Written by Marcell Hall Produced by Marcell Hall Released on The Biz Never Sleeps (October 10, 1989) Released as a single September 26, 1989 Peaked at #9 on Billboard Hot 100 amazoniTunesspotifymusic video
It's been more than a month since I've written anything for this blog; this project I started more than a year ago; this project that I am not even halfway through. Discipline has never been a strength of mine. I have routines, but they are the kinds of routines that are probably better categorized as ruts. The last few months have been great for ruts and bad for routines.
So now that I have a little break from my normal work routine, I'm going to try to take advantage and not fall as deep into my typically dangerous ruts and routines. I am never sure how successful these types of plans will be, but I have to try something. So let's talk about my 54th favorite song of all time.
"Just a Friend" by Biz Markie is the closest thing to a funny song on my list. That's not to say that I don't enjoy fun songs and funny songs, but I rarely want to place them into categories like best or greatest or favorite. "Just a Friend" is the exception. It will always stick with me and feel special, mostly because of my older brother, Jack.
The only constants for me during the first 16 years of my life were the four of us: mom, dad, Jack, and me. We moved around a lot, so while I made new friends wherever we went, I learned early on that those friendships would probably fade or disappear after our next move. I had best friends over the years, and while I didn't always like my brother, he was always there. Often, even after we would fight about something or annoy each other, he would still feel like my best friend because he was a constant. He was there, and even though there would be another fight over the remote control or another burp he'd blow across the table at me or an argument over whose turn it was to use the computer or me running to my parents to tell on my brother, the good outweighed the bad. I looked up to him, and I think he wanted the best for me.
Jack was two years older than me, so I always just assumed that he was cool. All older kids seem cool. In retrospect, he probably wasn't that cool, but he was certainly cooler than me. I learned a lot from him. Because I thought he was cool, I often took cues from him about what kinds of music I should listen to. I didn't like everything he did (and he hated some of the stuff I liked), but there was always significant overlap. He introduced me to some music that I still enjoy like Metallica, Jethro Tull, and Alice Cooper. He also introduced me to some music that I never really figured out, like GWAR, but nobody is perfect.
I don't remember when I first heard "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie. I watched too much MTV to have somehow missed it when it came out, but for a long time I didn't remember it. What I did remember was my brother singing the chorus. For some reason, that was it. I don't remember seeing the video or hearing it on the radio, I remember my brother singing it. I also remember not being sure what it was, but wanting to be like my brother, I sang it too. For years I would hum or sing that little tune from the chorus, not really remembering what the rest of the song was. When I did find it again later, it was already so familiar because of Jack. I know I must have heard the actual song before I heard it from my brother, but part of me will always remember it as that song Jack used to sing.
Another thing I remember like this was that Jack would randomly say, "It's all ball bearings nowadays!" That was another thing I didn't really know, but I would say it too because my brother said it, and because it sounded odd and funny. I finally watched Fletch a few years ago, not realizing that's where the line came from. Needless to say, when Chevy Chase said the line, this is how I felt:
I always wanted to seem cool, so I wanted to feel like I was in the loop with my brother. I wanted him to think I was cool too. So I went along and said the line from Fletch and sang the chorus to this song. They are small things, and maybe strange memories to have, but they are a part of who I am because of my brother, and I will always love him for that.
Right now "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie is (probably) my 54th favorite song of all time.
"Gone" (feat. Consequence and Cam'ron) by Kanye West
Written by Kanye West, Dexter Mills, Cameron Giles, Chuck Willis Produced by Kanye West Released on Late Registration (August 30, 2005) amazoniTunesspotify Warning: Explicit Lyrics
Kanye West is a genius. That is clear. It should also be clear that just because someone is a genius does not mean that they are also likable. Many words have been written and spoken about Kanye West, and many of them have not been kind. He's clearly not a perfect person, but he also has made some of the best music of the past 20 years. Many people have thrown around words like crazy or unstable in reference to Mr. West. In recent years, I have become less comfortable using those words, especially as his wife has become more open and clear about her husband's personal struggles with his mental health.
Kanye West broke new ground producing tracks for Jay-Z and for his own debut album. His practice of using sped up soul samples as the basis for his tracks sounded so cool. Around the time when he released his first two albums, I was hovering on the outskirts of St. Louis' underground hip hop scene. Through some of those connections I learned a few things about sampling beats and making digital tracks. I never took the time to really do much more than fiddle around and try a few things, but I did learn that it's not easy. While I don't always think that Kanye is that great of a rapper (despite what he says about himself), it is clear to anyone who listens that he is a master producer. He creates innovative, fun, and dynamic backing tracks, on top of which he adds his fun and interesting rhymes.
So with some of that background, I was blown away the first time I played "Gone" after buying the Late Registration album. One of Kanye's gifts is his ability to find and use samples from songs that others have overlooked. At this time I owned the Otis Redding box set Otis!, and had listened to it extensively. Despite that, I had never heard the Otis Redding song "It's Too Late" that Kanye had sampled for "Gone." One reason is that it's actually not that great of a song. It's a subpar cover of a mediocre song. (Even the great ones make mistakes.) Kanye managed to take a small sample from it and create greatness from mediocrity.
What makes this song more amazing is how the track develops. Many rap songs take a sample, add a beat, and repeat. They'll usually change the beat a bit for the hook, but sometimes not. "Gone" is different. The beat changes throughout the song. Once Kanye comes back to rap his final verse, his voice full of spit and venom, that Otis Redding sample has completely disappeared. It is still very much the same song, but it's evolved. This wasn't something radical from a musical sense, but it was certainly something I had not heard in a rap song before.
Kanye was so far beyond the simple tracks I had seen and heard to a whole new level of prowess and genius. This track is the culmination of all the work he had put in before he became a meme or a caricature of himself. On his first album he claimed that he made "five beats a day for three summers." All that work paid off in this masterpiece from his second album.
It could be argued that he had already created at least one masterpiece with "Jesus Walks." (Kanye certainly feels that way.) That was never a personal favorite of mine, but I certainly understood why Kanye and others thought it was great. So I may have been a little late to the party in recognizing Mr. West's genius because it wasn't until I heard this song that I really got it.
Around the time of its release, Kanye West said in an interview that he felt like Late Registration was the best produced album of all time. Kanye has gotten himself into trouble for making comments like this. It sounds like he's bragging; it's just more evidence to say that his ego is out of control. For me, after hearing "Gone," it didn't feel like bragging, it was inarguable fact.
Right now "Gone" (feat. Consequence and Cam'ron) by Kanye West is (probably) my 55th favorite song of all time.
Lyrics by Chad Urmston Music by Dispatch (Brad Corrigan, Pete Francis Heimbold, Chad Urmston) Released on Bang Bang (September 1, 1997) amazoniTunesspotifymusic video
This is one of those bands that I can say I knew about before they were cool. (Not that I would say that because that would make me sound pretentious and uncool). One summer during college, my friend Don came to camp with a CD by a band who he had seen up at Middlebury. It was a fine CD for summer camp, no curse words, acoustic arrangements, and a general vibe that no one could really complain about. "Bats in the Belfry" got stuck in my head a bit, but I've had worse songs stuck there.
When I asked about the band, he explained that even though they were called One Fell Swoop on his CD, they had changed their name to Dispatch after they signed to a record deal. For some reason after that summer, the only thing that stuck in my head was One Fell Swoop. For the longest time I could not remember their new name.
I saw the band Guster on a late night show, and although they had a similar set up, I knew it wasn't the same band. I checked just in case, but the internet was not nearly as useful at that time, so I wasn't 100% sure that they hadn't changed their name again.
