365 Day Song Challenge: Day 45 – “What About Everything?”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 45. Your favorite song from the 00s.

“What About Everything?” – Carbon Leaf

Carbon Leaf - Indian SummerAs we continue the “Your favorite song of the XXs” series, you should know I’m technically breaking the rules with my dates. For an explanation, go here.

I’m going to assume for today’s post that they mean the 2000s and not the 1900s, because otherwise… yeah, I got nothin’.

For the 2000s, the choice is actually pretty easy for me. Many of my favorite artists stopped putting out albums entirely, and those that didn’t… well, let’s just say their output in the 2000s (and beyond) hasn’t exactly overwhelmed me. This includes favorites like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Peter Gabriel. (Oh sure, I bought them, but that doesn’t mean that they were good. One notable exception was The Cars, whose 2011 album Move Like This was actually very good. But unfortunately it doesn’t fit the time period.)

So ’round about 2000, I had to start looking for other bands.


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The good news is that there were actually bands out there to like. The bad news is that the music industry had changed so that if a band didn’t sell 9 gazillion units their first time out, they got dropped by their label. A mentality that makes it very hard to build a career and a following. We now live in a world where bands like R.E.M. and Rush would never have gotten the chance to mature.

Anyway, one day in 2005, I’m listening to WBOS (when it was still WBOS and not whatever travesty it is now) and they played this song “Life Less Ordinary” by a band called Carbon Leaf. I really liked it. A few weeks later, they played another song by the band called “What About Everything?” and I was hooked.

I promptly broke my “I need to like three songs from an album before I buy it” rule and… well… bought it. (Truth be told, it’s pretty hard to follow that rule these days, anyway.) On some songs I found them to have a Celtic sound. On some songs I found them to have a Celtic Green Day sound. (I’m not kidding. Check out “This Is My Song.”) On the whole, a really good album that I suggest you check out. But back to the narrative.

Around the time the song was released, I was going through some pretty life-changing stuff and the song spoke to how I was feeling at the time. I could relate to its mood, I could relate to its lyrics; it just hit home. And isn’t that how favorite songs are often forged?

Even after that period passed, the song continued to please me. And it still does. (Obviously. Or I wouldn’t have picked it as my favorite.) More stats: Of songs from the 00s in my iTunes, it has the most plays. Barely. “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson is close on its heels. But plays isn’t always the indication of favorites in my weird world. (For example, see the 80s.) Because, even though I love “Since U Been Gone,” I just don’t have any emotional connection with it. Again, it’s not very quantitative, but it doesn’t “feel” right. (If I was to pick a song that came in second as a favorite—irrespective of plays—it would likely be “Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon—the other band from the decade that I really got into).

And now, your favorite part (no, I don’t mean the end)… Some honorable mentions:

  • “Hollywood”—Collective Soul. When I said I liked this song, Woody said, “Of course you do. It’s ‘Magic’ by The Cars.” And while he’s right on the intro and the verses (right down to “Summer” as the first word of the song) I think the chorus has its own unique vibe that I like, as well.
  • “Take It Outside”—Barenaked Ladies. One of a number of songs on Everything For Everyone that I really like. “Who wants to get their lights knocked out?”
  • “Hella Good”—No Doubt. I can’t help but dance all herky-jerky when this comes on.
  • “Man It’s So Loud In Here”—They Might Be Giants. The tale of what happens when they (whoever “they” are) revamp the corner store or the airport to look like a nightclub. This song nails the whole techno thing, both lyrically and musically.
  • “The Underdog”—Spoon. If I said to you “acoustic guitars and horns” you’d probably think flamenco or something. You couldn’t be more wrong.

And, since I need something to be embarrassed by:

  • “Open My Eyes”—Tiffany. Back in 2000 she released a “grown-up” album (that honestly, I got for free) which was actually pretty good. I puked along with everyone else when it came to her 80’s output. This is different.

Yeah, on that last one, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I’d lost it completely. But I did say I was going to try to expose you to some music you might not have heard before. At least listen to it before you berate me.

So, we’re finished with the decades. It was an interesting exercise, for sure, and it did give me some other songs to think about for later posts. It also gave me a pain in my side and strong urge for Pepto-Bismol. And my left arm is numb… but that’s probably nothing.

