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SONGS ABOUT SECRET VICES
Vice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Sex isn’t a vice, but bonking your best friend’s partner might be. Drinking isn’t a vice, but drinking from bottles that you’ve hidden in the back of the wardrobe possibly is. So, for the purpose of this week’s playlist, its only a vice if a certain amount of secrecy or shame is attached to it.
So what do you think Doris Day was really singing about in our opening song, SECRET LOVE? Recorded in the ultra-conservative mid 1950’s, and knowing what we think we now do about Doris, could it possibly be about the love that dare not speak its name? When she declares “My secret isn’t secret any more” she suddenly appears way more interesting than her wholesome image would have us believe.
Mary Gauthier confesses to taking after her alcoholic Dad on I DRINK. And while we’re on the subject of Daddys, Ray Davies call to ‘Come to Daddy’ has a very creepy subtext on the otherwise quite beautiful ART LOVER.
Prince’s SISTER is a 30-year old song about incest that still has the ability to shock. Another unnerving confessional was supplied by Anthony Hegarty, of Anthony & The Johnsons. He sings about his violent lover with incredible sweetness on FISTFUL OF LOVE. The sting of a secret vice is unmistakable in lines such as, “I feel your fists, and I know it’s out of love.”
I’M LIVING IN SHAME sings Diana Ross and the Supremes, while Marvin Gaye’s admits that there’s something extra-curricular going on between him AND MRS JONES.
Nina Simone has some advice about FORBIDDEN FRUIT: “Go on and taste it, you don’t want to waste it”. The Kinks know exactly what she’s talking about on their huge hit about transgender love, LOLA.
The Go-Betweens’ song STREETS OF YOUR TOWN is a beautiful tale of small-town romance undercut with the revelation that even this seemingly perfect place is actually “a town full of battered wives”.
The Prodigy admit to a little pyromania on FIRESTARTER:
And the Strangers submitted their quintessential song about perving at the beach – PEACHES:
We finished the show with a couple of very non-offensive pop songs. Kate Ceberano admits YOUNG BOYS ARE MY WEAKNESS. Is that a bad thing? Surely not. Jill Sobule also owns up: She’s KISSED A GIRL, and she just may do it again. Shock horror! Released in 1995, way before whats her name’s version.
Next week I’m going to dedicate the show to SONGS ABOUT CRITTERS and I’m looking for songs about unusual animals, not 
just your cats and dogs. Film director Mark Lewis has sent me a recording of Tim Finn singing ‘Cane Toad Blues’ so that gives you an idea of the kind of thing I’m after.
And just a reminder that BayFM is hosting the premiere of Cane Toads: The Conquest in 3D on Wednesday June 1, 7pm at the Dendy Cinema in Byron Bay. It’s a benefit for BayFM with a party after at The Owl & Pussy Cat included in the price. If you’re a BayFM Subscriber that’s only $20. Get to the cinema now to pick up your tickets!
Here’s the complete playlist:
Secret Love - Doris Day, Ray Heindorf And His Orchestra I Drink - Mary Gauthier Art Lover - The Kinks Sister - Prince Fistful of Love - Antony & The Johnsons I'm Living In Shame - Diana Ross & The Supremes Me and Mrs. Jones - Marvin Gaye Lola - The Kinks Forbidden Fruit - Nina Simone Streets Of Your Town - The Go-Betweens Firestarter - The Prodigy Peaches - The Stranglers I Kissed A Girl - Jill Sobule Young Boys Are My Weakness (Brave Album Version) - Kate Ceberano
Next week: SONGS ABOUT CRITTERS
SONGS ABOUT THE SUN
We’re well and truly into Summer and where are all those beautiful sunny days that this season promises? As I write this, I’m looking out at torrential rain. So, it was definitely wishful thinking that propelled me into this week’s playlist on THE SUN.
We opened the show with a song that radiates optimism, the Beatles GOOD DAY SUNSHINE, written by Paul McCartney and released on the 1966 album Revolver. A relatively new track comes from Michael Franti. I dedicated THE SOUND OF SUNSHINE to the lovely Suzie M. and her grandchildren, Reem & Aliyah who are huge Michael Franti fans.
Local lad Christian Pyle did a great job at the recent Mullumbimby Music Festival and although I played RAY OF YOUR SUNSHINE during my interview with him a couple of weeks ago, it such a great number I had to play it again. It’s from his Nothing Left to Burn album.
The Cream’s SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE is an absolute classic and is still their best-selling song of all time. Here’s Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce playing live circa 1968.
Beth Orton does a brilliant cover of The Ronettes I WISH I NEVER SAW THE SUNSHINE. I found it on the soundtrack to the film Twentyfourseven (brilliant film btw), but its also on her 1996 debut album ‘Trailer Park’. Here she performs live and is accompanied by the very talented Ted Barnes.
The wonderful Katie Noonan possibly does the best cover ever of Soundgarden’s BLACK HOLE SUN that I have ever heard. I usually don’t like to play videos that are simply photo montages, but I can’t give up the opportunity of putting her voice out there. Sublime.
There was no way I was doing a show on THE SUN without playing Stevie Wonder’s YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE. Here he is giving a rare studio concert at London’s Teddington Studios following the release of his ‘Conversation Peace’ album. A sensual ride for an intimate audience of less than 200 fans. You get the bonus of SUPERSTITION on this clip too, which I have to admit is actually my favourite Stevie Wonder number.
