take Me to the River” in exchange for guitar lessons.
He passed away last month.
Memory in the Making
Throwing roses at the moon Overdosing on perfume That arises from your picture An inviolate fixture This is more than I expected It’s as though I have erected A mausoleum for my heart babe I’ve reserved the best part babe It’s a memory in the making It’s a power that’s taking Control of my soul girl Now there’s nowhere left to go girl
Guess it only stands to reason There’s a time and a season A place and purpose I guess that verse don’t include us And it only goes to show you You’re just a ghost in a castle That’s my destiny to wrestle It’s a memory in the making It’s a power that’s taking Control of my soul girl Now I’m in danger of the dark girl Like my mama always said boy You can sleep when you’re dead boy But all I really want to do girl Is close my eyes and dream of you girl
Throwing roses at the moon Overdosing on perfume That arises from your pillow How much further down love go
The song peaked at #30 at 1991 in the Billboard 100. The song was on their debut album Shake Your Money Maker that peaked at #4 in 1991. I really liked this band when they came out. They had a sound like the Stones and Faces of the early 70s.
I heard so many different origins of this song
Chris Robinson, wrote this song with his bandmate/brother Rich, said: “‘She Talks to Angels’ is a funny song in that so many people resonate with it. The dark details like drugs and things like that would be a part of growing up and being in this world, but when I wrote that song I had no idea – I hadn’t done any of those things. I hadn’t lived that – everything was in my imagination.”
From Songfacts
During VH1’s The Black Crowes Storytellers, filmed at The Bottom Line in New York City on August 27, 1996, lead singer Chris Robinson explained that this song is not about “one” person, but rather a “hot dog” (as he put it) of people that they knew from the Atlanta club scene in their early days. “Not all the best parts” explained Chris, “or the best parts for you.” Chris says that there was always a girl in the club scene back then with really dark makeup (like Siouxsie And The Banshees), and after thinking about her one day, he scribbled the lyric “she paints her eyes as black as night.” He then went on to write an entire biography (completely made up, by the way) about her in the form of the song that then became “She Talks to Angels.” >>
The Christian band Third Day has a song about the Black Crowes that references this song and others. It’s called “Black Bird” and imitates their style. The song says that Third Day really likes The Black Crowes music but that they essentially need Jesus in their lives. There is a lyric in “Black Bird” that says “You say to talk to angels, well I say it’s such a lie.”
She Talks To Angels
She never mentions the word addiction In certain company. Yes, she’ll tell you she’s an orphan After you meet her family.
She paints her eyes as black as night now. Pulls those shades down tight. Yeah, she gives me a smile when the pain comes. The pain gonna make everything alright.
Says she talks to angels. They call her out by her name. Oh yeah, she talks to angels. Says they call her out by her name.
She keeps a lock of hair in her pocket. She wears a cross around her neck. Yes the hair is from a little boy, And the cross from someone she has not met, well, not yet
Says she talks to angels. Says they all know her name. Oh yeah, she talks to angels. Says they call her out by her name.
She don’t know no lover, None that I ever seen. Yeah, to her that ain’t nothing But to me it means, means everything.
She paints her eyes as black as night now. Pulls those shades down tight. Oh yeah there’s a smile when the pain comes. Pain’s gonna make everything alright, alright yeah
Says she talks to angels. Says they call her out by her name. Oh yeah, angels Call her out by her name Oh angel, They call her out by her name Oh she talks to angels, They call her out, yeah yeah Call her out, Don’t you know that they call her out by her name
This is based on a song called C’mon, God, and buy me a Mercedes Benz by the Los Angeles beat poet Michael McClure. Joplin saw McClure perform it, and on August 8, 1970, she reworked it into her own song, which she performed about an hour later.
This was a fun song off of Janis’s last album Pearl. The song did not chart as a single but the album peaked at #1 in 1971 after Janis died.
Janis Joplin never got a Mercedes Benz, but she did have a 1965 Porsche that was painted to become a piece of hippie art.
A lot of song facts for such a short song.
