It hasn’t been long but I’m still unsure about her. She’s pretty enough, but seems that bit earnest. I cut to the chase, and do what I do whenever I have doubts. With women, men, almost any situation – someone new. I ask her what music she likes?
She gives the answer of the safe, the dull, of those who think they are, but are the embodiment of not. Those who imply ostentatiousness by bragging of coffee addictions. Who listen to Triple J or Triple M and think there’s a difference.
“Oh, a bit of everything.”
“Can you name three songs off the top of your head?” I ask.
She gives an annoyed expression. Gets her back right up. “You can’t just expect me to…” and “Won’t have someone judging me by…”
“Any songs,” I happily insist, inquisitive. “Not your favourite, just, bang, the first three off the top of your head…”
She’s verging on angry now. Tries turning tables, even though the horse has already bolted: “Let’s see how you…”
All these cliches.
Georgie Fame’s ‘Somebody Stole My Thunder’,
anything by Nina Simone,
and Alexander Skip Spence – ‘Weighted Down’.
Also, I’ve been leaning into Charley Crockets’ ‘Poplar Tree’ lately. The live in a bar version.”
The point to this tell question is never once being in any one band, song, style of music, but rather abandonment, if not passion. Certainly inhibition. The way a more open soul will simply answer, and not care what someone else thinks.
Music is meant to free us.
Try it. Don’t cheat. The first three songs you think of.
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bleh
Mother – Pink Floyd
Star of Bethlehem – Neil Young
Passover – Joy Division.
Bang!
I couldn’t. So many. The response might be what you recently listened to. Moments and situations generally cause a song to pop into your head. Not faves necessarily but;
Hey True Blue – JW (recent Aus day listen),
Travelling Soldier – Dixie Chick’s
Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down – The Mavericks
Angel of Montgomery, John Prine,
Hey Ya, Outkast,
Side of the Road, Lucinda Williams
By the way, nailed it with this observation: Who listen to Triple J or Triple M and think there’s a difference.
No Parking on the dancefloor – Midnight Star
Wise up to me – Spencer P Jones and the Escape Committee
Eat it – Weird Al Yankovic (I am eating some Pizza Shapes right now)
Strawberry Fields Forever – Beatles
Turn – The Wombats
Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls
Life on Mars – David Bowie
Mack the Knife – Frank Sinatra
Across the Universe – The Beatles
Gold! It’s like watching a great playlist evolve! Now I feel I know you all that little bit more…!
Rick, John Prine was the guts!!!
I sometimes wonder while doing this, if, indeed, my 4 year old’s songs will be the first in my head. Fortunately, the first song she learnt was Cicelia, followed by I Fought the Law, Heart of Glass, Rock’n’Roll High School, Be My Girl, and various Latino songs. We may be cheating, but she loves them! Jona Louie, Wanda Jackson’s Funnel of Love, Porky LaFarge, Black Betty, Cherry Bomb… the kid’s got taste!
He certainly was.
When our kids were young, a bit older than 4, we were playing a lot of Warren Zevon and at one point our family each had their fave Warren song.. For one minute the Kanes of West Preston were cool.
You probably know these podcasts but just in case can I recommend:
Song Craft
Cocaine and Rhinestones
The history of rock music in 500 songs.
Cheers
Throw Your Arms Around Me – Hunters & Collectors
Hungry Heart – Bruce Springsteen
Fountain of Sorrow – Jackson Browne
(Just realised I’ve designed the set list for my funeral)
River- Joni Mitchell
Harvest Moon- Neil Young
Get Dancin’- Disco Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes (at time of writing DT still to jump the spotify ship).
Stagger Lee — Lloyd Price
Brown Sugar — the Stones
Shake, Rattle and Roll — Bill Haley and the Comets
(especially for Rudy Pompilli’s tenor sax solos)
Under the Pressure – The War on Drugs
Battlesick – The Mark of Cain
This Charming Man – The Smiths (been reading an article on Johnny Marr)
The number 3 spot is a revolving door.
yep Old Dog – I run into people with that fear of giving an opinion, too.
We’re probably all insecure at some point. Or over some thing.
Top of my head-
two of us – The Beatles
nightswimming – R.E.M.
dreams – the cranberries
Hells Bells
Back in Black
Thunderstruck
Due to a knee sprain, I’ve been holed up at home of late and trawling through YouTube – after watching Brian Johnson’s great series Life On The Road – I was thinking what was AC/DC’s best stuff post Bon & I keep returning to these three songs. I don’t normally go for this sort of stuff, but these three songs knock me out – the energy, the guitar riffs and Brian’s irresistible voice. How does he pull it off?