top ten "stuck" songs

When I was compiling my top 25 favourite albums list I often got stuck on which order to put the albums in. So instead of getting frustrated about that, I thought, “that’s a great topic idea”. So here it is, my top ten “stuck” songs.

 

10 - Stuck – Stacey Orrico

The Panel was a great show on Australian TV, not only for the chat and comedy, but the music. They used to allow artists to perform whatever song they wanted, but it had to be acoustic. This caught out a few of the pop singers of the day, but conversely also showcased some others. I don’t know anything about Stacey Orrico, but I was introduced to her song on one of the compilation CD’s from the Panel. The link below is the original version of stuck though.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbR73AITYz0

9 - Stuck at the Airport – Money Mark

When I used to listen to the Steven and Gary’s Classic Albums podcast (what did happen to these guys? ) they often talked about buying a new Christmas album each year. Around about that time, I saw “This Warm December” in the bargain bins, a Christmas album that had a few Jack Johnson songs on it, so I thought why not give it a try. Its good, and this song is good, and not overly christmasy in its theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKdXpSGtcM

 

8 - Stuck with Me – Green Day

If I have started to send you asleep, this one should wake you up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fevGo3H5840

 

7 - Stuck inside a Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again….- Bob Dylan

Yep, its Bob time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGN8lpDCfEw

 

6 - Stuck in Moment You Can’t Get Out of It – U2

I did like the “All You Can’t Leave Behind” album of U2, and this is one of the singles from it. An enjoyable song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emFUtuotHL4

 

5 - Stuck on You – Lionel Richie

My wife is a Lionel fan, and hence I have now been to two of his concerts. He could write a good pop song, and this is certainly one of his better ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhsTB4rq1XU

 

4 - Stuck on You – Elvis Presley

So Lionel was stuck on you, and now its Elvis’ turn. A completely different track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYsPqoDPjCI

 

3 - Stuck on You – Paul Norton

Another Stuck on You? Yes, this time its back to the 80’s for some big haired pop. This is a great track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQlCY3JWYQA

 

2 - Stuck with You – Huey Lewis

And we are going to stay in the 80’s, for Mr Lewis who is not stuck on you, but stuck with you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J08ZwySCoJ8

 

 

1 - Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealer’s Wheels

The number one track, and if it was a horse race it would have won by many many lengths.  Its catchy, and I think we have all been in situations where there are clowns to the left of us, and jokers to the right of us!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohRa9lsx0Q

 

 

What are your favourite stuck songs?

 

Top Ten "Sunday" songs

Last time I gave you my top Saturday night songs. What comes after Saturday night? Sunday, of course, so the logical next list is my top “Sunday” songs. Enjoy the list.

 

10 - Never on Sunday – Connie Francis

We begin this week’s list with a greek song, that many of the typical songbirds got a hold of and re-recorded in English – eg. Connie Francis, Doris Day, Petula Clark. A nice way to kick us off. Just don’t go kissing Connie on Sunday, that’s her day of rest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6iR8X-rD4E

 

9 - Sunday Morning – No Doubt

Before she was a Hollaback Girl, Gwen Stefani was in a rock band, and from memory “Tragic Kingdom” wasn’t too bad an album either. “Sunday Morning” came from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiBX-ESFDF0

 

8 - Sunday Papers – Joe Jackson

Leaving 90’s rock to head to the late seventies new wave pop of Joe Jackson and “Sunday Papers”. Its about someone who stays and home and lives life through the Sunday paper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5r1ub00btE

 

7 - Pleasant Valley Sunday – Monkees

It might be a pleasant valley, but this is pleasant pop, exactly what one would expect from the Monkees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUzs5dlLrm0

 

6 - Sunday Girl – Blondie

Blondie don’t seem to get much a run on my blog for some reason, which is a shame because I quite like thme – I think the topics I have picked just haven’t been suitable. They have better tracks than this one, but its their Sunday contribution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obwanhb6kww

 

5 - Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon – Queen

I think I was banging on about this track when I listed “A Night at the Opera” as my second favourite album. It’s a great track, totally over the top, a little bit camp, but very very enjoyable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkxWyt7K4hw

 

4- Sunday, Bloody Sunday – U2

Being someone that does look up music on the internet,I have observed that U2 seem to really divide people – those that don’t like them really don’t like them. I am far more neutral, I like some of their stuff, but wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan. “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” is textbook U2, anthemic stadium rock!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4vblG6BVQ

 

