Tuesday 3 November 2020

Name That Tune: Our Top Ten Donna Songs

 


Just as we had a band called The Bens for our Top Ten Ben Songs, The Donnas were an obvious choice to open this week's post... although there is a far more famous Donna who we come to shortly.

I think that there is also a band called The Donnas, said Charity Chic, who was in a huff because I sided with George last week. 

Please please please include all girl band The Donnas with the wonderfully dirty glorious 'Take It Off', said C.

I agree with C, The Donnas are ace, said Swiss Adam.

Even my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, was quick to chime in that I should feature the great Aussie garage band, The Donnas...

I haven't the heart to tell him they're American. He gets upset if you challenge his youthful wisdom.  (It's OK, he doesn't read this. He's far too busy. He votes by proxy.)

Anyway, here they are, with one of many fine tunes from their back catalogue...

The Donnas - Take It Off

Althea and Donna! Charity Chic adds, clearly over his huff, to the point that he had to shout it twice. 

Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking

There's no denying that's a fine tune and ting, though I have a large soft spot for this version...

Black Box Recorder - Uptown Top Ranking


There were less suggestions this week because there are less songs featuring Donnas. I'm not saying I engineered it that way to cut down on my workload... but if we do My Top Ten Eammon Songs next week... well...

Still, there were a few strong suggestions that didn't quite make the Top Ten. Such as this one from Lynchie...

Frank Zappa had a song called "Donna Ya Wanna", but it's very rare - only on live bootlegs I think.

Sadly so rare I couldn't find it on youtube. Although it did suggest this fine slice of Zappa as an alternative...

Frank Zappa - Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me

And this one from my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, which is fine, but obviously far too young and hip for my ageing lug-holes.

Vince Staples - Prima Donna 

One of the best mainstream hip hop releases of the second half of the 2010s, says our man with yoof on his side.

On a similar trip, there were these...

Cass McCombs - Prima Donna (also from Ben)

Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Love's A Prima Donna (from Rigid Digit)

Uriah Heep - Prima Donna (from me, unashamedly)

Dion - Donna The Prima Donna (also from me)

Inkubus Sukkubus - Belladonna & Aconite (no idea where that came from)

It's worth noting that at this point I considered allowing songs with Madonna in the title, but it opened up a whole kettle of fish and I wondered how I'd manage to make ends meet. But still, there was this...

Robyn Hitchcock - Madonna of the Wasps

And this, obviously...

T-Rex - Mad Donna

All of which leaves the following scrapings from my hard drive this week...

Art of Noise - (Do) Donna (Do)

The Blues Busters - DonnaBob Marley & The Wailers - Donna

Too Much Joy - Donna Everywhere

Definitely worth a listen if you like chunky guitars.

The Everly Brothers - Donna, Donna

Waylon Jennings - Donna On My Mind

DeBarge - Who's Holding Donna Now

The frightening thing is, I actually remember that.

The Lumineers - Donna (Part 1 Of 10)

And it's worth mentioning this, I suppose, even though it's not actually about a Donna...

Paul Young & Zucchero - Senza Una Donna

As for lyrical Donnas...

The Kinks - Afternoon Tea

Tea time won't be the same without my Donna
At night I lie awake and dream of Donna
I think about that small cafe
That's where we used to meet each day
And then we used to sit a while
And drink our afternoon tea


OK, time for the Top Ten...


10. Donovan - Donna Donna

Suggested by Lynchie. I have to wonder why Donovan would want to go out with another Donna though. Too confusing. It'd be like me going out with a Rolamina.

Rigid Digit and my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, preferred this version...

Joan Baez - Donna Donna

When you dig a little deeper though, you discover it's not a song about a girl at all, but an old Yiddish song from the 1940s about a calf being led to slaughter.

The Marty Eisenstein Ensamble - Dona Dona (Yiddish, Hebrew & English)

9. The Demilles - Donna Lee

Classic doo wop.

8. Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna

A deadly side-track suggestion from Rigid Digit, though Stevie's always worth a listen. This also led me to dredge out...

