Neverending Top Ten #3.6: Old Town Road

So it finally happened.

Rather than me introducing Sam to songs from my record collection, he's introduced me to one from... well, not his own record collection, but one garnered from his circle of friends, at least. 

Old Town Road by Lil Nas X really shouldn't work. Country and rap don't mix, surely? And getting Billy Ray Cyrus in to sing the verses...? I love country music, but Billy Ray? The Achy Breaky Heart guy? Father of Miley? Nooooooooo!

And yet, I like Old Town Road a lot. It's just a fun pop song. 

(Or is it?)

Now, being that I am of an age where I really shouldn't be able to trust my own opinions on contemporary pop music, I figured I better ask another young person. Unfortunately, the youngest person I know to talk to, whose opinion I (occasionally) trust is Ben. 

Apologies if this becomes another one of those conversations...

Little Nas. Billy Ray Cyrus. Old Town Road. Discuss.

Personally? It's OK. Technically?  It does a lot for moving contemporary rap forward, showing that those SoundCloud and sadcore rappers can get a mainstream audience with a song with pop sensibilities but not "sell out" or lose artistic credibility.

Similarly, it's a move that shows where hip hop is currently as a social movement by accepting Lil Nas and his sexuality as a prominent member of the community, and not just as a critical darling but a minor person in the community (i.e. Frank Ocean).

That's OK then. I will let Sam keep listening to it.

I like country music, and a country/rap crossover sounds horrible on paper, but this makes it work... and even redeems Billy Ray in the process.

Yeah, the kid is probably one of the best role models the genre has had since Lupe Fiasco.

That's a great name. Like Clem Fandango.

Well, thank whatever god you want that Sam found Lil Nas X for country rap as opposed to Kid Rock.

Kid Rock rules!

The white supremacy? Or the pretending to not have grown up on a massive estate that his mummy and daddy owned?

Whatever. He still has 3 good songs.

As a 12 year old I liked American Badass.

The one that rips off both Sweet Home Alabama and Werewolves of London is much better than it ought to be.

It was ok until it received too much radio play and just became so overplayed.

Fair enough.

(At this point Louise walks by and asks me if Sam should be singing that Lil Nas X song as it's so rude. "Rude," I ask, genuinely confused.)

I'm more disturbed to discover that the Lil Nas song might not actually be about horses.

It's about gay love, or can't you handle that?

Admittedly, love is the wrong word...

I don't have a problem with it. I just honestly thought it was about a horse until Louise told me otherwise.

I was satirising the idea of cancel culture and the outrage of cancel culture.

I only realised slippers were named as such because you slip them on your feel over Christmas.

And about a week ago I realised that the Pink song I'm coming up so I better get this party started was about her coming up on drugs. 

I didn't know that about Pink, but it doesn't surprise me.

It seems every modern pop song (except Taylor Swift and maybe Adele) is explicit on one way or another. I blame Frankie.

Valli?

Oh What A Night is a gem.

But also about groupies...

Goes To Hollywood. Or were you being facetious?

A bit of both.

But that's what Oh What A Night is about.

I spent an hour last night trying to find a radio edit of an Eminem song (other than Lose Yourself) that I could play to Sam. But even the radio edits are too offensive for a  7 year old.

I don't think Eminem works that way, unfortunately. I had one of his CDs that was the edited version. It sounded like he was scatting.

Mos Def might be a better rapper to introduce Sam to. Or Ab Soul. Show him The Book of Soul. You may want to check it for language first but it is definitely good rap. Then you can lead into Kendrick who is one of the GOATS as they have a group together called Black Hippy...

I'm sure all those rappers are very good, but I'm trying to introduce him to music from my life, not find new stuff. He's done a good enough job of finding Lil Nas's Brokeback Mountain song.

But you can make memories listening to a genre of music neither of you are knowledgeable about together.

I'm sure that'll come later.

I just realised that Sam has been into that gay pirates song by Cosmo Jarvis for years. 

Not sure he's ready for Man On Man yet. Then again, he's not ready for Arab Strap either... or half of Prince's catalogue.

Arab strap needs a 30+ warning.

Arab Strap have a new album out. I wonder how many c-words are in it...

