Kylie Minogue featured in Saturday's quiz with the obvious selection of Kylie's Got A Crush On Us by BMX Bandits. I've probably confessed before to the fact that I bought Kylie's debut single back in 1988 even though I knew it wasn't very good. I was 16, Neighbours was on the TV every night when I got home from school, and Kylie was cool... even despite the insipid Stock Aitken Waterman production. I still think she's cool now - and should be praised for her longevity (Christmas Number One last year!).
Anyway, BMX Bandits wasn't my only choice for songs honouring Ms. Minogue. I could also have gone with this...
Another female pop diva whose records I obsessed over as a teen was Whitney. I'd still rate her second album as a pure pop classic. Then again, I've always been pretty insecure about voicing such things...
Janet Jackson, meanwhile, may be tainted by her brother's reputation... and that "shocking" incident at the Superbowl which got her cancelled for a time, while Justin Timberlake's reputation only soared. Sexist hypocrisy?
But it's back to the pop stars of our youth to close... and here's another lady who's it always been OK to admit to liking. My cool points remain intact.
Once again, the finger pointed firmly in the direction of our brains, and I immediately figured our old friend the amygdala might be responsible. However, it turns out there’s another suspect in the frame: the hypothalamus!
The hypothalamus is a tiny little blob of gunk deep within our brain which takes charge of our heart rate, body temperature, hunger, and the sleep-wake cycle. It does a bunch of other jobs too, notably mucking about with our social behaviour – including sex-drive and aggression. How does it do this? By releasing hormones! And which hormone is responsible for our obsession with what other people think of us? Dopamine.
Last week, we closed with a quote about “externalising our self-worth”: in other words, seeing ourselves as others see us. Take Tiberius – when someone smiles at him, even a stranger, he feels a little better about his day. If a colleague or peer compliments him on his work or tells him he’s doing a good job, it makes him happy. And if someone reads his blog or leaves a nice comment… well, it’s cartwheels time! Because every time one of those things happens, the hypothalamus in Tiberius’s brain releases dopamine… the “feel good hormone”… the “happy hormone”… the “pleasure hormone”. You’ll find many similar sobriquets applied to dopamine online. Because dopamine is also the hormone that’s released when we eat, have sex, and take drugs… anything that feels good. (Even if it's bad for us.)
Anything that gives you pleasure will trigger the release of dopamine. This can range from a fun activity you enjoy, like dancing or cooking, to sex, shopping, and even certain drugs. Dopamine activates the reward pathway in the brain, leading you to desire these activities more. For this reason, dopamine can play a role in addiction.
For example… if being smiled at by a stranger gives Tiberius a mini dopamine hit, why doesn’t he go out of his way to be nicer to strangers? Or... does he pick and choose which strangers he would rather be nice to, because, frankly, their smiles are worth more to him? Other factors outweigh the dopamine hit in certain circumstances. A smile from a little old lady in the supermarket who’s asked Tiberius to reach for a tin on the top shelf… that’s worth it. But he’s still not going to wave at that Audi driver and let him pull out, even if the Audi driver might smile back… is that because Tiberius believes the Audi driver won’t smile back, or does he get more of a dopamine hit by denying the Audi driver, by causing him a little inconvenience? There are, I presume, certain circumstances where being mean will grant you more of a hit than being nice? It all depends on who you’re interacting with in any particular moment.
Speaking for myself, rather than Tiberius, I can report a recent incident when I was on the motorway, driving at the speed limit in the fast lane, with an Audi driver behind me, far too close, desperate to get past. When it was eventually safe to pull back into the middle lane, I did so. My hands remained at ten to two on the steering wheel, but I carefully extended the middle finger of my right hand as the Audi accelerated past. Up ahead now, the Audi swerved erratically as he opened his own car window and raised his own hand / fist / finger up into the air in a furious gesture of aggression. And then he was gone. But the fact that he’d clearly noticed my subtle bird flipping, and that it had aggravated him so very much... this gave me a much greater dopamine rush than any stranger’s smile could have done. Call me petty, but I was buzzing on that for the rest of the day.
The world needs people like you and me Who've been knocked around by fate 'Cause when people see us They don't wanna be us And that makes them feel great
Going back to Tiberius, I’m sure that positive feedback from his colleagues – and the feel good hormones released as a result – encourage him to keep trying his best in the workplace. It’s interesting to note that some scientists believe a shortage of dopamine might be responsible for all manner of medical and psychological complaints, from autism to Parkinson’s, but that you can boost your dopamine by eating more protein (because that’s what it’s made from, apparently). Another reason to keep chomping brazil nuts… if I needed one. Better yet, Healthline tells us...
Listening to music can be a fun way to stimulate dopamine release in your brain.