365 Day Song Challenge: Day 44 – “Locked Out”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 44. Your favorite song from the 90s

“Locked Out” – Crowded House

Locked Out - Crowded HouseAs we continue the “Your favorite song of the XXs” series, you should know I’m technically breaking the rules with my dates. For an explanation, go here.

So we’re up to the 90s. A decade that will be forever associated with flannel and Seattle.  And yet there was so much more.

A lot of people would probably have picked something by Nirvana or Pearl Jam. Me? I never bought into the Nirvana myth. (If you ask me, Dave Grohl was the really talented one in that band. The Foo Fighters are just so much better.) And I would piss the Pearl Jam people off because instead of something off Ten (which they treat like some sort of sacred cow), I’m much more likely to pick a song like “Leash,” “Spin The Black Circle” (Pearl Jam’s ode to vinyl) or “Off He Goes.”


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Overall, I never really got into the grunge thing. Sorry, but that’s the way it is. There were too many “me too” bands that got airplay that were simply mediocre. Or just plain bad. As a result, the grunge fad (yes, it was a fad) took the attention away from other bands that were either as deserving of it, or in many cases more so.

Crowded House falls into that category. They scored a huge hit the first time out with “Don’t Dream It’s Over” in 1986, but if you were to ask most people, they probably couldn’t tell you much after that. The fact is they released another three albums before (in order):

  • Breaking up
  • Drummer Paul Hester killing himself
  • Band leader Neil Finn reforming the band (seemingly in some sort of guilt-driven response)

“Locked Out” was on Together Alone, released in October 1993. It was an interesting time for me. I’d gotten my first job out of college and had moved into my first real apartment. I can picture pulling into the Royal Park Apartments while listening to “Locked Out” on WBRU.  When I got the album, I immediately latched on to the song as my favorite track, an upbeat, guitar-driven track that belied its lyrical subject matter. (The rest of the album? Meh. I wasn’t thrilled with it. I felt the songs were all too similar in tempo and mood. I wanted more stuff like “Locked Out,” frankly. But this was one case where repeated listenings definitely bore fruit, so much so that now Together Alone is my favorite Crowded House album.)

Neil Finn is a craftsman. He tends to write complex songs that sound deceivingly simple, with lyrics that sometimes make you scratch your head. (“Locked Out” doesn’t fall into either of those categories. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for me to get into quickly.) While Crowded House was huge in Australia, they just never got the attention they deserved here.

Side note: We went to see Crowded House on that tour at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. I remember that the opening act was some unknown chick named Sheryl Crow. She had some song—”All I Wanna Do” I think she called it—that was about to be released as a single. She pointed out that the poet whose poem she used as the lyrics was in the audience. I wonder what ever happened to her? Flash in the pan, I guess.

So like, every other one of these decade things, I have some runners-up. Again these are highlights, not a comprehensive list:

  • “Ride With Duce”—Ric Ocasek. Never released in the U.S (but you can listen here). Was on an aborted album, Negative Theater, that only got release in Europe. You can pick up on a copy on eBay right now for cheap—somewhere between $200 and $400. (Buy two!) Luckily I got an MP3 somewhere for free. Don’t tell anyone.
  • “Dim”—dada. “Dizz Knee Land” got all the attention from Puzzle. “Dim” is a rocker that probably could have been just as popular. It’s a good late night highway-driving song.
  • “Tremble For My Beloved”—Collective Soul. These guys are sort of like AC/DC in that you know exactly what you’re getting every time. But they know how to write a catchy riff.
  • “MMMBop”—Hanson. Shut up! I like it. There’s nothing wrong with some bubblegum every once in a while. I said shut up!
  • “Birdhouse In Your Soul”—They Might Be Giants. I’m always amazed at how this song can instantly get an entire audience bouncing up and down in unison. Plus, it’s narrated by a freakin’ night light. How can you not like that?
  • “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”—They Might Be Giants. This easily could have been my pick for favorite cover song. Just remember: every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople. So if you’ve a date in Constantinople, she’ll be waiting in Istanbul.
  • I’ll Be Your Shelter”—Taylor Dayne. I should hate this song, especially since it was written by the despised Diane Warren. What can I say? Everyone has a weakness. (Two if you count “MMMBop”)
  • “The Dividing Line”—Genesis. Figures the first drum solo Genesis does is on the album after Phil Collins leaves. No matter, this song rocks. All 7:45 of it.
  • “Wildflowers”—Tom Petty. This is a pretty song that I’m surprised wasn’t released as a single.

