Kissing in the Dark - Memphis Minnie

Kissing in the Dark - Memphis Minnie

2:31

single, 1953

Written by Ernest Lawlers

This song is credited to Ernest Lawlers, a.k.a. Lawlars, a.k.a. Little Son Joe, Minnie's husband and accompanist.  Minnie was a bold, brassy, blues belter; this song showcases her strong vocals and confident attitude.  Like a lot of blues artists, especially women, she was criminally overlooked in her day and is little known now, which is a shame.  She recorded around 200 songs!

Jock-a-Mo - Sugar Boy Crawford

Jock-a-Mo - Sugar Boy Crawford

single, 1954

Written by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford

This Checker single was originally credited as Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters, but I would bet he would have preferred to have his name on the label.  Inspired by yesterday's post about "Iko Iko," I thought this song was the obvious next in line.  Well, it's clear from listening to it that it's the same song, though this is a zydeco blues with buzzy horns and the Dixie Cups' version is a higher tempo chant buoyed along by hand percussion.  They're both great songs!

Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups

Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups

2:07

single, 1964

Written by James Crawford, Barbara Hawkins, Rosa Hawkins & Joan Johnson

A schoolyard chant, almost, with hand percussion.  The ladies were just fooling around in the studio, the story goes, using drumsticks on ashtrays and chairs, singing what they thought was a traditional song their grandmother used to sing.   The producer ran the tapes, cleaned it up, added some instrumentation, and there was a hit.  It's catchy and you cal clap along, and the vocals are pitch perfect.  This song had some legal trouble.  They were sued by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, who had a similar hit with Jock-a-Mo, and he got his name on the credits.  Then they were sued by Joe Jones, previously encountered on this blog as the writer of the Rivieras' hit "California Sun," but this suit was unsuccessful.  There's probably a rich history of "fooling around in the studio, only to become a hit" songs.  Maybe the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann" could join this one.

Honey, Honey - ABBA

Honey, Honey - ABBA

2:55

Waterloo, 1975

Written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, & Stig Anderson

A typically catchy bubblegum hit from the Swedish singles machine.  Lyrically, this song is very much of its time: the ladies prostrating themselves before a well-known "love machine" who warns them to stay grounded or he'll hurt them.  Musically, though, it's perfect pop, with the women's vocals managing to sound amped up and sex-kitten at the same time.  On another note, why did ABBA record so many songs with repeated-word titles?

Girl in the War - Josh Ritter

Girl in the War - Josh Ritter

4:23

The Animal Years, 2006

Written by John Ritter

A song that sounds like a love song but is actually an anti-war diatribe in disguise.  It kicks off with a Dylan-like jangle, nearly but not quite becoming "Fourth Time Around."  Then a Ritter version of that high thin wild mercury sound.  Highly literate as always, the lyrics open with a very chilling premonition: "All those words that we wrote / Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go."  The Constitution is inviolable until some man-child demagogue decides it isn't and his sheep praise him for it.

Fuckmylife666 - Against Me!

Fuckmylife666 - Against Me!

2:56

Transgender Dysphoria Blues, 2014

Written by Laura Jane Grace

Addressed to Grace's then-wife, this song deals with the heartbreaking, terrifying prospect of becoming who you believed you were always meant to be, even when that means you're now someone your spouse isn't necessarily in love with.  "All things made to be destroyed / All moments meant to pass."  It didn't work out for Grace, which adds a layer of pathos in retrospect.  Soaring, blistering punk rock.

Elderberry Wine - Elton John

Elderberry Wine - Elton John

3:34

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, 1973

Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

A heavy, funky piano rocker with a horn section from Sir Elton.  In this song, a man regrets his wife, who left him a year ago.  The music is rollicking, but the lyrics aren't Taupin's best (and he was always much more of a painter of images than a wordsmith): I mean, "You aimed to please me / Cooked black-eyed peas me."  No, that won't do.  That's not mention the women being passed around hand to hand.  And this guy whines he can't get by in life without a wife to pick his crops and get him drunk?  No wonder she left.