Next week, we’ll talk about one of the biggest dopamine boosters on the planet – and, as a result, one of the most addictive drugs you will ever come across. Worse still, it’s perfectly legal and children are becoming exposed to it at an increasingly younger age these days… with all kinds of horrific consequences.
I’m talking about social media.
Oh, the horror.
If you could see the you that I see
When I see you
You would see things differently
I assure you
I wish I could hire Henry Rollins as my motivational coach.
The mothers of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent both shared the same first name, a fact that was used as a cringe-worthy "let's stop fighting and make friends" plot twist in the awful Batman Vs. Superman movie.
There really was only one Adam who could illustrate the Top Ten Adam Songs that you have helped me compile over the last week. Jim in Dubai was surprised by how many Adam Ant songs he had in his collection... but there's no such thing as too many Adam Ant songs, surely? And I know this is after he lost his Ants, but I still don't think it gets better than this...
There were, of course, other Adams in contention, including Adam Faith, Adam Green, a couple of Beastie Boys and Adam's House Cat... though I'm afraid to say that surnames are not allowed (those darned rules!) so no room for Bryan or Ryan, Tony or Rick... and definitely no room for Adamski, sorry to John Medd. I'm afraid Killer still gives me nightmares, John, and you did no favours by suggesting it was a "banger" since that term should only be used for sausages and fireworks. At least you didn't say it "dropped" in 1990... that really would have got you a three post suspension.
However, the idea of this series is that I collate ten tunes which have Adam in the title or the lyrics... from your suggestions, and my own. Nobody actually suggested any lyrical Adams this time, though you could have had...
...which is a top tune, but (under the rules) would only fit into the Top Ten Tony Songs... which I've already done. Although maybe it's time for a second volume?
You know I love old musicals and in Call Me Madam one of Irving Berlin’s songs is Mrs Sally Adams. All about a wealthy widow turned socialite. It won’t be in your Top Ten and probably breaks a rule with the extra ‘s’ but enjoyed watching the clip from the film with a young Donald O’Connor and Ethel Merman in fine fettle (she reminded me of Rizzo from Grease).
A brand new one next, from my old local pal The Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, and his new band LYR. I will feature their new album again soon, because it's a belter.
I appear to have a song called The Adam Faith Experience by Jesse Garron & the Desperadoes from the Big Gold Dreams boxset, says Charity Chic. And Brian had it too. Now I want it!
Jim in Dubai kicked us off with this one, which he explains thus:
A great song by Momus from his album where people paid money to him to have a song written about them to help him pay some legal bills I believe, this one obviously came from a Mr Adam Green.
I did wonder if the Adam Green in question was George's favourite Adam Green (from The Moldy Peaches)...
There will be plenty of people who tell you that Weezer haven't been any good since (insert early Weezer album here, probably Pinkerton). To those people, I ask them again to listen to this.
God took a rib from Adam
Ground it up in a centrifuge machine
Mixed it with cardamon and cloves
Microwaved it on the popcorn setting
While Adam was like, "Ooh ooh! That really hurts!”
Going off into the tundra
So pissed at God
And he started lighting minor forest fires, stealing osprey eggs
Adam & Eve crop up in lots of songs because they were the first lovers... and it didn't end too well, did it? Still, they did inspire Billy to write one of his very best love songs.
Walking in the park, kissing on the carpet
And your tights around your ankles
Late at night a lover thinks of these things
Adam and Eve are finding out all about love
Teresa and Steve are finding out all about love
1. Bruce Springsteen - Adam Raised A Cain
As was traditional on the Hot 100, The Swede was first in... and he hit the nail on the head with his first guess. No surprises, really. I'll try to be less predictable in future weeks...
I know George doesn't like Bruce, but maybe I can tempt him with this Biblical epic...?
(Probably not.)
Thank you for your participation. I thought it might take a couple of weeks to get this feature going, but most of you stepped up to the challenge immediately.
They won't all be as easy as Adam though. Take next week... we're sticking with the letter A, and a name that's close to all our hearts. The only snag? One song will dominate our thinking. It's the obvious Number One, but can we find another nine to back it up? That is your challenge. Remember, lyrical references are allowed... but no surnames.
NEXT WEEK: OUR TOP TEN ALISON
(OR ALLISON & ALYSON*! Alternate spellings are allowed.)
SONGS
(I'll even allow abbreviations such as Allie... though this won't always be the case.)
(*Although Alyson may consider this the only true spelling?)
Get your thinking caps on... and join me back here next Tuesday.
Guest Post Thursday returns... and so does George!
