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 and the Maytals

Monkey Man - Toots and 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."

Lay Your Love On Me - Racey

Lay Your Love On Me - Racey

3:18

Smash and Grab, 1978

Written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman

I've never heard of this pop-rock group, although the song was a big hit in several countries.  It's buoyed along by handclaps, bouncy bass, high organ notes, and piano combining to an infectiously catchy beat. It's a song of love and lust.  As with so many songs of the era (and the current one, I guess), the narrator notes that when he met the girl she was just seventeen; this doesn't necessarily indicate creepiness, as he could have been the same age as well.  "Now I've tasted your sweet lips / Ooh darling I know what I miss / You gave me more than I could ever take / With every word and every move you make." It's not exactly original, but the lads certainly could craft a catchy hook.

Laisse béton - Renaud

Laisse béton - Renaud

2:30

Laisse béton, 1977

Written by Renaud Séchan

The title is verlan for "laisse tomber," meaning let it go, or forget about it.  In this delightful fast-paced story song, the narrator is relaxing in various cool locales when tough guys keep coming up to him and demanding his clothes, leading to physical altercations.  It's a tongue-in-cheek bit of silliness with a tacked-on moral: "La morale de cette pauvre histoire / C'est qu'quand t'es tranquille et peinard / Faut pas trop traîner dans les bars/ À moins d’être fringué en costard."  Or, one supposes, have the ability to beat up people in your James Dean jacket and cool cowboy boots.

Let Me Down Easy - Gang Of Youths

Let Me Down Easy - Gang Of Youths

5:19

Go Farther In Lightness, 2017

Written by David Le'aupepe

Riding a persistent uptempo percussion track with catchy keyboard and strings, this song is an avalanche of words, a literate litany of one man's self-assessment in the face of aging, failure, and the ability to fight for  cause.  It's a wry mix of deadpan self-depreciation and humor.  "Honey, it’s no secret that I’ve been losing my way / In the weirdest of moments and the stupidest of ways / But hey, I’m still young and it’s gonna be okay / I got solipsism, baby, and I brought lemonade."  It's the human condition: longing, confidence, intensity, anticipation, all gliding over a pulsating rhythm.  It's over five minutes but I could easily have it twice the length.