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

From: Stormwatch ; Year: 1979; Genre: Progressive Rock It seems like the last few days I've been picking songs that have to do with fictional global disasters. Honestly, I am not on a theme or anything like that; it's pure coincidence that I have picked three songs in a row that are either part of a concept album that has to due with the end of the world as we know it or are self-contained songs about a civilization ending disaster. Just a month now and I'll no longer be sharing a wall with rude and inconsiderate neighbours. It has been ten years now that I've been forced to share a wall with others in the various places I've lived and it is long overdue! Sure some of them have been wonderful neighbours, but the few rotten ones have more than ruined my outlook on communal living. Anyway, ever since I put in our notice this rather beautiful and aptly named 'Tull song has been running through my head, so I figured that I would pick it today. Hear Hom...

From: Quark, Strangeness and Charm ; Year: 1977; Genre: Progressive Rock/Space Rock I was thinking about this track after watching the film based on the Roger Zalanzy science fiction short story and novel Damnation Alley , which obviously this song was written about as well. In actuality, Hawkwind's song was far more accurate to the book than the film adaptation and predated it slightly. Dang, I just realized that I have pick most of the songs off of Quark, Strangeness and Charm ; there's a lot of good music to be had on that record. Hear Damnation Alley on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Chet Atkins - I Wish I Knew My song pick two years ago today: Sergei Prokofiev - Op. 67 - Peter and the Wolf My song pick three years ago today: Lalo Schifrin - Scorpio's Theme My song pick four years ago today: Rush - Dreamline +

From: The Sentinel ; Year: 1984; Genre: Progressive Rock Yet another day loaded with stress; oh joy! I'm just immersing myself in some nice progressive rock in hopes that the crap goes away. Anyway, the music in this song reminds me a lot of Pink Floyd in many ways, but in other ways it has it's unique sound. Lyrically, in the greater concept about the fall of Atlantis, this one falls earlier on in the story and appears to just precede its destruction. Interestingly enough, I believe that this one was heavily influenced by the Cold War, which was still going strong at the time of this album's release. Also at the same time many of the lyrics seem to also fit the world in the present tense. Hear Eastwest on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Finntroll - Ursvamp My song pick two years ago today: Eric Burdon & the Animals - Sky Pilot My song pick three years ago today: The Rogue Traders - Voodoo Child My song pick four years ago today: The Cranbe...

From: Turn! Turn! Turn! ; Year: 1965; Genre: Folk Rock I heard this song whilst heading home tonight after yet another busy day and it seemed like a nice track to bring the day to a close. Ever since I first heard this song when I was very young I loved it, and I am actually surprised that I hadn't picked it yet. As many probably know, or maybe not know, the lyrics of this song, which was originally recorded by Pete Seeger were almost entirely taken from The Bible's book of Ecclesiastes 3:1. From what I understand when The Byrds recorded their cover, which, of course became a huge hit, it actually gave the song the distinction of being the number 1 hit with the oldest lyrics. Anyway, I could go on quite a bit longer about this one, but it's late. So, I'll catch you all tomorrow. Hear Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Muse - Uprising My song pick two years ago today: Guns N' Roses - Don...

From: Dirt ; Year: 1992; Genre: Alternative Metal/Grunge I had another song in mind for my pick today, but it happened that yesterday whilst I was out and about running some errands this great Alice in Chains track came on the radio. It has been running through my mind ever since, so as always I'm taking it as a sign that I should pick it. While it's confined to a short, radio friendly 2 and a half minutes it still has a lot of nice music packed away into that compact space. I especially love the odd metered verses and the transition to and from common time between verse and chorus. Hear Them Bones on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: America - Lonely People My song pick two years ago today: Rammstein - Weißes Fleisch My song pick three years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Space Into/Fly Like An Eagle My song pick four years ago today: The Delgados - The Light Before We Land +

From: The Quintet of the Hot Club of France ; Year: ~(1936); Genre: Gypsy Jazz I have been thinking about picking another song from Django Reinhardt and Company recently and it feels like a good day for one of their songs. This is another one of their recordings from the mid 1930s to feature the excellent vocal talent of Freddy Taylor. Of course both Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli and the rest are as good as always in this rather laid back piece of swing/gypsy jazz. Hear I Cant Give You Anything But Love on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rin' - Fuhen My song pick two years ago today: Cream - Badge My song pick three years ago today: Steeleye Span - Seven Hundred Elves My song pick four years ago today: Billy Joel - Prelude/Angry Young Man +