Bobby Hebb’s SUNNY is another very optimistic song, considering that it was written in response to his brother’s violent death which occurred on the same day of JFK’s assassination.
Two great songs that were released in 1966 are Donovan’s SUNSHINE SUPERMAN and The Kinks’ SUNNY AFTERNOON. The Kink’s strong Music Hall flavour and lyrical focus was part of a stylistic departure for the band, who had risen to fame in 1964-65 with a series of hard-driving, power-chord rock hits. Ironically, the promotional video for the single featured the band performing in a cold, snowy environment:
Nina Simone’s cover of George Harrison’s HERE COMES THE SUN is an almost religious experience. Starting slowly at first it builds to a flood of warmth and wonder. Unlike the weather here at the moment, unfortunately.
For Ros, and all the other reggae fans, we played Bob Marley’s SUN IS SHINING and followed with the Bill Withers standard – a perfectly apt song for Byron Bay at the moment: AIN’T NO SUNSHINE.
Let’s don’t get too despondent about the weather. As Elaine Page suggests “the sun will come out TOMORROW“. From the musical Annie that song went out to BayFM’s Tommy T-Jet who hosts All Things Camp Friday’s at 1pm.
The Eagles song TEQUILA SUNRISE was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and is from the album Desperado. I’ve been meaning to do a show just on The Eagles and its certainly on the agenda.
A show on THE SUN wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t include the Beach Boys. I had lots of suggestions for various tunes but I chose the very evocative THE WARMTH OF THE SUN. It was the B-side to Dance, Dance, Dance released in 1964.
Violent Femmes released their debut album in 1982. The music was an innovative combination of American folk music and punk rock, which would much later come to be known as “folk punk”. The lyrics were the common themes of yearning for love, sex and affection. The group quickly gained a following that never veered into mainstream commercialism. One of the songs that gained recognition was A BLISTER IN THE SUN.
2010 is the 25th anniversary of the very infectious WALKING ON SUNSHINE released by Katrina and the Waves. Can you believe it?
I don’t think the The Beloved were getting up with the birds to see the SUN RISING. Somehow I imagine they were on their way home from a big night out.
Australian band The Waifs recorded their 2007 album SUN DIRT WATER in Nashville and it was released on Jarrah Records, a fully independent label they share with John Butler Trio and MGM Distribution.
A couple of oldies but goodies come in the shape of THE SUN AIN’T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE from The Walker Brothers and DON’T LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING from Gerry & The Pacemakers.
A while back I put together a show of songs that ask questions. And here’s a couple more: The Velvet Underground want to know WHO LOVES THE SUN and They Might Be Giants ask WHY DOES THE SUN SHINE?
The Spazzys is an all girl punk band from Melbourne who are heavily influenced by the Ramones. They’ve even taken their band’s name as their surname – Kat Spazzy, Lucy Spazzy and Ally Spazzy. Cool. The song SUNSHINE DRIVE is on their Aloha! Go Bananas album released in 2004 but my copy came from the soundtrack of the very good Australian film Suburban Mayhem.
One of The Kinks best known and most acclaimed songs is WATERLOO SUNSET. Ray Davies says, in a 2008 interview, that the song was a fantasy about his sister going off with her boyfriend and emigrating to another country.
Little Village were a supergroup who only released one album. Band members included Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Nick Lowe and Jim Keitner. Sung by John Hiatt, the track SOLAR SEX PANEL certainly suggests a good use for the sun’s rays!
We closed the show with Pink Floyds’s very trippy SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN.
Next week, I’m going to celebrate the Xmas Party season with SONGS ABOUT DRINKING. I’m looking for everything from rowdy singalongs to barfly melancholia and guilty hangover confessionals. That should cover everything! It will be the day after the BayFM Xmas party, so I should be suitably hungover!
Here’s this week’s complete playlist:
Good Day Sunshine – Revolver, The Beatles
The Sound Of Sunshine – The Sound Of Sunshine, Michael Franti and Spearhead
Ray of Your Sunshine – Nothing Left to Burn, Christian Pyle
Sunshine Of Your Love – Eric Clapton Story, Cream
I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine – Twentyfourseven Soundtrack, Beth Orton
Black Hole Sun – Time To Begin, Katie Noonan
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Ballad Collection, Stevie Wonder
Sunny – Rhythm & Blues, Bobby Hebb
Sunshine Superman [Extended] – Try For The Sun, Donovan
Sunny Afternoon – Lost And Found 1962-1969, The Kinks
Solar – Chet In Chicago, Chet Baker
Here Comes The Sun – The Very Best Of Nina Simone, Nina Simone
Sun Is Shining – Bob Marley Collection, Bob Marley
Ain’t No Sunshine – Lean On Me: Priceless Collection, Bill Withers
Tomorrow – Elaine Paige LIVE , Elaine Paige
Tequila Sunrise – The Very Best Of The Eagles, The Eagles
The Warmth Of The Sun – Shut Down Volume 2, The Beach Boys
Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
Walking On Sunshine – Sounds Of The Eighties: 1985, Katrina and The Waves
The Sun Rising – Single File, The Beloved
Sun Dirt Water – Sun Dirt Water, The Waifs
The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore – The Walker Brothers
Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying – Gerry & The Pacemakers, Gerry and The Pacemakers
Who Loves The Sun – High Fidelity [Bonus Tracks], The Velvet Underground
Why Does The Sun Shine? – Severe Tire Damage, They Might Be Giants
The Sunshine Drive – Suburban Mayhem Soundtrack, The Spazzys
Waterloo Sunset – The Ultimate Collection [Disc 1], The Kinks
Solar Sex Panel – Little Village, Little Village
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun – A Saucerful Of Secrets, Pink Floyd
Next week: SONGS ABOUT DRINKING
SONGS ABOUT SHOPPING
What’s captalism’s favourite pastime? Well, SHOPPING of course! Some of the songs in this week’s list were critical of the commodification of our society while others celebrated 
shopping as retail therapy. Objects of desire included everything from clothes and cars to food and liquor and we shopped in that threatened species, the little corner store, as well as their replacements, the supermarkets and malls. We gave away tickets to local charity event, The Spring Into Bangalow Fashion Parade, and welcomed local girl-group The Swinging Cowgirls into the studio for a live performance. All in all, a fun show.
