William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

I decided on this one today after it was going through my head last night. It was originally written by Russ Ballard, the lead singer and guitarist for Argent. He also wrote many other hits such as the song make famous most recently by KISS: God Gave Rock And Roll To You . What I really like about this song is the guitar riff that basically is the hook and of course the vocals are incredible. I remember back in April of '95 seeing them live in concert with my sister at the old Spokane Coliseum. It was an excellent show and I remember with this song in particularly that it got very loud. The keyboards were up way too loud; this was apparent when the keyboardist went into a solo and hit some low notes that made the whole building vibrate. This was a bit unnerving because the "Boon Street Barn," as it was called, was condemned and actually was demolished a couple of months later. The Spokane Arena replaced it; that was one of the last concerts held there. This is a very...

This is an incredible piece of music that was written by Ray Davies when he lived in Los Angeles. The song is about how Hollywood has exploited many of its stars, the sacrifices that some made, and how some refused as well as those who tried and failed. What I love the most about this song, (as well as many other Kinks' songs), is the way that Ray Davies writes what he perceives in graphic detail. He doesn't try to explain what the listener would see, rather he tells what he sees and what it makes him think of. This one is when he was walking down Hollywood Boulevard and sees stars on the Walk of Fame and he wrote what he was thinking about. One of my favorite parts of the song is in the second verse: Rudolph Valentino, looks very much alive, And he looks up ladies dresses as they sadly pass him by. Avoid stepping on Bela Lugosi cos hes liable to turn and bite, But stand close by Bette Davis Because hers was such a lonely life. If you covered him with garbage, George Sanders wo...

Last night I was messing with this song on my bass and thought that it would be a good pick. This is a cover of the Cat Stevens original, I absolutely love what they did with it; I like their version quite a bit more. The biggest treats with this song is, of course, the bass and guitar; Billy Sheehan's bass rounds the song out very well. Watch the music video on YouTube. +

A couple of months ago I picked the original version of this song by Slade, however I am picking this song today because yesterday I found out that the lead singer of Quiet Riot, Kevin DuBrow, died. At this time it is unknown what he died of, however speculation at this time is that it was a drug overdose. Be praying for his family and friends. I have always liked this song especially the vocals and drums, however I have never really been a hardcore fan of the band. I like most of what I have heard from them and this is one of my favourites. This track would have probably been picked later on but I believe that it needed to be picked today. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

I picked this song today because of my recent encounter with the furry little vermin. This song was one of the many songs Ian Anderson wrote about his cats; this one was about his cat Mistletoe and how the cat would ravage the mouse population at his house. I wish that I had a cat like that one, the ones that I have seem scared of the mice. How could an eight+ pound cat be afraid of a mouse that barely weighs an ounce? I bought two different kinds of traps to catch them; I hope it works. Anyway, the song is a bit complex and I really like the John Evans' and David Palmer's keyboard work as well as John Glascock's bass. The one major detractor to this song for me is at the end when they repeat the lyrics: "The mouse police never sleeps" over and over, which is quite monotonous. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a canned television performance with Moths as well on YouTube. ...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps starts at the 4:00 minute mark. ...

This song came up in a discussion last night and I just had to make it my pick it today. I really like the artistic genius that was Frank Zappa; this track shows it in spades. A funny song that most everyone has probably heard at one time or another. Here is a fan video with the song on YouTube. +

For most of the day this song was running through my head, so I decided to pick it. It was one of the unreleased tracks on .38 Special's '87 Greatest Hits album. The moment I heard this song it became one of my favourite songs from the band; that is saying quite a bit due to how many songs from them that I like. In my opinion this song does not have any weak points, especially the guitars and drums. This is a beautiful love song about a love lost and being rekindled. I cannot really believe that I did not pick it yet, an excellent song. Here is an Animé music video to the Macross series with the studio version of the song on YouTube. +

I decided on picking Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner by the late, great Warren Zevon today. This is another song with a story in the lyrics: Roland, is a mercenary fighting in the Congolese Conflict in the late 60's. He ends up getting his head blown off by one of his compatriots who was paid to kill him, however he does not die. He searches and finds the man who killed him and evens the score, he doesn't find peace and wanders the world and is present in every conflict since. From what I can understand this story was co-written between Zevon and a man named David Lindell. This Lindell fought in some African conflicts and was running a bar in Spain where he told Warren Zevon of his travels, which inspired this song they wrote together. I find a lot of Zevon's work to be a bit macabre and dark, this song is no different. What is really neat is that the song changes with every step of the story. It starts with the lyrics "Roland the Thompson Gunner," and then ...

