Stay the Night

And I won't take "no" if that's your answer
at least that's my philosophy.

Wow, Peter, that's some liberated shit right there.

Artist: Chicago
Year: 1984
Rating: Cold

Jingle Jangle Jingle

Thinking about the sad but inevitable news of REM's breakup, I woke this morning with the term jangle pop in my head (examples here). This led to a playback loop of the above popular '40s country tune.

Here's to the boys from Athens as they go ridin' merrily along.

Artist: Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
Year: 1942
Rating: Warm

Summer in the City

Not a big mystery why this song is in my brain. It's September: welcome to San Francisco summer, where it's been in the 70s and 80s all week.

Artist: The Lovin' Spoonful
Year: 1966
Rating: Warm (or, what's "hot" in San Francisco is just "warm" most other places)

Do It for Our Country

Time to get down in a nuclear fallout shelter!

Artist: Peter Frechette as "Louis" and Maureen Teefy as "Sharon" from the Grease 2 soundtrack
Year: 1982
Rating: Hot, or not

Note: This is the third song I've blogged from Grease 2; curiously, no songs from the original have made it into my head yet.

How Long?

The refrain is playing over and over in my head, and that voice is so familiar...my first thought was "is this a one-hit wonder band?" or could it be Mike & the Mechanics? No, this song is way older than the span of that particular Genesis offshoot band. Is it a smooth R&B singer like Luther Vandross, or a richly-timbered white-guy crooner?

Why, it's Paul Carrack, in one of his first bands, Ace. Who's Paul Carrack, and why have I never heard of him before? Listen closely...does his voice sound familiar to you? It's seeped into the collective consciousness, via his higher-profile projects. Are you tempted to google his name? And, yes, indeed, Mike Rutherford did hire him in the late-80s -- can you hear him calling you?

Will you join me in raising a collective, "What the hell??" when I say why hasn't Paul Carrack gotten the name recognition he deserves?

Artist: Ace
Year: 1974
Rating: Warm

Blogsploration

Hey, out there in the blogosphere! What are your favorite music blogs? What do you look for in a site devoted to music? Is it good written content, visual design, free downloads or links to purchase new music? What sites do you visit all the time? Where do you get your heads-up for what bands to follow? Do you like hobby blogs like this one, or slick pro blogs with lots of commercial appeal?

Leave a comment with your hot tips right here!

Down In It

I dunno, two months ago or so, this song was featured in the music round at The Castle Quiz, and Carl, the Quizmaster, wrongly attributed it to Rage Against the Machine. Our team, the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers, knew better.

Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Year: 1989
Rating: Lukewarm

Big Boys

Some of my favorite lyrics ever:

So you take her to the pictures/Trying to become a fixture
Inch by inch trying to reach her/All the way through the second feature
Worrying about your physical fitness/Tell me how you got this sickness

So many double -- and triple! -- entendres in this song. Fucking love him. As to why it's in my head today: the perpetual vicissitudes of love, man.

Artist: Elvis Costello
Year: 1979
Rating: Hot!

The Addams Family Theme

Maybe this is in my head 'cause I'm identifying with Thing at the moment. Or maybe it's random.

Artist: Written and composed by Vic Mizzy
Year:1964
Rating: Luke Hot

Note: Mizzy also wrote the theme to Green Acres. Classic!

do ya think i'm sexy?

this is a supremely awesome theme song for today. today is a day i'm clammy, unshowered, and healing from a major dog bite wound. "do ya think i'm sexy?" ain't the first logical question that springs to mind...
...but it is the first song.

artist: rod stewart
year: 1978
rating: hottt!

note: excuse the no-caps and typos; typing is a bit of a chore at the moment. on the bright side, i'll probably be blogging more freqently the next week or two, since i've got a lot of time on my hand (sic).

Just the Way You Are

When I was a surly teenager, I thought Billy Joel was crazy not to want "clever conversation." Now that I'm an adult, and have absorbed a fair share of snark in my life, I have more appreciation for the simplicity and comfort of "just want(ing) someone I can talk to."

Artist: Billy Joel
Year: 1977
Rating: Warm

Note: For the last several days, I thought the only song that would EVER be in my head again was White Winter Hymnal (the song I blogged about on 8/31). I really like the song, but it was getting violently overpowering in my head.