The program kicked off at a rather luxurious looking pet shop, where Patti Page asks HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW? Let’s face it, if you’re a shop-a-holic you could do a lot worse than rescue a pup from being a living and breathing window display. I call that charity work myself.
The Coasters sang of being in a high-end department store without any credit on SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES. And we followed with Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, whose Mum told them to always SHOP AROUND when it comes to looking for love. Not bad advice actually.
Ben Folds does a great cover of the Clash song LOST IN THE SUPERMARKET for the kids film Over the Hedge, which had to make the list. As did The Kinks with the very appropriate DEDICATED FOLLOWER OF FASHION. Check this clip from 1973. I love Ray Davies: “Let’s have a laugh, because no-one’s here for art.” Genius.
Chuck Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism. On this week’s show he went shopping for a car on NO MONEY DOWN.
Here’s De La Soul with their critique of hip-hoppin’, gold-diggin’ girlfriends on SHOPPING BAGS. Its from the underrated album The Grind Date:
Up here in the village of Mullumbimby, the locals have lost the fight to stop a large Woolworths complex from being built in town. So I included a couple of songs for all those activists who are trying to preserve their quality of life. First up, Jonathan Richman bemoans the disappearance of the CORNER STORE. We followed with a perfect partner, Eugene McDaniels with SUPERMARKET BLUES: “I’ve got the supermarket blues, If I could choose, its really them I’d like to lose.” Yes, indeedy.
Two very funny tunes on the list are They Might Be Giants’ I AM A GROCERY BAG and TOO HIGH FOR THE SUPERMARKET from The Uninvited. It’s tough finding the ingredients for a simple tuna sandwich in a huge supermarket, especially when focus is a problem. Hilarious.
Fergie knows that shopping for labels is just shopping for affection on LABELS OF LOVE, from the soundtrack to the film Sex & The City, which is basically just a big ad for Manola’s etc. The Beatles have a bit of advice for the shopaholic in all of us on CAN’T BUY ME LOVE.
I’m not a big fan of The Pet Shop Boys but their 1987 techno-pop tune SHOPPING, which is more about political corruption than a day in the mall, proved to be especially suitable for this week’s show.
Margo Timmins, of The Cowboy Junkies, is going to buy you something small and frail and plastic. As she puts it: ‘CAUSE CHEAP IS HOW I FEEL. Brilliant.
Dolly Parton is also a bit partial to a little metaphor on THE BARGAIN STORE. And lending a little gravity to the list was good ol’ boy Bruce Springsteen with QUEEN OF THE SUPERMARKET.
Jonathan Richman championed the LONELY LITTLE THRIFT STORE and Bruno Mars, with a little help from Damian Marley, sang about the LIQUOR STORE BLUES.
And then I happily welcomed the Swingin’ Cowgirls into the studio for a bit of a jam and a singalong. They are going to be performing at the upcoming charity fashion event, Spring into Bangalow, and going by what we saw on the show, it will be a great night. Here they are performing at another local event, earlier this year:
We said goodbye to the Swingin’ Cowgirls with an equally sassy dame, Lily Allen. She’s giving her granny a hard time on NAN, YOU’RE A WINDOW SHOPPER.
The Replacements’ punk rock defense of the CUSTOMER was followed by Paul Weller and The Jam with MAN IN THE CORNER SHOP, a song about some middle-class punk rockers who suddenly have a whole lot of money but nothing substantial to spend it on.
Before Steven Patrick Morrissey was simply Morrissey, he was lead singer of The Smiths, a band who never charted higher than #10 but who nevertheless generated a cult following. Here they are with SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD UNITE:
Sublime’s influences were reggae, punk and ska and our final track was an old ska song that they recorded a version of in 1996 called PAWN SHOP. The story goes that lead singer Brad Nowell’s raging addiction saw his guitar being pawned quite often, with their manager having to pay to get it out before their gigs. Sort of puts all those songs about SHOPPING into perspective doesn’t it?
Next week the show will be one of pure joy. Every song will feature HANDCLAPPING. I’d love to hear from you if you would like to request a track, or you may have an idea for a theme for an upcoming show. Let me know! Love to have your input.
