The Right Profile tells the story of one-time movie star Montgomery Clift and his troubles and tribulations before dying at a very young age. The song itself is great because of Joe Strummer’s singing which really sets off the feeling of an out of control lifestyle. The horns also add a lot to the song as well.
Here’s a link to a Montgomery Clift tribute video using the song as backing music
And of course, the lyrics:
Say, where did I see this guy?
In Red River?
Or a place in the sun?
Maybe the Misfits?
Or From Here to Eternity?
Everybody say, “Is he all right?”
And everybody say, “What’s he like?”
Everybody say, “He sure look funny.”
That’s…Montgomery Clift, honey!
New York, New York, New York, 42nd Street
Hustlers rustle and pimps pimp the beat
Monty Clift is recognized at dawn
He ain’t got no shoes and his clothes are torn
I see a car smashed at night
Cut the applause and dim the light
Monty’s face is broken on a wheel
Is he alive? Can he still feel?
Nembutol numbs it all
But I prefer alcohol
He said go out and get me my old movie stills
Go out and get me another roll of pills
There I go again shaking, but I ain’t got the chills
ARRRGHHHGORRA BUH BHUH DO ARRRRGGGGHHHHNNNN!!!!
This one is just a cool, fun song. It’s got a great hook, a cool melody, and a great rocking sound. It’s your basic anthem, about being poor and bored and not having anything to do.
And of course, the lyrics:
Down here on the north side
I’m rattling with a tin
Down here on the river boat
I got sand in my shoes
It’s hotter than asphalt
It’s harder than pistols
I’m as bent as a crowbar
We all want some release
Just like the queen of the trailer park
Sometimes she’s the queen of the water, of the river
Down here on the tracks
We’re the kings of the trash
I was born in a laundromat
I was born in a cul-de-sac
And some of us are brown
And some of us are white
Just give me some tension release
Just give me some tension release
Just like the queen of the trailer park
Sometimes she’s the queen of the water, of the river
Down here on the tracks
We’re the kings of the trash
She’s the queen of the primo
She’s the queen of the bondo
And I was born in a laundromat
I was born in a cul-de-sac
Just give me some tension release
Just give me some tension release
Just like the queen of the trailer park
Sometimes she’s the queen of the water, of the river
Bull In The Heather is a pretty cool song on many different levels. I love the distortion of the guitars on the aural side, the use of maracas to provide additional percussion, and plus Kim Gordon’s voice is really fun to listen to, as she oozes sensuality.
I’m not going to bother trying to figure out exactly what the song is about; it’s obviously about a relationship, but past that the parameters get murky. Besides, the folk at SongMeanings are more than willing to provide all sorts of unique and interesting theories.
And of course, the lyrics:
10, 20, 30, 40
tell me that you wanna hold me
tell me that you wanna bore me
tell me that you gotta show me
tell me that you need to slowly
tell me that yr burning for me
tell me that you can’t afford me
time to tell yr dirty story
time f’r turning over and over
time f’r turning four leaf clover
betting on the bull in the heather
10, 20, 30, 40
tell me that you wanna scold me
tell me that you a-dore me
tell me that you’re famous for me
tell me that yr gonna score me
tell me that you gotta show me
tell me that you need to sorely
time to tell yr love story
time f’r turning over and over
time f’r turning four leaf clover
betting on the bull in the heather
One of the best singers of sad songs ever, Hank Williams did a fabulous job with this song, about a man tortured by his love for a woman that is cheating on him. Hank’s voice is what really sells You Win Again, as you can hear the regret dripping on each note.
And of course, the lyrics:
The news is out all over town
That you’ve been seen a-runnin’ ’round
I know that I should leave, but then
I just can’t go - you win again
This heart of mine could never see
What ev’rybody knew but me
Just trusting you was my great sin
What can I do - you win again
I’m sorry for your victim now
‘Cause soon his head like mine will bow
He’ll give his heart but all in vain
And someday say - you win again
You have no heart you have no shame
You take true love and give the blame
I guess that I should not complain
I love you still - you win again
Danny’s All Star Joint seems to be anything but, as it appears to be the hangout for various grifters, ex-cons, down on their luck musicians and other assorted riff-raff. The song feels like it might be semi-autobiographical, from the period in Jones’ life before she found fame. Still, the main thing–as always–is that it’s just a cool song. Jones’ vocals really make the song shine, as do the backing band, and it’s a cool synthesis that makes you want to tap your toes and snap your fingers.
