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Favorite songs are tough because they are so short and we all have so many. (for instance movies can easily equal the time of 20 songs).

So lyrics, eh?

I have my MP3 backed-up on a flash drive currently plugged in so let me pick out a good one (meaningful lyrics to me). Hold on I’ve got ~ 500 songs on my MP3.

OK I need to set some parameters for myself:

No XMas music (we just got done with that)
No joke songs (I love Weird Al too)
No songs primarily famous for being in a movie(s) or TV show


There’s too many.

I’m gonna go with “The Scariest/Most Moving" song of all-time to me.

Eve of Destruction by Barry MacGuire

I like it, but it scared me when I was a kid and it’s still scary to me. Probably the fate of Mankind.



I just played this video in “preview” and cried my guts out.

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Yah, you right. Joni is one of the most prodigious lyricists of this or any generation. So much of what she's written is haunting, poignant, melancholy... but some are downight funny and clever. My fave album of hers is 'Mingus,' with that killer all-star band:

Herbie Hancock/keys
Jaco Pastorius/bass
Pat Metheney/guitar
Don Alias/hand pcn
Peter Erskine, drum kit
Wayne Shorter/sax

wow. just- wow.

So the piece was written by Charles Mingus, shortly before he died. The horn arrangement was written by Jaco. Lyrics by Joni, who sings 'vocalese' style (like scat, but with words). Sheer genius, from inception to execution.

__________

I'm down to a roll of dimes, I'm stalking the slot that's hot
I keep hearing bells all around me- Jingling in the lucky jackpots
They keep you tantalized, They keep you reaching for your wallet
Here in fools' paradise

I talked to a cat from Des Moines- He said he ran a cleaning plant
That cat was clanking with coin, Well he must have had a genie in a lamp
'cause e-very time I dropped a dime I blew it He kept ringing bells
Nothing to it!

He got three oranges
Three lemons
Three cherries
Three plums
I'm losing my taste for fruit

Watching the dry cleaner do it- Like Midas in a polyester suit
It's all luck!
It's just luck!
You get a little lucky and you make a little money!

(horn break over the form- thnx, Jaco!)

I followed him down the strip- He picked out a booth at Circus Circus
where the cowgirls fill the room with their big balloons
The cleaner was pitching with purpose!
He had Dinos and Pooh Bears
And lions pink and blue there
He couldn't lose there!

Well The Cleaner was stacking the chips, Raking off the tables
Ringing the bandit's bells
This is a story that's a drag to tell (In some ways)
Since I lost every dime I laid on the line...
But the cleaner from Des Moines
Could put a coin
In the door of a john, and get twenty for one
It's just luck!

wink
thumbsup


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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Quote:
Herbie Hancock/keys
Jaco Pastorius/bass
Pat Metheney/guitar
Don Alias/hand pcn
Peter Erskine, drum kit
Wayne Shorter/sax


Holy shibitz, talk about some talent getting together.


And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir

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Does "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails count?

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Originally Posted By: jfanent
Quote:
Herbie Hancock/keys
Jaco Pastorius/bass
Pat Metheney/guitar
Don Alias/hand pcn
Peter Erskine, drum kit
Wayne Shorter/sax


Holy shibitz, talk about some talent getting together.


I know Peter Erskine's son, Damian Erskine. I'm good friends with his wife. He sort of followed in his dad's footsteps by becoming an amazing jazz bass player. A local talent here in Portland but has made a name for himself in the jazz world.


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I was never a fan or their music so I will defer to others to pick the best, but I have heard that Rush has some great lyrics.


Is buttcheeks one word?
Or should I spread them apart?
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Originally Posted By: Jester
I was never a fan or their music so I will defer to others to pick the best, but I have heard that Rush has some great lyrics.


Oi. I know I'll take heat but...yuck. Never understood the hype. Yes Neil can play the drums, and Getty can play the bass but oi his voice! It's like someone is squeezing a rat.

"Why are we here?
Because we're here.
Roll the bones.
Why does it happen?
Because it happens.
Roll the bones."

Ugh.

Rant over. Sorry to those that now hate me.