Big thanks to Kathryn and Anna from The Swinging Cowgirls.
Here’s this week’s playlist:
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window – Everlasting In Original 125 Golden Oldies (Vol.3), Patti Page
Shopping for Clothes – Atlantic Rhythm & Blues (1958-62) Vol. 4, The Coasters
Shop Around – The Ultimate Collection, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Lost In The Supermarket (Clash cover) – Over The Hedge soundtrack, Ben Folds
Dedicated Follower Of Fashion – The Complete Collection, The Kinks
No Money Down – After School Session, Chuck Berry
Shopping Bags (She Got from You) – The Grind Date, De La Soul
Corner Store – Jonathan Goes Country, Jonathan Richman
Supermarket Blues – Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse, Eugene McDaniels
I Am A Grocery Bag – TMBG UnLtd April, They Might Be Giants
Too High for the Supermarket. – Too High, The Uninvited
Labels Or Love – Sex And The City, Fergie
Shopping – Actually, Pet Shop Boys
‘Cause Cheap Is How I Feel – The Caution Horses, Cowboy Junkies
Can’t Buy Me Love – Hey Jude, The Beatles
Shopping Carts – (comedy skit), Steven Wright
The Bargain Store – The RCA Years 1967-1986 [Disc 2], Dolly Parton
Queen Of The Supermarket – Working On A Dream, Bruce Springsteen
Liquor Store Blues (feat. Damian Marley) – Single, Bruno Mars
The Lonely Little Thrift Store – I’m So Confused, Jonathan Richman
Nan You’re A Window Shopper – Alright, Still Lily Allen
Customer – Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash, The Replacements
Man In The Corner Shop – Direction, Reaction, Creation, The Jam
Shoplifters Of The World Unite – The Best Of Part 1, The Smiths
Pawn Shop – Sublime, Sublime
TIREDNESS
When it comes to song lyrics, the most common causes of TIREDNESS are those that also create the most activity: we’re talking sex and drugs again people. Edwin Starr 
doesn’t mention anything about stimulants to keep him awake, however. The powerful pull of a sexy woman seems to be all he needs to keep him walking those TWENTY FIVE MILES to see her. He must be keen because it’s going to take three days and two lonely nights to get there. No wonder he’s exhausted:
There is a song that appears to be simply about tiredness from working too hard. On WORKING IN THE COALMINE, Lee Dorsey sings that by Saturday he’s too tired to have any fun at all. Pearl Bailey is TIRED of just about everything. Oh dear. Here she is with a brilliant performance from the 1947 film Variety Girl:
The Cox Family is a Bluegrass family group who became world-known when they appeared on the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers film O Brother Where Art Thou . The song I AM WEARY is particularly poignant. In July 2000, shortly after recording the song, Willard Cox and his wife Marie were seriously injured in a traffic accident near their home in Cotton Valley. In February 2009, Marie died from cancer. Alison Krauss was among the many that attended the funeral.
A triple-play, that gave our theme of TIREDNESS a real work-out, included Fats Domino with SICK AND TIRED. Then a brilliant suggestion from Andrew: TOO POOPED TO POP from the La De Das, followed by the all girl band The Hissyfits (how good is that name?) with a song that expresses how fed up they are with a certain relationship. It’s called simply, TIRED.
Tired of being lonely seems to be a recurring theme in these tiredness songs. One of the best ever recorded, and requested here by Claire, is TIRED OF BEING ALONE from the Reverend Al Green:
Another track, with the same name, came from Clifton Chenier. His version of TIRED OF BEING ALONE was sung Creole style, known as the Zydeco Blues. And talking of Blues, I found a great tune from the 40’s: Washboard Sam also sounds pretty fed up on I’M JUST TIRED.
THE WEARY KIND, sung by Ryan Bingham, is the excellent theme song to a great film, Crazy Heart. Jeff Bridges’ performance won him an Academy Award and Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett also won Best Song at the 2009 Academy Awards as well as a Golden Globe.
Just to prove that a show about TIREDNESS could also be a lot of fun, I included the very funny I’M TIRED from the film Blazing Saddles. Madeline Kahn, otherwise known as Lily Von Schtupp is all tuckered out. As she puts it, “Let’s face it, everything from the waist down is kaput”. Hysterical.
Indie rockers, The Zutons, have no patience whatsoever. As they sing it, they’re TIRED OF HANGING AROUND. Country icon Chet Atkins has a beef with his girlfriend. He asks her, AIN’T CHA TIRED OF MAKIN’ ME BLUE? A close relative of country music is Rockabilly. Another great suggestion from Andrew filled that bill – Eddie Cochran is exhausted from walking up twenty flights of stairs to see his lover, when the elevator breaks down. The song: TWENTY FLIGHT ROCK. Here’s a scene from the film The Girl Can’t Help It on which the song featured:
Mose Allison’s SO TIRED was requested by jazz aficionado, Quinton, from BayFM’s Q’s Jazz & Blues. So happy to oblige.
