Friday, November 28, 2025

La Fin de La Semaine Essay Question: Special "I Can't Take the Way He Sings But I Love to Hear Him Talk" Edition

Okay, I can't recall if I've ever posted this before, but in any event it cracks me up.

A HISTORY OF MUSIC TIMELINE

Early Music -- chants, grunts, banging
Greco-Roman -- flutes, harps, shepherds
Medieval -- monks singing in unison, some broad named Hildegarde
Renaissance -- lutes, high tenor voices
Baroque/Classical -- opera, Masterpiece Theater
Romantic -- Strings, tuneful, Lincoln Center
Modern/Contemporary -- chants, grunts, banging

I don't know who wrote that, BTW, but apart from it being very droll, I am also of the opinion that it's basically accurate.

Especially the "chants, grunts, banging" part. 😎

Which brings us, inexorably, to the subject of the weekend's business. To wit:

George Harrison famously told John Lennon to listen to Bob Dylan's lyrics. Lennon responded "I don't listen to the words."

IMHO, the greatest pop records ever made are almost mostly all about the music. They sound like what the lyrics say, to the point you don't need to actually listen to the words; lyrics are merely the icing on the cake. For example, if you don't speak English, and can't understand what Jagger is actually carrying on about in "Satisfaction," the record will still mean the same thing to you as if you could. Because the sound of what the band is playing behind Jagger speaks perfectly clearly to the song's meaning.

So -- that being the case, what is a post-Elvis rock/soul/country/folk record with perhaps not particularly good, trite or overtly asinine/nonsensical lyrics (or merely chants, grunts and banging) that you love to death anyway???

Discuss.

In case you were wondering, my fave -- hands down -- is...

I mean, that doesn't even HAVE lyrics -- just a lot of non-linguistic yelling.

And yet, you know exactly what it's about, don't you. 😎😎

Alrighty then -- what would YOUR favorites be?

And have a great post-Thanksgiving weekend, everybody!!!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sure there are plenty more, but it's early. So Whoo-Hoo by the Rock A Teens, which sounds like a smoothed down (or should we say "heavily influenced by") version of your Esquerita sample.

steve simels said...

I freaking love that song, BTW. 😎

Anonymous said...

Much of R.E.M.’s early work fits the bill, such as Sitting Still
https://youtu.be/oKepduhmEcM

- Paul in DK

Allan Rosenberg said...

Richard Berry & The Pharaohs -
Louie Louie (original version)

Of course The Kingsmen's version comes in a close second!

Captain Al

M_Sharp said...

"Mumbles" by Oscar Peterson & Clark Terry
Covered awesomely by Pookie the Lion on the Soupy Sales Show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB8e_uRzhMU

Grunts, you say?
"Constipation Blues" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Guy Incognito said...

Unsettled by Robyn Hitchcock comes to mind.

Sal Nunziato said...

Wings- Mumbo. That song rocks and McCartney is all in with his "vocalese."

Cleveland Jeff said...

None better than Papa Oom Mow Mow by the Rivingtons
Dit Dit Dit!

joy b. thurston said...

rubber biscuit - the chips

mistah charley, sb, ma, phd, jsps said...

1/Gemini credits the history of music timeline to Garrison Keillor

2/not that the words are dumb, but not really part of the appeal of the song - the clash, rock the casbah

steve simels said...

I should have guessed about Keillor.