Sunday 31 May 2020
Saturday Snapshots #138 - The Answers
That's Krysten Ritter, from Breaking Bad & Jessica Jones, two fine shows.
I have no puns... just answers!
10. Piano playing dog meets marvellous man at the end o' the road.
The piano playing dog on The Muppet Show was Ralph.
Stan Lee was a Marvel-ous man.
Ralph Stanley - O Death
Worth watching the video for a truly chilling live performance.
(That one made its was onto my Songs For Dead Heroes compilation.)
9. Romantic fullstop for feathered Shakespeare.
The feathered Shakespeare is a cross between bird and bard...
A fullstop is a period.
Dan Baird - I Love You, Period
You may know him better as the lead singer of the Georgia Satellites.
8. Moorland flowers explode like stars... just like Caine.
Heather goes nova.
Jules:
First I'm gonna deliver this case to Marcellus, then, basically, I'm just gonna walk the earth.
Vincent:
What'cha mean walk the earth?
Jules:
You know, like Caine in Kung Fu. Walk from place to place, meet people... get into adventures.
Heather Nova - Walk This World
7. What happens when Essex stops dreaming... flatulent warmongers.
David Essex sang about a Silver Dream Machine. Take the Dream from that and you get what a windy hawk (as in Hawks & Doves) might sing about...
Hawkwind - Silver Machine
6. Should a mother be so confident in her prowess?
Should a mother = Shall a ma?
Shalamar - I Can Make You Feel Good
Although half a mark to Charity Chic, because A Night To Remember would also fit the clue.
5. Shortened tyres preferred by drivers in motor city when chased by small Spanish wolf.
Michelin make tyres. Shorter = Mitch.
Motor City = Motown = Detroit.
A small Spanish wolf?
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Little Latin Lupe Lu
4. Shipwreck connected to disastrous backbone.
The tragic hipbone's connected to the disastrous backbone. Hear the word of the lord!
The Tragically Hip - Nautical Disaster
3. Taxi driver meets depressed meteorologist.
Travis Bickle was a Taxi Driver.
Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
2. Mythic ruse, honest.
Mythic ruse is an anagram. I am telling you the truth!
Eurythmics - Would I Lie To You?
1. Mentally fixated, like a Boy, Solo.
Boy George + Harrison (Han Solo) Ford...
I love this song and George is by far my favourite Beatle... but that is a truly awful video.
More next week!
Saturday 30 May 2020
Saturday Snapshots #138
It's the final weekend of our Department of the Peculiar kickstarter, so I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your suggestions about appropriate songs for dead singers to sing. The tracklist has now been finalised and will be included in the "Heroes" CD booklet which we're hoping will be included as a free gift to all backers, if we hit our stretch goal over the next couple of days... along with many of Rob's excellent Dead Hero illustrations (see above), as mentioned on 6Music this week (Mary Anne Hobbes was particularly fond of his Aretha Franklin).
I always feel weird promoting my own work - but that's probably why I never made it as a professional writer. The writing, I can handle... the hawking, less so much.
Anyway, should you be interested... or know anyone that might be, please direct them to our kickstarter page before Monday for full details.
Now on with the main business of the day. Identify ten top tunes and their performers from the clues below, please. It's been a couple of weeks since I set this quiz and I have to admit, I struggled to identify a few of these myself! Hopefully you'll have better luck...
10. Piano playing dog meets marvellous man at the end o' the road.
9. Romantic fullstop for feathered Shakespeare.
8. Moorland flowers explode like stars... just like Caine.
7. What happens when Essex stops dreaming... flatulent warmongers.
6. Should a mother be so confident in her prowess?
5. Shortened tyres preferred by drivers in motor city when chased by small Spanish wolf.
4. Shipwreck connected to disastrous backbone.
3. Taxi driver meets depressed meteorologist.
2. Mythic ruse, honest.
1. Mentally fixated, like a Boy, Solo.
Answers tomorrow!
Friday 29 May 2020
My Top Ten Hard Times Songs
Without realising he'd done it, Charity Chic threw down the gauntlet yesterday when he chose three fine songs about Hard Times.
Here's another ten... and I still had to leave out the Human League! Sorry, Brian. (I also had to leave out Kiss, but I imagine you'll be less upset by that.)
