The Way In - The Dream Syndicate

The Way In - The Dream Syndicate

2:41

These Times, 2019

Written by Steve Wynn

I've mentioned my love for Steve Wynn here, but have never talked about the Dream Syndicate.  Unlike a lot of fans, I discovered his most well-known band through his solo material, which came first for me.  So to me Wynn is the main act and the Syndicate his side project; for lots of guys still spinning The Days Of Wine And Roses, it's obviously the other way around.  Anyway, this song shows a reformed band still evolving, not stuck in the past.  It's using the same formula of driving guitars and smart songwriting, but exploring new ways to use those tools.  "Tryin’ to reconcile the past with the present / Which one fits and which one doesn't / And we shed our skin just to find a way in."

Dry Your Eyes - Neil Diamond

Dry Your Eyes - Neil Diamond
3:23

Beautiful Noise, 1976

Written by Neil Diamond and Robbie Robertson

Diamond apparently considered Robbie Robertson's production of this album enough of a point of pride to print his credit on the album cover, an unusual move in rock circles.  The song was co-written by both musicians; it's a celebration and a tribute to someone gone ("that distant falling angel / that descended much too soon").  Robertson said later that he was inspired by the assassination of Martin Luther King.  The song's lyric reminds us to keep the memory alive through song, whether metaphorical or literal: "Dry your eyes and play it slowly / Like you're marching off to war / Sing it like you know he'd want it / Like we sang it once before."  Piano, organ, and accordion create a somber atmosphere, as Diamond's inimitable vocal conveys a depth to the tribute.

Your True Love - Carl Perkins

Your True Love - Carl Perkins

2:43

single, 1957

Written by Carl Perkins

This is a danceable early rocker that Elvis probably could have livened up a little.  I really dig the amusing couplet that splits a sentence with a rhyme, then blends it with a continuing sentence : "God made the world, and He made it round / I got my baby, and I'm glad I found / Her love was meant for me."  I believe that's Jerry Lee Lewis providing the boogie piano, and the call-and-response choruses complement Carl's laid-back, come-hither vocal.  

Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? - The Rolling Stones

Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? - The Rolling Stones

2:34

single, 1966

Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

Although I haven't paid much attention to the band since Steel Wheels, I prefer the old, brash Stones, when the Glimmer Twins were trying out new sounds, branching out beyond the roots and blues they stole, I mean built their reputation on.  This psychedelic single, with its piano, horn section, finger snaps, and multiple backing vocals, stands out even in their catalog.  Jagger sends his voice from a whisper to a full-throated shout, and the song ends with a brutal buzz of a guitar.  It's a noisy, sloppy mess that somehow manages to coalesce into something charming.

Defrost Your Heart - Charlie Feathers

Defrost Your Heart - Charlie Feathers
2:30
single, 1956
Written by Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch

Feathers is best known today as a pioneer of rockabilly, but this slow weeper is pure honky-tonk, all steel guitar and crooning, nasal vocal.  At the time of its release, comparing your inamorata's heart to an icebox, with its trays for ice cubes, was probably pretty cutting edge.  "You grew cold and acted smart / Wont you please defrost your heart? / Fill its trays with love sweet and warm."  With his clever approach to songwriting, it's a shame he isn't better known; his biggest credit is a cowrite on Elvis' "I Forgot To Remember to Forget."

Your Mouth is a Garden - Raynes

Your Mouth is a Garden - Raynes

3:57

Bloom, 2025

Written by Raynes

This is an upbeat blend of pop and folk with a driving percussive beat, soaring, heartfelt vocals, building up to harmonies and big "oh oh oh" choruses.  Lyrically, the song is a declaration of love, with images of remembered scenes between two people.  It starts with what might be an apology after a rift: "Thought about what I said / And I wanna take it back / Hanging on by a thread / When I knew it would snap / Can we break the head from the haft / And bury it somewhere outside?"  I love the literate, gentle poetry of this song, and I'm continually surprised that music this melodic, heartfelt, and lyrically ambitious can exist without becoming a huge hit. If you think contemporary pop has nothing left to say, give this one a listen.

One Night - Elvis Presley

One Night - Elvis Presley

2:32

single, 1958

Written by Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, Anita Steinman

Apparently Elvis was unhappy with having to bowdlerize the lyrics as originally sung by Smiley Lewis ("One night of sin / Is what I'm now payin' for") into the much tamer "One night with you / Is what I'm now praying for."  Lewis' reflection on the night, which has already happened, is that it shook him to the core.  The things he has seen and done!  Elvis' night, on the other hand, is still safely hypothetical: "The things that we two could plan / Would make my dreams come true."  It's an interesting distinction.  But over a driving piano, Elvis gives a fierce, almost growling vocal, giving passion to the comparatively insipid lyric.

Night - Bruce Springsteen

Night - Bruce Springsteen

3:01

Born To Run, 1975

Written by Bruce Springsteen

Okay, so this rocker is a little bit of a cheat, because I have been dipping into Born To Run for most of my life, and the title track is one of my favorite songs of all time.  But I'm not very familiar with this particular song, and it's such a quintessential Bruce number in its stark depiction of the working man trying to escape drudgery through cars, girls, and sheer velocity that I can't believe I've given it so little notice.  "The rat traps filled with soul crusaders / The circuit's lined and jammed with chromed invaders / And she's so pretty that you're lost in the stars."  How can you not like that?  It's like the younger cousin of "The highway's jammed with broken heroes / On a last chance power drive / Everybody's out on the run tonight / But there's no place left to hide."  That kind of turnpike poetry is why they call him the Boss.

Night Nurse - Gregory Isaacs

Night Nurse - Gregory Isaacs

4:10

Night Nurse, 1982

Written by Gregory Isaacs, and Sylvester Weise

This is a prime example of lovers rock, the easy reggae style introduced to white people by the Clash in their song of the same name.  Over a slow-burning synth beat, Isaacs delivers his delicate, smooth vocals, calling for the only one who can heal the pain of a broken heart.  "I don't want to see no doc / I need attendance from my nurse around the clock."  I love the pleading croon in his voice even as he gets self-referential: "Tell her it's a case of emergency / There's a patient by the name of Gregory."  Hilarious!

Wasted Days And Wasted Nights - Freddy Fender

Wasted Days And Wasted Nights - Freddy Fender

2:52

Before the Next Teardrop Falls, 1975

Written by Wayne Duncan and Freddy Fender, 1959

Many people know this song from the Sir Douglas Quintet version, or the live versions by singer Doug Sahm.  The Quintet released it in 1971, four years prior to this recording, but it's actually a Fender original from 1959.  On this re-recorded version, Fender dedicates the song to Sahm in appreciation for his prior recording: "Wherever you are, brother!"  With his wavering falsetto, Fender sings like New Orleans version of the Ink Spots' Bill Kenny.  His voice soars over some polished pedal steel lines and a tinkling country piano.  The lyrics, about a lost love, feature a first line with some interestingly mangled Spanish-influenced grammar: "Wasted days and wasted nights / I have left for you behind / For you don't belong to me / Your heart belongs to someone else."