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

This song came up on my iPod this evening and I realized that I had not chosen it yet. This is one of, if not, my favourite John Denver song ever; it is so majestic and uplifting. It is probably the best song to showcase his vocal range and control as well as his song writing and his guitar playing. Here is a fan video with the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

I absolutely could not believe that I have not chosen this song yet; but after listening to this amazing song today I will. While such a melancholy song as it was written to be, the fact that the Otis Redding died just after the recording of the song makes it that much more of a sad song; his greatest hit was posthumous. Anyway, besides his excellent vocals I have always been drawn to the bass line. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

With this being Black Friday it felt like a good time to choose this one. Originally the song was written about the economic turmoil in the 70's and 80's and the disillusion with the powers that be. Even though this song was released so many years ago it is amazing how this song is just as, if not more, relevant today. The song is a bit odd, because it mix of about three different sounds: Rock, some Traditional Scottish music, and slide guitar. Martin Barre's guitar work is heavily showcased in this one and quite good as well. Hear Fallen on Hard Times on YouTube. Watch a live performance on YouTube. +

Ooh, a late pick on Thanksgiving... I guess that I cannot go wrong with some Ozzy and one of his more beautiful tracks as well. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

I found myself humming this song this morning while I was waking up and I took it as a sign that it was in need of being chosen. I have always liked this one quite a bit, it has nice even and smooth feel to it. Watch the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. +

I have only heard this song twice, (about 15 years ago), and it happened to pop into my mind yesterday. Probably the dynamics within this one is the main reason that it is so memorable. The subject matter of the song is likened to The Trial of Socrates in that a man is condemned for spreading ideas, in this case a hangman speaking about the injustices that he witnessed. I love how it starts out as Folk and then half way through it kicks in to a Pop/Rock sound; the song becomes a little repetitive at that point however. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

This song by the Scottish group Marmalade just popped into my mind this morning and I thought it fit the day quite well. I cannot remember the first time I heard this one, it played a lot on the radio when I was young plus my dad had a 45rpm single of it; to say the least I had a lot of exposure to it. An oddity that I found out about this group was that they had two bass players, one on a traditional 4-string bass and one on a 6-string bass; however I do not believe that both were in this song. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a performance of the song on YouTube. +

Probably most who don't like this song think of it as being very pretentious; being that Joe Walsh, a rock star, would be anything but an average guy. I am not too sure if there is a story behind this song or not, but I believe that much of his listening audience can relate to the song, or at least parts of it. Anyway, it is quite a funny song and perfect to start me week. Watch the music video on YouTube. +

This song haunts my playlist every now and then and I've been thinking about picking it for some time now; today seems like a good day. This track was written and performed by Andy Taylor, (the guitarist from Duran Duran). It was a single that was a part of the Miami Vice II soundtrack. Oddly enough, to me, there is only a smattering of the Duran Duran sound in this song; it is more or a Guitar Rock track with a bit slight bit of pop. Here is the music video on YouTube , the song actually starts at the :40 mark. +

I have always liked Styx quite a bit, they have a lot of what I like contained within their music. The introspectiveness in the lyrics of this song really makes the song standout to me and the main reason why I like it. The musicianship in this song is fantastic as well, everything is in the right amount. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance from '81 on YouTube. +

After hearing this one on the radio this morning I knew that this was my pick for today. It is very much a psychedelic song that is very fun to listen to; I love Jim Morrison's vocals and the flow that he puts on them. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

This is one song that I have been thinking about choosing for a while now. After it was running through my mind a lot yesterday and today I have decided go on ahead and pick it. Anyway, in the context of this song, Roll the Bones refers to this randomness in our lives due to the chances we take, either good or bad. The first time I heard this song I was taken aback by hearing Geddy Lee rapping during the guitar solo in the song, which is unique for a Rush song. I really like the sound of the group on this album, especially the sound of Geddy's Wal bass. I know that a lot of Rush fans dislike this album that I have come to like, however another one of my favorite Rush albums is Grace Under Pressure , another disliked album; go figure. Hear Roll the Bones on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance of the song circa '94 on YouTube. +

I heard this song this morning on the radio; the upbeat, energizing sound made me feel like choosing it. This has to be one of my favorite songs performed by The Temptations and written by one of my favourite Motown singer/songwriters: Smokey Robinson. It is distinctive from a lot of their other work because Eddie Kendricks was the featured singer on this one with his higher-register vocals. Hear Get Ready on YouTube. +

I had a few songs in mind to choose today, but for some reason I decided on this one. Probably the most showcased aspect of the song is Paul Rodgers ' vocals, although the guitar is quite a driving force as well. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

Today while watching some football I heard this song playing in the background and I realized that I had not chosen a Toto song yet. This song is one that I have come to like over the years; it is a very nice addition to my list. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

Last night I downloaded my first game off of PSN. Anyway, it was one of those nights where you having a lot of fun playing your new video game and you look up and see that it is 1:00am and you think "I'll play for another half hour to an hour and then go to bed." Well after playing for a bit longer I looked up and saw that it was 4 in the morning! As I was heading off to bed this song was running through my mind and I though that it might make a good choice. This one is off of B.T.O.'s self-titled first album; it was not very popular in the mainstream. I don't believe that they had any real big hits off of this album except for maybe Gimme Your Money Please , and Blue Collar . This one is a bit more heavy and disjointed than most of its counterparts on the record; the band did a good job on musicianship and the different vocals in this one. One really nice aspect concerning most of their albums is the way that they arranged the songs so the whole album is listenab...