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Originally Posted By: jfanent
Quote:
Herbie Hancock/keys
Jaco Pastorius/bass
Pat Metheney/guitar
Don Alias/hand pcn
Peter Erskine, drum kit
Wayne Shorter/sax


Holy shibitz, talk about some talent getting together.


Yup, you know it.

For her 'Shadows And Light' tour later that year, Lyle Mays replaced Herb, and Michael Brecker replaced Wayne. Both bands cooked like they were contestants on 'Chopped.'

Truly Joni's most adventuresome period: Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Hejira, Mingus. That band pushed her creativity;she pushed them to put on a show. Synergy out the wazoo, yo.

thumbsup


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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I don't hate you.
I started out with I have never been a fan of their music
I just know a lot of people who talk about how amazing their lyrics are.


Is buttcheeks one word?
Or should I spread them apart?
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Originally Posted By: Jester
I don't hate you.
I started out with I have never been a fan of their music
I just know a lot of people who talk about how amazing their lyrics are.


I saw that. It was more for those that really like Rush that may come for me pitchforks in hand.


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Yo listen up here's a story
About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees
Is just blue
Like him inside and outside
Blue his house with a blue little window
And a blue Corvette
And everything is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
Cause he ain't got nobody to listen
I'm Blue da ba dee da ba daa
I'm Blue da ba dee da ba daa
I have a blue house with a blue window
Blue is the colour of all that I wear
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue
Blue are the people here that walk around
Blue like my Corvette, it's in and outside
Blue are the words I say and what I think
Blue are the feelings that live inside me


“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

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Man, those are killer musicians. Probably shows how much respect Joni had in the music world.

I didn't listen to a ton of her stuff, but dawg, that girl can write. She's so damn poetic. She's so damn real. She knows how to invoke emotions just by her syntax. It's freaking profound.

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I used to like Rush because I learned a lot of cool bass licks by copying Geddy Lee and Neil Peart is a master. But you're right, those vocals grate the nerves.



And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir

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Originally Posted By: Versatile Dog
Man, those are killer musicians. Probably shows how much respect Joni had in the music world.

I didn't listen to a ton of her stuff, but dawg, that girl can write. She's so damn poetic. She's so damn real. She knows how to invoke emotions just by her syntax. It's freaking profound.


To top it all off she's also a phenomenal pianist.


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And during her acoustic sets, she almost NEVER uses standard guitar tuning.

Almost every tune is scordatura, and each seems to have its own specific tuning.

Girl is amazing.
Great Canadian import


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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Originally Posted By: jfanent
Quote:
Herbie Hancock/keys
Jaco Pastorius/bass
Pat Metheney/guitar
Don Alias/hand pcn
Peter Erskine, drum kit
Wayne Shorter/sax


Holy shibitz, talk about some talent getting together.


You got that right, j. You know you're a talented artist when you have players like that backing you. Metheny is an incredible guitarist and Jaco was .... well, a true genius. And I don't use that word loosely.

Edit: hell, they're all great.

Last edited by lampdogg; 01/05/17 10:19 PM.

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Quote:
She knows how to invoke emotions just by her syntax. It's freaking profound.


"Word imagery."

Here's how you know it's good stuff: when the lyrics compel you to compose your own 'internal movie' to go along with the music. Hers almost always have a 'film noir' quality when I conjure them up.

Tell a story/let the listener write his/her own movie. Play a concert, and enter into an artistic partnership with 20,000 people- in Real Time.

What an incredible gift.


'Hejira': Joni, Jaco (layered) and Don on Congas. Only.

I love the sparseness of the arrangement. It forces you to deeply listen to Joni, and allow yourself to be endlessly fascinated and surprised by Jaco's fills. Perfection.



"I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some cafe
A defector from the petty wars
That shell shock love away
There's comfort in melancholy
When there's no need to explain
It's just as natural as the weather
In this moody sky today
In our possessive coupling
So much could not be expressed
So now I'm returning to myself
These things that you and I suppressed
I see something of myself in everyone
Just at this moment of the world
As snow gathers like bolts of lace
Waltzing on a ballroom girl

You know it never has been easy
Whether you do or you do not resign
Whether you travel the breadth of extremities
Or stick to some straighter line
Now here's a man and a woman sitting on a rock
They're either going to thaw out or freeze
Listen
Strains of Benny Goodman *
Coming through the snow and the pinewood trees
I'm porous with travel fever
But you know I'm so glad to be on my own
Still somehow the slightest touch of a stranger
Can set up trembling in my bones *
I know no one's going to show me everything
We all come and go unknown
Each so deep and superficial
Between the forceps and the stone

Well I looked at the granite markers
Those tribute to finality to eternity
And then I looked at myself here
Chicken scratching for my immortality
In the church they light the candles
And the wax rolls down like tears
There's the hope and the hopelessness
I've witnessed thirty years
We're only particles of change I know I know
Orbiting around the sun
But how can I have that point of view
When I'm always bound and tied to someone
White flags of winter chimneys
Waving truce against the moon
In the mirrors of a modern bank
From the window of a hotel room

I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some cafe
A defector from the petty wars
Until love sucks me back that way"


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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Quote:

You know it never has been easy
Whether you do or you do not resign
Whether you travel the breadth of extremities
Or stick to some straighter line
Now here's a man and a woman sitting on a rock
They're either going to thaw out or freeze
Listen

Strains of Benny Goodman *
Coming through the snow and the pinewood trees
I'm porous with travel fever
But you know I'm so glad to be on my own
Still somehow the slightest touch of a stranger
Can set up trembling in my bones *
I know no one's going to show me everything
We all come and go unknown
Each so deep and superficial
Between the forceps and the stone


Genius.

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One more by Joni:

Quote:
The Circle Game
by Joni Mitchell

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like when you're older must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game *

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him take your time it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game


I think this song is about understanding the passage of time from youth to years beyond. I think it is about the heartache of what you have lost. Some may call that nostalgia. I think it is about regret from what you haven't done, yet it is about hope for what you might do.

Y'all hearing me? Think about that, you thinking people. Isn't that what we do? We self analyze to the point where it becomes almost painful. We replay all of our acts and deeds. We self criticize and cringe at our mistakes while not taking too much pride in our accomplishments. And then we hypothesize on how we will improve ourselves as human beings. Not all of us think that way, but indeed, some of us do. Joni captures that intellect in her lyrics.

Here is a recording of the song:


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I'll add mine.

I love Patty Loveless.


Last edited by Ballpeen; 01/05/17 11:16 PM.

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No written lyrics with the music, but you can make them out. This song brings a smile to my face. Your's as well I am sure. Reminds of days gone by.


Great song.



If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.

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Vers.....I promise.....I get your vibe.....you'll like this one....listen!



If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.

GM Strong




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Changing directions a bit. Check this out Swish, Lurker, and others. I would add CHS, but he already knows all there is to know.

Quote:
War Lyrics

Oh no-there's got to be a better way
Say it again
There's got to be a better way-yeah
What is it good for? (war)

Man has a sense for the discovery of beauty
How rich is the world for one who makes you for us to show
Beauty must have power over man, war

After the end of the war I want to devote myself
To my thoughts for five to ten years and to writing them down
War has caused unrest among the younger generation
Induction then destruction, who wants to die?
Wars come and go what remains are only the values of culture

Then of course there is revolutionary love
Love of comrades fighting for the people and love of people
Not an abstract people but people one meets and works with
When Che Guevara taught of love being
At the center of revolutionary endeavor, he meant both

For people like Che or George Jackson or Malcolm X
Love was the prime mover of their struggle
That love cost them their lives, love coupled with a man's pride
Love coupled with a man's pride
Give it to you on top, now

War, I despise 'cause it means destruction of innocent lives
War, means tears to thousands of mothers how
When their sons go off to fight and lose their lives

I said, war, good god, now, what is it good for?
Absolutely, nothing
Say it again, war, what is it good for?
Absolutely, nothing, listen to me
War, it ain't nothing but a heart breaker
War, friend only to the undertaker, war

(War, war, war, war)
War, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it, war, good god now, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, say it, (war)

Oh no, there's got to be a better way
Say it again, there's got to be a better way
Yeah, what is it good for?
War, what is it good for?