From Songfacts
As recounted in the Patti Smith memoir Just Kids, before her show at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, she went to a nearby bar (likely Vahsen’s, later renamed Little Dick’s) with her good friend, the songwriter Bob Neuwirth, and two more recent acquaintances, the actors Rip Torn and Geraldine Page. Joplin started reciting the line, “Oh, Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz” – the first line of McClure’s song. The four started banging beer mugs on the table to form a rhythm, and Neuwirth wrote down lyrics he and Joplin came up with on a napkin. They finished the song, and Janis performed it at the show, introducing it by saying, “I just wrote this at the bar on the corner. I’m going to do it Acapulco.”
That show was recorded and widely bootlegged, as it was her penultimate performance and the debut of “Mercedes Benz.” Joplin played her last concert on August 12 at Harvard Stadium and died on October 4.
The song is a social commentary on how many people relate happiness and self-worth with money and material possessions. Sung a capella in a blues style, Joplin was poking fun at the mindset that luxury goods will make everything better.
Janis Joplin is from Port Arthur, Texas, a small city close to the Gulf of Mexico near the Louisiana border. In the second verse, the line “Dialing for Dollars is trying to find me” refers to a segment the local NBC station ran called “Dialing for Dollars.” The station would announce a password on the air, then call a local phone number at random later on. If whoever answered knew the password, that person would win a cash prize. Variations of “Dialing for Dollars” ran in many cities throughout the United States and Canada in the ’60s and early ’70s.
This song spoke to the shift in the counterculture, as some of the impoverished musicians speaking out against the system were now very rich. As Barney Hoskyns, who wrote about Joplin and the song in his book Small Town Talk: Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Friends in the Wild Years of Woodstock told us, “Rock was now big business, and a lot of money was flooding into the pockets of people who never expected to make it. This set up a mixture of expectation and guilt – they were acquiring a taste for the finer things but knew that a good hippie shouldn’t be materialistic. By the early ’70s it had all changed, and rock stars were the new Yuppies.”
Joplin recorded this song at Sunset Sound studios in Los Angeles on October 1, 1970 with producer Paul Rothchild, famous for his work with The Doors. It ended up being her last recording session, as she died three days later (she also recorded a version of “Happy Trails” as a 30th birthday present for John Lennon” in this session).
The Pearl album was just about finished when Joplin died. Rothchild included her raw take of “Mercedes Benz” on the album, leaving it a capella. A quip Joplin made before her vocal take – “I’d like to do a song of great social and political import” – was included as an introduction. In its unadorned state, the song showcased Joplin’s humor and raw vocal talent.
In the mid-’90s, Mercedes used this in commercials for their cars. It was one of the great misappropriations of a song in a commercial, as Joplin’s song was meant to convey the message that owning a luxury automobile does not make you a better person. Joplin’s estate – sister Laura and brother Michael – allowed Mercedes to use it.
There are three credited songwriters on this track: Joplin, Michael McClure, and Bob Neuwirth. McClure says he never earned a cent from his poetry, but “Mercedes Benz” paid for his house in the Butters Canyon section of Oakland, California.
In an interview published in hE@D Magazine, Michael McClure said that Joplin called him before recording the song to get his permission. She sang him the song, then he sang her his original version, and they both liked their own renditions better. “Then she asked me if she could sing it, and I agreed,” McClure said. “I had no idea that her songs were worth so much money.”
The soul singer Bobby Womack claimed credit for inspiring this song. According to Womack, Joplin got the idea for the song after riding in his new Mercedes 600. Womack was having success as a songwriter, and Joplin commissioned him to write a song for her Pearl album, which turned out to be “Trust Me.” She recorded that one (which also appears on the Pearl album), and asked for another.
As recounted in his Womack’s book Midnight Mover, he took her for a ride, and she was impressed with the new car. After a few blocks, she started singing: “Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedez Benz…”
When they returned to the studio, the band had gone home, but Joplin put down the vocal track.
This took place on October 1, 1970. As Womack told it, Joplin got a phone call, which he presumed was her drug dealer. She asked him to leave, they hugged goodbye, and Joplin was found dead three days later.
