Song of the Week - Ambulance Blues by Neil Young

This song is from Neil's 1974 album On The Beach. I haven't heard anything from this in ages because I didn't have it on CD. Yesterday I finally downloaded the album from iTunes. Man, have I missed this old record.

Here's a performance from 2008. Neil's lyrics can often be opaque. This song had a lot of references to current events in 1974. I'll leave it to you, the listener, to figure them out.



Back in the old folky days
The air was magic when we played.
The riverboat was rockin' in the rain
Midnight was the time for the raid.

Oh, Isabela, proud Isabela,
They tore you down and plowed you under.
You're only real with your make-up on
How could I see you and stay too long?

All along the Navajo Trail,
Burn-outs stub their toes on garbage pails.
Waitresses are cryin' in the rain
Will their boyfriends pass this way again?

Oh, Mother Goose, she's on the skids
Sure ain't happy, neither are the kids.
She needs someone that she can scream at
And I'm such a heel for makin' her feel so bad.

I guess I'll call it sickness gone
It's hard to say the meaning of this song.
An ambulance can only go so fast
It's easy to get buried in the past
When you try to make a good thing last.

I saw today in the entertainment section
There's room at the top for private detection.
To Mom and Dad this just doesn't matter,
But it's either that or pay off the kidnapper.

So all you critics sit alone
You're no better than me for what you've shown.
With your stomach pump and your hook and ladder dreams
We could get together for some scenes.

I never knew a man could tell so many lies
He had a different story for every set of eyes.
How can he remember who he's talkin' to?
'Cause I know it ain't me, and I hope it isn't you.

Well, I'm up in T.O. keepin' jive alive,
And out on the corner it's half past five.
But the subways are empty
And so are the cafes.

Except for the Farmer's Market
And I still can hear him say:
You're all just pissin' in the wind
You don't know it but you are.

And there ain't nothin' like a friend
Who can tell you you're just pissin' in the wind.

I never knew a man could tell so many lies
He had a different story for every set of eyes
How can he remember who he's talking to?
Cause I know it ain't me, and hope it isn't you.

Song of the Week - Devil's Arcade by Bruce Springsteen

A great song from Bruce's 2007 album Magic.



Remember the morning we dug up your gun
The worms in the barrel, the hanging sun
Those first nervous evenings of perfume and gin
The lost smell on your breath as I helped you get it in
The rush of your lips, the feel of your name
The beat in your heart, the devil's arcade

You said "Heroes are needed, so heroes get made"
Somebody made a bet, somebody paid
The cool desert morning and nothing to save
Just metal and plastic where your body caved
The slow games of poker with Lieutenant Ray
In the ward with the blue walls, a sea with no name
Where you lie adrift with the heroes of the devil's arcade

You sleep and you dream, your buddies Charlie and James
And wake with a thick desert dust on your skin

Voice says "don't worry, I'm here
Just whisper the word tomorrow in my ear"
House on a quiet street, a home for the brave
A glorious kingdom with the sun on your face
Rising from a long night as dark as the grave
On a thin chain of next moments and something like faith
On a morning to order a breakfast to make
A bed draped in sunshine, a body that waits
For the touch of your fingers, the end of the day
The beat of your heart, the beat of your heart
The beat of your heart, the beat of your heart
The beat of your heart, the beat of her heart
The beat of your heart, the slow burning away
Of the bitter fires of the devil's arcade

Song of the Week - The Underdog by Spoon

Here's a song I got on a Song of the Day podcast back in 2007. It's a catchy tune with a clever video. Watch out for the horn section. Spoon is a band from Austin Texas according to Wikipedia.



Picture yourself in the living room
your pipe and slippers set out for you
I know you think that it ain't too far

But I hear the call of a lifetime ring
felt the need to get up for it
oh you cut out the middleman
get free from the middleman

You got no time for the messenger,
got no regard for the thing that you don't understand,
you got no fear of the underdog,
that's why you will not survive!

I want to forget how conviction fits
but can I get out from under it?
Can I gut it out of me?
It can't all be wedding cake
It can't all be boiled away
I try but I can't let go of it
Can't let go of it,

Cause you don't talk to the water boy
and there's so much you could learn but you don't want to know,
You will not back up an inch ever,
that's why you will not survive,

The thing that I tell you now
It may not go over well
And it may not be photo-op
in the way that I spell it out

But you won't hear from the messenger,
don't wanna know bout something that you don't understand,
You got no fear of the underdog,
that's why you will not survive!