Devil in a Sleepin' Bag - Willie Nelson

Devil in a Sleepin' Bag - Willie Nelson

2:38

Shotgun Willie, 1973

Written by Willie Nelson

There are many songs about a musician's life on the road, and this funky, slinky number is among the best.  It tells of a tour that wasn't the greatest — the bus breaks down and someone, the devil of the title, catches pneumonia.  The devil is Nelson's drummer Paul English.  But the tour isn't all bad; Willie is sent into raptures by Kris Kristofferson and his wife Rita Cooolidge's performance ("raw perfection there for all the world to see").  As he does with every damn things he ever touches, Willie tackles this subject with humor ("if you want to buy a bus I'm taking bids") and grace.  Perfection!

California Sun - The Rivieras

California Sun - The Rivieras

2:26

Let's Have a Party, 1963

Written by Henry Glover

This song, itself covered many times (most notably by the Ramones) is a cover, originally sung by R&B artist Joe Jones.  It definitely works in a surf rock incarnation, propelled by that rollicking organ.  It's a puff piece, a rock 'n' roll oldie for teenagers in hot rods, played by people who probably didn't surf, but it's great. Interestingly, two Beach Boys independently covered it, as well as Bobby Fuller and Tommy James.  From the talented musicians who covered it alone, you know that the Rivieras tapped into something good with this one.

Botany Bay - Blaggards

Botany Bay - Blaggards

3:31

Standards, 2005

Traditional?

I thought this might be the tune sometimes recorded as "Jim Jones" as well as the given title, the tale of a convict vowing revenge on his oppressors, but it's actually something like the opposite, a navvy who is fed up with moving rocks and vows to go make his fortune in Australia.  Interesting, and a little puzzling.  Musically, this is decent, acceptable Pogues-inspired growly Celtic rock.

Adieu minette - Renaud

Adieu minette - Renaud

3:51

Laisse béton, 1977

Written by Renaud Séchan

The album is often called Place de ma mob.  The song is an acerbic kiss-off worthy of Dylan.  "Sous tes cheveux beaucoup trop blonds / Décolorés ça va de soi / T'avais une cervelle de pigeon / Mais j'aimais ça, mais j'aimais ça."  Or what about "Ton père j'l'ai traité d'enfoiré / Excuse-moi auprès d'lui / Si j'avais su que c'était vrai / J'y aurais redit."  The vocal is measured, almost monotone; the music is an accompaniment.  It's a cold litany more than a musical tour-de-force, mais j'aime ça, j'aime ça.

Gotta Get Up - Harry Nilsson

Gotta Get Up - Harry Nilsson
2:25

Nilsson Schmilsson, 1971

Written by Harry Nilsson

The Beatles influence in this song is evident, from the lyrical content to the horns to the driving piano to the music-hall vibe to the weird desultory sound effects at the end.  Could be a John Lennon track that ended up on the cutting room floor.  The lyrics are about facing up to responsibilities, to reality, and growing older ("There was a time when we could dance until a quarter to ten / We never thought it would end then."  A sort of frantic uptempo, sung with a forced smile maybe.  You could see the narrator tryign to put on a brave face, but hysteria tinges into the assertions of adulthood.

Riptide - Vance Joy

Riptide - Vance Joy

3:24

God Loves You When You're Dancing, 2013

Written by Vance Joy, Edwin White, & John Castle

2.9 billion streams on Spotify.  I'm always the last one to the popular party.  This is another song introduced to me by my stepdaughters.  I wouldn't say that this song is one of the best of all time, but it's got a breezy familiarity, and the recondite lyrics ("all my friends are turning green"?) about a girl he's besotted with distract from the song's overall repetitiveness.  And it's played on a ukulele!  Quirky stuff.

Ariel - Dean Friedman

Ariel - Dean Friedman

4:24

Dean Friedman, 1977

Written by Dean Friedman

A story song about a girl whom the narrator can't get off his mind.  A manic pixie hippie dream girl.  Ah, the '70s, when anything went and a doofus with a Jew-fro and a sad mustache could get a recording contract and even a hit.  I honestly can't decide whether this song is ridiculously awesome or awesomely ridiculous.  The yowling, strangled chorus of "Ariel."  The bizarre lyrics!  "I said 'Hi', she said, 'Yeah, I guess I am.'"  "She had some onion rings, she had a pickle / She forgot to tell me that she didn't eat meat."  Did Al Yankovic write this?  Is this the prequel to "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota"?

