Friday, May 09, 2008

Weekend Listomania (Special Color My World Video Edition)

Well, it's Friday and you know what that means. Yes, my Oriental bete noire (bete jaune?) Hop-Sing and I are off on a weekend campaign junket with Senator Hillary Clinton (D-not bitter). Apparently, we're going some place where hard-working white folks hang out, wherever that might be. (Actually, I find that joke offensive myself, but as you'll see it has a certain thematic relevance so what the hell).

In any case, as a result, posting by moi will necessarily be somewhat fitful for a few days.

But until then, as always, here's a fun project for you all to contemplate:

BEST POST-ELVIS POP/ROCK SONG OR RECORD WITH A COLOR IN THE TITLE!!!!!

Totally arbitrary rule: No songs using the actual word color need apply. Which means, say, Love's otherwise brilliant "She Comes in Colors" should just get the fuck out of here. Also: No rainbows.

Okay, that said, here's my totally top of my head Top Ten.

10. Yellow -- Coldplay



I really don't care for this one at all but I figured we needed at least one entry recorded in this century.

9. White Lines (Don't Do It) -- Grandmaster Flash



Amazing how styles change. Back in the day, this was a founding artifact of hip-hop, and yet today it sounds like a classic rock song...

8. Brown Sugar -- The Rolling Stones



I wonder how many late 60s/early 70s backup singers think they're the inspiration for this. Supposedly it's this gal, but I don't think Jagger's come right out and said it.

7. Deep Purple -- Nino Tempo and April Stevens



I actually love this, but the main reason I included it is because the b-side has the greatest (and at the time, longest on record) song title ever: "I've Been Carrying a Torch For You For So Long I Burned A Great Big Hole in My Heart."

6. Raspberry Beret -- Prince



This would have been a tie with "Little Red Corvette" (one of my all-time fave videos), but as you can see, the clip here isn't Prince but rather some shmuck miming the track. Apparently, his Purpleness has been cracking down on YouTube appearances of his songs, old or new, going so far as to have the audio blocked on cell phone clips of his recent Coachella gigs. I'm beginning to think I liked him better when he was Symbol Guy...

5. Baby's in Black -- The Beatles



"She's dressed in black...because she thinks she's a nun...and it sure isn't much fun...when she's a nun."

How we sang it in my high school, if you must know.

4. A tie --

Pink Cadillac -- Bruce Springsteen



Much as I love the studio version, I simply LOVE this spare, minimalist "Nebraska" outtake...

and

Juicy John Pink -- Procol Harum



Can't say the same about this recent live performance, which can't hold a candle to the spare, minimalist "A Salty Dog" version (not, alas, online at the moment)....

3. Red Right Hand -- Nick Cave



Posted this in another list recently -- I think it was the one about bells -- but I just love it. Spookiest rock song ever.

2. Yellow Pills -- 20/20



For NYMary, who knows why....

And the numero uno, it's not even close so why are we arguing coolest song with a color in the title is ----

1. The Green Manalishi -- Fleetwood Mac



Featuring Peter Green, erstwhile lead guitarist of the nutso supergroup The Unravelling Wilburys (see last week's list).

Awrighty then -- what would your choices be?

Oh -- and sorry for the shameless blogwhore, but a companion movie Listomania will be going up sometime later this morning over at my new gig -- Box Office. Leave a comment if you're of a mind to and maybe management will buy me a pony.

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Purple Haze didn't make the cut?

Anonymous said...

Well, let's just stick with chiarascuro for now:

Paint it Black
Black is Black
Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress
Black Magic Woman
Knights in White Satin
White Room
Shades of Grey
Touch of Grey

Anonymous said...

Duh!

Whiter Shade of Pale

TJWood said...

"Green Manalishi" got taken...shucks. That said, I do have five choices (totally random, of course), one each for the current decade and the past four:

1960's--Crimson & Clover (Tommy James & The Shondells)--Paint It, Black was spoken for by the time I posted this.

1970's--Way To Blue(Nick Drake)

1980's--Red Rain (Peter Gabriel)

1990's--Greenman (XTC, from the superb Apple Venus)

2000's--Had to do some searching on this one. Was going to go with another Coldplay song ("White Shadows" from X & Y)simply because "Yellow" is, IMHO, simply one of the most ridiculous songs in any genre to become a sizable hit, but decided to search for a Lucinda Williams song instead and will go with "Blue" from the Essence album.

Anonymous said...

The first one that popped into my head: Green Tambourine.

Am I a fossil or what?

Who Am Us Anyway? said...