Time for some more indie rock. The Pixies love Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. They even reference them on I’VE BEEN TIRED. Charlotte wanted to hear IF ONLY TONIGHT WE COULD SLEEP from The Cure. But my favourite had to be Weezer who say they are making love every night of the week. It should be noted that Lyn get’s a mention on Tuesdays. How appropriate. Turns out though, like all of us, they’re really looking for true love and reckon they’re TIRED OF SEX. And you thought that meaningful lyrics were a thing of the past! Here they are performing live in Japan:
An interesting track comes from a Spanish group from the 80’s called Mecano. It’s their debut single HOY NO ME PUEDO LEVANTAR which translates as I CAN’T GET UP TODAY. It’s a song about youth, boredom and hangovers. I think we’ve all been there, right?
A couple of great suggestions from Des followed: John Lennon is losing sleep because he can’t stop thinking about his lover on I’M SO TIRED. It’s from The Beatles White Album. Then it was The Kinks with TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU.
I had to include Eric Clapton’s SICK AND TIRED and fellow Brit Blues artists, Savoy Brown, with I’M TIRED before bringing in k.d.lang, with a song that offers a solution to all this tiredness: BLACK COFFEE.
You all know by now that I love Roy Orbison. So it was great to welcome him back to the playlist with a Travelling Wilburys’ track. On their song, HANDLE WITH CARE, Orbison has the most relevant lines for this week’s theme: “I’m so tired of being lonely, I’ve still got some love to give.”
MOONLIGHT MILE is a rare example of Mick Jagger letting go of his public persona and singing of the weariness associated with keeping up appearances as a sex-drugs and rock & roll star. Ah yes, Mick, I’m sure it’s very tiresome! Seriously though, great song from the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album and a terrific close to the show.
Next week’ program, which I’m really excited about, is shaping up to be a doozy. The theme is MUSIC GENRES. I’m looking for songs that make reference to a particular style of music: it could be rock’n’roll, blues, country, rap, reggae, swing – in fact the quirkier the better. Think of tracks that shed some light on the topic. Suggesting every song ever made with the word “blues” in the title is just too easy. I know you’re all smarter than that, so put your thinking caps on. Thanks to the Parkies who contributed to this week’s list: Andrew, Claire , Quinton and Des and apologies to those whose requests didn’t make the list. Keep them coming though!
Here’s this week’s complete list:
Twenty-five Miles – Billboard Top 100 of 1969, Edwin Starr
Working In A Coalmine – Replay/Gold – Vol 1, Lee Dorsey
Tired – Let There Be Love, Pearl Bailey
I am Weary – O Brother Where Art Thou?, The Cox Family
Sick And Tired (Digitally Remastered) – Rock ‘N’ Roll Jukebox, Fats Domino
Too Pooped To Pop – The La De Das
Tired – Letters From Frank, The Hissyfits
Tired of Being Alone – Greatest Hits, Al Green
Tired Of Being Alone – Zydeco Festival, Clifton Chenier
I’m Just Tired – Washboard Sam Vol. 7 1942-1949, Washboard Sam
The Weary Kind – Original Motion Picture OST ‘Crazy Heart’, Ryan Bingham
Sleep Deprivation – Attack Decay Sustain Release, Simian Mobile Disco
I’m Tired – Blazing Saddles Soundtrack, Madeline Kahn/Mel Brooks
Tired Of Hanging Around – Tired Of Hanging Around, The Zutons
That Lucky Old Sun – All Time Greats Vol 3 – The People, Dean Martin
Ain’ tcha Tired of Makin’ Me Blue – High Rockin’ Swing, Chet Atkins
Twenty Flight Rock – Eddie Cochran, Eddie Cochran
So Tired – Gimcracks and Gewgaws, Mose Allison
I’ve Been Tired – Surfer Rosa & Come On Pilgrim, The Pixies
If Only Tonight We Could Sleep (MTV Unplugged) – The Cure
Tired of Sex – Pinkerton, Weezer
Hoy no me puedo levantar – Ana Jose Nacho, Mecano
All Tired Horses – Self Portrait, Bob Dylan
I’m So Tired – White Album (Disc 1), Beatles
Tired Of Waiting For You – Greatest Hits, The Kinks
Sick And Tired – Pilgrim, Eric Clapton
I’m Tired – Rock ‘N’ Roll Warriors, Savoy Brown
Black Coffee – Live By Request, k.d. lang
Handle With Care – Traveling Wilburys [Disc 1], Traveling Wilburys
Moonlight Mile – Sticky Fingers (2009 Remastered Version), The Rolling Stones
Next week: MUSIC GENRES
Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM, Tuesdays 4-6pm, Sydney time
Tragically also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maccalyn
Email me at: lyn.themeparkradio@gmail.com
INSECTS & SPIDERS
Insects and spiders can be an absolute nuisance, especially in summer. They get in our hair, on our skin, even in our beds. They suck our blood and destroy our veggie gardens. 
But they also keep nature in balance, if we don’t go crazy with insecticides that is. And without those busy little bees we wouldn’t have all that lovely honey. So, like most of the subjects I pick for this show, our relationship with these creeping, crawling, flying and buzzing creatures is a complex one.
James Brown knows what I mean. He’s got ANTS IN HIS PANTS AND HE NEEDS TO DANCE Ouch! A great follow up to that was English soul singer Alice Russell with A FLY IN THE HAND. Here she is performing live in 2008. Great voice.
The B-52s’ song JUNE BUG is about a little beetle that only comes out at night. Sounds like a friend of mine. Lead singer, Fred Schneider, says the song’s message is to “go organic, don’t use pesticides”. Excellent. Loving the sound effects too.