Song of the Week - Essence by Lucinda Williams

This is one sexy song.



Baby, sweet baby, you're my drug
Come on and let me taste your stuff

Baby, sweet baby, bring me your gift
What surprise you gonna hit me with

I am waiting here for more
I am waiting by your door
I am waiting on your back steps
I am waiting in my car
I am waiting at this bar
I am waiting for your essence

Baby, sweet baby, whisper my name
Shoot your love into my vein

Baby, sweet baby, kiss me hard
Make me wonder who's in charge

I am waiting here for more
I am waiting by your door
I am waiting on your back steps
I am waiting in my car
I am waiting at this bar
I am waiting for your essence

Baby, sweet baby, I wanna feel your breath
Even though you like to flirt with death

Baby, sweet baby, can't get enough
Please come find me and help me get fucked up

I am waiting here for more
I am waiting by your door
I am waiting on your back steps
I am waiting in my car
I am waiting at this bar
I am waiting for your essence

I am waiting for your essence

Song of the Week - Time by Pink Floyd

Having just turned the ripe old age of 60 this past week, time has been on my mind. I have a lot of songs with Time in their title.

All Kinds of Time - Fountains of Wayne

All Time High - Rita Cooledge

All Time Low - Widespread Panic

By the Time I Get to Phoenix - Glen Campbell

Come Down in Time - Elton John

Comes a Time - Neil Young

Dark Time - October Project

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Chicago

Every Time It Rains - Charlotte Martin

Good Times - Love

Good Times Roll - The Cars

Hard Times Are Over - John & Yoko

Haven't Got Time For The Pain - Carly Simon

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - The Beach Boys

Long Time Coming - Delays

Long Time Gone - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

The Longest Time - Billy Joel

No Time - Frente!

No Time - The Guess Who

No Time Soon - Gnarls Barkley

No Time To Live - Brian Auger

Pledging My Time - Bob Dylan

Pony Time - Chubby Checker

Right in Time - Lucinda Williams

Time - The Alan Parsons Group

Time - David Bowie

Time - Hans Zimmer (Inception sound track)

Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

Time and a Word - Yes

Time Has Come Today - The Chambers Brothers

Time Is - It's A Beautiful Day

Until It's Time For You To Go - Buffy Sainte-Marie

Who Knows Where The Time Goes? - Judy Collins

Just to name a few. But I decided to go with the classic Pink Floyd piece from Dark Side Of The Moon. I was 21 years old when this album came out. A newly minted adult, with all my future ahead of me. This song, about the end of long life has always been one of my favorites.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.

Song of the Week - Winter Wine by Caravan

From their 1971 album In the Land of Gray and Pink. Caravan was a part of the British Progressive music scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I'd have to say they were under appreciated. So under appreciated in fact, that the band does not have a page on Wikipedia. I've included the lyrics.



Winter Wine
How you're always flowing, blowing in my mind
Like a stream, these magic waters move me to a dream
Of travelling with you, drifting carefree
Dropping downward through fresh grasses
Bubbles merrily as it passes
Never knowing where you're going
Carry me with you
Carry me with you

Be conjured up in a midnight dream
Ancient castles dark
As wandering minstrels play tunes of yesterday
When dragons roamed the land
Knights in armour cold charged on horseback bold
The maids were saved, the dragons slain

Sail scene, sea green
Sailing forward to a new land
Treasure waits, paradise gates
For the taking, don't start waking
All you need, but take heed
Remember it pays to pay the sandman well
Make no fuss, for you must – in stardust
He puts all the colours in your dreams

Bells chime three times
Naked dancers enter slowly
Smoky room, scented gloom
Audience eating, fat men drinking
Candles burn, a dull red light
Illuminates the breasts of four young girls
Dancing, prancing, provoking
Dreams are always ending far too soon

Life's too short to be sad
Wishing things you'll never have
You're better off not dreaming of the things to come
Dreams are always ending far too soon

Sounds of a distant melody
Once played, lost from memory
Funny how it's clearer now you're close to me
We'll be together all the time

Sounds of a distant melody
Once played, lost from memory
Funny how it's clearer now you're close to me
We'll be together all the time

Sail scene, sea green
Sailing forward to a new land
Treasure waits, paradise gates
For the taking, don't start waking
All you need, but take heed
Remember it pays to pay the sandman well
Make no fuss, for you must – in stardust
He puts all the colours in your dreams

Song of the Week - Black Mirror by Arcade Fire

This is a really great song from a great band. Watching a song emerge from what appears to be general chaos on stage is fascinating. This is probably not the best version of this on YouTube but I chose it because you can easily see one of the weirdest musical instruments ever, a hurdy-gurdy. Even if you have never seen one before you'll recognize it as soon as you see it.

