Back To School Special

This week for many students marked the dreaded date of going back to school. I loved school (yea I am nerd, so what?) I loved getting to meet friends who are still a part of my life today, learning new things and skills, and just taking the idea of learning all in. I was even lucky enough to be able to teach elementary school and run after school and summer camp programs for a few years.


However as good as my school life was, I always am reminded of a Bruce Springsteen lyric from his song "No Surrender".

It got me thinking, what lessons from songs have I learned that either I didn't learn in school or was an addition to something I did learn?  I wanted to share with you some songs that taught me a lesson, specifically in the subjects of Family, Friends, Faith, and Future, the only "F's" you need to worry about this school year.

Music is an amazing thing. The right inspiring lyrics, or motivational songs can give you a kick in the backside; provide a quick pick me up to motivate you to accomplish your goals; or just a reminder about appreciating the beauty of the world that we live in and provides that little lift that we occasionally need. 

Family:

If you are thinking I am going to talk about Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" you don't know me that well as that is a cop out. Instead I want to highlight three songs that makes me think of my own family. It doesn't take much for me to realize the following quote is true: "Families are like fudge, mostly sweet and full of nuts".

That's My Job: Conway Twitty

"That's My Job" is a song written by Gary Burr, and recorded by American country music artist Conway Twitty. It was released in November 1987 as the third single from the album Borderline. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and tells the story of a dad who lets his son know exactly what it means to be a dad.  

Listening to this reminds me of my own dad and what he has done for me throughout the years and I can only to strive to be like him if I am lucky to have a child of my own one day. 

Mama Said: The Shirelles

The girl group The Shirelles made a great song that talks about the advice we get from Moms. 

Sometimes You Can't Make It Own Your Own: U2

The lyrics were written by lead singer Bono as a tribute to his father, Bob Hewson, who died of cancer in 2001; Bono sang the song at his funeral. The video to the song begins with a note from Bono about his father, saying "I wish I'd known him better." This song teaches me that no matter what is going on in life you can always rely on your family.


Friends:

Friends In Low Places: Garth Brooks

They say that friends are like stars, that even though you may not see them they are always there. I have been blessed in my life to have some great friends. We are always there for each other and I am proud to be in "low" and "high" places with them.

Two more songs that have taught me about friendship are:

With A Little Help From My Friends: Joe Cocker/Beatles

You've Got A Friend: James Taylor

Stand By Me: Ben E. King

Faith:

My faith is a big part of my life and though there was a time where I may have had doubts and questions it is the thing that keeps me grounded and who I am. Here are just a few songs that remind me of my faith and what it means to me.

It IS Well With My Soul

The River Of Dreams: Billy Joel

Put Your Hand In The Hand: Ocean

Below My Feet: Mumford and Sons

The Future:

Finally there are songs that I adore that remind me of the future and that even though I do not know what it will bring, it is not so bad because I have my faith, my family and my friends. These songs below inspire me in some way.

The Rainbow Connection and Finale from The Muppet Movie: Kermit and the Muppets
"Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending, we've done just what we've set out to do, thanks to the lovers the dreamers and you."

Keep Banging On Your Drum: Dead Man Fall

No one lives forever, 

Business here you've got to finish 

You won’t make your mind up 

You won’t make your mind up for me 

Hang out of your window 

Shout it down to the people below. 

Everyone will hear you. 

They are going to hear you. 

Here Comes The Sun: The Beatles
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right

It's My Life: Bon Jovi
It's my life its now or never, I ain't gonna live forever.

Badlands: Bruce Springsteen

Talkin' bout a dream, trying to make it real.

It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive.

There you go, some music to do homework by.....

What lessons have you learned and from which songs? I'd love you to leave a comment!

Until next time.....

Songs With A Cause

Hello readers! After a brief hiatus to attend an awesome Middle School and High School Summer Camp (and a little down time to recharge) the blog is back with a question for you.....

When you think of songs that were used as an anthem for a cause, charity, or as a way to spotlight an issue which one comes to your mind first?