Mercedes Benz
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends. Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends, So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV? Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me. I wait for delivery each day until three, So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town? I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down. Prove that you love me and buy the next round, Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?
Everybody! Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends, Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends, So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
I always liked this song. Billy Joel was inspired by the suite of songs on Abbey Road. It was never released as a single but has remained one of Joel’s best known songs. The song was on the album The Stranger which peaked at #2 in 1978.
The restaurant which inspired this song, since closed, was the Fontana di Trevi at 151 West 57th Street in New York City, right across from Carnegie Hall. Joel talked about the restaurant: “It was for the opera crowd, but the Italian food was really good. They didn’t really know who I was, which was fine with me, but sometimes you would have a hard time getting a table. Well, I went there when the tickets had gone on sale for my dates at Carnegie Hall, and the owner looks at me and he goes (in an Italian accent), ‘Heyyy, you’re that guy!’ And from then on, I was always able to get a good spot.”
From Songfacts
This song is about people who peaked too early: the popular jocks in class who went nowhere in life. Like most of Joel’s songs, he composed the music first, which in this case was inspired by The Beatles, specifically the suite of songs on their Abbey Road album where a few unfinished tunes were put together to create one coherent piece.
On an A&E special, Joel said he came up with the “Bottle of white bottle of red” line while he was dining at a restaurant and a waiter actually came up to him and said, “Bottle of white… bottle of red… perhaps a bottle of rosé instead?”
The “Things are okay with me these days…” part was an old piece of music he had written a long time before The Stranger album – he just changed the words around to update them. The third part of the song is an old song he had written called “The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie.”
Many towns on Joel’s stomping grounds of Long Island have a spot or field surrounded by trees called “The village green,” similar to the one he sings about here. Joel was in a gang (not a very rough one) in Levittown, Long Island called “The Parkway Green Gang.”
Joel outlined to USA Today how the Beatles inspired this song: “I had always admired the B-side of Abbey Road, which was essentially a bunch of songs strung together by (producer) George Martin. What happened was The Beatles didn’t have completely finished songs or wholly fleshed-out ideas, and George said, ‘What have you got?’ John said, ‘Well I got this,’ and Paul said, ‘I got that.’ They all sat around and went, ‘Hmm, we can put this together and that’ll fit in there.’ And that’s pretty much what I did.”
In a 2017 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Joel ranked this #1 on his list of the top Billy Joel songs. He has also cited “New York State Of Mind” as his favorite.
After adding Mike DelGuidice to his touring band in 2013, Joel began leading into this song in concerts with DelGuidice singing Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma.” DelGuidice formed a popular Billy Joel tribute band called Big Shot, which get the attention of the real deal, who offered him a gig.
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
A bottle of white, a bottle of red Perhaps a bottle of rose instead We’ll get a table near the street In our old familiar place You and I,face to face
A bottle of red, a bottle of white It all depends upon your appetite I’ll meet you any time you want In our Italian Restaurant.
Things are okay with me these days Got a good job, got a good office Got a new wife, got a new life And the family’s fine We lost touch long ago You lost weight I did not know You could ever look so good after So much time.
I remember those days hanging out At the village green Engineer boots, leather jackets And tight blue jeans Drop a dime in the box play the Song about New Orleans Cold beer, hot lights My sweet romantic teenage nights
Brenda and Eddie were the Popular steadys And the king and the queen Of the prom Riding around with the car top Down and the radio on. Nobody looked any finer Or was more of a hit at the Parkway Diner We never knew we could want more Than that out of life Surely Brenda and Eddie would Always know how to survive.
Brenda and Eddy were still going Steady in the summer of ’75 When they decided the marriage would Be at the end of July Everyone said they were crazy “Brenda you know you’re much too lazy Eddie could never afford to live that Kind of life.” But there we were wavin’ Brenda and Eddie goodbye.