This song is from their second album, Neon Bible released in 2007. Lyrics follow the video.



I walked down to the ocean
After waking from a nightmare
No moon, no pale reflection
Black Mirror, Black Mirror

Shot by a security camera
You can't watch your own image
And also look yourself in the eye
Black Mirror, Black Mirror, Black Mirror

I know a time is coming
All words will lose their meaning
Please show me something that isn't mine
But mine is the only kind that I relate to
Le miroir casse,
The mirror casts mon reflet partout
Black Mirror, Black Mirror, Black Mirror

The black mirror knows no reflection
It knows not pride or vanity
It cares not about your dreams
It cares not for your pyramid schemes

Their names are never spoken
The curse is never broken
The curse is never broken
Un! Deux! Trois! Dis: Miroir Noir!
Black Mirror!
Un! Deux! Trois! Dis: Miroir Noir!
Black Mirror!

Black Mirror!
Black Mirror!

Their names are never spoken
The curse is never broken
Their names are never spoken
The curse is never broken

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Show me where them bombs will fall.
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Show me where them bombs will fall.

Black Mirror!
Black Mirror!
Black Mirror!
Black Mirror!
Black Mirror!
Black Mirror!
Black Mirror!

Song of the Week - Benedictus by the Strawbs

From their 1972 album Grave New World.

The wanderer has far to go
Humble must he constant be
Where the paths of wisdom
Distant is the shadow of the setting sun.

Bless the daytime
Bless the night
Bless the sun which gives us light
Bless the thunder
Bless the rain
Bless all those who cause us pain.

Yellow stars may lead the way
All diversions lead astray
While his resolution holds
Fortune and good will will surely follow him.

Bless the free man
Bless the slave
Bless the hero in his grave
Bless the soldier
Bless the saint
Bless all those whose hearts grow faint.

Song of the Week - Golf Girl by Caravan

Here is a UK band that I don't think was ever appreciated much in the US. Maybe there were just too many "progressive" British bands in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I'm not sure how I came to know of them. According to Wikipedia, they are still active today, with Pye Hastings, seen hear singing, still leading the band. They were known for clever album names, among them,

1970's If I'd Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
1973's For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night, and of course,
1975's Cunning Stunts



Standing on a golf course dressed in PVC
I chanced upon a golf girl selling cups of tea
She asked me did I want one, asked me with a grin
For three pence you can buy one full right to the brim

So of course I had to have one – in fact I ordered three
So I could watch the golf girl, could see she fancied me
And later on the golf course after drinking tea
It started raining golf balls and she protected me

Her name was Pat
And we sat under a tree
She kissed me
We go for walks in fine weather
All together
On the golf course
We talk in morse

Standing on a golf course dressed in PVC
I chanced upon a golf girl selling cups of tea
She asked me did I want one, asked me with a grin
For three pence you can buy one full right to the brim

So of course I had to have one – in fact I ordered three
So I could watch the golf girl, could see she fancied me
And later on the golf course after drinking tea
It started raining golf balls and she protected me

Her name was Pat
And we sat under a tree
She kissed me

Song of the Week - December will be Magic Again by Kate Bush

I can't take too much credit for finding this gem. I came across it here. Wish I'd seen it before Christmas.I love Kate Bush and this is a wonderful, sexy performance.



December will be magic again.
Take a husky to the ice
While Bing Crosby sings White Christmas. He makes you feel nice.
December will be magic again.
Old Saint Nicholas up the chimney,
Just a-popping up in my memory.

Ooh, dropping down in my parachute,
The white city, she is so beautiful
Upon the black-soot icicled roofs,
Ooh, and see how I fall.
See how I fall
("Fall!") [backwards]
Like the snow.