And of course, the lyrics:
Downstairs at Danny’s All-Star Joint
They got a juke box that goes doyt-doyt
The vice is nice, they stay in the back all day,
But when the nighttime comes, hey-hey,
There’s this cat down there that makes a bad kinda soup,
I come around struttin’ my luck in my shoop coupe.
Cecil gives me coffee
And he won’t never take my coin
I say, “I got thirty dollars in my pocket!
Whatchoo doin’?”
I holler, “Come on, Cecil, take a dollar!
Come on, Cecil, take a ten!
I’ve finally geared up into a whole buncha big ones,
And you’re actin’ like I’m down-shiftin’ ”
He knows all the under-riders on the boulevard,
They got to barefoot cruise when it’s forty-weight hard
They look particularly dead-beat,
Permanently pale,
Cecil picks up his butcher knife Waves it at the jail
The kid say, “I ain’t got no dough, Joe,
I just want some o.j.”
I said, “Don’t look at me” (’cause he waslookin’ my way)
Cecil wink upon him some juice and some green
And the kid walks over and puts the
quarter in the pin-ball machine
And he says, “Come on, Cec, gimme a dollar,
Come on, Cecil, gimme five,
I’m in a half-way house on a one-way street,
And I’m a quarter past left alive”
He can talk about your people in a wonderful way
He can talk about your people till your hair turns grey
Your sister’s into mustard
She loves to walk the pup
She likes the pickle and the relish
She never gets enough
A Hershey milkshake
Steamin’ on a stick
For a Carte Blanche sandwich
Oh, lettuce, get thick…
It’s not because I’m dirty,
It’s not because I’m clean,
It’s not because I kiss the boys behind the magazine
Hey, boys? How ’bout a fight?
’Cause here comes Rickie with the girdle on tight
And if she don’t know your name
She knows what you got
From your matzo balls
To the chicken-in-the-pot
Chicken-in-the-pot
Chicken-in-the-pot…
Downstairs at Danny’s All-Star Joint
They got a juke box that goes doyt-doyt
A finger-snappin’ deluxe
Make your be-bop bap
And your R&B hep-scat
You can’t break the rules until you know how to play the game,
But if you just want to have a little fun You can mention my name
Keep your feet in the street, Your toes in the lawn,
But keep your business in your pocket,
That’s where it belongs
Come on, Cecil, take a dollar
Come on, Cecil, take a tip:
Do yourself a favor
If she offers it—take it!
But honey, don’t give it away if he don’t appreciate it
This is one of those great underrated songs that a lot of people know nothing about. From the band’s first album, it starts out with a mid-tempo fingerpicking style, but quickly evolves (or should I say “de-volves”) into a a tense rocker before exploding in disgust at the person in question. Excellent guitar work, the organ works perfectly here too. Just a great song.
And of course, the lyrics:
Something about the way you taste
Makes me want to clear my throat
There’s a method to your movements
That really gets my goat
I looked for silver linings
But you’re rotten to the core
I’ve had just about all I can take
You know I can’t take it no more
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling, feeling
Centered ’round long time ago
On your ability to torment
Then you took your tongs of love
And stripped away my garment
I looked for silver linings
But you’re rotten to the core
I’ve had just about all I can take
You know, I can’t take it no more
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling, feeling
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling, feeling
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling, feeling
I got a gut feeling
I got a gut feeling, feeling
Slap your mammy down
Slap your mammy down again
Slap your mammy down
Slap your mammy down again
Slap your mammy down
Slap your mammy down again
Slap your mammy down
Slap your mammy down again
Oh move it up and down now
Oh move it all around now
Slap your mammy down
Slap your mammy down again
Oh move it up and down now
Oh move it all around now
Rock Box was one of the first ‘metal-rap’ songs, combining Run-DMC’s tag team rhyme style with Eddie Martinez’s sizzling guitar solos. Additionally, it’s just a cool sounding song. It’s tremendously obvious that the three were not just fans of rap, but of rock as well, something which was borne out throughout their career.
