I'm Gonna Bring a Watermelon To My Girl Tonight - Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

I'm Gonna Bring a Watermelon To My Girl Tonight - Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

2:02

single, 1966

Written by Con Conrad, 1924

This song, written by Con Conrad, was apparently first released in 1924 by Billy Jones and Ernie Hare, a novelty duo who as the Happiness Boys released a lot of classics that are still known today.  This version is a little ore rocking, but still very much in the music-hall tradition.

A Pretty Girl (A Cadillac And Some Money) - Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra

A Pretty Girl (A Cadillac And Some Money) - Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra

3:09

single, 1954

Written by Buddy Johnson

Johnson is the piano player and bandleader here, the vocalist apparently someone named Ricky Harper.  His sister Ella often served as Johnson's vocalist, and indeed his recordings on Spotify are credited to them both, but this single, as shown on Discogs, is properly credited to Buddy and the orchestra.  This jump blues, reminiscent of Louis Jordan in style, is a genuinely funny song.  It's like deadpan-joking-but-serious like Spinal Tap's "Gimme Some Money."  Some meta spoken comic patter at the end ("I'm the one that made 'Mush Mouth,'" he proclaims) is an added punchline.

A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody - Rudy Vallée

A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody - Rudy Vallée

3:04

single, 1934

Written by Irving Berlin, 1919

The original crooner.  This version, like most others, omits a rather silly first verse and goes straight into the chorus.  Berlin's lyrics are enchanting.  "Just like the strain of a haunting refrain / She'll start upon a marathon / And run around your brain."  Vallée by all accounts had a violent temper and sometimes came to blows with people he worked with or, some allege, women.  But apparently he insisted on having Louis Armstrong fill in for him when he was away at his radio show, so he was progressive for his time!

A Certain Girl - Ernie K-Doe

A Certain Girl - Ernie K-Doe

2:44

single, 1961

Written by Allen Toussaint

I'm familiar with the Warren Zevon version, but not so much with the original release, from Ernie K-Doe, a New Orleans R&B singer best known for "Mother -in-Law."  This one doesn't have Zevon's chorus of "awww!" when he won't reveal the girl's name, and instead has a bass voice echo, "No, no."  There's also a sultry sax and a drum break which liven things up.

Life'll Kill Ya - Warren Zevon

Life'll Kill Ya - Warren Zevon

2:47

Life'll Kill Ya, 2000

Written by Warren Zevon

Et in arcadia ego, as only the inimitable Excitable Boy could write it.  Not exactly carpe diem, because in this song, life isn't always that great even when you do have it.  "It's the kingdom of the spiders / It's the empire of the ants / You need a permit to walk around downtown / You need a license to dance."  It may not be shockingly ironic, considering how often Zevon went to the mortality well (like thinking Biggie Small's lyrics are somehow prescient), but it is sad.  "Some get the awful, awful diseases," he sings; two years later he gets the news that he has one.  Enjoy every sandwich.

Life Is But a Dream - the Harptones

Life Is But a Dream - the Harptones

2:43

single, 1955

Written by Raoul Cita

This dreamy doo-wop love ballad was featured in the wedding scene in GoodFellas, but I don't remember it.  Cita, the writer, was the group's baritone as well as the pianist and arranger.  The group began in 1953 and never had a big hit but lasted until 2014, somehow?  The song carries a lot of romantic weight for its simplicity.  "Will you take part in / My life / My love / That is my dream."

The Cold Hard Facts Of Life - Porter Wagoner

The Cold Hard Facts Of Life - Porter Wagoner

3:12

The Cold Hard Facts Of Life, 1967

Written by Bill Anderson

A first-person story song, narrated by a clueless cuckold.  He comes home early, decides to surprise the wife without calling first, and, well, we can all see the rest coming.  What you don't see coming, from the soft, sad vocal delivery, is the bloody ending, one you expect in a Johnny Cash song.  The album cover is a classic of possibly unintentional hilarity.

Dirty Life And Times - Warren Zevon

Dirty Life And Times - Warren Zevon

3:15

The Wind, 2003

Written by Warren Zevon

Zevon's "bad boy" persona, probably honestly come by, is on display here, but in a more reflective mood.  The narrator muses on his maverick nature, his reluctance to toe the line.  "Some days I feel like my shadow's casting me."  Is he the owner of his wild side, or is his wild nature leading him?  It's a lonely life, but maybe "a woman with low self-esteem" can stand him for a while.  "And if she won't love me then her sister will / She's from Say-one-thing-and-mean-another-sville."  What a line.  And a crack band, too.  Don Henley on drums and Dwight Yoakam on backing vocals.