I had another run in with Dispatch's music after college when I worked at a camp up in Michigan. We used to go to Whisker's Pub to hear Andre Villoch (who has a song further up this list) play. He was a once and future camp counselor, and he played a mean guitar, wrote great songs, and could sing (among many other talents). One of the cover songs in his repertoire was "Out Loud" by Dispatch. Apparently one of his musician friends used to shout "Andre!" when he would get to the chorus. I asked him once if he had ever tried to learn "The General." He admitted that he could never quite get the quick rhythms of the verses down. It's possible he didn't want to play it because its antiwar lyrics might be perceived as a political statement.
This is one of my favorite antiwar songs and not the last antiwar song in my top 100. For most of my life I have been more dove than hawk. While it could be argued that certain wars in the past were justified, it's also clear that too many humans have been killed by other humans. Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. have demonstrated that non-violent protest can be an effective way to usher in revolution and change.
When I was younger, I used to think that the scariest thing about going to war would be the thought of killing another human. I now have come to terms with how naive I once was. While I have never been sure about whether I could actually take another person's life, even in self-defense, I am very sure that I do not want to lose my own. I now believe that, even when I was younger, if I were to ever be thrust into a warlike situation, I would almost certainly end up crying, hiding in a corner with soiled underwear. Maybe an esprit de corps (or a shot of adrenaline from a simple a fear of letting down those around me) would save me from that embarrassment, but I really can't know for sure. I'm just grateful that all this has remained hypothetical for me.
What I am certain of is that we still have over 8,000 US troops in Afghanistan, fighting a war that has lasted for nearly 20 years; a war that has killed over 2,000 American servicemen, wounded many others, and left still more with lasting physical and psychological scars; a war that has killed over 110,000 Afghans; a war that has cost the United States at least $1.5 trillion; a war that needs to end.
My hope is that all men and women fighting anywhere in the world can someday soon follow the final orders of the general to:
Take a shower. Shine your shoes.
You got no time to lose.
You are young men. You must be living.
Go now you are forgiven.
Right now "The General" by Dispatch is my 56th favorite song of all time.
Written by Scott Avett and Seth Avett Produced by The Avett Brothers and Doug Williams Released on The Second Gleam (July 22, 2008) amazoniTunesspotifymusic video
This is a perfect song. It's simple and sweet and amazing. I knew nothing about the Avett Brothers when I found it, and I don't know much more now. I discovered this song shortly after it was released, inside the pages of either GQ or Esquire magazine: One of their pop culture blurbs mentioned it, so I had a listen. At the time, I thought these types of men's magazines might teach me something about manhood or help me figure out who I am. While I did learn about fashion, and there were occasionally some well written articles, ultimately most of it didn't amount to much. Much like the fashions they were helping to peddle, it was mostly fluff wrapped up in a pretty package.
The reason I was drawn to men's magazines is that I spent most of my early adult life trying to find my place in the world and figure out what it means to be me. I'm still not sure how a fashion magazine was supposed to help with that, but at the time it seemed to make sense.
While I still find myself questioning who I am and why I'm here, I'm taking more opportunities to look inward for those answers. It would be so much easier if we could find the answers outside ourselves. I often looked to parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, celebrities, articles, Christian Science practitioners, books, movies, albums, and anything else to give me some kind of clear concise message to just lay it all out plainly. Sure there were hints and allegations, but what I ultimately learned was that the only one responsible for myself was me.
So who am I? While the simple response is to say that I am a teacher, no one can be defined solely by their vocation. The answer is never simple. There are too many variables. I can't give a real or even satisfactory answer to that short question. What I have gotten better at is not letting the way others perceive or define me get in the way of my journey. Sure, I still wonder what other people think about me, but I don't worry about it as much anymore.
So, while I couldn't find the answers to life's great questions inside these magazines, every once in a while, among the fantastically expensive clothes and vapid celebrity profiles, a decent pop culture recommendation would appear in those pages. I'm not sure that I would even know this song existed, had I not read about it in a magazine. A year or two later, a student of mine mentioned The Avett Brothers to me as being a favorite of his. Had I not read about them, I may have asked him who they were, but I'm not sure I would have actually given their music a try.
That's often the great question regarding music: What great music have I missed simply because I live in the wrong place, or listen to the wrong radio stations, or hang out with the wrong friends, or ignore the wrong suggestions? I think I just have to be grateful that I have found this one beautiful song that I otherwise would have ignored. There are many more hidden gems out there, many of which I will never hear. My hope is that I find as many as I can while I can.
Right now "Murder in the City" by Avett Brothers is (probably) my 57th favorite song of all time.
Written by Rage Against the Machine (Tim Commerford, Zach de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk) Produced by Garth Richardson and Rage Against the Machine Released on Rage Against the Machine (November 3, 1992) Released as single August 23, 1994 amazoniTunesspotifymusic video Warning: Explicit Lyrics
It is impossible to write about Rage Against the Machine without getting political. Rage Against the Machine (RATM) are a political band. Their politics are front and center in the lyrics of all their songs. Despite that, not everyone noticed or paid attention to their politics, no matter how loudly Zach de la Rocha screamed.
A few years back, Rep. Paul Ryan listed RATM among bands he enjoyed listening to while working out. I get why people were shocked by this. There are not too many things more diametrically opposed than the policies that Ryan campaigned on and the policies that RATM sang/rapped about. At the same time, when working out, typically I want music that pumps me up, and Rage definitely does that. Sometimes it is possible to listen to them without paying too much attention to their lyrics, but something is always going to seep through. Representative Ryan's affinity for Rage and their music could have been a result of a woeful ignorance of their lyrics, or it could show that he actually doesn't really believe the policies he claims to support. That's always a question I have about politicians: do they actually believe what they say or do they say what we believe just to get elected and gain power?
While it can be hard to read politicians, Rage Against the Machine have been very clear and up front about their beliefs. I once read a feature about their guitarist, Tom Morello, where he claimed to read Chairman Mao's The Little Red Book to his kids like a bedtime story. That's a pretty strong endorsement. You can also hear their beliefs in every song they record, and you hear them loudly. Zach de la Rocha's vocals are always loud and angry and clear. I'm not sure any other rapper or singer displays the level of passion and heart that is felt in every word he spits into a microphone.
So I guess the question remains, how do I feel about their music and politics?
As for the music, I both struggled to figure out which song of theirs to include in my top 100 and also struggled to figure out how many songs of theirs I should include. When I made this list, I felt pretty good about "Freedom" being my favorite Rage song. Now, I'm not as sure. Despite only producing 4 albums (including one of covers), Rage made a ton of great songs. They packed their albums full of bangers.
There's lots to love about "Freedom:" It has a great guitar riff; it's not all loud all the time; it's angry; it has a great coda. But the big thing for me is it features one of the greatest guttural, primal, wails in rock history. I love a good wail, whether it's a "yeah" or a "woo" or anything else. Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Jon Fogerty, Wilson Pickett, and John Lennon were all champion wailers. That's a big reason why I love them so much. But here, at about the 4:45 mark, Zach de la Rocha starts this long slowly building wail, and then the real fun begins. As he alternates between "Freedom, yeah!" and "Freedom, yeah right!" I'm not sure I fully understand how he still has working vocal chords. It is full volume, full on screaming, and I love every second of it.
As for the politics, my beliefs have clearly become more liberal as I've gotten older. My dad could probably have counted on one hand the number of times he voted for a Democrat. He would often just mark the box on his ballots to automatically select every Republican. I'm not sure my mom voted quite that uniformly, but the impression I always had was that we were a Republican household. One of my most influential teachers and coaches in high school was incredibly conservative, and at that time, everything he said seemed to make sense.
Once I left home for college, I found myself starting a slow drift towards the left side of the political spectrum. While I still related more to fiscal conservatism in government, I was beginning to become more socially liberal. I could no longer justify the death penalty; I abandoned any final qualms I had with being pro-choice; and I could no longer justify why our military was so big and expensive. All I wanted to do was cut spending and let people live their lives. Give me libertarianism or give me death!
