Saturday, July 27, 2013

top ten "tree" songs


Joni Mitchell once sang that they “took all the trees and put them in a tree museum”. But, perhaps they took all the trees and put them in songs instead! Here is my list of the top ten tree songs – and you don’t even have to pay a dollar and a half just to see it!

I am excluding Christmas songs from the list, but better give a quick shout out to Brenda Lee – Rocking around the Christmas Tree, and Sufjan Stevens – Put the Lights on the Tree, which are probably the best two Christmas tree songs. (but as I was excluding the genre, didn’t put much thought into it, so might have missed another obvious choice)

As always, keep your comments flowing – re suggestions for other songs, and your thoughts on the order of the list. (let’s see how many Radiohead fans I have let down with this list – truth is, I don’t know their stuff very well, so I actually don’t even know the song I am expecting to get in the comments section)

10 - Lemon Tree – Peter, Paul and Mary

To kick the list off, some folk music from Peter, Paul and Mary.


9 - Home Among the Gum Trees  - Bob Brown

Gotta have a bit of Australiana, and this one was interesting because I thought it was an old song, it sounds old, but it was only written in the 1970’s. I guess the references to the supermarkets should have dated it a bit better for me. Another interesting piece of useless information, the guy that wrote it also wrote the awful “I’m an Indvidual” by Mark Jackson – talk about variability in output!


8 - Tree Hugger – Kimya Dawson & Antsy Pants

Kimya Dawson features prominently on the soundtrack to that great film “Juno”, and that is how I came across this little track, a sweet little acoustic number.


7 - Family Tree – Loretta Lynn

Not really the kind of tree I had in mind, but here is Loretta out there speaking her mind sticking up for her family, great stuff.

Can’t find a youtube link for this one.

6 - Tall Trees – Crowded House

A solid album track from Woodface. Never going to be considered up there as one of their best tracks, but its worthy of its spot on this list.


5 - English Trees – Crowded House

From Time on Earth, Crowded House’s comeback album with a new lineup (given the tragic death of Paul Hester). The Hester era Crowded House and the post Hester era are so different that they are almost completely different bands. This is a strong track though, and its almost got a mournful feel to it, both in lyrics and melody.


4 - Apple Suckling Tree – Bob Dylan and the Band

Quite a simple song, but I like it, and once you listen to it, its hard to get out of your head.


3 - Lemon Tree – Fool’s Garden

No, not that same lemon tree that Peter, Paul and Mary sung about, but a different one entirely. I can’t say that German pop features prominently in my music collection, but this song is a piece of class from start to finish. Its so catchy, and stands well above some of the other stuff that was around at the time of its release in the 90’s.


2 - A Thousand Trees – Stereophonics

One of the early Stereophonics songs, and listening to this, you probably wouldn’t have predicted the direction their career would take. One of music’s great lyrics are contained in this song though: “it only takes one tree to make a thousand matches, only takes one match, to burn a thousand trees.” There’s a good one for all you philosophers out there!


1- Flame Trees – Cold Chisel

This week’s number one song goes to those legends of Aussie rock, where the Don Walker lyrics reflect on his memories of Grafton, the town in which he grew up. Many would consider this song Cold Chisel’s finest moment (haven’t taken time to reflect on my top ten Chisel songs).



So there it is, the top ten tree songs. Which songs shake your tree?

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Top ten "school songs"


I guess rock and roll has always been aimed at the teen market , and hence school as a topic often features prominently in music lyrics. So here it is, my top ten school songs – very high calibre collection of songs today, and interestingly, many of these songs don’t portray school in a positive light:
PS - for those of you that requested it, I have now tried to include a link to youtube for the songs...not sure I got all of them working though, so you will have to cut and paste them in if they don't work.
 

10 - Smokin in the Boysroom – Brownsville Station

Sitting in the classroom, Thinking it's a drag
Listening to the teacher rap, Just ain't my bag
The noon bells ring, You know that's my cue
I'm gonna meet the boys, On floor number two!
Smokin' in the boys' room
Smokin' in the boys' room
Now,teacher, don't you fill me up with your rules
But everybody knows that smokin' ain't allowed in school

 
Not that I condone smoking, I don’t care for it at all, but this is some fast 70’s rock about sneaking into the boysroom to smoke.