They got an apartment with deep Pile carpet And a couple of paintings from Sears A big waterbed that they bought With the bread They had saved for a couple Of years They started to fight when the Money got tight And they just didn’t count on The tears.
They lived for a while in a Very nice style But it’s always the same in the end They got a divorce as a matter Of course And they parted the closest Of friends Then the king and the queen went Back to the green But you can never go back There again.
Brenda and Eddie had had it Already by the summer of ’75 From the high to the low to The end of the show For the rest of their lives They couldn’t go back to The greasers The best they could do was Pick up the pieces We always knew they would both Find a way to get by That’s all I heard about Brenda and Eddie Can’t tell you more than I Told you already And here we are wavin’ Brenda And Eddie goodbye.
A bottle of red, a bottle of white Whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight I’ll meet you anytime you want In our Italian Restaurant.
This song was not a big hit but it was one of my favorites off of his “comeback” album Cloud Nine in the 1980s. The song is pure George. He always valued his privacy and in this song, he made it clear he detested gossip in any way.
“Devil’s Radio” was inspired by a church billboard Harrison had seen that stated “Gossip: The Devil’s Radio…Don’t Be a Broadcaster.” The song did peak at #4 in Billboard Mainstream Chart Rock charts. The Cloud Nine album peaked at #8 in the Billboard Album Charts.
Even when George was young he didn’t like people knowing his business. As his mom would recall, “George was always against nosy mothers, and he used to hate all the neighbors who stood around gossiping.”
Devil’s Radio
Gossip, gossip Gossip, gossip
I heard it in the night Words that thoughtless speak Like vultures swooping down below On the devil’s radio
I hear it through the day Airwaves gettin’ filled With gossip broadcast to and fro On the devil’s radio
Oh yeah, gossip Gossip, oh yeah
He’s in the clubs and bars And never turns it down Talking about what he don’t know On the devil’s radio
He’s in your TV set Won’t give it a rest That soul betraying so and so The devil’s radio
It’s white and black like industrial waste Pollution of the highest degree You wonder why I don’t hang out much I wonder how you can’t see
He’s in the films and songs And on all your magazines It’s everywhere that you may go The devil’s radio
Oh yeah, gossip Gossip, oh yeah
Runs thick and fast, no one really sees Quite what bad it can do As it shapes you into something cold Like an Eskimo igloo
It’s all across our lives Like a weed it’s spread ’till nothing else has space to grow The devil’s radio
Can creep up in the dark Make us hide behind shades And buzzing like a dynamo The devil’s radio
oh yeah (Gossip) gossip, (gossip) gossip Oh yeah, gossip I heard you on the secret wireless Gossip, oh yeah You know the devil’s radio, child Gossip, gossip Gossip, gossip
It is not the more cowbell song but I like it. I never owned a Blue Oyster Cult album in my life and probably never will but I liked a couple of their popular songs. The song peaked at #40 in the Billboard 100 in 1981. This would be their last Top 40 hit but it was a #1 hit on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.
Lead guitarist Don “Buck Dharma” Roeser wrote this with Richard Meltzer, a rock writer who often contributed lyrics to the band. Dharma initially planned to release this song on his solo album, Flat Out, but was later convinced to include it on Blue Öyster Cult’s Fire Of Unknown Origin.” Dharma sang lead, as he did on many of BÖC’s songs.
Band manager Sandy Pearlman, claimed that the name came to him when he saw Blue Point oysters on a menu.
From Songfacts
When Richard Meltzer wrote the lyrics, he titled the song “Burn Out The Night,” a reference to an evening of rock and roll. Blue Öyster Cult had a “band house” where their band members and associates (including their manager, Sandy Pearlman would bring in song ideas and lyrics.
Joe Bouchard, who was their bass player at the time, told the metal magazine Chips & Beer that he and Buck Dharma came across Meltzer’s lyrics at the same time, and each wrote their own song around it. Dharma’s version, with the title changed to “Burnin’ For You,” was the one that got recorded.
Along with Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult was one of the first heavy metal bands. They issued their first album in 1972 and grew a modest following before scoring a hit with “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (also written by Buck Dharma) from their 1976 album Agents of Fortune, which hit #12 and became embedded on rock playlists.
