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Posts Tagged ‘Music’

Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged on May 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Most love songs are silly and banal, but exceptions do occur. One is the 1975 tune “I’m Not in Love” by the English group 10cc. The band formed in 1972 and still tours today.

Co-writer Eric Stewart said he got the idea for the song after his wife asked why he didn’t say “I love you” more often. The reason, Stewart said, was he felt he had nothing to prove. The incident led to this song about a man who expresses his love by insisting he isn’t in love.

The song also has a unique, dreamymusical background consisting of a complex mix of pre-recorded voices.

Each band member was recorded singing “ahhh” for every note on the scale. The tapes were mixed and added behind Stewart’s vocals. The whispered female voice in the song was provided by the band’s secretary.

The name “10cc” came from Jonathan King, the band’s record producer. King said he dreamed that a band named 10cc topped the charts in America. He had just signed Stewart and his mates, and he gave them their new name the next morning.

I’m Not in Love

By 10cc, 1975
Written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman

I’m not in love,
So don’t forget it.
It’s just a silly phase I’m going through.
And just because
I call you up,
Don’t get me wrong,
Don’t think you’ve got it made.
I’m not in love, no, no.
It’s because.

I like to see you,
But then again,
That doesn’t mean you mean that much to me.
So if I call you,
Don’t make a fuss.
Don’t tell your friends about “the two of us.”
I’m not in love, no, no.
It’s because.

Be quiet.
Big boys don’t cry.
Big boys don’t cry.
Big boys don’t cry.
Big boys don’t cry.
Big boys don’t cry.
Big boys don’t cry.

I keep your picture
Upon the wall.
It hides a nasty stain that’s lying there.
So don’t you ask me
To give it back.
I know you know it doesn’t mean that much to me.
I’m not in love, no, no.
It’s because.

Ooh, you’ll wait a long time for me.
Ooh, you’ll wait a long time.

Ooh, you’ll wait a long time for me.
Ooh, you’ll wait a long time.

I’m not in love,
So don’t forget it.
It’s just a silly phase I’m going through.
And just because I call you up,
Don’t get me wrong,
Don’t think you’ve got it made.
I’m not in love.
I’m not in love.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/im-not-in-love.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged on April 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Ronald Reagan, who in the 1980s secretly and illegally sold arms to Iran, then secretly and illegally gave the money to right-wing rebels trying to overthrow the government of Nicaragua, was fond of playing “Born in the USA” at campaign events. Reagan, like most right-wingers, liked the song for its title and patriotic vibe, but missed the point entirely.

What Reagan and his fellow airheads overlooked is that “Born in the USA” is about, specifically, the struggles of working-class veterans after the Vietnam War and, according to Springsteen, how blue-collar protections were dismantled and cynically replaced with rote patriotism under the Republicans, starting with Reagan.

It’s fitting that Springsteen used a rousing patriotic paean to present those themes. And it went right over the heads of the Reagan types. Sweet.

Born in the USA

By Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 1984
Written by Bruce Springsteen

Born down in a dead man’s town.
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground.
You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much
‘Til you spend half your life just coverin’ up.

Born in the USA.
I was born in the USA.
I was born in the USA.
Born in the USA.

Got in a little hometown jam,
So they put a rifle in my hand.
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man.

Born in the USA.
I was born in the USA.
I was born in the USA.
I was born in the USA.

Come back home to the refinery.
Hiring man says, “Son, if it was up to me…”
Went down to see my VA man.
He said, “Son, don’t you understand?”

I had a brother at Khe Sanh,
Fighting off the Viet Cong.
They’re still there, he’s all gone.
He had a woman he loved in Saigon.
I got a picture of him in her arms.

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary,
Out by the gas fires of the refinery,
I’m 10 years burning down the road.
Nowhere to run, ain’t got nowhere to go.

Born in the USA.
I was born in the USA. now
Born in the USA.
I’m a long gone daddy in the USA.
Born in the USA.
Born in the USA.
Born in the USA.
I’m a cool rockin’ daddy in the USA.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/born-in-the-u.s.a.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged , , on March 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The 1991 song “Wind of Change” by The Scorpions is a beautiful ballad, which is unusual for a heavy metal band. It celebrates the collapse of the Soviet Union and new hope for a peaceful future.

The depressing fact that Glasnost and perestroika fizzled out, that very little changed, makes the song ironic and sad, but no less compelling.