10. Run DMC - Hard Times
Gotta start with this one as it has the perfect opening lines...
Hard times spreading just like the flu
Watch out homeboy, don't let it catch you
9. Paul Simon - Love & Hard Times
One of those lyrics that only Paul Simon could get away with.
God and His only Son
Paid a courtesy call on Earth
One Sunday morning
Orange blossoms opened their fragrant lips
Songbirds sang from the tips of Cottonwoods
Old folks wept for His love in these hard times
"Well, we got to get going, " said the restless Lord to the Son
There are galaxies yet to be born
Creation is never done
Anyway, these people are slobs here
If we stay it's bound to be a mob scene
But, disappear, and it's love and hard times
8. Public Image Limited - Hard Times
The slogan will take you like lemmings to the cliff
You'll feel better than ever, and into the abyss
Every crack every crevice will be sanitised
There'll be no more war, there'll be no more choice
7. Jimmy Buffet - There's Nothing Soft About Hard Times
We never knew anything groovy.
A dime meant bread, and not a movie.
The muscles that control my smile were rarely ever used.
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times.
Last time I had a brand new hat
The people thought the world was flat
Time was I could sell all I grew at the shop
When Tesco's turned up all of that had to stop
Now I can't make a living out of my crop
Singing oh the hard times of old England
You're watchin' the news. It all looks bad.
The worst half-hour you ever had.
What in God's name is goin' on?
All I can do is play this song.
Hollywood lies piled up to the sky
Floating your way soon
Hope you like the rotten stench of doom
And everybody knows these are rock hard times
I gotta make it through
These are rock hard times
Written by Curtis Mayfield, but I prefer the Baby Huey version.
Eatin' Spam and Oreos and drinkin' Thunderbird baby
1. John Mellencamp - Hard Times For An Honest Man
From the times when John Mellencamp could do no wrong.
And he hates the cold-bloodedness
That runs inside
Thursday 28 May 2020
Positive Songs For Negative Times #20: More Time For Reading?
One thing I've become thoroughly sick of over the last few months is people telling me how much more time they have under lockdown to read books, catch up on Netflix box sets, or take up a new hobby. Whereas I've had less time than ever. Grrr.
Still, presumably all that free time people have been enjoying will soon come to an end seeing as the message from government appears now to be "do whatever the hell you like and sod everybody else". I understand Durham's very nice this time of year.
I would say let's not kick a man when he's down, but as Dominic Cummings appears to be a loathsome sociopath, and one of the key players in the destruction of Great Britain, I'd say let's keep kicking the bastard until he screams for mercy. And carry on after that, just to be on the safe side.
And he's not down anyway, is he? The supreme arrogance of this man. He refuses to take responsibility or show any kind of remorse. He's got senior politicians lying blatantly for him, and he's even got the BBC silencing its one truly unbiased reporter who dared to speak out against him by reflecting the mood of the nation. Just when I thought I couldn't find politics any more repugnant...
Never mind, eh? Here's a young man called Tom who's been using the lockdown to catch up on biographies of rock stars, loads of them, including John Lydon, Brix Smith... and... erm...
Last in the pile and reluctantly
There's Autobiography by Steven Patrick Morrissey
The grim first chapters of northern poetry
Give no real hint at the author's latent bigotry
The Smiths appeared on the 100th page
There's endless snide for Rough Trade
But it all goes wrong when he loses in court
He's been slated by everyone but his fans still support him
It's too much for Tom, he gives up, he's had his fill
Yes, he's Trump for daffodils, he thinks
But I still like Still Ill...
Lonely Tourist - Tom & The Library
Wednesday 27 May 2020
2020 Contenders: Andy Shauf
Imagine if Jens Lekman came from Canada, not Sweden.
Say hello to Andy Shauf, with his new album, Neon Skyline. It's rather good.
Somewhere between drunkenness and charity
She puts her hand on the sleeve of my coat
She says, "I've missed this"
I say, "I know, I've missed you, too"
She says, "I was actually talking about your coat."
She makes me laugh oh, how she makes me laugh
I just let my head sink down and fake some deep sobs
Tuesday 26 May 2020
Hot 100 #7
I realise there were a bunch of other 7 bands I could have chosen to illustrate what's shaping up to be the biggest edition of this countdown to date. Bands like...