In the book MTV Ruled the World – The Early Years of Music Video, frontman Eric Bloom tells the story of the “Burnin’ For You” video: “We went out to California, and our management found a video company, and we did two videos in 24 hours – ‘Burnin’ For You’ and ‘Joan Crawford.’ MTV wouldn’t show the ‘Joan Crawford’ video, because there was something about it that was too racy for them. But ‘Burnin’ For You’ got a ton of airplay on MTV in 1981 and 1982.”
Bloom continues: “We made it in the storm drains of LA. If anyone has seen the movie about giant ants, called Them!, with James Whitmore, it was filmed in the same place.” Later he adds: “We thought the car on fire was very Hollywood, very cool. They had to have a Hollywood film/pyro guy there, who was licensed to burn s–t up. He had propane tanks, and he had to have a hunk of car to burn.”
These videos were directed by Richard Casey, who directed the 1985 movie Horror House on Highway Five.
Burnin For You
Home in the valley Home in the city Home isn’t pretty Ain’t no home for me
Home in the darkness Home on the highway Home isn’t my way Home will never be
Burn out the day Burn out the night I can’t see no reason to put up a fight I’m living for giving the devil his due
And I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you
Time is the essence Time is the season Time ain’t no reason Got no time to slow
Time everlasting Time to play b-sides Time ain’t on my side Time I’ll never know
Burn out the day Burn out the night I’m not the one to tell you what’s wrong or what’s right I’ve seen signs of what (freezing their eyes) went through
Well I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you
Burn out the day Burn out the night I can’t see no reason to put up a fight I’m living for giving the devil his due
And I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you
Graham Nash wanted to change the direction of the Hollies and write songs that were more in vogue around this time instead of the simple pop songs they were writing. The song only made it to #18 in the UK charts and it was considered a failure compared to their earlier releases although it was praised by the critics. I think it is inventive and fits in really well with the times.
Nash wrote it after he got back from America on a tour. This was not the rest of the band’s favorite song by any means and they wrote a simple…very simple pop song to follow this song called Jennifer Eccles that of course went to #7 in the UK charts which a disheartened Nash hated and he left for greener pastures with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. I can’t blame him for not liking Jennifer Eccles…it was a weak song.
The song only made it to #51 in the Billboard 100 in 1967. Maybe the change of direction didn’t sit too well with the public. It’s one of my favorites by the Hollies.
Graham said: “My world was turning to sh*t at that point. I was on top of the world, we had 16 or 17 top ten hits, but I was feeling shitty. We made a great record of that song but it only got into the top 30, and the Hollies were always expecting their songs to go into the top 10. So they started to not trust me and not record my songs, ‘’Marrakesh Express’’ being one of them. So I wasn’t feeling that great about my life. It was all turning to sh*t, it wasn’t turning to gold, it was turning to rust.”
Personally, I like the song better than Marrakesh Express.
King Midas In Reverse
If you could only see me. And know exactly were I am. You wouldn’t want to be me, Oh I can assure you of that.
I’m not the guy to run with, Cause I’ll pull you off the line. I’ll break you and destroy you Give time.
He’s King Midas with a curse. He’s king Midas in Reverse. He’s King Midas with a curse. He’s King Midas in Reverse.
It’s plain to see it’s hopeless, Goin’ on the way we are. So even though I loose you, You’ll be better off by far.
He’s not the man to hold your trust, Everything he touches turns to dust in his hands. Nothing he can do is right, he’d even like to sleep at night, but he can’t.
All he touches turns to dust All he touches turns to dust All he touches turns to dust All he touches turns to dust
I wish someone would find me, And help me gain control. Before I loose my reason, And my soul
He’s King Midas with a curse. He’s King Midas in reverse. He’s King Midas with a curse. He’s king Midas in Reverse.
