Here are the next ten songs on my personal list of all-time favorites. The years of these selections span from 1967 to 2015...a pretty wide range, although most of them are more from my youth than recent years. Still, I'm not averse to noticing when something new and special comes out...#448 is one such example. Well, here they are...
450 THEY JUST CAN'T STOP IT (GAMES PEOPLE PLAY)...the Spinners
This was a radio hit in the second half of 1975 with the Spinners, a real classy act with a string of successful singles in the early-to mid 1970s performing what I believe to be their best song of all...I loved it at the time of its popularity. Its lyrics portray the up-and-down emotional trials of a man who first thinks it's all over between him and his love...and then at the end of the day sees that all of his suffering was for naught: turns out she's still with him after all, go figure...
449 WHITE RABBIT...Jefferson Airplane
San Francisco sixties psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane's lead singer Grace Slick has always maintained that this song's lyrics, which include references to taking some kind of mushroom, are anti-drug. But at the time of its fame I doubt many listeners heard it that way. I didn't dig the drug references, but Grace's powerful singing and the way White Rabbit builds up to its final crescendo was breathtaking...to me it's another great piece of music with cryptic lyrics, this time alluding to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland...
448 HOLLOW MOON (BAD WOLF)...Awolnation
Hollow Moon is a powerful rocker from 2015 by Awolnation, an alternative band that has made a name for itself recently within that genre. Its lyrics make very little sense to me, but the mood is one of optimistic defiance in the face of whatever kind of persecution the singer seems to be experiencing. I loved how the song would transition from one musical theme to another...and bring it all back together at the end. There's a lot screaming in Hollow Moon near the end and this makes it both interesting and funny...and a little bit crazy...
Hollow Moon is a powerful rocker from 2015 by Awolnation, an alternative band that has made a name for itself recently within that genre. Its lyrics make very little sense to me, but the mood is one of optimistic defiance in the face of whatever kind of persecution the singer seems to be experiencing. I loved how the song would transition from one musical theme to another...and bring it all back together at the end. There's a lot screaming in Hollow Moon near the end and this makes it both interesting and funny...and a little bit crazy...
447 LOVE ROLLERCOASTER...Ohio Players
I was a moderate radio listener in the mid-seventies when the soul band Ohio Players, which had been together for years, finally hit the big national scene, first with the single Skin Tight (which I liked) and then with Fire (which I didn't). And then this brilliant song of theirs came out...the music itself sounds like a rollercoaster ride. In the nineties the Red Hot Chili Peppers covered Love Rollercoaster reasonably well, but there's nothing like the original...
I was a moderate radio listener in the mid-seventies when the soul band Ohio Players, which had been together for years, finally hit the big national scene, first with the single Skin Tight (which I liked) and then with Fire (which I didn't). And then this brilliant song of theirs came out...the music itself sounds like a rollercoaster ride. In the nineties the Red Hot Chili Peppers covered Love Rollercoaster reasonably well, but there's nothing like the original...
446 PRIVATE EYES...Hall and Oates
This duo had been around for years until they seemed to reach a higher level in the early 1980s...Private Eyes represented the time period I think they peaked. It's a real catchy, upbeat-sounding song...during a largely upbeat time in my life (the fall of 1981)...but with sinister lyrics: "Private eyes are watching you, they see your every move" sounds a bit creepy, doesn't it?
445 RECKONER...Radiohead
Of all the Radiohead songs that might have translated into mainstream singles success, Reckoner stands out to me...singer Thom Yorke delivers one of his best vocal performances in a tune that Marvin Gaye should have liked...it seemed to be his style. It's from their 2007 In Rainbows album and was a part of my "Radiohead running mix" that I would shuffle on my mp3 player and listen to during long distance training runs a few years ago. Reckoner is one of those tunes that I find myself unconsciously snapping my fingers to...