After yesterday's pick of The Cure's song Burn , I was listening to music from the soundtrack from The Crow movie and I had to choose this one today. For me this song has been a sleeper as far as a Stone Temple Pilots' song; it is not distinctive enough when compared with other great songs that they wrote and performed to make it really stand out. However, this is an incredible track that I absolutely love whenever I hear it and I consider it to be one of their best offerings; perfectly what you would expect from STP. Here is a fan video with the studio version on YouTube. +

When you have memories tied to a certain song it either makes the song really easy to like or hate. This was one that my wife played a bit around the time when we met, so it is etched indelibly in my mind. I actually liked this song before that time, but it certainly made me like it more. Anyway, this was part of the soundtrack from the first The Crow movie, which featured a lot of excellent music. Here is a music video with footage from The Crow on YouTube. +

I could not believe that I had not chosen this song yet; I have considered it often, but for various reasons it never was. Most people have probably heard this song, but do know who actually performed it. It, of course, is the Canadian rock group Red Rider, which is fronted by Tom Cochrane who is probably most famous for the song Life is a Highway . This band really did not see much fame in the U.S. except for this song, which has been used in various movies and television shows among other media forms. I believe that "Canadian Rock" is the best description of this song; heavy guitar with a driving rhythm section. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

I heard this song this morning and I was in need of some bombastic Progressive Rock for my day today. There is a lot to listen to in this song, it is almost symphonic in places. David Gilmour's guitar work is simply amazing and is the main draw for me in this one, however, the rest of the musicians' work is incredible and not to be looked over by any means. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

I was in the mood for something different today. I figured that I could not go wrong with something from Primus. There is so much that I love about this band, they are so unique. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is the live performance from Woodstock '94 on YouTube. +

Oi vay! Another late pick on Sunday... I guess that I'll pick this one that I heard while on the road recently. This song epitomizes the popular Def Leppard sound that made them famous. The one word that I think sums up this song for me is "tight," the vocal harmonies and instruments are blended quite well. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

This song was running through my mind today while I was getting caught up on work around the house; I figured that it would be good one for my list. This is another one of those "you better realize what you have because I might leave" songs that was prevalent as subject matter around the 70s and early 80s. In my opinion, this is one of her better songs vocally, she really puts a lot into this one. I just love the straight-ahead bass driven rock that this song brings. Hear Treat Me Right on YouTube. Here is a live performance with an interview as well on YouTube. +

A bit ago I was remembering a bunch of the old stuff that I listened to when I was very young. CW McCall was one of the those ones that I used to listen to quite a bit; this was mostly due to him singing about driving cars and trucks, a main draw for me at that age. This one, as with most of his music, is done in the talk singing style and is telling a story about some crazy guys taking a non-roadworthy truck down Wolf Creek Pass with a load of chickens and the consequences of doing so. Here is the studio version played from a 45 rpm record on YouTube. +

Last night this song was running through my mind and I thought that it might be a nice addition to my list. This one has a been a personal anthem of sorts for myself as a motivational song. In the past when I was feeling like I was spinning my wheels in my life, this song came on the radio and gave me a little push mentally. I love the laid-back Southern Blues/Rock feel of this one musically, as well as Greg Allman's vocals. One of the main draws for me is how Richard Betts really shows off his prowess with the slide guitar in this one, he is just an incredible musician. Hear Ain't Waistin' Time No More on YouTube. +

For the record, this song is not a reference to the dystopian story by Aldous Huxley of the same name. Last night while watching the festivities on television after they declared victory for Obama, one newscaster used the phrase "A Brave New World" to sum up what he thought was ahead. This immediately brought this song to my mind. Even though Boz Scaggs quit the band after the preceding album, I can still hear his influence in this song quite a bit; it reminds me a bit of his song Lido Shuffle . Hear Brave New World on YouTube. +

After a year of commercials from candidates bombarding me with ads telling me how his/her opponent is the devil incarnate and that he/she is the better liar, I could not let this day go by without picking this one. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

This is one of those songs that my parents played a lot when I was young, and so it is deeply ingrained into my mind. Even without this exposure to it, I still believe that it is an excellent song and probably would have been one I liked anyway. This song drips of gooey sentimentality subject matter wise, which is probably one of the main reasons for this its popularity. It is sometimes nice to have this one on while you are musing about the past. Musically, this song is quite complex in arrangements, there is always something different in the song to keep my attention most of the time. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

This is another song that came on whilst on the road and made got my attention, so I decided to choose it. The only down side to this one is every time I here the bass line it conjures up a certain putrid song in my mind; the damn thief almost ruined this song for me! However, this song is just an incredible piece both musically and vocally and very much in need of a spot on my list. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

For some reason this song was running through my mind the last little bit, and I figured that it might be time to choose it. I have always loved this one, mostly because of the deep and complex music. To me the subject matter of the song is about how escapism can get in the way of what is really important and missing out because of the pursuit of your fantasies. Watch a fan video with the song on YouTube. +