Words, Words, Words, ( My top ten favorite lyrics)

So, last week I touched on some great opening lines, that was fun and all, but a new idea blossomed from that.  That would be, favorite overall lyrics, wherever they so exist in a song.  As always, this is my list so, feel free to let me know yours.  However, this time I have numbered them, so I took a lot of time thinking about this.  We are doing it countdown style.

I will preface this by saying that by some estimation, half of these songs could be considered “emo” But if you think about it, that makes sense.

Not to be all Dr. Phil, but wouldn’t any song lyric that someone loves and connects with be at an emotional level?

It was rhetorical.  So shut up, and quit making fun of me.  I’m telling my mom.

So, some of these songs have been mentioned here before, some have never been mentioned at all, either way, stay with me, I think you will be happily surprised by this.

***I just want to point out that I am copying and pasting these lyrics from their official google play lyrics, we can argue their correctness as they come up ***

10. Kings Of Convenience – I’d Rather Dance with You

Even if I could hear what you said

I doubt my reply would be interesting for you to hear

Because I haven't read a single book all year

And the only film I saw, I didn't like it at all

So, we had to start somewhere, why not here?

Kings of Convenience are a nerdy yet massively cool duo from Norway, I doubt you have ever heard of them, but if you have, you get an extra sticker. 

This song, as far as I know, as the titles and lyrics suggest, is about a guy who would rather dance than talk. But not because he likes dancing, but because he feels there is no other way he will impress a girl. And frankly, as the video shows, he’s no dancer either. 

The lyric is from the first verse, and he is really setting up his case for dancing.  I will admit, I am not much of a book reader, and I don’t see too many movies. (At least I used to not)  I mean I haven’t even seen Fight Club. 

So on some nerdy musical level, I totally relate to this line. 

Really, give this video a chance too; it is really good as well. At least I think it is. And I have the microph- err keyboard and I can say whatever the hell I want.

9. Warren Zevon – Werewolves of London

I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's

And his hair was perfect

First off, if you only know Warren Zevon’s name because of this song, that’s cool. I mean he has a whole songbook of great songs, but this was the biggest.  But the whole Excitable Boy album that this comes off of is one of his best.

Zevon’s falls down and risings back up reflect Meat Loaf just without all the hit songs, and less time in between.

And of course about 200 less pounds.

If you really want to see him push the hell out of this song live, click here.   I didn’t use this as he doesn’t say the Pina Colada line in it.

This line as it stands may not seem like it’s that great.  But at the same time, its awesomeness usually goes unnoticed.  Throughout the whole song we here about various werewolves, every so often he makes them seem dapper, and this is no exception.

The thing that I have also loved about this line is at the end Zevon lets out a, I don’t know what to call it, I don’t know any big words, but he says something like dip, or dit or nip, either way, I like that part too.

***No hearts were ripped out in the making of this video; I had the Ghostfacers personally check it out. ***

8. Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe

The light I never knowed

And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe

I'm on the dark side of the road

Some people don’t like Bob Dylan, and those people are wrong. 

Truth be told, for the first twelve or thirteen years of my life, I only knew this as a Peter, Paul and Mary song.   But that’s because my mom was part of the peace culture of the 70’s. And really, big props on her for being a late blooming hippie.  I don’t really give her props, but she introduced me to a lot of great music.

But, in what Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow add in beautiful harmony, Bob Dylan is able to avoid with raw emotion.  Also his stripped down version of the English vocabulary is something of note.

This line and the use of the un-word knowed always caught me as a great line. 

The song has been described as a diary entry. In a way, it is a man telling the girl that he’s going to be ok without her.  As far as the light, it’s apparent that he feels she never wanted him in the first place. 

Also it’s worth noting that:  “I once loved a woman, a child I am told I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul” is also an incredible lyric.

7. Dashboard Confessional – Hands Down

Safe from the hour and all the stupid questions

"Hey did you get some?"

Man, that is so dumb.

Stay quiet, stay near, stay close they can't hear

So we can get some.

So anyone from the early second/third (depends who is counting) wave of emo will remember this one.  I warned you this list would be emo heavy so shut up and keep reading,

This is one of those weird google play lyrics I noted in the beginning.  The part that google states as “from the hour” is actually “in here”.  I don’t know where google got it’s lyrics from, but I just checked the “A Mark A Mission A Brand A Scar” liner notes. And I am right.  I can’t find my “So Impossible” EP case to see if they had been changed. What I will say is that there are definitely a few extra syllables in what he says.

What the hell…

Why’d you let me get so off track? 

Anyways, the relatable part of this lyric is the idea that you think your young loves are so important, and that they mean more.  In retrospect they aren’t, and they don’t.  But don’t tell that to any 16 year old. 

So, anyways you have this visceral idea that your relationships is so important and more than just trying to get laid, but at the same time, on a more primal level, you want to get laid.

It’s sort of Yin and Yang like that. 

The rest of the song is just as beautiful, obviously I prefer the acoustic solo original but if you’d rather hear the full electric band version find it here.

Also, at the end he is saying “that you meant it” Not “the Jew meant it” even though that is exactly what it sounds like.

6. Fall Out Boy – Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

So wear me like a locket around your throat

I'll weigh you down

I'll watch you sulk

You look so good in blue

More Emo? 

You have no choice, so shut your cakehole bitch.

There are 2 versions of this song, most people know the second, and the more rocking version from “From Under the Cork Tree” but it originally appeared as an acoustic song on the EP “My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue.  That is the version that you will be seeing later. 

But if you are interested, here is a live electric version.  Complete with 15 year old girls singing along in the front row with their mom. 

I don’t really know who I am insulting anymore, you, me or 15 year olds who are now in their late 20s. 

