Please... Get Off The Stage

This epic cliff-hanger season climax seemed inevitable for The Greatest Show on Earth... especially in 2020... and whatever happens with the vote, you know it's not over by a long shot.

I make no apologies for playing this again. Maybe I'll play it every day until he's gone. Even if that takes another 4 years...

Please, get off the stage.

2020: The Year That Keeps On Taking

 

No sooner had I scheduled my tribute to James Broad of Silver Sun than the news hit me of two more musical deaths in the year to end all bad years.

I don't know much by Billy Joe Shaver, but what I have heard, I like. 

I've spent a lifetime making up my mind to be

More than the measure of what I thought others could see

Good luck and fast bucks are too far and too few between

For Cadillac buyers and old five and dimers like me

Billy Joe Shaver - Old Five & Dimers Like Me

Billy Joe passed like week, aged 81. 

A few days earlier, another name from the same era of country music, Jerry Jeff Walker, died of throat cancer.

The eulogies came thick and fast for Jerry Jeff, mostly concentrating on his most famous tune... one that's been covered by everyone from Harry Belafonte to Edwyn Collins, Neil Diamond to Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan to Robbie Williams... and, of course, Sammy Davis Jr.

Jerry Jeff Walker - Mr. Bojangles

Everyone likes to have their heart broken by a dying dog, eh?

Unlike Billy Joe, who I only knew a couple of tunes by, I was more familiar with Jerry Jeff's back catalogue, having dipped my toe into it on more than one occasion over the years. Here are a couple the music player tells me I listened to a lot.

Jerry Jeff Walker - Pissin' In The Wind

Now we worked and we suffered and struggled

Makin' our record till we got it right

Now we're waiting on the check to come sneaking down the hall

Like that old time feeling

That we never should have ever put the record out at all

If you're interested in keeping up on who passes each month from the world of music, there's no finer blog to read than Any Major Dude With Half A Heart. I've been following The Dude since my earliest days of blogging - indeed, only his blog and JC's are still around from my earliest forays into the blogosphere. Every month, the Dude posts a list of all the musical names - big and small - who have passed, with links to choice songs by each of them. But that's not the only reason I've kept reading his blog for so long - he also posts amazing themed mixtapes that in many ways were the original inspiration for the Top Tens I began compiling on Sunset Over Slawit, eventually leading to the creation of this blog.

A week or so ago, 2020 did a number on The Dude. He's already lost his job this year, and then his blog was attacked by malware hackers. (He suspects it may have been in response to an anti-Trump mixtape he posted... but I guess we'll never know. That may just be fake news.) Anyway, The Dude was thinking of packing it all in at this point, unable to afford the anti-malware software needed to rescue his blog from the brink... but in a last ditch effort, he threw an appeal out to his readers. They quickly rallied round with Paypal donations (I threw him a couple of quid myself, for all the great reading & listening over the years) and in less than 24 hours he'd raised the money he needed to keep his blog afloat. 

 

A little bit of good news goes a long way this year. 

Here's one of the many, many great tunes I first heard over at The Dude's place...

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. 

My Top Ten Silver Sun Songs

 

I was sad to hear of the death of the lead singer and songwriter of one of my favourite 90s bands late last week. 

Silver Sun mixed chunky power pop guitars with Beach Boys harmonies and fun lyrics - they also had some excellent 50s B-movie inspired record sleeves. And, as I've previously written about here, they were responsible for the loudest gig I ever saw.

James Broad died last week of cancer. Rest in peace, fella. Thanks for the tunes... ten of which, I dug out to play today.

10. Trickle Down

A b-side!

Small town life just gets me down...

9. Would've If I Could've

Well, I would've if I could've but I couldn't so I didn't
So I should have if I could have...

8. Julia

Lilo, Milo's got the change

He's the Geezer who's slightly deranged

Everyone knows what to do when a little accident's due

Chop it up and you'll be fine

Get back to the cheap red wine

Marry me in the Med, cut to the bed

7. Bubblegum

You got a problem with multi-tasking

Are you dancing, coz I'm asking

No error in syntax

You're definitely intact

6. Dumb

Angrier than Elvis Costello at his most gnarly!

5. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late

Their biggest hit, a cover of the Johnny Mathis & Denice Williams song from the 70s... made #20 on the singles chart in 1998. We played it to death (and all their other singles) on the Sunday night indie show I produced back then.

4. Lava

The opening line is a gulped "I fucking give up", yet they still played this on the radio.

3. Sharks

Now we are out of the sea

And we're keeping away from the sharks

Now it's just you, it's just me

And we'll never be together apart

Keepin' away from the sharks

2. Last Day

I like the snow and better still

I like it when you're not around

Give me my loan back

All of my ex-girlfriends they were shit

1. Golden Skin

Perfect riffs, glorious harmonies... should have been a smash.

Saturday Snapshots #161 - The Answers

The masks are off and the songs are revealed!

10. SOS! No jest! Infatuated with a lad!

"SOS! No jest!" was an anagram.

Joss Stone - Fell In Love With A Boy

9. Who let him out? He can't even remember his own identity!

Who let the Dogg out?

Snoop Dogg - Who Am I (What's My Name)?

8. Pervy haircut? It'll all be OK the day after tomorrow.

"Call the cops!" was an extra clue from Shaun Ryder.

It'll all be happy on Monday.

The Happy Mondays - Kinky Afro

Still got one of the best opening lines of any pop song ever.

7. Offspring of red-breasted piper tunes through the static to get a clearer signal. 

Tom, Tom was a piper's son... but also a Robin-son.

Tom Robinson - Atmospherics: Listen To The Radio

6. Young men & women move very fast.

So fast, they're a Blur. Let's face it, that mask doesn't really disguise Damon's identity at all.

Blur - Girls And Boys 

5. Remorse found in meme.

"In meme" is a very simple anagram. Somebody else who might as well not have been wearing a mask.

Eminem - Guilty Conscience

Still my favourite Eminem song, and the single is so much more fun than the album version.

4. Lou eying Mike - ends up dizzy.

"Lou eying Mike" is another anagram. I'm probably overdoing those at the moment.

Kylie Minogue - Spinning Around

3. Good & cheerful... but the cure doesn't work. 

Bon & jovial... but the medicine is bad.

Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine

2. Explosion in city vermin, hates #8.

That's Saint Bob under the mask.

#8 was the Happy Mondays.

Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays

1. Thumbs up & fingers crossed.

Sir Thumbs Aloft!

No more masks next Saturday, but plenty more Snapshots.