Welp, as I sit here smoking my nightly banana peel I’m not thinking submarines or polka dot bikinis or for god’s sake ribbons ‘round oak trees, nope, I’m just thinking mellow.

P.S. Steve: re your super-early clue Wednesday re No. 1 having my name all over it -- that killed me trying to figure out because I didn’t even consider that you might know about me & the Manilishi. But like the Sixth Sense – and all your early clues to all the new directions --- it all comes together in the end.

danny1959 said...

I prefer Warren Zevon's version of "Raspberry Beret."

Anonymous said...

Yes, Green Manalishi is the hands-down choice, even more than Purple Haze. For one thing it's the best thing FM ever did in its 40-year history, an air-guitar classic and still spooky as Hell. Great video, BTW.

Others?

Gotta say "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" - I especially like the Byrds version.

Chestnut Mare, too.

Texas Rose Cafe, Little Feat.

Too bad we can't cite Traffic's Coloured Rain but rules is rules.

Anonymous said...

No Green Onions?

Lily The Pink - Scaffold (but the song goes back to early 20th century prohibition days, so I guess it's a bit of a cheat)

Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks

Yellow Balloon - Yellow Balloon

Almost Blue - Elvis Costello (w/ wife)

Orange Crush - R.E.M.

I See Red - Split Enz

1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson (is this not the best song ever?)

White Light/White Heat - Velvet Underground

Bobby Brown Goes Down - Frank Zappa

dave™© said...

I was shocked to not see "Paint It Black", frankly.

Glad to see BG mentioned "Shades of Grey" - one of the Monkees' greatest forgotten triumphs. Peter's vocal is especially affecting...

And no "Green Onions"? Dood!

Feral said...

Let me add:

U2 - Bullet the Blue Sky, & Silver and Gold
Bad Company - Silver, Blue & Gold
Marc Cohn - Silver Thunderbird
Rolling Stones - Silver Train
Mark Lindsay - Silverbird
Joni Mitchell - Blue & Big Yellow Taxi
UB40 - Red, Red Wine
Todd Rundgren - Little Red Lights
Allman Bros - Statesboro Blues
Matthew Sweet - Devil with the Green Eyes

And of course the greatest of them all...

Sgt. Barry Sadler - Ballad of the Green Berets.

Anonymous said...

The Jayhawks - Blue

Grin - White lies

The Kinks - Village Green

MBowen said...

Looking through my mp3s, it's kind of surprising how few 21st century songs use colors in the titles. These kids today...

That being said, let's Roy G. Biv:

(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes - Elvis Costello

Red-Headed Stepchild - Golden Smog

Faded Red - Jules & The Polar Bears

Orange Corduroy Dress - Heavenly

Orange - 10,000 Maniacs

Yellow Submarine - The Fabs

Green Shirt - Elvis Costello

Everything's Gone Green - New Order

Furry Green Atom Bowl - Robyn Hitchcock

(ignoring all the blues songs)

Baby Blue - Badfinger

The Blues Are Still Blue - Belle & Sebastian (there's your 21st century song!)

Blue Line - Let's Active

Dream In Blue - Los Lobos

Blue Moon - The Marcels

Blue Sky Mine - Midnight Oil

Devil With A Blue Dress - Mitch Ryder

Blue Boy - 5 Chinese Brothers (great song about this classic Dragnet scene)

No indigo or violet songs, but there's always

Purple Toupee - They Might Be Giants

Noam Sane said...

Blue, Red and Gray.

Not one of Pete's favorites, but certainly one of mine.

Nobody here is gonna get more colors into a single song. So I win. Hoo-ah!

Anonymous said...

Finally, a Listomania I can add to:

"Red Rubber Ball" by the Cyrkle (written by none other than Paul Simon).

And a 60s instrumental hit that was on the radio seemingly forever, "Love is Blue" by Paul Mauriat (sp?).

Little Green Apples -- Roger Miller.

Look at that list -- jebus, I'm old!

Anonymous said...

Oh, and "Blue Turns to Grey," by the Stones.

Wendy said...

Jefferson Airplane: "White Rabbit"

Van Morrison: "Brown-Eyed Girl"

Steely Dan: "Green Flower Street"

Prince: "Purple Rain"

Who: "Behind Blue Eyes"

Stones: "You Got the Silver" and "Ruby Tuesday"

Love: "Little Red Book"

Linda Ronstadt: "Blue Bayou" (written by Roy Orbison) and "Silver Threads and Golden Needles"

And you want old? I'll give you old!

"Purple People Eater"

Anonymous said...