So because this song was sort of lost amongst Sugar We’re Going Down and Dance Dance, not much is known about it, or the lyrics.  But I have my interpretation, and it is that of a scorned suitor or something like that.

But the combination of  “I’ll watch you choke, you look so good in blue”  is so awesome and gruesome at the same time, I mean obviously she isn’t wearing blue, her face is turning blue due to his choking of her.

I mean right?  Do you interpret it some other way?  I am open to other interpretations of the song as a whole, but clearly he is choking her, don’t try to sell me anything less.

5. Van Morrison – In the Garden

No guru, no method, no teacher

Just you and I and nature

And the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost

In the garden

Wet with rain

I honestly can’t think of too many performers whose voice just makes me want to close my eyes and listen, but Van Morrison is one of them. 

I first heard this as a live version mixed with Allegheny and You send Me from A Night in San Francisco, which is an incredible live album that any music lover should know.  During this song Van mumbles as he is singing with a harmonica in his mouth.

And if the only Van Morrison song you know is Brown Eyed Girl, you should be ashamed of yourself.

This is from Van’s album whose title No Guru No Method No Teacher is lifted from this song, and this great set of lyrics.  But in all reality the song is full of incredible lyrics.

But this set of lines, is such a beautiful image. You could argue that it harkens back to Adam and Eve, but I would say that it gets a little deeper than that.   I mean, love as a concept doesn’t appear in the bible until Genesis 22. After Adam and Eve and Noah and Babel and Sodom and Gomorrah.   

So I would say that this is more of a feeling of true love and emotion that is true and can only be felt when you are at peace and incredibly open with your mind and you are alone with the one you love and no other human beings. But being so in love that you are at the mercy of the other, just as you’d be with God when you die.

Maybe I am thinking too hard, and what’s even crazier is that the song is actually Van Morrison’s take on transcendental meditation.

So any way you look at it or listen to it, it is deep and it is spiritual.

4. Weezer – Pink Triangle

But when I start to feel that pull

Turns out I just pulled myself

She would never go with me

Were I the last girl on earth

First off, why would you think this list would be complete without a weezer song; you’d have to be crazy. 

You probably didn’t think this would be the one though.  However let’s be honest, you knew it would be from Pinkerton.  So why not one of the least relatable songs on the album?

The line speaks for itself; it’s a song about a guy in love with a lesbian.

Ok, so I have never been in love with a lesbian that I know of. 

I mean maybe I have turned a few girls into one,

And maybe there was this one time I turned a lesbian straight.

But to my knowledge I have never knowingly been in love with a lesbian.

But if I was…

This would have been my jam. I mean it still is, and the lyric in question is absolutely amazing.  A man complaining that he is not capable of gaining her love even if he was the last girl on earth,

That’s a clever line, and I don’t think enough people give it props.  

I think I have talked about this song before, go back and find it, don’t always expect me to hyperlink everything.  Jeez!!!

So check out the video now

3. Ben Folds – The Luckiest

I don't get many things right the first time,

In fact, I am told that a lot

I mean… Come on…

This is actually the song that spawned this list.  I was going to use this as one of my favorite opening lines, and I mean, it is, but I think of that as just an incredible lyric,

And the music that goes with it.  I mean, seriously, there is a beauty of a man that can sit at a piano and write something that beautiful.  Hell, when he performs it alone it is a thing of beauty.

If you don’t know enough about Ben Folds, that’s on you.  But really you should know more.

He is an incredible singer songwriter and can hold his own either with a band or by himself, as evidenced by the Ben Folds Live album. 

So we are getting the idea right away that this is a song by a guy who knows he is a human and that he has fucked up many a relationships and any other god damn thing you can think of.

And really, besides Donald Trump, is there anyone on earth that doesn’t look back on their life and see a few failures?  I mean, how many people marry their first love and stay married until they die? 

Hell, the broad from The Notebook couldn’t even do that.

I sure as hell didn’t come close. But the beautiful feeling of knowing that you might have finally done it. This song conveys that. And we all know that feeling, even if in the end we were wrong again.

2. Taking Back Sunday – You’re So Last Summer

I'd never lie to you

Unless I had to

I'll do what I got to

Unless I had to

I'll do what I got to, the truth

Is you could slit my throat

And with my one last gasping breath

I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt

In all actuality the part that I love is the second half, starting from “the truth” but I left it all there so it could be seen with the context.

How fucking great is that line?

How fucking emo is it!?!?!!!

But still, I mean think about what is being said there, A guy is so in love with a girl that even if she killed him, he would still love her until the very end.

What’s more is that he would use his last breath to apologize to her for ruining her shirt with the blood that poured from his body after she cut him to kill him.

Seriously….

That’s deep, and sick, and sweet, and so oddly poetic, that even now 14 years later, it still gets me a little worked up. 

I mean, think about it yourself, have you ever loved anyone that much?  I mean I love my kids that much, but that’s a given for anybody.  I certainly didn’t love my first or second wives that much.  And honestly, I would love to tell you that I love my current and final wife that much, but I mean, the only way I will really know is if she slits my throat.  But even then, I’d certainly apologize for bleeding on her shirt, but that would just be to fulfill the prophecy of this song.

Seriously, for being loud obnoxious 2002 emo, it’s really deep.

1. Smoking Popes – Pretty Pathetic

The way she used to look at me

Made me a thousand feet high

The meaning of the word cool

Not the same geek

Who fumbled through his words that night

The ugliest night

Honestly, I feel like I could have just copied all the lyrics, I mean - This is my second favorite song of all time.

For some odd reason, in December of 2013, I got to spend almost an hour on the Phone with Josh Caterer (The writer and singer of the song, dummy.)  You can read that article on the blog post entitled fittingly Ladies and Gentlemen – The Smoking Popes  I really had no business interviewing a man of his immense talent.

