Big River - The Old 97's

Big River - The Old 97's

2:55
One More Ride: Old 97's Perform The Songs Of Johnny Cash, 2022

Written by Johnny Cash, 1958

It's Cover Time! 

Probably no one could hope to match the bass-baritone of Cash, an instrument that could be suave, commanding, earnest, and even humble.  But the 97's do a terrific job with this homage, playing to their own strengths.  Rhett Miller reins in his typically yelping vocal and brings forth a full-throated rockin' scream, and the band delivers a fuller sound, a driving backbeat, a modern rock guitar line, instilling in the song a propulsive power that grabs the listener.

Kids In America - Billie Joe Armstrong

Kids In America - Billie Joe Armstrong

3:08

No Fun Mondays, 2020 

Written by Marty Wilde and Ricky Wilde, 1981

It's Cover Time! 

I have gone my whole life largely unaware of the Wilde version of this song, so I don't know how reductive it is of hers, or the Muffs' punk version.  It's a great pop punk track taken on its own, with teen angst lyrics and sing-along choruses.  Of course, Armstrong has one of the greatest voices in rock.  In its historical context, Armstrong released this and many other covers to entertain his fans during COVID, which is yet another example of how endearingly generous and thoughtful he is as an artist.

Here She Comes - Ho-Hum

Here She Comes - Ho-Hum

3:12

Local, 1996

Written by Rod Bryan, Lenny Bryan, Kevin Kerby, and Dave Hoffpauir

Ho-Hum is a well-regarded band from Arkansas.  The vocalist's smooth delivery evokes Adam Duritz, over a confident burst of 1990s alt-rock, which in the final third ratchets up to near Pearl Jam levels of impassioned belting.  The song discusses a girl who has the power to make you love or be broken.  "What are you gonna do when she takes that love away from you?"  The narrator finds himself bewildered, lost.  "She could be in a trap somewhere and left for dead / You'd die looking for her yourself."

Hi Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker

Hi Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker

2:48
single, 1964

Written by Tommy Tucker

Despite decades of listening to Dylan's "I Shall be Free No. 10" and its lines "I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on / Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun / I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist / And my wig-hat was falling in my face," I had no idea until recently that they were cribbed from this song's "Put on your high-heel sneakers, baby / Wear your wig-hat on your head." Dylan also took inspiration from this song for his "shadow boxing" verse on the same song. Tucker sings here, "Put on your red dress, baby / Lord, we′re goin' out tonight / And bring along some boxin' gloves / In case some fool might wanna fight," apparently referring to his early years as amateur prize fighter. This song also inspired Sugar Pie DeSanto's "Slip-In Mules."  In an unrelated note, Tucker's birth name was Robert Higginbotham, which I think he should have stuck with.

Here You Come Again - Millie Jackson

Here You Come Again - Millie Jackson

3:10

Get It Out'cha System, 1978

Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, 1975

Dolly Parton had a hit with this song in 1977, but I come to this one fresh.  This one, a rousing soul number with disco grooves and gospel-tinged backing vocals, showcases Jackson's vocals.  Her voice isn't a towering powerhouse like those of Aretha Franklin or Irma Thomas, but she can definitely belt it out, and delivers her lines with precision and confidence.  The song is directed at a sly lothario who returns whispering sweet nothings when the lady's defenses are down: "Here you come again, just when I'm about to make it work without you / You look into my eyes and lie those pretty lies."  Despite the lyric, Jackson sounds powerful and enthused; maybe she wants us to know that she's more in control than she lets on.

Humbug Mountain Song - Fruit Bats

Humbug Mountain Song - Fruit Bats

3:04

Absolute Loser, 2016

Written by Eric D. Johnson

This gem of a song might be called alt-Americana, with poetic lyrics over uptempo, minor-key banjo, guitar, and drums. The lyrics evoke coming into being, knowing you're alive, maybe an epiphany born of being struck by love.  "The next thing I knew the stars were eyes up in the night / And the ocean breathing heavy like a beast."  There's an energetic wistfulness here, a melodic nostalgia for some unspecified moment freed from the bounds of linear time and space.

Going To Canada - Joe Louis Walker

Going To Canada - Joe Louis Walker

3:54

JLW, 1994

Written by Joe Louis Walker

This is a burning electric blues with hints of both Chicago and Delta traditions fused together.  It features some expert harmonica work by the great James Cotton backing up Walker's traditional blues guitar licks.  It's a sentiment that's all too easy to share right now.  Just get out, take Highway five up through Seattle.  They can't hold me here, at least for now.  "I gotta get on up outta here, peoples / Just to soothe my worried mind."  I agree; when can we leave?

Goodbye Don't Mean I'm Gone - Carole King

Goodbye Don't Mean I'm Gone - Carole King

3:33

Rhymes & Reasons, 1972

Written by Carole King

This is a gentle folk-rock song about an amicable breakup: "I'll never be what you think you see in me / If I can help you deal with what you see as real / That makes me glad to have known you."  It elegantly captures the time when two people realize they've grow apart, have different goals, or simply have found themselves on different paths.  There's still fondness, but the union is no longer possible.  King delivers the lines with a bittersweet finality; there's no room left for aches and regrets.  "It's all I can do to be a mother:"

Gonna Tell Your Mother - Jimmy McCracklin

Gonna Tell Your Mother - Jimmy McCracklin

2:37

single, 1955

Written by McCracklin and Saul Bihari

This is a bumping jump blues about a fellow whose lady has been treating him bad.  Instead of blustering or threatening, as in so many songs of this era, he vows instead to tattle to her mother.  There's an answering chorus in the lyrics: "Gonna tell your mama how you've been treatin' poor me / (Don't do that, she might get mad)."  Alas, the lighthearted moment passes, and we get to the requisite threatening: "If you done me wrong, well then you're six feet in the ground / (Don't do that, I might get mad)."  One line here jumped out at me because it evokes, in both words and in phrasing,  J.B. Lenoir's "Mama Talk to Your Daughter," from the same year: "Gonna talk to her daughter." I wonder if one inspired the other?

Girls - David Bowie

Girls - David Bowie

4:17

single, 1987

Written by David Bowie and Erdal Kızılçay

This song was written for Tina Turner, who released it a year earlier.  It's a lightweight, nonspecific ode to the mysteries of girls, how they "come and go" and cause pain.  Bowie paraphrases the famous Blade Runner quotation to describe his narrator's view of the ephemeral nature of these girls: "My heart suspended in time / Like you vanish like tears in the rain."  It's not one of his finer moments, and the keyboard and saxophone combine in a overblown yet watered-down neo-soul, but of course Bowie's magnificent voice carries this thing to the finish line.