(Surprisingly fewer than expected, actually.)

Saturday Snapshots #106 - The Answers

I have a secret to tell
From my electrical well
It's a simple message and I'm leaving out the whistles and bells
So the room must listen to me
Filibuster vigilantly
Here are the answers to this week's Q-U-I-Z...


10. How far to Ipanema? It's I, not you.

Astrud Gilberto sang about The Girl from Ipanema, Replace the U in Astrud with an I.

How far? Some distance.

Astrid - Distance

9. Hello sunrise... is it because you're chillee, perhaps?

Shivaree - Goodnight Moon

8. Escape from Irish town, via Amitri.

Runaway from Shannon, with Del (Amitri).

Del Shannon - Runaway

7. Vole? Evol? Leo V? Arrrghh! (Somebody call for a pick-up.)

Are you hailing a van?

Van Halen - Why Can't This Be Love?

6. I won't be at the station, my sweet. The baby tickers have escaped!

Take the I from Station. my sweet?

Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free

5. Motionless distillery can get it on with anybody.

Motionless is still. So is a distillery

Stephen Stills - Love The One You're With

4. Debut snog for hard boy.

Kid Rock - First Kiss

3. Children of a Piper, a Borg and a Beatle.

Peter Piper. Bjorn Borg. John Lennon.

Children are young folk.

Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks

2. Gyroscopic mortality in question.

Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)

1. Adam's Dandies - Adam's Dandy.

Adam Ant was a Dandy Highwayman.

Nelson. Cash. Kristofferson. Jennings.

Jimmy Webb Is God.



Satisfy the Birdhouse In Your Soul with more Saturday Snapshots next week.

My Top Ten New Year Songs (Volume 1)

Well, this was the year we just had...



It's got to get better next year. Right?

Right?

I always hated New Year's Eve when I was younger. It seemed one of those nights of the year expressly designed to highlight your loneliness and make you realise how all your dreams were still unaccomplished. I spent all of my teenage New Year's Eves alone in my bedroom, and most of my twenties alone in a radio studio, having volunteered to work the night no one else wanted to. Now that I'm a father, I'll be celebrating New Year's Eve as I have for the last three years... in bed by 10, hoping not to get woken up by the fireworks. 

Still, if you are going out singing Auld Lang Syne on New Year's Eve, here's ten songs to take with you. I called it Volume 1 because there's plenty more where these came from. If we're all still here next year, maybe I'll throw together a Volume 2...


10. Spearmint - New Year Song

Another song from the recently mentioned Oklahoma! Particularly apt...

It's been such a bad year
Put it behind us now
It's a New Year
This year will be a better year
It seems we just get over one thing
And then get knocked down by another
Round and round my head they fly
And what are the chances
Of us both getting through this...?

9. Camera Obscura - New Year''s Resolution

Traceyanne Campbell has a resolution for music bloggers everywhere...

New year's resolution - to write something of value
New year's resolution - to write something would be fine

I guess most of us will settle for the second one while occasionally aiming for the first.

See also Happy New Year - Camera Obscura obviously have a thing about this time of year.

8. Otis Redding & Carla Thomas - New Year's Resolution

Otis and Carla have a different kind of resolution though... who can apologise the most?

7. First Aid Kit - New Year's Eve

Tell me, First Aid Kit... did it hurt when you fell out of heaven?

Now I have a lot to learn and I'm starting tonight,
Got to stop looking at things like they're black and they're white.
Got to write more songs of a little more, treat my friends better.
Got to stop worrying about everything to the letter.

A few resolutions the world could take heed of there...

6. Kid Rock - Happy New Year

Most people though, celebrate New Year like Kid Rock.

I’ll quit smokin’, I’ll quit eatin’
I’m not jokin’, I’ll quit cheatin’
I’ll quit cursin’, I’ll quit drinkin’
I’ll be a better person, but tonight I’m thinkin’

Let’s get shit faced, let’s get shit faced
Let’s get into trouble, let’s get outta this place
And I’ll have faith in the coast that you clear
Say you love me, Happy New Year...

If I ever did throw a New Year's party, this is the band I'd book to perform.