3- Lazy Sunday – Small Faces

From the anthemic rock of U2, to the cockney music halls of East London with this pearler of a track by the Small Faces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXeRB-3nDR8

2- Saturday Night and Sunday Morning – Paul Kelly

Its back – straddling the Saturday night and the Sunday lists, but too good to leave off!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5t1P8dFB6w

1- Sunday Morning Coming Down – Jerry Lee Lewis

So, we have reached the top spot, and the choice of track was clear to me, the difficulty though was choosing which version to go for. Kris Kristofferson wrote and recorded this amazing track, Johnny Cash did a great version, but the one that has really worked for me is Jerry Lee Lewis’s rendition on his “Mean Old Man” album.

 

Kristofferson’s lyrics are truly amazing as he tells the tale of a desperate man. The opening lyrics really sum it up –

 

“Well I woke up Sunday morning

 With no way to hold my head, that didn't hurt

 And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,

 So I had one more for dessert.”

 

As the man wonders the town aimlessly, we realise how desperate he is:

“Then I walked across the street

 And caught the Sunday smell of someone's fryin' chicken

 And it took me back to somethin'

 That I'd lost somewhere, somehow along the way.

 

 On a Sunday morning sidewalk

 I'm wishing Lord that I was stoned

 'Cause there's something in a Sunday

 That makes a body feel alone.”

 

There are good lyrics, and then there are truly great lyrics.

 

Johnny Cash version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED5s1-Fe9FA

 

Jerry Lee Lewis version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_SpIlgt3s

 

Kris Kristofferson version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_o1y4zLEA0

 

So there it is, my top Sunday songs.  What are your favourites? Feel free to post a comment below

Top ten "Saturday night" songs

Little Richard once sang “ Well, it's Saturday night and I just got paid, Fool about my money, don't try to save, My heart says go go, have a time, Saturday night and I'm feelin' fine.” Indeed, many songwriters over the years have chosen to sing about the party night, Saturday night. Here is my top ten “Saturday Night” songs.

10 – Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night – Bon Jovi

Not often you will see a Bon Jovi track on these lists, but I like this one. I like the acoustic start to it, always like a hook that sucks me in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFNZXaBcXkA

 

9 – Saturday Night  - Skyhooks

Another typical Skyhooks song, where they are out trying to pick up chicks in their car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8QojJOhjcc

 

8 – Almost Saturday Night – John Fogerty

John’s getting excited about Saturday night too, but its not quite time yet  - he is almost there.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbRoEe0r1Xc

 

7 – Another Saturday Night – Cat Stevens

Many other tracks on this list are looking forward to Saturday night. Not this one, which dreads another Saturday night with no one to talk to. Originally a Sam Cooke song, I couldn’t make up my mind which version to go for, but decided to go with Cat’s cover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvTVnX5PiVQ

 

6-  Forty Miles to Saturday Night – Paul Kelly

We usually associate Saturday night songs with the city and partying. But what would have happen if you lived in the middle of nowhere and you had to travel a long distance just to get to your party. Well, Paul describes it very well in this song  - the anticipation and excitement is just like the city songs, it just takes a bit longer. A great alternative perspective on Saturday nights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdzB03mA2ws

 

5 – Saturday Night – Cold Chisel

I love that moment in Cold Chisel songs when they transition from Barnesy to Mossy’s vocals (and vice versa) Their voices are so different, yet compliment each other so well.  Saturday Night is one of those songs where Ian starts off the lead vocals but Jimmy jumps in later on…great stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lelsyP9qL2I

 

4- Saturday Night at the Movies – The Drifters

Ah…they don’t make songs like this any more.  A whole lot of fun from beginning to end, talking up  a night out at the movies snuggling up to “..your baby in the last row of the balcony.” The attention to  detail in the lyrics is great, love the description of  popcorn smells from the candy stand and all the pretty girls. Sounds like a great Saturday night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRPBCQnMV0M

 

3 – (Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night – Tom Waits

Tom Waits really did have some beautiful ballads, and his early career stuff is nothing like that later stuff with the rough voice.This track is just lovely.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7UHd7NVegE

 

2 – Saturday Night and Sunday Morning – Paul Kelly

Most lists that I make end up having a Paul Kelly track (or two) and I usually bang on about how great the songwriting is. So, its that time again. When a song opens with the line “she’s a screamer and no one knows, just me and her old boyfriend I suppose” you know you can’t go wrong. Especially when it rocks out in such a catchy way as this one does. “Words and Music” is probably not one of my favourite PK albums, but this would have to be one of the best tracks on that album.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5t1P8dFB6w

 

1 - Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John

Here at musiclists.blogspot.com we don’t condone violence. We do condone great songs though, and this is a great song, worthy of the number one spot!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqpOxaUVWwA

 

 

So there it is, my top ten “Saturday night” songs….what gives you Saturday night fever?