Every year my beliefs shift and change and find focus. I'm much more open to liberal talking points than conservative, but up to a point. I'm still not willing to call myself a Democrat. Mostly I just find myself becoming more and more disillusioned about the whole system. Whichever side I look to, it seems like it's more about money than beliefs. Businesses that are "too big to fail" (which means they're simply too big) gain more and more influence and power, and the rest of us just retweet talking points and think the other guy's got to be better than whoever we don't agree with.
The last few times I've taken a political compass test online, I've been told that I'm a left-libertarian. That's nice to know, but it's also frustrating that my personal political philosophy is not shared by anyone whose name is likely to show up on a ballot that matters. I can't think of the last time the choices weren't simply about picking the lesser of two evils.
While I am not ready to fully embrace the economic philosophies of RATM, there is a lot that they rap about that I agree with. After committing to a system of genocide against the indigenous populations on our continent, does our government continue to malign and ignore those who survived? Yes. Do school curriculums generally ignore marginalized populations? Yes. Are our policies set less by the will of the people and more by the wants and needs of a bloated military-industrial and prison-industrial complexes? Yes.
All of this was true in 1994 and is still true today. As a teacher, I would love to say that we have improved and changed what we teach and how we teach it, but I can't speak for everyone. Sure there are individual schools and individual teachers trying to give voice to those who have been muted or erased, but too many schools and teachers are still teaching the same tired and biased curriculums that we all grew up with. At some point we need to begin owning and learning from our ancestors' mistakes. We are still making too many of those mistakes again and again.
That's probably why I love Zach de la Rocha's screaming so much, because sometimes that's exactly what I want to do. Just scream into a microphone hoping someone will pay attention. Someone might, but it seems more likely that most people will ignore it completely or just turn up the volume and keep cranking out reps at the gym.
Right now "Freedom" by Rage Against the Machine is (probably) my 58th favorite song of all time.
Written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Produced by Rush Released on Rush (March 1, 1974) amazoniTunesspotify
A strong argument could be made that the version of Rush everyone knows and loves wasn't really formed until after they replaced their original drummer with Neil Peart. That's not to undermine the music they made on their first album. It's more an acknowledgement that despite the name not changing, the music they made certainly did.
The fandom and mythos that developed around Rush (with Neil Peart) has always fascinated me. I have always enjoyed their music, but I'm not sure I feel safe calling myself a "Rush Fan." Their fans are pretty passionate. Rush are not the only band with fans like this: The kind of fans that I always feel would want to test my fandom. Like they'd want to know if I was really into Rush or just someone who had "Spirit of the Radio" and "Tom Sawyer" on a playlist somewhere. I'm probably misconstruing Rush fans. I mean, they are Canadian, and Canadians are pretty nice. They'd probably just be happy to know I liked a few of their songs.
Rush (with Neil Peart) is fantastic, but sometimes I just like to rock out. Their music without Peart wasn't all straight ahead rockers, but Rush never rocked harder than they did on "Working Man."
If I was a baseball player, "Working Man" is almost certainly what I would choose for my walk-up music. Here's my imaginary top 5 walk-up song list, in no particular order:
"Working Man" by Rush
"Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crew
"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour
"Seek and Destroy" by Metallica
The coda of "Suite Madam Blue" by Styx
For me walk-up music needs to feature great riffs, rocking guitar, and power. "Working Man" also adds a sense of heart to the proceedings. I've always romanticized the idea of the blue collar athlete (and the blue collar worker for that matter) who is all heart and grit and work. "Working Man" is more than just an ode to the blue collar man, it's a blue collar song, all heart and grit and heavy guitars. The liner notes for the album even say, "For best results play at maximum volume." So crank it up and enjoy .
Right now "Working Man" by Rush is (probably) my 59th favorite song of all time.
Written by Jon Fogerty Produced by Jon Fogerty Released on Willy and the Poor Boys (November 2, 1969) Released as a single September 1969 Peaked at #14 on Billboard Hot 100 spotifyiTunesamazonmusic video
While I'm not sure it's the first time I heard this song, I will always associate "Fortunate Son" with the film Forrest Gump. I seem to remember this song being prominently featured in at least one of its trailers. When Forrest Gump came out, I was in high school and was in the process of diving head first into the world of classic rock. Forrest Gump had an awesome soundtrack. While it wasn't just classic rock, it was all classics.
I really loved that movie when I first saw it. Even though it was nostalgic for a time I did not live through, it still felt somehow cool and familiar. All those moments in history that Forrest was thrown into were such a huge part of the cultural zeitgeist at the time. The hippie movement (and the larger Baby Boomer generation that it was a part of) had defined what was important and relevant and cool for much of my youth. That time depicted in the movie felt important, and it seemed like people had rallied around a set of common goals and really changed things for the better. The music of that era played a big part of amplifying those messages.
It's funny what age and perspective will do because now that I have grown older, I feel more and more like that image of the hippies and the civil rights movement was never actually real.
I don't enjoy watching Forrest Gump now. It feels too much like a money grab, playing people's nostalgia. I grew up learning that the hippie counterculture and the civil rights movement as depicted in movies like Forrest Gump and other media were the defining voices of the 1960's. Now that I am living through my own counterculture and protest movements, the reality is becoming more clear. It was only after the fact that the hippies and the civil rights leaders were viewed as heroes. A majority of people at the time were opposed to the preaching and teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A majority of the people at the time supported the Vietnam War. That's why it dragged on for as long as it did. A majority of people were not listening to the music that came to define the era. A vocal and significant minority of people did speak up and did try to change the direction of the country and the world, but they were not supported by mainstream America or its leaders.
The other reason I don't enjoy the film Forrest Gump is that after I read the book it was based on, it seemed like a silly, fairy tale. The book is much darker (and much funnier) than the movie. While the book's ending is not the sweet and sanguine pastiche of the movie, to me it made way more sense. Rather than Forrest stumbling into a happy life with wealth he didn't earn and a child he didn't know he had (including a rather shabbily tacked on reference to the AIDS pandemic), he instead finds contentment in his friends and a life of poverty away from the spotlight. Throughout both the film and the book, Forrest stumbles backwards into success after success, fame and everything that's wrong with it. So to me it makes more sense that the fairy tale would have to end.
If you haven't read the book, check it out sometime. I have friends that feel the opposite way I do about the film vs. the book. That's their opinion. I don't know how they can hold that opinion, but they are welcome to it. The world would be pretty boring if everyone interpreted art in the same way.
Despite my disillusionment about the glorified image of the 1960's, it did give us some fantastic music. "Fortunate Son" is a protest song born of that time, and much of what it protests against is still relevant today. Jon Fogerty sang about society's hypocrisy: Because he was not a senator's son, or a millionaire's son, or a military son, he was not a fortunate one. In the world he saw, wealth and connections are the only things that can keep you safe from war and the other ills of the world, and it's still true today. Wealth, fame, and family connections are the surest pathways to a comfortable life, to moving up the social ladder. Sure people can move up from the bottom, but how many actually do? The better question might be, how many people actually move down from the top? Can a billionaire ever end up with nothing? Maybe if you inherit your wealth and ostracize yourself from your family and connections, but I'm sure even those people can easily find their way back if they want it.
We live in a fractured society. My home country is experiencing a fall from grace. Its faulty foundations are exposed and crumbling beneath our feet.
And it's not all bad for everyone. I still have a job and a home. I have some money set aside for a rainy day. I'm certainly privileged in that way, but everyday I am confronted by the stark reality that many of my neighbors are faced with. Even though we can see that some progress has been made since 1969 when this song was released, there is still a long way to go, and too many things are not much better than they were then.