All right. I’m off to hide from all the flannel-wearing Kurt Cobain and Ten fanatics. Or those who want to kill me for “MMMBop” and “I’ll Be Your Shelter.” But in the meantime, what did I miss? What’s your favorite of the 90s?

365 Day Song Challenge: Day 43 – “The Heart Of The Matter”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 43. Your favorite song from the 80s

“The Heart Of The Matter” – Don Henley

Heart Of The MatterAs we continue the “Your favorite song of the XXs” series, you should know I’m technically breaking the rules with my dates. For an explanation, go here.

Oh… My… God…

No, I’m not talking about “Baby Got Back.” (That’s from the 90s.) I’m talking about the challenge of today’s post. There are so many things working against me.

  • Like the 60s, the 80s can be broken up musically:
    • The early part of the decade was New Wave-heavy. Keyboards ruled.
    • There was a bit of a revolt and popular music moved away from the keyboards to focus more on guitars again. The synths didn’t disappear by any stretch, but they got toned down. Hair bands grew in popularity as hair got bigger. (Or vice-versa.)
    • So, what was all the rage at the start of the decade would have gotten sneers by the end.
  •  I’m a keyboard junkie. I play them and that’s what my ear tends to go to first in a song. So I like 80s music, especially early in the decade.
  • I’m a child of the 80s. I was ages 9-19 in that decade, and my music consumption was probably at its peak. I listened to the radio more in the 80s than in any other decade, and my collection of 80s music is massive.

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The point? I started with over 80 possible candidates for today’s post. Eighty! But, unfortunately, it wasn’t the “Top 80 of the 80s” (although I like the sound of that; it might show up someday far down the road). So I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed trying to whittle it down to one. The fact that my head hasn’t exploded and I’m still alive to click the “Publish” button is a minor miracle. But enough complaining.

I picked Don Henley’s “The Heart Of The Matter.” You may be surprised by this. I know I’m surprised by this. It was definitely a dark horse candidate. Heck, until late in the process it wasn’t a candidate. The equivalent of a 660 to 1 bet in horse racing.

But at the end of the day (and we’re approaching it) my selection process came down to feel rather than a cognitive decision. I have a lot of songs from the 80s that I love, but as I went through them, none of them felt like “the one.” Even those from Genesis, The Cars, and some of my other favorites. A lot of people would have picked something by Michael Jackson or Madonna or Bruce Springsteen (Bruce was in the top 80), but none of those felt right for my personal favorite, either.

The more I thought about The End Of The Innocence the more it felt right that something from that album should be my pick, despite the fact that I don’t give it a lot of plays. It’s an amazing album that still sounds fresh over 25 years after it was released but yet somehow retains its (late-)80s identity. And “The Heart Of The Matter” is one of those songs that really evokes a feeling when you listen to it. I thought about picking the song “The End Of The Innocence,” especially since the use of Bruce Hornsby on the piano was another strong link to the 80s, but  ultimately decided it didn’t have quite the right feel, either.

Now, I guarantee that I’ll wake up in the morning and come up with at least 5 songs I should have picked instead, but like Laura said to me, there’s no “correct” answer. So nyah.

I could list all the runners-up but I don’t feel like typing that much, and you probably don’t want to read them all, either. So here are some highlights, in no particular order:

  • “Valerie”—The Greg Kihn Band. A virtually unknown song that I love. Pretty much sums up my love life in high school.
  • “The Brazilian”—Genesis. My top-played 80s song on iTunes, and at one time, many years ago, my favorite Genesis song. I even had Woody leave “Mama” that I didn’t really like off a tape of the Genesis album to include “The Brazilian” instead. Amazingly, that didn’t end the friendship.
  • “Mama”—Genesis. I finally came around.
  • “Ah! Leah!”—Donnie Iris. A song that I always liked, but I never knew the name of the song or the artist until well into the 2000s.
  • “Rio”—Duran Duran. These guys got a bum rap in the 80s because of their teen idol looks. They made some great music. Not just for teeny-boppers.
  • “Sixty Second Interval”—The Vapors. Everyone knows “Turning Japanese.” This song is better.
  • “Find A Way To My Heart”—Phil Collins. Best song on …But Seriously.
  • “Superman”—R.E.M. An underrated song buried in among their indie-years hits.
  • “Stone’s Throw From Hurtin'”—Elton John. Maybe one of the most soulful things he’s ever done. If you hear it, you probably wouldn’t guess it was Elton.