Happy Thanksgiving all! I decided to choose a song that was fitting, I couldn't think of a better song for the occasion. For the few that have not heard/know about the song it is a story spoken to music about a couple of guys on Thanksgiving help a restaurant owner, Alice, by cleaning out the garbage from the main floor of an old church that she lives in. The dump was closed on Thanksgiving, so they ended up dumping the garbage over a cliff where others have dumped as well. Because they are in a small town and this is big news and they end up getting arrested, but get off because of "blind justice." Later, the main character was taken in the Vietnam War draft, but was considered immoral to serve because of his run-in with the law and gets out of going to Vietnam. It's a very entertaining, funny story. Arlo does a very good job at getting the listener involved, very much worth a listen today. This was also turned into a film in 1969, which appears to have been uploaded...

I am picking songs this week that have three things in common: 1. I like them, 2. I discovered the songs by myself without anyone introducing me to them, and 3. Almost every person that I know hates the song. I am doing this theme because this is what I view as the most sincere and true form of fanhood that a person can show: going against the grain and loving something in the face of everyone's contrariness around you. I want to make clear here is that these song are ones I like because I like them, not in spite of someone else hating them. These would be songs that I would like even if everyone around me liked them. For today, the final day of my theme week, I'm choosing the Rush's Tom Sawyer . I figured that I would end this week with a band that I like a lot, but gets me quite a bit of flack. Where do I start with this song? The musicianship is beyond incredible for all three members, not one excluded. I noted that it seems that all Progressive Rock bands have an incred...

I am picking songs this week that have three things in common: 1. I like them (of course), 2. I discovered the songs by myself without anyone introducing me to them, and 3. Almost every person that I know hates the song. I am doing this theme because this is what I view as the most sincere and true form of fanhood that a person can show: going against the grain and loving something in the face of everyone's contrariness around you. I want to make clear here is that these song are ones I like because I like them, not in spite of someone else hating them. These would be songs that I would like even if everyone around me liked them. For today's pick on my theme week I am choosing "Hold Your Head Up" by Argent; this is a song that I have liked for a very, very long time. My favorite aspects of this song are Rob Argent's organ work and the overall driving feeling the song gives. However, the part that I do find a bit wanting about this composition is the repetitivenes...

I am picking songs this week that have three things in common: 1. I like them, 2. I discovered the songs by myself without anyone introducing me to them, and 3. Almost every person that I know hates the song. I am doing this theme because this is what I view as the most sincere and true form of fanhood that a person can show: going against the grain and loving something in the face of everyone's contrariness around you. I want to make clear here is that these song are ones I like because I like them, not in spite of someone else hating them. These would be songs that I would like even if everyone around me liked them. For today's pick on my week on a theme, I am choosing A Moment So Close by Béla Fleck & The Flecktones. I really love this song a lot because it takes me to places in music that would otherwise be unknown. Every instrument is doing its own thing, however at the same time they are one sound; I absolutely love the work of all of the musicians in this one. One o...

I am picking songs this week that have three things in common: 1. I like them, 2. I discovered the songs by myself without anyone introducing me to them, and 3. Almost every person that I know hates the song. I am doing this theme because this is what I view as the most sincere and true form of fanhood that a person can show: going against the grain and loving something in the face of everyone's contrariness around you. I want to make clear here is that these song are ones I like because I like them, not in spite of someone else hating them. These would be songs that I would like even if everyone around me liked them. This is the title-track off of the 1974 Not Fragile album, to best describe this track: it is very heavy and it is I guess what could be called Industrial Rock. Two things really stand out for me about this song: 1. C.F. Turner's pounding bass and 2. Randy Bachman's and Blair Thorton's Guitar solo. The bass line is easy, straight forward, and thumping...

I am picking songs this week that have three things in common: 1. I like them, 2. I discovered the songs by myself without anyone introducing me to them, and 3. Almost every person that I know hates the song. I am doing this theme because this is what I view as the most sincere and true form of fanhood that a person can show: going against the grain and loving something in the face of everyone's contrariness around you. I want to make clear here is that these song are ones I like because I like them, not in spite of someone else hating them. These would be songs that I would like even if everyone around me liked them. The Easybeats are an Australian band that had some success in the mid to late 1960s. Here's an interesting fact I found: the band's guitarist George Young is the older brother of AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young. Anyway, this song is quite odd and frantic sounding, which could be a reason why others around me hate it. I myself really like the tight harmoni...