As I review this essay, I worry that it is too dark and pessimistic about the world I see, the history I know, and a certain feel good movie starring all-American hero Tom Hanks, but the world I see in the streets, in the news, and on the internet has gotten pretty dark. I can't simply put on my blinders anymore and hide in my insulated suburban life. If the only thing we leave behind is a new set of protest songs while people still die in the streets, don't have enough to eat, and don't see a way up or out, what's the point?
In many ways, I am the fortunate one. Now I need to do my part to ensure those less fortunate are heard, seen, and helped.
Right now "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival is (probably) my 60th favorite song of all time.
Written by Leon Russell Produced by Leon Russell Released on Leon Russell (March 23, 1970) amazonspotifyiTunes
Is this a perfect song? Yes.
Is this the perfect record or performance?
While I can understand how easy it is to answer "no" to that question, I have always valued vision and personality in my music. This song and its performance is incredibly personal, and Leon Russell is a visionary musician and songwriter. So I think there is an argument for answering yes to the second question. In some ways Russell's performance on this recording is perfect (from a certain point of view).
All that said, not everyone is going to enjoy Leon Russell's voice. For some it may even be so off-putting that it might hinder their willingness to agree with my answer to the first question. So let me ask that question again while you listen to Donny Hathaway sing this song or Ray Charles or this absolutely GOAT performance from Whitney Houston. (Or really, pick your favorite singer because they probably covered it too.)
So, is it a perfect song? You already know my answer.
Now, as much as I'd like to stay on topic and really dive into this amazing composition, searching up and listening to these other stellar vocalists has gotten me sidetracked. Listening to and watching that video of Whitney Houston singing "A Song For You" live reminded me of one thing of which I am absolutely convinced: Whitney Houston is, unequivocally, the greatest female pop vocalist of all time.
I'll just let that hang there for a minute.
Now I'm sure some of you reading this want to come at me with your Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald or Aretha Franklin or Christina Aguilera or Adele or Edith Piaf arguments. Well I can tell you to leave them right at home where you found them. There is a long list of accomplished singers who can make a claim to being The Greatest of All Time (or GOAT for those already familiar with that abbreviation), but for me, Whitney will always be a step above. Maybe she's just a Jersey girl with a killer voice, but I think she's so much more. She has the pitch control of Ella, the soul of Aretha, and the pop sensibilities of Christina all wrapped up in one uniquely talented package. At her peak, no one else came close. Watch her performance of this song again. Watch her on Letterman just after her first album was released. Watch her not quite live performance of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. She was the perfect person for that performance, and she executed it in spectacular fashion. And as much as I hated it at the time, you cannot deny that Whitney's cover of the Dolly Parton classic "I Will Always Love You" is a pantheon level performance. No one did it better. So that's the basis for my argument in favor of Whitney being the GOAT. I will not be taking any questions.
Of course, it should be noted that I do feel the need to qualify Whitney as the greatest female pop vocalist of all time because the greatest pop vocalist of all time is Freddy Mercury. I can't find a way to justify an argument for anyone else to claim that mantle. I'm sure there is a strong argument in favor of Elvis, but Freddy took all the talent, versatility, and showmanship that made Elvis the King, and raised it to a higher level. No one else compares.
OK. Now that I've gotten all that off my chest, let's get back to the song at hand.
One of the aspects of this song that is so incredible is its self-awareness. This particular lyric illustrates what I mean:
But now I'm so much better
And if my words don't come together
Listen to the melody
Because my love is in there hiding
I love self-referential writing. Russell here is assuring his love that in addition to all the other mistakes he must apologize for, he also needs to apologize for not being able to adequately put his feelings into words. But a song's lyrics can't be the only way to convey love. There are plenty of instrumental songs and compositions that are unmistakably about love. Even without the lyrics, this song is a love song. Like love, it is sometimes sad while also always hopeful.
I was sad to hear of Leon Russell's passing in 2016. I was also disappointed that it wasn't a bigger deal. While he was more and did more than write one perfect song, I almost feel like this one song should be enough. So hopefully those of you reading this have either been reminded of this genius singer-songwriter, or maybe you are meeting him for the first time. Either way, enjoy it, and help his legacy live on a little longer.
Right now, "A Song For You" by Leon Russell is (probably) my 61st favorite song of all time.
Written by Beastie Boys (Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz) Produced by Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato, Jr. Released on Ill Communication (May 31, 1994) Released as a single on January 28, 1994 music videoamazonspotifyiTunes Warning: Explicit Lyrics
There aren't many things that scream "1990's!" as loudly as the music video for "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys. If someone asked me to describe what the 1990's were like, I might start by sharing this video. It is the definition of quintessential 1990's pop culture: it's camp and retro and features a rap-rock soundtrack. I spent most of my years in the 90's thinking retro and camp were unironically cool. During the 90's I spent money on and proudly wore Hawaiian shirts, low-rise boot-cut jeans, corduroy pants, and wide graphic ties. (If I'd ever actually bought a bowling shirt, I'd have thought myself the official king of the 90's.) Everything was baggy and ill-fitting. It's all we knew at the time. Retro and camp crept into the music landscape as well (particularly with the resurgence of swing), but rap and rock finally came together in a significant way then too. With their successes in the 1990s, Rage Against the Machine and Beastie Boys paved the way, for better or worse, for every 2000's era nu-metal band to have a DJ scratching records on all their songs.
The Beastie Boys are one of the first bands I remember liking, and "Fight for Your Right" is one of the first songs I remember falling in love with. As a very young child listening to top 40 radio, it was perfect. It spoke to youth. It sampled hard guitar licks, had a sing-a-long hook, and made you smile.
Every few years, a discussion about which Beasties Boys album is their best will come up. For me the answer will always be Ill Communication. I know that Licensed to Ill helped put rap music on the map. I also understand why many people (especially music critics) love to site Paul's Boutique as their best album. While it is fantastic and was a truly ground-breaking album at the time, because it didn't get nearly as much radio play as their other works, I never really got the chance to listen to and get familiar with that album. I also appreciate the Check Your Head album, but it was really just a stepping stone towards their musical peak: Ill Communication. My high opinion of Ill Communication almost certainly stems from two things: the first is that this album was released while I was starting to define for myself what kinds of music I enjoyed; and the second is that this band I had first loved listening to as a seven year old was now making more rock oriented music while I was diving head first into all things rock music.
As was seen in the rebooted Star Trek films, there aren't many songs that are better at getting you amped for going to battle (while also screwing up your enemy's communication systems) than this song. I also love the idea of it being labeled as classical music in the future, while also being referred to as "the beat and shouting" (which might be the best and simplest way to describe it). While the Beastie Boys at their core are a hip hop crew, they did start out playing punk rock in Brooklyn. That marriage of the visceral energy of punk and hip hop is what makes this song so great. I will always think of "Sabotage" as their best song and Ill Communication as their best album.
Right now, "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys is (probably) my 62nd favorite song of all time.
Written by Don McLean Produced by Ed Freeman Released on American Pie (October 24, 1971) Released as a single on June 17, 1972 Peaked at #12 on Billboard Hot 100 amazonspotifyiTunes
People say that "Vincent" by Don McLean is the most beautiful song in pop music history. That's why it's on the list. Who are these people? Well, there's me, and there's also a professional musician I was friends with back in the day, so yes, "people" do say this.
Why is the song with the most beautiful melody ever recorded not higher on the list? Well, melody isn't everything, and beauty isn't everything. Beautiful music and sweet melodies serve particular purposes. They can put the listener into a good mood, or they can calm the listener. They can make the listener smile. Sometimes they can help illicit strong feelings between two listeners. Beauty is a powerful thing, but music has other powers and magics too.
I don't always choose to listen to beautiful music. (People also say that.) When I do listen to beautiful music, this song will always find its way into the playlist.