Jason Mraz followed with a nice piece of pop about a BUTTERFLY and then it was Nina Simone with probably the best title for a song this week: FUNKIER THAN A MOSQUITO’S TWEETER. What is a mosquito’s tweeter? I have no idea and neither did any of our listeners when I asked. Anyone who does, please let me know.
The Eels do a great song about relationships, (the love/hate kind), called ANT FARM. And I’ve always loved Carly Simon’s version of ITSY BITSY SPIDER too. Who knew that there could be so many good songs about insects?
The Blues artists know how to make a song on any subject sound provocative. Slim Harpo does it to perfection with the very suggestive I’M A KING BEE. But if you want a funny song about a creepy crawly then you can’t go past country singer Jim Stafford’s 
rendition of SPIDERS & SNAKES.
Our hard-working BayFM President, Ros, suggested Ziggy Marley’s DRAGONFLY. Did you know that dragonflies can fly both forward and backward? And they can fly up to 30 miles an hour. Perfect choice for someone who doesn’t ever seem to stay still.
The Who’s BORIS THE SPIDER was written by the band’s bassist John Entwistle. It was supposedly Jimi Hendrix’s favourite Who song. Go figure.
I love the quirkiness of the Presidents of the United States and BOLL WEEVIL is a great example of their crazy novelty punk style. It’s from their self-titled album, released in 1995.
Butterflies have to be one of the most beautiful creatures on earth and they are just so important ecologically, as agents of pollination. So I made sure that there were a few songs about these wonderful flying insects in the show. One of my favourites is by Corrine Bailey Rae. She says that the song BUTTERFLY was written with her Mum in mind.
Another terrific butterfly song is by Chakra Khan. It’s called PAPILLON, which if my schoolgirl French serves me correctly, also means butterfly.
Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. So it seemed the right time to introduce Adam Ant with his signature tune, ANTMUSIC.
Louie the Fly introduced a couple of songs about a much maligned little insect:
SHOO FLY PIE AND APPLE PAN DOWDY, by Doris Day, isn’t so much about a fly than about a pie made with molasses. This sticky, sweet substance attracts flies that have to be “shood” away. Tim Buckley’s song BUZZIN’ FLY is also about being attracted to something sweet, but in this case it’s a girl’s affections.
Did you know that the humble cockroach has been around for over 350 million years?
They Might Be Giants, do a very cheeky version of the SPIDER MAN theme song that had to be included. And then it was another suggestion from Andrew, one of the few Theme Park listeners who could come up with a suggestion for this week’s topic. It was a terrific song that I had totally forgotten: A SONG FROM UNDER THE FLOORBOARDS by Magazine. Here they are performing on the Jools Holland show in 2009:
We definitely needed a bit more Blues in the show, especially as I was giving away a great DVD, RED, WHITE AND BLUES, part of the 7 part series on the Blues by Martin Scorsese. This part, on the Blues in Britain, was directed by Mike Figgis, director of the film Leaving Las Vegas. Congratulations Mike who won that. Enjoy.
So, looking for more Blues, I couldn’t go past John Lee Hooker’s song about spiders, CRAWLIN’ BLACK SPIDER.
Robyn Hitchcock has a bit of a thing about spiders with both an album and an EP with tarantula in the name, but INSECT MOTHER is actually from his first album with The Egyptians, Fegmania.
Andrew had another great suggestion: Iggy Pop’s LOCO MOSQUITO. Heres a bit of insect trivia for you: Did you know that a mosquito beats its wings an amazing 500 times per second? No wonder I can never catch the little buggers.
The Dire Straits song THE BUG is about how random life is. One minute you’re the windshield, the next you’re the bug. So yeah, live life to the fullest is what I suppose they are suggesting, because you never know when it might all end.
On that note, its only fair that we finished the show on an up note. What better than something from disco diva Tina Charles. She’s been bitten by the best bug of all: THE LOVE BUG.
I’d love to have your suggestions for next week’s show which, as a lead up to my election show the following week, will be on TRUTH AND LIES. I think this has the potential to be a really interesting show, so get your thinking caps on.