So I will try not to steal too much from that article, that way you have to go read it, and really, Why haven’t you already.

So basically it’s this idea of a guy who is trying to win his girl back.  He isn’t quite successful.  So this song is like the guy recounting the whole thing to like a bartender or something.

 I always pictured it at like an Applebee’s or something. 

And that’s not a plug for Applebee’s, or a reference to the fact that I worked there for 7 years, even though they have a killer menu.

No, the reason I saw it as at like an Applebee’s is because for as hard as it tries to be a bar, it’s really just a family restaurant, and anyone who treats it as a dimly lit corner bar where you can wax poetically to the bartender has got to be- by definition and title- pretty pathetic.

But again, just like all great songs that one can connect to, we all sort of know this feeling.

 I mean again, are you some robot that has never been dumped?

Oh You are?

Well fuck you Debra!

So the reason why I chose this line, is that it conveys so much in so little words, the guy was at the top of his game because of her, and then because of her and in front of her he was at his lowest.   That doesn’t happen with crushes, that doesn’t happen with one night stands, that only happens with the truest of loves.  When you talk visceral, this is at the top.

 I want to give you the live version and the album version, so I will do that, go ahead and enjoy either, or both. Just not at the same time. 

Live

Album

Livelier Live

So that’s it.  These lyrics always take me to a totally different place and deep into my mind with all of these songs. I love these words, I really do.

What are some of yours?

Do you like my list?

Do you even like me?

Did you click on the Applebee’s menu hyperlink?

Did you even notice it?

Yep, I really hyperlinked to an Applebee’s menu on a blog about music…

Keep scrolling…

Or don’t…

Why did you scroll down this far? As a gift for your continued scrolling you get to - For no reason at all - watch this:

Ok, leave now

Killer Openings

A song, just like a good book has to have an incredible opening. It’s gotta suck you in right away or there’s no point.

I would argue that half the people that read the above line, stopped reading cause it was a shitty opening line. 

Let me try again.

It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine, Salt and Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine.

Did that work better?  Obviously, The Notorious B.I.G. deserves credit, and that opening line from Juicy gets an honorable mention.

So here comes a list of songs that contain my favorite opening lines in musical history.

So I have chosen not to number these as I hate trying to rank things and I change my mind more than a corrupt politician, so I just am throwing together a group of songs whose opening lines made me want more and more. 

So here goes nothing.

I met her in a club down in old SoHo where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola c-o-l-a- cola.

The Kinks – Lola

Depending on the source it’s either cherry cola or Coca Cola.  The album says Coca- and the single says cherry, because the BBC doesn’t allow product placement in songs, they have this thing about free advertisement, those jerks. As if Coke needed the Kinks to succeed. 

The cool thing is that the song then progresses into a 1970 anthem empowering trans-people everywhere.   Think about that, 46 years ago, Ray Davies was glad he was a man and so was Lola. 

That turned some people away and got the song banned in a few places, but the Kinks were no strangers to banishment. (They spent some years not allowed to play in America, apparently they were rowdy. Thanks a lot Bin Laden)

But honestly, when you hear that opening line nowadays, you turn that knob up and rock out.  Not to mention, if you are like me whenever someone has a cherry cola, you think of this song.    Don’t you dare say you think of that stupid Savage Garden song. In fact, if you thought about that, then you just leave; we don’t need your kind around here.

Ok we weeded out a few more stupid idiots.  Enjoy the song.

Jeremiah was a bullfrog; he was a good friend of mine. I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine.

Three dog Night – Joy to the World

Did this song make sense, maybe not. But the idea of bringing joy to the world more often than the Christmas version wants us to believe is possible is pretty damn cool.

Three Dog Night don’t need an introduction, neither does this song really, I mean like I said, it’s a very nonsensical look into one man’s version of Utopia. 

But I mean how can you not like the fact that a grown man with a moustache that draws attention to his giant nose, drinks wine with a bullfrog.  The bullfrog who isn’t named Skippy, or Hopper, but instead Jeremiah, as if that’s a fine name for an animal.

Coincidentally, for those of you in Green Bay, the Bullfrogs baseball team’s mascot is also named Jeremiah. 

Have at it

Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again.

Simon and Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence

If you only know this as a song by Disturbed, honestly, that’s cool. Normally I would hate you, but in this case, you are talking about a cover version that has a life of its own.

In fact you can see that version here.

There’s something about the way that Simon and Garfunkel harmonize over a single guitar during the opening that really pulls you in.

 Also, Paul Simon wrote this song when he was 21 sitting in his bathroom in the dark.  I mean, when you listen to the whole song and interpret it in your own way the song can mean so much.  But Paul just wrote it with no idea what it might mean to some, hell he admits that he barely knows what it means.

Meanwhile Art Garfunkel says that to him the song is about people being unable to communicate emotionally, leading to people not being able to love each other.

No matter what it’s a classic.

Do me a favor here. If you are a MNFTP faithful reader, you are probably wearing your required headphones.  Give this song multiple listens, both ears, left ear only, right ear only, and then again both of them.  You can separate the singers, but going back, together holy fuck! Just do it.

Hello there, the angel from my nightmare; the shadow in the background of the morgue.

Blink 182 – I Miss You

I know we just listened to this on the Blink 182 post. But you can’t say that just reading that lyric above doesn’t at least give you a chill, unless you have no soul, like my second ex wife, who left me with the pink luggage, while she took all our friends.

So the song is straight forward. A guy misses his ex.  Everyone can relate to that.  Unless you are one of those freaks that married their High school sweetheart, (assholes)

This is from Blink 182’s self-titled album from 2003 and it is really rad.