If you ask me why this song is so beautiful, I'm not sure I could definitively say. Although I have a rudimentary understanding of music theory from my years playing jazz in high school and college, I don't often want to bother thinking about music theory when I'm enjoying music. I like to think that I like what I like. The Pandora music service once told me that I like songs that have minor keys and subtle harmonies. I thought that was interesting, but it didn't end up changing much about how I choose my music or interact with music.
Generally I treat music the way I treat art: I like it or I don't. When I visit an art museum, I tend to just take in what is around me. Sometimes I'll read a little about the art. Occasionally I'll take guided tours. Most often, though, it's just me and the artwork. I learned that, especially with abstract art, I get no enjoyment from trying to figure out the art. I choose instead to just look at it. If it speaks to me, great! Otherwise I move on to whatever's next. I'm sure there is, so-called, great art that I have seen and passed by, just like there is great music that I have heard and ignored or turned off. There are also songs and paintings that grow on me over time, just as there are others that I eventually grow tired of.
Everyone's definition of beauty is unique to them. We each have our own ideas of what we want to gain from listening to music or viewing artwork. We each seek out different kinds of emotions during those experiences. Some may value beauty above all else. Others thrive on discord and distortion. Others want the art and music to match and amplify their current mood, and some will use the experience to help alter their mood and outlook. Some people may just be happy with all of this safely in the background, only letting their unconscious mind feel and hear and see the beauty surrounding them while they go about their day. Others want to immerse themselves so fully into the art and music of their lives, that it drowns out everything else.
For me, I generally look for music that fits the mood I'm in or that will help me work through whatever I'm doing. If I need to get excited or keep working, I've got music for that. If I'm trying to relax or settle down, I've got music for that. I rarely just sit and listen to music anymore. Usually it's playing in the background, but sometimes I have to turn it off to better focus on what I'm doing. Other times I have to stop what I'm doing to listen to something beautiful or powerful or moving or sad.
So with all that in mind, I come back to this: I find "Vincent" by Don McLean to be more beautiful than any other song I have ever heard. Don McLean, in writing about Vincent Van Gogh, penned a masterpiece. It's sad and beautiful and sweet. His voice and guitar evoke everything that is magical and powerful about beauty, and that's enough.
Right now, "Vincent" by Don McLean is (probably) my 63rd favorite song of all time.
Written by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson, Billy Adams Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley Released on Too-Rye-Ay (July 1982) Released as a single June 25, 1982 Peaked at #1 on Billboard Hot 100 amazonspotifyiTunes
I think I was 26 the first time I had to confront the idea of getting old. What were those circumstances and how do they relate to this song? Allow me to set the stage.
I knew during my final year in college that even though I was graduating with a degree in education, I was not ready to immediately jump into the classroom as a full time teacher. So instead of spending my final semester searching and applying for teaching positions, I arranged to work at one camp during the summer and another in the fall. My hope was that I could turn being a camp counselor into a year round thing for at least a few years before I figured out life, the universe, and everything.
So that's what I did. I continued to my summers in the Ozarks at the camp I had been attending for much of my youth. I then traveled to northern Michigan in the fall to work at another camp. It wasn't quite year round (the camp in Michigan had winter and spring camps as well, but there were significant gaps in between seasons), so the first couple of years, I would stay with my mom in St. Louis between seasons working at Sam's Club the first year, and as a substitute teacher the next year. I loved the camp work, but I was not making nearly enough money to get by, so after those first two years I decided to start focusing on finding a classroom teaching position.
That next fall, I was subbing almost everyday and starting to get to know some of the teachers in a couple of my local districts pretty well. In October, I essentially got two offers, one to take over for my old program director at the camp in Michigan, and the other was to be a full-time sub the rest of the year, putting me first in line to take over for a retiring teacher. I realized that I was not yet ready to give up the camp life, and the promotion would make it more financially viable, so I left my mom's apartment and moved to Michigan full-time (while still spending my summers in the Ozarks).
The next two and a half years were pretty awesome. I was making it work! But eventually all good things come to an end. It was starting to become evident that the only way to move up in the camp world was to move deeper into the office resulting in less time with the kids. More office work would also mean having to fundraise and ask donors for money. That didn't sound too fun; I'm not much of a salesman. So I decided to leave camp life behind and started applying for jobs in St. Louis.
Those camp years will always mean a great deal to me. Looking back, that version of myself felt a lot like peak-level Sam. I was really at my best working with the kids and running the staff in that environment. (Living in a National Lake Shore wasn't too bad either.)
So where does "Come On Eileen" play into this? Well, if you work as a camp counselor long enough, you start to work with your former campers. It's usually a cool experience, but it can lead to some awkwardness. As I got older, I was definitely feeling more disconnected from some of the younger staff, specifically at the summer camp in Missouri. I still enjoyed it, but most of my best friends had moved on with their lives.
At the summer camp, every session included a square dance followed by a "rock" dance. The rules for the rock dance were simple: the songs had to be clean and there were never any slow dances. The square dance was fun because at that point I was usually calling the dance. We did the "Virginia Reel," "Take a Little Peek," and "Nine Pin." We'd throw "Bingo" in the middle as a mixer, and in between the square and rock portions we would do the "Chicken Dance."
It should be noted that I can probably still call those dances to this day, so if anyone reading this wants to have a little square dance sometime, let me know!
So, after calling the square dance, and doing a little chicken dance action, my job as a counselor shifted to trying to encourage our less enthusiastic campers to try to have a little fun out on the dance floor. Like most middle school dances, circles would often form, and individuals would be cajoled into showing off some moves to their friends. It was cheesy and lame and, while not my favorite part of my job, it was still part of the job.
Well, at one point I was trying to dance (it doesn't feel right to call what I do on the dance floor dancing) with some of the other counselors and campers, and the counselor in charge of the music put on "Come On Eileen." While it might not be the most appropriate song for a camp dance if you really study the lyrics, it's still a super fun song with a good beat. I got super excited because this is one of my favorite songs from my youth. It's kind of cheesy and odd and poppy and not really a good representative of my overall musical tastes, but ultimately it's a song that I will always love because it makes me feel good anytime I hear it. (I could probably describe "Walking On Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves the same way.)
So there I was at this silly camp dance getting all hyped over this song when one of my former campers who was now a junior counselor leans over to me and says, "I have no idea what this song is."
I had no idea how to respond. How could she have never heard this song before?
Well, she was probably about 8 years younger than me, and by the time she was listening to pop radio and watching MTV, most of the world had moved on from Dexys Midnight Runners' singular US hit. That was probably one of the first times in my life that I really thought of myself as being old. Sure I was only 25 or 26, but the fact that someone younger than me had never heard a song that practically everyone my age knew very well was a gut punch.
Music is both tribal and generational. Music from a particular time and place will quite literally get lost in the shuffle as people get older and new music finds its way into the hearts and ears of the next generation of young people. Yes, there are songs that do cross generational and tribal lines, but those generally are exceptions, not the rule. I love a lot of music that is older than me, but there are also a lot of wildly popular songs from bygone eras that sound terrible to me. Even though I know how segmented musical tastes are, I still sometimes feel surprised when great music is not universally loved.
No song is loved by everyone. There never will be that perfect universally loved melody. There are too many backgrounds, opinions, and experiences that define every individual's musical tastes. There are also people who simply don't care about music. I'm not sure how that's possible, but it is.
Even acknowledging all of that, I find it strange to think that people exist who don't like "Jamming" by Bob Marley or "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson or "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes or "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks or "Crazy" by Patsy Cline or "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones or "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 or "Stardust" by Hoagy Carmichael or "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet or "Changes" by 2Pac or "Nuthin But a 'G' Thang" by Dr. Dre or Beethoven's Ninth Symphony or Dvorak's New World Symphony or any other piece of transcendently beautiful music that exists in this world. Everyone in my tribe or my generation may love some of these songs and compositions, but eventually people and music and life move forward with or without you.