I saw Genesis in concert in 1980 at the Caird Hall in Dundee. I queued for about 4 hours to get my £4 ticket. That was not £4 well spent. It was tedious. The allegedly famous light show seemed, as I recall 40 years later, to consist of a few green laser-like beams splaying about. Oh, and Mr Collins told some lengthy tedious introductions to some of the songs. Why did I go? A lot of my school friends were going, that’s why. I didn’t like them before the concert, and they did not go up in my esteem during and after the concert. Actually, Genesis are quite possibly my least favourite band, I have a visceral loathing for their music. Irrational maybe, but there you go. It borders on the psychopathic. Some people may know that I am not exactly a fan of The Clash and Springsteen, but I don’t detest their music, it just does not do much for me. Genesis on the other hand, good god almighty, they are just beyond! I get irritated beyond belief by their music.
So, My Top Ten Genesis Songs are inspired by…………..the book of Genesis in the Bible. To be more specific, names mentioned in the book of Genesis. Come on, did you really expect some sort of tribute to that loathsome band that give prog rock a bad name?
Even the most avowed atheist surely can’t claim ignorance of the name Adam. Here’s Adam Green, from an album I bought in Reveal Records, Derby, that was playing, and had myself and a friend laughing out loud at the lyrics. Not this one, though, this a play-safely-at-work song:
(I will take this opportunity to remind everybody of my new Tuesday feature in which this week I'm looking for songs that mention Adams. Please keep sending your suggestions through. - Rol.)
Hagar was the woman who gave birth to Abraham’s first child, Ishmael. And Hagar The Womb (clever name) did a session for John Peel in 1984 which resulted in this:
Dinah Washington was a jazz singer who also made some very famous pop songs in the early 1960s, and also this blues song, which is really not about getting your teeth done:
Dan (and that is Dan not Daniel) was the fifth son of Jacob, and founder of the Israelite tribe of Dan. Dan Auerbach is in a blues band called The Black Keys, but his given name is Daniel so he’s excluded.
A quite famous female name from the book of genesis is Eve. Great, I thought, I can wreck this blog for all eternity and post a song featuring Eve Graham, of The New Seekers!! Alas, Eve Graham is actually an Evelyn. I can’t find any Eves so it’s an Isaac next. Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah, lived to be 180, which is 118 years more than Isaac responsible for this majestic soul masterpiece:
And time for a Benjamin. The Genesis Benjamin was the thirteenth child of Jacob and Leah. The Benjamin of “Benjamin and Barnaby Green” is probably not the 13th child of his parents. By the way, the duo consist of a bloke who goes only by the name of Benjamin, not Benjamin Green. We saw them at the world music festival here 3 years ago. A free gig on the esplanade, with a backdrop of the Atlantic (ocean). And very enjoyable they were too, despite straying a bit too closely to Level 42 territory at times. Not this, a nice, gentle Portuguese pop song:
It occurred to me as I was whiling away the hours doing this that RE teachers (who you should never refer to as Jimmy Jesus) could (should?) be following this example to get the surly teenagers somehow even remotely interested.
And here’s the now obligatory JCS clip, there’s at least two of us who have professed to the world to be fans. (Yes, Sundried C, that’s you!)
And yes, I do know that JCS is not a Book of Genesis thing, but any remote excuse to post a clip will do:
“You have set them all on fire, they think they’ve found the new messiah” Toptastic lyric! And I kid you not, my singing along has attracted Parsley the goat and bought Billy the farm cat back to house. When I play these JCS songs, I am amazed at how much of the lyric I can remember, and it really is not a record I have played in decades.
Apologies to Rol, but my extensive biblical studies revealed no Hueys in the Book Of Genesis. Although, I was aghast to discover, there is a Huey Lewis song called Jacob’s Ladder!
Thank you kindly.
Indeed there is, George, although it was written by Bruce Hornsby. And since your brought it up...
Guest Post Thursday will be back next week - yes, there's another one in the bag (not from George, but I'm sure we can count on him to continue our Biblical Studies one day soon.) And don't forget, your contributions are always welcome...
With the exception of Kenny Wednesdays, I haven't done a first name Top Ten in quite a while. So...
There are actually very few Emilies in my record collection. The only artists I could find were Emily Robinson from the Dixie Chicks; French singer Emily Loizeau, whose songs appear to have been recorded by everybody from Shelby Lynne to The Mountain Goats; Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo; Emily Kinney (above), who you might recognise as Beth from The Walking Dead, but she writes some pretty cool songs too; and a not-half-bad cover of Asleep by The Smiths by Australian actress Emily Browning, from the soundtracker of Sucker Punch.
But when it came to songs about Emilies... there were LOADS!
