Category: Beatles

Songs That Move Me, 40-31

40. Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart – the Supremes.
Much of Motown lived on the bottom, and this did too, but had lots of other elements, including a great vocal.

39. Got to Get You into My Life – the Beatles.
The Fabs get soulful. I’d play the (US) Revolver album once through this song, then, if my parents weren’t home, play the song again very loudly. This made Tomorrow Never Knows particularly noisy.
Feeling: hopeful.

38. Barabajagal – Donovan (With The Jeff Beck Group)
It’s jazzy, it rocks, it has those sexy female vocals.
Feeling: love IS hot.
HERE.

37. Hurt-Johnny Cash
If I included my feelings about the video, this would be even higher, maybe even Top 10. Still that insistent keyboard is quite affecting.
Feeling: sadness.
HERE or

36. Season Of Hollow Soul – k.d. lang.
Very sad, very autumnal song from her pop breakthrough album, Ingenue. Unfortunately, this anime video cuts off.
Feeling: hollow.

35. Church-Lyle Lovett.
I feel like I’ve BEEN to church after this. The second song from the CD named after the sixth, seventh, and eighth books of the Bible, Joshua Judges Ruth.
Feeling: righteous.
HERE.

34. Maybe I’m Amazed-Paul McCartney.
A song on the first solo LP as good as anything his old group did. the bridge and the end are especially strong.
Feeling: joyful.

33. Sunshine of Your Love – Cream
Of course, there’s that quintessential opening hook. But it’s also the shared lead vocals, the oddly effective harmony, and the Blue Moon bridge.
Feeling: good.

32. ‘Til I Die – Beach Boys
While the verse and chorus structure is evocative, it’s the end part stating the title, and the vocals wrapped around it that is most moving.
Feeling: reflective.
HERE.

31. Can’t Get Next to You – the Temptations
After David Ruffin left the group, it was the wisdom of producer Norman Whitfield to cop the shared vocals motif from Sly Stone, to great effect.
Feeling: mind-blowing.

ROG

ROG

My life in music

I am going to pick my favorite album from each year of my life, selecting them from Wikipedia’s “year in music” because I don’t have them all in iTunes, especially the stuff I have only in vinyl. If the years are wrong, blame the wiki people. I did have to add the 1996 item, because it wasn’t listed – for shame!

Rules say that I have to own it or would most likely have owned it, as I understand them.