Prom Queen - Beach Bunny

Prom Queen - Beach Bunny

2:16

Prom Queen, 2018

Written by Lili Trifilio

This song was introduced to me by my stepdaughter.  I've passed down a lot to her; it's only fair that I should get some recommendations back.  Sometimes the youths have great taste.  The song is a reminder to girls to be accepting of their bodies, the narrator is anxious, defiant and then uncertain.  "I wish I was like you."  "I'm no Quick-Curl Barbie."  "I'm a defect surgical project."  "They say beauty is pain."  A great message, but realistic, not claiming to hold all the answers.   It's catchy, bouncing along, inviting you to sing along until you get the message.

Play a Train Song - Todd Snider

Play a Train Song - Todd Snider
4:09
East Nashville Skyline, 2004
Written by Todd Snider

I know Snider primarily from the novelty-adjacent but great song "Vinyl Records."  This one is a more straightforward, the tale of one Skip Litz, a hard-drinking, hard-living man, a music lover, who was found dead at his home.  The narrator of the song salutes Lutz, taking a small sad solace in the fact that he apparently died with a smile on his face.  Snider's ragged vocals and impassioned delivery make him one of a million New Bob Dylans, but to me his sound and his everyman lyrics help him stand out.  The rhythm section pounds out a steady train beat, clickety clack.  I like the album title's nod to Bob also.

It's Not Time Now - Lovin' Spoonful

It's Not Time Now - Lovin' Spoonful

2:46

Daydream, 1966

Written by John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky

Sebastian was no Dylan or Waits, but he was a dab hand with the pen.  His talent perhaps shined the brightest when writing funny songs ("Jug Band Music," "Nashville Cats," "Pow"), but he could write some touching, tender poems as well.  This song is about standing back in the middle of an argument with a loved one and getting some perspective: "Though the words are flyin' fast, it just don't mean a thing / In a little while I could tell you everything."  It's not one of their catchiest song, perhaps, but it's a sweet song, and showcases that Sebastian maturity and broadmindedness so evident in songs like "Younger Generation."

The '59 Sound - Gaslight Anthem

The '59 Sound - Gaslight Anthem
3:10
The '59 Sound, 2008
Written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz

These guys are the last bastion of heartland rock music forged by the 1950s and the Boss.  (Well, maybe the Hold Steady, too.)  This title track is a tribute to a friend who died too young in a car accident.  It's simple, it's raw, it's true, it has power.  This is the sort of rock music a man would play.  This song and its album were almost universally acclaimed when it came out.  Where was I?  Being ignorant of the greatness.

Holy Shit! - Against Me!

Holy Shit! - Against Me!
2:11
Searching For a Former Clarity, 2005
Written by Laura Jane Grace, James Bowman, Andrew Seward, and Warren Oakes

This is a song of doubt.  The narrator, possibly an entertainer, a singer, realizes "the joke's on us."  She can no longer harness the initial passion that makes her sing the lyrics "sung at the top of our lungs desperately."  Grace's lyrics are often opaque, even abstruse.  But it's hard not to examine this song through the lens of the present, knowing of the identity hidden away at the time.  By the end of the song, the then-Thomas Gabel is snarling the lyrics with cartoon monster ferocity.  I love this band!

Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps

Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps

2:36

single, 1956

Written by Gene Vincent, Donald Graves, & Bill Davis

I love me some 1950s rockabilly.  This is a sparse, soft-spoken instance of the genre, the staid, prim grandfather of shockabilly and psychobilly stepping out on the town with a quiet, reserved "woo!"  It looks good in its denim suit, but it's not going crazy.  The screams at :38 and 1:28 are apparently by the drummer, and not by a teenaged girl in the studio showing appreciation, as I first thought.  This song's scat-like lyrics are influenced by the 1945 song "Be-Baba-Leba", the 1925 Dixie jazz song "Don't Bring Lulu," and possibly (or apocryphally) the comic strip Little Lulu. 

Grandfather's Clock - Sam Cooke

Grandfather's Clock - Sam Cooke

3:12

Swing Low, 1961

Written by Henry Clay Work, 1876

I know this song from Johnny Cash's more appropriately somber version.  Cooke's voice is velvet, of course, but a song that starts with a male chorus singing "tick tock" probably isn't going to have the requisite gravitas, you know?  The jaunty beat, the swinging pacing, and the bright horns punctuating Cooke's lines just don't fit the theme of the song.  I didn't realize that this song was written so long ago. Fun fact, this song is the origin of the term "grandfather clock."