From: The Doors ; Year: 1967; Genre: Rock/Psychedelic Rock For the last little bit I've been hearing a lot of music from The Doors, of course this rather iconic song, being that it's one of their most famous tunes, was amongst them. Such a perfect song for a lazy and hot summer's day. Hear Light My Fire on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds My song pick two years ago today: Jethro Tull - Grace My song pick three years ago today: John Denver - Season Suite: Summer My song pick four years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - The Window +

From: ...Famous Last Words... ; Year: 1982; Genre: Rock This morning some Supertramp came on the radio, and since I had no song in mind for today I thought I would go ahead and pick one of their songs. While ...Famous Last Words... is overall a good album, it is one of my least favourite among their work. I've always been more of a fan of their other, more progressive albums; this one is just a little too poppy for my tastes. Anyway, this song was one of the main singles from it and, like most of the album, it's more of a light hearted track written with mainstream pop appeal in mind. But at the same time it's a good song to listen to, especially when you're feeling down. Here is the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: King Crimson - Sleepless My song pick two years ago today: Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV 703 - Fughetta: Gottes-Sohn ist Kommen My song pick three years ago today: What Made Milwaukee Famous - Sultan My song pick fo...

Op.49; Year: Written in 1880/Debuted in 1882; Genre: classical/Romantic Period You know, with this being my 1812th pick there is really no other song or piece of music in existence I could possibly pick. It's interesting, but I thought for sure that I had picked a few from Tchaikovsky already, but I guess that I was wrong. While Tchaikovsky has many extremely famous pieces, 1812 Overture has to be very close to the top. Today, I suppose the 1812 Overture is mostly known for being the classical piece of music where they use cannon fire during the climax towards the end of the piece. This rather iconic and rousing piece was written for the 70th anniversary of Russia's victory over Napoleon's invading army , however in popular culture it is also been linked with the Anglo-American war of 1812 . Hear the full 1812 Overture with the cannons on YouTube. Here is part one of a live performance by the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Mark Elder on YouTube. And here is the ...

From: Let it Be ; Year: 1970; Genre: Rock/Pop/Blues Rock I'm closing out a rather busy Sunday/weekend and am quite tired; I truly wasn't sure if I was going to get one in, but I am. Anyway, I've been having this classic Beatles song running through my mind for the last couple of days, and without any song in mind I figured I would go ahead and make it my choice for today. While Lennon and McCartney co-wrote a lot of songs, this one has a slight twist to it. It's actually two songs; the first part: " I've Got a Feeling " was written by and is rife with Paul McCartney's signature style of writing and, obversely, the second part, which is known as " Everybody Had a Hard Year " was written by John Lennon and features his distinct style. From what I understand both songs were incomplete and for what ever reason they decided to mash them up into one song. Hear I've Got a Feeling on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Joe Satri...

Op.19; Year: 1833; Genre: Romantic Period/classical I'm squeezing some time in to get my pick in on this very busy day. Anyway, once again my song pick number hit upon a date concerning another artist that I like: Frédéric Chopin, who was born in the year 1810. So, after I realized that I went ahead and decided to pick one of his songs for my 1810th song pick. This is one of his songs that I like quite a bit; it is a rather interesting piece in many ways. To describe it, it's like a very technical dance song, kind of a mix between a Bolero, as the title states, and a Polonaise. Here is a performance of the piece played by Nikita Magaloff on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Missing Link - Filled Up My song pick two years ago today: Hawkwind - The Church My song pick three years ago today: Quincy Jones - Walking in Space My song pick four years ago today: Ozzy Osbourne - Dreamer +

Symphony No. 45; Year: 1772; Genre: Classical Period/classical When I saw today's pick number, (1809), I happened to remember that 1809 was the year that master composer of the Classical Period, Joseph Haydn died. While I've never been a big fan of his music, I still recognize his mastery of his art; there is no doubt that he was one of the greats. It's not really that I dislike his music or anything like that, but with, of course, some exceptions I've never been a big fan of music from the Classical Period; the music is just too formulaic and sterile for my tastes. Whatever the case I figured I should pick one of his pieces today, and I thought it would be absolutely perfect to pick his Farewell Symphony for the occasion. Here is the entire piece performed by Capella Istropolitana, conducted by Barry Woodsworth: Hear the first movement on YouTube. Hear the second movement on YouTube. Hear the third movement on YouTube. Hear the fourth movement on YouTube....