The guys wrote their parts separately and since Tom gets the chorus and his own verses, the part that Mark sings is like just 1 long opening. As if it was an interlude to another song.  Either way it works.

God Damn you half Japanese girls, you do it to me every time.  Oh the red head said you shred the cello and I’m Jell-O baby.

Weezer – El Scorcho

You had to know weezer would show up somewhere soon. I mean, it’s been so long since I got to wax romantically about my favorite band. 

That line is pretty killer by definition, and you know you are in for a wild ride.  Rivers just is really recounting unrequited love.  It sounds like it’s a bunch of separate stories throughout the song.

In case you are wondering, translated it means The Scorcho.  But let’s say it means the song is about being burned by love.  Again, who doesn’t know that feeling?

The line has now become somewhat ironical as Rivers Cuomo is married to a Japanese woman and has a daughter named Mia, who herself is a half Japanese girl.  How awkward would it be if some dude tried to use this song as his pickup line on her? 

Is this the real life?  Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.

If I have to say anything else, then we live in a sad world that should have ended in 2012.

Don't call it a comeback; I've been here for years.

LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out

So let’s paint a picture, it’s 1991, LL is starting to get left behind, he was one of those, rippity rap fantastic fun rappers and Gangsta Rap was becoming the new norm. 

So in a way he was fading away, of course now he host’s a show about lip synching, but then again, that can be attributed to the fact that it wasn’t a comeback, and he never really came back.

People use this line all the time, so how can it not be mentioned amongst all the other memorable moments.   But really, LL didn’t knock anyone out.

Oh, Mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law.  Law man has put an end to my running and I'm so far from my home

Styx – Renegade

Fuck Yeah!  I mean I could have stopped after the first line or even gone all up to the scream, either way you get the point.

This is a song from the point of view of a man who is about to be hung.  What era or where exactly the inspiration came from I have no idea. But the song is bad ass

Think of all the movies it’s been in, or the end of the Nightshifter episode of Supernatural. Or the countless fan made collages of Supernatural.

Also, it’s the woman of the house’s favorite song, So I’ve heard it more than a few times.

In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey. Butane in my veins so I'm out to cut the junkie.

Beck – Loser

This one might not be as memorable to you as it is to me, but it’s my blog not yours, so eat a bag of dicks.

I mean, I could have just given you the transcript to the whole song.  Every line has its own awesomeness, but the beginning is that first bit of oddness that pulls you in and makes you wonder where exactly this is going.

I mean he says the chorus in Spanish, then English.  That’s out there and at the same time, so damn cool. 

I used to use this song as an anthem, not that I was a loser or wanted to be killed but I was a very apathetic teenager.  So it was that sort of middle finger to my parents, like I can do what I want, and you can’t do a thing about it.  I mean what smart kid purposefully fails at school. (Coincidentally, my own damn son is doing this to me now. GOD DAMN TEENAGED ANGST!!!)

But back to the song, Beck has a very unique voice and he can do so much musically, that this is a very simple song per his standards, but hey, it’s his choice. 

Also, for those of you wondering, He is wearing a Stormtrooper helmet at the beginning, for some odd reason, George Lucas made it get blurred out.

Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah; some call me the gangster of love. Some people call me Maurice cause' I speak of the pompitous of love.

Steve Miller Band – The Joker

So I feel like I shouldn’t have to explain this one, but I already used that cop out with Bohemian Rhapsody.

But really, when you hear this you know it’s going to be a good time, cover bands can pull you in with this one, because, who doesn’t want to be a picker or a grinner, hell I’d settle at just being a lover and a sinner.

When I used to host Karaoke shows in Milwaukee, the word toker was changed to talker, apparently seedy 40 year old drunk guys mumbling the lyrics to this get offended by drug references  

I also really like the peaches line, but this isn’t a blog about the best middle of the song lyrics. 

Oh, by the way, pompitous is a made up word, exclusively for this song. 

That’s an interesting strategy, just make up words and throw them in there. And let’s be honest, your whole life you’ve been afraid to admit that you didn’t know what pompitous meant.   Maybe someday we will just talk all nonsense lyrics, until then goo goo ga Joob

Speaking of the fab four

Well she was just seventeen, if you know what I mean. And the way she looked was way beyond compare.

The Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There

Let’s be honest, we know what Paul means. At least I think I do, to me, I always figured he was saying, I could go to jail to this, but it’s gonna be fucking worth it.  (Figuratively and literally)

The ladies reading this will think that that is a gross line, but they forget that they used to date older guys all the time and saw no wrong in it, the guys, well; they are remembering the last time they were with a 17 year old.

Let’s be honest, I prefer the Beatles later stuff, but this is a very wild raucous time.  I mean they were showing us in 1963 what they were really capable of. But it was nothing new to those who had seen them pull an all-nighter at the Cavern Club.

What’s even crazier is this was the B side to I want to Hold your hand.  By today’s standards we would call it a Double A record.  If you disagree, you know where the door is. 

Don’t you dare mention Tiffany.

Don’t forget they also used this in Rain Man 

So, that’s my list for now, to me anytime I hear any of these lyrics, whether they are sung or said, or hell just printed, it takes me to a special place.

        

Hopefully that happened for you.

Did I miss any of your favorites?  

Too bad. 

No seriously let me know. 

Happy Songs Volume 2

So, hey, we did this once before with Happy Songs Volume 1.  Hence the reason this one has a 2 in it.   This is just a random list of things that make me happy musically.  I am also happy to get back to the list style of writing.  These fucking long dramatic pieces are tiring. 

So fuck let’s just get going with this damn thing

Puddle’s Pity Party – Hallelujah

***If you are scared of clowns, fucking get over it. ***

If you don’t know Puddles, you do now.  Nevermind the fact that you are looking at a 6 foot 8 inch sad clown king. Just listen to that voice.  Those of you familiar with Post Modern Jukebox will undoubtedly know who Puddles is. 