He’s King Midas with a curse (all he touches turns to dust) He’s Kind Midas in Reverse. (all he touches turns to dust) He’s King Midas with a curse, (all he touches turns to dust) He’s King Midas in Reverse
A bit different of a song for Led Zeppelin. This was on their great Physical Graffiti album…which was to me their last great album. This song peaked at #38 in the Billboard 100 in 1975. Led Zeppelin really was not a singles band but they did have 10 songs in the top 100 and 1 top ten song.
Led Zeppelin wasn’t a funk band but on this track they had something going. John Paul Jones played clavinet on this song that is just outstanding. Jones was the utility player for the band and probably the most underrated member.
The guitar had a great sound…Jimmy Page: It’s sort of backward echo and wah-wah. I don’t know how responsible I was for new sounds because there were so many good things happening around that point, around the release of the first Zeppelin album, like Hendrix and Clapton.
From Songfacts
The lyrics were based on Robert Johnson’s 1936 “Terraplane Blues.” A Terraplane is a classic car, and the song uses car parts as metaphors for sex: “pump your gas,” “rev all night,” etc.
This evolved out of a jam session. It became a concert favorite and a popular song on rock radio. When Led Zeppelin played it live, they would often jam on it, extending it with guitar and keyboard solos.
This is one of Robert Plant’s favorite Zeppelin songs. He sang it on his 1988 Now and Zen tour.
Led Zeppelin performed this at Carmen Plant’s 21st birthday party in 1989 with Jason Bonham on drums. Carmen is Robert’s daughter.
The “Talkin ’bout love” part was most likely nicked from the song “Love” by Curtis Knight and Jimi Hendrix.
Led Zeppelin did not release any singles in the UK until 1997 when “Whole Lotta Love” was released 18 years after it was written. In 1975, Zeppelin’s Swan Song label sent 5000 pressings of “Trampled Underfoot” to UK record stores as incentive to stock the Physical Graffiti album. These were labeled “Special Limited Edition” and became collectors’ items.
At Earls Court in 1975, Robert Plant introduced the song like this: “If you like the motor cars and the parts of the human body, then sometimes… you can get trrrrrampled under foot!”
“Trampled Underfoot” was probably named after the bassline being a repetitive boom, played with a Moog pedal.
Trampled Under Foot
Greasy slicked-down body, Groovy leather trim I like the way you hug the road, Mama it ain’t no sin Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout Ooh, trouble-free transmission, helps your oil’s flow Mama, let me pump your gas, mama, let me do it all Talkin’ ’bout love, huh, Talkin’ ’bout love, ooh, Talkin’ ’bout Take that heavy metal underneath your hood Baby, I could work all night, leave a big pile of tubes Talkin’ ’bout lo-ove, Talkin’ ’bout lo-ove, Talkin’ ’bout Automobile club-covered, really built in style Special is tradition, mama, let me feast my eyes Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout Factory air-conditioned, wind begins to rise Guaranteed to run for hours, mama, and brand-new tires Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout Groovin’ on the freeway, blazes on the road From now on my gasoline is even gonna conk your hair Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout I can’t stop talkin’ about, I can’t stop talkin’ about Ooh, yeah-yeah, yes, ah, drive on Ooh, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yes, I’m comin’ through Come to me for service every hundred miles Baby, let me check your valves, fix your overdrive Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout Ooh, yes, fully automatic, comes in any size Makes me wonder what I did, before I got synchronized Talkin’ ’bout lo-ove, Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout Ooh, feather-light suspension, coils just couldn’t hold I’m so glad I took a look inside your showroom doors Talkin’ ’bout love, Talkin’ ’bout lo-oo-oh-ove, Talkin’ ’bout Oh yeah, oh yeah, Oh, I can’t stop talkin’ about love I can’t stop talkin’ about love Ooh, let me go in down, go in down, go in down, go in down, go in down, yes, I can’t stop talkin’ about I can’t stop talkin’ about lo-oh’, baby I can’t stop talkin’ about love, or my baby I can’t stop talkin’ about love, my baby, uh, my baby, my baby, yeah, Unnh, push, push, push it, push, push Ounheahhonhouh
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 