From: Vulgar Display of Power ; Year: 1992; Genre: Metal Yesterday while I was driving this awesome track came on the radio; it was the perfect song to get my mood turned around at the time. There's something about this song, which is written around Dimebag's driving riff that gets you all pumped up; especially if you're in need of it. Watch the music video to Walk on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Hawkwind - Chronoglide Skyway My song pick two years ago today: Yes - Five Per Cent for Nothing My song pick three years ago today: Megumi Hayashibara - Fly Me to the Moon My song pick four years ago today: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Pedal Up +

From: Union Town ; Year: 2011; Genre: Folk/Folk Rock The other day I saw a live performance on the television of Tom Morello's folk/rock project The Nightwatchman; to say the least it was very interesting hearing such a different sound out great musician who is usually heard playing extreme forms of metal. Anyway, this of course was one of many of the songs they played that I liked. As with most of the songs on this album it is a cover of a union/protest song; this one was originally a poem written by Alfred Hayes about a labor activist named Joe Hill . In the mid 1930s Earl Robinson set the poem to music as a union/protest song, which has been covered a bit since. Hear I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Van der Graaf Generator - Childlike Faith In Childhood's End My song pick two years ago today: Billie Holiday - Gloomy Sunday My song pick three years ago today: Electric Light Orchestra - Ticket To The Moon ...

From: Machine Head ; Year: 1972; Genre: Metal/Hard Rock Yesterday I learned that keyboardist and composer extraordinaire Jon Lord passed away, a writeup can be found here on BBC.com . It seems as we've been loosing an inordinate amount of great musicians this year; I really hope that trend doesn't continue. It cannot be stated enough how much of an influence Jon Lord had on heavy metal music and the keyboard as an instrument in the genre; he will be surely missed. Anyway, while there are a lot of songs from Deep Purple and the many other bands he played in to choose from for today's pick, however his playing on the rather iconic song seemed to fit perfect for today. Hear Highway Star on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rush - Not Fade Away My song pick two years ago today: Steeleye Span - Shaking of the Sheets My song pick three years ago today: Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face My song pick four years ago today: Taj Mahal - Fishin' Blues ...

From: ...And Then There Were Three ; Year: 1978; Genre: Progressive Rock I had Genesis on the mind this morning and the melancholy feeling of this song seemed to match my mood that starting a new workweek brings. This track, of course, comes from Genesis' album where they made their debut as a trio following the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett. I have always found this album rather interesting musically. While the band had been in a state of change, it seems, ever since Peter Gabriel had left a few years earlier, you can still hear a lot of the band's older progressive sound and yet you can also hear their new, more mainstream sound starting to emerge. Hear Many Too Many on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Iron Maiden - Where Eagles Dare My song pick two years ago today: Yes - Yours Is No Disgrace My song pick three years ago today: Herbie Hancock - Sly My song pick four years ago today: Foreigner - Long, Long Way From Home +

From: Boston ; Year: 1976; Genre: Hard Rock For the last little bit I've been having some of Boston's songs running through my mind off and on, so I figured I would close out this Sunday with making of my favourite of their songs my pick. This is a rather soaring track that starts out quite strong and stays strong all of the way through to the end with that signature Boston sound. While on the surface this track might seem like a story of how Boston went from being a little-known bar band to being successful, however, in actuality it had nothing to do with how the band got signed and got success. And Tom Scholz had written and had been recording this and other songs years before the debut album. No matter what the reality is, for anyone who has picked up an instrument and made music the song serves as the stuff rock and roll dreams and fantasies are made out of. Hear Rock and Roll Band on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Mr. Big - Undertow My song pick ...

From: Ten ; Year: 1991; Genre: Alternative Rock/Grunge It seems as if I've been listening to a lot of '90s alternative rock lately. The other day I heard this song come on the radio and I was actually thinking about picking it anyway. When this song came out I remember hearing it a lot, and obviously it still gets a lot of radio play. While many of their songs are, I guess, what you could call "downers," Jeremy in my opinion is one of their saddest songs they ever recorded. Since the mid '90s it became and remained somewhat of a controversial track due to the extreme subject matter and it being loosely tied to the school shootings that occurred since. From what I understand, Eddie Vedder penned the lyrics based on two instances; one of which he apparently was fairly close to. The main source for the subject matter of the song was a news story he read about a kid committing suicide in front of his class and the second instance was another kid that he was s...