Here’s a link to the video (be patient, Professor Irwin Corey goes away soon enough)
And of course, the lyrics:
Run DMC, live for you, fresh
To all you sucker MCs perpetrating a fraud
Your rhymes are cold wack, keep the crowd cold bored
You’re the kind of guy that girls ignore
I’m driving a Caddy, you’re fixing a Ford
My name is Joseph Simmons but my middle name is Lord
And when I’m rockin on the mic you should all applaud
Because we’re wheelin, dealin, we got a funny feelin
We rock from the floor up to the ceiling
We’re groovin, you’re movin, it has been proven
We calm the savage beast because our music is soothin’
We create it, relate it, and often demonstrate it
We dis the sucker MC, make the others suckers hate it
We’re rising, suprising, and often hypnotizing
We always tell the truth, and we never slip no lies in
No curls no braids peasy head and still get paid
Jam-Master cuts the records up and down the cross fade
Because the rhymes I say, sharp as a nail
Witty as can be, and not for sale
Always funky fresh could never be stale
Took a test to become an MC and didn’t fail
I couldn’t wait to demonstrate
All the super def rhymes that I create
I’m a wizard of the word, thats what you heard
And anything else is quite absurd
I’m a master of the mic, thats what I say
And if I didn’t say that, just say it anyway
Bust into the party, cover the place
See the first thing that comes, is the music in your face
Girls on the wall, some on the floor
With the DJ named Jay with the cuts galore
So listen to this, because it can’t be missed
And you can’t leave til you’re dismissed
You can do anything that you want to
But you can’t leave until we’re through
So relax your body and your mind
And listen to us say this rhyme, Hey
You might think that you have waited
Long enough till the rhyme was stated
But if it were a test it would be graded
With a grade that’s not debated
Nothing to deep, and nothing dense
And all our rhymes make a lot of sense
So move your butt to the cut
Run amok, you’re not in a rut
Each and everybody out there we got the notion
And we want to see y’all in motion
Just shake, wiggle, jump up and down
Move your body to the funky sound
Side to side, back and forth
We’re the two MCs and we gonna go off
Stand in place, walk or run
Tap your feet, you’ll be on the one
Just snap your fingers and clap your hands
Our DJs better than all these bands…huh
[This verse only appears in the Vocal Dub version of Rock Box]
It’s the movement of your body when you’re inside a party
Tryin to do a dance just like everybody
You keep the pep in your step
Inside of your heart is where its kept
It’s the movement of your feet when you hear def beats
Silence so sweet, harmony is so neat
It’s the movement of the head when a rhyme is said
That I rock the livin’ dead, I get you out your bed
It’s the movement of you arms, to a beat that’s charred
We’re checkin and respectin cause it’s never hard
It’s the movement of your jock when he rocks the block
Ill sucker def beats all around the block
It’s the movement of the ‘table when it starts to spin
Round and round, and back again
Huh…!
We got all the lines, and all the rhymes
We don’t drive dimes, and we don’t do crimes
We bake a little cake with Duncan Hines
And never wear those pants they’re callin’Calvin Klein
Cause Calvin Klein’s no friend of mine
Don’t want nobody’s name on my behind
It’s Lee on my leg, sneakers on my feet
D by my side, and Jay with the beat
…Jay…Run…
We don’t…Jay…
Bun…Two…Tee…Run…
Hollis Crew…
But…
Cortina…
Ha…
My man Jam-Master…And his place to be…
Jay…The big beat blaster…
Waited…
Straight off the ground…All the way live…
Remember, you don’t stop…beat…
Run rocks it well…With the clientelle…
Krush Groove…
Young ladies in place…with base…with the high space…
So let ‘em…
Homeboy…
Now we’re talkin autographs…
Homegirl…
Autographs…
Fly Girl…In place…
Homeboy…
High Street…
Fun…
Sing…
Given their influence and catalog of great songs, I am amazed that Roxy Music isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. This is just another great song of theirs–great saxaphone, great vocals, great song.
Both Ends Burning is a simple song about a man who has been dumped but still has strong feelings.
And of course, the lyrics:
Please don’t ever let me down
For you know I’m not so sure
Do I have the speed to carry on?
Burn you out of my mind, I know
You’re a flame that never fades
Jungle red´s a deadly shade
Both ends burning, will the fires keep
Somewhere deep in my soul tonight?
Both ends burning
Burning
Burn
Both ends burning
Burning
Burn
Now my course is plain as day
Running bold across to play
Both ends burning with a strange desire
That feeds the fire in my soul tonight
I will dance the night away
Living only for today
Both ends burning while you’re counting sheep
Hell, who can sleep in this heat this night?
