As this is the Hot 100, there was no finer band to illustrate Number 8 on our countdown than the Hot 8 Brass Band. If this doesn't put a smile on your face, rigor mortis may have set in...
Hot 8 Brass Band - Sexual Healing
Other 8 bands in my library included...
8In8 - Because The Origami
(That's Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, and Damian Kulash of OK Go.)
8th Day - I Gotta Get Home
AVO-8 - Big Car
V-8 Death Car - Rocknroll Rockroll
Club 8 - Baby, I'm Not Sure If This Is Love
The Straight 8s - F-Hole
United 8 - Getting Uptown To Get Down
(Worth listening to that one for the intro.)
And, as suggested by Jim in Dubai...
The 5 6 7 8s - Woo Hoo!
(Although a little later in the post we'll discuss a new rule that excludes that one.)
And, from Martin, harking and back to a recent appearance on Saturday Snapshots...
Eighth Wonder - I'm Not Scared
But what about the 8 songs?
As is customary, The Swede kicks us off...
Up early for work, so here's my lot:
Sister John - Eight Years
Couldn't find that anywhere online, Swede, but I did find this, which is very cool, and I imagine you'll be putting forward in seven weeks' time...
Sister John - I'm The One
The Upsetters - Eight for Eight
David Bowie - Eight Line Poem
The Beatles - Eight Days a Week (massive contender?)
Who are these "Beatles"? They're pretty groovy. But, no.
Soft Machine - One Over the Eight
Neu! - After Eight
Just noticed your request regarding artist first and title second. Sorry! I'll make sure to do that next week if I come up with anything - gotta run now!
That's OK. I'm used to being ignored.
Couple missing from The Swede's list there. We may come back to those later.
George can't get up quite as early as The Swede. I'll put that down to the time difference.
Struggling this week you'll be glad to hear.
What!? I need my co-writer!
Super Furry Animals - Baby Ate My Eight Ball
Is 2 4 6 8 by The Tom Robinson Band allowed?
Sadly not. Otherwise it might win for the next 4 fortnights.
Does that idiotic song by Herman's Hermits I'm Henry the 8th I am count?
It does, but only because I'm going to allow much better 8th songs later.
Herman's Hermit's - I'm Henry the 8th
Like this one, as suggested by Charity Chic...
Hazel O'Connor - 8th Day
Swiss Adam was up next, with a suggestion we'll come back... as well as this...
DSK - What Would We Do? (Eight Minutes of Madness Mix)
Enter Martin, also supporting an as-yet-unmentioned front-runner, but also weighing in with these...
Foghat - Eight Days on the Road
(also covered by Aretha Franklin)
Alanis Morissette - Eight Easy Steps
Kim Wilde - 2-6-5-8-0
No... Now listen up, everybody!
From this point onwards, we're going to have to institute The Tom Robinson Rule, otherwise this countdown will never end. Sorry.
They Might Be Giants - Figure Eight
Lisa Stansfield - 8-3-1
Tom Robinson Rule.
Should probably name-check the 8 Mile soundtrack by Eminem too...
That did come in to my head, to be honest.
Eminem - 8 Mile
Lynchie was similar resigned to "The Swede snaffling all the good ones" this week, but did offer up this belter...
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen - Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar (from one of the greatest albums ever - "Lost In The Ozone")
There's a lot of versions of this song and the original, by Will Bradley and His Orchestra was released in 1940. The lyrics are awesome!
While Marie had this to offer...
O.V. Wright - Eight Men and Four Women
And Douglas McLaren picked out an all-time favourite of mine... and Styx.
You know the 80's lover in you is having a hard time choosing a winner between Tommy Tutone's "867-5309 (Jenny)" and Styx, "Pieces of 8" (though that one came out late '79 I think).
Oh well, if R.E.M. or The Byrds win out (as in justice they should), at least Tommy Tutone has a chance almost every week upcoming! And if you listen to the opening jangly guitar intro, you might almost think it was going to be an early era R.E.M. song. Until the Big Dumb Eighties production values kick in, and Tommy opens his mouth and utters the absurd pick up line lyrics.
Tommy Tutone - 867-5309 (Jenny)
Styx - Pieces of 8
Sadly, Douglas, much as I love it, Tommy Tutone falls foul of The Tom Robinson Rule.
As for Styx... well...
Half Man Half Biscuit - Styx Gig (Seen by My Mates Coming out of a...)
Strawbs!?
Huh, what do you know boy?