Of all the Radiohead songs that might have translated into mainstream singles success, Reckoner stands out to me...singer Thom Yorke delivers one of his best vocal performances in a tune that Marvin Gaye should have liked...it seemed to be his style. It's from their 2007 In Rainbows album and was a part of my "Radiohead running mix" that I would shuffle on my mp3 player and listen to during long distance training runs a few years ago. Reckoner is one of those tunes that I find myself unconsciously snapping my fingers to...
444 DAYS...David Bowie
After David Bowie's shocking death from cancer in January 2016 just two days following his acclaimed Blackstar album release (as well as his 69th birthday), I decided to explore his catalogue of recorded music...all 27 studio albums spanning nearly 50 years. From Bowie's 2003 Reality album comes Days, a Beatlesque song that expresses his personal humility to his love...a real sweet, compelling song that I now see as one of his best. Like Radiohead's Reckoner, this song would have done well as a singles release, in my opinion...
After David Bowie's shocking death from cancer in January 2016 just two days following his acclaimed Blackstar album release (as well as his 69th birthday), I decided to explore his catalogue of recorded music...all 27 studio albums spanning nearly 50 years. From Bowie's 2003 Reality album comes Days, a Beatlesque song that expresses his personal humility to his love...a real sweet, compelling song that I now see as one of his best. Like Radiohead's Reckoner, this song would have done well as a singles release, in my opinion...
443 LOVIN' YOU...Minnie Riperton
Nowadays it's common for singers to show off their vocal range, but none have ever remotely approached 1970s artist Minnie Riperton for combining that multi-octave skill with such intense feeling. When I first heard Lovin' You on the radio in the spring of 1975 I couldn't believe what I was hearing, as if a whole new type of music had just been created. Basically a happy love song, some of the lyrics are a little suggestive...but I think my favorite line is simply "La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la do do do do do a-a-a-a-h". Sadly, early in 1976 Minnie was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and passed away at the decade's end while only in her early thirties...what a tragic loss...
Nowadays it's common for singers to show off their vocal range, but none have ever remotely approached 1970s artist Minnie Riperton for combining that multi-octave skill with such intense feeling. When I first heard Lovin' You on the radio in the spring of 1975 I couldn't believe what I was hearing, as if a whole new type of music had just been created. Basically a happy love song, some of the lyrics are a little suggestive...but I think my favorite line is simply "La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la do do do do do a-a-a-a-h". Sadly, early in 1976 Minnie was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and passed away at the decade's end while only in her early thirties...what a tragic loss...
442 TENNESSEE FLAT TOP BOX...Rosanne Cash
When I first worked at the post office in the late 1980s they would let us listen to radio headphones...I started out with a cheap model that could only pick up the strong local country and western station. My luck: that's how I heard this great cover by Rosanne Cash of her father Johnny's hit song from the early 1960s. To me this is country music at its best, and the lyrics tell a great story of how a little backwoods country boy, through his own persistence and skill, is able to achieve his dream of success...
441 WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS...the Beatles
The Beatles' White Album...actually officially simply titled The Beatles...was released in 1968 but I didn't get around to listening to this double-LP in its entirety until the fall of 1972, when a friend lent me his copy and then I went out and bought my own. Many of the tracks on it were cathartic to me as then I was in the middle of what I can now only conclude was a moderately severe depression...listening to this album helped me get though it all. One of the best of its songs was While My Guitar Gently Weeps, composed and sung by George Harrison and enlisting the help of his friend Eric Clapton on guitar...
Next week I'll cover numbers #440-431...
The Beatles' White Album...actually officially simply titled The Beatles...was released in 1968 but I didn't get around to listening to this double-LP in its entirety until the fall of 1972, when a friend lent me his copy and then I went out and bought my own. Many of the tracks on it were cathartic to me as then I was in the middle of what I can now only conclude was a moderately severe depression...listening to this album helped me get though it all. One of the best of its songs was While My Guitar Gently Weeps, composed and sung by George Harrison and enlisting the help of his friend Eric Clapton on guitar...
Next week I'll cover numbers #440-431...