The Scorpions, a German band from Hanover that formed in 1965, is still active today. They have sold an amazing 100 million albums worldwide.

Lead singer Klaus Meine (who also provides the song’s excellent whistling) was inspired to write “Wind of Change” after the band performed at the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival, to the cheers of 300,000 Russian fans. Hopeful times, indeed.

Recently, due to Putin’s war on Ukraine, the band changed the song’s opening lyrics. The original was “I follow the Moskva [Moscow River] down to Gorky Park, listening to the wind of change.” The opening today is “Now listen to my heart. It says ‘Ukraine,’ waiting for the wind to change.”

Wind of Change

By The Scorpions, 1991
Written by Klaus Meine

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park,
Listening to the wind of change.
An August summer night,
Soldiers passing by,
Listening to the wind of change.

The world is closing in,
And did you ever think
That we could be so close,
Like brothers?
The future’s in the air.
I can feel it everywhere.
I’m blowing with the wind of change.

Take me
To the magic of the moment
On a glory night,
Where the children of tomorrow
Dream away
In the wind of change.

Walking down the street,
And distant memories
Are buried in the past, forever.
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park,
Listening to the wind of change.

Take me
To the magic of the moment
On a glory night,
Where the children of tomorrow
Share their dreams
With you and me.

Take me
To the magic of the moment
On a glory night,
Where the children of tomorrow
Dream away
In the wind of change.

The wind of change blows straight
Into that face of time,
Like a storm wind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind.
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say.

Take me
To the magic of the moment
On a glory night,
Where the children of tomorrow
Share their dreams
With you and me.

Take me
To the magic of the moment
On a glory night,
Where the children of tomorrow
Dream away
In the wind of change.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/wind-of-change.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged on January 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Rap, or, if you prefer, hip-hop, is a low form of art. It’s sort of the bastard offspring of music and poetry, manifesting as a kind of chanting. The expression “rap is crap” sums it up nicely.

But about 10 years ago, a Brooklyn music producer named Oscar Owens, aka Rench, found a way, more or less, to rescue rap from itself. He blended it with bluegrass, creating a new genre that, God help me, I find acceptable as music.

Rench formed the band Gangstagrass, a mixed bag of musicians that delivered the theme song of the popular TV series “Justified.” That tune, “Long Hard Times to Come,” was a collaboration between Gangstagrass and the rapper T.O.N.E-z.

Gangstagrass band members today are (left to right below) Dan Whitener (vocals/banjo), Dolio the Sleuth (vocals), Rench (vocals/guitar), R-Son The Voice of Reason (vocals), and Brian Farrow (vocals/fiddle).

Long Hard Times to Come

By Gangstagrass (Featuring T.O.N.E-z), 2010
Written by Rench and T.O.N.E-z

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I’m fightin’ for my soul.
God get at you, boy.
You try to Bogart, fall back,
I go hard.

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I see them long hard times to come.

My life is ill, son.
Prepared to kill, son.
A paradox of pain, baby.
It’s real, son.
Lonely traveler.
Ain’t tryin’ to battle ya.
But if you’re feelin’ tough, dog,
I welcome all challengers.

Ain’t got no family.
You see, there’s one of me.
Might lose your pulse
Standing two feet in front of me.
I’m pissed at the world,
But I ain’t lookin’ for trouble.
I might crack a grin.
I ain’t looking ‘to hug you.

Think about it:
Nobody wants to die.
There’s rules to this game, son.
I’m justified.
I’m ready to go, partner.
Hey, I’m on the run.
The devil’s huggin’ on my boots.
That’s why I own a gun.

This journey’s too long.
I’m lookin’ for some answers.
So much time stressin’,
I forget the questions.
I fear no man.
You don’t want no problems, B.
Eyes in the back of my head.
You better not follow me.

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I’m fightin’ for my soul.
God get at you, boy.
You try to Bogart, fall back,
I go hard.

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I see them long hard times to come.

You probably think I’m crazy,
Or got some loose screws.
But that’s alright, though.
I’m-a do me, you do you.
So how you judgin’ me?
I’m just tryin’ to survive.

And if the time comes,
I ain’t tryin’ to die.
I’m just tryin’ to fly
And get a little love.
Find me a dime piece
And get a little hug.


Hook the car up,
Hit the bar up,
Clean the scars up,
Hey, yo, the star’s up.
Hey, this is the life of an outlaw.