For now, here’s this week’s full playlist:
I Got Ants In My Pants -The Big Payback, James Brown
A Fy in the Hand (Remix) – Alice Russell
Junebug – Cosmic Thing, B52s
Butterfly – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, Jason Mraz
Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter – Nina Simone
Ant Farm – Electro-Shock Blues, Eels
Coming Around Again/Itsy Bitsy Spider – Greatest Hits Live, Carly Simon
Glow Worm Cha-Cha-Cha – Ultra Lounge, Jackie Davis
I’m A King Bee – Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues, Slim Harpo
Spiders & Snakes – Jim Stafford
Dragonfly (Live) – Love Is My Religion Re-release, Ziggy Marley
There’s A Change In The Weather (extract to intro Weather update) Preservation Act 1, The Kinks
Boris the Spider – My Generation: The Very Best of the Who, The Who
Boll Weevil – The Presidents of the United States, The Presidents of the United States
Butterfly – Corinne Bailey Rae, Corrine Bailey Rae
Papillon – The Platinum Collection, Chaka Khan
Antmusic – Antbox 2, Adam Ant
Louie the Fly (Mortein ad)
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy – The Story of Jazz, Doris Day
Buzzin’ Fly – The Dream Belongs To Me, Tim Buckley
La Cucharacha – Born Free, The George Mann Orchestra
Spider Man – They Might Be Giants
A Song from Under the Floorboards – Real Life and Thereafter / Forum, Magazine
Crawlin Black Spider – Boom Boom CD2, John Lee Hooker
Loco Mosquito – The Best of Iggy Pop, Iggy Pop
Insect Mother – Luminous Groove, Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians
The Bug – On Every Street, Dire Straits
Love Bug – Greatest Hits, Tina Charles
Next week: TRUTH & LIES
Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM, Tuesdays 4-6pm, Sydney time
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Email me at: lyn.themeparkradio@gmail.com
BROTHERS & SISTERS
Let me ask you this: who else has known you your entire life and witnessed your family’s capacity for love and/or dysfunction? Brothers and Sisters! Sibling relationships run deep, that’s for sure. Maybe 
it’s because of this that the chemistry between siblings can be quite complex, sometimes verging on the volatile. They don’t call it sibling rivalry for nothing. I can remember having actual fisty cuffs with my sister who is only 18months younger than me, but if anyone else threatened her, they had hell to pay.
So, lots of reason to pay tribute to our brothers and sisters. We started the show with a request from the lovely Nicky from Fridays breakfast program ‘That Friday Feeling’: Sister Sledge with WE ARE FAMILY. We followed with a request from Judi – The Hollies and HE AIN’T HEAVY HE’S MY BROTHER.
Robyn is a regular contributor to the show and she always has great suggestions. One of the best from her this week was JJ Cale and Eric Clapton’s DON’T CRY SISTER. It’s rare that the distinctive quality of sibling relationships is captured so well in song. Here’s a couple more that do it for me: In This Mortal Coil’s YOU AND YOUR SISTER, the lover’s sister is of the overprotective variety. Being the eldest of three kids, I can’t help but think this was written for me. Another is from brother and sister duo, The Knife, with PASS THIS ON. Their tense, steel drum electro adds a whole other dimension to the lyrics. ‘I’m in love with your brother’, Karin Dreijer urgently confides. “You’ll pass this on, wont you?”. Oooh, risky request that one. I really love this video clip though:
Des from BayFM’s Colours of Byron program suggested an oldie but a goodie, Elvis Presley with one for all the younger sisters out there: LITTLE SISTER.
When choosing music for our show about Brothers and Sisters I tried to choose songs that were about the biological kind over those about the brotherhood of man but songs like Tom Waits version of BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE ME A DIME, had to be included. I just love Tom’s idiosyncratic style.
Robyn could program this show all on her own, so prolific is she with her suggestions each week. Thanks Rob! Two more of Rob’s requests were Patti Labelle with LADY MARMALADE and Terence Trent D’Arby’s DANCE LITTLE SISTER. What ever happened to him? Come back wherever you are!
Switching genres, it was time for some southern rock, with a song from Johnny Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd and younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder, and former lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant. The song, BRICKYARD ROAD, is about Ronnie who was killed in a plane crash in 1977.
DANIEL is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded by John for his album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Just the Piano Player. The song tells the story of a returning Vietnam vet, from his brother’s point of view. Another great song about a brother was written by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. SPACEBOY is about his younger brother who has a rare genetic chromosomal disorder.
“Hey Little Sister What have you done?” asks Billy Idol on WHITE WEDDING. Yet, another great suggestion from Robyn:
Our next song touched a nerve because it’s a saying that my daughter used to say to me when she started kindergarden, although in this case its about a sibling asserting himself. It’s They Might Be Giants with YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME NOW. We’ll follow with a great song from The Kinks: COME DANCING. It’s a fond tribute to Ray Davies’ older sister and the demise of the local dance hall. We followed with a little samba from Brazilian Jorge Benjor, TAKE IT EASY MY BROTHER CHARLES.
Bobby Hebb wrote SUNNY after President Kennedy was assassinated and his own brother was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub on the same day: November 22, 1963. Considering the circumstances its a beautifully optimistic piece of music.
Funnily enough, so is Bruce Springsteen’s HIGHWAY PATROLMAN. The song recounts how lawman Joe Roberts runs into his black-sheep brother, only to find that blood is thicker than water. I like the sentiment expressed in this one: “a man turns his back on his family, he just ain’t no good.” Johnny Cash also does a brilliant version of this track, but I rarely play Springsteen, so he got a run this week. We followed with a great piece of country, Steve Earle’s TELEPHONE ROAD.
Marvyn Gaye’s WHAT’S HAPPENING BROTHER is about Gaye’s brother who was serving in Vietnam at the time. The song is a precursor to WHAT’S GOING ON which was based on the same brothers letters. We followed with real life siblings, The Neville Brothers, and BROTHER JOHN.
It was good to be able to include something local: Sarah McGregor’s GOODNIGHT SISTERS is a gorgeous ode to her two sisters. And then it was the incredibly versatile group The Arcade Fire with NEIGHBORHOOD #2.
John Fogarty has said in interviews that Creedence Clearwater Revival’s HAVE YOU SEEN THE RAIN is about rising tensions within CCR and the imminent departure of his brother Tom from the band. See, and you thought it was about the Vietnam War didn’t you. Me too!
