Look! Up in the sky.....

Greetings dear readers from my fortress of solitude (OK, no fortress but a comfy chair of solitude). For those of you who do not know, I consider myself a pretty big fan of superheroes this is proven by the dozen or so t-shirts I have with symbols of superhero logos or images.

Today's Shirt in honor of Capt America

Notice I did not say comics....I am not one of those people who has more comic books than space in their house. I do like superheroes in the modern day mythology they bring to our culture. I recently purchased this great book Supergods written by a fantastic graphic author Grant Morrison.

You can find more information about the book at Amazon and this link. So with the addition to my library and the recent slew of superhero movies this summer, such as Thor, The Green Lantern, and Captain America,  and with the past week's news from Comic Con,I thought I would write about songs that deal with superheroes as the subject matter.






Catch Me Now I'm Falling-The Kinks
 Iconic British band The Kinks wrote a song about Captain America… technically. It’s probably a symbolic call for the rest of the world to aid the US during the Oil Crisis in the late ’70s. “Now I’m calling all citizens from all over the world/this is Captain America calling./I built you up when you were down on your knees/so can you catch me now, I’m falling.” Still, it gives me the warm fuzzies to know that Cap is probably the only superhero that can represent the United States in a non-ironic sense, and that a highly respected band like the Kinks managed to work him into a song that’s relevant even today.


The Ballad of Barry Allen-Jim's Big Ego
From Boston, Mass, Jim's Big Ego was formed in 1995 and  has carved a unique place in the the music world. The song portrays Barry (The Flash) as a tragic character, whose perception of the world is so accelerated that all of reality appears to proceed at a snail's pace, causing him to gradually slip into depression. The band's frontman, Jim Infantino, is the nephew of Flash co-creator Carmine Infantino, who provided the cover art.


Spiderman-The Ramones
So who hasn't at one point heard the theme to Spiderman in their head? "Spider-Man" is the theme song of the 1967 cartoon show Spider-Man, composed by Academy Award winner Paul Francis Webster and Robert "Bob" Harris. The song's opening lines, "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can," have become as synonymous with the Marvel Comics character as his costume. The Ramones released it as a hidden track on the vinyl version of their 1995 album  ¡Adios Amigos!


Aquaman-Ookla the Mok
This self-described Geek Band is named after the cartoon, Thundarr The Barbarian series.  This is just one of their songs about comic books and superheroes.  It describes why all of the other superheroes are cool, but Aquaman is always put on the back burner. A funny, yet good tune about our favorite King of Atlantis.


Superman
Ok readers it is time for my personal favorite superhero and that is "big blue" himself, the last son of Krypton: Superman.


There are tons of songs about Supes from artists like REM, Donovan, and even (can you believe it) Barbara Streisand! My two favorite songs about Superman would be as follows:


Superman (It's Not Easy)- Five For Fighting sees Superman as a lonely soul who laments that people cannot see beyond his iconic facade


Jimmy Olsen's Blues-Spin Doctors envisions Jimmy Olsen as the jealous nerd with a pocket full of Kryptonite for the jock-like Superman


Themes:
So I do not think this list would be complete without mentioning some iconic themes associated with superheroes:


Superman by John Williams 

Wonder Woman (she is fighting for your rights, in her satin tights)
Batman (na na na na na)
The Incredible Hulk (ending theme, very sad)
Superfriends (great cartoon I wish they would bring back)




So there you have it readers super songs about superhereos....what songs can you think of about superheroes and more importantly who is your favorite superhero?


Until next time......

Don't Be Silly-It's Rockabilly

Greetings readers, or should I say Howdy!?  I wanted to feature a type of music in this week's post that is one of the genres of music, that I forget how much I enjoy until I hear a song from it and get instantly sucked back in. That genre is Rockabilly.

What is rockabilly you ask? Rockabilly has its roots starting to back in the early 1950s.  The term rockabilly is a combination of rock (from rock 'n' roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style's development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. While there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the Southern United States.

The influence and popularity of the style waned in the 1960s, but during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a major revival of popularity, thanks to such groups like The Stray Cats, that has endured to the present, often within a rockabilly subculture.

So those of you reading who are looking for some examples of this genre, I present to you some of my favorite rockabilly songs.

Baby Let's Play House-Elvis Presley

Featuring his most accomplished vocal to that time, this cover of an Arthur Gunter blues song may have been the most professional rockabilly Elvis ever recorded. That doesn't make it dull -- this is hot, with smoking guitar licks, and raunchy enough to mention a "pink cadillac," wink wink -- but it's also got that rockabilly spirit, which means the King can deliver a line like "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to see you with another man" and have it come out both loose and nonthreatening.

