123. "I Do' Wanna Know" by REO Speedwagon
The Speedwagon had some massive chart-topping hits during my high school years, and this song wasn't one of them. The single came out just a few months before graduation, so it didn't have a lot of time to rack up the old high school memories either. But the timing of its release is why it's in my top 200. I think it was sometime in February of 1984 that I decided to renew my membership in the He-Man Woman-Haters Club, and I stopped going to dances of any kind and swore off dating. I also stopped caring about my classes, my classmates (except for the Arimo Mafia), church, scouts, and, truth be told, my family. Hanging out with the Arimo Mafia, running track, and going on band tour were the only things I cared about. I had also adopted a rebellious attitude toward pretty much every adult I knew, except for Uncle Wayne and Ivalue. I was turning 18 and was ready to claim my independence of everything and everyone. And that's why this song perfectly distills my general frame of mind during those last three months of high school.
This song also reminds me of the school trip to Lagoon when the Musik Express operator played the same REO Speedwagon song over and over and over and over as we went around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around. Because he had it turned up so loud, we also heard it anytime we rode nearby rides, like the Wild Mouse or Collossus or the Centennial Screamer or the Rock-o-plane or the Sky Ride. I'm pretty sure it was this song and the trip was our senior sneak. But I could be wrong. My brain got pretty scrambled from all those rides, and as a result my four years of high school Lagoon memories may be completely jumbled.
Hey kids! If you like jello, baseball, Benny Hill, death by toaster, holy mullets, and Satan Claus, then this is the video you've been waiting for! Click it now! And please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Have fun!
Friday, April 14, 2017
Thursday, April 13, 2017
124. In Case the Reds Decide to Push the Button Down
124. "New Frontier" by Donald Fagen
In 1981 Steely Dan broke up. Don't worry. They got back together again in 1993 and are still together today. But after the breakup, Donald Fagen went off and wrote himself a humdinger of a jazz-rock album--The Nightfly. Because of the way it was recorded and mixed in the studio, the entire album, but especially the song "I.G.Y.," is a favorite among audiophiles. Now I'm a country boy, so I don't understand why someone would have such an unnatural attraction to hi-fi stereos, but apparently audiophilia is an actual thing. I'm sure Pete Welsh has a picture of an audiophile in the act, and I DON'T want to see it!
Only a few of the songs on the album hit the charts, and my favorite among them was "New Frontier," probably because the video depicted what it would be like to party in an underground bomb shelter like it was 1959. At the time this song charted--early 1983--as a nation we were still concerned that the Soviet Union might bomb us to oblivion, so the song definitely touched on contemporary themes in the early 80s, even though it harkened back to the late 50s. I would guess that most teenagers in 1983 at one time or another wondered if they'd like living in an underground bunker for several months (or years?) until the radiation from the nuclear bombs got back down to tolerable levels. To a small extent, teenagers thought about getting nuked so much in 1983 because of this song and video, but mostly they thought about it because that's when War Games came out in theaters. After seeing that movie, I was pretty sure I could survive a thermonuclear war if I had a girlfriend like Ally Sheedy. Or Annabeth Gish. I can never tell which one is which now.
Okay. Time out. I have to say that in my teenage years, I would have been very capable of telling the difference between the two girls below (I think the girls are the ones on the left).
But in my older years--as well as their older years--I have a very difficult time telling the two women apart. I watched halfway into season 9 of the X-files while wondering to myself, "Am I looking at Alley Sheedy or Annabeth Gish?"
Can you immediately tell which one is which in the pictures below? Or do you have to look at them several times before you think you know who you're looking at?
I suppose my confusion is all part of the dementia slowly destroying my 50+-year-old brain. Pretty soon, I won't be able to tell the difference between Maureen McCormick and Christine Taylor either.
Hopefully, my dementia will be miraculously cured by high doses of radiation from the nuclear bombs dropped on us after Donald Trump causes an international conflict by tweeting something incoherent in the middle of the night.
Anyway, here's what I hope my life in the bunker will be like for me and my jazz-loving girlfriend.