9 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

Her name is Noel
I have a dream about her
 She rings my bell
 I got gym class in half an hour
 Oh, how she rocks
 In Keds and tube socks
 But she doesn't know who I am
 And she doesn't give a damn about me
 'Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby

This is probably not the sort of song I would usually like, but for some reason, I reckon this track is great. Popular in 2000, and featuring on the soundtrack to the film “Loser”, it topped the Australian charts for four weeks. And there is something about winning over the guy with tickets to Iron Maiden!


 

8 - Bad Boy – The Beatles

He don't want to go to school and learn to read and write
Just sits around the house and plays the rock and roll music all night
 Well, he puts thumb tacks on teacher’s chair
 Puts chewin gum in little girl's hair
 Now, junior, behave yourself

A great cover by the Beatles, Bad Boy is the story of a very naughty boy. Great vocal performance by John on this track.


 

7 - Baggy Trousers - Madness

Naughty boys in nasty schools
Headmasters breaking all the rules
Having fun and playing fools
Smashing up the woodwork tools
All the teachers in the pub
Passing 'round the ready-rub
Trying not to think of when
The lunch-time bell will ring again.

Its ska time!! Go on, you know you just wanna get up and dance about with this catchy little ditty. But what an unusual sounding school!


 

6 - School’s Out – Alice Cooper

School's out for summer
School's out forever
School's been blown to pieces
No more pencils
No more books
No more teacher's dirty looks

 Not so much a song about school as more a song about finishing school, this is a great piece of rock and roll.


 
5 - Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard – Cat Stevens

Remember the days of the old schoolyard
We used to laugh a lot, oh don't you
 Remember the days of the old schoolyard
 When we had imaginings and we had
 All kinds of things and we laughed
 And needed love... yes, I do
Oh and I remember you

And, Mr Stevens, (or Mr Islam) is able to bring us back on track with a nice little trip down memory lane that has positive memories of school.  He gets the number five spot on my list.


 

4 - Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard – Paul Simon

See me and Julio down by the schoolyard

The joy about having a blog is that you can make up your own rules for lists that you compile – and then promptly break them!! This song is not really about school, but Paul and Julio were down by the schoolyard, so that’s good enough for me. It was against the law though!!


 
3 - Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd

We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!

Wow – a song this great can only make it to number three on the list! Tells you how much I like the other songs on here. Such dark and sinister lyrics, this song is a great lyrics. I don’t have the Wall album that it is from, but I have heard that the track that precedes this one on the album also has a lot of school references.


 

2 - School Days – Chuck Berry

Up in the mornin' and out to school
The teacher is teachin' the Golden Rule
American history and practical math
You studyin' hard and hopin' to pass
Workin' your fingers right down to the bone
And the guy behind you won't leave you alone

Probably the most comprehensive analysis of school on this list, as it tracks a full day of school activities, this is such a great track.


Daddy Cool also did a good cover.

 

1-      Caught in the Crowd – Kate Miller-Heidke

It was after school in the afternoon
The corridors were crowded as we came out of the rooms
Three guys I knew pushed him into the cement
Threw away his bag and said he had no friends
He yelled that he did and he looked around
Tried getting up but they pushed him on down
That's when he saw me, called out my name
And I turned my back and just walked away
Yeah, I turned my back and just walked away

  So we reach number one – possibly a controversial choice when I have overlooked such rock and roll luminaries as Chuck Berry, Pink Floyd and the Beatles, but this song really has made an impact on me. I remember the first time I heard it – I was in a shopping centre doing some shopping and was listening to this catchy song that just rolls along, but was intrigued that in the chorus she kept apologising. And then the twist in the song – the lyrics I have listed above – come through and hit you like a sledgehammer. Wow. Bullying is a very emotive issue and lots of people have suffered the effects of it in their lifetime, and I really think this song needs to be heard and understood more. So it tops my list of school songs.


 

What would be on your list? As always I look forward to hearing your feedback/comments and other suggestions.

The bell just rang, so school is out...Until next time…

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Keeping Up with the Jones’ – top ten “Jones” songs

The Jones’ sure do get around in music. Whether they are having affairs, being stuck down mines, chatting up women, escaping from prison, or not really knowing what’s going on, musicians tend to want to address them in their songs.

Here is my top ten…


10 - Yer Blues – The Beatles
The eagle picks my eye
 The worm he licks my bones
I feel so suicidal
Just like Dylan's Mr. Jones

A great blues number by the Beatles, but I have marked it down because its only a fleeting Mr Jones reference. But more on Dylan’s Mr Jones later….

9 - Me and Mrs Jones – Billy Paul
Me and Mrs. Jones
We got a thing going on
We both know that it's wrong
But it's much too strong to let it go now

A number one hit for soul singer Billy Paul, this track has in more recent times been covered by Michael Buble. But listen to the lyrics carefully, and you realise that the singer is having an affair with Mrs Jones.

So, from  Me and Mrs Jones to….

8 - Me and Mr Jones – Amy Winehouse
Nobody stands in between me and my man
 It's me and Mr. Jones

Its Amy, sticking up with her man, from her hugely successful Back to Black album.

7 - Ghost of Travellin Jones – Ryan Bingham
Travelin' Jones
You're the Travelin' Jones
Tell me the secrets of an endless road

You may know Ryan Bingham as the guy responsible for the music in the Jeff Bridges movie Crazy Heart. His album “Mescalito” is a great album that I would highly recommend, in the alt-country genre, but I can even hear Springsteen-esque moments within it as well.


6- A Shoulder to Cry On – Mark Seymour

Are you in love again, Mr Jones?
Do you feel the magic in your bones?
 Did she play you like a charm?
 Did she burn you when she melted in your arms?

There is something about Mark Seymour’s voice that really sucks me in – its got so much power and presence that you really submit to the stories that he creates in his song. This is another great track, from his Embedded album.


5- Willie Jones – Charlie Daniels Band

Willie Jones was a man I met when I lived in Baltimore
 I was a guard and he was doing time
 In the three long years he stayed there I got to know him well
 Willie Jones he was a friend of mine

A great tale about Willie Jones, a prisoner who befriends everyone from his fellow prisoners to the staff that are supposed to be guarding him, gaining their confidence and trust before he escapes!  As Willie makes his escape, the guard that narrates the story even has a clear shot on him, but decides not to pull the trigger on his “friend” Willie.


4- Lazy Sunday – The Small Faces
Go blimey hello Mrs. Jones
How's old Bert's lumbago?  Or is it How’s your bird’s lumbago? I can’t tell

There is something about this song – almost a novelty song, but credible enough to avoid such a tag. Sung with a cockney accent, it paints a picture of English suburban life, in much the same way that many Kinks songs also do. With a catchy singalong chorus, it’s a most enjoyable listen. But, I still can’t work out what he asks Mrs Jones.

3 - Mr Jones – Counting Crows
Mr. Jones and me, we're gonna be big stars...

Having done a bit of internet research for this list, there is a common theory that the Mr Jones referred to in this song is actually a name for the Counting Crows lead singer’s penis….makes you think about the lyrics entirely differently doesn’t it?

This song also name drops Bob Dylan…..and speaking of Bob, that brings us to number two….


2- Ballad of the Thin Man – Bob Dylan
Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

I am probably quite quick to compliment songs,  calling them great and such like when I write about them here, but in the case of this one, I think I can truly say “what a song!” From the dramatic repetitive piano chords that drive the track, to the venom in Bob’s lyrical delivery, the song is about   a hapless Mr Jones who stumbles from one situation to the next, getting more and more confused.  The Mr Jones in question is said to be a journalist with whom Dylan got frustrated with.

1 - New York Mining Disaster – Bee Gees
Have you seen my wife, Mr. Jones?
Do you know what it's like on the outside?
Don't go talking too loud, you'll cause a landslide, Mr. Jones.


I love this song, and still get shivers down my spine whenever I hear it. The Bee Gees vocals on this are amazing, really conveying the grim situation the characters find themselves in. Although, I do have to say, poor Mr Jones gets a bit of a hard time here. He is told not to talk too loud, yet it seems to be the other unnamed character that does all the talking in the song!

I hope you enjoyed the list – I think something just happened here but I am not sure what it was. Perhaps you do, Mr Jones (but don’t go talking too loud!)

Please leave me a comment with your feedback – did I miss your favourite member of the Jones clan?