5. Tom Waits - New Year's Eve

I can't think of any other song that captures the ramshackle chaos of a New Year's party where everyone's had too much to drink and anything could happen.

Nick and Socorro broke up
And Candice wouldn't shut up
Fin he recorded the whole thing
Ray he said damn you
And someone broke my camera
And it was New Years
And we all started to sing
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind

And Tom's voice is perfect here: he always sounds like he's had a skinful.

4. Motion City Soundtrack - Together We'll Ring In The New Year

On the other hand, Motion City Soundtrack describe perfectly every New Year's party I've ever been to...

Why did I come
Oh why did I come here?
These humans all suck
I'd rather be home feeling violent and lonely
I'm not trying to sound so insincere
But the postcard that's taped to the freezer reads "wish you were here"
How I wish I could disappear

Sad to read that MCSt called it a day earlier this year after almost 20 years as a band. Still, maybe they saw the writing on the wall for us all...

3. Deacon Blue - Queen of the New Year

Deacon Blue were a great pop band. Not open to debate. Gotta feel sorry for Ricky though - on top of everything else this year, it sounds like he's had trouble with the mother-in-law...

Now I'm telling you this
In a difficult year
Oh, your mother
She gave me problems!

2. Abba - Happy New Year

And here's another great pop band... hell, one of the greatest. If you don't believe that, I have three things to say to you:

1) Agnetha's voice is up there with Kate Bush's;

2) Elvis Costello's biggest hit was inspired by Dancing Queen;

3) Blue eyeshadow rocks.

1. Frank Turner & John Snodgrass - Happy New Year

Over on Amazon, someone described the album this comes from thus:

"It's not a real album, it's two blokes and a recorder and lots of alcohol."

Well, I take issue with that statement for a couple of reasons. Firstly... you just described the songwriting process of probably 75% of recorded popular music over the last 50 years. Secondly...  Frank & Jon never promoted this as a real album (certainly not in the way that Frank promotes his normal records), it was always supposed to be a couple of buddies jamming and having fun. And it doesn't get more fun than Happy New Year, a song that never fails to make me smile... especially the bit where Frank has to explain to his American pal what Boxing Day is...

Call up your buddies
Get them to bring the beer
Thin Lizzy on the stereo
No fights, no tears
If I could be anywhere
I'd wanna be here
Have a Happy New Year!

Whether you're out partying till dawn... or in bed by ten... have a great New Year's Eve. Here's hoping 2017 is a whole lot better for all of us...

My Top Ten Lincoln Songs

Happy Easter. For no reason at all, here's ten songs about various different Lincolns... the President, the car, the county, the town... and the mall.


10. Tim McGraw & Kid Rock - Lincoln Continentals And Cadillacs

Let's start with a bit of shamelessly contemporary country pop. We'll get to the more authentic stuff later...
 
9. Tony Rice - John Wilkes Booth

...like right about now. Written by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tony Rice's song digs deep into the tragic tale of the actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln in protest against the president's abolition of slavery, "in the name of God and Dixie".

8. Donald Fagen - Maxine

The Nightfly is one of my favourite albums of the 80s, yet Maxine is probably my least favourite track on there. That's not to say it's a bad song - it fits the late night jazzy feel of the concept very well and tells a typically Fagen-esque tale of love and longing. There's a great sax solo too. But it's no New Frontier, I.G.Y. or Nightfly, is it?

Oh, and in case you were wondering...

While the world is sleeping
We meet at Lincoln Mall
Talk about life
The meaning of it all
Try to make sense of the suburban sprawl
Try to hang on, Maxine

7. Josh Turner - Loretta Lynn's Lincoln

Add a splash of wit to your country and you've got a guaranteed fan on this blog. Great song; always makes me smile.

6. The Gaslight Anthem - Old White Lincoln

If you're going to base your whole career on sounding like a tribute act... you can do much worse than choosing Bruce as your role model.

And I always dreamed of classic cars and movie screens
And tryin' to find some way to be redeemed
Bring a dollar with you, baby
In the cold, cold ground

Paddy McAloon would have something to say about that...