About three years after this song came out, I was shopping in a grocery store in Sweden when I saw this album in a bin full of discounted tapes. I said to myself, "When I get home, I'm going to buy this album and listen to it as much as I want."
And guess what. I did.
In fact, I had my Swedish companion Elder Skinner come visit me in Pocatello after he got off his mission. He was studying jazz music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He always talked about jazz music the two months we were together. During our visit, when he saw all of the other music I had, he basically turned up his nose at it all and would only listen to The Nightfly. I took him to Yellowstone Park, and this was the only tape he wanted to listen to on the way. He also listened to it in his Walkman when we got back home to the Standrod House. I haven't heard from him since that visit. But I always imagine that he's probably somewhere playing Ruby Baby on the saxaphone at some jazz club somewhere in Sweden. And I hope he survives the worldwide nuclear conflagration of 2019, because we've got to have some music on the new frontier!
HOLY CRAPOLEY! On a whim I googled "Adam Skinner jazz Sweden" and found my old companion playing a Billy Joel song on the piano!
He's got the right dynamic for the new frontier!
In 1981 Steely Dan broke up. Don't worry. They got back together again in 1993 and are still together today. But after the breakup, Donald Fagen went off and wrote himself a humdinger of a jazz-rock album--The Nightfly. Because of the way it was recorded and mixed in the studio, the entire album, but especially the song "I.G.Y.," is a favorite among audiophiles. Now I'm a country boy, so I don't understand why someone would have such an unnatural attraction to hi-fi stereos, but apparently audiophilia is an actual thing. I'm sure Pete Welsh has a picture of an audiophile in the act, and I DON'T want to see it!
Only a few of the songs on the album hit the charts, and my favorite among them was "New Frontier," probably because the video depicted what it would be like to party in an underground bomb shelter like it was 1959. At the time this song charted--early 1983--as a nation we were still concerned that the Soviet Union might bomb us to oblivion, so the song definitely touched on contemporary themes in the early 80s, even though it harkened back to the late 50s. I would guess that most teenagers in 1983 at one time or another wondered if they'd like living in an underground bunker for several months (or years?) until the radiation from the nuclear bombs got back down to tolerable levels. To a small extent, teenagers thought about getting nuked so much in 1983 because of this song and video, but mostly they thought about it because that's when War Games came out in theaters. After seeing that movie, I was pretty sure I could survive a thermonuclear war if I had a girlfriend like Ally Sheedy. Or Annabeth Gish. I can never tell which one is which now.
Okay. Time out. I have to say that in my teenage years, I would have been very capable of telling the difference between the two girls below (I think the girls are the ones on the left).
But in my older years--as well as their older years--I have a very difficult time telling the two women apart. I watched halfway into season 9 of the X-files while wondering to myself, "Am I looking at Alley Sheedy or Annabeth Gish?"
 |
| Agent Gisheedy |
Can you immediately tell which one is which in the pictures below? Or do you have to look at them several times before you think you know who you're looking at?
I suppose my confusion is all part of the dementia slowly destroying my 50+-year-old brain. Pretty soon, I won't be able to tell the difference between Maureen McCormick and Christine Taylor either.
Hopefully, my dementia will be miraculously cured by high doses of radiation from the nuclear bombs dropped on us after Donald Trump causes an international conflict by tweeting something incoherent in the middle of the night.
Anyway, here's what I hope my life in the bunker will be like for me and my jazz-loving girlfriend.
About three years after this song came out, I was shopping in a grocery store in Sweden when I saw this album in a bin full of discounted tapes. I said to myself, "When I get home, I'm going to buy this album and listen to it as much as I want."
And guess what. I did.
In fact, I had my Swedish companion Elder Skinner come visit me in Pocatello after he got off his mission. He was studying jazz music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He always talked about jazz music the two months we were together. During our visit, when he saw all of the other music I had, he basically turned up his nose at it all and would only listen to The Nightfly. I took him to Yellowstone Park, and this was the only tape he wanted to listen to on the way. He also listened to it in his Walkman when we got back home to the Standrod House. I haven't heard from him since that visit. But I always imagine that he's probably somewhere playing Ruby Baby on the saxaphone at some jazz club somewhere in Sweden. And I hope he survives the worldwide nuclear conflagration of 2019, because we've got to have some music on the new frontier!