I cannot pretend that "Come On Eileen" should be universally loved. It's just the song that first taught me about the generational nature of music. And even though it is now forever tied to this moment that when I recognized my own sense of age and mortality, that's not enough to make me forget how much I love this song.
Right now, "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners is (probably) my 64th favorite song of all time.
Written by Roger Waters Produced by Pink Floyd Released on Wish You Were Here (September 12, 1975) Released as a single on November 15, 1975 amazonspotifyiTunes
Note: this post has two parts. Part I is about the song. Part II is about a protest march I took part in that became a national news story. I will not be offended if you read one part but not the other. I just felt like I needed to document what I experienced, and this seemed like the easiest way to do it.
Part I: The Song
As a young teenager first diving into the world of classic rock, the line "...and by the way, which one's Pink?" seemed like the most clever lyric ever written. The band is Pink Floyd, but none of the members had that name. Didn't this guy realize that?
"Have a Cigar" is currently my favorite Pink Floyd song. As part of the Wish You Were Here album, it tells the story of a band being courted by a sleazy record executive from the perspective of the executive (famously sung by Roy Harper who was not a member of the band). If not for the existence of Biz Markie (who you'll meet later in the list), this satirical masterpiece would probably be the closest thing to a "funny" song on my top 100.
What really helped me fall in love with "Have a Cigar" was the outro guitar solo. David Gilmour is a master. Most people would rate his solo on "Comfortably Numb" as his best (some even go so far as to rate it as the greatest guitar solo of all time). It's hard to argue with that assessment, but this solo is magical in its own way.
As the song and the guitar solo comes to an end, rather than a traditional fade out, the band added an effect that essentially warped this from a hi-fi stereo recording to something that sounded like it was coming through the worst, tinniest single speaker in existence. All of a sudden the listener is hearing the song on the radio on the radio (if that makes sense). If you listen to the album, when the track ends, it sounds like they literally just changed the radio dial in search of something new.
To me, a young teenager diving into the world of classic rock, this was a brand new level of brilliance. I was no longer simply listening to a song, I was a part of a larger experience. Concept albums don't always work, but Pink Floyd had figured out some secret to making everything come together. Pink Floyd is the perfect music for a teenager looking for meaning and relevance in the music they are listening to. The first time listening to one of their albums feels like joining a secret club of cool, smart people. I don't pretend to be cool or smart, but there is a special, magical, powerful feeling that comes from that experience.
Being introduced to Pink Floyd's music for the first time felt important. That is why I know that Pink Floyd's music will be around a lot longer than I will. I know I'm not the first teenager who dove into Pink Floyd's catalog with a sense of awe and wonder, and I know I won't be the last.
Right now, "Have a Cigar" by Pink Floyd is (probably) my 65th favorite song of all time.
Part II: The Protest
Since the killing of George Floyd, I have felt the need to do my part to support the Black Lives Matter movement. For a number of reasons, I did not march or actively participate during the protests that followed the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014. There were a few times I thought about driving up to Ferguson to see what was happening, but I ultimately decided not to. I wasn't sure I would end up being more than an observer, and that's not what was needed. What was needed then, and is still needed now, are people ready to be change agents and people willing to exercise their first amendment rights to protest a system that disproportionately targets and punishes minorities.
I am still trying to figure out my place and purpose in this struggle. I have now participated in three protest marches this summer in the St. Louis area. The first was a march organized by local students that went through some of the wealthier suburbs in west St. Louis county. Some people I worked with were there too. The next was a march in St. Charles that I went to with a couple of colleagues and a few of my students. Most recently I marched in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis city. For this march I was alone.
All three marches were largely peaceful. During the first march, many of the houses and businesses we passed were holding up signs of support and handing out water and snacks (including, I'm proud to say, my employer). During the march in St. Charles, the group made their way towards the highway and were greeted by about 50 police officers in full riot gear. Counting them and the other officers that were around, it felt like every single cop in St. Charles county had been called down to the protest. I even saw the SWAT team van. There was never a confrontation. The police stopped the traffic on that side of the highway, while the protesters stayed on the exit ramp. Eventually, the protest march turned around and headed back.
I definitely felt uncomfortable during that march when we were on the exit ramp by the highway. I stayed at the top of the exit ramp because I did not know what might happen at the front, and did not want to be caught in the middle of a potential confrontation. Also because there were additional police officers staging themselves on the other side of the exit ramp, it looked like they could have boxed us in. The police did not do anything like that, but this was a very new experience for me. I really didn't know what to expect or what to do. I am still very grateful for the protest organizers who kept things peaceful. I don't think I am ready to thank the police though. Their show of force did not help the situation. I understand why they wanted to keep the protesters off the highway, but the size and scope of their response seemed like overkill. I still baffles me how many instances we continue to see of police around the country responding to protests against excessive police force by using excessive force.
I was grateful for the people I knew who were with me. One of my colleagues helped put me at ease, and they also did a good job of keeping our students out of harms way and away from any potential confrontation. When I wanted to leave early, they were ultimately right in staying and helping keep me there too. The protesters wanted to be heard, and they were. Us leaving or staying didn't make a difference in the grand scheme, but my worst fears were never realized. Staying and being a part of that voice for justice and equality (even being in the back and out of the way) was a good thing.
So, last night I went to join a protest in the city. A couple of days ago, the mayor had read the names and addresses of a handful of activists while giving an address live online (using Facebook Live). While she did not do anything technically illegal, what she did was almost certainly not right. Vocal activists have been targeted in the past with death threats and violence. Giving potential bad actors easy access to activists' personal information is dangerous. The mayor apologized and took the video down, but the damage was done.
As a computer science teacher, this hit me hard. Part of what I teach is the responsible use of technology. Too many politicians do not seem to understand modern technology. This is true of politicians from all political parties. We still have people in Washington who somehow seem proud of the fact that they don't know how to use a desktop computer or how to send an email. It's sheer incompetence. The world is evolving rapidly, and we need representatives at all levels of government who understand modern technologies.
So, I felt the need to take part. This was a relatively small protest (about 400 people). We started in the commercial district in the Central West End with the goal of making our way to the mayor's residence. We started marching that way down Kingshighway where we were joined by another group of protesters. I had decided to stay near the back of the group in an effort to better practice social distancing. (I learned that this is not the best strategy since that's where the smokers hang out too.)
On our way down, I saw protesters turning onto a private gated community. I have been down in this area before and there are some private streets with public sidewalks that I have walked down before. This particular street is not that. Protesters had to break through a closed, locked gate to access the street. (Edit: It should be noted that the gate was unlocked. Protesters simply opened the gate and entered. After the fact, photos emerged showing that the gate had been broken, but all video evidence I have seen does not show protesters breaking the gate to enter the neighborhood. I was not close enough to see this at the time, so when I wrote this section, I simply parroted what was being reported immediately following the protest.) I was unsure about what was happening when someone behind me started yelling about a gun. I was still on Kingshighway, and I looked over the wall to see a man with an AR-15 style rifle standing on the porch of his giant mansion. I also saw a woman running around in front of the mansion pointing and yelling at protesters who were now on their street in front of their giant stone home. Because of where I was standing, I did not realize until later that this woman was pointing at them with a gun, finger on the trigger.
I was immediately afraid for the protesters. I assumed that because they were on a private street, they could be considered trespassers, and Missouri's Stand Your Ground laws could protect this armed couple if something happened. It was also very clear that this couple were not responsible gun owners. If you watch any of the videos taken by protesters, neither of the people holding the guns seemed to know how to properly handle the weapons they were brandishing. At various times, they both pointed their guns at each other without realizing what they were doing.