L7 - Pretend We're Dead
School of Seven Bells - Signals
The Temperance Seven - You're Driving Me Crazy
RF7 - Day At The Crisis
The Galileo Seven - Cruel Bird
Sirens of 7th Avenue - Shine On
And, of course...
Seventh Avenue - Love's Gone Mad
(I've never heard of them before either, but Jim in Dubai is a fan. I honestly had to check the lead singer wasn't a young Simon Cowell.)
However, I always had a lot of time for Shed Seven, or "what Oasis might have been if they hadn't been a bunch of absolute Aresholes" as I like to think of them. They put out a bunch of cracking Britpop singles, never took themselves too seriously, and always put on a good live show.
Here's a Positive Song For Negative Times from them...
Shed Seven - Getting Better
And now on with the show, which will, by necessity, be a lot of your tunes and very little of me talking this week, if I'm to have a cat in hell's chance of getting through all the 7 songs you suggested.
(Update: well, that didn't happen, did it?)
At least The Swede got his artists and titles the right way around this week...
Day off today and up late, yet still the first one in!
I know, it's like they all have better things to do first thing on a Tuesday morning, isn't it? But what could be better than this? Anyway, on you go, Swede...
Winston Wright & the Soul Kings - The Magnificent Seven
Pharoah Sanders - Seven by Seven
Owen Gray - Seven Lonely Days
I like that.
Can - Seven Days Awake
That... not so much.
Bob Dylan - Seven Days
The Hippy Boys - Seven Heaven
Wah! Heat - Seven Minutes to Midnight
The Soft Machine - And Sevens
Couldn't find that, so here's a cut from their album Seven...
Soft Machine - Bettle Bed
Baba Brooks - Seven Guns Alive
Nic Jones - Seven Yellow Gypsies
Pye Corner Audio - The Seventh Labyrinth
Appendix Out - The Seven Windows
I've got to say: Appendix Out... not a great name for a band. An impossible to google search too.
Hawkwind - Seven by Seven
Egg - Seven is a Jolly Good Time
Lynchie recalled: I met the prog rock band Egg at a bed & breakfast place in Dundee sometime around 1970 if memory serves me well. Can't say I was a fan.
George wondered: Of Dundee or Egg?
Lynchie replied: Both!
I used to write ads for the radio station in Dundee. Never got the opportunity to visit.
Ballroom - Seven's a Secret
They've been listening to a lot of Suede.
Niagara - Dance in Seven
Nope. Anyone else think The Swede is just making 'em up now to tax me?
Chuck Wood - Seven Days Too Long
At last! One I have in my library. Although I did get this version first...
Dexys Midnight Runners - Seven Days Too Long
Miles Davis - Seven Steps to Heaven
Culture - Two Sevens Clash
Big Blood - Mouth in Seven Tongues
Another one that turned up some particular unpleasant youtube searches.
Chris Squire - Lucky Seven
Moon Duo - Sevens
Return to Forever - Beyond the Seventh Galaxy
Scott Walker - The Seventh Seal
Liz Phair - Dance of the Seven Veils
Yeah, I had to listen to that one a couple of times. Sigh.
Derrick Morgan - Seven Letters
Brian Eno - Seven Deadly Finns
The Soul Rhythms - Round Seven
Another made up one.
Causi Sui - Seven Hills
The Clash - Magnificent Seven
A lot of people thought that was going to be a shoe-in this week. Sorry about that.
David Bowie - Seven Years in Tibet
I kinda liked Earthling at the time. More than I should have done. But what about this...?
David Bowie - Seven
Don Drummond & The Tommy McCook Band - Lucky Seven
I could only find the Skatalites version. Hope that'll do ya.
The Skatalites - Lucky Seven
Love - 7 and 7 Is
Now that... that was a strong contender. Oop ip ip, oop ip ip, yeah!
Richard Thompson - Seven Brothers
Larry Coryell's 11th House - Seven Secrets
OK, well, I guess that's it for this week. Join me again next Tuesday when we move onto #6 on the countdown and...
What?
Other people have suggestions?
You mean The Swede didn't cover everything?
Blimey.
Has the Swede left us any? pondered Charity Chic, before offering up the following...
Steve Young - Seven Bridges Road
(Alyson recalled the version by The Eagles.)