From: Diary of a Madman ; Year: 1981; Genre: Metal Today whilst driving this song come on the radio. It's one of my favourites from Ozzy's solo material and I realized that I hadn't yet picked it, so I am remedying that one. Here is a live performance on YouTube. Sorry, but there are no apparent studio versions available at this time. My song pick a year ago today: Ome Henk - Neem Een Ander In De Maling ( Barbie Girl ) My song pick two years ago today: Weather Report - Cucumber Slumber My song pick three years ago today: ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin' My song pick four years ago today: Eric Clapton - After Midnight +

From: The Resistance ; Year: 2009; Genre: Progressive Rock I had a few bugaboos in my schedule this morning, but am finally able to get my pick in, and guess what? I have also been meaning to pick this song for over a week now and am finally able to get to picking it as well! Anyway, this is one of the centrepiece songs off of their '09 The Resistance album and is also one of my favourites as well. This is a very dynamic track that reminds me a lot of Queen's music; some critics have actually compared it to " Bohemian Rhapsody " in particular. At the end of the song there is a nice light instrumental piece " Collat eral Damage," which is based on Frédéric Chopin's " Nocturne in Eb Major , Op.9 No.2" As with most of the rest of the material on this album, lyrically and thematically it has to do with tyranny and a call to rise up against it. From what I understand this track in particular was inspired by Zbigniew Brzezinski's book Th...

From: Desire ; Year: 1976; Genre: Rock/Folk Rock Yesterday I was listening to a bunch of Bob Dylan's music and I replayed this song in particular quite a few times. Like quite a few songs in his catalogue, this is a protest song. It was written about an incident of injustice where a man named Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was railroaded in a racial manner for a tripple murder he didn't commit. It was written and released about 10 years after the fact and even though Mr. Rubin Carter did get a retrial about a year or so after the song, it wasn't until another 10 years after that he finally got his freedom. The saddest part about that story was the fact that he lost about 20 years of his life and a promising career as a prize fighter to boot as a result. Throughout the entire song you can hear not just anger, but rage in every aspect of it. The hurried and driving feeling given by the bass and drums almost gives you the feeling of a loss of control, which I belie...

Op.13 ; Year: 1799; Genre: classical/Classical Period I noticed that 1799 happened to be the year that this piece, one of my favourite sonatas from Beethoven, was first published. So, since I've yet to pick it, I thought I would go ahead and make it my pick for today; besides it's a more than perfect piece to close out the 1700's with. Hear the first movement: "Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio" performed by Dubravka Tomsic on YouTube. Hear the second movement: " Adagio cantabile " performed by Dubravka Tomsic on YouTube. Hear the third movement: " Rondo: Allegro " performed by Dubravka Tomsic on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Chet Atkins - Tears My song pick two years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Tusk My song pick three years ago today: Fairport Convention - Tam Lin My song pick four years ago today: Cream - Tales of Brave Ulysses +

From: Progression of Power ; Year: 1980; Genre: Hard Rock Again, I had no song in mind for my pick today, but after a bit I felt like listening to something from Triumph. Their music always seems quite upbeat and empowering, which is more than perfect for today. Hear I Can Survive on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside My song pick two years ago today: Cruachan - The Gael My song pick three years ago today: Jim Croce - Alabama Rain My song pick four years ago today: Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton) - Bell Bottom Blues +

From: At Home ; Year: 1969; Genre: Pop/Rock Ugh, I'm really not feeling like picking a song this evening, but I'll go ahead and do it anyway. At some point during the day I heard this song, which I believe was the biggest hit from the Dutch group Shocking Blue, and thought it would make an excellent pick. Hear Venus on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rush - Countdown My song pick two years ago today: Mungo Jerry - In the Summertime My song pick three years ago today: The Kinks - A Well Respected Man My song pick four years ago today: Eric Clapton - Bad Love +