5. Dave Davies - Lincoln County

After the success of Death of a Clown and Susannah's Still Alive, Dave Davies' solo career (extracurricular to the Kinks) looked like it was taking off. Lincoln County sadly put an end to that when it failed to chart (except in Holland, where it made #15). A shame, because this also meant his proposed album, with the excellent title of  A Hole in the Sock (of Dave Davies), was also shelved.

Some debate on t'internet about whether the song is told from the perspective of Jesse James or Billy The Kid. I have no idea.

4. Mercury Rev - Lincoln's Eyes

What explodes like a fractal, pops like a light bulb
Looks really awful at four in the morning
Moves with a dead stare, coils around your ankles
Fangs long as neckties and strikes without warning?

Answers on a postcard.

All Is Dream was the album in which Mercury Rev came closest to disappearing up their own rabbit hole into wispy, dungeons and dragons fantasia. Lincoln's Eyes would be the prime suspect if it weren't so haunting and beautiful. Yet, despite being almost as impenetrable as Nick Kershaw's Riddle, it succeeds through a sly sense of humour in the last verse which makes it genuinely affecting.

What explodes like a fractal, pops like a light bulb
Strolls in like Joel Grey* at four in the morning
Armed with a big nose, fragile as a sea horse
Lives in your soul and loves you like I do?

                                                                                 *

3. Marvin Gaye - Abraham, Martin & John

I have no idea why Marvin's timeless tribute to Lincoln, King and the two Kennedies isn't on youtube, but I hardly need to link to it: you either know it like an old friend already or you need down purchase a copy immediately.

The original version, recorded by Dion, is pretty cool too. As is Smokey Robinson's cover.

2. Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen - Hot Rod Lincoln

Written and originally recorded by Charlie Ryan back in 1955 - who actually was a hot rod racer (google it) at the time - but I have a definite preference for the 1971 cover by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Maybe it's the name, surely one of the greatest band names ever (not counting Kathleen Turner Overdrive). Question: can a cool name make you pre-disposed to like the band? I would have wanted to hear more of this band from their name alone... although my first exposure to them was through a late night radio play of this very song.

George Frayne IV, aka Commander Cody, did not always take lead vocals on his band's recordings. Indeed, on the album this track hails from (Lost In The Ozone), Billy C. Farlow is the lead vocalist on every track... except Hot Rod Lincoln. 

Thus ends my limited knowledge of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. 

1. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska

I'm very much looking forward to seeing Bruce again this summer, revisiting The River with the E-Street Band (although it won't be the same without Clarence). But the dream would be to see him play Nebraska live the way it was recorded: just Bruce, his guitar, his harmonica and his cassette deck.

The title track starts out in Lincoln, Nebraska... before going full Badlands on us. One of the most powerful songs he ever recorded.

You want to know why 
I did what I did?
Sir, I guess there's just a meanness in this world... 


Which Lincoln gets your vote?

My Top Ten MF Songs (Warning - Contains Language That Some Readers May Find Offensive)

I don't approve of bad language... unless it's used creatively... in which case, I'm all for it.



10. Kid Rock - You Never Met A Mother Fucker Quite Like Me

Kid Rock wipes his bottom with Radiohead toilet paper. (See the edited-for-language, sorry, video.) For that reason alone, he squeezes into the Top Ten.

9. Girls - Big Bad Mean Mother Fucker

 Sounds like it comes from an X-rated version of the Grease soundtrack.

But come on, don't call your band "Girls" is you want to have any hope of anybody ever finding you on the internet.

8. Julian Cope -  All the Blowing-Themselves-Up Motherfuckers (Will Realise The Minute They Die That They Were Suckers)

And this is why Julian Cope was canonised.

Great harmonica too.

7. Twisted Sister - S.M.F.

Thanks again to Rob for this one. Actually, SMF doesn't stand for what you think it does. Well, the M does (with an -ing on the end). The S and F stand for Sick and Friends, disrespectfully.

6. Prince - Sexy MF

Amazed to find this on youtube... not because of the naughty word, but because Prince hates youtube. The full length video does take about three weeks to get going though.

5. Eels - It's A Motherfucker

A touching ballad about loneliness and regret.

Really.

