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Pop Rock Nation

Category: Mini-Reviews

  • Anti Love Songs…

    It’s Valentine’s Day, but not everyone is feeling the love… How about a few “anti love songs”?

    I had an interesting experience yesterday on Facebook.  I shared a photo of Will Ferrell looking particularly loser-ish with a caption that read,

    “If you’re sad about being alone on Valentine’s Day, just remember… Nobody loves you on the other days of the year, either.”

    When I posted that meme, I was just trying to be funny.  And indeed, several people indicated that they thought the photo was funny.  I could even identify with the photo’s snarky comment, having endured 29 straight Valentine-less Valentine’s Days before I finally started dating my husband.  I definitely know why Valentine’s Day can suck if you get too caught up in it.

    Imagine my surprise when someone took me to task for being “mean”.  This person felt that I was shaming all the dateless and loveless people of the world.  After that exchange, I got to thinking.  Everybody wants to talk about love on Valentine’s Day… hearts, flowers, candy, kisses and jewelry.  But what about all the people out there who aren’t feeling the love on this Hallmark holiday?  Shouldn’t we include them in the fun?  So in the interest of recognizing those who are alone and bitter about it on Valentine’s Day, here are a few anti love songs.

    Gloria Jones, Soft Cell, and Marilyn Manson “Tainted Love”

    Gloria Jones recorded the original version of “Tainted Love” back in 1964. In 1981, Soft Cell covered “Tainted Love”, introducing a new generation to this searing song about a toxic partner. It’s also been covered by Marilyn Manson.

    Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive”

    Here’s a good, hearty “f u” song for all the women who have been dumped by an insensitive ass on Valentine’s Day.  Hey buddy, I will survive… so hit the road!

    Ray Charles “Hit The Road, Jack”

    Speaking of hitting the road, here’s a classic anti love song by Ray Charles.

    The Police “So Lonely”

    Sting, Andy Summers, and Stuart Copeland must have been feeling especially lonely when they penned this song about being all alone and hating it.

    Erykah Badu “Tyrone”

    The first time I heard this song, I was in at a karaoke bar in Richmond, Virginia.  A young lady got up and sang this song with a lot of heart and soul… and I just had to go find it so I could hear the original.  Erykah Badu is sick and tired of her man not pulling his weight.  So she invites him to “call Tyrone”… Not safe for work.

    Pat Benatar “Heartbreaker”

    Pat Benatar comes on like a freight train with this rocking hit about a guy who’s a heartbreaker, dream maker, love taker… and just not a nice person.


     

    Martin Briley “Salt In My Tears”

    This is a pretty good break up song.  It’s sung by a guy, but I know a lot of women who can relate to the very same sentiments in this caustic song about a person who is pretty much worthless.  I mean, how much can the salt in one’s tears be worth, anyway?  If you’re not worth that much, you’re not worth much!

     

    Alanis Morisette “You Oughta Know”

    No anti love song list would be complete without this new classic song by Alanis Morisette. Was it really written about Dave Coulier of Full House fame? I don’t know, but she sure seems good and pissed.

    Wham! “Everything She Wants”

    “Everything She Wants” was a big hit for Wham! back in 1985, but it’s also kind of an anti love song about a greedy woman who takes advantage of her significant other, driving him to the brink of exhaustion with her constant demands for more and more… and she’s pregnant, too?

    Harry Nilsson “You’re Breaking My Heart”

    Harry Nilsson sings this profane song to the heartbreaker in his life.  Believe it or not, the first time I ever heard this song was on the soundtrack from the 1983 teen sex flick Private School. Though the title seems innocuous, this song is loaded with f-bombs. Listen with care.

     

    Francine Queen of Obscene “He’s An A******”

    Here’s a song I found on Red Peters’ Song Snatch podcast.  It’s definitely not safe for work or if your kids are around, but I have a feeling that a lot of women can relate to this profane number about a woman who has just had an unfortunate run in with an oversexed, unfaithful jerk.

    Ken Turetzky “Her Sh*t Don’t Stink”

    Ladies aren’t the only ones who have run-ins with inconsiderate lovers.  Ken Turetzky reminds everyone what it’s like to be dumped by a narcissistic woman who thinks her shit doesn’t stink.

    The Bloodhound Gang “No Hard Feelings”

    With a chilling line that goes “I’m missing you like a hijacked flight on September 11th”, this song definitely qualifies as an anti love song.  I can think of a few people I could dedicate this song to… Definitely not safe for work.

    Red Peters “The Spelling Song”

    And finally, here’s a song that if you can’t spell and don’t listen too carefully to the words, might actually seem kind of pleasant.  But it’s definitely a kiss off song from both affected parties.

