Category Archives: / Random

Lyrics that make you go “hmm?”

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by / Random • Tags: , , , , , ,

First off, in the spirit of transparency and full disclosure, I must admit that I was raised on Tom Waits songs.  Yes, the singer/songwriter who has given us such great lines as:

  • Paws his inside P-coat pocket for a welcome twenty-five cents,
    And the last bent butt from a package of Kents,
    As he dreams of a waitress with Maxwell House eyes
    And marmalade thighs with scrambled yellow hair.
  • the classified section offered no direction
    it’s a cold caffeine in a nicotine cloud
    now the touch of your fingers
    lingers burning in my memory
    I’ve been 86ed from your scheme
    I’m in a melodramatic nocturnal scene
    I’m a refugee from a disconcerted affair
    as the lead pipe morning falls
    and the waitress calls
  • Well he came home from the war
    with a party in his head
    and modified Brougham DeVille
    and a pair of legs that opened up
    like butterfly wings
    and a mad dog that wouldn’t
    sit still
    he went and took up with a Salvation Army
    Band girl
    who played dirty water
    on a swordfishtrombone
    he went to sleep at the bottom of
    Tenkiller lake
    and he said “gee, but it’s
    great to be home.”
  • He has no friends
    But he gets a lot of mail
    I’ll bet he spent a little
    Time in jail…
    I heard he was up on the
    Roof last night
    Signaling with a flashlight
    And what’s that tune he’s
    Always whistling…
    What’s he building in there?
    What’s he building in there?

So it takes a lot to make me go “hmm?” when I’m listening to music these days (okay, so I will also admit to it taking me at least two playings of each Waits album before I totally get all his lyrics 😉 )

What is music these days? Catchy “beats” created on electronic boxes awash with switches and dials where the lyrics leap at you? Real instruments played with heart where the lyrics are just along for the ride? MOR combinations of riffs and lyrics that are so formalistic you can swear they must have come out of a MIT-created hit song generator?

Yes, the current musical scene does appear rather bleak from my lyrical seat in the stands. Is there hope for us after all?  For your consideration, I present the following:

  • “I’m a happy idiot waving at cars”
  • “When I say nothing I say everything”
  • “We all sing along but the notes are all wrong”
  • “Why do you only call me when you’re high?”
  • “Even Da Vinci couldn’t paint you
    And Stephen Hawking can’t explain you
    Rosetta Stone could not translate you
    I’m at a loss for words, I’m at a loss for words
    I couldn’t put it in a novel
    I wrote a page, but it was awful”
  • “I’m on a train, going nowhere
    I ran away, to make you care
    This ain’t my house, this ain’t your home
    Not when I’m feeling, this alone”

(TOTR, Jack White, Matt&Kim, Arctic Monkeys, Weezer, Royal Blood)

What do you think? Me? I’m going back to listen to my Waits albums and maybe dip into some old school hip-hop (Naz and Rakim, anyone?)

Keep challenging your musical perspectives!

altproposalguy

Innovation

by / Americana Roots, / Random, / Stuff You Should Know •

Over John Hartford’s career he was a singer, songwriter, TV personality, and river boat captain.  From the “Smothers Brothers” to “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou”, John had a unique and laconic stage presence.

His love for traditional Appalachian music was evident in the last stages of his life.  He toured with the Down From the Mountain ensemble until non-Hodgkins Lymphoma robbed him of the ability to perform.

His album “Aero-Plain” is credited by many as being the inspiration for Newgrass music and is one of the early super groups in bluegrass with Norman Blake, Tut Taylor, and Vassar Clements providing the supporting cast.

Posthumous recipient of the Presidents Award by the Americana Music Society, John wrote hundreds of songs and recorded more than 30 albums crossing multiple genres.  Hartford is probably best known for writing “Gentle On My Mind”, the song that essentially launched Glen Campbell’s career. In addition to the Glen Campbell hit, “Gentle On My Mind” has been recorded by Dean Martin, Aretha Franklin, Patti Page, The Band, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Benny Hill, Johnny Cash, and even Leonard Nimoy.  (Yep, that’s right.  You know you have it made when Spock croaks out your song.  I guess Shatner didn’t quite have the range.  But I digress.)

In any event, here is one of my favorite versions of this song featuring some of the greatest bluegrass musicians touring today.  Tim O’Brien has an effortless manner to his playing that always reminds me of John Hartford.  Here is to an originator of bluegrass music and one of his best known compositions.

Lions, Weavers, and Paul Simon?

by / Random, / Stuff You Should Know •

In 1939, Solomon Linda and The Evening Birds recorded the song “Mbube” for Gallo Records in Johannesburg.  Simple 4 part a cappella harmony and an improvised introduction, created one of the most influential and famous African songs.  Ultimately Mbube became the name of the entire genre of music.  In the 1980’s, Ladysmith Black Mambazo received international acclaim for their singing in the traditional Mbube style.  Eventually collaborating with Paul Simon on Graceland.  It’s hard to remember but that album had far reaching political consequences by breaking the cultural boycott between South Africa and the rest of the world.

But the influence of Mbube doesn’t stop there.  In the mid 1940’s, Ralph Peer played a copy of the original Evening Birds recording for Pete Seeger who took it to his band, the Weavers.  In 1948, the Weavers recording of “Wimoweh” and the later reworked cover by the Platters in 1961 took the song to international fame.   Miriam Makeba recorded “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, also in the 1960’s.  Disney turned it into an ear worm in 1994 and “The Lion King”.   I present the buster of all Lion King ear worms and, in it’s own way, one of the most influential pieces of music ever recorded.

AC/DC’s Angus Young’s guitar is so awesome that it even redeems Bee Gees songs

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by / Random •

AC/DC is an atypical band for me to like – they play big, dumb, goofy, lascivious rock and roll and in their case I mean that as a compliment – they’re brilliant at what they do. In particular, while they play hard rock, their sound is characterized by joy. Angus and Malcolm Young’s guitars always sound like the guitars are happy to be being played.

I’m convinced that Angus Young‘s Gibson SG guitar is a living breathing sentient being, and that actually she (come on, it has to be a she, let’s assume her name is Gibby) plays Angus and not the other way around.

Gibby has such magical powers that she even makes the Bee Gees listenable. My real fear is that Gibby could cure cancer or feed the world but instead she’s just been slacking off being awesome at rawk.