Heretic Pride

Title track from last year's album. Typical, brilliant John Darnielle - an uplifting song structured around a grim lyric: the character is proud to be alive even in the moments his body is being dragged across the town square and into a ditch.

Artist: Mountain Goats
Year: 2008
Rating: Luke Hot

Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye, Redux

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm

Last in my head on September 6, 2009.

Artist: Leonard Cohen
Year: 1967

It's the Love

One of the best from last year's well-received Mountain Battles. Silly little video of Kelley, Kim, and possibly a couple other people tapping hands and feet.

Artist: Breeders
Year: 2008
Rating: Luke Hot

Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Pat and band doing a drum/tambourine jam. Song starts at 1:30.

Not sure what mental associations conjured this up on Thanksgiving morning, but enjoy!

Artist: Pat Benatar
Year: 1980
Rating: Luke Hot

Do-Re-Mi

Specifically, I woke with the "So-do-la-fa-mi-do-re" line in my head. I had absolutely no idea that the Sing Along Sound of Music was playing at the Castro this weekend. I swear it!

When you know the notes to sing/You can sing most anything!

Artist: Julie Andrews & co
Year: 1959 (original stage production) 1965 (film)
Rating: Warmly warm
Written by Rodgers & Hammerstein

Show Me

Welcome to the human race
With its war, disease, and brutality
You with your innocense and grace
Restore some pride and dignity to a world in decline.

Oh, Chrissie, you make rock 'n' roll mean something. In such a sensual way.

Artist: The Pretenders
Year: 1984
Rating: Hot!

Dear Alex & Annie Theme

Oh god! This is hilarious. Anyone out there remember the very feely '70s Saturday morning advice of Alex and Annie, two fake teenagers keepin' it "real?" I remember so vividly the asides during the opening sequence, "I'm desperate!" and "What should I do??"



Stay tuned til the end: this segment wraps with a fantastic ode to one girl's slow "development."

Artist: William Bingham & Donna Drake
Lyric/Producer: Lynn Ahrens
Year: 1978
Rating: Warm

Note: Created by the prolific Lynn Ahrens of School House Rock fame.

Walt Whitman's Niece/Don't Pass Me By

From the wonderful Mermaid Avenue album, on which Billy Bragg, Wilco, Natalie Merchant and other artists bring to life the unpublished lyrics of the late Woody Guthrie. It's so amusing to think about Guthrie, author of This Land is Your Land,* writing the bawdy lines "As she read I laid my head (and I can't tell which head)/Down in her lap (and I can mention which lap)." Music/Performance: Billy Bragg and Wilco (1998) Lyric: Woody Guthrie (1946) Rating: Luke Hot And for a week or so, when "Walt Whitman's Niece" got in my head, it would lead directly into this quirky traditional pop/honky-tonkish Ringo song from the White Album: Artist: The Beatles Year: 1968 Rating: Luke Hot Note: * "This Land is Your Land," it should be acknowledged, is not the merely the milk-and-cookies version many of us in the U.S. grew up with. It's got verses that are usually edited out of traditional performances of the song. Check out the history of the verses, which involve a high degree of working class consciousness here. Yep, Woody was a proud commie sympathizer AND a perv! His guitar bore the mark "This machine kills fascists."

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Oh, jeez, the holiday music has already started in my head! Here's a sampling of this innocuous Xmas tune from...



Alvin and the Chipmunks
Year: 1981

and...



The Muppets with John Denver
Year: 1979

The One That You Love

Wow. Complete with airbrushed playground scenes.

Ubiquitous music of my childhood, and the stated favorite band of my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Ringsted. Bless 'em.

Artist: Air Supply
Year: 1981
Rating: Warm

Fly Me to the Moon

Holy shit! There's water on the moon! This song came to mind the day before, mind you, the historic announcement was made. I know, blogging about it after the fact really dampens my cred.

C'est la vie, et l'eau.

Artist: Frank Sinatra and Antonio Jobim
Year: 1966 (written in 1954 by Bart Howard)
Rating: Luke Hot

Bus Stop

Cute tune, but it's never been a favorite of mine. And it's a bitch to get out of your head once it's lodged in there. Time for a Mozart Reset.

