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.