1953 – Jazz at Massey Hall – The Quintet. Own on CD.
1954 – Songs For Young Lovers – Frank Sinatra. Don’t own, but have Capitol Singles box set.
1955 – Oklahoma! – Original Broadway Cast. Own a later iteration of this.
1956 – Ella and Louis – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. Own on CD.
1957 – Ella and Louis Again – Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong. Own on CD.
1958 – South Pacific – Original Soundtrack. My mother owned it on LP.
1959 – Kind of Blue – Miles Davis. Own on CD. Adore.
1960 – Joan Baez – Joan Baez. My father owned, and I own her LP from the previous year.
1961 – Judy at Carnegie Hall – Judy Garland. I think my mother owned LP; in any case, saw the TV special.
1962 – West Side Story – Original Soundtrack. Mom owned on vinyl; I own on CD.
1963 – With the Beatles – The Beatles. Own on CD.
1964 – A Hard Day’s Night – The Beatles. Own both US and UK versions on CD.
1965 – The Sound of Music – Original Soundtrack. Owned on vinyl, own on CD.
1966 – Daydream – The Lovin’ Spoonful. Owned on vinyl, own on CD. Sure I could pick Beatles for every year the rest of this decade (this year, Revolver), but what’s the fun in that?
1967 – The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland – The Supremes. Own on LP.
1968 – Bookends – Simon and Garfunkel. Own on LP.
1969 – The Band – The Band. Own on CD.
1970 – After the Gold Rush – Neil Young. Own on CD.
1971 – Jesus Christ Superstar – Various Artists. Own on LP.
1972 – Fragile – Yes. Own on CD.
1973 – Piano Man – Billy Joel. Own on LP, saw him on tour in New Paltz.
1974 – Endless Summer – Beach Boys. Own on vinyl. Actually really discovered early Beach Boys then; my first Beach boys album was Pet Sounds.
1975 – Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon. Own on LP and CD. Defines old relationship.
1976 – Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder. Own on LP and CD. My old record player would automatically return before the 45 that comes with the LP was over.
1977 – “Heroes” – David Bowie. Own on LP.
1978 – Saturday Night Fever – Original Soundtrack. It is what it is. Own on vinyl.
1979 – Squeezing Out Sparks – Graham Parker & the Rumour. Own on vinyl.
1980 – Peter Gabriel (“melt”, the 3rd album with Biko) – Peter Gabriel. Own on LP in German and in English, and on CD in English. A MOST prodigious year! I had to pass on Empty Glass – Pete Townshend and London Calling – The Clash, among MANY others.
1981 – Discipline – King Crimson. Own on vinyl.
1982 – Night and Day – Joe Jackson. Own on vinyl.
1983 – Genesis (the one with “Mama”)- Genesis. Own on vinyl.
1984 – Purple Rain – Prince and the Revolution. Own on LP and CD.
1985 – Soul to Soul – Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. Own on vinyl.
1986 – Bring On the Night – Sting. Own on vinyl.
1987 – The Joshua Tree – U2. Own on LP and CD.
1988 – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – Traveling Wilburys. Own on CD.
1989 – Spike – Elvis Costello. Own on CD. My favorite Costello.
1990 – Shooting Straight in the Dark – Mary Chapin Carpenter. Own on CD.
1991 – Out of Time – R.E.M. Own on CD.
1992 – Ingénue – k.d. lang. Own on CD. Also tied to a relationship.
1993 – I’m Alive – Jackson Browne. Own on CD. A thin year.
1994 – Wildflowers – Tom Petty. Own on CD.
1995 – Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection – Alison Krauss. Own on CD.
1996 – Unchained – Johnny Cash. Own on CD.
1997 – Time Out of Mind – Bob Dylan. Own on CD.
1998 – Mermaid Avenue – Billy Bragg and Wilco. Own on CD.
1999 – Play – Moby. Yeah, I know everyone tired of it. Own on CD.
2000 – American III: Solitary Man – Johnny Cash. Own on CD.
2001 – Love and Theft – Bob Dylan. Bought on September 11. Own on CD.
2002 – American IV: The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash. Own on CD.
2003 – Unearthed – Johnny Cash (Box Set). Lots of songs my father used to sing. Own on CD.
2004 – Van Lear Rose – Loretta Lynn. Own on CD.
2005 – Chaos and Creation in the Backyard – Paul McCartney. Own on CD. By this point, Lydia is 1 and I’m hardly getting ANYTHING.
2006 – We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions – Bruce Springsteen. Own on CD. Out of the fog of new parenthood.
2007 – Raising Sand – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Gave to my wife on CD.
2008 – Liverpool 8 – Ringo Starr. By default. Own on CD. i tend to buy more in the second half of the year. I have at least $50 in gift cards, so Costello, Hiatt, E. Harris and Mudcrutch are among the possibilities for purchase in the near future.

This took at least 67% longer than it did Tosy.

ROG

ROG

Songs That Move Me, 50-41

50. Indiscipline – King Crimson.
“I repeat myself when under stress, I repeat myself when under stress…” Tom, my boss at FantaCo, described this song as his description of the store. Last song on the first side of the Discipline LP.
Feeling: feeling: feeling: feeling:

49. Would I Lie To You – Eurythmics.
There’s the insistent beat, the horns, the vocals, the guitar line, specially on the bridge.
Feeling: truthful.
It’s HERE.

48. High School- MC5.
A decade before the Ramones, the MC5 from Detroit, a three-chord band. This live version doesn’t exude the sheer raw energy of the original.
Feeling: you better get out of the way.

47. Tell Me Something Good – Rufus.
Chaka Khan! Has that wonderful descending chromatic scale. Stevie Wonder-penned funk. Love the Bob Hope intro.
Feeling: good.

46. Logical Song – Supertramp.
I love the way the sound gets fuller on the verse before the break, the doubling of the vocal on “a vegetable” and the sax solo.
Feeling: paranoid.

A better video but lesser sound here.

45. Uptight – Stevie Wonder.
My first all-time favorite Motown song. First that bass line with drums, then the horns. I’m also fond of the background vocals, and that machine gun-like drunm fills. So good that Bill Cosby, long before Weird Al, copped it for “Little Old Man”.
Feeling- joy.

44. Tomorrow Never Knows – the Beatles.
Insistent bottom, weird tape loop sounds, odd vocal, strange bridge. Oh, I love it.
Feeling: floating.
It’s here.

43. Our Prayer – Beach Boys.
About 68 seconds of stunning vocalese.
Feeling: reflective.
A snippet here.

42. Satisfaction – Rolling Stones.
Anthemic, copped by lots of other bands.
Feeling: as though I tried and I tried.

41. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding?-Elvis Costello.
I STILL hear this both as the driving anthem it is and as an a cappella doowop. From a greatest hits CD.
Feeling: like begging for peace.