White Stripes - Seven Nation Army - surprised the Swede missed that one
Me too. That's a very strong contender.
Desmond Dekker - 007 (Shanty Town)
And how could we forget...
The Goombay Dance Band - Seven Tears
No matter how hard we try to! said C.
Confession time: I had forgotten that.
Confession two: listening to it made me feel like a boy again.
God, I think The Swede has nailed this down, said Martin. Before coming up with his own list almost as long as The Swede's.
Sting - Seven Days (to irk the musos, right?)
I feel myself turning muso.
Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry - Seven Seconds (might be in with a shout)
Well, it's definitely the best thing Neneh Cherry ever put her name to.
Oh wait, here's Alyson again...
My pick would be Youssou N'Dour/Neneh Cherry though with 7 Seconds as wrote about it recently so found out so much more of the back story - Again, don't include this bit, but here is a cut and paste:
Sorry Alyson, I need something to break up the endless list, so you're subbed.
'7 Seconds is apparently about the first positive 7 seconds in the life of a newborn child, a child who does not know about the problems and violence in our world. Three different languages were used in the song: English, French and Wolof, which is a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania.'
See. That was far more interesting than just another boring list, wasn't it?
Speaking of which... back to Martin:
ABC - Seven Day Weekend
Now it turns out... sorry to interrupt again, Martin... that there are quite a few songs with this title. As supplied by Douglas...
Grace Jones--7 Day Weekend (different)
Foghat--Seven Day Weekend (yep, different)
Gary US Bonds--Seven Day Weekend (uh-huh, different)
Elvis Costello and Jimmy Cliff - Seven-Day Weekend (okay, that one's a cover)
You sure about that, Douglas? My research says it was written by Elvis & Jimmy. And I pulled the Deluxe Edition of Blood & Chocolate off the shelf to check. That would have been my choice, anyway.
Sorry, Martin. You were saying...
The Four Tops - Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)
A fine track... but is it really the most obvious Four Tops 7?
No, it isn't, is it, Alyson?
The Four Tops - Seven Rooms of Gloom
Shivers. Spine. That would be in my Top Ten.
Any chance we could just let Martin finish?
John Entwistle - Cell Number Seven
That's all kinds of wrong. I like it.
They Might Be Giants - Seven
Florence & The Machine - Seven Devils
Nirvana - D-7
Bruce Springsteen - Seven Angels
That's an out-take. That's an out-take! Other bands would base their whole careers on the songs Bruce deems unworthy of release.
Frank Black - Seven Days
See, Sting? That's how you do it.
Graham Coxon - Seven Naked Valleys
Patti Smith - Seven Ways of Going
The Travelling Wilburys - Seven Deadly Sins
REM - 7 Chinese Bros
Could you do an entire REM numbers countdown?
Probably. But not this week.
Over to Swiss Adam...
REM, obvs
Obvs.
Andrew Weatherall - Let's Do The Seven Again (a tale of heroic failure and circus acrobats)
Thank you. I like that a lot. Is he actually singing on that or has he drafted in guest vocalists?
Dion - The Seventh Son
Class.
Cola Boy - Seven ways To Love
Eric B and Rakim - Paid in Full (Seven Minutes of Madness Mix) a minute less than DSK
Swiss Adam also seconded a bunch of The Swede's suggestions, which you may remember from about three weeks ago when you started reading this post.
C, meanwhile, worried that all the good ones had gone, until...
Oh, got one, I think?!
The Wipers: D7
The original, not the Nirvana cover. I really loved the Wipers.
(I should have filed that after Martin's suggestion, but frankly it's about 11.45 on Sunday night and I'm not even half way through these yet.)
One more.
Elbow - Seven Veils
I have a lot of time for Guy Garvey, but I know I didn't spend enough time on that last album. That's lovely.
Alyson, meanwhile, is still worrying about appearing cool. Listen, Alyson, Martin proudly suggested Sting, so you've got nothing to worry about!
My hard drive obviously comes from Planet Uncool as very little overlap with the above choices at all. Other than Love and Youssou N'Dour, I have the following:
Madness - Return of the Los Palmos 7
Craig David - 7 Days
And on the 7th day, just like God before him, Craig David chilled.
James - Seven
That would have been in my list too.
Simon & Garfunkel - Seven O'clock News/Silent Night (Vietnam War era news bulletin in the background)
And I listen to that repeatedly, every Christmas.