This has always been one of my favorite songs, and for those of you that don’t know, I’ve always wanted it played at my funeral.  I may have finally decided on a version with this.   I mean you can’t deny that it is downright beautiful.  The visual sure does help.  So hopefully Puddles will still be around when I die and then he can just do it live. 

Miley Cyrus – See You Again

First off, fuck you I like it.  Secondly you are wrong. 

The song is damn good, and it’s fun.   It makes me happy and that is what this list is about.  I’ve always liked Miley Cyrus.   I mean, this song was released when she was 16, and she was the one who wrote it.  If you didn’t see the potential then, you wear clearly blinder than Stevie Wonder. 

If you look away because Miley Cyrus is mentioned and you just want to write her off as crazy, you are the crazy one.   She is worth 150 million dollars, how much are you worth?   Whether you like her or not, you know her name, and she doesn’t know yours. 

Why am I arguing with you?

So’s your old man!!!

The Ohio Express – Chewy Chewy

I have only known about this song for like 3 weeks, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t the greatest thing since Betty White. 

It’s repetitive and it has the cool Motown break in the middle.   The band itself is another weird story.  The Ohio Express was a band, and they toured and appeared on album sleeves, but didn’t play at all on the actual recordings. 

So when this song had gained notoriety and radio play, the band had no idea what the song sounded like and could not play it live when requested.  That’s testicles.

 Jackson 5 - ABC

It’s clearly evident here that Michael was going to be a huge star.  I mean, Christ, he is 11 here.

I don’t think I talk enough about my fondness for Michael Jackson.  Supposedly, I once threw a fit at the age of 4 because my parents wouldn’t let me go to an MJ concert. (Then again, my mom tells this story after a few glasses of wine, so who the hell knows.) 

This song is just a fun loving jam about school and love,  I mean, what else is there to write about when you are from Gary, Indiana?

Hey, real quickly, watch for Marlon’s dance moves, they look like they were stolen from a Farmer Brown’s hoe down video. 

One of the main reasons I love this song is Michael breaking it down in the bridge.

“Sit down Girl,

I think I love you.

No, Get up girl,

Show me what you can do”

That’s so smooth, but no matter how many times I have tried to use it, every girl has refused to show me what she could do. 

Enjoy-

Hanson  –  MMMBop

Again, I know what you are thinking.  Quite frankly, I don’t care.  I mean, Why not?

So the word MMMBop is meaningless and the chorus is just filler noises, but the verse’s somewhat form a story of um.. Ok it doesn’t make much sense either, but it doesn’t have to. 

I was 14  when this came out, I had other musical interests, but this one was very different, even for me, after all, I was not a 13 year old girl (I’m assuming that was their target audience)

A lot of people will say this was their only hit. It wasn’t, but it was their biggest.  Also, as for their sudden disappearance, it had nothing to do with fans, as they still have a shit ton (as evidenced by the fact that they sell their own beer now, MMMHops )  Their label Mercury records, ceased to exist after this album was put out. (Other artists swept under by the Mercury disappearance include, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Madonna, John Mellencamp, Bon Jovi to name a few)

It should be noted that Mercury was revived in 2007

So anyways, just enjoy a little nonsense on me, and see if you really don’t sing along.

Tyler, The Creator – Tamale

First off, totally not safe for work, or around kids, or mothers –in-law.  Secondly, if you are a faithful follower of the blog, careful with the ears on this one, if you have good headphones, the bass on this might leave you deaf for a few hours.

Before you just write off Tyler as a gimmick or whatever you want to say, he is an incredible lyricist and he makes some incredible music, art and clothes.  Not to mention that he is only 25 as of right now.

So, Tyler can give you straight up focused story telling songs, as well as verbal mish mashes that make no seemingly sense but still sound incredible on their own.  This is the latter.

Again, this was made while Tyler was 22.  What part of life do 22 year olds take seriously?  The verses show off Tyler’s way with words.  The choruses just bump, and I think that’s the point.  And the way the song ends is just as fun.  As long as you consider jerking off fun.

Ramones- Beat on the Brat

When you think of Ramones songs this one gets mentioned little, but it’s a good tune.

The reason it makes my list however is sentimental feelings.  Rivers,(My son not the lead singer of weezer he was named after) used to sing this song, but he thought it was “Beat up the rabbit”

The best of Ramones is our go to CD for the annual camping trip.  Rivers also very much likes to live on habit, so sometimes this song would just be on constant repeat.

Out of nothing more than coincidence, this is the last CD I bought at Atomic Records.  Don’t get me on that sad story.  

Fuck it play the song.

Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag

This may be this songs second appearance on the page, but I am too lazy to check, and too unfocused to remember. (It would have been during the soundtrack lists)

Anyways, This is Wheatus’s only recognizable song in America, (they were well received in the UK with a string of hits)   The song was featured in the movie Loser and as you can see by the video, and the fact that you are going ”what movie” it was not a box office treasure.

None the less it is a good song , it rocks it has a great breakdown, it serves a point.  It was ranked 69 on a British list of top 100 pop songs of all time.  And 82 on a similar list in Australia.

So there you go

So that does it for now.  A few songs to lighten the mood and make you happy, hopefully, at the very least they make me happy, and that should make you happy. If not , then go fuck yourself, in the un-fun way.

A Band by Any Other Name...... (Part Two The Beach Boys)

(I originally planned on highlighting multiple bands with 1 post, however, that got lengthy, so I am breaking it down into a multi part series.  Enjoy)

(Also, I should note that this one really got away from me.  I found my old writing style, which, well, fuck it, this has taken far too long, and almost ended up as my own personal Smile.)