Alles Egal - Die Hektischen Flecken

Alles Egal - Die Hektischen Flecken

2:54

Korrekturen, 2022

Written by Die Hektischen Flecken

This band is pretty obscure, even in their native Germany.  I found one review of the album that revealed nothing.  Do I know what they're singing about, other than the title ("it's all the same" or "nothing matters")?  No, I don't, but they sure sound confident singing it.  I hope it's not something nasty!  Whatever it is, it's catchy post-punk rock.  I like the singer's nasal voice.

Anti-Hero, Taylor Swift

Anti-Hero, Taylor Swift

3:21

Midnights, 2022

Written by Taylor Swift & Jack Antonoff

I'm pretty much everything that might make up an anti-Swiftie, yet here I am having Taylor be the first artist I repeat on the blog.  But I love this song!  Catchy, bouncy, the kind of bubbling tumbling internally-rhyming vocals I like, with introspective lyrics, self-critical and insecure.  I always said that if Taylor used her not insignificant talents to write songs about something, anything other than boys and heartbreak, she'd be a star not just with the teens but with the old folks too (not that we matter).  This song is amazing.

The Way We See Heaven - Jeremy Pinnell

The Way We See Heaven - Jeremy Pinnell

4:15

Ties Of Blood And Affection, 2017

Written by Jeremly Pinnell

This is the new outlaw country.  An updated "Bad to the Bone" for the alt-country set.  Alt-law country?  This song is a rousing song of pride, and maybe a little relief at having lasted this long.  Probably somewhat loosely autobiographical, it features a narrator who made his momma worry; he's trying his best, but he's willing to go to hell if that's there his friends end up.  Ain't that America?

Birthday Suit - The California Honeydrops

Birthday Suit - The California Honeydrops

2:32

single, 2023

Written by the California Honeydrops

A novelty song of sorts, a silly softly sung acoustic ditty.  The narrator wants to be buried naked, as that's the suit he feels most comfortable in.  "Anyway they’ve all been dying to know / Just how I held onto a girl like you."  The implication, of course, is that the narrator may be, under his clothes, packing more than he appears.  That's how he caught (and kept) the girl, presumably.  Except the punchline comes later: "All illusions will be shattered / And the truth plain to see / But I’ll be dead so I don’t care who’s there laughing at me."  So how did he get that girl, then?

Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed - Blind Willie Johnson

Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed - Blind Willie Johnson

3:11

single, 1928

Writer unknown

One of the first recordings of this seminal blues song, recorded by everyone from Charley Patton to Led Zeppelin.  Johnson's blues guitar is largely overshadowed by his powerful, guttural chest singing.  He growls and roars like Tom Waits' drunken grandfather.  This is that down home religion, a closeness to Jesus you feel viscerally.  "Late Friday evening hanging on the cross / Hanging there in misery, ahh oh well."  A lot of recordings from this time are muddy or hard to hear, but this one is loud and crystal clear.  This is a masterwork, a musical punch it the gut.  The kind of song that might shift your whole musical outlook.  Makes you think less of Eric Clapton and Van Morrison.

Wheels - The String-A-Longs

Wheels - The String-A-Longs

1:54

single, 1960

Written by Richard Stephens, Jimmy Torres, & Norman Petty

An instrumental, too early probably to be called surf rock, or maybe even rock.  In fact I hear faint echoes of the 1950s big band sound here, with just hints of the surf guitar sound that was to come.  This song was a huge hit for this band, reaching number 8 and going gold.  What makes an instrumental a hit?  I for one am often unable to say.  Why this one and not any of their other, pretty similarly-sounding tracks?  Why should the Ventures have a hit with "Walk, Don't Run" and not these guys?  Who knows.  Per Wikipedia, this song "is remembered also as the music to the Naked Ballon Dance, later used when bodybuilder Tony Holland flexed his muscles and won 'Opportunity Knocks'."  That clears it right up!

Loddy Lo - Chubby Checker

Loddy Lo - Chubby Checker

2:11

Chubby's Folk Album, 1963

Written by Kal Mann & Dave Appell 

Short and sweet verses, with a lot of the singalong chorus, "Hey Loddy, Loddy Lo."  Apparently written for Checkers' wife.  Handclaps and a bumping beat make this an infectious, if slight, tune.  Chubby wasn't known for his deep, eloquent lyrics. "Fancy talk is for the birds / A kiss is worth a thousand words."  It's a fun '50s style party song akin to "The Twist."