As attentive readers may be aware, back in September I took a bad spill on the most dangerous and steep escalator in New York City, and to my chagrin I actually fractured my spine. Of course, many of those same readers probably don't even believe I have one, but let me tell you -- don't talk until you've walked a mile in my shoes with a back brace on for several months!
In any case, I had the problem surgically resolved Wednesday, and I am now pain free and movin' and groovin' with my normal geriatric joie de vivre.
But in honor of my recovery, and because I like to give you folks something to do to wile away the idle winter hours for the next couple of days, here's a fun little project for us all:
BEST OR WORST POST-ELVIS POP, ROCK, SOUL OR COUNTRY SONGS OR RECORDS REFERENCING DOCTORS, MEDICINE, BODY PARTS OR HEALTH IN GENERAL IN THE TITLE OR LYRICS!!!
No arbitrary rules of any kind, you're welcome very much. And here we go, in no particular order, with my totally top of my head Top Eight.
8. The Rascals: Good Lovin'
You know the drill -- "Doctor doctor/Mr. MD."
7. Aretha Franklin: Dr. Feelgood
Honorable mention: Dr. Feelgood (the band) and their fabulous "Down at the Doctor's."
6. Major Lance: Monkey Time
"Let your backbone slip." Yeah, tell me about it, Major.
5. Warren Zevon: Life'll Kill Ya
I know the feeling, Warren. I know the feeling.
4. The Rolling Stones: Dear Doctor
From what, on balance, may still be their best studio album, but that's an argument for another Listomania.
3. The Beatles: Dr. Robert
That may be my favorite song on the album, BTW. Go figure.
2. Emerson Lake and Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery
You know, objectively that still sucks, but it is a sign of how much I've mellowed about those guys and 70s prog in general that I now think it's also kind of genuinely funny.
And the number one, it's not even open for discussion, rock song about our beleaguered care givers simply has to be...
1. Humble Pie: I Don't Need No Doctor
C'mon -- you didn't see that coming?
Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?
And have a great weekend, everybody!!!!
19 comments:
Rock and Roll Doctor by Little Feat
I second Little Feat.
Robert Palmer - Bad Case of Loving You
UFO - Doctor Doctor
The Who - Doctor Jimmy
Graham Parker - Lady Doctor
Peter Tosh - Bush Doctor
The Kinks - National Health
King Crimson - Doctor Diamond
The Band - The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
Bob Dylan - Love Sick
Fountains of Wayne - Sick Day
Lou Reed - Sick of You
and for the titles alone,
Mickey Jupp - Brother Doctor, Sister Nurse
Bettie Seveert - Healthy Sick
- Paul in DK
John Hiatt - Doll Hospital
Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (I know, it's a stretch)
Rockpile - A Knife and a Fork
The Band - Chest Fever (another reach)
Chest Fever! HAH! :-)
Velvet Underground: Lady Godiva's Operation
Pills - Bo Diddley
Brain Salad Surgery sounds like a game show theme.
Captain Al
I would have included Jackson Browne's song, myself. That Humble Pie song gets me playing air guitar in front of the bathroom mirror every time and I'm middle-aged! Glad to hear you're improving, sir!
paulinca
Steve, how can you possibly forget the Supremes’ classic Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine?
More seriously…Tommy and Quadrophenia are of course full of these references. From the former, “Amazing Journey/Sparks” is just about my favorite, but listen to the version from the expanded Live at Leeds - it doesn’t get much better than that. From the latter, I’ll go off the beaten path a bit nominate “The Real Me” and “Is It In My Head?”, both for Entwistle’s contributions - the lead bass guitar and horns on the first, and his stellar backing vocals on the latter; he was a really great harmony/background vocalist, and in general the Who are wildly underrated in the vocal department.
Others:
“My Shit’s Fucked Up”, Warren Zevon (this one and your Zevon pick are heartbreakingly prescient)
“Dirt Floor”, Chris Whitley
“Al Bowlley’s In Heaven”, Richard Thompson
“Medicated Goo”, Traffic
“Can’t Find My Way Home”, Blind Faith
“White Room”, Cream
“Doctor My Eyes”, Jackson Browne (this is on the worst list, just way too earnest and sanctimonious)
From Warren Zevon, I would've gone with "My Shit's Fucked Up."
Others off the top of MY head:
"Waiting Room" - Jeff Elbel + Ping (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeFjqcHHmU8)
"Better Days" - Chris Mars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tQRdmkjzyo) (which, to quote Wikipedia, is "about being sick from school and experiencing hallucinations from tainted cold medicine")
"Mrs Hutchinson" - Madness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1WJu_EDzs4)
The Rutles - Ouch!
Chest Fever isn't that much of a stretch - there's a doctor in there but he's called "the Swede." Another stretch might be Zevon's Sentimental Hygiene. And at the end of Neil Young's concert movie Rust Never Sleeps he puts his hand on the shoulder of one of the white-coated roadies and says, "Thanks, Doc!" Does that count?
and it says here the Rolling Stones' best studio album is Aftermath
"Doctor" Loudon Wainwright 3
"knocking on Heaven's Door" Bob D
I've been waiting for someone else to add this song but no one has so I guess it's up to me:
Robert's Box - Procol Harum.
Captain Al
The good - Big Star, When My Baby's Beside Me
The bad - Thompson Twins, Doctor, Doctor.
Richard Thompson - Psycho Street
Captain Al
U2 - Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
I think they balance each other out ...
Paul Simon - Run That Body Down
Take a Load Off Your Feet - The Beach Boys
Stage Fright - The Band
Girl, You Have No faith In medicine - The White Stripes
Vince
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