I am picking songs this week that have three things in common: 1. I like them, 2. I discovered the songs by myself without anyone introducing me to them, and 3. Almost every person that I know hates the song. I am doing this because this is what I view as the most sincere and true form of fanhood that a person can show: going against the grain and loving something in the face of everyone's contrariness around you. I want to make clear here is that these song are ones I like because I like them, not in spite of someone else hating them. These would be songs that I would like even if everyone around me liked them. Okay, now for the song: On day two of this week of songs that I like but almost everyone around me hates, I am choosing Kissing Willie from Jethro Tull. This is a very interesting song filled with innuendo concerning a certain act, which is probably the main reason that a lot of people dislike it. However, if you look at the song in another way the woman that he is s...

I decided last night to try something interesting for a week. I am picking songs that have three things in common: 1. I like them, 2. I discovered the songs by myself without anyone introducing me to them, and 3. Almost every person that I know hates the song. I am doing this theme because this is what I view as the most sincere and true form of fanhood that a person can show: going against the grain and loving something in the face of everyone's contrariness around you. So, lets start it off, starting a week off on Thursday? Why not! One thing that I did not mention about this week that I wanted to make clear was these song are ones I like because I like them, not in spite of someone else hating them. These would be songs that I would like even if everyone around me liked them. For the first day of my week I am choosing Rock On by David Essex; very much a love it or hate it song. Rock On is a very odd track, which is probably why some hate it. What I like the most about it is th...

Yesterday night I was watching Doctor Who on the BBC, the episode which was on featured ELO music throughout the episode; this song was played at the end. This track just doesn't fail in any aspect for me at all, a very upbeat song that always puts me in a good mood every time I hear it. Another excellent song from ELO and number 75 on my list. Here is the studio version onYouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

I'm in an odd mood today, so I decided to pick another song from the fictitious band "Fire Bomber." Fire Bomber is the band that is the main focus in the animé Macross 7 ; this song was featured in the movie Dynamite 7 . Hummingbird, a Japanese metal band, was used to perform the songs on the recordings and went under the name "Fire Bomber" for these songs. The whole band is very talented, however the lead guitarist/vocalist, Yoshiki Fukuyama really stands out and is amazing. What I have found odd about a lot of Japanese music is that the artists use English words smattered around in the song, in this one they use English lyrics throughout the choruses and use Japanese in the verses. I am not usually drawn to music from television shows or movies, however they did an excellent job with the music on this one. Here is the studio version in a fan video on YouTube. Here is a live performance of the song on YouTube. +

I have always loved Steve Winwood's music and in my opinion he is one of the greatest musicians of our time. It is a really cool grooving blues song with good lyrics, which makes it listenable for the masses as well as for the musician and musical connoisseur; very much an excellent song. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance by Steve Winwood on YouTube. +

I had another song ready to pick today, but I realized that it was Veteran's Day today so I picked one off of the top of my head that would do well for today. An amazing song with a very nice rhythm; Rutger Gunnarsson's funklike bass line is one of the best parts of the song for me. Like a lot of ABBA's work this song has excellent vocal work and harmonies as well. The subject matter of this one is basically about how people who have never been a soldier in battle fighting for your life knows really what it is like to be there. While ABBA's music is not a cup of tea for a lot of people, it is an excellent song that I do like a lot, plus it fits today. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

Well, this is the last song of the truck driving song theme week. I have posted songs about bootleggers, psychopath truck drivers, guys wanting not to be on the road/wanting to be with the ones they love, and ghost truckers. I thought it fitting to end the week in space with Deep Purple's Space Truckin' . I love the effect that they created by playing Jon Lord's Hammond organ through a distorted guitar amp; just awesome! What is odd about this song is that it is very popular and yet has Sci-Fi lyrics, which almost never happens. In the song they talk about trucking and having fun across the galaxy and universe. Anyway, an excellent song to wrap up the truck driving week with. Hear Space Truckin' on YouTube. There are quite a few more live videos on YouTube as well. +

I don't believe that a truck driving song week would be complete without this one. The song is about a truck driver being away from his family. The family worrying about him and praying for his safe return home; which he does make it home. What I really find amazing about this song is the tightness of the harmonies; the musicianship is quite good as well. I can still remember when I first heard it on the radio, I was about five years old. At this time I loved any songs about trucks, trains or other modes of transportation. I fell in love with it and when I found this record at the Music Express store in the mall and I hounded my mother until she bought it. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