Cherokee Boogie  and The Shotgun Boogie - BR549

Initially, BR549's sound was influenced by 1950s honky tonk, as well as Western swing, rockabilly and Bakersfield sound. Steve Huey of Allmusic described their sound and appearance as "unabashedly retro", as the band's members dressed in "old, budget-friendly clothes"

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On-Jerry Lee Lewis

 Cut in one take as an afterthought, this pounding number announced The Killer's arrival on the rock and roll scene -- a parents' nightmare who learned boogie-woogie at the feet of the masters. This hillbilly stomp had roots that stretched back to the birth of the blues, but as with everything else, Jerry Lee put his own individual stamp all over it. 

Fujiyama Mama-Wanda Jackson

Someone once called the vocal on this classic the best female rock vocal of all time. That's debatable, though the one they called The Sweet Girl With The Nasty Voice does push an amazing amount of force from her eighteen-year-old body, sort of like Brenda Lee's naughty older sister. She'd already been practicing the song to herself for two years before she ever got signed, and her boyfriend -- a singer by the name of Elvis Presley -- knew she had it in her.

The Stray Cats and Brian Setzer:

Formed in 1980 by Brian Setzer, the group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S. including "Stray Cat Strut", "Sexy and 17", "I Won't Stand in Your Way", "Bring it Back Again", and "Rock This Town", which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed as one of the 500 most important songs in the history of rock and roll

Sexy and Seventeen

This Cat's On A Hot Tin Roof 

Rock This Town 

Bruce Springsteen

Open All Night

Stand On It

So there you have it readers.....Rockabilly.

Do you like this genre? What songs do you know that could be considered great rockabilly songs?

Until next time.........

Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll: Three's Company

Hello readers! I hope this finds you all well, and for those of you located in the United States, enjoying the 4th of July.  Instead of Red, White and Blue, today's blog will focus on Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll. Now before we begin let me state that I do not condone the use of drugs (however I wholeheartedly advocate sex and rock and roll!)

Did you know the term "Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll" is an updated version of the cliche phrase "Wine, Women, and Song"? It is true, it describes a lifestyle or set of behaviors which are indulgent or pleasure-seeking.  Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll correspond to Wine, Women, and Song with edgier and updated vices. The term was popularized in a one hit wonder from 1977 by Ian Dury in his song of the same name.

The term got me thinking recently about how many songs I could think of and liked that dealt with these topics. So what I have done for you all dear readers, is to create a journey from the 1960s-1980s with songs that talk about Sex, Drugs or Rock and Roll.  Consider this list "Part 1" as I will create another list soon with songs from the 90's-Today.

On a side note I have done some research on these songs in which the artists did in fact admit that it was written about one of these topics, you may be shocked as I was. For example Got To Get You Into My Life by The Beatles is about drugs....who knew?

So here we go readers ( and it is ok to blush :) )

** My personal favorite

1960s:

SEX

• Hanky Panky-Tommy James and the Shondells**
• Lay Lady Lay- Bob Dylan

DRUGS

• Got To Get You Into My Life- The Beatles
• Cloud Nine-The Temptations
• Jumpin Jack Flash-The Rolling Stones
• Space Oddity-David Bowie
• White Rabbit-Jefferson Airplane **

ROCK AND ROLL

• I Dig Rock And Roll Music-Peter, Paul and Mary **
• Rock and Roll Music-The Beatles
• Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay-Danny and the Juniors

1970s:

SEX

• Let's Get It On-Marvin Gaye
• Lady Marmalade-LaBelle
• Let's Spend the Night Together- The Rolling Stones **
• Feel Like Making Love-Bad Company
• Bang A Gong-T.Rex
• Love Hangover-Diana Ross
• Turn Off The Lights-Teddy Pendergrass
• Love You Inside Out-The Bee Gees
• Afternoon Delight- Starland Vocal Band**

DRUGS

• Mary Jane-Rick James
• Cocaine Blues-Johnny Cash**
• Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds-Elton John
• One Toke Over The Line-Brewer and Shipley **

ROCK AND ROLL

• Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo-Rick Derringer
• Rock and Roll-Led Zepplin
• Rock and Roll Fantasy-Bad Company
• Rock and Roll All Nite-KISS**
• Rock and Roll Never Forgets-Bob Seeger
• Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)-The Rolling Stones**

1980s:

SEX

• I Want Your Sex-George Michael
• Relax-Frankie Goes To Hollywood**
• Sexual Healing-Marvin Gaye
• Give It To Me Baby-Rick James
• Like A Virgin-Madonna

DRUGS

• I Want A New Drug-Huey Lewis and the News**
• Pass the Dutchie-Musical Youth
• Cocaine-Eric Clapton
• White Lines (Don't Do It)-Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

ROCK AND ROLL

• I Love Rock and Roll- Joan Jett
• I Wanna Rock-Twisted Sister
• Heart of Rock and Roll-Huey Lewis and the News**
• It's Still Rock and Roll to Me- Billy Joel**

So there you have it readers: Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll.  I know I a missing many songs from these eras, so tell me what are the songs you think of when you hear that phrase?

Until next time.......