If you are like 90% of people in the world you probably thought of  "We Are The World". This song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. It was a big deal when I was a kid and it was always fun to try to pick out the people you knew in the video. 

For the remainder of this post, I want to spotlight songs that were used for charitable purposes and those songs that were used as anthems, manifestos, or a spotlight for change.  

Do They Know Its Christmas?

Cause: Anti-poverty efforts in Ethiopia

Performers: Roger Daltrey, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof, Paul McCartney, Steve Norman, Chris Cross, John Taylor (Duran Duran), Kiss, Paul Young, Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17), Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), Simon Crowe (The Boomtown Rats), Marilyn, Keren Woodward (Bananarama), Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet), Jody Watley (Shalamar), Bono (U2), Paul Weller (The Style Council and The Jam), James "J.T." Taylor (Kool & The Gang), George Michael (Wham!), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Martyn Ware (Heaven 17 and Human League), John Keeble (Spandau Ballet), Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet), Sting (The Police), Pete Briquette (The Boomtown Rats), Francis Rossi (Status Quo), Robert 'Kool' Bell (Kool & the Gang), Andy Taylor (Duran Duran), Jon Moss (Culture Club), Rick Parfitt (Status Quo), Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran), Johnny Fingers (The Boomtown Rats), David Bowie, Boy George (Culture Club), Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), Big Country

Sales: More than 6 million copies in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada

One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)

Cause: Comic Relief

Performer: One Direction


Sales: 113,000 copies its first week

Free Nelson Mandela
The worldwide campaign to Free Nelson Mandela from a South African prison was voiced in many forms – including this song by the UK band The Specials AKA. Unlike most protest songs this one is upbeat and employs the rhythms of African music.

Bonus Springsteen Version

What's Going On?
Don’t be fooled by the laid-back soul style of this Marvin Gaye classic. It’s actually a political protest! This song was written to raise political awareness of the effects of the Vietnam War.

Born in the USA

Yes if you know me, Bruce will definitely make the list. Born in the USA is the title song of an album by US rocker Bruce Springsteen. The album produced seven songs all on the theme of the ordinary mans fight to pursue the American dream. This title track is often misinterpreted as a patriotic anthem when it is really about the working class heroes that hold the American economy together.

For trivia buffs, this was also the first commercial release of an album on CD in the US.

I'll Stand By You

Cause: Idol Gives Back

Performer: Carrie Underwood

Sales: Collected over 300,000 digital downloads

Candle in the Wind (1997)

Cause: Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund

Performer: Elton John


Sales: Over 33 million copies worldwide

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Irish rock band U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday is strong political song highlighting the conflict in Northern Ireland. In particular it focuses on the effect of the Bloody Sunday incident when British troops opened fire against unarmed civil rights protesters.

Hurricane

This song by Bob Dylan was part of campaign to release Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. He was a middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted of murder. After spending almost 20 years in prison, a public campaign finally secured his release.

That's What Friends Are For

Cause: American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR)

Performers: Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John

Sales: Raised over $3 million 

So there you have it, a few (not all if you research) songs related to charity or issues. Which ones are your favorites here? Did I miss one?  See ya next time for our Back to School Special......

Nothing Wrong With Feeling Good

Nothing Wrong With Feeling Good….

It has been a rough few weeks. The news coming from different outlets seems to be the kind in which you just feel blah and can get your spirits down instantly. There is nothing wrong with making yourself feel good or happy.


If you Google, “how to feel happy” you are inundated with pages on pages of articles, blogs, images, lists, and other items to help you get to your happy place. One of the lists that I thought was interesting was from Life Hack http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-simple-ways-make-you-feel-good-instantly.html 

I particularly enjoyed the items that talked about singing and dancing (this is a blog about music after all). I thought what I could do to help you get to your happy place is to list some of my favorite songs that I like to belt out or dance to when I am in a rotten mood.


Now these songs don't necessarily talk about happy situations, but for me it is the beat or the tune that gets me going.



So here you are folks, songs to make you feel good.  What songs are on your list?