We ain’t promised tomorrow.
I’m livin’ now, dog.
I’m walkin’ through life,
But yo, my feet hurt.
All my blessings are fed.
Man, I’ll rest when I’m dead.

Look through my eyes
And see the real world.
Take a walk with me.
Have a talk with me.
Where we end up,
God only knows.
Strap your boots on tight,
You might be alright.

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I’m fightin’ for my soul.
God get at you, boy.
You try to Bogart, fall back,
I go hard.

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I see them long hard times to come.

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I’m fightin’ for my soul.
God get at you, boy.
You try to Bogart, fall back,
I go hard.

On this lonely road,
Tryin’ to make it home.
Doin’ it by my lonesome.
Pissed off, who wants some.
I see them long hard times to come.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/long-hard-times-to-come.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged on November 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

“Blue Moon” was written in 1934 by the high-powered composing team of Rogers and Hart for a movie that was quickly forgotten. But the song became hugely popular and has been recorded by dozens of artists over the years.

As intended, most versions of the tune have been gentle and slow. But in 1961, the doo-wop group The Marcels took “Blue Moon” to a wild and glorious new level. They turbocharged the tempo and, while faithful to the Rodgers and Hart lyrics, bookended them with a manic new stanza that is better heard than described.

Alone at home, I’ve been known to belt out a pretty good version of the “bom baba bom” stanza myself.

Blue Moon

By The Marcels, 1961
Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Danga dang dang,
Dinga dong ding,
Blue Moon.
Moon, Blue Moon.
Dip di-dip di-dip,
Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon.
Dip di-dip di-dip,
Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon.
Dip di-dip di-dip,
Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Danga dang dang,
Dinga dong ding,

[Opening stanza repeats at reduced volume in background.]

Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart.
Without a love of my own.

Blue Moon, you knew just what I was there for.
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for.

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold.
I heard somebody whisper, “Please adore me.”
And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold.

Blue Moon, now I’m no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart.
Without a love of my own.

Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Danga dang dang,
Dinga dong ding,
Blue Moon.
Moon, Blue Moon.
Dip di-dip di-dip,
Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon.
Dip di-dip di-dip,
Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon.
Dip di-dip di-dip,
Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Bom baba bom,
Ba bom ba bom bom,
Danga dang dang,
Dinga dong ding…

Blue Moon.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/blue-moon.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged on September 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »

In 1958, Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers spontaneously ended a live show by calling out, “You know you make me wanna…” and the audience answered “Shout!” It worked so well that the band ended all future live performances with a “shout” call-and-response.

The following year, they expanded the routine into a song. They gathered friends at the recording studio to create a party atmosphere, recorded the tune in two parts, and released them on the flip sides of a 45 rpm record.

“Shout” has been covered numerous times, most notably by The Beatles, as featured in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and the version by the fictional band Otis Day and the Knights in “Animal House”

Both of those covers are excellent — as is the original by the Isley Brothers.

Shout, Parts 1 and 2

By the Isley Brothers, 1959
Written by O’Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley, and Ronald Isley

[Part 1]

We-e-e-e-e-ellll…

You know you make me wanna (Shout!)
Kick my heels up and (Shout!)
Throw my hands up and (Shout!)
Throw my head back and (Shout!)
Come on now (Shout!)

Don’t forget to say you will.
Don’t forget to say
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(Say you will.)
Say it right now, baby.
(Say you will.)
Come on, come on.
(Say you will.)
Say it, will you-ooooo!
(Say you will.)
You got it, now!

(Say) Say that you love me.
(Say) Say that you need me.
(Say) Say that you want me.
(Say) You wanna please me.
(Say) Come on now.
(Say) Come on now.
(Say) Come on now.
(Say) Come on now.

I still remember
(Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.)
When you used to be nine years old.
(Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.)
Yeah, yeah!
I was a fool for you from the bottom of my soul, yeah!
(Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.)
Now that you’ve grown up
(Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.)
Enough to know, yeah, yeah,
(Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.)
You wanna leave me. You wanna let me go.
(Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop.)

I want you to know.
I said I want you to know right now, yeah!
You been good to me baby.
Better than I been to myself. Hey! Hey!
And if you ever leave me,
I don’t want nobody else. Hey! Hey!
I said I want you to know. Hey!
I said I want you to know right now. Hey! Hey!