I could go on and on and on and on… but this isn’t “Don’t Stop Believin’.” (Which did not make the top 80.) But, I still have 322 days, so you’ll probably see some of those songs pop up somewhere.

I’m actually thankful this one is over. There was a fair amount of torture and angst here. Kind of like a 80s John Hughes movie. Where’s Molly Ringwald?

365 Day Song Challenge: Day 42 – “All Mixed Up”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 42. Your favorite song from the 70s

“All Mixed Up” – The Cars

AllMixedUpAs we continue the “Your favorite song of the XXs” series, you should know I’m technically breaking the rules with my dates. For an explanation, go here.

As I go through these exercises I’m finding that on the one hand the less I think about my choice, the better off I am. That is, go with one of the first things that comes to mind, because looking deeper just complicates things and after the initial analysis paralysis I don’t end up picking  any of the additional songs as the favorite anyway. On the other hand,  I tend to find some good runners-up that way, so it’s not a total loss.

I still have to give is some thought, though. For example, you might not know this, but Genesis is my favorite band. (That’s a joke, son. Not that they’re my favorite, but that you wouldn’t know.) Genesis released an album every year of the 70s except for 1979. So you might think that there had to be something they released in that decade that would top my list. And I had to think about that before I ruled it out.

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To be sure, they’re in the top ten, and if you’d have asked this question a few years ago, “Dance On A Volcano” probably would have been my choice. (DOAV was my gateway drug to Genesis’ back catalog, by the way, but that’s a story for another day.) Things change over time, though. Heck, for all I know, “Dance On A Volcano” might be my choice if you asked me next week. But not today.

The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl” is actually what came to mind first. I love the song, and again, it’s definitely top ten. It’ll probably show up as a selection for one of these challenges somewhere down the line. (The Cars has so many good songs, I probably could have picked any number of them for this challenge.)

But in some ways, “My Best Friend’s Girl” is too easy. It was a single. It’s very accessible.

I had to work for “All Mixed Up.” You see, when I started getting to The Cars (the album), I actually didn’t care too much for the song. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I was wrong. Maybe it was the minor key. Maybe it was the structure. I don’t know. But I do know it took a long time to grow on me. (But then kept growing on me.)

It has another thing going for it that helps give it the edge. I mentioned in the “Crazy On You” post that when a song really gets me, my face flushes and I can feel it in my cheeks. (Am I the only one this happens to?)

No matter how many times I’ve heard “All Mixed Up” that continues to occur. It happens around 1:40, when the song comes out of the first chorus, the drums change, and there’s a short guitar solo. (It’s the guitar that makes them flush, especially if the room is dark or dim for some reason.) Then the vocals come in: “She’s always out making pictures/She’s always out making scenes.” It’s one of those perfect musical moments for me when everything seems to come together.

Finally, the stats are there to back up the selection. “All Mixed Up” is the most-played song on my iTunes with 96 plays (and counting). That means, since 2006 when I converted to iTunes, I’ve spent nearly 7 hours listening to that song. Just that song. (Yes, I have a life, why do you ask?) “My Best Friend’s Girl” is second with 85 plays, or just over 5 hours 15 minutes of listening time. (It’s also 30 seconds shorter.)

So that’s what I’m going with.

By the way, today’s runners-up (in addition to the aforementioned songs) minus Genesis and The Cars:

  • “Second Hand News”—Fleetwood Mac. This song jumped onto my favorites list the first time I heard Rumours.
  • “Werewolves Of London”—Warren Zevon. You haven’t heard the last of this song. We’ll leave it at that.
  • “Peg”—Steely Dan. A song that I liked but didn’t think much about until I was driving to work one day about 8 years ago. I can still picture what section of road I was on when I thought, “Holy Crap, I really like this song. How have I never realized that before?”
  • “Love Is The Drug”—Roxy Music. I still remember (and can picture) the 45 my brother had. I always loved the intro.
  • “Shattered”—The Rolling Stones. I love Keith Richards’ guitar sound on this one. That drives the whole song for me.