Feeling Good: Nina Simone

Good Vibrations: Beach Boys

Hey Baby: Bruce Channel

Dancing Queen: ABBA

Fidelity: Regina Spektor

Grace Kelly: MIKA

I Want You Back: Jackson 5

Jump In The Line: Harry Belafonte

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles): The Proclaimers

1234-Feist

Soul Finger: The Bar-Kays

Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen

Louie Louie:The Kingsmen

Buona Sera: Louis Prima

I Feel Good: James Brown

Forget the Brexit, Let's Talk Brinvasion

We have all been reading recently about the vote of Great Britain to leave the E.U. (European Union) commonly known as the "Brexit". What I would like to do in this post is to take our minds off the Brexit and remember the Brinvasion, (ok I totally made that up) the time in music where British music, pop-culture, fashion and counterculture all came to the U.S.

I will highlight some of my favorite groups of the British Invasion era and although we won't get into the great debate over who is better between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones I will mention a few of my favorites from them. I will post soon about which of those bands are better (spoiler alert: it is not The Beatles).

If you are not offended and still reading, let's talk about the British Invasion before jumping into the music. If you’d told a randomly selected group of American music fans in the spring of 1962 that a British act would soon achieve total dominance of the American pop scene, change the face of music and fashion and inspire a generation of future pop stars to take up an instrument and join a band, they would probably have scratched their heads and struggled to imagine such a thing. Up to that point, the single, solitary Briton ever to have reached the top of the American charts in the rock and roll era was a man by the name of Mr. Acker Bilk. His instrumental single, “Stranger On the Shore” provided the first, false hint of the British Invasion to come when it went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 26, 1962.

Fast forward two years to February 7 the day the Beatles arrived in New York for their inaugural U.S. visit, and two days later played on The Ed Sullivan Show to hysterical response and record viewership, causing a cultural shift and triggering a musical movement that would come to be known as the British Invasion.

In the 1964–65 period, British acts were at No. 1 for an astounding 56 weeks combined. In 1963 a mere three singles by British artists cracked the American Top 40. In 1964, 65 did, and in 1965, a further 68 did. Beyond all the statistics, the English musicians who came to America between 1964 and 1966 found themselves in the grip of a craze that made them irresistibly chic and sexy no matter what their background—London or Liverpool, middle class or working class, art school or tradesman’s apprentice, skiffle or trad jazz, America lapped it all up. The cultural exchange proved beneficial to both sides: the Brits, still very much in the throes of postwar privation, saw their nascent “swinging” youth culture further developed, their country abruptly transformed from black-and-white to color; the Americans, still very much in mourning for John F. Kennedy, were administered a needed dose of fun, and, thus re-invigorated, resumed the youthquake that had lapsed into dormancy when Elvis joined the army.

There are many books on the Brinvasion I encourage you to read including  "British Pop Invasion: How British music conquered the sixties" and "British Invasion: The Crosscurrents of Musical Influence".

Now to some of my favorite groups.....then we will chat Beatles vs. Stones

The Animals
The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon, as exemplified by their signature song and transatlantic No. 1 hit single, "The House of the Rising Sun", as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get out of This Place", "It's My Life", "I'm Crying" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". The band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues-oriented album material.

We Gotta Get Out of This Place

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five (also known as "The DC5") single "Glad All Over" knocked the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK Singles Chart in January 1964; it peaked at number 6 in the United States in April 1964."Over And Over" was a number 1 single in the United States for the group in December 1965. They were the second group of the British Invasion on The Ed Sullivan Show, appearing in March for two weeks after the Beatles appeared three straight weeks in February 1964. For some time the Dave Clark Five was more popular in the US than in their native UK, but had a renaissance in the UK between 1967 and 1970.