The Wild Side Of Life - Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys

The Wild Side Of Life - Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys

2:44

single, 1951

Written by Arlie Carter and William Warren

This song was one of the biggest hits in country music history, spending 15 weeks at number one on the Billboard chart.  It had been released in 1951 by Jimmy Heap and His Melody Masters.  A plaintive, honky-tonk weeper about a gal who won't settle for being a wife and spurns a man, more interested in the "gay night life" where "the wine and liquor flow" and, according to the narrator, where she can be "anybody's baby."  It also contains the memorable line, "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels."  (This line inspired songwriter J. D. "Jay" Miller to write the 1952 answer song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," which became the first hit single for pioneer female country vocalist Kitty Wells.)  It also indirectly inspired the title of Lou Reed's "Walk On the Wild Side," being named after Nelson Algren's 1956 novel A Walk on the Wild Side which was itself named after this song.  What a legacy!  And nearly forgotten now.

Gee Whiz - The Innocents

Gee Whiz - The Innocents

2:29

Innocently Yours, 1961

Written by Jeanne Vikki and Jimmie Thomas

An aw-shucks vocal pop love song, in the softer doo-wop ballad style.  It was originally recorded by Bob & Earl in 1958.  It's a little sappy ("How can you talk to an angel? / What words would you say?") but sweet.  After a couple of hits but no follow-ups, this trio was relegated to being the backup vocals of her label-mate Kathy Young.  The music business is unforgiving.

Dragonfly - An Overnight Low

Dragonfly - An Overnight Low

2:25

Picadilly, 2015

Written by An Overnight Low

A band from Portland, Maine, whose albums are all apparently named after British train stations?  That's kind of odd.  But the music is terrific, a bright jangly-pop straight from the 1990s, except with just a twinge of country-rock guitar there in the middle.  It doesn't sound dated or nostalgic, just confident in what it want to sound like.  Effortlessly hooky power pop and smart lyrics.

Fox - Millencolin

Fox - Millencolin
2:02
Pennybridge Pioneers, 2000
Written by Nikola Šarčević and Mathias Färm

On this song, the Swedish band, which I always associate with ska-leaning punk, turns in a more straightforward pop-punk song.  The titular fox is referred to as if a woman, but is pretty clearly a motorcycle, with lots of Van Halen-worthy innuendo thrown in: "She's my life, she's so bad / She's the best ride I ever had."  It's a fun listen, but not clever.

Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw - Staple Singers

Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw - Staple Singers

2:50

Amen!, 1965

Written by Bonnie Dowd

A spoken-word morality tale, gospel style.  This song was originally recorded by Hank Williams.  The ironic twist in the song's story is that a woman whose lifestyle is denigrated by a smug Christian lady later dies saving the life of a child — the daughter of none other than the priggish puritan who put her nose up at the woman!  It's a simplistic and heavy-handed tale, as was the style at the time.

Radio And TV - Everly Brothers

Radio And TV - Everly Brothers
2:12
Gone Gone Gone, 1964

Written by Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant

A poor man's lament, First World Problem-style.  "Lots of times I date my honey / When I'm runnin' short of foldin' money / And the radio and TV are free."  Why check out the movies or go water skiing when you can cuddle with your lady at home, free?  The gentle vibes of this hillbilly vocal go well with the tongue in cheek humor of the lyric.

Mary, Mary Lou - Bill Haley & His Comets

Mary, Mary Lou - Bill Haley & His Comets

2:43

Bill Haley's Chicks, 1959

Written by Cayet Mangiaracina

The narrator bemoans the fact that he has been thrown over by the titular chick.  "And all this time I used to / Be your golden rooster / But now I can see that we are through."  Terrific early rock 'n' roll guitar and a buzzy sax keep the song bumping along.  The album this song is from is an early example of a theme album — all the tracks have women's names.  This song is a cover, originally recorded by a forgotten band called Sparks in 1957 (although it was originally spelled "Merry, Merry Lou."  Interestingly, Rick Nelson's huge hit "Hello Mary Lou," written by Gene Pitney, was the subject of a plagiarism suit by the record label that owned this song

Tomorrow Night - Lonnie Johnson

Tomorrow Night - Lonnie Johnson

3:05

single, 1948

Written by Sam Coslow and Wilhelm Grosz, 1939

I know this song from Dylan's version on Good As I Been To You.  It's a gentle, bluesy ballad, but a vocal, more in the style of the Ink Spots than what we think of as the blues.  An emotionally charged vocal, with tinkling piano and barely-there guitar lines, plus crooning background vocals.  It was Johnson's biggest hit and became known as his theme song.  

