My Top Ten Existential Songs (Volume 1)

I've been off work ill for most of the week, fighting a head-cold of volcanic proportions... or man-flu, if you prefer. Lying there in my sick bed, in between sleeping and watching Twin Peaks to prepare for the new series in May, I had some time to ponder the big questions of life. Why am I here? What use am I to anyone? Will Pulp ever get back together?

 Here are ten tunes that ponder similar existential quandaries...


10. Bob Dylan - Blowing In The Wind

Let's start with his Bobness, still as relevant today as he ever was...

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?

 A song full of rhetorical questions... which always reminds me of Homer Simpson's response...

9. The Cure - Killing An Arab 

Robert Smith reads too much Albert Camus and ends up writing a song about The Stranger. Why did he do it?

I can turn
And walk away
Or I can fire the gun
Staring at the sky
Staring at the sun
Whichever I chose
It amounts to the same
Absolutely nothing

8. George Harrison - What Is Life?

Can you think of anyone better suited to turn existentialism into a love song? 

The video, seemingly recorded after George's death in 2001, is really quite lovely.

7. Manic Street Preachers - Jackie Collins Existential Question Time

Oh, Mummy, what's a sex pistol?

6. Diana Ross - Do You Know Where You're Going To? (Theme From Mahogany)

Another one I remember vividly from my youth... though this was released in 1975. How many three year olds wonder where they're going to? (Beyond the toy shop?) I might have to ask my boy...

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to, do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for?
When you look behind you there's no open door.
What are you hoping for, do you know?

5. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees

Of course, there had to be Radiohead. Stick a pin in the Radiohead songbook and you'll burst an existential bubble every time. It wears me out.

But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run

And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time
All the time

4. Joni Mitchell - Both Sides, Now

It's not just clouds that Joni has been pondering...

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

3. REM - Stand

Try this next week: consider your place in the universe. (Alternatively, consider how young Michael Stipe looks in this video.)

Stand in the place where you live
Now face north
Think about direction
Wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face west
Think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven't before

2. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realise?

OK, so along with Wichita Lineman and ThereIs A Light That Never Goes Out, I want this song playing at my funeral. I hope that's not too big an ask.

Do you realize that everyone you know
Someday will die?

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

1.Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

I really struggled getting this week's Top Three into order; any one of them could have taken the top slot. But come on, you don't get much more existential than this... do you?

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? Am I wrong?
And you may say yourself, 
"My God! What have I done?"

I called this post Volume 1 because I'm sure I've just scraped the surface of existential pop songs. Feel free to suggest some more big questions and I might do a volume 2 sometime...

April #9: The Best Thing I've Heard This Week

Someone told me a story the other day about why The Hold Steady weren't releasing new albums at the moment, and why Craig Finn was solo. It sounded plausible enough: it actually sounded like the plot of one of Finn's own mini-widescreen indie movies set to song. I don't know if it was true so I'm not repeating it here. It doesn't matter, the solo albums are pretty damned brilliant. Much better than the last Hold Steady album, as it goes. Finn is a born storyteller, and nowhere is that more evident than on this cut from his brand new record, We All Want The Same Thing. It's kind of the title track, and it's far more blatantly a story-song than anything else on the album. Hell, two thirds of it are just Finn talking, telling that story.

But what a story. Best thing I've heard this week.


9. Craig Finn - God In Chicago

Kenny Wednesdays #9: The Runners Up

With only one more Kenny Wednesday to go after this one, it appears I have a surfeit of Kennies. Time for a Top Ten of the ones that didn't quite make the grade (maybe because they're a Ken or Kenneth, maybe because I wasn't particularly enamoured with them in the first place), along with a nod to those who suggested them...

First though, thanks to JC for suggesting Kenn(ed)y by The Wedding Present, which is an all time favourite of mine, but... if I include that, I have to start thinking about The Dead Kennedy's, Kenickie, Kent and all manner of other things. Kendrick Lamar. Whoever he is.


10. Kenny - The Bump

I know I've been going on a lot lately about my immersion in all things 70s... but I think this is one you had to be there for. I was there in 1975: I was three. But still...