Is a band measured as the sum of its whole,  or are the parts more interchangeable than we realize? Does one man change a band? What about two, or three?  When is a band no longer what it once was and just a shell of itself?  What if someone leaves, do you fill in their parts, or just not do those songs anymore? Is it up to the fans, or the bands, who really gets to decide what makes a band?  I guess if ticket and album sales go down, you might say its up to the fans, but if a band continues on, regardless, are they really that band anymore?  How many more ambiguous questions can I ask and still have your attention? 

So what am I getting at?  When bands change out members, does it matter?  More importantly should bands be able to use their name in any capacity regardless of the members? 

The Beach Boys

Where do I start, where do I end.  This one gets confusing, and odd at times, It’s also weird because there is a lot of family involved.  But, whatever.  I hope you know about The Beach Boys already, otherwise I have a feeling this will be hard to follow. 

The Beach Boys got started in 1961 and were known at the beginning as The Pendletones. The band consisted of brothers Carl, Dennis, and Brian Wilson. Along with their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine.  They were managed by The Wilson’s father Murry Wilson.  Murry was instrumental in getting them gigs and even getting their earliest recordings to record labels.  When their first 2 song record came out, they discovered that the label had renamed them The Beach Boys, in an attempt to associate them with the California surf culture that their early recordings focused on.

In early 1962 Al Jardine left the group and was replaced by David Marks.  The band released Surfin Safari as a single and signed their first major label contract with a Capitol Records, and released their first album also called Surfin Safari. They released another album, Surfin USA in 63. And in April of 1963 Jardine rejoined the group.  Brian Wilson took a break from touring to write and record Beach Boys music, and to work as a producer for Jan and Dean, who took the Wilson penned Surf City to the top of the Billboard charts.  As a 6 man group they released two albums Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe.  Marks left as a result of Murry insisting that Brian should be touring with the band.

With the British Invasion begun, the band put out another album and started really progressing their sound, In April of 64 Murry was fired of his management duties,  The band also reached number one on the charts for the first time with I get Around.

Now Here’s where things start to go awry. Wilson began spending all of his time recording and writing, I mean obsessively, but in a good way.  In January of 1965 Brian withdrew from touring completely. He was replaced by Glen Campbell, who then left the group to start his own career. Bruce Johnston then became the road replacement for Brian, and eventually wound up recording with the group.  The band then released the album Today! 

This cemented The Beach Boys as album artists, which was becoming the new trend. Brian’s recording ideas got further and further from the simple beach rock and became more experimental.  The band’s most experimental single, The Little Girl I Once Knew only reached number 20 on the charts.

The band then released the Beach Boys Party! album to please Capitol executives that wanted a new Beach Boys album.  It was mainly cover songs and weird versions of their earlier hits. 

Ok, all you music snobs here it is, we’ve arrived at Pet Sounds.  Keep in mind, I didn’t mention the hipsters, their vote doesn’t count.  (go drink your PBR and wear a cardigan sweater elsewhere.) 

You know what,  here you go… 

(I always mention listening to things through headphones, This time I am fucking serious, do not let this come out of the shitty speaker on your phone, I don’t care if it’s an iPhone 8000 Galaxy S85, Brian took so much time making this thing, you owe it to him and yourself to get a nice pair of headphones to listen to this)

There.

So, initially the album was a bigger hit in the UK than it was in the US. Shit, you could argue that Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a direct reflection of Pet Sounds.  The Beatles had to step their game up just to compete.  Ok, but this is about the members and not so much about the albums.  However you could argue that this album was a catalyst of the groups lineup changes. 

Also, some people have called this a Brian Wilson solo album.  The other members had vocal duties, but Brian sat at a piano and taught them exactly how he wanted them to sing it. 

That’s not a joke.

So, because Pet Sounds wasn’t received well in America Capitol put out a Best of The Beach Boys album.  The Beach Boys later released Good Vibrations as a single.  The song was originally intended for the Pet Sounds album, but Brian wanted to tinker with it which he did for several months in at least 4 different studios.  Good Vibrations is The Beach Boys biggest hit of all time.

And that was it.   The story of the Beach Boys could have and for all intents and purposes should have stopped there.   Brian had bigger hopes with another album, Smile, which never saw daylight.  Parts of the album ended up on the following releases Smiley Smile and Wild Honey.  Brian started to pull away, leaving Mike Love to write more of the songs.

In 1968 Brian entered the hospital  and the rest of the band took up writing and producing duties to put out the 1969 album 20/20. Dennis began hanging out with Charles Manson.

Yes, that Charles Manson.

I know, right, The Beach Boys even recorded and released a single written by Manson:

The band then put out albums, Sunflower and Surf’s Up.   Carl then was becoming the band leader as evidenced by the 1972 album Carl and the Passions– “So Tough”. Carl and the Passions also marked the departure of Johnston from the band and added new members Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar.

 The new touring line up then went to Holland, without Wilson, to make the album, Holland.  I know, very original. Meanwhile Brian made a fairy tale EP. That’s not a joke either. 

 Then they released a few nostalgic albums, and were popular again, playing all their music at sold out concerts,  Brian tried to work on a dide project but was kicked out of that so that he could focus on Beach Boys projects which led to 1976’s 15 Big Ones the bands 20^th studio album.  It was the first Beach Boys album produced by Wilson since Pet Sounds.  There was even a media campaign announcing Brian’s return to playing with the band. 

Of course nobody really liked the album, hell, the band didn’t like it either.  The band then put out Love You, which Brian once claimed as his favorite Beach Boys album.  It takes more than one listen  to like the album, and if you didn’t know it was The Beach Boys, you would barely know it was them.  Wilson then worked on the unreleased Adult/Child.

Finally we are near the parts that are the reason the band is on the list. 