I feel like I'm contractually obliged to include this. Not being a true muso, I never really got The Floyd. Nothing against them, I just never really saw what all the fuss was about. I probably appreciate the Syd Barrett stuff a bit more... although I prefer the David Bowie and Martha Wainwright versions of this song, if I'm totally honest.
Emily Shore was a young English woman who died of consumptiom at the age of 19 in the early 1800s. Her diaries were published over 50 years later, and a century or so after that they inspired Brett and Rennie Sparks.
Excellent track from Luke's 2005 album, Broken (And Other Rogue States). Great live version I found on youtube in which Luke duets with his wife, Melissa Mclelland.
Art goes solo on this one: peerless romantic nostalgia from Paul.
I wandered empty streets Down past the shop displays. I heard cathedral bells Tripping down the alley ways, As I walked on. And when you ran to me Your cheeks flushed with the night. We walked on frosted fields of juniper and lamplight, I held your hand.
John Grant did an excellent cover of this with The Czars.
Second best song I own about a long lost teenage girlfriend called Emily... from the former Rialto frontman.
Took off our ties straight after school For lager and limes and shooting pool Underhand cigarettes to compilation cassettes...
1. Art Brut - Emily Kane
I miss Eddie Argos. I don't know what he's up to these days, but we need him back.
I don't even know where she lives.
I've not seen her in 10 years, 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, 5 seconds. Other girls went and other girls came,
I can't get over my old flame. All my friends think I'm insane,
I'm still in love with Emily Kane. There's a beast in my soul that can't be tamed,
I'm still in love with Emily Kane.
Those were my ten favourites (well, nine and one contractual obligation), but I easily had enough Emily songs for a Top Twenty-Five. Perhaps I'll do a volume 2... once I've covered every other name in my Big Book of Baby Names. Suggestions are always welcomed...
Can't believe I've never thought of doing this one before. Ten songs dedicated to The Dude... or his Dudeness... or Duder... or El Duderino, if you're not into that whole "brevity" thing. Because... he abides.
I don't know a lot about Scatterbrain and I've no idea where I first came across this track. Described by iffypedia as an "American thrash metal band", this is probably their most poppy and commercial number - a Top 20 hit in Australia back in 1990. They're a band with an obvious sense of humour... and that always wins my attention.
Who is it That ain't got time for foolish talkin'? Who is it That looks so clean you can't ignore him?
Featuring Michael Jackson, James Ingram and Patti Austin on backing vocals, they don't get much dudier than this one!
I'm a stone cold taker, I'm a piggy bank shaker, An' I don't waste my time talkin' trash... So if you go to my school, You gotta learn this rule — Don't let your mouth write a check That your body can't cash!
Poor old Crispian Mills, forever cursed to be known as Hayley's annoying Britpop son. Give Kula Shaker some credit, musicologists - they were far less derivative than Oasis! This is their biggest original hit (their only other Number 2 was a cover of Deep Purple's Hush) and it stands the test of time pretty well.
The album this came from, Pretzel Logic, is currently on rotation in my car. Great driving music - keeps the road rage at bay... unless you find yourself face to face with a wild squonk along the way.
Have you ever seen a squonk's tears? Well, look at mine The people on the street have all seen better times
A squonk, in case you're wondering, is a mythical Pennsylvanian creature that looks a little bit like a turd on legs (according to google images).
Originally titled 'Cruisin' For A Lady', Steven Tyler was persuaded to change the title by openly gay songwriter Desmond Child (Tyler thought it'd be offensive to the gay community, Child said 'bollocks' to that). Apparently the inspiration came when Tyler saw a hot blonde in a bar that he was about to hit on... until he realised it was Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil...
Never judge a book by it's cover Or who you gonna love by your lover Sayin' love put me wise to her love in disguise She had the body of a Venus, Lord imagine my surprise!
The Dude's own personal favourite (until his car is broken into and they steal his tape deck AND his Creedence); some may dispute its inclusion here since the "dudes" of the chorus are often interpreted as "doo doo doos". But after The Big Lebowski, it's impossible to hear it any other way. I really hope The Dude got his tape deck back. And his Creedence.
1. Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes
If anyone ever pauses to question the prolific genius of peak period Bowie, consider this: one of his best songs, and he happily gave it away to save the career of Mott The Hoople. ATYD begins with one of the most memorable guitar hooks in the history of rock before the triumphant end of the world as we know it lyrics kick in - but we feel fine. A rallying call for a generation that rejects the Beatles & Stones in favour of T-Rex, this had to be re-recorded for BBC airplay because Wendy stole her clothes from Marks & Sparks. (It was the advertising they didn't like, not the shoplifting.) Apparently there's a version where Wendy steels her clothes from unlocked cars... but I don't think I've ever heard that.
Those were my favourite Dude songs. Which one takes you bowling?