Come to cover the lovers.
(Cover the lovers,
But don't you wake them up.)
Come to sparkle the dark up.
(Sparkle the dark up,
With just a touch of make-up.)
Come to cover the muck up.
(Cover the muck up,
Ooh, with a little luck.)

December will be magic again.
Light the canDLe-lights
To conjure Mr. Wilde
Into the Silent Night.
Ooh, it's quiet inside,
Here in Oscar's mind.

December will be magic again.
Kiss under mistletoe.
Don't miss the brightest star.

I want to hear you laugh.
Don't let the mystery go now.

Ooh, dropping down in my parachute,
The white city, she is so beautiful
Upon the black-soot icicled roofs,
Ooh, and see how I fall.
See how I fall
("Fall!") [backwards]
Like the snow.

Come to cover the lovers.
(Cover the lovers,
But don't you wake them up.)
Come to sparkle the dark up.
(Sparkle the dark up,
With just a touch of make-up.)
Come to cover the muck up
(Cover the muck up,
Ooh, with a little luck.)

Oh, I'm coming to cover the lovers.
Ooh, and I'm coming to sparkle the dark up.
Ooh, and I'm coming to cover the muck up.

Song of the Week - Engine Driver by The Decemberists

Through the miracle of being able to make blog posts in the future, I'll able to bring you this Sone of the Week post even while my wife and I are flying back from Niagara Falls, where we were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. With all confidence from when I'm actually writing this (on June 13th) I'm sure we had a great time.

The Decembrists are one of my favorite bands and I've been looking for a good video by them for some time. Luckily, not only is this a good video, it's one of my favorite songs by them. It's from their 2005 album Picaresque. This performance seems to be from 2008.



I'm an engine driver
On a long run, on a long run
Would I work beside her
She's a long one, such a long one

And if you don't love me, let me go
And if you don't love me, let me go

I'm a county lineman
On the high line, on the high line
So will be my grandson
There are power lines in our bloodlines

And if you don't love me, let me go
And if you don't love me, let me go

And I am a writer
A writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones, my bones

I'm a moneylender
I have fortunes upon fortunes
Take my hand for tender
I am tortured, ever tortured

And if you don't love me, let me go
And if you don't love me, let me go

And I am a writer
Writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones

I am a writer
I am all that you have known
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones, my bones

(And if you don't love me, let me go)
And if you don't love me, let me go
(And if you don't love me, let me go)
And if you don't love me, let me go

Song of the Week - A Sorta Fairytale by Tori Amos

It was getting down to the wire for me to pick a song for this week and then this Tori Amos song cycled up on iTunes. This song is from her 2002 album Scarlet's Walk. I really like Tori and I really like this song but this is one creepy video. I guess I got the meaning at the end (two people meet and become whole) but there was no clue until the last few seconds as to what the message was supposed to be. But it is a great song.








On my way up north, up on the Ventura
I pulled back the hood and I was talking to you
And I knew then it would be a life long thing
But I didn't know that we, we could break a silver lining

And I'm so sad
Like a good book I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you
A sorta fairytale with you

Things you said that day up on the one-oh-one
The girl had come undone, I tried to downplay it
With a bet about us, you said that you'd take it
As long as I could, I could not erase it

And I'm so sad
Like a good book I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you
A sorta fairytale with you

And I ride along side
And I rode along side you then
And I rode along side
Till you lost me there in the open road
And I rode along side
Till the honey spread itself so thin
For me to break your bread
For me to take your word
I had to steal it

And I'm so sad
Like a good book I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you
A sorta fairytale with you
I could pick back up whenever I feel

Down New Mexico way
Something about the open road
I knew that he was
Looking for some Indian blood
And find a little in you
Find a little in me
We may be on this road
But we're just impostors in this country you know
So we go along and we said we'd fake it
Feel better with Oliver Stone
Till I almost smacked him
Seemed right that night
I don't know what takes hold
Out there in the desert cold
These guys think they must
Try and just get over on us

And I'm so sad
like a good book I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you
A sorta fairytale with you

And I was riding by
Riding along side
For a while till you lost me
And I was riding by
Riding along till you lost me
Till you lost me in the rear view
You lost me I said

Way up north I took my day
All in all was a pretty nice day
And I put the hood right back where
You could taste heaven perfectly
Feel out the summer breeze
Didn't know when we'd be back
And I, I don't, didn't think
We'd end up like, like this

Song of the Week - Summer Skin by Death Cab For Cutie

I have 9,266 songs on iTunes. This is one of them.

