Could be a hot one!
That being the case, here's a hopefully fun little project to help us knit up the raveled sleeve of care in my absence:
Best Post-Elvis Title of A Pop, Rock or Soul Song!!!
No arbitrary rules that I can think of this time out, you're welcome very much, except don't try to sneak in an album title. We're talking about individual songs, if not necessarily ones that were released as singles.
And yes -- it strikes me as unlikely that we haven't done something as obvious as this particular theme around here before, but on careful reflection, I'm pretty sure that no, we haven't.
And my totally top of my head Top Six are:
6. King Hell -- Retarded Forces of Doom
These guys just slay me, in case I haven't mentioned it lately. Buy their album over at Amazon here. Right now. Seriously.
5. The Rolling Stones -- Moonlight Mile.
Instantly evocative, obviously, but better yet the song itself lives up to (and sounds like) the title. The record itself gets bonus points for being (as we learned while reading Keith Richards' autobiography) the best Rolling Stones track ever recorded without any input or participation by Mr. Richards.
4. Napoleon XIV -- Yawa Em Ekat Ot Gnimoc Er'yeht
For obvious reasons, obviously.
3. Warren Zevon -- Even a Dog Can Shake Hands
Perhaps his sunniest ode to the essential goodness of mankind.
2. Camper Van Beethoven -- Take the Skinheads Bowling
Let me just say, and for the record, that if you don't love this song and find it hilarious then I don't want to know you.
And the Numero Uno high concept moniker de la musique of them all simply has to be --
1. Nino Tempo and April Stevens -- I've Been Carrying a Torch for You So Long That I Burned a Great Big Hole in My Heart
The b-side of their sublime "Deep Purple," and although I've long chortled over the title, I must confess I'd never actually heard the track till yesterday. A pleasant surprise to find that it actually rocks, I must say, and Nino's falsetto is really a hoot.
Alrighty then -- what would your choices be?
28 comments:
"It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night, That Chewed Your Ass Out All Day Long" by The Notorious Cherry Bombs.
(Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Stewart Smith.)
Oh. My. God.
"My Head is My Only House Unless It Rains" - Capt. Beefheart (covered by the Tubes).
Not to be confused with Elvis' "Home is Anywhere You Hang Your Head"...
The Hombres, of "Let It All Hang Out" fame, had a song called "Take My Overwhelming Love (And Cram It Up Your Heart)." I've never heard their version, only the cover by D. Clinton Thompson's Park Central Squares.
Memphis psychedelic funk band Big Ass Truck has a song called "Dog Chases An Iguana Up A Tree And Barks At It All Night, Parts I & II."
One of the best short titles I've seen-- Tearjerkers' "Bank, Gun, Jail."
Seeing as it's Super Bowl weekend, how 'bout Bobby Bare's "Drop-Kick Me, Jesus, Through the Goal Posts of Life"?
They don't have to be funny, BTW.
:-)
Although I rather like Jake Holmes "London Derriere."
Get it?
:-)
Mr. Simels,
This Samwell McPuckerbutt from the newly reconstituted Parents Music Resource Council. Shame on you Sir, shame on you for promulgating harmful juvenilia by bands like this King Heck! Know that we’ll be picketing your offices… actually, where are your offices? We can’t find any listing anywhere. In case (shaking fist furiously) you’re in for it!
Most disapprovingly,
Samwell McPuckerbutt
P.S. We’ve always appreciated Motorhead’s “I’ll Be You Sister” , in spite of yourselves.
How about the Grateful Dead's unreleased ode to nitrous oxide and unlimited studio time, "Barbed Wire Whipping Party"?
And of course Bob Dylan got a song called Everybody Must Get Stoned on the radio by calling it "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35".
Mr. Dylan had a lot of great titles, some silly, some serious & beautiful:
Subterranean Homesick Blues
The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
Tangled Up In Blue
(Stuck Inside of Mobile with the) Memphis Blues Again*
Ballad in Plain D
Talkin' John Birch Society Blues
Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
And that's just off the top of my head.
(* Have you ever done Best or Worst Use of Parentheses in a Pop Song Title?)
Sly & The Family Stone: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Phil Ochs: The World Began In Eden, But Ended In Los Angeles
Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight, which the Googles tell me is a 1969 Fleetwood Mac song that I've only heard by the Rezillos
acquitil? Really? You need to do a best of word verification
If You Leave Me Can I Come Too - Mental as Anything
Like Wow - Wipeout - Hoodoo Gurus
I'll Kill You if You Don't Come Back - Meat Loaf (lots of others in the worst category)
Several Species of Samll Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave and Grooving With a Pict - Pink Floyd
Oh, man, there are so many great song titles out there off the top of my head:
The full title of this Ramones classic: "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg")"
You could make a whole list of great Ramones song titles... "Everytime I Eat Vegetables It Makes Me Think Of You" is another favorite...