    In all seriousness, I hope everyone has a happy Valentine’s Day. And if your Valentine’s Day hasn’t been fun because you’re sad, bitter, and lonely, I hope a few of these songs at least help you feel a little less alone.

  • Forgotten bands of the 1980s

    When was the last time you thought of these forgotten 1980s era bands?

    Somehow, I scratched my eye the other day, which made me break out my glasses in order to be able to see.  I hate wearing my glasses because they make me feel frumpy.  I mean, I’m often frumpy anyway, because I usually wear sweats all day and rarely wear makeup.  But as I was sitting here, pondering how much I hate wearing my glasses, I suddenly had a flashback to the 1980s to songs that were once sexy and are now forgotten.

    Back then, I was just a kid and loved the radio.  At that time, you could turn on a top 40 station and hear an eclectic mix of what was then considered pop music.  For people with very eclectic musical tastes like mine, it was an exciting time.  Anything from Led Zeppelin to James Ingram was liable to be played and usually by a local disk jockey who might even take requests.  During that time, there were a lot of one hit wonders from bands that had some moderate success with a song or two or maybe even a few songs.  Then they’d fade into oblivion, only to pop into my consciousness decades later.

    So this morning, as I nurse my irritated bespectacled eyes, I remember the band Naked Eyes, which had moderate success with a few songs.  The one I remember best and liked most was “Promises, Promises”.

    “Promises, Promises” by Naked Eyes

    Maybe it’s a little dated, but I’ve always liked this song.  I think Naked Eyes had a good pop/new wave sound, too.  I wonder why they only had a handful of hits.  Was it just because of their music or did their band just not have a catchy enough name? Naked Eyes is still around. Recently, they released a special edition of their 1983 album, Burning Bridges and have plans to release a new album, Piccadilly, in 2013. Will the new album launch Naked Eyes back into the public eye? We’ll see… hopefully with contact lenses again.

    “You Don’t Want Me Anymore” by Steel Breeze

    Moving on, I started thinking about other forgotten bands from the 1980s and the next one that popped into my brain was Steel Breeze.

    Lordy… this is one old and forgotten 1980s song. I was in fifth grade when this video had regular rotation on MTV. It was popular and then… they just plain disappeared. Was it because of the band’s name, which was evidently coined from a phrase in Pink Floyd’s song “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”? I don’t know, but it seems like Steel Breeze wasn’t strong enough to blow away the competition.

    “Sausalito Summernights” by Diesel

    What about Diesel? Remember them? They were a Dutch pop group that had some success with a song called “Sausalito Summernight” way back in 1981. I remember loving this song back in the day and it was the only hit Diesel had in America.This song is about a road trip in a car that is literally on its last legs… or tires as the case might be. I never really paid attention to the lyrics when “Sausalito Summernights” was popular because I was too taken by that catchy guitar hook and odd harmonies on the verses. Diesel ran out of gas in the early 80s and failed to fuel up again, making them a true one hit wonder act, at least in the United States.

    “You Could Take My Heart Away” by Silver Condor

    How about a love song? Before the Internet, I was frequently tormented by forgotten songs that weren’t on the radio anymore. One song that tormented me for years was a song by a band called Silver Condor. In 1981, they had a hit called “You Could Take My Heart Away”. It was a radio staple for awhile, then went away. Every once in awhile, it would get stuck in my brain. I was delighted when I could finally search for it on the Internet by plugging in what few lyrics I could remember.

    Here’s a clip from Solid Gold, yet another relic from the 1980s. Since the vast majority of acts that appeared on that show lip-synced, this video is an excellent representation of how that song sounded on the radio. Wow… it sounds very early 80s. No wonder this band failed to soar, though I have to admit this forgotten song remains a guilty pleasure today. The lead singer, Joe Serisano, had a great voice that sort of channeled Steve Perry of Journey and Dave Bickler, of Survivor.

    “Sweetheart” by Franke and the Knockouts

    Another band that always takes me straight back to 1981 is Franke and the Knockouts, who had a hit with “Sweetheart”.

    Seems like this was their one big hit, though I did learn by reading Wikipedia that Franke Previte and Billy Elworthy, two guys behind Franke and the Knockouts, are responsible for writing two very well-known hit songs.  Remember “Hungry Eyes” and “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life” from the hit 1987 film Dirty Dancing?  They wrote the music and lyrics and sang the original versions.

    “Brite Eyes” by The Robbin Thompson Band

    The next song that popped into my head this morning is truly obscure… at least it was to me until a few months ago, when I finally figured out who sang this song that kept running through my brain.

