My summer school Microbiology class is winding down. I've got a lab quiz to take online this weekend, another lab or two to turn in, and then the famous Disease Final. In this one, you have to match the microbe to the disease it causes. Should be fun.
1. Karl Douglas- Kung Fu Fighting2. Imagine a Man- The Who
3. It's Too Late To Turn Back Now- Brother Cornelius and Sister Rose
4. The Old Country Waltz- Neil Young
5. The English Roses- The Pretenders
6. Bobby Kennedy- Black 47
7. It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry- Bob Dylan
8. Apache Rose Peacock- The Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. Way Over In The Minor Key- Billy Bragg and Wilco
10. A Million Miles Away- The Plimsouls
Notes:
1. I looked up Carl Douglas, the singer of what is arguably the silliest single ever. He was born in Jamaica and actually had two other hit singles: "Dance the Kung Fu" and "Blue Eyed Soul." According to Wikipedia, he resides in Germany, where he runs a publishing company that co-ordinates films, documentaries, and advertisements.
It ruined my fantasy of him-- that tonight, somewhere, he'll be in a bar trying to pick up a girl, telling her he was the guy who did "Kung Fu Fighting," and she has no idea what he's talking about.
2. I've decided over the years that I like "The Who By Numbers" way better than I like "Tommy," which to me hasn't aged well. The big hit from "The Who By Numbers" was the great "Squeeze Box."
3. These guys had one other big hit, "Treat Her Like a Lady."
4. I became a Neil Young fan when, staying up late one night in high school doing homework, a radio station played a side of "American Stars and Bars," the album this one is from.
5. The Pretenders beat the sophmore jinx on their second album, in part thanks to this little gem.
6. My favorite Black 47 song is "Maria's Wedding," a song of a a guy drunkenly showing up to ruin his ex-girlfriend's wedding to another guy.
7. From "Highway 61 Revisited," one of my "desert island" albums. Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills did a nice cover of this one on the "Supersession" album.
8. From "Bloodsugarsexmagic," my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers album.
9. From the Mermaid Avenue album, which was a bunch of Woody Guthrie lyrics that Woody's daughter had that Woody had never put music to. Billy Bragg and my son's little league sponsor Wilco collaborated to put the lyrics to music. The results were quite nice.
10. One of the great songs of the eighties.
4 comments:
I have to admit, I love "Kung Fu Fighting."
Your son plays in the Wilco league? That's beyond awesome!
The Who By Numbers also had "Slip Kid." I love that song.
I would argue that "Disco Duck" is the silliest single ever, but silly in a bad way. "Kung Fu Fighting" is cheerful fun. "Disco Duck" makes me want to track down Rick Dees and punch him so hard my fist goes through his entire head.
Wow, that was a tad hostile. Sorry about that.
I like Billy Bragg's song about sexuality--"I've got relations...with girls from many nations." As the aids epidemic grew, he sang about sexual freedom.
In fact, it was a little bit frightening.
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