I’m the reigning county champion
You have embarrassed me
With your clinching Hudson Ford discography
And it feels like I’ve just been seen by me mates
Feels like I’ve just been seen by me mates
Seen by me mates coming out of a Styx gig
Rigid Digit was late to the party as usual...
Even in a state of lockdown, I'm still turning up late when all the good ones have gone. So:
Rufus Wainwright - Dinner At 8
That's a good one.
Sugarhill Gang - 8th Wonder
Tribe Called Quest - 8 Million Stories
Al Stewart - Eight Arms To Hold You
Which couldn't help but remind me of this...
The Goon Squad - Eight Arms To Hold You
(From The Goonies: children of the 80s say yeah!)
Over in Dubai, it's Jim...
Tough this week, here's what's in my library...
Frazier Chorus - Cloud 8
The Innocents - Every Wednesday at 8
That's great.
The AK Band - 8-3-12
I'm calling Tom Robinson Rule on that one.
(Have you noticed how since I asked The Swede to put the band names first, everybody has switched to doing it song titles first? Oh well, more work for the wicked.)
John Medd, meanwhile, was still smarting over my rejection of ELP last week. But once he'd got over that...
Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven's Sonata No.8
Pathetic, John. Sorry, I meant pathetique.
Alyson, meanwhile, seems to have been aiming for Jez's Worst Song of the Week award...
Ken Dodd apparently had a hit in 1966 with something called 8 x 10 but it certainly won't be your pick.
Ken Dodd - 8x10
That is truly awful.
What a beautiful day! What a beautiful day for someone taking an 8x10 glossy of you not paying your taxes.
Sorry. I never got the appeal of Ken Dodd. My Dad found him funny though.
OK, time to shake the hard-drive and see what falls out... besides all the "weight", "height" and "freight" songs.
Hospitality - Eight Avenue
Adam & The Ants - Hell's Eight Acres
Kris Kristofferson & Friends - Eight Day Clock
Madness - Behind The Eight Ball
E - Eight Lives Left
The Black Crowes - Paint An 8
Billy Joel - Opus 8
Grant Lee Buffalo - 8 Mile Road
Green Day - 8th Avenue Serenade
King Creosote - Figure 8
Modest Mouse - Interstate 8
Red House Painters - Million + 8 Things
Satan's Pilgrims - Super 8
Jason Isbell - Super 8
Group X - There Are 8 Million Cossack Melodies & This Is One Of Them
I don't know where I get these things either.
Shawn Lee - 8 Million Ways To Die
Kurtis Blow - 8 Million Stories
Listen to that if you want to take a time machine back to the 80s.
The Grid - 8 Miles From Memphis
Sinead O'Connor - 8 Good Reasons
Kiss - And On The 8th Day
Tullycraft - 8 Great Ways
Brilliant.
Cinderpop - Oliver 8
Robert Plant - 8:05
And finally, from My Top Ten Stalker Songs: Volume 3...
The Go-Betweens - Eight Pictures
All of which brings us to the debate over this week's winner, which comes down to two songs, both of which were initially identified by early bird The Swede. First, this...
The Byrds - Eight Miles High
Alyson: Yes, of all those mentioned it's got to be Eight Miles High for me too.
Swiss Adam: Eight Miles High but the Husker Du cover.
Hüsker Dü - Eight Miles High
C: Already mentioned but for me it's gotta be either Byrds or Husker Du, or both, with Eight Miles High.
What, no love for the Roxy Music version, guys?
Roxy Music - Eight Miles High
Leave it to Brian to find another version... one which I'm surprised The Swede didn't mention...
I will go along with Eight Miles High, but I'm going to throw the version by Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians into the mix. Terrific B-side to So You Think You're In Love.
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - Eight Miles High
But it did seem like Eight Miles High was going to walk away with the crown this week.
And then came The Swede's other big suggestion...
REM - Driver 8
Martin: Good call, Driver Eight by REM would be my nailed-on choice for this week.
Swiss Adam: R.E.M. from the 80s seem to be all over this end of the countdown don't they?
Perhaps not quite as many votes as The Byrds, but...
Driver 8 was one of the first pre-Green REM songs I really became aware of (apart from The One I Love, obviously). This was because one of my favourite comics of the late 80s / early 90s (Doom Patrol) which featured a minor character called Driver 8, and that brief reference made me go hunt down the song.
I saw a treehouse on the outskirts of the farm
The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won't get snagged
Bells are ringing through the town again
The children look up, all they hear is sky-blue, bells ringing
Next week... the most popular lucky number in the world.
We may be here some time.
7...