Bits and Pieces

Over and Over

Herman's Hermits

The Hermits' first hit was a cover of Earl-Jean's "I'm into Something Good" (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King), which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 in the US in late 1964. They never topped the British charts again, but had two US Billboard Hot 100 No.1s with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter"  and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am".  Herman's Hermits had four Top 3 hits in the US in 1965, with the aforementioned No. 1 hits and "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" (US No. 2).  "Silhouettes" (US No. 5), Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" (US No. 4), "Just a Little Bit Better" (US No. 7), and "A Must to Avoid" (US No. 8) in 1965; "Listen People" (US No. 3), "Leaning on a Lamp Post" from Me and My Girl (US No. 9), and the Ray Davies song "Dandy" (US No. 5) in 1966; and "There's a Kind of Hush" (US No. 4) in 1967. 

There's A Kind of Hush

Into Something Good

I Am Henry the VIII

The Zombies

Long before the Walking Dead took zombies to a pop culture phenomenon, the group The Zombies scored British and American hits in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US two further singles, "Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1969, were also successful. Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle is ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Time of the Season

She's Not There

The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones

So there are many arguments to be made on which is the best band between these two. I think it all comes down to individual tastes. I prefer the Stones, but that's not to say I do not like some songs from the Beatles. 

Please check out the book below for a great read on this great rivalry.

Favorite Beatles Songs of mine:

Do You Want to Know a Secret

Love Me Do

All My Loving

From Me to You

Eight Days a Week

We Can Work it Out

All You Need is Love

Favorite Stones Songs of mine:

Start Me Up

Paint it Black

Sympathy for the Devil

Beast of Burden

Get Off of My Cloud

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Honky Tonk Women

Miss You

OK readers, there you have a little history on the British Invasion. Did I miss one of your favorites? If so, who? Do you dare chime in on the Beatles/Stones debate? 

Until next time!

A Sequel of Sorts or The Blog Part 2 

Well, after a (brief?) almost five year break, I have decided to pick up the blog about music that I liked to write.

Not sure if I will get any more readers or comments, but I figured I had fun when I did it, so why not bring it back? Picking it back up where I left off makes me think of this outing as a sequel of what I started. Sequels are not rare anymore thanks to the slew of them we see each summer thanks to our local movie theaters.  Did you know this year there are 36 movie sequels coming to your local Cineplex? I will admit I will most likely see a majority of them :).

A blog "sequel" and movie sequels got me thinking about sequels to songs, I mean, after all this is a blog about music! So what I have attempted to do in this return is to list a few of my favorite song sequels with their originals some you may know, but my hope is some are new to you.

As always, I welcome your comments and for you to let me know what song sequels from this list or your own list you enjoy.


It is good to be back, see you next time!


Ain’t That A Shame? and Walking to New Orleans –Fats Domino 

I am a fan of Fats Domino and if you have not listened to his greatest hits you are missing out on some great music from the early days of Rock and Roll. He released five gold (million-copy-selling) records before 1955 and had 35 hit records in the U.S. Top 40. His musical style is based on traditional rhythm and blues, accompanied by saxophones, bass, piano, electric guitar and drums.

"Ain’t That A Shame" is a heartache song about a breakup that was the other partner's fault. Domino wrote it with Dave Bartholomew, who worked on most of Domino's hits. This was the first song to crossover from the R&B charts to the mostly white pop charts of the day.

Like several other songs previously heard exclusively in black bars or nightclubs, this was covered by the crooning Pat Boone. Concerned about how educated, upper-class whites would respond to the title, he originally wanted it changed to "Isn't That a Shame," but the producers realized the original title would sell better and kept it.

"Walking to New Orleans" was the sequel in which the main character of “Shame” picks up the pieces, leaves, and goes back to his hometown. Written by Booby Charles who said Fats was a hero of his, the song took on the sequel vibe when Fats himself added a quote to the lyrics from his other song written 5 years earlier.

Spoiler alert: Most of the songs here are from the golden oldies era of music. Some tell a story that needed an ending, while some like "The Twist", was a cash cow for the music industry.

 The Twist and Let’s Twist Again- Chubby Checker

The twist is a dance that was inspired by rock and roll music. From 1959 to the early sixties it became the first worldwide dance craze, enjoying immense popularity among all people and drawing fire from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Funky Chicken, but none were as popular. The dance became passé among teenagers as it became acceptable among adults and the song was re-released, becoming a number one hit again in 1962, because of its sequel.