 

Top ten road accident songs

A slightly morbid topic this week, but there have been some great songs written about road accidents so this was too good a topic to ignore. So let me run you through my top ten songs  - have have truck accidents, bus accidents car accidents, motorcycle accidents and  pedestrian accidents all through the list this week.

 

Please take care on the  roads though, don’t end up in one of these songs.

 

10 - Last Kiss – Wayne Cochran

“We were out on a date in my daddy's car,

 We hadn't driven very far.
 There in the road straight ahead,
 A car was stalled, the engine was dead.
 I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right,
 I'll never forget the sound that night.
 The screaming tires, the busting glass,
 The painful scream that I heard last.”

I was first introduced to this song via the Pearl Jam cover that became a hit a few years back. Personally, I am not a fan of the Pearl Jam cover, it’s a bit too pedestrian for my liking. So I have turned to Wayne Cochran’s version. You can’t deny it fits the theme though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebAjGHqa7Ig
 

 

9 - Car Crash – Eskimo Joe

“I don't wanna die
 In a car crash with you
 Tonight
The roads are wet
 And you're asleep at the wheel
 Open your eyes”

 Eskimo Joe are a good Australian rock band. Kav Temperley’s vocals are really suited to such dramatic songs like this one as he really portrays a lot of emotion in his lyrical delivery.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdjo43dIeLU

 

8 - Indisposed – Australian Crawl
“Wanna tell you 'bout my Frenda
 He got hit by a Fender
 But he'll soon be on the menda
 He's of the male genda”

 So the back story here – Australian Crawl are an up and coming band on the verge of making it, and they are booked to appear on “Countdown”, the music TV show you want to get on in Australia in the early 80’s. Their lead singer, James Reyne though, manages to get hit by a car and ends up having to do the Countdown performance with two broken arms.  This incident also inspired this song, a stomping rock song that is a lot of fun, in spite of, or maybe because of, the dodgy lyrical rhyming!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ9BDhvUwHM

 

7 - Stan – Eminem

“So this is my cassette I'm sending you, I hope you hear it

 I'm in the car right now, I'm doing 90 on the freeway
 Hey Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?”

 

I was debating whether to include this song, because this accident is no accident if you know what I mean. Eminem’s signature tune, it’s the story of an obsessed fan who locks his pregnant partner in the trunk of the car and drives off a bridge. Charming I know, but it is a well constructed song.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSLZFdqwh7E

 

6 - There is a Light and it Never goes Out – The Smiths

“And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine”

 Its only a fleeting reference to an accident, but too good a lyric to overlook for this list. I am not really a Smith’s fan, but “The Queen is Dead” album which features this track is brilliant and was a contender for my favourite albums list.  A great song, and a wonderful lyric that is sweet and morbid simultaneously.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtW1MAZ32M

 

5- Anytime – Neil Finn

“see a dog upon the road
 Running hard to catch a cat
 My car is pulling to a halt
 The truck behind me doesn't know
 Everything is in the balance
 Of a moment I can't control
 And your sympathetic strings
 Are like the stirrings in my soul
 I could go at anytime”

 

In “Anytime”, Neil just sets up the accident, doesn’t tell us what happens, and then reflects on how quickly a small thing can change your life forever. Not a bad achievement in a short pop song!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpUcz8xhqvI

 

4- Leader of the Pack – The Shangri -Las
“The tears were beginning to show
As he drove away on that rainy night
I begged him to go slow
But whether he heard, I'll never know
Look out! Look out! Look out! Look out!”

 Well let this be a warning to school girls all over. Mess with the cool guys and this is what happens. No one approved of her hanging out with the leader of the pack and it ended with devastating consequences.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8UKf65NOzM

 

3- Bat Out of Hell  - Meatloaf
“And I never see the sudden curve until it's way too late.
Then I'm down in the bottom of a pit in the blazing sun,
Torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike,
And I think somebody somewhere must be tolling a bell.
And the last thing I see is my heart, still beating,
Breaking out of my body and flying away
Like a bat out of hell.”

