Gypsy Songman - Steve Earle & the Dukes

Gypsy Songman - Steve Earle & the Dukes

2:37

Jerry Jeff, 2022

Written by Jerry Jeff Walker, 1987

Earle sings this statement of purpose with gusto, keeping it uptempo and brisk.  It's the proclamation of an itinerate musician, always moving on and getting by on tips.  "I got a stage on every corner, hall on every street / My hat is my coin box, this song is what you need."  It's a classic musician on the road song, up there with Willie's "On the Road Again" and "Devil in a Sleepin' Bag."  Earle and the Dukes meld fiddle and pedal steel to create a rollicking Cajun sound, with Earle's growl here smoothed out considerably.

Gimme Shelter - Merry Clayton

Gimme Shelter - Merry Clayton

3:31

Gimme Shelter, 1970

Written by Mick Jagger and Kieth Richards, 1969

Clayton did the powerhouse background vocals on the Stones' recording to great acclaim (fun fact: she was four months pregnant at the time), so the next year she went out and did her own version.  With some thick, fuzzy guitar lines, blaring soul horns, and her own female choir behind her, Clayton shouts new life into this song.  In fact, I think I like her blazing, funky rendition better than the Stones'.  It flips the emotional center of the song completely.  She doesn't lean on her experience singing on the original, but expands it.  Where the original simmers with dread and distance, hers is immediate, embodied, and ferocious.

Grape Fruit - Juicy Fruit - Jimmy Buffett

Grape Fruit - Juicy Fruit - Jimmy Buffett

2:58

A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, 1973

Written by Jimmy Buffett

This is a gentle, low-tempo number buoyed along by pedal steel, harmonica, and Key West vibes.  It describes a laid-back musician coming on to, presumably, a groupie, and then needing, as musicians do, to move on.  After washing away his hangover with the titular juice and gum, he gets down to the romance: "Drive-in / guzzle gin / Commit a little mortal sin / It's good for the soul."  Buffett later wrote that the song is based on a specific drive-in in Florida, and the movie was Payday, starring Rip Torn.

Galway City - The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

Galway City - The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

2:16

Isn't It Grand Boys, 1966

traditional

The Clancys sing this jaunty tune as a group, with no individual solo.  Sharing a melody with "Nancy Whiskey," this song is about a fellow who woos a young maiden, who rebuffs him with prejudice.  He's got money, but that doesn't do him any good (like the guy with a car in Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress me Much").  She scoffs at his wealth!  "What do I care for your gold and silver? / All I want is a handsome man."  That's a rejection with an implied insult on the side!  Then she starts in with the metaphors: "Did you ever see a copper kettle / Mended with an old tin can? / Did you ever see a handsome lassie / Married off to an ugly man?"  That's cold, baby.  Ice cold.

Galway Races - The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

Galway Races - The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

2:11

Isn't It Grand Boys, 1966

traditional

As much as I love the Pogues' snarling tear through this song on the medley on If I Should Fall From Grace With God, I appreciate the Clancy's more restrained and traditional version as well.  Even a pleasant day at the track gets political in dear old Erin: "There were passengers from Limerick / And more from Tipperary / The boys of Connemara / And the Clare unmarried maidens / And people from Cork City / Who were loyal, true and faithful / They brought home the Fenian prisoners / From dying in foreign nations."  Then they list the snacks!  Perfection.  The line "And a big crubeen for thruppence to be picking while you're able" refers to a delicious boiled pig's foot.

Tobacco Road - John D. Loudermilk

Tobacco Road - John D. Loudermilk
3:02
single, 1960

Written by John D. Loudermilk

A slow-burning folk-blues about growing up in poverty in North Carolina: "Grew up in a rusty shack / All I owned was hangin' on my bony back."  Over stark blues guitar lines and a spare percussion, the narrator tells of his dreams to leave and make some money out in the world.  But he vows to return with big plans for his loved and hated home town: "Bring me dynamite and a crane / Blow it up and start all over again / Build a town, be proud to show / Keep the name Tobacco Road."

Ten Tiny Toes - One Baby Nose - Sol Ho'opi'i and His Novelty Quartette

Ten Tiny Toes - One Baby Nose - Sol Ho'opi'i and His Novelty Quartette

3:16

single, 1933

Written by Jack Little, David Oppenheim, and Ira Schuster

The title on the original shellac pressing of this Hawaiian pop song includes a parenthetical "(That's All I'm Living For)," but I figure the main title, along with the artist name, is long enough already.  Musically, the tune is exactly what the title suggests: a cheery, sweet novelty song about a newborn baby.  Over a ukulele and a steel guitar, and with a crooning male chorus behind him, Ho'opi'i trills in a high tenor the overpowering sentiments that most new parents share: "Believe me, that little tot / In his little cot / Is all the world to me."  There's a verse to the song, but as with many popular recordings of the era, Ho'opi'i just repeats the refrain twice.

The Tempest - The Real McKenzies

The Tempest - The Real McKenzies

4:09

Westwinds, 2012

Written by the Real McKenzies

This song starts off with just bagpipes and a steady single drum beat. The pipes fade out a few seconds in, and the Paul McKenzie's vocals start with the metronome beat behind him, until the band kicks in.  The lyrics begin with a lift from Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Social Contract: "We are all born free but forever live in chains."  It's sung from the point of view of galley slaves, who sing to keep their spirits up while plotting escape: "We carry on the burden and we hide our grimace well / For the day will come for us to mutiny / But as long as we survive our hope and pride they can't deprive."  It's a perfect blend of Cletic punk, sea shanty, and modern swagger.

Too Much Time - Televisionaries

Too Much Time - Televisionaries

2:08

Mad About You, 2022

Written by Austin Lake, Brendan Lake, Trevor Lake, and Aaron Mika

A jangly, late 1960s-style power pop song, heavy on the guitar and showy percussion, with splashes of surf rock and Merseybeat.  The narrator bemoans the lack of love in his life, interspersed with lyrics that are shallow hippie-inspired ramblings "Every war that's waged makes me cry / Every bird that goes by gets me high").  So the Lake brothers aren't exactly poets, but this is a catchy retro rock that gets your toes tapping.

Take Back the Power - The Interrupters

Take Back the Power - The Interrupters

3:21

The Interrupters, 2014

Written by Aimee Allen, Tim Armstrong, Jesse Bivona, Justin Bivona, Kevin Bivona

No need to bemoan the lack of Rancid releases when the Interrupters are around!  Armstrong's Clash fixation is apparent in the second verse of this protest song: "Whatcha gonna do / When they show up in black suits / On your street in army boots? / And they're there to silence you / What ya gonna say / When they strip your rights away?"  The song has all the Rancid hallmarks: a pounding ska beat, a singalong catchy chorus on repeat, and anti-authoritarian lyrics.  I always question how much the band had to do with the writing of their songs; I envision a sort of Prince vis a vis The Time situation.