    It took some time to find this song because I kept spelling the word “bright” correctly. When I finally spelled it “Brite”, I found it and was plunged back into early 80s bliss. This song reminds me of something The Eagles might record. Robbin Thompson has recorded with Bruce Springsteen and Timothy B. Schmit and is based in Richmond, Virginia, which sort of excites me since I’m from Virginia.

    “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo

    As a kid, I used to watch HBO a lot and they used to kill time between movies with “Video Jukebox”, where they would show videos from obscure early 80s artists. Two songs I well remember from that age are “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo and “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors.


    I can only guess what life events prompted Wall of Voodoo to write “Mexican Radio”.

    “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors

    Okay, so “Turning Japanese” got some airplay in the classic John Hughes film Sixteen Candles, but whatever happened to The Vapors? Actually, come to think of it, these two songs sort of give this post a little international flair.

    I’m sure if I tried, I could sit here all day and think of more obscure hits from the 1980s. But it’s time to get on with my day and stop pondering as to why these forgotten 80s bands, who once had successful hits, have become distant memories to those of us over 40.

  • Mashups, medleys, and songs that just sound alike…

    Last month, I posted about horrible cover songs here on Pop Rock Nation. That post generated some great comments, especially on Facebook, when a poster introduced me to the truly horrible abomination that is Tom Jones’ cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. I used to think Olivia Newton-John’s cover was the worst, but I think Tom Jones gives her a run for her money. However, despite the atrocity of the musical stylings of Tom Jones doing a classic Johnny Cash song, I have to admit that cover inspired something in me. You see, as I listened to it…

    Tom Jones “Ring of Fire”

    I suddenly realized that it reminded me of another song…

    Lynyrd Skynyrd “Swamp Music”

    Tom Jones and Lynyrd Skynyrd are pretty different musically speaking, but the similar arrangements of these two songs are pretty uncanny. Okay, so they aren’t totally the same, but especially at the beginning, they mesh pretty well. And then it occurred to me that both songs sort of reminded me of a third song…

    George Thorogood & The Destroyers “You Talk Too Much”


    George Thorogood’s brand of bluesy rock is a far cry from Tom Jones’ sexbomb style or Lynyrd Skynyrd’s southern rock. But he seemed to channel them with his song, “You Talk Too Much”.

    Several days later, I got a sudden urge to listen to an old song by country singer, George Strait.

    “The Fireman” George Strait

    And as I was listening to George Strait singing about puttin’ out fires, I was reminded of a song by Van Morrison…

    Van Morrison “When That Evening Sun Goes Down”


    It’s done in the same key and a similar tempo, and again, could probably mashup pretty well with George Strait’s 80s era number.

    I’m always intrigued when someone takes a couple of songs and strings them together into a medley or, even better, turns them into a delightful mashup blend. Back in 1983, when Michael Jackson’s Thriller was all the rage, some brilliant soul decided to mashup his hit song “Billie Jean” with the Steely Dan hit, “Do It Again”. This is what we got from that blend.

    Club House “Do It Again/Billie Jean”

    A few years later, Depeche Mode did it with their cover of “Route 66” and their own song, “Behind The Wheel”.

    The first time I heard this mix, I was a disc jockey at WLCX radio station at Longwood College. And, much to my shame, I have to admit this was probably my first real taste of Depeche Mode. Sure, I had heard their music, but this was the first song I had ever really listened to by them that made me want to listen to more of their music. It turned out this particular mix was a rare find. At the radio station, we only had it on a 45 record, which someone else grabbed before I could score it during a big inventory purge. Thank God for YouTube.

    I love music by Carole King and James Taylor and they’ve worked together a lot.  Back in 2010, they had their magical “Live At The Troubadour” tour.  In that concert, they seamlessly blended their versions of “Up On The Roof”, a song King wrote with her ex-husband, Gerry Goffin back in the early 60s.

    Carole King and James Taylor “Up On The Roof”

    I like both versions, but actually prefer what James did with it compared to Carole’s rendition. Still, it’s awful cool that they were able to string them together so perfectly. On the other hand, I like Carole King’s version of her song, “You’ve Got A Friend”, better than James’ take. I’m surprised they didn’t try to mash them up, too.

    Lots of people are getting into the act. The Wax Audio Channel on YouTube has quite an interesting mashup of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees and “Another Brick In The Wall” by Pink Floyd, as well as quite a few other blends of excellent songs. Are you ready for a mashup of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana and “The Final Countdown” by Europe? How about “Careless Whisper” by Wham! and “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol?

    WaxAudio “Stayin’ Alive In The Wall”

     

    “The Final Teen Spirit”

    “Careless Rebel”

     

    Now I’m excited. I might have to hang out on YouTube all day and see what other craziness I can dig up.