Thursday 18 October 2012

My Top Ten Hollywood Songs


Back to my American tour... with ten songs about Tinseltown.

Special mention, of course, to Frankie. Relax!


10. Suede - This Hollywood Life

Brett Anderson's songwriting has always combined glitter and grubbiness, so an ode to the capital city of both seemed inevitable.

9. Kasey Chambers - Hollywood

Kasey laments the fact that real life ain't like the movies. A cliche, perhaps... but that voice!

8. Ryan Adams - Goodnight, Hollywood Boulevard

Yeah, right.

7. The Blue Nile - Tinseltown In The Rain

 Glaswegian genius, from their debut album... 28 years ago. (Ouch.)

6. Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings

One of the more interesting new records I've discovered this year comes from ex-Fleet Fox J. Tillman aka Father John Misty. This is a standout track from his debut album (as FJM), Fear Fun.

5. The Wedding Present - Spider-Man On Hollywood

Comic book fan David Gedge obviously didn't think Hollywood's version of Spider-Man measured up to the one he read as a kid. And of course, he turns that into a metaphor for disappointing relationships.

4. Eminem - Say Goodbye To Hollywood

Another woe-is-my-awful-life ode from Slim Shady, but when he writes lines like this...
Bury my face in comic books, cause I don't want to look
At nothin', this world's too much
...well, obviously, I can relate.

Not to be confused with...

3. Billy Joel - Say Goodbye To Hollywood

Look, if you don't like Billy Joel... you don't like music. The Phil Spector-esque production on this BJ classic proved irresistible to Phil's ex, lead Ronette Ronnie Spector who went on to record her own version... with a little help from the legendary E Street Band.  

2. Codeine Velvet Club - Hollywood

Sometimes side projects prove more exciting than an artist's day job. Codeine Velvet Club was the brainchild of lead Fratelli Jon Lawler and Glasgow club singer Lou Hickey. The male/female harmonies and big 60s production numbers they created on the band's 2009 debut album promised great things... though sadly, it doesn't seem they're destined to work together again.

1. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Hollywood Nights

One of beardy-Bob's bristling best.

In those Hollywood nights
In those Hollywood hills
She was looking so right
In her diamonds and frills
All those big city nights
In those high rolling hills
Above all the lights
She had all of the skills



Which Hollywood hit is your heartthrob?

10 comments:

  1. Yay liked it that Kasey made the list but now I can't get Bob Seger out of my head LOL

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    Replies
    1. Glad to see there's another KC fan out there!

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  2. I really like the Madonna song 'Hollywood', and I don't care who knows it.

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    Replies
    1. It's not bad, but I generally struggle with post-20th Century Madge.

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    2. I think I own all of her 21st century albums (the last one I bought for 50p in a charity shop, but still). There's usually one or two tracks per album that I really like, but never more than that, and I really should have just waited for the next greatest hits album.

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    3. I'd probably buy them for 50p. I've become sadly addicted to buying £2 second hand CDs in HMV these days.

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  3. I'd completely forgotten about Bob Seger...used to be one of my favourites..

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  4. All I know is Frankie. But isn't that enough?

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    Replies
    1. In that case, Steve... "one is all that you can score".

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