Nothing fancy or too complicated today. It's been a long cold winter, but it's the first day of Spring. Here's a song that reminds us of summers past and summers to come that will end too soon.



Squeaky swings and tall grass
The longest shadows ever cast
The water's warm and children swim
And we frolicked about in our summer skin

I don't recall a single care
Just greenery and humid air
Then Labor Day came and went
And we shed what was left of our summer skin

On the night you left I came over
And we peeled the freckles from our shoulders
Our brand new coats were so flushed and pink
And I knew your heart I couldn't win
'Cause the season's change was a conduit
And we'd left our love in our summer skin

Song of the Week - Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

I have 9,226 songs on iTunes. This is one of them

I'm not exactly sure how I first heard of Natalie Imbruglia. Maybe it's because of this song which was a big hit in 1997 from her Left of Middle CD, her first record. She's an Australian model and actress who has become a singer-songwriter as well. She's only released 2 CDs since her debut, neither of which did as well as her debut. I have the second CD (White Lilies Island 2001) as well. She is reported working on a 4th CD.

I've been trying to feature this video on the blog for some time but every other time I looked for it, the video couldn't be embedded. Now it is available although there is a short commercial in the front (You Tube has to make money somehow). It's a great song and a great video.



I thought I saw a man brought to life
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry

Well you couldn't be that man that I adored
You don't seem to know, or seem to care what your heart is for
I don't know him anymore

There's nothin' where he used to lie
Our conversation has run dry
That's what's goin' on
Nothing's fine
I'm torn

I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn

So I guess the fortune teller's right
I should have seen just what was there and not some holy light
But you crawled beneath my veins and now
I don't care, I have no luck
I don't miss it all that much
There's just so many things
That I can't touch
I'm torn

I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn, torn

There's nothing where he used to lie
My inspiration has run dry
That's what's goin' on
Nothing's right
I'm torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am ashamed
Bound and broken on the floor
You're a little late
I'm already torn, torn

Oh
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah

Song of the Week - Thou Shalt Always Kill by Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip

I have 9,228 songs on iTunes. This is one of them.

Another daily podcast song, this time from radio station KPEX. Words to live by.



Thou shalt not steal if there is a direct victim.
Thou shalt not worship Pop Idols or follow Lostprophets.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Decker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barrett in vain.
Thou shalt not think that any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a paedophile. Some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they've become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thou shalt not buy Coca-Cola products.
Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriend's best friend, take drugs and cheat on him.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls' pants. Use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoaks.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you've done your shitty little poem or song you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out just 'cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied that you're never gonna fucking talk to anyway.

Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were.
The Beatles: Were just a band.
Led Zepplin: Just a band.
The Beach Boys: Just a band.
The Sex Pistols: Just a band.
The Clash: Just a band.
Crass: Just a band.
Minor Threat: Just a band.
The Cure: Were just a band.
The Smiths: Just a band.
Nirvana: Just a band.
The Pixies: Just a band.
Oasis: Just a band.
Radiohead: Just a band.
Bloc Party: Just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys: Just a band.
The Next Big Thing... JUST A BAND.

Thou shalt give equal worth to tragedies that occur in non-English speaking countries as to those that occur in English speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be.
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music, thou shalt not make repetitive generic music, thou shalt not make repetitive generic music, thou shalt not make repetitive generic music.
Thou shalt not pimp my ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When I say "Hey" thou shalt not say "Ho".
When I say "Hip" thou shalt not say "Hop".
When I say, he say, she say, we say, make some noise - kill me.

Ah, I forgot where I was, hang on

Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me.
Thou shalt spell the word "Pheonix" P-H-E-O-N-I-X not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Brad at a club last night by saying "Is it".
Thou shalt think for yourselves.

And thou shalt always...
Thou shalt always kill!

Song of the Week - Heart Like A Wheel by Kate and Anna McGarrigle

I have 8,446 songs on iTunes. This is one of them.