HOLY CRAPOLEY! On a whim I googled "Adam Skinner jazz Sweden" and found my old companion playing a Billy Joel song on the piano!
He's got the right dynamic for the new frontier!
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
125. The Lying Machine Just Turned On!
125. "The Launch/Cool the Engines" by Boston
Here's my favorite video featuring "Cool the Engines." (That's a lie!)
Boston's Third Stage album was the soundtrack to my 1988 courtship of Julie. Listening to Third Stage on the speakers inside the black step-side Chevy pickup on my 22nd birthday while driving home from our picnic at Jenny Lake with Julie sitting next to me--so AWESOME! The album had come out two years earlier while I was in Sweden, so it was old music for her, but it sounded new to me.
"Cool the Engines is one of those songs that is much better when you hear the lead-in song that ties into it. (Like how "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1" makes "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" so much better.) In this case, "The Launch" gives "Cool the Engines" a sense of anticipation that is deliciously fulfilled with the opening guitar riff.
The following video was the only one I could find with both "The Launch" and "Cool the Engines" in one unbroken song. If you like the space shuttle, you may think it's the best thing ever. If you hate the space shuttle, close your eyes until the music stops.
"The Launch" is also one of those songs that inspired a movie scene inside my head that goes with the song. The song has a heroic quality to it that I think goes beyond the heroism of astronauts. I won't give you the entire backstory, because I don't have one. But I imagine this scene in which a former special forces type guy is in an underground facility where the bad dudes with machine guns are holding dozens of kids hostage. This guy doesn't believe in God, but his older brother--who died trying to rescue his own daughter from these bad dudes--tried to convince this guy repeatedly that he just needed to have faith, and God would protect him. Of course, the bad dudes torture this guy till they think he's dead. But he's just almost dead. That's when the scene and music begins.
0:04-0:59 The guy opens his one good eye and sees a light appear above his head. A young girl dressed in a white robe--an angel, but without wings--descends until she stands hovering behind his head. She lays her hands on his head and closes her eyes. When she removes her hands, his wounds are healed. He sits up and faces the girl. The angel reaches into her robe and withdraws a gleaming sword. She places the sword in his hand before kissing him on the head. She then ascends back into the light.
1:00-1:45 Cut to scene of a door being kicked open by the guy. Holding the sword in front of him, he wades into a group of the bad guys and starts slaying them all. Some of them get to their guns and start shooting him. You can see his flesh being hit by the bullets, but they have no effect on him. He continues to advance on them and kills them with the sword. With all of the men dead, he opens another door in the room and sees...
1:46-2:13 ...all of the children being held hostage. He see's his niece, who runs to him and hugs him, even though he's drenched in blood. He takes her by the hand and leads the children out of room and down a hall to where a thick steel door bars their escape to the outside. The man holds up the sword and points it at the door, and we see flames erupt from the blade, and....
2:14-2:37 ...from the outside we see the door blown outward in an explosion, and the man and children emerge from the smoke to freedom. While the other children run, the man collapses on the ground and his niece stands over him. He reaches up to touch her face, smiles at her, and says, "Thank God." She's crying but smiles back at him. Then he closes his eyes and dies.
2:37-2:55 The camera slowly zooms out from above, showing the dead man clutching the sword, his niece crying over his body. As the shot rises higher and higher, the light around him and the girl grows brighter and brighter until...
I don't know what happens after that. But that's the movie scene in my head that goes with that soundtrack in my ears. Somewhere in the movie after that scene we'd learn that the guy had never expressed faith in God before, but the little girl believed, and after she saw her father die, she had prayed to God to be rescued by her uncle, and he did.
Someday I'll write the story that goes around that scene. For now, you'll just have to imagine the scene without any idea how the dude got to where he is and then replace the idea of spaceships and aliens appearing with the idea of angels appearing--kind of like "Come Sail Away" in reverse.
Here's my favorite video featuring "Cool the Engines." (That's a lie!)
