10cc were my obvious choice for the band to illustrate our final week in double figures on the countdown, although as Jim in Dubai pointed out, I could also have had Ten City, Tenpole Tudor, Ten Years After... or, for that matter, Ten Sharp, Ten Benson, The Ten Fours or the Ten Bob Millionaires.
And my search engine also suggested The Pretenders, Yo La Tengo, Morten Harket, Frightened Rabbit, Suicidal Tendencies, Sharon Van Etten and Tennessee Ernie Ford, among others. All of which made searching for Ten songs rather difficult, since there was no way of editing out songs that included the words Listen, Pretend, Tension, Beaten, Tender... or even Extended. And there were rather a lot of songs with "Extended version" in my library.
So I'm very impressed you all came up with as many great suggestions as you did. So many, in fact, I'm going to keep the waffle to a minimum (again... we'll see how well that goes) and just plough through them, starting with The Swede...
The Fall - Ten Houses of Eve
The Builders and the Butchers - Ten Miles Wide
The Velvet Underground - Love Makes You Feel Ten Feet Tall
Mr Bojangles - Ten Dread Commandments
The Upsetters - Ten to Twelve
The Fall - Nine Out of Ten (this week and next)
The Wedding Present - Ten Sleep
Nicky Lee - The Ten Commandments of Men
That one was near the top of my list. Rigid Digit recalled the original version...
Prince Buster - The Ten Commandments
And also offered up this, not so much a cover version, but a call and response:
The Specials Featuring Saffiyah Khan - The Ten Commandments
That was The Guardian's favourite song of last year.
Sorry, Swede, we interrupted you...
The Wolfhounds - The Ten Commandments of Public Life
I tell you what, all these songs about The Ten Commandments makes me think back to the originals, carved into stone, and carried down from Mount Sinai itself by the one and only...
Johnny Cash - The Ten Commandments
But once again, I'm interrupting The Swede. Carry on...
United Bible Studies - Ten Thousand Miles
The Aggrovators - Ten Pieces in One
Michael Kiwanuka - Ten Years Gone
...which is a very fine cover of this...
Led Zeppelin - Ten Years Ago
Big Youth - Ten Against One
Gregory Isaacs - Top Ten
...which, given the name of this blog, is a pretty good place to stop. Although The Swede did have one other suggestion, which he caveated: I feel I may be pushing my luck now!
Hmm. We'll come back to that.
Over to George, who only had one for us this week, but it was a big 'un...
Bullmoose Jackson - Big Ten Inch
As Charity Chic remarked: "He's always boasting, that boy."
At this point, Rigid Digit stood up proud with a slightly more recent version of that same track...
Aerosmith - Big Ten Inch Record
Smut. Just pure smut. Or is it? Here's Douglas McLaren...
I have to say I was hesitating to suggest Aerosmith's "Big Ten Inch Record" because of the puerile suggestiveness of the lyrics, until after digging a little, I came across the following quote, said about a different Aerosmith jingle:
"Actually, there's very little innuendo here, it's just pure smut. But Steven Tyler is such a rock star caricature, it's hard to be offended by it." (A Certain Blogger, June 23, 2017)
As always, you go above and beyond with your research, Douglas. Thank you.
Over to Swiss Adam, who had quite a few from my library. I'll let you work out which.
Curve - Ten Little Girls
Sabres of Paradise - Inter Lergen Ten Ko
Half Man Half Biscuit - Reasons To Be Miserable (Part Ten)
And I don't know anyone who puts peaches on their cornflakes, either.
Shara Nelson - One Goodbye In Ten
The Stone Roses - Ten Story Love Song
? and the Mysterians - Ten O Clock
The Monochrome Set - Ten Don'ts For Honeymooners
The Soup Dragons - Hang Ten
Fair play to Swiss Adam there, because the ones I didn't have in my collection, I now want in my collection. (With the possible exception of Sabres of Paradise, sorry.)
Back to Charity Chic...