For a decade touted for its crappy music, I found it pretty easy to put a list of favorites together. Although some songs were never candidates.

But then, I don’t remember much of the disco craze, so maybe it’s just that I don’t have the PTSD that those who really experienced it do.

365 Day Song Challenge: Day 41 – “And Your Bird Can Sing”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 41. Your favorite song from the 60s

“And Your Bird Can Sing” – The Beatles

As we continue the “Your favorite song of the XXs” series, you should know I’m technically breaking the rules with my dates. For an explanation, go here.

The 60s start to ratchet up the difficulty for these challenges. And part of that is that music radically changed during the 60s, much of which can be attributed to The Beatles.

You’d have to either be living in a cave or dead not to have heard all the recent hoopla about yesterday’s 50-year anniversary of The Beatles appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” I’ve seen the date referred to as the day the world changed. This isn’t true, but it’s quite possible it’s the day the United States changed musically. The release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band represented another sea change, and a lot of the music that appeared after that would have been completely foreign to the music listeners of February 8, 1964.


Therefore, to me, it’s pretty easy to break the decade into three distinct sections, with the breaks both revolving (ha!) around The Beatles.

  • Everything pre-February 9, 1964. (“The Ed Sullivan Show.”)
  • Stuff in the middle.
  • Everything post-June 1, 1967. (The release of Sgt. Pepper’s.)

What’s less easy is picking a single song from all the wildly differing styles that came out in the course of the decade. (Can you compare “Love Me Do” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”? And that’s the same band!) But I think I’ve done it.

I am one of those seemingly rare people who prefer The Beatles music pre-Sgt Pepper’s. While I like much of what they did later, it didn’t have the sheer joy of their music up to and including Revolver.

I was introduced to “And You Bird Can Sing” watching the old Beatles cartoon. I think they showed it on MTV for a while. They used “And Your Bird Can Sing” as the theme song to the show, but at the time I had no idea what the name of the song was. When they finally released The Beatles catalog on CD in 1987, I discovered the song on Revolver.

It gained a whole new level on my favorite list when Woody and I drove cross-country in 1996. We listened to nothing but Genesis and Genesis-related artists on the road, but when we stopped in towns, we’d take a break from the Genesis and listen to some other things. This song came up several times and, since we share a brain, we discovered we both loved it.

After that, all it would take is for one of us to say “Bomp” (mimicking the first note in George Harrison’s guitar lick in the song) and we’d be off to the races. I still love the song to this day, and even though there were a number of runners-up for the 60’s, I decided this was my winner.

So—quickly—the runners-up were:

  • “Runaround Sue”—Dion. A great tune overall, and since my sister’s name is Sue, a favorite at family gatherings with DJs (although she doesn’t run around)
  • “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”—The Tokens. How can you not love this song? Wimoweh.
  • “Comin’ Home, Baby!”—Mel Torme. Yes, that Mel Torme. Wanna fight about it? Great vibe on this song. And a shared favorite of me and Laura.
  • “It’s Me That You Need”—Elton John. This song summed up some pining I did for a girl many years back. But it’s still a good song that is totally overlooked in the Elton John catalog—mostly because it’s a little-known B-side
  • “Ride My See-Saw”—The Moody Blues. I grew up with this one. One of the Moodies’ best.
  • “Golden/Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End”—The Beatles. The last song(s) on The Beatles last recorded album (although Let It Be was released after, it was recorded earlier). A masterpiece and a brilliant way to end.

Note that they run the gamut from the start of the decade to the end, and also note how different those early songs are from the later ones. I even thought about including “Heartbreaker/Livin’ Lovin’ Maid” by Led Zeppelin, just to push the point, but I didn’t.

So there you have it. Work kept me up (way, way, way) late and I’m just trying to get this one in, so no witty closing today. Maybe I’ll do two tomorrow. But I doubt it.