I still struggle to imagine why either of them thought it was wise to set foot outside their home at all. Their home is a giant stone building. They put themselves, their property, and everyone else in more danger just by stepping outside and mishandling their weapons. I am grateful that no one was hurt, but the more I revisit what I saw and watch the videos, I wonder how something didn't go horribly wrong.
I am privileged to say that I have never had a gun pointed at me. But when the man on the porch leveled his rifle towards the ground, even though I was behind a stone wall, and the gun was not pointed in my direction, I still felt my stomach drop. It was a sickening feeling. Even though I felt like I was out of harms way, many others were not. Yes, the protesters should not have damaged the gate, but the response from this couple was excessive and wrong. It only escalated the situation. They clearly wanted to assert their power, but they ended up looking like foolish children because of how they mishandled their chosen tools.
It was at that point that I realized that this was only a small group of protesters turning down this side street. Most of the group had continued up Kingshighway to the next intersection. I did not feel the need to have a gun pointed at me, so I left that road behind and joined the organizers at the front of the march who were making their way on a safer route to the mayor's house.
We stayed outside the mayors house for a while chanting and protesting. Eventually the barriers that had been put up in front of her house were taken down, but things stayed peaceful. My mom attends a church in that neighborhood. When I talked to her after I got home, she mentioned that the cars that are usually outside the mayor's house were gone. It seems that the mayor wasn't even at home while we were there.
Eventually the protest moved on. I marched on for another couple of blocks before turning around to get my car and go home. When I walked by the mayor's house again, I saw that some people were setting up stencils to paint the word "RESIGN" in big block letters in the street in front of her house.
At this point I am unsure whether I will participate in a protest march again. When I first decided to attend, I had hoped that maybe I could be a peaceful influence. Maybe my presence could help to deescalate and keep things from turning violent and confrontational. After participating, I realized that while I generally am even-keeled and am good at handling somewhat stressful situations, this was something else entirely. Whether it was seeing the police display in St. Charles or that couple with their guns in the city, I was left somewhat frozen. It was too much for me to handle, and I felt helpless to find a way to be helpful in either situation.
Unfortunately, even as I have marched and chanted and listened during these marches, I still feel like more of an observer than an active participant. I feel separate and distanced.
I still very much support what people are marching for. Yes, too many people are killed by the police. Yes, too many of those victims are people of color. Yes, systemic racism needs to be eradicated from our communities, our country, and the world. Yes, the militarization of the police has gotten out of hand. Yes, we need to redistribute money towards social work, education, drug treatment, and rehabilitation efforts. I will continue to ask for these things and support those working to make that kind of change happen. Silence is compliance. I don't want to be just a casual observer on the side, but I feel even less sure of how to do that effectively.
This is not a show. This is not an event. This is real people dying and putting their lives on the line for what is right. Going along for the ride to watch the show is not enough either. I'm still trying to figure out what I can do. I hope anyone reading this is too.
Written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea Produced by Spencer Proffer Released on Metal Health (March 11, 1983) Released as a single in July 1983 Peaked at #5 on Billboard Hot 100 music videoamazonspotifyiTunes
This song epitomizes all that is glorious about pop metal in the 1980's. It's a fun song with a mildly inappropriately spelled title, a fun video, and the greatest of all sing-a-long choruses every recorded. At the start, the chorus feels fairly typical with the backing vocalists overdubbed a couple of times. It's fun and effective.
By the end, they crank up the overdubs to the point that it sounds like an entire stadium of voices is singing along with the band. It's a trick that was used by a lot of my favorite bands of the era.
"Cum On Feel the Noize" is also one of those songs that many people in the US forget is a cover. This was originally written and recorded by the band Slade in the 1970's. Their version managed to top the charts in the UK, but barely made a dent across the pond. It's bizarre how two versions that have so many similarities can sound so different. The lead singers have extremely similar voices; both recordings overdub the backing vocals; yet somehow I find Quiet Riot's version infinitely superior.
Like so much about the music on this list, one version is familiar and comfortable to me, and the other is just different enough to make me squirm a bit each time I hear it. I'm sure there are quite a few people who are 10-15 years older than me who have similar experiences, except that they love the original and hate the cover. Music is weird like that.
What feels familiar feels right. I love this recording of this song. It rocks. While I usually prefer original songs by their original artists, there are always going to be exceptions. This marks the fourth of seven cover songs that appear on my list. Of those covers, the only ones that have original recordings that don't make me squirm are the songs that I first heard in their original form ("Hey Jude" and "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World"). It's almost always that first version I hear that is my favorite (whether it's the cover or the original), unless the cover artist does something that fundamentally transforms the song (like Wilson Pickett and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole did).
So I like Quiet Riot's cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize."
Right now, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot is (probably) my 66th favorite song of all time.
Written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter Produced by Grateful Dead and Steve Barncard Released on American Beauty (November 1, 1970) amazonspotifyiTunes
While "Ripple" is one of the oldest songs on my list, it's actually the song in my top 100 that is newest to me. When I started putting this list together, a friend of mine sent me the top 100 lists that he and a few of his buddies had made a few years ago. I took the time to listen to their lists while on a road trip out west. It gave me the opportunity to get to know my friend a bit more while also affording me the chance to see if there were any gems that I had overlooked. For the most part, the lists reminded me just how diverse musical tastes can be. Even people who mostly listen to "classic rock" can have wildly divergent opinions about what classic rock is best.
Three songs from those lists really stuck with me: "Ripple" by Grateful Dead, "Strangers" by The Kinks, and "Every Step of the Way" by Steve Walsh. While the latter two songs failed to make my top 100, both they're in some of my playlists. (I actually keep thinking I should put "Strangers" on the list even now. It's an incredible song. Maybe it'll make the next list.)
Even though I only really found three new songs to add to my collection, I'm now even more paranoid about what else I might be missing. What other hidden gems are just waiting for my ears to find them?
Grateful Dead began their careers as part of the psychedelic music movement, but then they earned their esteemed reputation as a jam band. I first learned of them in the late 1980s because their video for "Touch of Grey" was on MTV a lot. It's a fantastic song and a fun video, but the song and video were all about how old they were, so I wasn't sure how seriously to take them. When I got into trivia and almanacs, I remember being amazed by the fact that they were the top grossing touring act in the country. They made so much more than any other band, and it wasn't close. What was so special about this group of old men?
Of course, they weren't actually that old. Jerry Garcia was in his 40's when I first heard "Touch of Grey." Even knowing that, I have yet to see a video or photo of him where he looks young. When he passed in 1995, he had just turned 53. While that may seem ancient in the realm of popular music, we really didn't get Jerry for nearly long enough. Jerry Garcia is so important to popular music. (My favorite random fact about him is that he played the pedal slide guitar on the Crosby, Stills, Nash. & Young classic "Teach You Children.")
"Ripple" felt both brand new and oddly familiar when I first heard it. It's simple and pleasant and easy. Those who think the Grateful Dead are only good in concert have clearly never listened to their American Beauty album. It is full of great recordings of great songs. "Friend of the Devil" or "Truckin'" may be the most familiar tracks to many, but "Ripple" is their masterpiece.
While the lyrics and melody are pleasant and enjoyable, the real clincher is the sing-a-long chorus that closes the song. I'm a sucker for just about any rock song that's recorded to sound like a whole crowd of people are singing along. The next song on my list actually uses that same trick (in a very different yet just as effective way).
So I'm going to keep listening to music that's new to me. I know there's more stuff out there that is begging for me to hear it. There will probably be plenty of stinkers along the way, but it will be worth it when I find that next great song to throw on a playlist.
Right now, "Ripple" by Grateful Dead is (probably) my 67th favorite song of all time.