Pretty sure I'm going to irk a lot of musos with that lot.
Like I said, Martin too that crown this week. And it's not like you suggested Ken Dodd again, is it?
And, as a 7 band, my hard drive is littered with material by those giants of pre-teen pop S Club 7 as my daughter was just the right age for them at the turn of the millennium.
S Club 7 - Reach
Why is it I feel strangely nostalgic for that? This lockdown really is getting to me.
Now I know what you're all wondering: Where's George this week?
Wonder no more...
Has Moon Mullican's "seven nights to rock" been mentioned? (a song covered by BR549)?
I'm not sure, George. I'm not sure I can check through The Swede's list again. Apologies for any repeats this week.
Moon Mullican - Seven Nights To Rock
BR5-49 - Seven Nights To Rock
And let's not forget this version, recalled by Jim in Dubai...
Nick Lowe - 7 Nights To Rock
Or even this...
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Seven Nights To Rock
And Willie Mabon "7th son", a rhythm and blues song written by Willie Dixon?
Willie Mabon -7th Son
That's the original of Swiss Adam's Dion suggestion then, is it?
That does. however, lead very nicely into Rigid Digit's Top Choice this week...
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Surprised not already been mentioned:
Queen - Seven Seas Of Rhye
I'm kinda not surprised, but it was near the top of my list. I mean, listen to that intro!
And while we're here...
Queen - In Only Seven Days
Back to RD, who was also surprised nobody had suggested this...
Fleetwood Mac - Seven Wonders
Watch that video and you just know it was recorded on a day when they'd all fallen out with each other (even more than usual).
Others:
Seven Months - Portishead
Why are you doing them that way round, RD? Just when I trained The Swede to go artist first. Og, I don't have the energy to swap them round anymore...
(That Portishead song sounds like Shirley Bassey in The Twilight Zone.)
Seven Years - Norah Jones
Seven - Megadeth
From Norah Jones to Megadeth. Much respect.
777 - Danzig
Seven High - Damon Albarn
Bring back Danzig.
Seven Shades Of Nothing - Babyshambles
Here, Danzig, Danzig, Danzig! Come on, boy!
Seven Walls - Gaz Coombes
Tom Robinson Rule?
4st 7lp - Manics
3s and 7s - Queens Of The Stone Age
Thank you for reminding everyone of the Tom Robinson Rule.
Now back to Jim in Dubai...
Echo & The Bunnymen - Seven Seas
Surprised that hasn't come up yet.
Graham Fellows (Or Jilted John as some people may know him better as) - Seven Pints & a Suicide
Or John Shuttleworth, adds Rigid Digit, a truly right thinking man if ever there was one. Who else could impart the panic and shock of opening the fridge and findings two margarines on the go.
Chew Lips - Seven
Positive Noise - Waiting for the Seventh Man
Revenge - 7 Reasons
Swiss Adams likes that one...
I woke up this morning with the riff from 7 Reasons by Revenge running in my head, the best New Order song not by New order.
Okay, this time I am still late, and despite the whopper load of songs already listed, I see there are a few left to nab! I would of course have taken R.E.M, myself, but on the philosophy that they can't win two weeks in a row (can they?) I am glad my second favourite choice of all 7 songs is still available, so here goes:
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Sailing On The Seven Seas
Good call.
Duran Duran - The Seventh Stranger (which naturally counts double becasue
it is from the album "Seven and the Ragged Tiger")
Oh, in that case we have a winner!
Maybe not.
Cinerama - 7x
More like it. Mr. Gedge has far more chance around here than Mr. LeBon.
Audience--Seven Sore Bruises
That actually has featured here before, even though it's not the far superior Sophie Ellis Bextor band. Unfortunately, the version on youtube appears to have been hacked by the Russians, possibly as a revenge attack for The Scorpions. (See Sunday's post if you don't know what I mean. Do keep up.)
(Speaking of Ms. Ellis-Bextor... this was obviously a b-side...
Theaudience - The Last Seven Minutes With You)
Feeder - Seven Days In The Sun
Animals That Swim - Seven Days
Points for that. Great album.
Cracker - Seven Days (a different song, of course)
Kenney Chesney - Seven Days (... different still)
...and yet, still better than Sting.
