I am delighted to share with you another episode of Ramblin’ Tunes. The next ninety five minutes we will be digging again in my music library with songs for the peripatetics.
| Title | Artist | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Vertigo | U2 | This song is instantly identifiable by its intro, where Bono says “Uno, dos, tres, catorce,” which is “1, 2, 3, 14” in Spanish. One theory is that Bono was directing listeners to The Bible: 1st Testament, 2nd Book, 3rd Chapter, 14th verse – “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Another theory is that he did it because How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was U2’s 14th album. U2, a band you experience best live, here with their energetic song ‘Vertigo’, used in the Apple Ipod commercials. |
| Walls Come Tumbing Down | The Style Council | “Walls Come Tumbing Down” was Paul Weller’s call to revolt against Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government in the mid eighties. The Old Testament Book of Joshua Chapter six recounts how the Israelite army led by Joshua marched around the Canaanite city of Jericho, whose fortified walls were up to 25 feet high and 20 feet thick. After the seven priests blew their trumpets, Joshua ordered the Israelites to shout, and the walls collapsed. Then, in the same way that Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho, the walls of the Conservative party will come a-tumbling down. |
| Business Casual (ft. Coco O.) | Vulfpeck | Vulfpeck (German for wolfpack), an American funk band, released in 2017 “Business Casual” featuring the Danish singer Coco O., claiming something haimish for the peripatetic. |
| Road to Nowhere | Talking Heads | Talking Heads on the Road to Nowhere in 1985 … |
| Every Kinda People | Robert Palmer | Robert Palmer remixed his 1978 song “Every Kinda People”, replacing the bass-heavy guitar hook by an acoustic guitar figure, giving it an “unplugged” feel as was the fashion at the time by well-established artists remaking past hits as acoustic numbers. The song was written by Andy Fraser, bass player and founder of the band Free. |
| All Right Now | Free | Andy Fraser, bass player and founder of the band Free co-wrote the “funky beer blues swinger” ‘All Right Now’ in 1970. |
| Baboom/Mama Said | The Vaughan Brothers | The Vaughan Brothers together on their only studio album ‘Family Style’, released a month after Jimmie’s younger brother Stevie’s death in September 1990. The liner notes end with “Thanks Mama V. for letting us play.” |
| Dani California | Red Hot Chili Peppers | “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is about the early death of Dani, a poor, young Southern girl who eventually lived in California, became a mother and lived a hard, fast, unsettled life. The official music video is showing 40 years of rock and roll history during the 4-minute song. |
| Beds Are Burning | Midnight Oil | “Beds Are Burning” by Australian rock band ‘Midnight Oil’ “Beds Are Burning” criticizes how Aboriginal communities were often forcibly removed from their lands. Australian rock band ‘Midnight Oil’ are more than just a rock ‘n’ roll band. From the northern beaches of Sydney to the streets of Manhattan, they have stopped traffic, inflamed passions, inspired fans, challenged the concepts of “business as usual” and broken new ground. |
| Cannonball | The Breeders | ‘Cannonball’ by The Breeders, is written by front woman Kim Deal, while she still was bass player of the Pixies. The song was originally titled “Grunggae,” a combination of “grunge” and “reggae.” The name came from Kim Deal thinking the accented riff resembled the accent in reggae. |
| Here Comes Your Man | Meaghan Smith | Meaghan Smith is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, and visual artist. In 2009 she featured on the (500) Days of Summer movie soundtrack with a cover of the Pixies song “Here Comes Your Man”. The recording featured Smith playing an Omnichord. |
| Constant Craving | k.d. lang | Kathryn Dawn Lang or k.d. Lang, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and Juno Awards winner. In “Constant Craving”, of 1982, Lang sings about desperation and waiting pictured in a Parisian setting of the decadent twenties. |
| This House Is Not for Sale | Ryan Adams | Not to be mistaken with Canadian singer Bryan Adams, Ryan Adams is an American singer, who released “This house is not for sale” in 2004. This song is a ghost story told from the perspective of the ghost although he is apparently unaware that he is one. A ghost couple are trying to interfere with the sale of the house that represents all the happiness they shared on their brief lives and they are not quite willing to give up on it yet. It is reminiscent of the Tim Burton movie Beetlejuice, minus the comic aspect. Ryan Adams shares a birthday with his namesake Bryan Adams. Both artists were born on November 5th (Bryan is 15 years Ryan’s senior). |
| House For Sale | Lucifer | Dutch band ‘Lucifer’ had a big hit with ‘House for sale’ in 1975. Lead singer Margriet Eshuijs was married to the band’s co-founder and bass player for a few years and died on December 29th, 2022 at age 70. |
| I Lie And I Cheat | Won Ton Ton | Belgian band ‘Won Ton Ton’ had a big hit with ‘I Lie And I Cheat’ in 1987 with lead singer Bea Van der Maat. Bea Van der Maat was married to the band’s bass player and passed away on 27 July 2023 at age 62, R.I.P. Béatrice Marguerite Van der Maat. |
| Delta Lady | Joe Cocker | Joe Cocker and “Delta Lady” known to be Rita Coolidge, doing backing vocals. While Leon Russell was dating Coolidge, he wrote this song about her in 1969. |
| We’re All Alone | Rita Coolidge | Rita Coolidge covered Boz Scaggs 1976 song ‘We’re All Alone’, while she was married to Kris Kristofferson. |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ was written by Kris Kristofferson and first recorded in 1969 by a country singer named Roger Miller. Janis Joplin’s version was released in 1971 after she died of a heroin overdose on October 4, 1970. The lyrics tell the story of two young lovers who travel together, but break up so they can discover the world on their own. The characters in the song were a lot like Joplin, who was known as a free spirit. |
| Wishing on A Star | Paul Weller | Wishing on A Star was written by Billie Rae Calvin, a female singer/songwriter who was formerly a member of Undisputed Truth. She wrote it with Barbra Streisand in mind but it was first recorded in 1977 by Rose Royce. Paul Weller covered the song in 2004. In this melancholy song the narrator regrets splitting up with her lover who has departed to somewhere wishing she can follow them so they can reconcile their relationship. |
| Guilty | Barbra Streisand | “Guilty”, a beautifully crafted piece of ear candy by the Gibb brothers for Barbara Streisand in 1980, After their successful “Saturday Night Fever” project, they recorded a full album with Streisand. |
| I Started A Joke | Bee Gees | “I Started A Joke” by the Bee Gees, with lead vocals by Robin Gibb in 1968 on their album “Idea” for which they recorded a TV Special in Brussels, Belgium (Idea – TV Special 1968). Their two weeks stay at The Metropole hotel in September 1968 coincided with a fashion show held there by French pop star Johnny Hallyday’s wife Sylvie Vartan. |
| This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us | Sparks | The Mael brothers, better known as “Sparks” became famous after their appearance on TV with the Western movie cliché line ‘This town ain’t big enough for the both of us’. Sparks is an American pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron (keyboard player and principal songwriter ) and Russell Mael (vocals) in Los Angeles. |
| My Life | Billy Joel | “My Life” by ‘Piano Man’ Billy Joel in 1978. |
| Friday I’m In Love | The Cure | The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith wrote “Friday I’m In Love”, which he declared a a dumb pop song for people who “aren’t actually fans of The Cure.” The opening line, “I don’t care if Monday’s blue,” is a reference to the New Order hit “Blue Monday.” |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