Charity Chic and Alyson wanted to hear it again though... and who am I to deny them?

9. The Julie Ruin - Party City

Here's one I found in my own charity shop pile, the debut album from The Julie Ruin: Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox and Kenny Mellman. 

This is probably my favourite track from the album because it features a little wordplay around record collections.

8. Kenny Hollywood - Magic Star

Joe Meek's instrumental hit Telstar was a huge hit in the 60s for The Tornados. But did you know there was an instrumental version recorded too? No? Well, you do now. (I bet Marie knew about this one.)

7. Frank Sinatra & Kenny G - All The Way / One More For The Road

I have two theories as to why Kenny G is loathed by the muserati.

i) As recently discussed over at Alyson's blog, musos can't stand anyone with a shaggy perm. In the case of Michael Bolton, they'd be absolutely right. In most other cases though... I beg to differ.

ii) The saxophone is an instrument that very much upsets guitar purists. I'm not sure why this is. Perhaps because it's seen as a grandstanding, show off instrument... or perhaps because it hints at jazz.

Anyway, I have absolutely nothing against Kenny G. That said, I only own one recording on which he parps that sax and wags that shaggy perm. It's from Old Blue Eyes's late stage Duets album, a CD I was very fond of when it came out. The tracks above are probably my two favourite Sinatra songs, and while the original versions are far superior, I think Kenny G puts on a pretty good show of "duetting" with the Legend... even though I very much doubt they were ever in the same studio.

This one goes out to Chris and The Swede who both wondered if I'd go there...

6. You Am I - Ken (The Mother Nature's Son)

You Am I are an Australian band I was first introduced to by my old Aussie blogging pal (now semi-retired, it seems), Deano. It was good to hear from him again with this suggestion.

5. Kenny Lynch - Up On The Roof 

I thought someone had suggested this particular Kenny, but I've lost track of the comment now: apologies if it was you. I remember Kenny Lynch as a stalwart of variety TV shows when I was growing up. He had a successful musical career before that, most notably with his version of Up On The Roof... which stopped the (far superior, sorry, Kenny) version by The Drifters being a hit in the UK.

Most bizarre of all though, he wrote the lyrics to John Carpenter's music for the title track (You Can't Fight) of Carpenter's movie Assault On Precinct 13, as recorded by Jimmie Chambers. 

4. Ken Boothe - Everything I Own

Classic, suggested by The Swede, disqualified for lacking the requisite NY. Lovely, lovely song though.

3. REM - What's The Frequency, Kenneth?

Another suggestion from Deano, also disqualified for obvious reasons, but still a top tune. 

2. Generation X - The Prime Of Kenny Silvers

A top story song, and a decidedly un-punk song from Billy Idol and Tony James's second album, Valley of the Dolls. A kind of glam/prog epic, it hearkens back to the kind of music punk was set up to replace... which probably explains why the album didn't do particularly well in 1979. A shame, because I love this track. It was a serious contender for the 9th Kenny, until a little birdie reminded me of this...

1. The Small Faces - Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Thanks to C for pointing out this week's Number One: and the official Number #9 in my Top Ten... otherwise, the spelling of this Kenney's name would have made him slip through the net. Not only was Kenney Jones the drummer in the small faces, but he also replaced the late Keith Moon in The Who.

Seriously, if your biography includes the words, "replaced the late Keith Moon in The Who", I think you can consider your life a success.





Only one Kenny left. No prizes for guessing who. But... which song?

April #10: Tragic Todd & Comic Todd

There are only two types of story, at least if you go by Shakespeare: comedies and tragedies.

Actually, some argue there's a third: histories, but they tend to be one of the former in disguise. Actually ii: if you study writing as much as I did in my misspent youth, you'll find there are many different numbers given to how many basic stories there are: 7, 10, twenty-something... but, as usual, I digress. Let's just stick with two for today, shall we?