ROG

ROG

Music That Moves Me, 60-51

60. Day Tripper-Beatles
In some ways, quite anthemic. That hook is swiped often. Love the build on the bridge. I also have a great Wilson Pickett version.

59. All Day and All of the Night – the Kinks.
This was probably the loudest song I remember as a kid. I love how the chords modulate. And the delicious guitar on the bridge! The theme was so compelling that Ray Davies ripped himself off on Destroyer.
Feeling: alive.

58. Dimming of the Day – Bonnie Raitt.
The verse is fine, but it’s the harmony of the chorus that makes me play it over again.
Feeling: melancholy.

57. Something in 4/4 Time-Daryl Hall.
From the underrated Fripp-produced Sacred Songs album. Starts off with the keyboard, it rocks in 4/4 time until the bridge. Those triplets are clearly NOT in march time.
Something In 4/4 Time-Daryl Hall. Robert Fripp produced an album called Sacred Songs in 1977, but the label didn’t release it until 1980, fearing that it was “uncommercial.” 4/4 Time is the great hit single that wasn’t. Though the verse and chorus were in regular rhythm, the bridge had interesting triplets an odd time signatures.
Feeling: happy.
You can hear 30 seconds of it here (second cut), but it doesn’t express the fulness of this tune.

56. Staples Singers – Respect Yourself
I love the fact that Pops starts the piece, so when Mavis takes over the vocal, it’s even more resounding. BTW, the YouTuber misspells Staples as Staple.
Feeling: if you don’t respect yourself…

55. Elephant Talk – King Crimson. Not only great beat – I own the dance remix – but fun lyrics.
Feeling: shut up already!

54. Think for Yourself – the Beatles.
It’s the Macca fuzz bass. The verse and chorus don’t exactly flow together, and that’s a good thing.
Feeling: title says it.

53. A Simple Desultory Phillipic – Simon & Garfunkel.
I think I like it because it was one of the those rare S&G songs that really rock. Also the first song I knew that namechecked, in this case, he Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Lenny Bruce, and of course, Bob Dylan, among others.
Feeling: fun.
A snippet here (track 9).

52. A Ballata Of Francesco Landini (ca. 1335-1397) Lasso! Di Donna – Judy Collins.
Some Italian ballad from about eight centuries ago. Beautiful last song on the first side of the Wildflowers LP. A bit of a cheat, using 14th Century music, but it did appear on a folk/pop album in the pop era.
Feeling: it’s a beautiful world.
A little snippet here.

51. I’m Shakin’ – the Blasters.
Great rockabilly from 1981. Only have on vinyl.
Feeling: I’m so jittery.


ROG

ROG

Songs That Move Me, 70-61

70. The Love You Save – Jackson 5
It’s true; I could sing every part of this song except Michael’s, and often did sing along, especially Jermaine’s part.
Feeling: Joyous.
(starts at 3:05, after some other J5 music)

69. The Supremes – Remove This Doubt.
Back in the bad old days of romance, there would be songs that I would play that reflected my state of mind. This was one. Great strings. Later covered by Elvis Costello.
Feeling: melancholy.

68. Levon-Elton John
I love it, pretty much for reasons noted here.
Feeling: What’s it all about?

67. I Got a Line on You – Spirit
A song from college that I have on vinyl that someone put on a mixed CD for me this century. Loved the doubled guitar line.
Feeling; Joyous.

66. Summer Days – Bob Dylan
The live versions I found, and there are several, don’t quite provide the same sensation as the studio recording..
Feeling: Like dancing.

A truncated album version.

65. Do What You Want to – Billy Preston.
I saw the late Billy Preston at a concert in college. The song starts slowly then speeds up considerably by the end. Great vocal and organ throughout. From the That’s The Way God Planned It album, produced by the late George Harrison.
Feeling: I will you love you anyway.

64. Spencer Davis Group – Keep on Running
This song lives on the bottom. When I used to ride my bike to work, I had this song in mind when taking an incline. Ah, when Steve Winwood was young.
Feeling: Energized.

63. A Hard Day’s Night – the Beatles.
Love that first chord, the shared vocals, the guitar bridge. Indeed, I have a fondness for the two-minute jazz version on the HDN soundtrack.
Feeling: joyous.

62. Lucky Man-Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
Last song on the first album. I used to do a credible simulation of the synth at the end.
Feeling: not so lucky.

61. Pete Townshend – Let My Love Open the Door
I’ve read that Pete said that this isn’t a romantic love song, but a song of religious love. Whatever it is, I’m fond of the instrumentation in the beginning and the harmony vocals as much as anything. Also like the remix he did.
Feeling: loving.

ROG

ROG
Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial