Okay, I did two today.
Here's the one I just did while my son and I were on our computers (me on my laptop, he on the desktop-- after Christmas, he'll be on an ibook, too).
1. Complete Control- The Clash
2. Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman, David Blue and Me- John Wesley Harding
3. I Can’t Make You Love Me- Bonnie Raitt
4. Moon River- Henry Mancini
5. Home In My Hand- Foghat
6. Tu Que Brillas- Jamie O’Reilly and Michael Smith
7. So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star- The Byrds
8. Break My Stride- Matthew Wilder
9. Hawaiian Island World- World Party
10. Sunny Afternoon- The Kinks
I hear you all shouting "Moon River! WTF!" I did one of those "On the Day You Were Born" things years ago at the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago, and it said that that was the #1 hit song on the day I was born.
Plus, I'm the one straight guy in the world who loves Breakfast At Tiffany's.
Interesting fact: One-Hit Wonder Mathew Wilder went on to be a producer-- he produced the first No Doubt album.
Jamie O'Reilly and Michael Smith are the two people on that list I actually know. Jamie lives just a few blocks from me. I knew Michael for some time before I found out that he wrote one of my favorite-ever songs, The Dutchman-- I'd long loved Steve Goodman's version of it, and had assumed Goodman had written it. It was one of the first songs I figured out on my own on guitar.
I did my "Running Random Ten" this morning, but I thought it made me look like a dinosaur. These were the songs that came up on my ipod shuffle while I was out running this morning:
1. New Amsterdam- Elvis Costello
2. What a Fool Believes- Doobie Brothers
3. The Warmest Room- Billy Bragg
4. Stepping Out- Joe Jackson
5. Amsterdam- Guster
6. Move On Up- Curtis Mayfield
7. Foreplay/Long Time- Boston
8. Book of Rules- The Heptones
9. Creeque Alley- The Mamas and the Papas
10. You Won’t Be Happy- The Beat
The only song under 20 years old on the list was the Guster song. Funny what happens when you have to nail down your favorite 220 or so songs.
BTW, The Beat was an American group-- they were the reason the other Beat, which became far more successful, had to change its name to the English Beat.
Of course, my other list has an aggregate age of at least 20 years, too. Jeez.
5 comments:
Well Johnnysaurus Rex, I'd say both lists are pretty damned fine. I didn't realize that about Matthew Wilder.
Hi! I just finished reading your blog [archives and all] and I can't wait for the next post.
Very well written and inspiring [cliche'?....what the hell - 'tis true!]
Thanks and keep it up!
Skippymom-- thanks!
And sadly, I knew that about Matthew Wilder. Not that I don't like him, just that I know too much stupid stuff.
I know the feeling, Ten S. When that Ben Lee song came out a few years ago (the one that's in the computer commercial these days)-- "my head is a box full of nothing." I cannot believe how much trivia, mostly useless, that I know. I suspect it's because my parents bought my brothers and I a World Book encyclopedia set before we could read. We looked at the pictures, and after we learned to read, we eagerly read about stuff we'd been curious about. I am a holy terror at trivial pursuit (as are my brothers). I know things and have no idea how I know them.
Post a Comment