Are we done yet? Of course not! Here's Brian...
Boy, talk about left with the scraps! I was going to wow you with Wah! Heat's Seven Minutes To Midnight,and that has already been mentioned at least twice! All of the best ones are taken, and even most of my songs from the B squad are already here. Time for the C squad:
The Apples in Stereo - 7 Stars
Me and Dean Martin - 7 Compton Street
Wow. They listened to a lot of The Smiths, didn't they?
Andy Pawlak - Seven Days
The Holidaymakers - Seventh Valley Girl
Never heard of them before, but I reckon Colin Meloy might be a fan.
Elvis Costello - Seven o'clock (Demo)
A precursor to Luxembourg. I do have that somewhere, but don't have the energy to upload it now.
The Clientele - Carnival on Seventh Street
Velocity Girl - Seven Seas (Echo & the Bunnymen cover that's well done)
Vocals a little too low in the mix for me. I'll stick with Mac.
Strawberry Switchblade - Dark 7
The Ocean Blue - F Major 7
...And my album pick is Roddy Frame with Seven Dials. Beware of the term 7" version/mix when you search through your archive! Ugh.
I hope this is the right one, Brian...
Roddy Frame - Seven Dials
And finally comes Alyson, with some sage advice...
Think you're going to have to trim this list down, probably...
I'm trying to avoid trimming at this late stage... much as I may live to regret that decision in the remaining weeks.
...but as is tradition I will throw in an oldie for sake of completeness:
Paul Evans - Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat
(definitely not the Bombarulina version.)
I'm glad you said that. I can go right off people.
To be fair though, it's not a patch on this...
Paul Evans - Hello, This Is Joannie
I'm guessing that's a different Paul Evans, though I stand to be corrected.
Good luck with getting through that little lot above (no pressure remember to deliver every week).
Good job too, considering how I failed to get through all this last week.
All of which leaves me with only the scrapings from my own hard-drive... but I may whittle that list down a little for my sanity this week. Lots of 7" mixes I had to skip past while searching through these.
Inspiral Carpets - Well Of Seven Heads
John Martyn - Seven Black Roses
The Teardrop Explodes - Seven Views of Jerusalem
Van Halen - The Seventh Seal
Lew Lewis Reformer - Lucky Seven
Philip Jeays - Seven Signs Of Ageing (Top Mid-Life Crisis Song alert!)
The Boo Radleys - Martin, Doom! It's Seven O'Clock
Uriah Heap - Seven Stars
The Blue Nile - Seven a.m.
The Broken Family Band - Seven Sisters
The Indelicates - A Book of the Seven Seals
The Undertones - Soul Seven
Willie Nelson & Ray Charles - Seven Spanish Angels
Trembling Bells - Seven Years A Teardrop
Laura Viers - Seven Falls
Barry Manilow - Seven More Years
The Walkmen - Seven Years of Holidays (for Stretch)
dEus - 7 Days, 7 Weeks
The Quireboys - 7 O'Clock
The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Seven Steps
Jens Lekman - Tram #7 To Heaven
John Doe - 7 Holes
However... when I began this countdown, approximately 77 years ago, I knew immediately what number 7 would be on the Hot 100. Just as I've known all along what #1 will be.
Looking up at the list above me now, I can see a number of tracks I might pick instead of this one... some truly excellent tunes that I couldn't be without. But this is what I'm going with, as suggested by The Swede, because... erm... I don't really know why. But it's Prince, and that'll do nicely.
Plus the video is absolutely bonkers...
Only half a dozen to go. And so, as George once sang... I Want Your Six!
Labels:
ABC,
Bruce Springsteen,
Cinerama,
Clash,
David Bowie,
Dexys Midnight Runners,
Four Tops,
Hot 100,
James,
Liz Phair,
Prince,
Queen,
REM,
Roddy Frame,
Scott Walker,
Shed Seven,
The Mighty Wah!
Monday 25 May 2020
Neverending Top Ten #3.2: Stuck With You
Stuck With You is probably my least favourite song from one of my favourite albums of the 80s. Although it was the second biggest chart hit for Huey Lewis & The News in the UK (and their only other song, besides The Power Of Love, to crack the Top 20... something I now find astonishing), I always thought the video erred on the side of cheesy and the rest of the album somehow seems a step above. I know why it was a hit - it's a sweet little lovesong, and I don't actively dislike it... I just forget it when listing my favourite Huey songs, an activity which takes up more of my time than you'd probably think healthy.