She Bangs the Drums - Stone Roses

She Bangs the Drums - Stone Roses

3:52

The Stone Roses, 1999

Written by Ian Brown and John Squire

I don't know anything about this band, having studiously ignored all the Britpop scenesters of the moment back in the day.  I don't really get the hype that this band received at its start, or the hype it's gotten in retrospect.  One of the greatest albums of all time?  I just don't see why.  I don't dislike the song.  It's a fine example of jangle-pop, a good indie rock anthem.  I do like the lyrics, but they ultimately disappoint; the song is overlong, boasting only two intriguing verses and then the chorus repeated.  I feel like it could have been something great but didn't quite get there.  The chorus says, "There are no words / To describe the way I feel."  Well maybe try a bit harder then, lads, eh?

Twilight Campfighter - Guided By Voices

Twilight Campfighter - Guided By Voices

3:07

Isolation Drills, 2001

Written by Robert Pollard

I don't know much about GbV, but this is a damn fine rock song, sounding a little like late-period REM, highly polished.  The lyrics are image-rich and obscure: "With light revealing holy grails / To hike through dangerous weather, you need twilight eyes."  The song seems to be about longing for something more, finding a partner who isn't comfortable with just material things ("As we vegetate and wait around for brighter days / And can dance contented to the sound of money") but challenges you. 

Bar-B-Q - Wendy Rene

Bar-B-Q - Wendy Rene

2:29

single, 1964

Written by Larry Brown and Steve Cropper

Stax soul belter sings a paean to barbecue.  If there's a metaphor here, it's not readily apparent.  This really is about having some barbecue with family: "My old dog has got a bone / And he wants some barbecue."  It's a pretty rote, factory-made song, lyrically, and I don't get the sense that Rene brought any of herself into it, but she sure sings the heck out of it.  

I Don't Want To Grow Up - The Ramones

I Don't Want To Grow Up - The Ramones

2:45

¡Adios Amigos!, 1995

Written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan

A straightforward cover of what I think of as a lesser Waits song, although there's nothing wrong with it.  They reduce it here to its essentials; I mean, it sounds like a Ramones song, which sounds like all the others.  The Ramones really only had one trick, and they play it here.  It even starts "one two three four!"

I Wanna Say Hello- Pee Wee King

I Wanna Say Hello - Pee Wee King

1:41

single, 1952

Written by Jimmy MacDonald and Jack Hoffman

An old-timey country vocal, saloon style, almost barbershop, with organ and piano breaks.  I can find very little about this song online, although King is a fairly large figure in country, having written "Tennessee Waltz."  I note that a few other acts have done this song, but it seems as though King recorded his in 1952.  It's a fun tune; it would be nice to see the original single, if such a thing exists.

CIA Man [live] - The Fugs

CIA Man [live] - The Fugs

3:29

Refuse To Be Burnt-Out, 1984

Written by Tuli Kupferberg

The Fugs were an avant-garde proto-prog band, truly counter-culture, underground, like a Doors with a dark sense of humor.  The FBI apparently kept a thick file on this band, calling them repulsive.  "Who can kill a general in his bed / Overthrow dictators if they're Red? / Fuckin' A, man! / CIA Man!"  This is a live version; the original was released in the 1960s and included on later versions of their first album.  Unlike a lot of angry political underground bands, these guys can hold their own musically, too.  

Smokin' In the Boy's Room - Brownsville Station

Smokin' In the Boy's Room - Brownsville Station

2:56

Yeah!, 1973

Written by Cub Koda and Michael Lutz

I only know this song from the Mötley Crüe version, which I don't know very well since I've never been a fan of that type of over the top metal.  This is done in a country-glam-rock style with a harder edge.  It's an example of the rebellious school kid song that was more popular in the 1950s.  It doesn't really move me one way or the other.  I find it silly, but inoffensive.  And yes, the errant apostrophe is in the original. I guess the titular room belongs to one boy.

Mr. Thrill - Mildred Jones

Mr. Thrill - Mildred Jones

2:33

single, 1954

Written by Mildred Jones

This song extols a Cadillac as extended, and thinly veiled, sexual metaphor.  ("When he put it in, ungh!  Put it in my garage / Ride so easy cause he keeps his battery charged."  And in case you miss the point, "My daddy’s got a long, long, long Cadillac.")  Screaming horns and a rollicking piano (possibly played by Fats Domino!) add to the bordello-band feel.  What a ribald delight!