 From one motorcycle accident to another, but a lot heavier this time. According to Wikipedia, Jim Steinman had a desire to write the most extreme crash song of all time. Did he succeed? Well I only put it third on the list, but there is no denying it is more extreme than the next song so maybe he did. As  usual, Meatloaf carries the song with his dramatic vocal delivery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QGMCSCFoKA
 

 

2 - Don’t Pass Me By – The Beatles

“I'm sorry that I doubted you

I was so unfair
 You were in a car crash
 And you lost your hair”

 Hehehe…I cannot explain to you how much I love this song, when I think it would be safe to say that most people, including Beatles fans, think it’s a load of rubbish. Ringo’s contribution to the “White Album”, it’s a magnificent piece of faux-country with Ringo wondering where his darling is, and contemplating the fact that she might not love him any more. It turns out that she was in a car crash though. I love it, it’s a great track.

 You are probably wondering why I chose this and not a genuine Beatles masterpiece “A Day in the Life”, which also makes reference to a car crash. Well I felt the reference was too fleeting (and yet I included the Smiths song, hypocritical I know) whereas with “Don’t Pass Me By”, the car crash really underpins the whole song. Although it is only mentioned in the lyrics once, it explains why the darling didn’t arrive and leads to Ringo’s paranoia about whether his loved one still likes him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsZjHeQRX-M
 

 

1- Lights on the Hill – Slim Dusty

“So it's down through the gears, she's a-startin' to pull

The gauge on the tank is a-showin' they're full
 And the lights comin' over the hill are a-blindin' me
There's rain on the road and I can feel the load start a-shiftin
 In a dance
 Too late, I see the post and I haven't got a ghost of a chance”

So for today’s number one track, I also turn to country music, and Slim’s masterpiece “Lights on the Hill”. Written by his wife, it’s the happiest sad song you will ever hear. But underneath that cheery melody, the lyrics are the story of a truck crash. Brilliant stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCKZ-EKg0AY
 

 

So there it is, my top ten list – what other songs make you want to crash?

Top ten "soul" songs

So, after the countdown of my favourite albums, its time to return to normal programming!

This time the list theme is top "soul" songs, well, songs that have soul in the title at least rather than the genre or the thing on the bottom of your shoe..

Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think, always like hearing thoughts, comments and alternative suggestions.

thanks

10 – Its All About Soul – Billy Joel

 Well yes, Billy, you are quite right, that is exactly what this list is about.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSvomXlbTUM

 

9 – Soul Kitchen – The Doors

 From the Doors debut album, this is a great track with those trademark Doors keyboard sounds and Jim’s great vocals.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxizIrbcSuU

 

 

8 – Soul Man – Sam and Dave

Does anyone remember a short lived TV sitcom called “Soul Man” where Dan Ackroyd played a priest? Its not really relevant, just had a memory, although I am pretty sure that the theme music was a version of this song. Great piece of soul from the sixties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVx2i6jGzf8

 

7 – Awake My Soul – Mumford & Sons

I do like Mumford & Sons, although it is probably fair to say that there is a certain formula that a lot of their songs seem to be written to. This is another trademark Mumfords song, a really enjoyable listen.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzM69btqtYI

 

6 – You Can’t Make Love Without a Soul – Jimmy Barnes

On Barnesy’s “Flesh and Wood” album, he went all acoustic, and the results were surprisingly good (for example, I love his “Love Me Tender” cover, not the sort of song you would immediately think  would suit his screaming but he handles it well) . “You Can’t Make Love Without a Soul” comes from this album and has some back up vocals from Ross Wilson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cttp1zzCcKQ

 

5 – Soul to Squeeze – Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Wouldn’t call myself a Chilli Peppers fan, but I do enjoying giving their best of a spin every now and then, so I had to make room for their “soul” song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XcN12uVHeQ

 

4 – Soul Bossa Nova – Quincy Jones

This one might be better known to you as the theme from Austin Powers. I never really got into the films in a big way, but hey, what a great piece of music!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5ALPzS0QfQ

 

3- Who Will Save Your Soul – Jewel

I liked the Jewel songs that I heard on the radio – this one, “You Were Meant For Me”, “Foolish Games” and really wanted to get the album. When I did though, I was disappointed, it just didn’t stack up for me apart from the singles. This is her finest moment though. A great track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wBDDAZkNtk

 

2- Soul Kind of Feeling – Dynamic Hepnotics

You gotta love the 80’s because it produced such moments of pure enjoyment like this song. So catchy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUbxaSw1yiM

 

1- Sweet Soul Music – Arthur Conley

Could this be the greatest one hit wonder of all time? I can’t describe what it is about this song, but I really love it. Its catchy, enjoyable, it name drops great soul artists – what’s not to like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grE0lwTsSPg

 

So that is my top soul songs...what gives you a soul kind of feeling?

