Easy Does It - Supertramp

Easy Does It - Supertramp

2:18

Crisis? What Crisis?, 1975

Written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson

Rick Davies, founder and vocalist of Supertramp, died four days ago, and I guess I missed it,  While I only knew the songs they played on radio, I did enjoy them a lot, so it doesn't feel like saying goodbye to a stranger.  I think it's only logical to pick a song that gives a little bit of joy to remind us of all Davies' talents.  On this track, after over thirty seconds of ambient noise, a car horn, and idle whistling, the song begins.  Over raga-influenced synths and guitar, Davies softly croons a brief but beautiful song extolling listeners to be confident, grab life while they can ("And if we had the time / The time's so hard to find"), and take charge of their own destiny ("You are your own superstar / And only you can shape the movie that you make").

Even Here We Are - Shawn Colvin

Even Here We Are - Shawn Colvin

2:44

These Four Walls, 2006

Written by Paul Westerberg, 1993

I know this song extremely well, having worn out Westerberg's masterpiece of an album 14 Songs, on which it appears, throughout the Nineties.  Colvin does a terrific, urgent rendition, bringing a yearning feeling to the cynical yet serene words, more tossed off by Westerberg.  "Song of the bird lives in the sky / But the most beautiful by far / Scream of the man who never learned to fly."  Her melodic voice over the soft acoustic guitar and rich, mournful dobro (?) fits the lyric well.

Evening Train - Van Morrison

Evening Train - Van Morrison

2:51

Magic Time, 2005

Written by Van Morrison

A throwback blues shuffle, with a terrific chugging harmonica lines by Van and an impressive horn section.  The lyrics are all typical blues: "Love to hear that lonesome whistle blow / When I make my way on down the road."  This isn't Van the master songwriter, it's Van the consummate fan of authentic R&B and blues.  It's a high energy, infectious track that shows Morrison is at home in the blues as he is in moving, literate folk-rock.

Erase - They Might Be Giants

Erase - They Might Be Giants

2:49

Glean, 2015

Written by John Flansburgh and John Linnell

This song seems to be about the creative process.  The idea cited in the lyrics is akin to Pearl Jam's Backspacer, literally deleting old ideas to make room for new ones.  "When it's as it someday is / It always will have been the case / When your ever-searching finger / Finds the button marked erase."  But it might also be about, in a sort of science-fiction sense, erasing the memories of a loved one.  Internet sleuths with a sharper eye than I have noted similarities to The Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind, which is literally about this.  A lot of TMBG's songs are about this sort of time travel or fiddling with time, so it well could be.  I love near-robotic, choppy, rapid delivery of Linell's vocals.

Eye Ballin' - Chuck Higgins

Eye Ballin' - Chuck Higgins

2:17

single, 1955

Written by Chuck Higgins

The saxophonist and band leader proudly and defiantly defends his practice of gawking at women.  "Don't be mad at me / Eye ballin' ain't no crime / I gotta eyeball women until I go stone blind."  It's primitive and basic, but you can dance to it.  It's a raucous bar-room rhythm and blues, full of energy and what was then considered, I suppose, harmless humor.

Please Stay - The Drifters

Please Stay - The Drifters

2:17

Save the Last Dance For Me, 1962

Written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard

This is the ultimate in "don't go" songs.  The narrator says he'll plead on his knees, call out her name in the night, weeping, if maybe it would cause her to change her mind.  It's high drama.  It's raw emotion out there for everyone to see, the heart laid bare.  In fact it gets pretty melodramatic: "You took me away from the rest of the world / When you taught me to love you like this / Now I hang by a thread in the canyon of doom / But I still can be saved by your kiss."  It's a powerhouse performance by singer Rudy Lewis, but you can't help but wonder what heights Ben E. King would have taken it to.  I get a kick out of the deep bass plea, "don't go," a counterpoint to the falsetto "please stay."

People's Parties - Joni Mitchell

People's Parties - Joni Mitchell

2:15

Court And Spark, 1974

Written by Joni Mitchell

In this song, parties and laughing mask loneliness and estrangement.  "I'm just living on nerves and feelings, with a weak and a lazy mind / And coming to people's parties, fumbling, deaf, dumb, and blind."  With a beautiful piano melody, and lush atmospheric arrangement, the song uses vivid, specific details to create a universal portrait of unease and detachment at lavish social gatherings, capturing the hollowness of LA parties specifically ("I told you when I met you I was crazy / Cry for us all, Beauty / Cry for Eddie in the corner, thinking he's nobody") and the emotional disconnect between people in general. 

Peaches And Cream - Larry Williams

Peaches And Cream - Larry Williams

2:01

single, 1958

Written by Larry Williams

More Chuck Berry than Little Richard, this Williams rocker is, of course, about a rather inappropriately young girl whom the narrator is crazy for.  Sigh; it's best to assume that all these '50s (and onward) boogies about minors are written for, and from the perspective of, teenage boys.  Anyway, this is an archetypical example of the genre, with references to drive-ins on Saturday night, parking in the dark, and comparing the girl to a movie star.  "Great balls of fire, honey, I wanna be your man / I′m not jivin', it's understood / You′re the cutest in the neighborhood."  Rapid-fire piano tinkling and wailing sax give this song its fire.

Positive Charge - Gaslight Anthem

Positive Charge - Gaslight Anthem

4:06

History Books, 2023

Written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz

A growling rock anthem about finding yourself again, whether youth, lost love, or something else.  Demons have been faced and now we're ready to step into the sunshine.  "It's hard to know when your mind declares a war on you / Like the thoughts inside my skull would do, like I was blind / And I'm sure I saw the signs but didn't know."  Now life seems precious, arms open wide, wanting to keep love alive as long as possible.  I love the songcraft and the lyrics, although to me the mix seems strangely muffled, dampening the message somewhat.

Pumping On Your Stereo - Supergrass

Pumping On Your Stereo - Supergrass

3:20

Supergrass, 1999

Written by Gaz Coombes, Danny Goffey, Mick Quinn, and Rob Coombes

A decently catchy Brit-rock song, even it leans too hard on titular repetition as chorus for my taste and the lyrics would be at home on a Spinal Tap album ("Well life is a cigarette, smoked to the end / But if you rock it a little bit / Then you burn all your friends" — wise words, David St. Hubbins!).  It's a groovy, silly, cheery glam-rock party song, tongue in cheek down to the "humping on your stereo" wink.  But as Nigel Tufnel wondered, "What's wrong with being sexy?"