Pretty self-explanatory. But, this song was actually written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. They wrote it for the Temptations, but their brand was big and the song lyrics were thougt to be too inflamitory. Starr was a better fit w/his in your face voice. The song was a huge anti-Vietnam War anthem, but the lyrics have w/stood the test of time and have been used to protest other wars, rather they be political or social. Seems to me that is a testimony of greatness.

Here is a recording: And peeps, check out the drum [censored] at the beginning. Freaking classic. LOL


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Preacher said he died too young
Over there totin' that gun
For Uncle Sam and our freedom
Mom and Daddy dressed in black
They folded up that flag
Handed it dad, and started prayin'
Yeah he went out twenty one guns blazin'

That's one hell of an amen
That's the only way to go
Fightin' the good fight
Til the good Lord calls you home
And so be well my friend
'Til I see you again
This is our last goodbye
It's a hell of an amen, amen

Doctor said he ain't got long
He just smiled said bring it on
Well if you think I'm scared
You got me all wrong
No a little cancer can't break me
My heart's right and I believe
We all hit our knees
And started prayin'
Naw he never gave up
Said the good Lord's waitin'

And that's one hell of an amen
That's the only way to go
Fightin' the good fight
Til the good Lord calls you home
So be well my friend
'Til I see you again
Yeah this is our last goodbye
It's a hell of an amen

So be well my friend
'Til I see you again
This is our last goodbye
But it's a hell of an amen, amen, that's a hell of amen



I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Goodbye to you my trusted friend
We've known each other since we were nine or ten
Together we've climbed hills and trees
Learned of love and ABC's
Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees
Goodbye my friend it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that spring is in the air
Pretty girls are everywhere
Think of me and I'll be there

We had joy, we had fun
we had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed
Were just seasons out of time

Goodbye Papa please pray for me
I was the black sheep of the family
You tried to teach me right from wrong
Too much wine and too much song
Wonder how I got along
Goodbye Papa it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Little children everywhere
When you see them, I'll be there

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons have all gone
We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons have all gone

Goodbye Michelle my little one
You gave me love and helped me find the sun
And every time that I was down
You would always come around
And get my feet back on the ground
Goodbye Michelle it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
With the flowers everywhere
I wish that we could both be there



I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Mama told me when I was young
"Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day"

"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You'll find a woman and you'll find love
And don't forget, son, there is someone up above"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"

"Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"

Oh yes, I will

"Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"

Baby, be a simple, really simple man
Oh, be something you love and understand



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j/c

Someone mentioned Steely Dan's mastery of lyrics earlier in the thread. I agreed. Here's an example of why:



'Kid Charlemagne'

While the music played you worked by candlelight
Those San Francisco nights
You were the best in town
Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl
You turned it on the world
That's when you turned the world around
Did you feel like Jesus
Did you realize
That you were a champion in their eyes
On the hill the stuff was laced with kerosene
But yours was kitchen clean
Everyone stopped to stare at your technicolor motor home
Every A-Frame had your number on the wall
You must have had it all
You'd go to L.A. on a dare
And you'd go it alone
Could you live forever
Could you see the day
Could you feel your whole world fall apart and fade away

[Chorus:]
Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne
Get along Kid Charlemagne

Now your patrons have all left you in the red
Your low rent friends are dead
This life can be very strange
All those dayglow freaks who used to paint the face
They've joined the human race
Some things will never change
Son you were mistaken
You are obsolete
Look at all the white men on the street

[Chorus]

Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail
Those test tubes and the scale
Just get them all out of here
Is there gas in the car
Yes, there's gas in the car
I think the people down the hall
Know who you are

Careful what you carry
'Cause the man is wise
You are still an outlaw in their eyes

[Chorus]

_______________

How many Pop bands of the '70's would steer away from "Moon, spoon, June/ I love you baby"... to write a song about the rise and fall of a '60's Haight-Ashbury LSD chemist? It's loosely based on the bio of Owsley Stanley, the chemist/sound technician for The Grateful Dead.

Now THAT'S taking a chance. And... it's some great storytelling, to boot.


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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As much as I love Joni, I still think Dylan is the best songwriter of all-time. He never gets credit on these music threads, and I get that many of us don't like the popular choices, but guys...........this guy was a great poet.

I used to think he was a very political writer. However, I learned that the guy just liked to write. It was about being a "word man." Not a politician.

Abby Hoffman used to bug Dylan all the time about writing political songs because Dylan wrote a couple, but that wasn't really Dylan's thing. He just wanted to write. He loved words.

Here is one song:

Quote:
Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin' Lyrics

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.


I know this song has been called a protest anthem, but I don't view it that way. Not given what Dylan has said about his songs and social issues. I think it is more about personalities. Such as the guy who wants to be listened to, but doesn't listen to others.

I do think that he addresses capitalism, empathy, religious fundamentalism, and social honesty.

Add all that up, and what does it mean? I think it means that it's tough to be a good person in a world gone mad.

Here is a vid of the song:


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Dylan was an amazing poet for sure. His music filled the Grateful Dead lexicon. I've seen amazing, heart stirring performances of Desolation Row, Visions of Johanna, Just like Tom Thumb Blues, and Queen Jane Approximately...songs I may have never fully known if it weren't for the Dead. I thank Bob for giving the Dead such a massive portfolio to draw from.
All Along the Watchtower, Quinn the Eskimo, Maggie's Farm, Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again, When I Paint My Masterpiece... all filled many nights of amazing shows for me in the early 90's.
Dylan is an American icon. A legend.

Here's Jerry and the boys covering Visions of Johanna. I was at this show. The Grateful Dead brought tears to my eyes a few times. Seeing this live was actually one of those times. Jerry sang it with such heart.

Last edited by PortlandDawg; 01/06/17 11:35 PM.

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I saw the Dead a lot during the mid-late 80's and into early 90's. Probably 25+ times? At their best, I can definitely relate to the "bringing tears to my eyes". I will also second Portland's shout out on "Ripple". Absolutely beautiful song.

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I just want to thank y'all for participating. I love these music threads. A lot of great ideas and very little bickering. We all have different likes and we express them.

I don't particularly care for some of the choices, but so what? Those lyrics mean something to that individual poster and that is what is important.

Thanks guys for making this an enjoyable thread and I look forward to more entries by you guys.

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Quote:
How many Pop bands of the '70's would steer away from "Moon, spoon, June/ I love you baby"... to write a song about the rise and fall of a '60's Haight-Ashbury LSD chemist? It's loosely based on the bio of Owsley Stanley, the chemist/sound technician for The Grateful Dead.

Now THAT'S taking a chance. And... it's some great storytelling, to boot.


Not to mention one of the greatest guitar solos ever, by Larry Carlton. One of my favorite songs by the 'Dan. thumbsup

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Yeah, that work by Carlton was sick. One of the most amazing solos I've ever heard.


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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My candidate for worst lyrics:
Early '70's





I read an interview with Jon Anderson many years ago, in which he said that he wrote his lyrics for the sounds, and to match the flow of the music- NOT for content. It showed.

Look up 'Close to the Edge'... and you'll immediately see what I mean.

Loved the music. Thought the lyrics were an embarrassment.

(some real head-scratchers back then)


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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Originally Posted By: Clemdawg
My candidate for worst lyrics:
Early '70's

I read an interview with Jon Anderson many years ago, in which he said that he wrote his lyrics for the sounds, and to match the flow of the music- NOT for content. It showed.

Look up 'Close to the Edge'... and you'll immediately see what I mean.

Loved the music. Thought the lyrics were an embarrassment.

(some real head-scratchers back then)


'Yes' were victims of their own intelligence. They tried to incorporate far too much into their music and it eventually just became overblown, pretentious and wanky.

Their 1st LP, which is fairly hard to find is interesting, however.

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My vote for worst lyrics ever goes to Donovan. Mellow Yellow was written because he heard a rumor from Country Joe and the Fishes that you could get high smoking dried banana peels, and 3 wks later he recorded it. His songs were catchy as hell, but it seemed when he wrote the lyrics he was stoned and just picked words that rhymed.


And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir

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Another Jim Morrison lyric.

