Nur Geträumt - Nena

Nur Geträumt - Nena

3:43

Nena, 1983

Written by Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, Nena Kerner, and Rolf Brendel

Although most of the world only knows "99 Luftballons," Nena (the band and the singer sharing a name) has a couple of other catchy New Wave German synth-pop numbers.  On this one, her brash vocal rides synth percussion with some electric guitar.  The song is about someone who is always dreaming of a lover, caught in a state of confusion and hesitation; it has enough energy to engage even Anglophone listeners.  "Alles, was ich an dir mag / Ich mein' das so, wie ich es sag' / Ich bin total verwirrt / Ich werd' verrückt, wenn's heut passiert" ("I love everything about you / I mean what I say / I'm totally confused / I'll go crazy if it happens today").  

No Spitting On the Bus - The Steve Gibbons Band

No Spitting On the Bus - The Steve Gibbons Band

3:32

Down In the Bunker, 1978

Written by Steve Gibbons

This song begins with a Bo Diddley riff and schoolyard chant, then eases into a comfortable country rock groove, with Gibbons yelping out the lines in a Dylan-like cadence.  This is a novelty song with one joke: the bus driver demands no one spit on the bus.  "But it don't matter what you feel / You can beg you can borrow or steal / But as long as I'm holding the wheel / I don't want no spitting on the bus."  The verses, however, have a social-political literacy, however shallow, that elevates the song out of punchline territory.

Next Plane To London - The Rose Garden

Next Plane To London - The Rose Garden

2:31

The Rose Garden, 1967

Written by Kenny Gist Jr.

This is a pleasant folk-rock song.  The vocals are handled by Diana Di Rose, notable for her lower register, with the band joining in for three-way harmonies.  The song's narrator is on the way to London in search of fame, Hollywood having proved to be unhelpful: "Told him I was gonna be a star / But to do it I would have to go far away / But I'd come back someday."  Where a guitar solo might typically go, there's an airport announcement — a rather corny conceit that pushes an otherwise wistful song into near-joke territory. 

Nite Owl - Tony Allen & the Champs

Nite Owl - Tony Allen & the Champs

2:45

single, 1955

Written by Tony Allen

This is a mid-tempo soul doo-wop with a serene instrumentation, insistent piano lines over gentle guitar, by Specialty's house group, often credited as the Chimes. The backing vocals of "Ooh, night owl" follow every line. "Nite Owl" was a nickname that Allen's mother gave him due to his habit of staying out at night, but in the song, Allen applies the name to a former girlfriend.  With a fine, wailing vocal, he lets her know exactly how he feels: "Well, here come the night owl / Walking through the front door / Thought I told you, baby / I don't love you no more."

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

3:44

Bryter Later, 1971

Written by Nick Drake

"Would you love me through the winter? / Would you love me 'til I'm dead?"  I recognize the second line from "Is It Wicked Not To Care" by Belle & Sebastian, who, as I've mentioned, nicked quite a lot of their schtick from Drake.  Built around an opulent, lush piano melody, the song is nevertheless delicate, a song of love and longing and the desire for something permanent.  It is said to be about Linda Thompson, though this is just speculation.

Making Plans For Nigel - XTC

Making Plans For Nigel - XTC

4:13

Drums And Wires, 1979

Written by Colin Moulding

With syncopated, echoing synths, a tom beat and a keyboard-made cracking sound in place of a cymbal, this song has a repetitive, industrial feel.  The lyrics are told from the point of view of overbearing parents who map out their son Nigel's entire life.  "He has his future in a British steel / We're only making plans for Nigel / Nigel's whole future is as good as sealed."  I can see why it made an impression on the British people of the day (and caused some steelworkers to try an unsuccessful protest), but to me its unvarying beat detracts from the song's wit.

Mathilde - Jacques Brel

Mathilde - Jacques Brel

2:35

Ces gens-là, 1964

Written by Gérard Jouannest and Jacques Brel

Delivered in near-hysterical declamations as the music swirls to a mad crescendo, this song is about the return of the titular Mathilde, an event which apparently fills him with dread.  He knows that her presence means he will be lost again, even as he must go to her.  "Toi la servante toi la Maria / Va tendre mon grand lit de draps / Mathilde m'est revenue / Amis ne comptez plus sur moi / Je crache au ciel encore une fois."  Brel's vocal accurately captures the inner emotional turmoil of the man driven to despair by this kind of love that is akin to madness.  

A Marshmallow World - Dean Martin

A Marshmallow World - Dean Martin

2:44

The Dean Martin Christmas Album, 1966

Written by Carl Sigman and Peter DeRose, 1949

This song was previously cut by Bing Crosby, Vic Damone, Jo Stafford, and others, but Dean's laid-back, warm version has become the standard when it comes time to play Christmas songs on the radio.  Yes, it's a syrup-sweet silly song, but Dean's treatment makes it an irresistible confection.  Who can resist "it's a whipped cream day," "marshmallow clouds," and "the sun is red like a pumpkin head / It's shining so your nose won't freeze"?

Monkey Man - Toots & the Maytals

Monkey Man - Toots & the Maytals

3:44

single, 1969

Written by Toots Hibbert

I know this song from the Specials cover.  According to Toots himself, "Well Monkey Man is all about a girl, a very good looking girl!  I fell in love with her and then a monkey-looking man took her away from me but I thought she was in love with me. The guy was ugly and not good looking like me, ha ha!"  The line "See you, baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man" seems to support this.  However, the Genius website claims that the song is an affectionate dig aimed at The Maytal’s producer, Leslie Kong.  I suppose both could be true.

Monsters At War - Elliot Maginot

Monsters At War - Elliot Maginot

3:20

Young/Old/Everything.In.Between, 2014

Written by Elliot Maginot

Maginot is a Québecois who nevertheless records in English. This song is ethereal synth-driven dream-pop, with acoustic accents and shoe-gaze half-mumbled vocals, all broken syntax in the style of early R.E.M.: "And when the wind blows soft and water away / Summer cast its charms / Please don't be fooled."  The music is gentle and soporific, hypnotic through gentle undulating beats.  As near as I can figure, the lyric is the declaration of someone facing dissolution, asserting he won't wait for his interlocutor, as brittle as they both are: "Cuz we'll always be as we were made / Fragile weak and small and overrated most of the time."