Boston's Third Stage album was the soundtrack to my 1988 courtship of Julie. Listening to Third Stage on the speakers inside the black step-side Chevy pickup on my 22nd birthday while driving home from our picnic at Jenny Lake with Julie sitting next to me--so AWESOME! The album had come out two years earlier while I was in Sweden, so it was old music for her, but it sounded new to me.
"Cool the Engines is one of those songs that is much better when you hear the lead-in song that ties into it. (Like how "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1" makes "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" so much better.) In this case, "The Launch" gives "Cool the Engines" a sense of anticipation that is deliciously fulfilled with the opening guitar riff.
The following video was the only one I could find with both "The Launch" and "Cool the Engines" in one unbroken song. If you like the space shuttle, you may think it's the best thing ever. If you hate the space shuttle, close your eyes until the music stops.
"The Launch" is also one of those songs that inspired a movie scene inside my head that goes with the song. The song has a heroic quality to it that I think goes beyond the heroism of astronauts. I won't give you the entire backstory, because I don't have one. But I imagine this scene in which a former special forces type guy is in an underground facility where the bad dudes with machine guns are holding dozens of kids hostage. This guy doesn't believe in God, but his older brother--who died trying to rescue his own daughter from these bad dudes--tried to convince this guy repeatedly that he just needed to have faith, and God would protect him. Of course, the bad dudes torture this guy till they think he's dead. But he's just almost dead. That's when the scene and music begins.
0:04-0:59 The guy opens his one good eye and sees a light appear above his head. A young girl dressed in a white robe--an angel, but without wings--descends until she stands hovering behind his head. She lays her hands on his head and closes her eyes. When she removes her hands, his wounds are healed. He sits up and faces the girl. The angel reaches into her robe and withdraws a gleaming sword. She places the sword in his hand before kissing him on the head. She then ascends back into the light.
1:00-1:45 Cut to scene of a door being kicked open by the guy. Holding the sword in front of him, he wades into a group of the bad guys and starts slaying them all. Some of them get to their guns and start shooting him. You can see his flesh being hit by the bullets, but they have no effect on him. He continues to advance on them and kills them with the sword. With all of the men dead, he opens another door in the room and sees...
1:46-2:13 ...all of the children being held hostage. He see's his niece, who runs to him and hugs him, even though he's drenched in blood. He takes her by the hand and leads the children out of room and down a hall to where a thick steel door bars their escape to the outside. The man holds up the sword and points it at the door, and we see flames erupt from the blade, and....
2:14-2:37 ...from the outside we see the door blown outward in an explosion, and the man and children emerge from the smoke to freedom. While the other children run, the man collapses on the ground and his niece stands over him. He reaches up to touch her face, smiles at her, and says, "Thank God." She's crying but smiles back at him. Then he closes his eyes and dies.
2:37-2:55 The camera slowly zooms out from above, showing the dead man clutching the sword, his niece crying over his body. As the shot rises higher and higher, the light around him and the girl grows brighter and brighter until...
I don't know what happens after that. But that's the movie scene in my head that goes with that soundtrack in my ears. Somewhere in the movie after that scene we'd learn that the guy had never expressed faith in God before, but the little girl believed, and after she saw her father die, she had prayed to God to be rescued by her uncle, and he did.
Someday I'll write the story that goes around that scene. For now, you'll just have to imagine the scene without any idea how the dude got to where he is and then replace the idea of spaceships and aliens appearing with the idea of angels appearing--kind of like "Come Sail Away" in reverse.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
126. In the Church of the Poison Mind
126. "End of the Line" by the Traveling Wilburys
The most disappointing thing about the record Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is that Jeff Lynne doesn't speak Japanese on it. But you know what you can do to get over that disappointment? Listen to "End of the Line," the last song on the album.
It's one of those rare rock songs that I think is so uplifting that it should be included in the hymnbook, but yet it isn't preachy like the wanna-be rock ditties that you'll find on one of those evangelical radio channels at the low end of spectrum.
This song hit the charts just a few months after I left HondoJoe for a younger woman and got married to Julie. I was young, thin, and happy to be moving into our mansion.