From: Hear in the Now Frontier ; Year: 1997; Genre: Progressive Metal I have to admit, even though I'm a fairly big fan of the band, I haven't yet heard this album before today. It is interesting to hear such a stripped-back sounding Queensrÿche; with that being said, however, they at least didn't stray too far from their progressive metal sounds. Hear Sign of the Times on YouTube. Here is a live performance circa '97 on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Don McLean - Vincent My song pick two years ago today: Eric Burdon and War - Spill the Wine My song pick three years ago today: Supertramp - School My song pick four years ago today: Steely Dan - Do It Again +

From: Houses of the Holy ; Year: 1973; Genre: Rock On the 4th, whilst I was attending some Independence Day festivities I happened to hear a band providing entertainment play some songs from Led Zeppelin. And yesterday I had a bunch of Led Zeppelin playing while I was getting some work done; I've discovered that much of their music works well for that situation. Anyway, since I've been listening to so much of their music as of late I figured I should add one of their songs. This was one of theirs that I played and replayed more than a few times; it is one of my favourites from the band. It's such a beautiful track in many, many ways. Hear The Rain Song on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Béla Fleck & The Flecktones - Big Country My song pick two years ago today: ABBA - When All is Said and Done My song pick three years ago today: Hawkwind - Motorhead My song pick four years ago today: Savatage - Can You Hear Me Now +

From: Elysium ; Year: 2011; Genre: Progressive Metal/Power Metal After hearing a song of theirs the other day, it got me into the mood of listening to more of Stratovarius' music. I've been really loving their most recent album: Elysium , which is a damn good album. This, the title track, is my favourite on the album; on this song in particular, they remind me a lot of the band Dream Theater in my opinion. Hear Elysium on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Johnny Rivers - Muddy River My song pick two years ago today: Steeleye Span - Padstow My song pick three years ago today: Rush - Lakeside Park My song pick four years ago today: Bon Jovi - Every Day +

From: Inside Out ; Year: 1994; Genre: Progressive Metal I'm getting my pick in on this busy July 4th (Independence Day). I happened to notice that I hadn't picked a track from Fates Warning yet; I thought for sure that at some point in the past I had picked one of their songs, which is odd with how much I adore most music that is of the progressive nature. Anyway, this is one of my favourites I've heard from the band. Everyone have a safe 4th of July out there. Hear Monument on YouTube. Here is the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Rush - Alien Shore My song pick two years ago today: Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town My song pick three years ago today: Bon Jovi - My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms My song pick four years ago today: Three Dog Night - An Old Fashioned Love Song +

From: Back Through Time ; Year: 2011; Folk Metal/Power Metal/Pirate Metal Today is another one of those days where I wanted to pick a certain song and was thwarted at every angle, so here's one that I've been meaning to pick for a while now instead. After seeing the music video and hearing it, it was more than enough reason for me to pick up the album and I was not disappointed at all. If you've heard the band before you should know what to expect from this track: good strong power metal with pirate subject matter throughout and a very catchy chorus that is easy and fun to sing along with. Hear Shipwrecked on YouTube. Watch the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Steeleye Span - Dark-Eyed Sailor My song pick two years ago today: The Police - The King of Pain My song pick three years ago today: Chet Atkins - Yakety Axe My song pick four years ago today: Benjamin Britten - War Requiem +

K.626 ; Year: 1791; Genre: classical/Classical Period I had another song in mind today, but for some reason when I saw that today's pick number was 1791 it seemed familiar for some reason. After a little bit of wracking my brain I realized that 1791 was the year that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died. After I realized that fact there was only one song, or piece of music that I wanted to pick. Not only is this his final composition, but it is undoubtedly my favourite piece of music from the master composer; it's truly beautiful and awe inspiring. I especially love listening to it as driving music; it's quite exhilarating. This piece in particular has a great deal of mystique tied to it, which is due it being a funeral mass written by one of the most famous composers at the time of his death and the fact that much of the composition was not from his hand. In fact, if I remember right, the majority of the piece was written by others. One of the major misconceptions about th...

From: Hey Man ; Year: 1996; Genre: Hard Rock For most of the morning I've had a bunch of Mr. Big's songs running through my mind, so I figured I should take it as a sign to pick one of their songs. After a bit of thought I finally decided on this funk flavoured track off of their Hey Man album. Hear Fool Us Today on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Jimmy Castor Bunch - E-Man Groovin' My song pick two years ago today: Led Zeppelin - D'yer Mak'er My song pick three years ago today: Arthur Smith - Guitar Boogie My song pick four years ago today: Band of Horses - Ode To LRC +