Continuing my truck driving song week, I decided on Smokey Mountain Rain by Ronnie Milsap. A very good song about being on the road away from your love and the person in the song is trying to find her after she had left. The verses are very low key and smooth but what really is excellent about this song is the chorus. This song has two really prominent hooks: the transition between the verse and chorus and the low notes in the chorus on the piano to signify thunder. Oddly enough, that "thunder" was Elvis Presley's doing. I heard in an interview with Ronnie Milsap that the idea came when playing piano with Elvis on the song Kentucky Rain that Elvis told him to make some thunder on the lower keys; he decided to put it into this song as well. Hear Smokey Mountain Rain on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

For today's pick on my theme week I am choosing Eddie Rabbitt's Driving My Life Away . This song is off of the Horizon album, which is thought of as his "Rockabilly" album. My siblings and I almost wore this record out when we were very young; we really liked this track and the song 747 . What I really like about this song is the rapid-fire lyrics and the musicianship, which is incredible. This is a very good album and song from an excellent artist; very much a perfect track for my week of truck driving music. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

Continuing my Truck Driving Song week I decided on this song I came to love when I was quite a bit younger. The song is a ghost story about a truck roaming the highways. In the story Phantom 309 crashed while avoiding hitting a school bus and the driver, Big Joe ends up getting killed. The person who is the main part of the story is hitching a ride in a rainstorm and a trucker comes by and takes him to a restaurant to warm up, but the trucker leaves. The people there tell him that he took a ride with ghost. A very fun song to listen to and again is another song that is sung talksinging. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

After picking East Bound and Down by Jerry Reed yesterday, I decided to pick songs on a theme this week. This is fun song to listen to about a bunch of outlaw truckers busting their way through the fuzz to get to their destination. In a lot of C.W. McCall's work he talksings and this one is done as if it was a conversation going over the CB radio. The choruses, in my opinion leave something to be desired and come off a bit cheesy. The music is good, however the song focuses on the vocals almost completely so the musicianship takes a bit of a hit but is still pretty good. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Hear the British version/parody of Convoy on YouTube. +

This is the theme song from the movie Smokey and the Bandit ; I watched it a lot growing up and I almost wore the videodisc of it out. For those unfamiliar with the medium, a videodisc is an obsolete movie medium that is vinyl and plays like a record; after countless times of play it usually began to skip pretty bad. The best actor in the movie, in my opinion, was Jackie Gleason; his one-liners and foul language really was the hook of the movie; Jerry Reed played the role of Cletus or "Snow Man" in the movie as well. The song itself is a fairly fast toe-tapper; Jerry Reed's vocals and guitar work are excellent in this song. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is an amazing live performance on YouTube. +

This is my favourite song by Gerry Rafferty and/or Stealers Wheel. The song is kind of melancholy and powerful at the same time; it talks about a star who is at the top of his career and asks the question: what will you do when the fame is gone? In the first line it says, "They made you a star," which I think means that it is corporate music he is talking about. In support of this view it says, "They read in the press all about your success and they believe every word they've been told, after all you've been through tell me what will you do when you find yourself out in the cold?" Almost every singer and/or movie star that does not die prematurely will experience this at one time or another, especially the artificial ones made by the corporate music industry. I think that Gerry Rafferty wanted to capture the essence of "fleeting fame" and not being the "in" thing anymore. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

Today is November 2nd, which is All Souls' Day and is also part of Day of the Dead, or Dia De Los Muertos. These events are for honoring the dead. So, I decided to honor the Dead today by picking one of their songs: A Touch of Grey . I have always loved this song, it is a toe-tapper and I usually catch myself singing along every time I hear it. The song has one of the better bass lies in my opinion and I love the Latin beat that goes along with it; plus Jerry Garcia's vocals are very cool as well. Probably not the last time they will be on my list. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

Today I decided to pick this one, this is definitely a musician's song; a casual listener probably would become lost to it. The odd time signature is what catches most people who listen to this song as well as the virtuosity of the band. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are of an odd genre: somewhere between Blugrass and Jazz mostly. Béla Fleck, (who's stage name comes from the composer Béla Bartók ), is the leader of the band and plays the banjo, Victor Wooten (one of my bass heros) on bass, and Roy "Future Man" Wooten (Victor's brother) on what is called the SynthAxe Drumitar, which is a synthesized drum kit built into a guitar body. Other musicians have also contributed to the band as well, just not on this song. Here is a live performance of the song on YouTube. +