Yes, life was really good back then. And this song made it even better. The video features a pack of millionaire hobos taking turns singing to each other on a train about how everything is all right. Of course it is! You're millionaire hobos! I'll admit you're very musically talented hobos, but none of you are American's favorite guitar-playing hobo.
Only American's favorite hobo could afford to drive a Mercedes through the Idaho countryside instead of taking the train. These bums are forced to take the train to the end of the line, where they will most likely get into cars that they are not ashamed of (but not proud of either) and drive the rest of the way to their mansions. I'm not sure where those mansions are. From the look of the countryside out the train window, my guess is Kansas.
It is one of the few videos that you will ever find that features a Nobel Laureate singing backup for a ghost--or maybe it was a blue angel?
Well, either way--ghost or angel--it's all right, because you'll find songs about both in the hymnbook. I'm just not sure what ward would allow both Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello to play their guitars during a musical number. As far as I know, guitars are forbidden in church, unless you get 41 more guitar strings and attach them all to the frame of a harp. Then you could probably play whatever you want, including "Purple Haze."
The most disappointing thing about the record Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is that Jeff Lynne doesn't speak Japanese on it. But you know what you can do to get over that disappointment? Listen to "End of the Line," the last song on the album.
It's one of those rare rock songs that I think is so uplifting that it should be included in the hymnbook, but yet it isn't preachy like the wanna-be rock ditties that you'll find on one of those evangelical radio channels at the low end of spectrum.
This song hit the charts just a few months after I left HondoJoe for a younger woman and got married to Julie. I was young, thin, and happy to be moving into our mansion.
 |
| Wake up and do something more than dream of this mansion above. |
Yes, life was really good back then. And this song made it even better. The video features a pack of millionaire hobos taking turns singing to each other on a train about how everything is all right. Of course it is! You're millionaire hobos! I'll admit you're very musically talented hobos, but none of you are American's favorite guitar-playing hobo.
Only American's favorite hobo could afford to drive a Mercedes through the Idaho countryside instead of taking the train. These bums are forced to take the train to the end of the line, where they will most likely get into cars that they are not ashamed of (but not proud of either) and drive the rest of the way to their mansions. I'm not sure where those mansions are. From the look of the countryside out the train window, my guess is Kansas.
It is one of the few videos that you will ever find that features a Nobel Laureate singing backup for a ghost--or maybe it was a blue angel?
Well, either way--ghost or angel--it's all right, because you'll find songs about both in the hymnbook. I'm just not sure what ward would allow both Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello to play their guitars during a musical number. As far as I know, guitars are forbidden in church, unless you get 41 more guitar strings and attach them all to the frame of a harp. Then you could probably play whatever you want, including "Purple Haze."
Monday, April 10, 2017
127. History Repeating
127. "Godzilla" by Blue Öyster Cult
What?! You say that a gigantic, rampaging, fire-breathing monster such as Godzilla should have no place of honor in music history?!
Well, you know who disagrees with you? Patrick Stewart--that's who!
You know who else likes Godzilla in their music television videos? Devo--that's who!
You know who else likes to sing about radioactive Japanese lizards? Jeff Lynne--that's who!
In case you're wondering what Jeff Lynne is saying in Japanese, here's what our good friends on the international interconnected computer network have to say on the matter.
The japanese part is supposed to be a news broadcast. It says:
"Rinji news o moshiagemasu.
Rinji news o moshiagemasu.
Godzilla ga Ginza houmen e mukatte imasu.
Daishikyuu hinan shite kudasai.
Daishikyuu hinan shite kudasai."
Which means quite literally:
"We give you special news.
We give you special news.
Godzilla is turning towards the Ginza district.
As soon as possible take shelter, please.
As soon as possible take shelter, please."
You know, THAT'S what we're missing in today's music--mid-song news bulletins in Japanese! Thanks, Jeff Lynne!
What?! You say that a gigantic, rampaging, fire-breathing monster such as Godzilla should have no place of honor in music history?!
Well, you know who disagrees with you? Patrick Stewart--that's who!
You know who else likes Godzilla in their music television videos? Devo--that's who!
You know who else likes to sing about radioactive Japanese lizards? Jeff Lynne--that's who!