You know you make me wanna (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Hey. Yeah. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) All right! (Shout!)
(Wooo!) All right! (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Come on now! (Shout!)
Come on now! (Shout!)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!)
Yeah, yeah, yeah (Shout!)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!)
(Shout!) All right.
(Shout!) It’s all right.
(Shout!) All right.
(Shout!) All right (Aah!)

Now waaaiittt a minute!

[Part 2]

I feel aaaaaaaallll right!
(Yeah-yeah! Yeah-yeah! Yeah-yeah!)
(Oooooooh!)
Now that I got my woman
I feel aaaaaaaallll right!
(Yeah-Yeah!)
Every time I think about you.
You been so good to me.

You know you make me wanna (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Lift my heels up and (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Throw my head back and (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Kick my heels up and (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Come on now. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Take it easy. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Take it easy. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) Take it easy. (Shout!)

A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!)

A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
A little bit louder now. (Shout!)

(Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)

Hey-ey-ey-ey!
(Hey-ey-ey-ey!)
Hey-ey-ey-ey!
(Hey-ey-ey-ey!)
Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey!
(Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey!)
Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey!
(Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey!)

Jump now.
Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!)
Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!)
Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!)
Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!)
Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!)

Everybody shout now. (Wooo!)
Everybody shout now. (Wooo!)
Everybody, shout, shout. (Wooo!)
Shout, shout, shout. (Wooo!)
Shout, shout, shout. (Wooo!)
Shout, shout, shout. (Wooo!)

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/shout-parts-1-and-2.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged , , on August 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

According to one music critic, the alternative rock band Madder Rose “suggests the druggy languor of a heroin high.” Maybe that explains why the group’s lyrics are so vague.

Madder Rose toured and recorded through the 90s, ebbed for a while, and resurfaced in 2019 with a new digital album, “To Be Beautiful.” Regrettably, the new songs don’t measure up.

But plenty of their earlier tunes do. “What Holly Sees” from 1994 is a pretty good example. It has a great melody and arrangement, fuzzy lyrics (who the heck is Holly?), and, yes, the druggy languor of a heroin high.

What Holly Sees

By Madder Rose, 1994
Written by William Cote

Maybe you can sleep at night.
Anger in the wind —
It comes and goes.
The voice of reason rears its head,
And sings its little song
So soft and low.
So soft and low.
But I can tell by the way you walk,
And I can tell by the way you talk,
Yes, I can see by the way you smile,
That you’ll be gone in a little while.
Oh, I can see what Holly sees,
But it’s just not real to me.

Walking by the laundromat.
Here it comes —
That old familiar sound.
And if you try to get away,
It’s something they can use
To keep you down.
To keep you down.

But I can tell by the way you walk,
And I can tell by the way you talk,
Yes, I can see by the way you smile
That you’ll be gone in a little while.
Oh, I can see what Holly sees,
But it’s just not real to me.

‘Cause I can tell by the way you walk,
And I can tell by the way you talk,
Yes, I can see by the way you smile,
That you’ll be gone in a little while.
Oh, I can see what Holly sees,
But it’s just not real to me.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/what-holly-sees.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged on July 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Graham Nash wrote “Teach Your Children” while he was a member of The Hollies, but didn’t record it until 1969, after he had moved on to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The song appears on the 1970 CSNY album “Déjà Vu.”

Nash said the inspiration for the song was a 1962 photo by Diane Arbus entitled “Child With Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park.” Noting the boy’s aggressive attitude, Nash said society should be more aware of what children learn from adults about war and violence.

Bonus fact: “Teach Your Children” features Jerry Garcia on the steel guitar.

Teach Your Children

By Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 1970
Written by Graham Nash

You, who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by.
And so, become yourself,
Because the past is just a goodbye.

Teach your children well.
Their fathers’ hell did slowly go by.
And feed them on your dreams,
The one they pick, the one you’ll know by.

Don’t you ever ask them “Why?”
If they told you, you would cry.
So just look at them and sigh,
And know they love you.

And you (Can you hear?)
Of tender years (And do you care?)
Can’t know the fears (And can you see?)
That your elders grew by. (We must be free.)
And so, please help (To teach your children.)
Them with your youth. (What you believe in.)
They seek the truth (Make a world.)
Before they can die. (That we can live in.)

And teach your parents well.
Their children’s hell will slowly go by.
And feed them on your dreams,
The one they pick, the one you’ll know by.

