Today’s song comes from another person’s post. Jill Dennison posted “Ain’t That A Shame” by Fats Domino. After enjoying it, my stream countered with Cheap Trick’s version from “Live at Budokan” (1979). I enjoy the original and the CT cover, but the latter is stuck in my head, so here’s some rock and roll for your Wednesday’s theme music. Feel the beat.
Tuesday’s Theme Music
Two women walked by me in the other direction. As I passed them, they slowed, and one said, “Sometimes, you need to be cruel to be kind.”
No! As soon as I heard it, I tried blocking my musical stream. But the buttons had been pushed, and the Nick Lowe song, “Cruel to be Kind” (1979) popped into my head.
I knew exactly who sang this song. When the catchy tune first came out, I had no idea who sang it. As it continually got stuck in my head, I looked the artist up. It’s not a bad song or anything, not bad for streaming in my head as I walk. I don’t know why my stream has such an affinity for it. The song seems to have that word rhythm that sucks me in.
Hope it’ll suck you in, too. Bwahahahaha.
Wednesday’s Theme Music
Sorry, today’s song is a downer. Reading about recent White House statements, trends in different states, and education in America, my mind began streaming Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” (1979).
We don’t need no education. We just need walls. Walls will save us all.
Thursday’s Theme Music
Walking through the town that’s my home, the many vacant faces I encountered coaxed “1979” by the Smashing Pumpkins (1996) into my stream.
So many people use vacant, unwilling or unable to look at others. Their faces are often empty and sad. Wealthy, poor, homeless, students, male and female, I wonder what’s going on with them? Does life have them distracted, or are they hollow people?
Always something to think about when you’re walking, you know? Distractions from the dreams, they often end up as additions to the writing in progress.
Cheers
Thursday’s Theme Music
My wife gets credit for this one. She’s singing a few choruses from it as she goes about her day, so my stream took off and ran with the rest of the song.
From the good ol’ days of 1979, here’s Queen with “Don’t Stop Me Now”.
Thursday’s Theme Music
I’ve always had a place in my heart for the Clash, and I like the hard-edge they bring to today’s theme music. “I Fought the Law” by the Bobby Fuller Four was a hit when I was ten. Featuring clear and easy lyrics and a fast beat, I heard it on AM radio and picked it up and liked singing it. It was a decent song.
Over twenty years later (1979), with the Clash’s almost smug, sneering, raw cover, I felt it was more correct. Then, on reflection, I recognized, no, this is more about our cultural shift regarding music, and the evolution of taste. My mother disagreed. She liked Fuller’s smoother version.
I also thought it was humorous and odd after “White Riot” that the Clash recorded “I Fought the Law”. While the subject matter, an unlawful resistance theme, was similar, the songs’ structure were different. I decided the Clash were being ironic with their cover of “I Fought the Law”.
The trigger for releasing the song into my stream last night and today was a conversation with my spouse. I said, “I’m going to the ATM for some cash. Need any?” As I went, I thought, “I needed money ’cause I had none.” Naturally, the chorus followed. Fortunately, my ATM card worked, my account had cash, the law wasn’t involved, and the only fighting was within myself about how much cash to take out.
Here’s both versions. Hope you enjoy one of them. Cheers
Saturday’s Theme Music
Today’s choice was one of several songs in my morning stream (which kinda sounds like something I was peeing out, doesn’t it?). I owe it’s stream presence to a cat, specifically the Ginger Prince, a.k.a. Meep, alias Papi, but also sometimes called the Blade. The youngest of our cats, he still enjoys roaming at night. The house quickly bores him, so he wants out. Then, it’s cold and raining, so he wants in. But it’s boring in the house, so he wants out. But it’s cold and raining, so he wants in. And always, as he’s going in and out, he’s asking me, “What are you doing? Want to play?”
Either way, in or out, he spends the day sleeping, bathing, eating, with a little playing on the side, but he likes the night life better.
From 1979, here are The Cars with “Let’s Go”.
Friday’s Theme Music
I was streaming Robert Palmer’s cover of “Give Me the News (Doctor Doctor)” from 1979 this morning as I attended household busy work. Various reasons prompted me to stream it, and it to do with cats and coffee. Go figure. I always enjoy the energy of Palmer’s version, which was much more lovely than the original.
Wednesday’s Theme Music
Today, I awoke with an actual theme song streaming in my head, to wit, the Hart to Hart music. Since the whole damn opening, including the expository introduction and the music, is stuck in my head, I need to share it to disperse it from me. Sort of like a musical exorcism.
For those of you who don’t know it, Hart to Hart was one of the last century’s American television offerings around the seventies or eighties. Starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers, along with Lionel Stander and a dog who was Freeway on the show, it was part of the fun, slick television genres populating our television fare. I wasn’t a fan, for no particular reason. It didn’t draw me (mostly because I was outside of America during those years, and American television was still mostly contained to North America), but I knew about the show through friends and family who were faithful viewers.
Although familiar with the show’s theme music, I had to research the composer. Turned out to be Mark Snow, who has done many television theme songs.
Wednesday’s Theme Music
Although I’m generally a rocker who likes the blues and drifts toward radio music, I’ve been streaming “Ladies’ Night” in my head this week. The impact came from its inclusion in GLOW.
Released in 1979 by Kool and the Gang, I think of “Ladies’ Night” as a disco era staple. More, I thought it captured the essence of that times’ club partying sensibilities. Ladies’ Night was a promotional event to draw in more women by giving them special deals. With more women, more men would be attracted to the club, right? Sure, it’s like honey for bees.
“Ladies’ Night” played to all of that, calling out romantic lady, single baby, and sophisticated mama. These were the people at the disco, right? Come on out, ladies, it’s your night. I regret the song didn’t also address the weary student and hard worker. They were the true partiers.
Besides all of that, I always like the lines, “If you hear any noise, it ain’t the boys, it’s ladies’ night.” Always makes me smile.
Michael Seidel, writer 