In case you're wondering what Jeff Lynne is saying in Japanese, here's what our good friends on the international interconnected computer network have to say on the matter.
---------------
The japanese part is supposed to be a news broadcast. It says:
"Rinji news o moshiagemasu.
Rinji news o moshiagemasu.
Godzilla ga Ginza houmen e mukatte imasu.
Daishikyuu hinan shite kudasai.
Daishikyuu hinan shite kudasai."
Which means quite literally:
"We give you special news.
We give you special news.
Godzilla is turning towards the Ginza district.
As soon as possible take shelter, please.
As soon as possible take shelter, please."
---------------
You know, THAT'S what we're missing in today's music--mid-song news bulletins in Japanese! Thanks, Jeff Lynne!
128. Softer Than Charmin
128. "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner
Here's the soft rock yin to my heavy metal yang.
If you'd asked me in 1981 if Foreigner would ever make a soft rock song that was better than "Waiting for a Girl Like You," I would have said definitely not. Foreigner 4 was the soundtrack to my first summer of lifeguarding at Lava Hot Springs, and "Waiting for a Girl Like You" is associated with so many girls in bikinis that it would have taken a soft rock monster hit like no other to surpass it.
"I Want to Know What Love Is" is such a monster. It's a gigantic Stay-Puft marshmallow man wrapped in whipped cream floating atop a fluffy cotton-ball cloud.
It came out around Christmas during my freshman year at Ricks, and it was such a big hit that it quickly received the most coveted musical honor any musician at that time could ever hope for--it was played on Miami Vice Season 01, Episode 16: Rites of Passage!
Now, if you're willing to watch a crap-load of commercials to get access to it (for freeeee!), you can see the part of the episode with the song by clicking on the link below and forwarding to the 34:40 mark. (Spoiler: A drug dealer kills somebody with a drug overdose.)
http://www.nbc.com/classic-tv/miami-vice/video/rites-of-passage/n30553
This song hit #1 on the charts in a lot of different countries, which inevitably meant other people would sing covers of this song in a vain attempt to stop their careers from freefalling into oblivion, including Maria Carey and Wynonna Judd. In Australia, Tina Arena recorded a version of this song with one of the guys from Foreigner that co-wrote it. It includes some lyrics the guy wrote specifically for Tina's release of the song, so it's a little different. But I still like it. And the video is worth watching for just one scene alone. (You'll know which scene it is when you see it.)
But probably the best bad cover of this song is a duet by Tom Cruise and Malin Åkerman--a Swedish-Canadian actress--that they sang as part of the movie Rock of Ages. It's worth a look, but I highly recommend you watch it without the kids around though--partly because of the sexual content and partly because small children should not be exposed to Tom Cruise. Ever.
Why is this song on my list? First of all, it's just a damn good song. The singing, the lyrics, the instrumentation, the back-up choir, the oodles and oodles of 80s synthesizer sounds--it all blends together so well that it's guaranteed to trigger sentimental feelings for the people we love. Second, according to my 18-year-old college kid memory bank, it came out after I'd sworn off dating and going to dances, so it is untainted by memories of unrequited love, which means its one of the few pre-mission love songs that I can enjoy without thinking of any specific girl that dogged me. Third, I'm not to proud to admit it--I've always wanted to know what love is. And now I think I want Malin to show me on an air hockey table.
Here's the soft rock yin to my heavy metal yang.
If you'd asked me in 1981 if Foreigner would ever make a soft rock song that was better than "Waiting for a Girl Like You," I would have said definitely not. Foreigner 4 was the soundtrack to my first summer of lifeguarding at Lava Hot Springs, and "Waiting for a Girl Like You" is associated with so many girls in bikinis that it would have taken a soft rock monster hit like no other to surpass it.
"I Want to Know What Love Is" is such a monster. It's a gigantic Stay-Puft marshmallow man wrapped in whipped cream floating atop a fluffy cotton-ball cloud.
It came out around Christmas during my freshman year at Ricks, and it was such a big hit that it quickly received the most coveted musical honor any musician at that time could ever hope for--it was played on Miami Vice Season 01, Episode 16: Rites of Passage!