In 1977 after a show in Central Park, the band essentially broke up.  Brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson went in one direction, while Mike Love and Al Jardine went in the other.  Brian remained the lone Beach Boy/Switzerland.   This lasted for 2 weeks  when Brian gave his vote in the group to Love and Jardine, which meant that in any further proceedings Love and Jardine would always have 3 votes.

 The band then put out some crappy albums. Carl left and came back, The band played the National Mall for Independence day celebrations for a few years. 

1983 Dennis left the group after he and Love had restraining orders against each other.  In December of that year he drowned while diving from a friend’s boat. 

In 1985 the band had a bit of a resurgence, and in1987 released Wipe Out with rap group The Fat Boys. Brian, pretty much didn’t have anything to do with the band, who released Kokomo in 1988  which was their first number one hit in 22 years.   Brian then sued for unpaid royalties due to his father giving away the band’s music. After Brian won that case, Mike Love sued Brian for unpaid royalties.  

Then they did some country shit.

In 1997 Carl was diagnosed with lung cancer, he later died in Februray of 1998.  That’s when things got crazy 

So the group split into factions again.   Love and Johnston and Marks toured as The Beach Boys, while Al Jardine toured as Beach Boys: Family and Friends.  Brian didn’t do much.  Then there were a shit ton of lawsuits, everyone suing everybody for making money without them.  In the end Mike Love was allowed to call his group the Beach Boys, and Al Jardine couldn’t even say Bitch with a Mexican accent without having to owe someone money.

In 2006 all of the living Beach Boys were given plaques for the double platinum album “Sounds of the Summer”   They could have gotten back together, but instead, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine went on tour for the 40^th anniversary of Pet Sounds. 

And then that was it.

If I could fade to black here I would,   but I can’t, so just close your eyes and count to 17.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Then out of nowhere in 2011 The Beach Boys started releasing new/old material.  The Smile Sessions were released even though they weren’t complete.   There was a song to honor the victims of a Japanese earthquake. 

And then the 50^th anniversary tour was announced for 2012    A  73 show tour spanning 6 months through 4 continents.  It was a grand special time, the band played almost 50 songs every night.  They had guests, they used a projection screen to include Dennis and Carl Wilson.  But somewhere in there something went wrong and before the tour had even ended, Mike Love had already begun booking shows that would just include him and Johnston.

What a dick, am I right?

So what did the other guys do?  First they called Love out on his bullshit then they embarked on their own tour.

So there were 2 Beach Boys at that time.  Love and Johnston.  And Wilson, Jardine and Marks as a trio.  And that was how things have gone on since. 

As for now, Wilson has no interest in working with Love ever again.  meanwhile Love won’t even think of performing with Wilson.(most people would argue that he wants total control and is fearful of Brian’s popularity. 

This summer marked the 50^th anniversary of Pet Sounds.

What comes next? 

God Only Knows.

A Band by Any Other Name...... (Part One blink-182)

(I originally planned on highlighting multiple bands with 1 post, however, that got lengthy, so I am breaking it down into a multi part series.  Enjoy)

Is a band measured as the sum of its whole,  or are the parts more interchangeable than we realize? Does one man change a band? What about two, or three?  When is a band no longer what it once was and just a shell of itself?  What if someone leaves, do you fill in their parts, or just not do those songs anymore? Is it up to the fans, or the bands, who really gets to decide what makes a band?  I guess if ticket and album sales go down, you might say its up to the fans, but if a band continues on, regardless, are they really that band anymore?  How many more ambiguous questions can I ask and still have your attention? 

So what am I getting at?  When bands change out members, does it matter?  More importantly should bands be able to use their name in any capacity regardless of the members?

Blink 182

This is really the whole reason this whole question came about.  Blink 182 is back, Kind of.  It’s no longer The Mark, Tom and Travis Show; but instead the Mark, Matt and Travis Show.  Basically, if you don’t know, Tom Delonge is out of the group, and Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio has taken his place.  Some people love it, odd purists hate it, but the question remains, Is it still Blink 182? 

Let’s go back to the beginning, maybe I can make a more better point.

By the time What’s My Age Again? brought the band their breakthrough success, they were already on their third album and second drummer.  Sure Dammit had airplay and the band was on the Warped Tour, but 1999’s Enema of the State was the album that cemented them as the leaders of the pop punk movement. 

But originally it was the Mark, Tom and Scott show.  Scott Raynor  played drums for the first six and a half years of the band’s existence.  You can see him in  the band’s early video’s   even the one for Dammit: 

See, I wasn’t lying.  So in mid 1998 Scott had been heavily drinking and had never liked the direction Tom and Mark wanted to go in, so Mark and Tom got rid of him and recruited Travis Barker from The Aquabats to be their new drummer.  Mind you this happened mid tour and Travis had to learn the set list in like a day.  

Listen, I will be the first to admit that Travis brought a whole new aspect to the band that Scott never could.  Scott was a drummer, Travis Barker is an artist.  Just check out this live version of Stay Together For The Kids, put on headphones and pull in all the Travis that you can.

The other thing you can really see in that video is the difference between Mark and Tom’s reverence for the music.  What exactly happened to Tom’s voice, we will never know. I still listen to Angels and Airwaves.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves,

So Barker joined the band in 98 and they became a sensation.  Were they destined to reach that with any drummer? Who knows, but they did it. Everything they did for the next 7 years was golden and loved by their fans new and old.  During 2002 Delonge and Barker had a side project, you may remember as Boxcar Racer.

Barker also played drums in Transplants, another side project,

Blink put out their self titled album in 2003 and it had a new sound that was still a hit, but I already told you that they remained successful.  Then in 2005, they took a break, a hiatus if you will.  Tom started Angels and Airwaves, Mark and Travis  had Plus 44 and Travis had a reality show on MTV plus his work with DJ AM. So the boys of Blink stayed busy as they could.