Dean’s favourite albums – the number one place – Abbey Road – The Beatles

 

So, its come to this, the number on spot one my list, and well, it really had to go to one of the biggest bands of all time. The reality is, just about all of their albums probably could have made it to my list , (except for “Please Please Me”, “Yellow Submarine” and maybe  “Beatles for Sale”). The “White Album” and “Rubber Soul” in particular were very close to making it, but just missed out.  But “Abbey Road” was the first album picked for the list, and was always going to be my number one.
 

A fun album, it effortlessly mixes up classic rock tracks with more whimsical tracks (and I do love a good novelty song), and then just to show off, produces a killer medley of short tracks that blend in and reprise each other with the end result being a masterpiece.

The rock on the album is fantastic, getting underway with “Come Together”, and continuing through with several other fine tracks like “Oh Darling” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”. But my favourite on the album is, in my opinion, George’s best Beatles track (sounds like a great topic for a future list by the way), namely “Something” (see link). I don’t have the words to describe how wonderful this track is, and I really think that George’s songwriting really came to the fore for this album. His other contribution is “Here Comes the Sun”, a fine track that adds to a great contribution to the album.

I mentioned the whimsical tracks earlier, and how can you go past “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”?  According to Wikipedia, both Ringo and John described this as “Granny music”, but I still like it, it’s a bit of fun. As too is the Ringo contribution to the album, “Octopus’s Garden”.

The second half of the album largely consists of the medley, and what an arrangement of short snippets of songs – “Mean Mr Mustard”, “You Never Give Me Your Money”, “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”, “Golden Slumbers”, “The End”, I could go on. I still haven’t really figured out what it is that I like about this, but I suspect it’s the fast pace of it all, moving from song to song  quickly.  Yet, having said that, its not like all of them are quick tracks, with stunning ballads like “Golden Slumbers”  being perfectly showcased amongst it all.

So there you go, the Beatles take the top spot on my list. For those of you that have read my list, provided comments etc, I hope you have enjoyed reading it, it was fun putting it together. I am very interested in your thoughts though – you have now seen my musical tastes, so perhaps you might like to share some recommendations about albums I might like, and indeed, what your favourite albums are, I would be interested in hearing from you!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrW7dlDHH28

Dean's favourite albums #2 - A Night at the Opera - Queen

Now I know and now I know that “A Night at the Opera” is number two on my list. An amazing album named after the Marx brothers film, it really has a bit of everything. Of course to most the highlight of this album would be the amazing “Bohemian Rhapsody”, but there is heaps more diverse moments beyond this. There are the rockers, like the menacing opening track “Death on Two Legs”,  and “Sweet Lady” as well as the epic “The Prophet’s Song.” Those of you that know me are aware that I am not averse to a novelty song, and you get two whimsical tracks on this album – “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” and “Seaside Rendezvous”. You also get the completely over the top rock of  “I’m in Love with My Car”, which you could categorise into rock or novelty (indeed when Brian May heard the demo of this Roger Taylor track, he thought it was a joke.) Then there is the acoustic and nostalgic sounding “’39” and “Good Company”, and the ballad “Love of My Life”. “You’re My Best Friend”, today’s link, in my opinion is the perfect pop song, so catchy and if it weren’t for “Bohemian Rhapsody” would probably be the highlight of the album. And I haven’t even mentioned the closing track, an electric guitar led version of “God Save the Queen” that would rival Jimi Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner” rendition at Woodstock. Some of the albums on my list are personal favourites, not necessarily widely regarded but this one is undoubtedly a classic album.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2JSUXaY-tw

 

 

So there you have it, after counting down 24 fine albums we reach the number one spot. We have covered indie rock, swamp rock, folk, rock, country, 80’s pop, 90’s rock , punk, and a host of other genres. I hope you have enjoyed reading the list as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. Although a difficult task, I really enjoyed re-listening to albums, not just the ones on the list, but also the ones that were in contention but didn’t quite make the cut.

 

Normally I have given you a bit of a hint as to the next album on the list, but not this time…you will have to just wait and see what the number one track is…but feel free to speculate in the lead up….