Written by Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan Produced by Eric Valentine and Stephan Jenkins Released on Third Eye Blind (March 26, 1997) Released as a single in August 1997 amazonspotifyiTunes Warning: Explicit Lyrics
Initially I wasn't convinced that I actually liked Third Eye Blind. "Semi-Charmed Life" was all over the radio. It was catchy and probably a little too poppy for my tastes at the time. I, of course, realize now that "Semi-Charmed Life" is awesome. At the time, however, I was still too caught up in the idea that my musical tastes somehow defined who I am as an individual. I still wanted to protect my fragile sense of what it meant to be me. I finally came around to Third Eye Blind when they released their music video for "Jumper." At that point I purchased their album on CD. I then learned that "Graduate" was one of their songs too. I had enjoyed hearing "Graduate" on the radio, but hadn't realized who it was by. It was much harder and more aggressive than their other stuff.
Now fast forward about 20 years, and I'm trying to put together my list. I wasn't set on including "Graduate," but it was definitely in contention. As I was converting playlists and stuff over to Spotify, I noticed something odd about this song. The version included with the album on Spotify was different from what I remembered. It's still the same song, but the arrangement is all weird. I thought maybe I was remembering things wrong, but the version on my CD was the one I always remember listening to. I then found that version attached to a greatest hits album on Spotify, so that was what was added to my playlists and ultimately, this top 100.
Now I have to wonder, why did Third Eye Blind change the version on the album for streaming services? "Graduate" was not a successful single for them, but it is still one of their more recognizable songs.
I ended up wondering if this was a result of the fabled Mandela Effect. For those of you unfamiliar, the Mandela Effect is a term used to note a shared "memory" that many people have that turns out to be false. Apparently lots of people thought they clearly remembered Nelson Mandela dying in prison, only to discover that he was in fact very much alive when he was released and elected president of South Africa. I do not suffer from that version, but I can relate to the throngs of people that for years thought the beloved family of bears they read about as children were named Berenstein Bears. Turns out their name has always been spelled Berenstain with an "a."
People love to account for this by making wild accusations about time travel. They think that somehow someone changed the past resulting in a present that doesn't quite match up with what we remember. Of course, what we are really experiencing is the fact that the human memory is often full of crap. People remember seeing, hearing, and witnessing things all the time that are unequivocally false. These are unequivocal facts: Memory is flawed and time travel does not exist.
I'm just grateful that the version of the song I remember still exists on my CD and on my hard drive and on a best of album. The new version is not the result of some errant time traveler. It is simply some stupid decision that someone made while uploading the song to various streaming services. Or maybe the band thought this other version was actually better and changed it on purpose. I don't really know. Apparently there are not enough fans of this song to write about why there are two different versions of it. All I know is that better or worse, the version I know is the version I am familiar with, and familiarity leads to comfort, and comfort leads to peace. So when I am seeking peace through listening to music, I want familiarity. That is what the correct version of "Graduate" by Third Eye Blind now means to me.
Right now, "Graduate" by Third Eye Blind is (probably) my 68th favorite song of all time.
Written by Eric Clapton and Bobby Whitlock Produced by Tom Dowd Released on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (November 9, 1970) Released as a single in January 1971 Peaked at #91 on Billboard Hot 100 amazonspotifyiTunes
How do I continue to try to write about these songs that have defined the soundtrack to my life at a time like this? It is a question I am increasingly struggling to answer. Or rather, I am struggling to find excuses to not blow up this whole silly project. I made a commitment to myself last year to create this list, start this blog, and write about these songs. I have already given up on the idea of completing this by my birthday in July as originally intended, but I still plan on doing the writing.
These songs mean a great deal to me. Music means everything to me. Seeing videos of protesters singing Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" was another reminder of the power and beauty of music. Music can unite us, sooth us, inspire us, and strengthen us. Music can help us mourn and help us pray; it can help us find peace and help us get amped. Music can be a powerful thing.
It's possible that "Bell Bottom Blues" is just a silly love song. No one is going to sing it at a protest. Like most of the songs on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, it was written while Eric Clapton was fighting addiction, shirking fame, and finding himself desperately in love with his best friend's wife. It's a beautiful song, and Clapton plays and sings with passion and pain. Unlike the passion and pain that has enveloped much of this country, it was a personal pain, but that does not make it any less real.
I once read that Paul McCartney was proud of the Beatles' legacy because almost all of their songs were about love. Famously, "Nowhere Man" was their first song they recorded that wasn't about love. Love songs can be incredibly powerful because love is something we all seek. We want and need love in our lives.
Ultimately, that is what is most disappointing about the news in recent weeks. The world witnessed a man murdered by the person who was tasked with protecting him. Taking another man's life like that is the antithesis of love.
All of us are seeking love and peace. Maybe not the kind of crazy passionate love that Clapton was obsessing over, but it is love. Love is the universal language. Love is the answer. Love is the royal way.
We need to figure out how to truly love one another. We need to look inside ourselves and examine who we are and what we need. We are all one. We are all human. The color of our skin, our gender, our sexual orientation, our religion: none of this really matters. Because we are all human, we all come from the same place, share the same history, share common ancestors, and live on the same planet earth. We have to find a way to live together without hating and killing each other. We have to find a way to love one another unconditionally.
While I do believe that "One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations..." I know that not everyone feels the same way. But even if you don't believe the same thing I do, we all want and are seeking peace. So no matter who is reading this, know that I do love you. I want you to be safe. I want you to find love. I want love to find you. (I also hope that that love is not married to your best friend.)
Right now, "Bell Bottom Blues" by Derek and the Dominos is (probably) my 69th favorite song of all time.
"Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
"Over the Rainbow" - music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg "What a Wonderful World" - written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss Produced by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and Jon de Mello Released on Facing Future (November 1, 1993) Released as single on November 23, 1993 amazonspotifyiTunes
I'm not sure how much there is to say about this song besides that it is a beautiful performance of a medley of two beautiful songs.
My inability to write or think may be the result of how frustrated and angry I feel right now. The anger and frustration are exhausting. The exhaustion may be more a result of a lack of sleep and too much time staring at the various screens in my apartment, but the anger and frustration are certainly not helping.
I was trying to come up with something sweet and nice to write about this brilliant performance from IZ. Unfortunately, my country is both literally and figuratively on fire, so it has been hard to focus on much of anything else.
I consider myself to be an optimistic person. I do my best to see the best in others. I try to trust people when I meet them. But I grow tired, and a bit of a rant seems like the best I can do today.
I'm tired of people tolerating racism.
I'm tired of people making excuses every time our president says something stupid or incendiary. He's the president. He should know better.
I'm tired of our president's inability to apologize or reflect or grow or empathize.
I'm tired of having a president who can't be human.
I'm tired of people making excuses for why police officers are justified anytime they kill someone, especially when they kill black people.
I'm tired of the systems in place that protect the worst police officers.
I'm tired of politicians who cannot be trusted to serve their country and their fellow citizens over their own best interests.
I'm tired of having a president who has the temperament of a small child who was never told the word no.
I'm tired of news that is skewed to fit a narrative that its audience wants to hear.
I'm tired of everything in the media being perceived as only fitting a narrative its audience wants to hear.
I'm tired of being told that I live in the richest and most powerful country in the world while too many of people within our borders die in poverty.
I'm tired of those in positions of power forgetting that they are citizens too, and that all of us are created equal, and should be treated as such in the eyes of the law.
I'm tired of systems that are skewed to help the rich get richer and keep the poor and impoverished from moving up the economic ladder.
I'm tired of feeling like everything I say will be perceived as political, even when it's not.
I'm tired.
There's not much else I feel like writing. I'm sorry if I ruined your chance to listen and reflect over such a beautiful song, but these are the times in which we live.
Right now, "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is (probably) my 70th favorite song of all time.