Americana is one genre of music where storytelling is all-important and one of its foremost practitioners is the great Todd Snider, an artist who was introduced to me by the DJ Bob Harris. Many other favourite artists found their way into my record collection via Whispering Bob, so I was very sad to see his late Saturday night Radio 2 show end last week after 20 years. It appears to have been his decision to quit (he's still presenting his country show on the network) but I'm sure a large part of his decision will be down to the way Radio 2 have messed him around over recent years. He'll leave a big gap in my record collection... I even thought of doing a Top Ten Artists I Discovered Through Bob Harris... but then I decided no one else would be interested (not that that's ever stopped me before).

Anyway, back to Todd Snider, the storyteller. I'm showcasing two Todd story songs today, one a comedy (that really does make me chuckle), one a serious tragedy. You'll have to listen to them to find out which is which. Go on, I'm not going to do all the work for you...


10. Todd Snider - You Think You Know Somebody / Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues

My Top Ten April Fool's Day Songs

Ten songs about April Fool's Day, along with ten amazing facts about the artists in question. But which ones are true and which ones are the APRIL FOOL?!?



10. Soul Asylum - April Fool

It was only after failing the audition to play bass in Soul Asylum that Kurt Cobain decided to form Nirvana. As a result, Soul Asylum's place in rock 'n' roll history is set in stone.

9. Aretha Franklin - April Fools

Following her acting debut in the film Blues Brothers, Aretha Franklin briefly considered taking the Kathy Bates role in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel Misery. She was talked out of it by her good friend George Michael (with whom she duetted on the 1987 Number One, I Knew You Were Waiting For Me).

8. Patti Smith - April Fool 

When 90s singer-songwriter Patti Smyth had a big hit with her Don Henley duet, Sometimes Love Ain't Enough, the original Patti Smith sued her for the right to the pronunciation of her own name. When Patti the first won the case, Patti the second was forced to change the i sound in her name to a y sound to avoid confusion.

7. My Life Story - April 1st

Comedian and Pointless presenter Alexander Armstrong was a member of Jake Shillingford's My Life Story orchestra. He played trumpet on a number of MLS songs, though not, sadly, this one.

6. Del Amitri - April The First

Del Amitri's lead singer & songwriter Justin Currie is a distant relative of infamous Spitting Image puppet and John Major bit on the side, Edwina Curry. (Seriously, April Fool's gags aside... imagine going down in history as "John Major's bit on the side". You've got to have some sympathy for poor Edwina...)

5. Loudon Wainwright III - April Fool's Day Morn

Loudon Wainwright III is actually the fourth generation of Loudon in his family. He just thought III sounded cooler. Then he decided to mess with tradition and call his own son...

4. Rufus Wainwright - April Fools

Rufus wrote the lyrics to one of his best songs, Going To A Town, while under general anaesthetic for an operation on a particularly nasty ingrowing toenail.

3. Kurt Wagner & Cortney Tidwell (KORT) - April's Fool

Lambchop mainman Kurt Wagner was such a fan of Marvel's X-Men comic book in his youth that he wrote a fan letter to the book every month. In recognition of his dedication, writer Len Wein named an X-Man after him. Kurt Wagner: Nightcrawler.

2. U2 - April Fool's Day

Following the success of their 1983 hit New Year's Day, Bono and Thedge briefly considered recording a whole album based around days of the year. The project was soon abandoned, but this track did later resurface as the b-side to their 1987 release, In God's Country (not a big hit, probably because it was the SEVENTH single from The Joshua Tree). I'm not the world's biggest U2 fan, but I do think this is one of the best things they ever recorded.

1. Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Just Checked In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

My favourite April Fool's song doesn't actually have April Fool in the title. It does feature in the lyrics though...

Someone painted April Fool in big black letters on a Dead End sign
I had my foot on the gas as I left the road and blew out my mind
Eight miles outta Memphis and I got no spare
Eight miles straight up downtown somewhere
I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

When Kenny disbanded the First Edition in the early 80s to go solo, several other members of the band went on to form New Edition and top the charts with the song Candy Girl.



I'll reveal the answers next week. In the meantime have fun guessing the April Fools...