Well, the clock says it's time to close now
I guess I'd better go now
I'd really like to stay here all night
The cars crawl past all stuffed with eyes
Street lights share their hollow glow
Your brain seems bruised with numb surprise
Still one place to go
Still one place to go

Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen
Warm my mind near your gentle stove
Turn me out and I'll wander baby
Stumblin' in the neon groves

Well, your fingers weave quick minarets
Speak in secret alphabets
I light another cigarette
Learn to forget, learn to forget
Learn to forget, learn to forget

Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen
Warm my mind near your gentle stove
Turn me out and I'll wander baby
Stumblin' in the neon groves

Well the clock says it's time to close now
I know I have to go now
I really want to stay here
All night, all night, all night


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Worst - Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4

Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes

Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or 6 to 4

Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take

Should I try to do some more
25 or 6 to 4

Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Searching for something to say
Waiting for the break of day

25 or 6 to 4
25 or 6 to 4
______________________________

Best - Alan Parsons Project - A Dream Within a Dream

"For my own part, I have never had a thought which I could not set down
in words with even more distinctness than that with which I conceived it.

There is, however, a class of fancies of exquisite delicacy which are not
thoughts, and to which as yet I have found it absolutely impossible to
adapt to language.These fancies arise in the soul, alas how rarely.

Only at epochs of most intense tranquillity, when the bodily and mental
health are in perfection. And at those weird points of time, where the
confines of the waking world blend with the world of dreams.

And so I captured this fancy, where all that we see, or seem, is but a dream within
a dream."

________________________________________________
Or if you prefer, the best is really a tie for me.

Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a streetlamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dare
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence”


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Simon wrote that in the bathroom, with the light turned off and the faucet running water, softly

Hello darkness my old friend - great line.

Edit: not the whole song at once, just the seed of it. smile

Last edited by lampdogg; 01/08/17 01:13 AM.

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Thanks for reminding me of the Alan Parsons Project.

I was a 'ProgSnob' back in the day, but I really liked what APP was doing. They brought a lot of what I liked from Prog, and set it in a more commercial package. But what was cool about them is this: they always wrote thoughtfully-crafted joints that lots of 'deep listeners' could enjoy. Listeners from many different stripes. Another group from that timeline/genre was 10 cc... and they were even MORE Pop than APP.

I know this is going to sound like Gramps, reminiscing with his new boys at the retirement home, but:

"It really was great to be young and 'plugged-in' during that time."

*WFIN FM out of Findlay College had a syndicated 4-hour late-night program hosted by Redbeard, out of Texas, IIRC. 'Beard would find THE most bleeding edge stuff... and roll the entire album in his overnight show.

*Jazz Guys like Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis were teaming up with Funk guys to produce super-slamming crossover music that could satisfy at a dance party, or in a dedicated listening room.

*Pop was all over the place-at once: 'Bubblegum,' Easy Listening, Soul/Motown, even Jazz could cross over, from time to time (Ramsey Lewis was GREAT at hitting on tunes that would top the Jazz, Soul and Pop charts all within a week of each other)

________


I love the fact that radio and LP's were king back then- and that you actually had to do some homework to claim 'coolness superiority' over someone else. Redbeard showed you who to buy when you made your next pilgrimage to Schoolkids Records or MindDust Music... and cracking the plastic on a new 12" was an event for you and your ppl.

* 2-panel Album Art. 24 X 12. 288 sq. inches to visually summarize the feel of the entire album. On the cover- and sometimes, on the inside panels.

* Supplemental 'easter eggs' packaged inside the sleeves (I still have custom-framed postcards from Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" in a small display cluster on a wall in my teaching/practice studio)

The 'LP cleaning ritual.'

The time required to make a cassette 'dub,' so you could travel with your music (...if you had an aftermarket Blaupunkt cassette deck custom-installed in your '77 Triumph Spit...)

_____________

Ah, the '70's... when a Pop band with Prog sensitivities could invoke the words of Edgar Alan Poe- and somehow find a way for it to make it work. A decade that saw the 2 guys who wrote "Reelin' In The Years" team up with bros from The Jazz Crusaders- and knock out an album like 'Aja.' [insert 'bomb' sound FX here]


This was fun for me, Tulsa.
I owe you one.

Thanks for the flashback.

Clem.


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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