More Songs On My iPod

These are some lesser known songs that grab me. Some you may know. Some you may not.

Danny Says--The Ramones

I saw the Ramones in concert once. They did maybe thirty songs in twenty minutes. Ramones fans are chuckling and nodding their heads knowingly. "1, 2, 3, 4...."

This song is on the album, End of the Century. It was produced by Mister Wall of Sound himself, Phil Spector.

Written by Joey Ramone, Danny refers to one Danny Shields, their manager. It's a tune that builds and builds and it also has a number of great lines--"It ain't Christmas if there ain't no snow" is one of them. It's also a love song (by the Ramones?) and has one line that is one of my all time favorites--"Thinking about you and me and you and me."


Tender Love--The Force MD's

How old school is this? Back when MTV played nothing but music videos, this jam seemed to be on all the time.

It was featured in the movie Krush Groove, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were the writers and if you don't know who they are ask Janet Jackson.

This song couldn't be sweeter.

The piano, the heavenly lead vocals, the angels singing background. I love the falsetto throughout the song.



Love how it ends.

Oh yeah. The girl in the video that they're singing to?

Sweet and Pretty.



It's Bad You Know--R.L. Burnside

Blame this pick on the HBO series, The Sopranos. Heard it on there and never looked back.

I've always been a sucker for a drum beat like this one. It begins with it, along comes a harp and off we go....

Would I be an idjit if I said nothing sounds quite like it?

Then I'm an idjit 'cause nothing does.

R.L. was a bluesman. I say was because he passed away in 2005 but left alot behind including this gem.

Sparse vocals, great organ, cool song.


Cry For Love--Iggy Pop

Having been on the radio in Detroit, I heard about the rock legends of the Motor City. Bob Seger, Mitch Ryder, Iggy Pop.

Real name James Osterberg.

Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols co-wrote this along with Iggy.

The lyrics are great and here's a classic example of that old joke of singing the words wrong.

The line is "Cry for Love, on every salmon morning." I thought it was "every sammy morning." Didn't understand it but I thought, hey, if it's good enough for Iggy, it's good enough for me.

I've been singing that, loud, in the car,  for years.

You'll also hear other lyrics like, "...seize the world and shake it upside down, and every stinking bum should wear a crown."

Don't short shrift the melody, it rocks.

"Cry for Love, 'cause imitation's boring."

Good words. Good song.


Your Heart--Donovan Frankenreiter

This starts off with a question....How often have you heard mariachi horns in a song that's not a mariachi song?

Uh, like never. But trust me on this, you'll like how he mixes them into this tune.

Turns out he's a surfer and is tight with singer Jack Johnson but don't let that fool you. He played in a group called Peanut Butter and Jam when he was 18. He's in his 40s now so he's been doing this for awhile.

If you've ever been in a Mexican restaurant you've heard the beginning of this. It then continues on to a great song and the middle break? Mariachi time.

Trust me. And enjoy.


Last one.

Showdown at Big Sky--Robbie Robertson

A bit of rock history.... Robbie Robertson used to be in The Band, was the principal song writer and lead guitar player. Plus he was the first guy I ever saw that wore a dress shirt with the top button of the shirt buttoned. And no tie. I had never seen that before and thought that was, how do I say this, very rock and roll.

I began doing that. Because of him.

U2 and Peter Gabriel are on this album which won the Juno award for Album of the Year in Canada, but that's another story for another day.

It begins with a shimmering guitar that leads you down a path that you didn't know you wanted to go down. Alot of songs are "I love you, yes I do, woo woo woo."

This isn't one of them.

The words are haunting, the melody is, as well.

And then Sam Llanas of The Bodeans comes in singing the refrain..."Showdown at Big Sky, Darkness at High Noon..."

I've been loving this one for years. Check it out.


And those are a few more songs I like.

#MarkMcEwen
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