UB40 - One in Ten
Alyson, who tonight, Matthew, will be Ben Elton, adds...
Can't remember what you think of UB40 but One In Ten made a big impact on me back in the day and I still have the vinyl copy. After this crisis it might have to be renamed One In Five, but that's me just being pessimistic again. It'll all be fine (she says wearing a rictus smile).
For the record, One In Ten is probably my favourite UB40 song... I even featured it in Saturday Snapshots a couple of weeks back.
But anyway, Charity Chic hasn't finished yet...
Engelbert Humperdinck - Ten Guitars
...plus my two from last week...
You'll have to excuse me, CC, but this post is long enough with me re-running last week's links as well... besides, you're not going to top Engelbert. I'd quit while you're ahead. Although your Engelbert suggestion did lead me to dig out this...
Dreamend - Ten Guitars From Salem
C, meanwhile, was scratching her head this week...
I can only think of Perfect Ten by the Beautiful South right now and I don't even like it. Must try harder!
The Beautiful South - Perfect Ten
Alyson adds...
A lot of songs with 10 in the title but most of the ones I'm finding are not even familiar to me so going to stick with what might be your most likely pick. Although C says she doesn't like it, I think you do appreciate Paul Heaton's lyrics so Perfect 10 by Beautiful South would be a possibility.
Y'know, I used to love that song, but it has started to grate a little in recent years. Perhaps because it sounds like a template for every song Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott record these days. This is better...
Paul Heaton - 10 Lessons In Love
Then C returned, with a little help from her other half...
Ah, Mr SDS has just suggested 'Ten Minutes Before The Worm' by Alice Cooper. Very short and very weird, plus it mentions worms, what's not to like?
Alice Cooper - Ten Minutes Before The Worm
Gotta love Alice.
Lynchie arrived next, with another Ten Commandments song, one I hadn't heard before...
Harvey & The Moonglows - Ten Commandments Of Love
...but that is blood excellent, so thank you.
Lynchie also offered this delightful pair...
The Proclaimers - Ten Tiny Fingers
Jimmie Davis - Ten Tiny Toes
George had to go and ruin the moment though, didn't he...
Is Ten Green Bottles allowed?
He even supplied the link, just in case I didn't know what he was talking about. See, I'm beginning to think you're not taking this series seriously, George.
Back to Dubai, where Jim had dug up the following...
Dusty Springfield - I Close My Eyes & Count to Ten
(or Marc Almond & Sarah Cracknell did a great version)
XTC - 10 Feet Tall
The Vapors - News at 10
The Radiators - Million Dollar Hero in a Five & Ten Store
Kingmaker - 10 Years Asleep
Kate Bush - There Goes a Tenner
Does this count?
Of course it does. It's Kate Bush.
The Thyme Machine - 10 Egg Omelette
That last one, Jim... well, I've heard it all now. I think we will let George have Ten Green Bottles after all.
Anything else from Rigid Digit?
Rush - Force Ten
John Fogerty - 110 In The Shade
Yardbirds - Ten Little Indians
Probably not one of The Guardian's favourites. And they probably would take too kindly to this either...
Mungo Jerry - Ten Little Women
(Speaking of The Yardbirds, by the way, we could also have had:
The Yardbirds - Happenings Ten Years Time Ago
...which was the first appearance of a certain Jimmy Page on guitar.)
As is often the case, it's back to Douglas (still smarting from Aerosmith) for the final word this week...
Ruth Etting, "Ten Cents a Dance", anyone? Surely no smutty innuendo existed back in the 20's?
Ruth Etting - Ten Cents A Dance
Then there is Paolo Nutini, "10/10", which surely counts for double, especially if a Scottish-Italian does Jamaican vibe is your thing.
Paolo Nutini - 10/10
Or if we are still allowing gun references (following weeks 45, 32 and 22) what about The Black Keys' "Ten Cent Pistol"?
The Black Keys - Ten Cent Pistol
PHEW!