Don’t you ever ask them, “Why?”
If they told you, you would cry.
So just look at them and sigh,
And know they love you.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/04/teach-your-children.mp3

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Tune o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged , , on May 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album was a long time coming. The group formed in 1964 and performedunder several names before becoming Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969. Because of touring commitments, they didn’t release an album until 1973.

Among the songs on that album was “Simple Man,” which was included over the objections of the band’s producer, Al Kooper. He thought the song was weak and urged the band to drop it.

The band members disagreed. Reportedly, Ronnie Van Zandt escorted Kooper to his car and told him to stay there until the song was recorded. Kooper complied.

Simple Man

By Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1973
Written by Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zandt

Mama told me when I was young,
“Come sit beside me, my only son.
And listen closely to what I say.
And if you do this, it’ll help you, some sunny day.

“Oh, take your time. Don’t live too fast.
Troubles will come, and they will pass.
Go find a woman, and you’ll find love.
And don’t forget, son, there is someone up above.

“And be a simple kind of man.
Oh, be something you love and understand.
Baby, be a simple kind of man.
Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can.

“Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold.
All that you need is in your soul.
And you can do this, oh, babe, if you try.
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied.

“And be a simple kind of man.
Oh, be something you love and understand.
Baby, be a simple kind of man.
Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can.”

Oh, yes, I will.

“Oh, don’t you worry, you’ll find yourself.
Follow your heart and nothing else.
And you can do this, oh, babe, if you try.
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied.

“And be a simple kind of man.
Oh, be something you love and understand.
Baby, be a simple kind of man.
Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can.

“And baby, be a simple, real simple man.
Oh, be something you love and understand.
Baby, be a simple kind of man.”

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/04/simple-man.mp3

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Tunes o’ the Day

Posted in Regular Features, tagged , , on April 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »

The alt-rock band Concrete Blonde released its debut album in 1986. The song “True” was included on the album twice, once with lyrics and again as an instrumental.

In 2002, after breaking up and reforming, as so many bands do, ho-hum, Concrete Blonde released “Group Therapy,” an album that includes “True, Part III.”

In 2012, the band disbanded again. Johnette Napolitano wrote in a farewell message, “Music lives on. Keep Listening. Long after we’re gone, the music will still be there.” Indeed.

As good as they were, Concrete Blonde somehow never clicked with the public and rose to the top. Such a shame.

In my subjective opinion, all three versions of “True” are well done, artistically and technically.

Which is why I present them to you herewith.

True

By Concrete Blonde, 1986
Written by Johnette Napolitano and James Mankey

When I’ve had enough,
I’ll get a pickup truck,
And I’ll drive away.
I’ll take my last ten bucks
Just as far as it will go.

Sometimes I’m easily fooled.
I take a painful step,
And I get knocked back two.
I do what I can,
And it’s all I can do.
But I’m true.

And if I had the choice,
I’d take the voice I got,
‘Cause it was hard to find.
You know I’ve come too far
To wind up right back where I started.

And they tell me who I should be.
I’ll never let those monkeys
Make a mess out of me.
I give all I am,
And it’s all I can do.
Ah, but I’m true.

One more sunset.
Lay my head down.
True.
One more sunrise.
Open my eyes up.
True.

And then they talk you up,
And then they talk you down,
And you begin to doubt.
Sometimes the reasons seem so very far away.

Ah, but I’d stop breathing today,
‘Cause if I can’t walk proud,
I’d rather walk away.
I do all I am, and it’s all I can do.
But I’m true.

I’d give all I am and give it to you.
True.
So true.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/concrete-blonde-true.mp3

The instrumental version:

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/concrete-blonde-true-instrumental.mp3

True, Part III

By Concrete Blonde, 2002
Written by Johnette Napolitano and James Mankey

And I
Will leave this life,
And I will know
I’ve done the very best I can.

And I
Will leave behind
Strain and pain
And take the blame for who I am.

And I,
I tried,
Tried to find a way
To hang it all together,
Oh, together.

And when
I leave this life,
What will you say of me,
You, who never knew my heart?

For I
Will leave behind
The sound of a woman
Who knew what was true
From the start.

And I,
I wanna slide
Out of my old hide
All clean and free and better.

Yeah, I
Wanna ride
Off into a wild new morning,
Off into forever.

Forever.

Oh, I,
I wanna ride
Off into some wild new morning,
Off into forever.

Oh, I,
I wanna slide
Out of my old hide
All clean and free and better.
Oh, forever.

https://rockysmith.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/concrete-blonde-true-part-iii.mp3

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