Both ends burning
Burning
Burn
Both ends burning
Burning
Burn
Tell me will I ever learn?
It’s too late, the rush is on
Both ends burning and I can’t control
The fires raging in my soul tonight
Oh will it never end?
Put your foot around the bend
Drive me crazy to an early grave
Tell me what is there to save tonight?
Both ends burning
Burning
Burn
Keep on burning ’til the end
Until the end
Both ends burning ’til the end
Until the end
Keep on burning ’til the end, ’til the end
Both ends burning ’til the end
The very end
Talk Talk is one of those great lost 60’s hit songs from the garage band era. You don’t hear it on oldies stations–well, I’ve never heard it on an oldies station–I doubt there’s a muzak version, but it’s a song that was well ahead of it’s time.
There’s not too much to the meaning of the song. The singer has done something that has damaged his reputation, and doesn’t want to resolve things through apology. If you’ve ever screwed up you can likely identify.
There’s a pretty cool interview with band member Sean Bonniwell at Ready, Steady Go. From that interview:
RSG: The first introduction to the Music Machine is usually through the hit single ‘Talk Talk’. Can you remember when and how that song was written and what it was like to record it?
SB: “”Talk Talk” was written in 1965. I was waiting for my girlfriend to finish primping for our date. The song was composed in about 15 minutes, and we recorded it at RCA (studio C) in L.A., in two takes! There’s quite a story behind our 1st hit; the details (profound and humorous), can be found in Beyond The garage (the book)”.
RSG: Many people cite ‘talk talk’ and other similar tracks from 60s Garage bands as a prelude to 70’s punk. What do you make of it all?
SB: “In the context of what 60s music contributed to what is heard today, my guess would be that 70s punk imitated us. But just adding glitter and snot doesn’t pay tribute to bands of the 60s that were progenitors, musical units that invented a sound and style that continues to resonate in contemporary rock. Each generation discards the fad symbols of the previous generation — and their rebellion is to the manor born, but when the original is a copy of a copy, it degenerates into mindless noise”.
Here’s a link to a TV performance
And of course, the lyrics:
I got me a complication
And it’s an only child
Concernin’ my reputation
As something more than wild
I know it serves me right
But I can’t sleep at night
Have to hide my face
Or go some other play-ay-ay-ay-ay-ace
I won’t cry out for justice
Admit that I was wrong
I’ll stay in hibernation
‘Til the talk subsides to gone
My social life’s a dud
My name is really mud
I’m up to here in lies
Guess I’m down to size
To size
Can’t seem to talk about
The things that bother me
Seems to be
What everybody has
Against me
Oh, oh, all right
Here’s the situation
And how it really stands
I’m out of circulation
I’ve all but washed my hands
My social life’s a dud
My name is really mud
I’m up to here in lies
Guess I’m down to size
To size
Talk talk Talk talk Talk talk Talk talk
96 Tears is one of those classic rock and roll songs. What really makes it work is the organ and the vocals of ? aka Rudy Martinez. There’s not much in terms of deep meaning to the song, but it’s pretty simple and easy to understand and relate to for many people. There are some facts and some interesting information about the song and the band at SongFacts.
Here’s a link to a television performance back in the 1960’s.
And of course, the lyrics:
Too many teardrops
For one heart to be cryin’
Too many teardrops
For one heart to carry on
You’re way on top now
Since you left me
Youre always laughin’
Way down at me
But watch out now
I’m gonna get there
We’ll be together
For just a little while
And then I’m gonna put you
Way down here
And you’ll start cryin’
96 tears
Cry, cry
And when the sun comes up I’ll be on top
You’ll be right down there lookin’ up
And I might wave, come up here
But I don’t see you wavin’ now
I’m way down here, wonderin’ how
I’m gonna get you but I know now
I’ll just cry, cry
I’ll just cry
Too many teardrops
For one heart to be cryin’
Too many teardrops
For one heart to carry on
You’re gonna cry 96 tears
You’re gonna cry 96 tears
You’re gonna cry, cry cry cry now
You’re gonna cry, cry cry cry
96 tears
C’mon and lemme hear you cry now
96 tears, whoo!
I wanna hear you cry
Night and day, yeah, all night long
96 tears, cry cry cry
C’mon baby
Let me hear you cry now all night long
96 tears, yeah
C’mon now
96 tears