The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society

When Ray Davies went to a small town in England, he was inspired to create the concept album that this song is featured on. The album (The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society) did not sell well initially, even with fantastic songs like Picture Book and Animal Farm. The song invokes nostalgia for small town life in England: knowing everyone in the town, custard pie, strawberry jam, and consistency. 

We are the skyscraper condemnation affiliate
God save tudor houses, antique tables and billiards

Of course this emotional security doesn’t exist. Time marches forward. preserving the old ways doesn’t stop the new ways from entering the gates. The singer asks, “What more can we do?” and he’s right. What more can do you?

I love the casual feeling of this song. I can imagine strolling through a small english hamlet and listening to this song. Not too loud, though. 

Ides of March - Vehicle

This is just a stupidly fun song to listen to loud. How the hell can you not love this song? From the first blow of the horns, and the lead in of the drum fill to the vocals punching in “heyyyy”. Man I love this song. 

I love ya, I need ya, I want ya,
Got to have you child,
Great God in heaven you know I love you.

When the chorus kicks in, and the call and response of those first two lines explodes, how can you not shout back to the radio. Who the hell knows what this song is really about, but I love the hell out of the horns, vocals, and drums in this song. Ba ba bum ba baaah.

Thunder Soul

(Source: youtube.com)

Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This (Your Children will be Next)

If you haven’t read the story of the band’s disappearing guitarist, you should catch up. Manic Street Preachers have this habit of writing songs that at first seem inconsequential. You don’t care, because hey it’s catchy. But, at least for me, each listen makes me care more and more about whatever it is they’re talking about. And I think this is partly because I know we’re not talking about Spice Girls here. This band has known love and loss.

And on the street tonight an old man plays

with newspaper cuttings of his glory days. 

And if you tolerate this, 

Bill Withers - I Can’t Write Left Handed

When people talk about Vietnam songs, they think about There’s Something Happening Here. But I think this song evokes a little more somber, spiritual feeling about war than most others.

This song speaks from the point of view of a soldier who lost his right arm after being shot in the shoulder. From the start, it’s straight gospel. It’s some singing, some spoken word for around 6 minutes. Like a lot of Bill Withers, the song is all about that voice. Because there’s not much progression, the song plays out like a meditation.

And please call up the Rev. Harris.
Tell him to ask the Lord to do some good things for me.
Tell him I aint gonna live to get much older.

Bill Withers once said in an interview “I am the goddam blues.” Got that right.

Hanson - Thinking Bout Something

Okay, look, I’m through trying to convince you. Hanson is a terrific band. It’s just, well it’s just a fact. Just forget about mmmbop, everything they’ve done in the last ten years has been top notch. And you’re not too cool for school, right?

Is this not enough? Okay fine, listen to this. Or this.

It’s time to give them another go around. Hanson’s music is all about sincerity. It’s pop, it is what is it, and they’re not about to convince you otherwise. These guys have been doing it for ten years and I have a feeling they’ll be doing it for another ten.

Nina Simone - Wild is the Wind

This was Marcelle’s suggestion, we both love this song. It wasn’t originally written for Nina Simone, but she does the best version of it, (she does the best version of everything). David Bowie sang this as well, but you’ll have to look that up yourself. At 6 minutes, it’s not a quick song at almost 7 minutes long, but when you reach that pay off at about 6’11”, you’ll be glad you hung in there.

Don’t you know you’re Life itself,
Like a leaf clings to a tree,
Oh my darling,
cling to me.

Nas - I Can

This is an untypical song for Nas. His usual stuff is quintessential hip hop. I’m sure he’ll make a few more appearances on this blog. I like this song for that reason, though. It’s not his typical fare. Even though some of the lyrics are dark, it’s a very inspiration song. Or who knows, I didn’t grow up in a seedy neighborhood, maybe it all feels false. But hey, I like to think that it is. The story goes that before his mother died, she asked Nas to write this type of song for children, so here it is. 

Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes
Read more, learn more, change the globe
Ghetto children, do your thing
Hold your head up, little man, you’re a king

This was a single from God’s Son, which was a very personal album for Nas. Despite the distraction of the feud with Jay-Z, this album has some winners on it (Made you Look and Warrior Song stand out for me). 

St. James Infirmary - Louis Armstrong

This is, hands down, one of my favorite Louis Armstrong performances. He didn’t write it, it was performed several time in the 1920s and 30s. The song is typically about an unfortunate young man who dies penniless and alone, but the reason changes by performer. It was performed by Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw, Lou Rawls, the White Stripes and countless others. There’s also an insufferable version recorded by Eric Clapton, but there’s no way I’m linking you to it. You really should read the history of this song, courtesy of Rob Walker.

Set down on a long white table,
So sweet, so cold, so fair.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her.

When you get to the 3:20 mark, lean back, close your eyes and revel in the somber horns. It’s really a funeral dirge. Also make sure to watch the amazing cartoon of this song by Cab Calloway.

Jay-Z - Heart of the City (Aint no Love)

You’ll probably remember this song from the trailer for American Gangster, but it was released in 2001 (6 years prior). The sample is the unmissable Bobby Blue Band song of the same name. Kanye west put this song together, as well as a few other songs on the album Blueprint. That album, man, if you haven’t listened to it in a while, you should. Not just the big singles like Izzo and Girls, Girls, Girls. Takeover (also produced by West) absolutely kills.

I don’t want much, fuck I drove every car
Some nice cooked food, some nice clean drawers

This man takes command in every rap he writes. He talks directly to his questioners, going a little past the standard hip hop braggadocio, he’s not trying to take them down, because he never needed to in the first place. I’m not looking at you dudes, I’m looking past you. 

Halfway through the song, the music breaks, and Jay tells them “take em to church”, I love it.