In honor of a First Lady who knew it took more than just saying No, say Yes to rockers who’ve sobered the hell up for what seems to be the long run. (Straight-edge rockers who weren’t addicts in the first place do not count.)
Jul 082011
Jun 272011
Every songwriter hits a dry spell with lyrics. When they do, many that have been writing for awhile go this old trick: they write lyrics about the very song they are singing at that time. They sit there with their instrument and sing about sitting there with their instrument to tell you more about the song they are sitting there singing about. Jane! Get me off this crazy mobius strip! George has one of the better examples in this vein because it’s not just about the song he’s singing, but really a funny reaction to the legal troubles he had when accused of ripping off “He’s So Fine.” Still, it’s a song about the song itself.
OK, LMS: What other songs have a lyric that makes reference to the same song being sung?
Jun 242011
I’m looking for the make and model of car in the lyrics of a song. The lyrics must contain both. Makes maybe reused but not models, so once Ford Mustang is taken, the Pinto is still up for grabs but all other Mustangs are off the table.
The usual rules apply: only one answer per entry please and if you are the current Last Man Standing, please wait until somene else claims the title before submitting another entry.
I will start with Ford Mustang from Bowie’s “Young Americans.”
Jun 222011
Courtesy of Townsman geo.
Despite certain folks’ reservations regarding the status of Beggars Banquet in the Stones’ canon, none would dispute the archetypal nature of its lead-off track, “Sympathy for the Devil.” After coming across a number of songs with a knowing wink back to the Stone’s original, I’ve been thinking of putting together a mix of nuggets that mine this particular seam of classic rock gold: the descending chord sequence, the mutated Bo-Diddley/Rhumba backbeat, the Jack Daniels fueled “oo-ooos”, or anything else that constitutes an unambiguous reference to the original. I’m certain that in the collective mind of the RTH cognoscenti, we could locate dozens, certainly enough to fill an 80 minute CD. Let’s start with “Way Down Now,” by World Party.
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/02-Way-Down-Now.mp3|titles=World Party, “Way Down Now”]Who will be the Last Man Standing?
May 232011
Townsman hrrundivbakshi proposed a Last Man Standing thread on songs about what it means to be a Rock Star. I thought we’d already done a meta-rock LMS, which may have had a lot of overlap, but my man HVB was specific:
I want songs that are about becoming a rock star — the follies, the foibles, the Life Lessons learned. Cautionary tales. Aren’t they all cautionary? Can anybody think of an upbeat “Johnny became a rock star” song?
I answer my own question with Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.”
You are welcome to treat this thread as a standard Last Man Standing, in which—one entry per comment—you aim to be king of the hill, top of the heap among rock nerds exhausting the last answer possible to suit the LMS criteria, but better yet, I ask you to pull on your analytical skills so that we might provide future generations with a summary of the collected Life Lessons of what it means to be a rock star. As you submit your answer, see if you can’t point out a key message or two from the song you have entered. Our work can then be compiled and provided to career counselors.
May 112011
In honor of classical music trumpeteer David Mason, who overdubbed the legendary piccolo trumpet solo on The Beatles’ “Penny Lane” and who died today at 85 years of age, let us honor non-rock musicians known to rock music lovers primarily for their essential overdub on a rock ‘n roll song. I stress the importance of these musicians being known primarily to rock fans for their overdub to exclude an already legendary and likely known to rock fans non-rocker’s appearance on a rock recording, such as reknowned jazzman Sonny Rollins‘ solo on The Rolling Stones’ “Waiting on a Friend.” Got me?
Perhaps these musicians might say something similar to what Mason said about his unexpected claim to fame:
I’ve spent a lifetime playing with top orchestras, yet I’m most famous for playing on “Penny Lane”!
You may know these musicians’ names off the top of your head or you may look them up and list them here. But remember, this is a Last Man Standing competition, so don’t bogart that Comments box! You may enter as many entries as you like but only one entry per Comment, please.
UPDATED: Ever hear Mr. Mason’s famous “Penny Lane” solo in German True Stereo?
May 092011
Just how many songs have utilized or sampled the bass/guitar riff from Chic‘s “Good Times?”
Yesterday, when I watched the videos included in machinery‘s post, Everything Is a Remix, I was reminded that in addition to the Sugar Hill Gang, Queen prominently used it in “Another One Bites the Dust.” And then—synchronicity!—while looking up some videos by The Damned’s Captain Sensible, I was reacquainted with his “Wot,” another song to trot out that bass line. My beloved Orange Juice also used the riff in “Rip It Up.”
So, how many songs can you add to the list?