Artist: The Hollies
Year: 1966
Rating: Lukewarm

You're Beautiful

"It's one of those songs that's so inane, you already know the words to it." —Amber

Artist: James Blunt Year: 2005 Rating: Brrrr! We both much prefer the Weird Al rendition, though we are cautionary about the self-hating nerd attitude he portrays: Artist: Weird Al Yankovic Year: 2006 Rating: Luke Hot Question: Does it ever snow at sea level?

Visions of Johanna

Another song introduced to me on a mixed tape from a former lover (lifetimes ago). It captured the situation in multilayered ways.

Louise, she's all right, she's just near
She's delicate and seems like the mirror
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here

Artist: Bob Dylan
Year: 1966
Rating: Luke Hot

Don't Get Me Wrong

I see neon lights whenever you walk by.

Check out this awesome old-school fan site about the band if you're so moved. It's got an historical archive of tour dates, lyrics, and, of note, Chrissie Hynde's irreverent advice to chick rockers.

Artist: The Pretenders
Year: 1986
Rating: Hot!

Babylon Sisters

In my head in the wee hours this morning. An ode to illicit sex with multiple women. Good thing my illicit sex is actually licit.

For song interpretations, check out the chat on SongMeanings.

Artist: Steely Dan
Year: 1980
Rating: Warm

Help with Edits!

Hey, all you Songs in My Head junkies! Since the nature of posting other people's music online can be rather dodgy, I'm finding that videos I post from YouTube and other sources are often subject to getting yanked by the major labels, leaving big ugly video-voids in my posts.









Be a dear - if you see something like this in a blog entry, please alert me so I can search for a replacement video to complement the post. Unfortunately, this usually means resorting to a live version where I want the studio recording, or a home-made vid when I wanted the genuine article, but beggars can certainly not be choosers.

Since I'm amassing hundreds of entries already, it's hard for me to scope the whole contents of the blog on a regular basis in order to catch these things. If you happen to come across a page that needs a new video, please leave a comment here or email me at soozzip at gmail dot com. Be sure to mention the name of the song and the artist.

Thanks a bunch! Hope to keep you reading, singing, and fist-pumping along!

xo
Sooze

Just the Way It Is Baby

This song is so ridiculous! Granted, it's been around for almost twenty years now, but I'd pegged it as seventies or early-eighties easy listening, not an early-nineties quasi-alternative tune. I'm floored. Evidently, it's seeped into my consciousness and become lodged where I file adult contemporary hits like Muskrat Love and How Much I Feel.

Artist: The Rembrandts
Year: 1990
Rating: Cold

Shout Out: to Kelle "Ambrosia" E. and to Maria, who hates muskrats.

Hang On Sloopy

In my head while walking the dog this morning. I know this song is about a girl, but I've always associated it with a particular famous comic canine.

Artist: The McCoys
Year: 1965
Rating: Warm

Reruns

Here Comes My Baby (original version) was on rotation yesterday. Last in my head on June 18, 2009.

Also, this morning, Good Night Saigon, over and over again. Last time was February 20, 2009.

Glory of Love

Amber and I are immersed in training our new dog this week. Behavior issues, peeing in the house; naturally, we did it all for the Dorrie of love.

Artist: Peter Cetera
Year: 1986
Rating: Lukewarm

Edit: Oh my god! It's Ralph Macchio's birthday today! What an awesome coincidence! Happy 48th, you.

Freedom

Girl, all I want right now is you!

Artist: Wham!
Year: 1984
Rating: Warm

I See No Evil

Television is one of those bands that it's hard to imagine even existed. Somewhere on the threshold between 70s hard rock and the indie post-punk that came later, somewhere between pop and poetry, there was Verlaine, his verse, visceral vocals, and vibrato guitar.

Artist: Television
Year: 1977
Rating: Hot!

Don't Fear the Reaper

Couldn't wake with a more perfect Halloween/Dia de los Muertos song if I'd consciously tried to.

And, yes, this song really could use more cowbell.

Artist: Blue Öyster Cult
Year: 1976
Rating: Warm