Red Cadillac & Black Moustache - Robert Gordon
Black Cadillac - Roseanne Cash
Blue Blvd - Dave Alvin
Pour Down Like Silver - Richard & Linda Thompson (OK OK I know it's the name of an album not a song but it is a great album and I have never really liked the song about the motorcycle that has the word black in it)

Anonymous said...

"He was a one-eyed
One-horned
Flying purple people eater!"

BG wins.

Anonymous said...

"Out of the Blue" by Aly and AJ.

Anonymous said...

Oh yippee! I have a color song!

222-blue

I just found this old band tape from 2005, from one of our first gigs, and our first with Frank on bass & harmonies.

Even though it's from only 3 years ago, I look young and sexy! This parenting gig seems to age folks even faster than the presidency!

Anonymous said...

Lot of my faves already taken but I can't believe Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" hs not been posted yet or did I miss it?

ms. rosa said...

Marbles - Red Light. Talk about powerpop!

green tambourine! i immediately thought of that one. umpteem bubblegum pop songs feature colors - i believe there is one called 'red light, green light' which would get double points for having two colors...

Feral said...

Oh, and I forgot to mention...

Chuck Berry - Brown-Eyed Handsome Man
Genesis - Lillywhite Lillith
Gino Vanelli - Black Cars
Beatles - For You Blue

And if I can cheat and throw in a couple of my jazz faves...

Sarah Vaughn - Black Coffee
Duke Ellington - Mood Indigo

Wendy said...

Grateful Dead: "Brown Eyed Women (in Red Gabardine)"

Steely Dan: "Black Friday"

Fountains of Wayne: "Red Dragon Tattoo"

U2: "Red Hill Mining Town"

Doors: "Blue Sunday"

Beatles: "Blackbird"

Crosby, Stills & Nash: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"

Wendy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Lucinda Williams - Big Red Sun
The Blasters - Red Rose
The Blasters - White Cadillac

ROTP(lumber)

Anonymous said...

Blue- Jayhawks
Red Red Wine- Neil Diamond
When the Blue Hour Comes- Rodney Crowell
Red Shoes- Elvis Costello
Golden Blunders- Posies

steve simels said...

And of course the greatest of them all...

Sgt. Barry Sadler - Ballad of the Green Berets.

5/09


That was actually gonna be my clue song for yesterday, but at the last minute I figured I didn't want to post a video by a guy whose other claim to fame is a huge collection of Nazi memorabilia....

Anonymous said...

Green River-Creedence

Little Green Bag-George Baker Selection

I'm Through With White Girls-Dirtbombs

White Wedding-Billy Idol

Phil

Wendy said...

Donovan: "Turquoise" - okay, it's not a pop song but it's beautiful. So there.

steve simels said...

ms. rosa said...
Marbles - Red Light. Talk about powerpop


The Marbles? Wow...you must have been around NYC in the mid 70s. Saw them a million times...

Anonymous said...

Did anyone mention "Golden Slumbers" by the Fab 4?

And is it cheating to cite "She's a Rainbow" by the Stones?

preznit said...

here's a whole bunch of better stuff from this century:
Baskervilles "It's a red fade that leaves in a warm way"
Smittens "C'mon (where the grass grows tall and green)
Yellow Fever "Joe Brown"
B-52's "Ultraviolet"
The Owls "Black Hands of Time"
and "Yellow Flowers"
Pants Yell! "Magenta and Green"
Twig- "Indigo"
My Teenage Stride "Red Nurse"
Cats on Fire "I am the white-mantled king"

and some goodies from the last:

dB's "Black and White"
Individuals "White"
Heavenly "Orange Corduroy Dress"
REM "Green Grow the Rushes"
Allison Statton & Spike "Corridors of Blue"
Zeitgeist "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain"
Replacements "16 Blue"
Ne^ts "Red & Grey"

TuneLovinJacket said...

Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
Blue Period - The Smithereens
Green Shirt - Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Green M&Ms - Sun Sawed in 1/2
Gold Town - Tommy Keene
Orange County - Bluebells
Purple Rivers - Swimming Pool Q's
Violet Town - The Church
1,2,3 Redlight - 1910 Fruitgum Co
White Honey - Graham Parker
Blue & Grey - Richard Lloyd

Anonymous said...

Blue on Blue-Bobby Vinton
Can Blue Men Sing the Whites?-Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band

Anonymous said...

elo- mr blue sky (how'd we forget that one??)

my morning jacket- golden

big star- blue moon

nick drake- pink moon

gram parsons- still feeling blue