Let There Be Drums - Sandy Nelson

Let There Be Drums - Sandy Nelson

2:18

Let There Be Drums, 1961

Written by Sandy Nelson & Richard Podolor

I'm not much of an instrumental fan, but this early surf-rock drum-electrical guitar duet rocks.  Catchy, bouncy, wouldn't be out of place in many an arena rock drum solo of the 1970s.  Great stuff.  Dumb fact: I thought Sandy Nelson was a woman until I looked him up.  In 1963 he lost part of his leg in a motorcycle accident but continued drumming.  Impressive, but not quite as impressive as Rick Allen.

Letter From Belgium - The Mountain Goats

Letter From Belgium - The Mountain Goats

3:11

We Shall All Be Healed, 2004

Written by John Darnielle

I only recently got into the Mountain Goats, though several of the artists I admire have extolled their praises in print.  It is told from the point of view of a tweaker, sweating out a meth addiction, afraid to go outside, "Chewing our tongues off / Waiting for the fever to break."  Darnielle's impassioned, urgent voice and the stark, driving chords really sell this song.  Despite its rather narrow reach, lyrically, it's one of my favorites by this band.

I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan - Frank Sinatra

I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan - Frank Sinatra
2:24

A Swingin' Affair!, 1957
Written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, 1929

The sad tale of a man who has discovered his love is already attached to another man.  Although the lyrics are melancholy, Sinatra sings here in an almost jaunty way, swingin' through the song as if it's of no concern to him.  He's the Chairman of the goddam Board, he is, and he can get another dame by snapping his fingers.  I love the sly lyrics: "Why did I buy those blue pajamas / before the big affair began?" And this great couplet: "My boiling point is much too low / For me to try to be a fly Lothario."  Interesting about the use of the African-American soul slang word "fly" meaning suave in 1929.  He's supa fly!

Zou Bisou Bisou - Gillian Hills

Zou Bisou Bisou - Gillian Hills

2:15

Zou Bisou Bisou, 1961

Written by Bill Shepherd, Alan Tew, & Michel Rivgauche

This song is a trifle, a silly sexy French song about kissing, but fun and catchy.  That 1960s bubblegum pop sound associated with miniskirts and flower pop, Frenchified and called yé-yé music.  "Les amoureux glissent à pas de loup / Comme les oiseaux, ils ont rendez-vous."  The lyrics might be from Brassens, except more come-hither and less arch.

You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift

You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift

3:51

Fearless, 2008

Written by Taylor Swift & Liz Rose

Catchy country-rock anthem for pick-me girls.  Girl declares she's just one of the guys, the perfect one for you, but you're distracted by the cheerleader princess.  Of course, as a songwriter, Swift can sing from any point of view she wants (you don't have to pilot a boat to write "The Downeaster Alexa"), but some might be struck by the vast disparity between the pretty, popular, talented Swift and the person she's inhabiting in the song.  If the script was flipped gender-wise, this would be about one of those guys who pretends to be a girl's friend, resenting her boyfriend the whole time and seething that she won't give him "a chance" despite his refusal to engage in the sort of self-improvement that might catch her eye.  For that reason I find this song just a tad off-putting.  But it is a nice singalong.

X - System of a Down

X - System of a Down

1:58

Toxicity, 2001

Written by Serj Tankian & Daron Malakian

Whiplash-fast nu-metal song about immigration.  "We don't need to multiply" is talking about multiplying numbers of people.  It also touches on the Armenian massacre ("Show your people how we died").  It's an important subject, but this song is not exactly the rallying cry that will bring the hordes to the cause.  It's too rbutal, too fast, lyrics too abstruse.  As for catchiness, it's no "Chop Suey!"  Great to headbang to, though.

Waitress In the Sky - The Replacements

Waitress In the Sky - The Replacements

2:02

Tim, 1985

Written by Paul Westerberg

In college I knew several people who were heavily into the Replacements.  I never saw the charm at the time, although I did listen to some Westerberg albums on repeat.  This song is from the point of view of a nasty, entitled airline passenger who thinks of the poor hardworking stewardess as "nothing but a waitress in the sky," comparing her derisively to a janitor.   Clearly Westerberg intends the narrator to be the bad guy, but I bet a lot of people have grossly misunderstood the song and identified with the flier.  "Uppity women amirite?!" 

V - Golden Smog

V - Golden Smog

3:12

Down By the Old Mainstream, 1995

Written by Gary Louris & Kraig Johnson

The alt-country supergroup that deserves a wider fanbase.  This is the opening track from their first album.  Sounding like the Flying Burrito Brothers meshed with R.E.M., this track is about a friendly bartender, V, whom everyone comes to advice and to soak up good vibes but one day just "up and went away."  Old school power pop and very catchy.

Ukulele Lady - Arlo Guthrie

Ukulele Lady - Arlo Guthrie

3:24

Hobo's Lullaby, 1972

Written by Richard A. Whiting & Gus Kahn, 1925

This song, nearly one hundred years old now (but a sprightly 47 at the time of recording), was first made famous by Vaughn De Leath, the "First Lady of Radio" who also had an early hit with "Are You Lonesome Tonight," made a huge hit later by the King.  Anyhoo, I like this jaunty version.  The jangling mandolin, the background singers (including Linda Ronstadt), the silly lyrics I'm a sucker for ("Where the tricky wicky wacky woo").

Ted Fucking Williams - The Baseball Project

Ted Fucking Williams - The Baseball Project

3:04

Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, 2008

Written by Steve Wynn

I love Steve Wynn, one of the all-time overlooked indie greats.  Just a brilliant songwriter.  I love this whole album.  Written from the point of view of Ted himself, as he resents the praise Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Duke Snider (whom I've never heard of) and wanting more glory heaped upon himself.  "I gotta give the Duke a hand / But there's nothing that he can do better than I can."  Only someone of Wynn's talent could take this simple idea and turn it into something catchy, a fun singalong, rather than a throwaway.