The Avett Brothers - Bella Donna

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Belladonna

7. Go Kart Mozart - Donna & The Dopefiends

There's a sense of hostile futile misery
They say the devil's got the best tuunes
I guess it's kind of true
And if you want some proof...
Hey Donna come on

See also...

Nazareth - Donna, Get Off That Crack

Donna has a nine year old kid
In another months time she's expecting twins
She says she can quit anytime she likes
But I know she's on a mission tonight
Donna get off that crack says the sign on the third floor flat
Donna get off that crack just say no get your life back
Don't pay no bills don't pay the rent
But you don't forget where the money went
And who will you turn to when the money's all gone
You'll wonder why, why you were born

I wish that was a Flight of the Conchords piss-take. But I think they're serious. My millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, objects to that because he says it's "classist", which I didn't even know was a word. But I guess you can see his point.

6. Pixies - On Graveyard Hill

From last year's Pixies album, Beneath The Eyrie, which I ended up listening to quite a lot during the first lockdown. Not the kind of Donna you want to meet on Halloween...

And when the moon grows smaller
Donna picks out a flower
Gives her a witchy power
There in the witching hour, in the witching hour
Donna's taking her potion, eating all my devotion
Fucking up my emotion, in the witching hour
Donna picks her a flower, in the witching hour 

5. Ritchie Valens - Oh Donna

Suggested by Lynchie... and my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, who adds, the two best versions are the ones by The Misfits and Miles Davis.

The Misfits - Oh Donna

Miles Davis - Oh Donna 

I had to tell him off for name-dropping Miles Davis just to sound cool. 

So he gave me this instead...

MxPx - Oh Donna

4. Badly Drawn Boy - Donna And Blitzen

I reckon it's close enough to Christmas to sneak this in.

What do you mean they cancelled Christmas this year!?

3. 10cc - Donna

A song about a kebab, says Rigid Digit.

10cc is the 70s version of Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman releasing a grime album, says my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben.

Which was almost enough to get them to Number One in my book.  

2. Prefab Sprout - Donna Summer

Speaking of Donna Summer, said Brian, here's early Paddy that goes back to at least '84...

Which gets you almost top marks as far as I'm concerned, Brian, and allows me to pay proper tribute to the lady many of you expected to be at the top of the page...


Obvs a picture of Donna Summer is required, said Charity Chic... although he loses points for saying "obvs".

As does Swiss Adam...

Donna Summer, obvs - I Feel Love for starters and State Of Independence is always one that does it for me.

Come on, guys, you're both grown men - you're both older than me, for pity's sake! Leave "obvs" to the young uns, eh?

Anyway, here's Donna Summer with a song written specially for her by Bruce Springsteen (who also wrote Cover Me with her in mind, until Jon Landau convinced him to keep it for himself)...

Donna Summer - Protection

And here... here's a song in which Donna Summer actually mentions her own name! That's got to take the prize this week.

1. Donna Summer - My Man (Medley)

A medley of Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Shelton Brooks, live, produced by Giorgio Moroder, with the final track reworded eponymously...

Some of these days
You're gonna miss your Donna!



NEXT WEEK: OUR TOP TEN 
EDWARD / ED / EDDIE SONGS

Your suggestions, as always, make this feature happen. 



18 comments:

  1. Heinz - Just like Eddie
    Stray Cats - Gene and Eddie
    And a picture of Eddie Cochran obviously (I've learnt my lesson)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'll obv(iou)s(ly) go for

    Sleeper - Nice Guy Eddie

    and not just because I'd listen to Louise sing the phone book ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Is Ted allowed? If so, I'd go for "Big Ted" by The Incredible String Band (best song ever about a pig!)

    There's a band (music collective) called Principal Edwards Magic Theatre

    ReplyDelete
  4. The obvious band is Edward Sharp and The Magentic Zeros, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  5. .and obviously, thankfully, Eddi Reader is not allowed, not fitting your three categories

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pixies Ed Is Dead
    The Fall Ed's Babe

    And for an Edward artist, Edward Barton and It's A Fine Day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm always too late here nowadays so will get in quick with a name-check. Brenda and Eddie - Scenes From An Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mentioned this pair when we were looking at Charles.