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Top Ten Milk Songs


Hi All. Since I was posting a bit more often on this site, many things have changed in my life, but the biggest change that happened was that I am now the proud father of two twin boys.

Having two little babies in the house leads to lots of changes, and I have become very used to feeding them bottles of milk,.

So my first list post fatherhood is all about milk….here are my top ten milk songs. As always, feedback and suggestions are most welcome. 

Just a note before we begin, this list is unlikely to bring all the boys to the yard! Feel free to voice your concerns about this in the comments, but I am declaring it a Kelis free zone right now.

 

10 - Milk and Toast and Honey – Roxette

I will be honest, I only had nine songs and did a google search which revealed this one. But its an Ok song, and at least I actually know who Roxette are, it’s not completely random.

 

9 - Milkcow Blues Boogie – Elvis Presley

This Sun recordings era Elvis, raw and talented, but no real inkling of how big he would become.  I am sure it is a cover (I know I should do my research but I am time poor these days so forgive me)

 

8 - Malted Milk – Eric Clapton

A nice little guitar ditty from the Unplugged album.

 

7 - Milk Cow Blues – The Kinks

From the Kink Kontroversy, this is actually a reworked version of the Elvis song mentioned above (which is a reworked version of an older song too). But the Kinks turned it into an abrasive rock track. Its not normally my approach to include the same song on a list twice, but I am letting it through because Elvis chose to retitle his version.

 

6 - Milk – Garbage

I wouldn’t say I am a huge Garbage fan, but I think respect is the word. There is something about their sound, uniquely them.

 

5 - Ernie The Fastest Milkman in the West – Benny Hill

I do love a good novelty song, and this certainly is a good novelty song about a milkman that gets up to some extra-curricular activities. If you are not familiar with the song, think about Benny Hill’s style of humour and you can probably figure out what they would be.

 

4 - Milk and Alcohol – Dr Feelgood

Well you have to make the crying stop somehow don’t you? (that was a joke – no need to get the authorities onto me)

A great rock song, with almost like a military beat going on in the background.

 

3- No Milk Today – Herman’s Hermits

There are very few bands that have had track after track that can bring a smile everytime you listen. Into Something Good, Mrs Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter, There’s a Kind of Hush, the list goes it. It just proves that music doesn’t have to be complicated to be enjoyable.

 

2- Under the Milky Way – The Church.

Am I cheating by using this song on the list? Probably, but its such a brilliant song. Atmospheric, moody, its hard not to describe this one as a masterpiece.  And how good is the lyric “I wish I knew what you were looking for, I might have known what you would find”.

 

1-      Mr Milk – You Am I

My top song goes to You Am I’s catchy tune from their Hourly, Daily album. Is it a rock song, or is it a pop song? Well its kind of both really. A gem of a song.

Monday, July 8, 2013

The top five "god" songs


Hey everyone

I know, I kept you all hanging for so long, but life kinda got in the way. So here we are, back with the top five God songs. Hope you have enjoyed the list so far.
 
I am going to try and get back to posting on here a bit more often, but will just see how it goes. Finding time can be hard...

5 – There Goes God – Crowded House

I am a big Crowded House fan, and yet another appearance of a song with a connection to Neil Finn. This one is a nice track off the Woodface album, where god walks by wearing “sexy pants” and having a “sausage dog”.

4- God’s Little Bird – Vika and Linda

The Bull sisters have tremendously powerful voices and this song showcases their voices very well. A great toe-tapper of a song!

3 – God’s Gift to Women – Kate Miller-Heidke

Kate is a very hard artist to describe – classically trained, but sings quirky pop, a bit like a Kate Bush or Tori Amos, but then again, not really like them at all.  I do love the lyric from this song – “if your god’s gift to women, then god got it wrong”!!

2 – Thank God for the Pusherman – James Reyne

A bit of a different song for Reyne, a little bit heavier than he normally does. This comes from the “Speedboats for Breakfast” album.

1 – God Only Knows – Beach Boys

There was really no doubt as to what the top song would be. Possibly one of the most perfect pop songs, right from that introduction, to the beautiful lyrics, to the beautiful vocal performance. A wonderful track.

 

So there it is, my top “god” songs…what do people think? What have I left out?