As a result, posting by moi will be sporadic for a couple of days, or at least until we find an abandoned bomb shelter from the 60s. Preferably in Dayton, Ohio, which nobody, let alone a terrorist, would ever go to.
But in the meantime, here's a fun little project for us all:
Most Memorable Post-Elvis Record Featuring the Name Johnny in the Title or Lyrics!!!
Totally arbitrary rules: I'm stretching this to include songs with the name John. Jack, however, is verboten. So bite me, Billy Joel and that "Captain Jack" shit.
And my totally top of my head Top Six are:
6. Devo -- Come Back Jonee
Probably the closest the Spud Boys ever came to a conventional rock song, or power pop for that matter. Great stuff in any case.
5. The Rolling Stones -- Bye Bye Johnny
Chuck Berry's sequel to "Johnny B. Goode", obviously, and the Stones have owned it for years, at least live. This early studio version is a little more raggedy than most of their Berry covers, but it does have a certain atmosphere.
4. X -- Johnny Hit and Run Pauline
You know, with the benefit of hindsight, the term punk rock seems a bit of a misnomer for these guys. I mean, they seem so utterly traditional in a lot of ways (Billy Zoom's hot rockabilly guitar, for example) and I mean that in a good way.
3. The Mystery Trend -- Johnny Was a Good Boy
One of the more obscure of the original San Francisco bands, but one of the best (you can read a very good bio on them here).
2. The Killers -- Uncle Johnny
Not actually nuts about this song (or the band, come to think of it) but since I can't find a Johnny song featuring Billy Corgan's pretentious cueball noggin, I thought it would be nice to have at least one entry recorded in this century.
And the numero uno tune about some young guy nobody calls Jack, at least in my presence, obviously is --
1. Warren Zevon -- Johnny Strikes Up the Band
The best "Let's get this show on the road!" song in all of rock. I hadn't seen this live version before, but it totally kicks ass, and in stereo, so you're welcome.
Alrighty then -- what would your choices be?
[Shameless Blogwhore: My parallel Cinema Listomania -- today's theme: respectable but awful films you really wish had been eviscerated on Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- is now up over at Box Office. As always, if you could see your way to heading over there and leaving a nice snarky little comment, it would show management that I'm worth every penny of my truly exorbitant freelance rate. Thanks!]
A. You took all the best ones
ReplyDeleteB. My list:
Sloop John B - Beach Boys
Uncle John's Band - Dead
Johnny Too Bad - The Slickers
Johnny Thunder - The Kinks
one of the survivors -- kinks (the continuing story of johnny thunder)
ReplyDeleteHere are some other good ones, I'll volunteer:
ReplyDeleteStarting with three (3!) from Liz Phair -
"Johnny Sunshine" from Exile in Guyville
"Dance of the Seven Veils", also from Exile
Bonus, a week late, includes an entry for last week's Listomania:
"He can probably skip the 'until death' part/ 'cause Johnny my love, you're already dead"
"Johnny Feelgood" from whitechocolatespaceegg
not up there with the first two, but not bad
Neville Brothers - "Brother John/ Iko Iko" from Fiyo on the Bayou - another two-song medley, to go with our early clue
Neko Case - "John Saw That Number" from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
and, well,
The Beatles - "The Ballad of John and Yoko"
"Johnny and Mary" by Robert Palmer
ReplyDeleteCan't dis' Shelley Fabares and Joanie Sommers ("Johnny Angel" and "Johnny Get Angry").
ReplyDeleteI know it's corny, but I can't help but be moved by Dion's "Abraham Martin and John"
Also somewhat corny: "Empty Garden," Elton John's tribute to John Lennon ("hey, hey, Johnny - can you come out to play?").
ReplyDeleteAnother good one: "Johnny 99" by Springsteen.
ReplyDeleteOoh -- I'd totally forgotten the Elton John. One of the few songs of his that I genuinely like, now that I think of it.
ReplyDeleteJohn The Gun - Sandy Denny
ReplyDeleteThe Day John Henry Died - Drive-by Truckers
Johnny Too Bad - The Slickers
Johnny's In The Mines - The Individuals
John Wilkes Booth - Donner Party
Johnny Can't Read - Don Henley
Little Johnny Jewel - Television
Johnny's Far Away - Richard Thompson
John Barleycorn Must Live - The Minus 5
The New John Agar - The Young Fresh Fellows
The New John Agar - The Young Fresh Fellows
ReplyDeleteThere's a song about John Agar?
I'm speechless....
:-)
Farmer John & Powderfinger - Neil Young
ReplyDeleteNumber Nine Dream - John Lennon (backwards even)
And if you can't have Smashing Pumpkins you can have some Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing.
Wow, so many good ones already mentioned, but here are a few oldies but goodies:
ReplyDeleteJohnny Guitar: Peggy Lee (1961, fyi)
Johnny Remember Me: John Leyton
The Rebel-Johnny Yuma: Johnny Cash
Johnny Come Home: Fine Young Cannibals
Johnny Appleseed: Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros
Johnny: Suicide
Neil Young: My My Hey Hey ("This is the story of Johnny Rotten")
ReplyDeleteThey came from the 80s:
ReplyDelete" Johnny Are You Queer" Josie Cotton
"Be Good Johnny" Men at Work
"Geraldine & John" -- Joe Jackson
Prefab Sprout
ReplyDeleteJohnny's Gonna Die - The Replacements!
ReplyDeleteJohn Wesley Harding - Dylan
ReplyDeleteanother one from Nuggets-
ReplyDeleteFarmer John - The Premiers
If I may add a few more favorites: Procol Harum's "Juicy John Pink" and "For Liquorice John", and the lovely "Spanish Johnny" by Waylon Jenkins & Emmylou Harris
ReplyDeleteWell, since I'm allowing lyrics, obviously I have to pimp for Spanish Johnny in Springsteen's "Incident on 57th Street."
ReplyDeleteThe Slickers - Johnny Too Bad
ReplyDeleteIf John Barleycorn Must Live, then you have to also mention, John Barleycorn Must Die - Traffic.
ReplyDeleteDetroit Johnny don’t wear no tie, ‘cause he says it hurts his neck
ReplyDeleteHe’s got a chick from Ecuador tonight
She wants to talk about the moon, she says it used to be her friend
But the doctors put an end to all of that
(A part of me is lost for good, do you really understand?)
“I do” says Johnny as he grabs her hand
- Out Come the Freaks, first Was/Not Was Album.
I love Bob Marley's beautiful "Johnny Was," especially the part when he sings:
ReplyDelete"Ah, ah, la-da-da, Johnny was a good man..."
How could the greatest minds in American popular music have missed the unequivocally greatest "johnny song EVER:
ReplyDelete"Charlie - Johnny Hold Back"
and "Patti - Land"
I"m making the appropriate Twilight Zone noises now, Peter.
ReplyDelete:-)
good....................................................................................................
ReplyDeleteFrom our generation's poet laureate's "Subterranean Homesick Blues":
ReplyDeleteJohnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten
I think I'll go listen to it ...
Are you kidding? No one went for "Angry Johnny" by Poe?
ReplyDeleteI rather like that song myself.
Oddly, one of my dear friends and a local Northampton musician is named Angry Johnny. And his old girlfriend and also a friend, Amy Fairchild wrote a song when they broke up called Johnny with the lyric, Johnny don't be angry.
ReplyDelete"the boy looked at johnny," the best libertines song.
ReplyDeleteand as long as we're including songs ABOUT johnnies, may i suggest ed sanders' "the iliad," the immortal tale of a redneck and his sour mash, johnny pissoff, who if he's still alive is probably planning a tea party appearance right now.