Kate and Anna McGarrigle were a Canadian sister folk singing duo. This song by them is one of my favorite songs. Kate was the song writer of the pair. In this video she is playing the piano. She was married to Loudon Wainwright III in the early 19702. They had two singer-songwriter children, Rufus and Martha. I'm sad to say that Kate died last Monday, at 63, of cancer.



Some say a heart is just like a wheel
When you bend it, you can't mend it
And my love for you is like a sinking ship
And my heart is like that ship out in mid ocean

They say that death is a tragedy
It comes once and it's over
But my only wish is for that deep dark abyss
'Cause what's the use of living with no true lover

And it's only love, and it's only love
That can wreck a human being and turn him inside out
That can wreck a human being and turn him inside out

When harm is done no love can be won
I know this happens frequently
What I can't understand
Oh please God hold my hand
Is why it should have happened to me

And it's only love and it's only love
And it's only love and it's only love
Only love, only love
Only love, only love

Song of the Week - You Set The Scene by Love

I have 8,349 songs on iTunes. This is one of them.

I just featured a 1960's psychedelic song last week but this song popped up on my iPod and I had to see if I could find something on YouTube.

The band Love, fronted by Arthur Lee (sometimes Arthur Li) released the album in 1967. Wikipedia says many critics consider it one of the best records from the '60s. I won't get into that argument, especially since I don't own the album. My first exposure to Love was from their 'greatest hits' album Love Revisited which was released in 1969. "You Set The Scene" is my favorite song on the album. Lee had a pretty tortured career including 5 1/2 years in prison for illegal firearms possession. When he got out of prison in 2001, he began touring again as Arthur Lee and Love. I suspect that this video is from that era. It is a pretty faithful recreation of the studio version, even down to the horn and string arrangements. Lee died in 2006 of leukemia.



Where are you walking, I've seen you walking
Have you been there before?
Walk down your doorsteps, you'll take some more steps
What did you take them for?

There's a private in my boat and he wears
Pins instead of medals on his coat
There's a chicken in my nest and she won't
Lay until I've given her my best

At her request she asks for nothing
You get nothing in return
If you want she brings you water
If you don't then you will burn

You go through changes, it may seem strange
Is this what you're put here for?
You think you're happy and you are happy
That's what you're happy for

There's a man who can't decide if he should
Fight for what his father thinks is right
There are people wearing frowns who'll screw you up
But they would rather screw you down

At my request I ask for nothing
You get nothing in return
If you're nice she'll bring me water
If you're not then I will burn

This is the time and life that I am living
And I'll face each day with a smile
For the time that I've been given's such a little while
And the things that I must do consist of more than style
There are places that I am going
There'll be time for you to start all over
This is the only thing that I am sure of
And that's all that lives is gonna die
And there'll always be some people here to wonder why
And for every happy hello, there will be good-bye
There'll be time for you to put yourself on

Everything I've seen needs rearranging
And for anyone who thinks it's strange
Then you should be the first to want to make this change
And for everyone who thinks that life is just a game
Do you like the part you're playing

I see your picture
It's in the same old frame
We meet again...

You look so lovely
You with the same old smile
Stay for a while...

I need you so, oh, oh, oh, oh
And if you take it easy
I'm still teethin'
I wanna love you, but
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...

This is the time and life that I am living
And I'll face each day with a smile
For the time that I've been given's such a little while
And the things that I must do consist of more than style
There are places that I am going
There'll be time for you to start all over

This is the time and this is the time and
It is time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time...

Song of the Week - Growin' Up by Bruce Springsteen

I have 8,310 songs on iTunes. This is one of them.

Last week, Stan, an old friend of mine, whom I hadn't seen or even heard of since Christmas 1975 (that's almost 34 years ago for those of you keeping score), make contact with me over FaceBook. In his note, he reminded me of the Bruce Springsteen concert we had seen in August 1973 at Al's Earlton Lounge, a bar in Earlton NJ. Apparently I called him up and said $1 cover and $1 beers, want to go? Stan claims I introduced him to Bruce (musically, not personally), and the rest was history.

It's maybe hard to imagine but in August 1973, hardly anyone had heard of Bruce. His Greetings From Asbury Park LP had come out in January 1973. It got airplay on the local (at the time) alternative rock station WMMR, which is where I heard it. His second LP, The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle came out in September 1973. It would be two more years until his break-out record, Born To Run, was released.