    Charles and Eddie.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If you're allowing Teddy as well, then here's a sweet song: 'The Ballad of Marmalade Emma and Teddy Grimes' by Hard Meat, and I can even give you a little background to the story too...
    https://sundriedsparrows.blogspot.com/2011/05/marmalade-emma-and-teddy-grimes.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh and there's 'Eddie & Sheena' by Wayne County & The Electric Chairs - one of the first bands I ever saw down at our little local club when I was 14 (Wayne was quite something to behold, especially in 1978) and they gave everyone a free Eddie & Sheena badge at the door - soon to be defiantly pinned to my school blazer of course!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Isn't Teddy short for Theodore?

    Anyway, I'm not allowing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's both but yes, good idea to disallow, I think this is already going to be a long list...

      Delete
  12. Weird Al Yankovic - My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder

    Iron Maiden's omnipresent/ever changing mascot is called Eddie. He has given his name to a Maiden-based video game and a compilation album (both titled Ed Hunter)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Missed the competition last so I am back with

    Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues
    Tom Waits - Poor Edward
    Small Faces - Eddie's Dreaming
    Latin Quarter - Eddie
    The Notorious BIG - Three Bricks:
    My work is move trays, serve 'em up like gourmet dinners
    When it comes to cuttin that (coke), who got the best trimmers
    Edward Scissorhands them grams, (niggaz) respect winners
    I got them big spenders comin through, hourly

    Beastie Boys - 3 the hard way
    Fresh dressed 'cause I shop at Models
    Deep in Brooklyn I rode the Ls
    Used to ride the D to beat the morning bell
    At Edward R. Morrow out on Avenue L

    The Jam - Private Hell
    Think of Emma wonder what she's doing
    Her husband terry and your grandchildren
    Think of Edward who's still at college
    You send him letters which he doesn't acknowledge
    cause he don't care
    They don't care
    cause they're all going through their own private hell

    The Smiths - Suffer Little Children
    Edward, see those alluring lights ?
    Tonight will be your very last night

    Sparks . In My Family
    There you got your Rockefeller
    There you got your Edward Teller
    J. Paul Getty is a splendid fellow, but
    None of them would be in my family

    TV Personalities - Bright Sunny Smiles
    There's me and there's Edward, there's Joe and there's Mark
    We play in the garden and we stay out till dark
    And we've all got bright sunny smiles

    Bruce Springsteen - Meeting Across The River
    Hey Eddie, can you lend me a few bucks
    Tonight can you get us a ride
    Gotta make it through the tunnel
    Got a meeting with a man on the other side

    Leo Sayer - Moonlightnin'
    His blue Morris van is parked in an alley
    Just by Montague street
    His friend Eddie he did the respray
    So he couldn't drive it all last week
    And it cost most of the money
    That he had saved up
    To pay Eddie's receipt
    But he figures it's worth it
    Cause the disguise is a must
    When they go missing
    They're gonna look for the van first
    She whispers slowly "it'll be alright"
    I took some cash from my building society
    And my monthly check came in just right
    If only they knew they weren't giving it away

    And if it's allowed: Ed fROMOHIO, singer and guitarist of fIREHOSE and Sometimes

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have a few from my ipod i can add this week.

    Ed's Funky Dinner - It's Immaterial (One of my fav songs, love it)
    Eddie Don't Like Furniture - John Hegley (more a poet than a singer)
    Eddie Lopez Lives in Slough - Nine Steps to Ugly
    Edie (Ciao Baby) - The Cult (Does this count ?)
    Edward Fox - Smack
    Edward Never Lies - The Medium

    ReplyDelete
  15. Just one to put forward for your consideration, to prevent the lost from getting out of hand: the always delightful Lucksmiths with the song "Edward, Sandwich Hand". Delightful wordplay and a whistling riff to hook you into the chorus.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...