All that said, the track took a severe leap up the rankings this weekend when it popped up on a mix we were listening to while Sam and I sat playing games at the kitchen table.
"Was this wrote in 2020, Daddy? Because it sounds like it's about the Coronavirus."
You know what, pal? I'm happy to be stuck with you too...
Plus, the video is a lot funnier than I remembered.
Sunday 24 May 2020
Saturday Snapshots #137 - The Answers
I can't even spell Gina Lollobrigida, let alone make up any Snapshot-related puns about her.
I do know a song about her though.
Anyway, here are this week's answers. Thanks for playing, as always.
10. Wolves eat most of a baby deer, swapping pronoun for article.
Wolves are Los Lobos.
Bambi was the baby deer, with I swapped for A.
Los Lobos - La Bamba
9. It's tidier than all the other rooms in the hospital - don't knock it!
A neater ward?
I'll be here all this week.
Anita Ward - Ring My Bell
8. Bridge game disrupted by friend of a friend of King of Creation.
Pooh Sticks is a game you play with Eeyore and Tigger.
Alan McGee was the head of Creation Records.
Pooh Sticks - Alan McGee
(Or, to give it its full title, as Brian did: I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well.)
7. Coins on the breeze really sting.
I was reading an article the other week about how this record was secretly written by the CIA as a way of further destabalising the Soviet Union prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The lead singer of The Scorpions denies this, but then he would, wouldn't he?
The Scorpions - Wind of Change
(If you hated this at the time, I promise you it hasn't got any better.)
6. Larger chaps required for blurry dreamers.
A hazy fantasy required bigger trousers for the cowboy king...
Haysi Fantayzee - John Wayne Is Big Leggy
That song's a lot ruder than you realised at the time.
5. Ocean spray for the Evil Dead.
Ocean Spray make Cranberry Juice, my soft drink of choice.
The Evil Dead were zombies.
Cranberries - Zombie
4. I am not a deviant - and neither is my redheaded ghost bride.
Take the I from deviant and you get Devant. With his Spirit Wife. Who is Ginger. (Like the biscuits they're eating.)
No, really.
David Devant & His Spirit Wife - Ginger
3. Evil wino Jonathan moves to rosebud house.
"Evil wino Jonathan" is a fine anagram.
Rosebud was the sledge opened by Citizen Kane, who lived in Xanadu. (Spoilers, Rol!)
Olivia Newton John - Xanadu
I missed an opportunity with this clue. I should have used Evil wino Jonathan is welcomed to the Pleasuredome. ("In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree...")
That's how you make a music video. Although, frankly, I'd have watched it if was just Olivia.
2. #6 knighted - amazing!
#6 featured John Wayne: The Duke. Give him a knighthood and he'd become a Sir.
What a wonder!
Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
Happy 70th birthday to Little Stevie.
1. Soup strung up over Kansas.
137 editions - that's how long it took me to get to my all time favourite song!
Campbells make soup.
Wichita is in Kansas.
Etc. Etc.
And I need you more than want you
And I want you for all time...
Keep driving that main road until next Saturday, then come back here for more Snapshots.
Saturday 23 May 2020
Saturday Snapshots #137
I make no apologies for the fact that this is the fourth time Debbie Harry has appeared as the opening image on Saturday Snapshots. I just keep finding different pictures of her posing with a camera. And I swear I only spend three or four hours a week looking.
Anyway, here are this week's posers. You know the deal by now. Don't get Union City Blue if you can't guess them all...
10. Wolves eat most of a baby deer, swapping pronoun for article.
9. It's tidier than all the other rooms in the hospital - don't knock it!
8. Bridge game disrupted by friend of a friend of King of Creation.
7. Coins on the breeze really sting.
6. Larger chaps required for blurry dreamers.
5. Ocean spray for the Evil Dead.
4. I am not a deviant - and neither is my redheaded ghost bride.
3. Evil wino Jonathan moves to rosebud house.
2. #6 knighted - amazing!
1. Soup strung up over Kansas.
If you're thinking I Know But I Don't Know... the answers will be here to put your mind at rest tomorrow.
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