The Sharpest Thorn - Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint

The Sharpest Thorn - Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint

4:16

The River In Reverse, 2006

Written by Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint

A slowburn piano ballad.  Playing on "Auld Lang Syne" ("We raise our glasses and we cheer / Should old acquaintance disappear") and invoking religious imagery ("Archangel Michael will lead the way / Archangel Gabriel is ready to play / Although we know we must repent / We hit the scene and look for sins that haven't even been invented"), Costello sings a dullard's plea earnestly over Toussaint's piano.  As the song builds to a close, drums, organ and sax strike up a New Orleans ragtime tune, bringing a bit of needed liveliness into it.

The Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done - Woody Guthrie

The Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done - Woody Guthrie

2:21

single, 1942

Written by Woody Guthrie

This anthem starts off as a tall-tale braggadocio and then gets serious.  He starts off in Year One building the Rock of Ages, picking apples in the Garden of Eden, building the pyramids and freeing the Israelites ("I opened up the ocean let the migrant children through").  Then he mentions a few historical battles, until getting to the real heart of the song: beating Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.  "We'll stop the Axis rattlesnakes and thieves of old Nippon / And that will be the biggest thing that man has ever done."  I'm sure there are other versions with different verses, and there's no way of knowing which this one is.

Let Me Play With Your Poodle - Tampa Red

Let Me Play With Your Poodle - Tampa Red

2:36

single, 1942

Written by Tampa Red (as Hudson Whittaker)

A hokum swing blues with a rollicking piano and what sounds like a kazoo.  It's surely an extended entendre for a lady part, but as with all of these early euphemistic lyrics, it can be hard to pin down.  I mean, "long black shaggy hair," I guess, sure.  Also, "And what I like about him, you keeps him clean."  But: "I like the way he twists his tail / I would buy him, but he ain't for sale."  Him?  Tail?  Anyhoo, a fun little ditty, one you might hear in a barrelhouse or bordello.

Play It Cool, Stay In School - Brenda Holloway

Play It Cool, Stay In School - Brenda Holloway 

2:29

single, 1966

Written by Jimmy Clark

A terrific Motown song with a strong R&B rhythm section and compelling lead vocals.  But was this song commissioned by Big School or something?  The lyrics are direct and literal; it's not a metaphor for anything or an anecdote.  "Cause when you learn more / You're bound to earn more / When you stay in school."  It reads like the text of a PSA.  "You'll be so thankful, so very thankful / That you decided to stay and graduate."  Thanks, mom!

Play It Cool - Alton Ellis

Play It Cool - Alton Ellis

2:39

single, 1977

Written by Alton Ellis

Another mid-tempo Rocksteady groove by Ellis.  I found one source for the year, but not much else; the original Jamaican single has almost no information.  This song is also known as "Rock On Time."  It's a laid back song about, I guess, taking it easy?  The lyrics are not exactly clear in the way rasta songs sometimes get.  "Without money I know / It really makes no difference / I've got love I know / Easy squeeze it makes no riot."  Well, that's hard to disagree with!

Don't Play That Song - Aretha Franklin

Don't Play That Song - Aretha Franklin

3:02

Spirit In the Dark, 1970

Written by Ahmet Ertegün and Betty Nelson

Obviously the narrator of this song is not as steely as Humphrey Bogart.  ("Play it, Sam!  If you can play it for her, you can play it for me. If she can take it, so can I.")  The song was co-written by Ben King's wife and released by him in 1962.  This version transforms it into a gospel-soaked soul anthem with fire and heartbreak. Her voice — soaring, pleading, utterly commanding — turns the song's simple premise into high drama: the pain of hearing a song that reminds her of a lover's lies: "I was only seventeen / I'd never dream he'd be so mean."  The arrangement blends classic Atlantic soul with churchy piano and call-and-response backing vocals that elevate the emotional stakes. 

Play It Cool - Super Furry Animals

Play It Cool - Super Furry Animals

3:17

Radiator, 1997

Written by  Gruff Rhys, Huw Bunford, Guto Pryce, Cian Ciaran, and Dafydd Ieuan

How much more Welsh can the band members' names be?  None.  None more Welsh.  "Play It Cool" is a tightly packed burst of pop-rock charm built from irresistible riffs and hooks. From the opening three-chord punch with reverb-drenched vocals to an ascending keyboard line and cascading guitar bends, it assembles a warm, ear-pleasing intro in under twenty seconds. Gruff Rhys's vocals mirror the instrumentation, gliding easily into the track's melodic framework.  The lyrics have are vague, evoking both futuristic dystopia and easygoing carpe diem philosophy. The message in the chorus is act now, deal with the consequences another time: "Whatever you want to do, do it now and pay later / Whatever you want to say, say it now and pay later."  But the verses, conversely, have a dark tone that seem to imply that this isn't such a great idea.

That Ain't Nothing But Right - Mac Curtis

That Ain't Nothing But Right - Mac Curtis

2:14

single, 1956

Written by Jim Shell and Joe Price

The narrator likes holding his woman tight, and if that's wrong, he doesn't want to be right.  He also likes his beer cold, his TV loud, and his homosexuals flaming.  Just kidding; there's nothing in the lyrics that explicitly says this, though it's possibly implied.  "Well, I like my coffee black and strong / I like my auto big and long."  I read that when this Texas rockabilly king was a young lad, a school show he put on "shut down due to sexually suggestive on-stage movements."  Cool!

I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues - Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer

I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues - Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer

3:19

It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing, 1973

Written by Duke Ellington and Don George, 1937

This is a smooth, swinging mix of sass and sophistication. Brewer brings a playful, almost flirty vocal — light but expressive, with a bright clarity that never overpowers the groove. Ellington’s band, as ever, is a model of polished looseness: sassy, burlesque horn punches, walking bass, and velvet-slick piano comping.  Rather than wallowing in melancholy, their version lounges in it with a sly grin: "When trumpets flare up / I keep my hair up / I just can't make it come down." It’s blues filtered through champagne — elegant, urbane, and slyly tongue-in-cheek. A meeting of jazz royalty and pop charm that goes down easy but leaves a lasting impression of the talent behind the magic.

Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash - The Clovers

Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash - The Clovers

2:57

single, 1954

Written by Charles Calhoun

High-spirited R&B with a sax break.  Not quite doo-wop, but with a lot of "ooh-ooh" background vocals.  The narrator of this song is the ultimate sad sack for whom life reserves all of its heaviest blows.  He flashes a wad of dough at a fine chick, but she's not impressed.  He tries to buy a Cadillac, but can't haggle with the dealer.  He gets robbed and goes to jail fo public intoxication.  At the end all he has is "a buffalo" (as in the nickel).  He can't catch a break!  But does he conclude from this that money is the root of all evil?  No.  "Your cash ain't nothin' but trash / But I'm sure gonna get me some more."