"Let's Twist Again" is one of the biggest hit singles of 1961, it reached #2 in the UK and #8 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart. The song received the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Rock & Roll Recording. Checker also recorded the song in German as "Der Twist Beginnt" and in Italian as "Balliamo il Twist".

 Johnny B. Goode and Bye Bye Johnny- Chuck Berry

Thanks to Marty McFly going back to the future you know the story of a poor boy who could play the guitar just like ringing a bell, "Johnny B. Goode". However you may not know of "Bye Bye Johnny" in which Johnny’s mom says goodbye to him as he starts his career with his name in lights. It tells the story of Johnny post "B. Goode" and how his momma deals with it.


Devil Went Down To and Came Back To Georgia-Charlie Daniels and Friends 

Now to a different Johnny. Hopefully you know the story of the epic “fiddle” battle between the devil and Johnny. Did you know the devil dared to come back to Georgia for a rematch? A sequel to the original song, titled "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia", was recorded by Daniels and fiddle player Mark O'Connor in 1993, featuring guest performances by Travis Tritt (as the devil), Marty Stuart (as Johnny) and Johnny Cash as the narrator. In the sequel, the now-adult Johnny is married and has a child. Hoping to take advantage of Johnny's sinful pride, the Devil challenges him to a rematch.

The Devil snatches the Golden Fiddle from Johnny, and demands that he practice with his old fiddle to play against him. The ending does not state the victor outright, though the music video suggests Johnny won, as does the line "Johnny's still the best that's ever been". Do you think we will see a round three between these two?

It’s My Party and Judy’s Turn To Cry- Leslie Gore 

Oh the teenage drama! Oh the cash cow, needed to make record labels a success!

When "It's My Party" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on May 11, 1963, Gore's label, Mercury Records rushed to record a sequel. The sequel, "Judy's Turn to Cry," was recorded on May 14, 1963. In "It's My Party," the singer was in tears because her boyfriend Johnny left with her best friend Judy at her birthday party.

In "Judy's Turn to Cry," the singer kisses another boy at another party in order to make Johnny jealous and Johnny hits the other boy and returns to her, (as one does?)

In the chorus, which also opens the song, the triumphant singer gloats that "Well now it's Judy's turn to cry, Judy's turn to cry, Judy's turn to cry; 'cause Johnny's come back to me." Until then the singer's "tears just fell like rain drops" because "Judy's smile was so mean."

With its emphasis on crying, in this case Judy rather than the singer, the song fit in with the theme of the album I'll Cry If I Want To, in which most of the songs involved someone crying. It is like a soap opera for your ears, people!

I love a song that tells a good story, so I will round out these twelve (13) songs with a story set in the West Texas town of El Paso.

That’s right for the final song we get a trilogy!

El Paso, Feleena, and El Paso City- Marty Robbins 

"El Paso" is about a cowboy who shot another cowboy in defense of his girlfriend. He tried to flee but her love brought him back to the town where tragically, he was gunned down.

"Feelena" tells the story of the girl and what she saw on those fateful days of the song "El Paso."  "El Paso City" is really cool; because it is one part ghost story and one part past life supernatural experience. The main protagonist is a passenger on an airplane flying over El Paso and he is looking out the window he is compelled to recall the song he heard long ago ("El Paso"). He fails to recall the man who sang "El Paso," but immediately senses a connection to the story. He wonders to himself, "Could it be that I could be the cowboy in this mystery," suggesting a past life. The arrangement of "El Paso City" includes riffs and themes from "El Paso" and "Feleena."


There are your sequel songs folks. There are many more out there I would love to share with you, maybe I will make a “part two” to this list.


** Honorable Mentions:
Snoopy vs. The Red Baron and The Red Baron Returns
Big Bad John and The Cajun Queen
Peggy Sue and Peggy Sue Got Married