4. Frank Turner - Heartless Bastard Mother Fucker

Dripping bile from every note. 

If you're easily amused by foul language (as I am), you'll want to play this right to the end.

3. John Grant - GMF

From his new album, Pale Green Ghosts, already a contender for the best record I've heard this year. Besides this, one of the other tracks is called Ernest Borgnine... WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

Half of the time I think I'm in some movie,
I play the underdog, of course.
I wonder who they'll get to play me?
Maybe they could dig up Richard Burton's corpse.

Buy this record and... you could be laughing 65% more of the time.

2. The Bloodhound Gang - Fire Water Burn

Sadly, the video version replaces all the naughty words with donkey sfx. Thankfully, someone's uploaded a version that doesn't...

Yeah I'm hung like planet Pluto, hard to see with the naked eye
But if I crashed into Uranus I would stick it where the sun don't shine
Cause I'm kind of like Han Solo, always stroking my own wookie
I'm the root of all that's evil, yeah, but you can call me cookie

The very definition of "juvenile". Glorious.

1. Martha Wainwright - Bloody Mother Fucking Arsehole

Martha's heartbreaking tribute to her dad, Loudon Wainwright III is the best thing she ever recorded... Loudon should be proud.

I will not pretend, I will not put on a smile
I will not say I'm all right for you
When all I wanted was to be good
To do everythin' in truth
To do everythin' in truth

You may (not) be surprised to learn I could easily have filled another ten... although some of them would have been so loud, they'd have made Twisted Sister sound like Sister Sledge.

Still, which is your Mighty Favourite?

My Top Ten Alabama Songs

The second stop on my USA tour (following Memphis) brings me to the deep south of Alabama. Never before have I compiled a Top Ten where so many of the songs are so inextricably linked...

Special mention goes to Alabama Shakes, Alabama 3 and, of course, The Blind Boys of Alabama.


10. Jim White - Alabama Chrome

According to the Urban Dictionary, "alabama chrome" is slang for duct tape. Make of that what you will.

9. The Drive-By Truckers - The Three Great Alabama Icons

The Truckers tell the story of the controversial relationship between the songs at #3 and #1 on this chart, along with a potted history of the deep south itself.

See also The Boys From Alabama, an 18 certificate remake of Dukes of Hazzard.

I wouldn't piss off the Boys from Alabama if I was you

8. Brad Paisley - Old Alabama

Alabama was also the name of a classic country rock band of the 70s and 80s. Here they're reunited by my favourite contemporary country artist for a tribute song, singing lyrics from one of their biggest records, Mountain Men.

7. Old Crow Medicine Show - Alabama High-Test

They're gonna put me in the slammer
If they catch me with that Alabama high-test

6. Kid Rock - All Summer Long

Recalling his youth in northern Michigan (936 miles away from Alabama), Kid Rock shamelessly pilfers our #1 song, Bryan Adams' Summer of '69 and a howling hit by this next gentleman...

5. Warren Zevon - Play It All Night Long

Which dead band's song is Warren playing all night long? (Hint: it's not Kid Rock's.)

The youtube version I'm linking to is a little wobbly, but it's the best version I could find.

4. The Doors - Alabama Song

Written by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht back in 1927, this has been recorded umpteen times since, most notably by Jim Morrison (above) and David Bowie. I think the Doors version just wins it for me.

3. Neil Young - Alabama

Grumpy old northern Neil never had much love for the south, venting his spleen on the segregationist states both here and in Southern Man. Some good did come out of this whole situation though - Neil's angry rants led to the creation of our #1 track. No prizes if you haven't already guessed what that's going to be.

2. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Home

Alabama, Arkansas
I do love my ma and pa...
Not the way that I do love you

Maybe it's not strictly an Alabama song (Mr. Sharpe and the Zeroes are from L.A.), but that opening lyrics always points me in that direction.

1. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

Well I hope Neil Young will remember
A southern man don't need him around anyhow!

There have been various theories put forth over the years about the politics espoused by the Skyn' in this song. Go listen to #9 for more about that. For me, this is just one of the greatest rock guitar songs ever, a track that always makes me want to "turn it up"...



So... which one's your Alabama slammer?