The guys didn’t really speak to each other until 2008 after Barker had been involved in a plane crash that took 4 lives but spared him and DJ AM.  Barker required hospitalization and surgeries and it was in the hospital where the 3 met up and worked out a comeback. 

So they released a new album in 2011 and an EP in 2012,  but they lacked something, and I already showed you what happened to their live shows.  In 2015 Delonge bowed out from the recording process and was replaced in future gigs by Matt Skiba.  Eventually leading to Matt becoming a full-time member ahead of the band.  They recorded a new album, California, released July 1^st 2016 and to be honest, what I have heard so far is not all that bad.   Take a look yourself.

But what about the old songs and Tom’s parts? I thought you might ask that, so I dug this up.

It’s acoustic, and Travis is not there(he doesn’t travel by plane anymore)  So it’s the best there is out there right now.  There is some electric videos, but all fan shot.  Plus this gives you an idea of the new dynamic Matt brings to Tom’s old parts. Not to mention, who doesn’t like a good engagement. 

Also, I just want to point out, despite what you’ve heard, Tom isn’t out of the band so he can research UFOs, he’s been doing that since he was in the band.  

So, anyways, that’s it on the Blink 182 story for now.  They are still Blink 182, even if they only have 1 original member.  I guess that’s what most bands decide to do. 

Also, here’s what Tom is doing these days. It's music that coincides with a story. look it up. It's a nifty idea. 

Look at that, a whole post, and I didn't say fuck. 

Pinkerton Explained

Pinkerton Explained

I can’t just always say that Weezer’s Pinkerton is the greatest album ever and expect you to just believe me. The music is great, Rivers Cuomo, (the leader of the group, songwriter, singer and lead guitarist), and the band really hit their peak with this album.  The guitars have a heavy crunchiness with the perfect balance of sustained melody and out of control reverb and feedback.  Rivers’ voice goes from being smooth and beautifully in harmony, to strained, loud and screechy and then back. Either way he sings it, his voice is full of emotion, whether it is love, lust, melancholy, jealousy or downright spiteful.  The factor that really blows me away every time I hear the album, and the reason I am so connected to it is the lyrical content from track to track. 

Track 1

“Tired of Sex” tells the story of a guy who is lonely and disenchanted by a string of one night stands and no real established, fulfilling relationships.  Really if you think about it, It’s a guy going against the norms of being a rock star.  I mean after all isn’t fucking a different girl every night the reason why we all aspire to be musicians?

               

            

                Track 2

“Getchoo” is the tale of a man grasping to get back together with a girl that he has lost after a very troubled relationship.  We all have been there so the song speaks to every fiber of our being. Rivers really brings the point home when he goes into the “I can’t believe…” part of the song, where he explains that he is usually on the other end of leaving, so the hurt is that much more shocking .

                Track 3

 “No Other One” brings us to a guy who has realized that his girlfriend isn’t perfect but he loves her anyways.  More importantly, he is scared of being alone, so he stays with her out of fear of loneliness.  This is another feeling that is very common to everyone.  Beding so in love yet the driving fear of that love is that you don’t want to be lonely.

                Track 4

“Why Bother” is a step back, pre relationship, or post relationship, but it brings back feelings that anyone can relate to; getting interested in someone, but not pursuing it because of the fear of rejection.  On a personal note, anytime I get interested in a girl this is the first song I listen to. Rivers’ view of rejection is so real, and when I first heard this song as a teenager it felt like it was written for me.(but then again so did every other song on the album)

                Track 5

“Across the Sea” is Rivers’ song about a fan that wrote him a fan letter, and how obsessed he became with this girl that he had never met but wished he was closer to. It breaks down into an angry rant towards his life and blaming his mother for his self-perceived awkwardness. 

                Track 6

“The Good Life” is simply put, a breaking point. Realizing that you are unhappy with yourself and despise what you have become. Rivers sees himself as an old man who has gotten off track without realizing it had happened. 

                Track 7

“El Scorcho” is a fun track, a little all over the place but the main theme is about a guy who is interested in a girl who has no interest in him, but that’s not going to stop him for trying. It’s the man in that game of cat and mouse searching for what he wants so dearly but can’t have.

                Track 8

“Pink Triangle” is about a guy who thinks that he has found the perfect girl for himself, but then realizes that she is a lesbian. The song contains, what is in my opinion, one of the greatest lyrics ever written; “everyone’s a little queer, oh can’t she be a little straight”.  The song is pretty straight forward, a crush that will never develop into a relationship.

              Track 9

 “Falling for You” is the hero’s moment.  He finally got his girl, he is apprehensive, thinking that it won’t work, but this time he is more rational and wants it to work.  This is sort of the moment in the movie when the nerdy hero finally gets the girl.  And it is a moment we all love cheering for, so the song is moving in that way. You have been through the roller coaster of the album and finally our guy has found what he was looking for since track 1

              Track 10

“Butterfly”, just so happens to be my favorite song of all time.  It is a very quiet, somber song. It begins with Rivers apologizing for killing a butterfly that he thought he wanted for his collection, but that he never meant to hurt. By the middle of the second verse it is realized that the butterfly is a metaphor for a girl that he has abandoned.  Maybe it is an apology to one girl, or just a mass apology to all the girls he feels he has wronged in the past.  The feeling is there though. You can tell that he is truly sorry.

               

Whether you listen to the tracks in order or skip around on shuffle, or just listen to one song when you need it, Pinkerton has all the feelings that you might need. The feelings stay with us from the moment we first have them until the moment we die. Sometimes they hurt, but sometimes they are worth reliving, and this album has them all.