After all those, I don't know about you, but I need a lie down in a darkened room. I doubt that anyone gives two figs for my suggestions this week (if you ever do). Still, I feel duty bound to list them So...
Laura Viers - Ten Bridges
Neil Diamond - Ten Lonely Guys
Neil Young - Ten Men Workin'
(Imagine if Neil Young had been in a soul band.)
Frank Black - Ten Percenter
Gilbert O'Sullivan - In Bed By Ten
Graham Parker - Ten Girls Ago
Alisdair Roberts & Jason Molina - Ten Thousand Miles
John Cooper Clarke - Ten Years In An Open Neck Shirt
(That's Part 1. There are a few more if you fancy digging them out.)
The Wonder Stuff - Ten Trenches Deep
The Miller Sisters - Ten Cats Down
Willie Nelson - Ten With A Two
Cheap Trick - Clock Strikes Ten
Cocteau Twins - Fifty Ten Fiftyfold
Fred Eaglesmith - Ten Ton Chain
Girl Ray - Don't Go Back At Ten
(Great video.)
Joni Mitchell - The Tenth World
Son Volt - Ten Second News
Terrorvision - Ten Shades of Grey
Double Exposure - Ten Percent
Blake Shelton - Ten Times Crazier
Gordon Lightfoot - Ten Degrees & Getting Colder
James - Ten Below
Mötley Crüe - Ten Seconds To Love
(I'm surprised Rigid Digit didn't suggest that one.)
REM - Rotary Ten
(Better than last week's Rotary Eleven.)
Royal Blood - Ten Tonne Skeleton
The Avett Brothers - Ten Thousand Words
The Bloodhound Gang - The Ten Coolest Things About New Jersey
(I guess that's funny if you're a New Yorker.)
The Divine Comedy - Ten Seconds To Midnight
The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Ten Years Ahead
The Teardrop Explodes - Count To Ten & Run For Cover
Mark Lanegan - Ten Feet Tall
Mattiel - Five & Tens
Tony Joe White - Ten More Miles To Louisiana
Jimmy Eat World - Ten
Posh - Chips & Oxy 10
Hank Williams III - 10 Feet Down
Jefferson Airplane - 3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds
Whiskeytown - 10 Seconds
Jeff Rosenstock - 9/10
You're not still reading this, are you? Go out for a walk or something. I'll still be here when you get back.
Frank Hamilton - 10 Days
Loudon Wainwright - 4 x 10
Ben Lee - 10 Feet Tall
Cinerama - 10 Denier
CSS - This Month, Day 10
Doves - 10:03
Fun Lovin' Criminals - 10th Street
Future Bible Heroes - Berlin On $10 A Day
Little Green Cars - 10 O'Clock
Milburn - Count To 10
Ray Davies - Yours Truly, Confused N10
ZZ Top - Ten Foot Pole
ZZ Top - Ten Dollar Man
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, I nodded off there. There may have been more, but I'm scared of using up all my bandwidth.
OK, here's two very fine runners-up called Jim...
Jim White - 10 Miles To Go On A 9 Mile Road
Jim Croce - Box #10
And now, This Week's Winner.
Way, way back in the dim and distant mists of the past when this post started, The Swede made a final suggestion which he somehow thought might be "pushing his luck now". Do you remember that? Of course you don't, you've slept since then.
Anyway, The Swede's final suggestion was a song set on 10th Avenue in New York City.
Bit it wasn't this one...
Supertramp - Tenth Avenue Breakdown
Or this one...
The Ventures - Slaughter On 10th Avenue
No, The Swede's 10th Avenue suggestion came from Bruce...
Bruce Willis - Tenth Avenue Tango
...but not that one.
Come on guys, you've been reading this blog long enough. Was this week's winner really that big a mystery? You know my weaknesses...
This one's for Clarence.
When the change was made uptown
And the Big Man joined the band
Nine next. Hopefully there won't be as many nine songs as there were ten. But just in case... I might start writing that post now. Chip in whenever you feel like it...