Now, if you're willing to watch a crap-load of commercials to get access to it (for freeeee!), you can see the part of the episode with the song by clicking on the link below and forwarding to the 34:40 mark. (Spoiler: A drug dealer kills somebody with a drug overdose.)
http://www.nbc.com/classic-tv/miami-vice/video/rites-of-passage/n30553
This song hit #1 on the charts in a lot of different countries, which inevitably meant other people would sing covers of this song in a vain attempt to stop their careers from freefalling into oblivion, including Maria Carey and Wynonna Judd. In Australia, Tina Arena recorded a version of this song with one of the guys from Foreigner that co-wrote it. It includes some lyrics the guy wrote specifically for Tina's release of the song, so it's a little different. But I still like it. And the video is worth watching for just one scene alone. (You'll know which scene it is when you see it.)
But probably the best bad cover of this song is a duet by Tom Cruise and Malin Åkerman--a Swedish-Canadian actress--that they sang as part of the movie Rock of Ages. It's worth a look, but I highly recommend you watch it without the kids around though--partly because of the sexual content and partly because small children should not be exposed to Tom Cruise. Ever.
Why is this song on my list? First of all, it's just a damn good song. The singing, the lyrics, the instrumentation, the back-up choir, the oodles and oodles of 80s synthesizer sounds--it all blends together so well that it's guaranteed to trigger sentimental feelings for the people we love. Second, according to my 18-year-old college kid memory bank, it came out after I'd sworn off dating and going to dances, so it is untainted by memories of unrequited love, which means its one of the few pre-mission love songs that I can enjoy without thinking of any specific girl that dogged me. Third, I'm not to proud to admit it--I've always wanted to know what love is. And now I think I want Malin to show me on an air hockey table.
129. She Who Dealt It
129. "Fresh" by Devo
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "I've seen lots of nifty bands on this list in the first 70 songs, but where the hell is Devo?!" That's exactly the question I had in 2010 the day they released Something for Everybody, their first album in 20 years. The album got off to a rip-roaring start with "Fresh." Who wouldn't like a song about sweet and tangy vapors? It's useless to resist its power!
I'm not sure what they are trying to say by singing about fresh smells while a pair of hands scoops up a sunbeam that emanates from a woman's bikini-clad backside with cartoon eyes that cry. Is this song about the joyous smells of a well-balanced diet or the putrid fumes of female fruity farts? I don't know, and it doesn't matter. It's Devo. And that means the song doesn't have to make sense. I just has to sound good. The video doesn't have to make sense either. If it's got zoom-in footage of a cat and a dog and a man dressed in a cat suit, the interwebs approve.
I will go out on a limb here and state, without offering any proof at all, that this has to be the fruitiest music video of all time. Their live performance of the song on David Letterman, however, had nary a fruit or vegetable in it. Instead, they promoted everyone's favorite fungus by wearing mushroom-shaped hat-masks.
Yep. Devo's still got it. I'm not sure that "it" is, but--Damn! That smells good!
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "I've seen lots of nifty bands on this list in the first 70 songs, but where the hell is Devo?!" That's exactly the question I had in 2010 the day they released Something for Everybody, their first album in 20 years. The album got off to a rip-roaring start with "Fresh." Who wouldn't like a song about sweet and tangy vapors? It's useless to resist its power!
I'm not sure what they are trying to say by singing about fresh smells while a pair of hands scoops up a sunbeam that emanates from a woman's bikini-clad backside with cartoon eyes that cry. Is this song about the joyous smells of a well-balanced diet or the putrid fumes of female fruity farts? I don't know, and it doesn't matter. It's Devo. And that means the song doesn't have to make sense. I just has to sound good. The video doesn't have to make sense either. If it's got zoom-in footage of a cat and a dog and a man dressed in a cat suit, the interwebs approve.
I will go out on a limb here and state, without offering any proof at all, that this has to be the fruitiest music video of all time. Their live performance of the song on David Letterman, however, had nary a fruit or vegetable in it. Instead, they promoted everyone's favorite fungus by wearing mushroom-shaped hat-masks.
Yep. Devo's still got it. I'm not sure that "it" is, but--Damn! That smells good!
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