The Smiths have many great song titles: "Girlfriend in a Coma", "Shoplifters of the World Unite" and more...
New Pornographers have a bunch of great song titles, too: "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras", "Sing Me Spanish Techno", "The New Face of Zero and One", etc..
Though, Robyn Hitchcock is the winner, in my book.
Even before I ever listened to a note by him, his song titles intrigued me: "My Wife And My Dead Wife", "The Man With The Lightbulb Head", "Raymond Chandler Evening", "Brenda's Iron Sledge", "Madonna Of The Wasps", "The Wreck Of The Arthur Lee", etc...
Speaking of The Ramones:
The KKK Took My Baby Away
Eggs And Sausage (In A Cadillac With Susan Michelson) (Waits)
I Love You, You Big Dummy (Beefheart)
Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore (Walter Becker)
I Can't Believe That You Would Fall for All the Crap in This Song (Sparks)
Dan Hicks: "How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?"
Traffic: "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"
Eleven Mustachioed Daughters: Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Teenage FBI: Guided By Voices
I Love My Leather Jacket: The Chills
Veins of the Queen: Robyn Hitchcock
I Think of Demons: Roky Ericson
Life Begins at the Hop: XTC
Dog on Wheels: Belle & Sebastian
Here Come the Warm Jets: Brian Eno
Stormtrooper in Drag: Gary Numan
Oh Shit: The Buzzcocks
Oh, and there's a country song called "My Baby Locked Me in the Trunk and Now I'm Wallowing in Despair"
What the heck is going on in the background of that Nino Tempo and April Stevens song? It sounds it was recorded in a multi-level garage with valet parkers screeching up and down the ramps. (Hey, dig Nino and April's ultra go-go Scopitone video for "Land of 1000 Dances" -- a title that seemed a little outrageous at the time.)
Great topic, I’ll divide my nominations into two sub-categories -
Humorous and/or Unusual
Happiness is a Warm Gun - Beatles
If You’re Feeling Sinister – Belle & Sebastian
Lost in the Supermarket – The Clash
We’re the Replacements – TMBG
Don’t Worry About the Government – Talking Heads
Gary’s Got a Boner – Replacements
It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine) – R.E.M.
Monkey Gone to Heaven - Pixies
Perfectly Evocative of a Notably-Themed Song
Beer & Kisses – Amy Rigby
Lawyers, Guns & Money – Warren Zevon
Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
She Came In Through the Bathroom Window – Beatles
Adam Raised A Cain – Springsteen
Watching the Detectives – Elvis C.
(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? – Nick Lowe (nod to Elvis C.)
Senses Working Overtime – XTC
The Last Day of Our Acquaintance – Sinead O’Connor
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight – Richard & Linda Thompson
Oops, late additions to the Humorous and/or Unusual:
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 & Pt.2
Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell
The Spiderbite Song
all courtesy of the Flaming Lips
No Frank Zappa?
Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk
Be in My Video
Dog Breath Variations
The Air
The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue
Watermelon in Easter Hay
Verification word: noupless - as in utterly without noup
Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard - P. Simon
I'm No Sicko There's A Plate in My Head - The Oblivians
I attempted to do this earlier, Steveo - but had to reboot for it to work..
Hot Dogs (on parade) - Greensky Bluegrass, cut #14
http://www.archive.org/details/gsbg2007-03-03.matrix.flac16
Johnny Kinkdom sez: The new Iron and Wine record "Kiss Each Other Clean" not only has a great title but includes the song "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me". The kids just keep coming up with new ones.
A country song I heard once:
"There's a Hole in Daddy's Arm Where All the Money Goes"
Can't remember who the artist was, but if pressed, I could sing the title line.
Country is too easy - "They can lock me up in jail for loving you but they can't keep my face from breaking out."
Parliment - Tear the Roof Off the Sucker
Traffic - Medicated Goo
Tonio K - Life in the Foodchain
The Who - Boris the Spider
Neil Young - Why Do I Keep Fucking Up?
Jai Guru Dave, that's John Prine
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.
Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow.
Tonio K-- "Funky Western Civilzation", "The Night Fast Rodney went Crazy"
Psycotic Pineapple (the misspelling was intentional): I Wanna Wanna Wanna Wanna Wanna Wanna Wanna Get Rid of You"
Captain Beefheart: "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "Ashtray Heart"
--nosmok
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