It was a great show we saw that night, Bruce and the yet to be named E-Street Band. I was looking for a video of a song from that 1st album and found this. According to the notes on YouTube, this was recorded at Max's Kansas City in New York, in August of 1972. The recording quality isn't good, but marvel at a young Bruce Springsteen. In 1972, even I was young.



Well I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade
And I combed my hair till it looked just right and commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through a fallout zone and came out with my soul untouched
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooooh, growin' up

Well the flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for first mate, she couldn't sail but she sure could sing
I pushed B-52 and bombed 'em with the blues with my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, I never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded warmth of the crowd, but when they said "come down" I threw up
Ooooh, growin' up

I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere, and you know it's really hard to hold your breath
Swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared, was the cosmic kid in full costume dress
But my feet they finally took root in the earth though I got me a nice little place in the stars
And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car
Whoa I hid in the mother breast of the crowd, but when they said "pull down" I pulled up
Ooooh, growin' up
Ooooh, growin' up
Alright, growin' up

Song of the Week - A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request by Steve Goodman

By the shore's of old Lake Michigan
Where the "hawk wind" blows so cold
An old Cub fan lay dying
In his midnight hour that tolled
Round his bed, his friends had all gathered
They knew his time was short
And on his head they put this bright blue cap
From his all-time favorite sport
He told them, "Its late and its getting dark in here"
And I know its time to go
But before I leave the line-up
Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

Told his friends "You know the law of averages says:
Anything will happen that can"
That's what it says
"But the last time the Cubs won a National League pennant
Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan"
The Cubs made me a criminal
Sent me down a wayward path
They stole my youth from me
(that's the truth)
I'd forsake my teachers
To go sit in the bleachers
In flagrant truancy

and then one thing led to another
and soon I'd discovered alcohol, gambling, dope
football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis
But what do you expect,
When you raise up a young boy's hopes
And then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups.

Year after year after year
after year, after year, after year, after year, after year
'Til those hopes are just so much popcorn
for the pigeons beneath the 'L' tracks to eat
He said, "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
and I'll read you my last request
He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field
On some sunny weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the "National Anthem"
and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'
Make six bullpen pitchers, carry my coffin
and six ground keepers clear my path
Have the umpires bark me out at every base
In all their holy wrath
Its a beautiful day for a funeral, Hey Ernie lets play two!
Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,
Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt
And I'll be ready to die

Build a big fire on home plate out of your Louisville Sluggers baseball bats,
And toss my coffin in
Let my ashes blow in a beautiful snow
From the prevailing 30 mile an hour southwest wind
When my last remains go flying over the left-field wall
Will bid the bleacher bums ad?eu
And I will come to my final resting place, out on Waveland Avenue

The dying man's friends told him to cut it out
They said stop it that's an awful shame
He whispered, "Don't Cry, we'll meet by and by near the Heavenly Hall of Fame
He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now,
So its just what I'm going to do
He said, "but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs,
So its me that feels sorry for you!"

And he said, "Ahh Play, play that lonesome losers tune,
That's the one I like the best"
And he closed his eyes, and slipped away
What we got is the Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
And here it is

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

Song of the Week - Theme for an Imaginary Western by Jack Bruce

I have 8,103 songs on iTunes. This is one of them.

If you're old enough you will remember that Jack Bruce was the bass player for Cream. Although the term has been overused much since then, Cream was considered the first "supergroup", composed of Eric Clapton (guitars), Bruce (bass, vocals) and Ginger Baker (drums). All three had had considerable success with other bands prior to forming Cream in 1966. In 1968, Cream was the biggest grosing band in the world, playing a combination of rock and blues. But they broke up after their 1968 tour.

This song is from his first, and most successful solo album Songs For A Tailor which was released in 1969. In the 40 years since, Bruce, now 69 years old, continues to tour and make albums.



When the wagons leave the city
for the forest and further on
Painted wagons of the morning
dusty roads where they have gone
Sometimes travelling through the darkness
met the summer coming home
Fallen faces by the wayside
looked as if they might have known

O the sun was in their eyes
and the desert that dries
In the country town
where the laughter sounds

O the dancing and the singing
O the music when they played
O the fires that they started
O the girls with no regret
Sometimes they found it
Sometimes they kept it
Often lost it on the way
Fought each other to possess it
Sometimes died in sight of day