Lily Allen has a brother, not unlike my own, so her song ALFIE was dedicated to my younger brother who isn’t well at the moment. Keep smiling Pete.
Our final choice was a beautiful song, suggested by Des. It’s by Antony & The Johnsons with some help from Boy George. It’s called YOU ARE MY SISTER and I dedicated this one to my sister who celebrated her birthday on July 27.
Next week, its a subject that all of us in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales are familiar with: INSECTS AND SPIDERS. I’ll need some help on this one, so get in touch!
Here’s this week’s complete playlist:
We Are Family – The Full Monty Soundtrack, Sister Sledge
He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother -The Hollys
Don’t Cry Sister – JJ Cale & Eric Clapton
You and Your Sister – Blood, This Mortal Coil
Pass this On – Deep Cuts, The Knife
Little Sister – Rare Elvis, Vol. 3, Elvis Presley
Brother Can You Spare A Dime? – Brother, Can You Spare a Dime, Tom Waits
Lady Marmalade – Best of Patti Labelle, Patti Labelle
Dance Little Sister – Terence Trent Darby
Brickyard Road – Brickyard Road, Johnny Van Zant
Daniel – Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Just the Piano Player, Elton John
Spaceboy – Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins
White Wedding – Wedding Singer, Billy Idol
Boss Of Me – They Might Be Giants
Come dancing – The Kinks
Take It Easy My Brother Charles – Pure Brazil: Electric Samba Groove, Jorge Benjor
Sunny – Bobby Hebb
Highway Patrolman – Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen
Telephone Road – Steve Earle
What’s Happening Brother – What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
Brother John – The Very Best of the Neville Brothers, The Neville Brothers
Goodnight Sisters – Beautiful Thing, Sarah McGregor
Neighborhood #2 (Laika) – Funeral, The Arcade Fire
Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Alfie – Lily Allen
You Are My Sister (feat. Boy George) – I Am A Bird Now, Antony & The Johnsons
Next week: INSECTS & SPIDERS
Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM, Tuesdays 4-6pm, Sydney time
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Email me at: lyn.themeparkradio@gmail.com
SONGS WITH MEANINGLESS WORDS
Our playlist this week was dedicated to SONGS WITH MEANINGLESS WORDS. We’re talking Na-na-na songs, obla-di songs, even la-la-la songs. Because, let’s face it, without meaningless words we may have missed out on some of our favourite pop anthems.
So WHO PUT THE BOMP IN THE BOMP, BOMP, BOMP, BOMP, BOMP? Well the original was recorded by Barry Mann in 1961. It parodied the nonsense words of the doo-wop songs that were popular during that period. Two that he refers to are the Marcels’ BLUE MOON and The Edsels’ RAMA LAMA DING DONG, which had both charted earlier that same year.
Ella Fitzgerald’s HOW HIGH THE MOON is a great example of scat singing, where the vocals are improvised using random and nonsense syllables. Fitzgerald is generally considered 
to be one of the greatest scat singers in jazz history. Pioneering Jamaican DJ and singer, Sister Nancy, also incorporates some scat into her chat with BAM BAM. Don’t ask me, I have no idea what BAM BAM means. And I’m not sure what BOM BOM means either. That was the title of our very own Daddy Cool’s contribution to this week’s list.
Time then for a counterpoint to all the merriment. There aren’t too many performers who could turn a “sha la la la” song” into one of romantic longing, but Tom Waits does so briliantly in JERSEY GIRL. And yes, I know that Bruce Springsteen does a version of this too, but it’s got to be Tom’s original version for me.
Way back in the 50’s The Gladiolas recorded LITTLE DARLIN’ in which they used their voices as instruments (adding an extra layer to the already full-on percussion). Their main aim wasn’t to experiment, however. All they wanted to do was to get you up dancing. As did The Crystals in 1963 with DA DO RON RON.
Yes, songs with MEANINGLESS WORDS have served generations of American black music very well indeed. And today, it seems it’s still all about the moves, baby. You only have to check out Beyonce’s SINGLE LADIES and my point is proven.
What I love about a show on SONGS WITH MEANINGLESS WORDS is that it gives me a great opportunity to play some comedy. Spike Milligan claimed that he wrote the YING TONG SONG as a bet with his brother, who claimed that Spike couldn’t get a song into the hit parade that only had two chords (in this case G and D7th). And Spike won!
We followed with punk group The Dickies with their version of BANANA SPLITS (The Tra-La La Song), from the soundtrack to the film Kick Arse and to round out the set, another fruit related song with some meaningless words, the wonderful Little Richard with TUTTI FRUTTI. I’m not sure where or when this concert took place, but I wish I’d been there!
Is there anyone in the world that doesn’t know the refrain from HEY JUDE by The Beatles? Na, Na, Na, Na- Na- Na. I don’t think so. That one was for Judi who listens via the Internet from Far North Queensland and who has sent me a very nice email. So big shout out to Jude!
It’s true that you can’t help but sing along to SONGS WITH MEANINGLESS WORDS isn’t it? Even Mr. Grumpy himself, Van Morrison, can’t help but deliver a song that, ironically, has made a lot of people very happy over the years: BROWN EYED GIRL.
Donna Summer’s version of STATE OF INDEPENDENCE was released in 1982 and featured a choir that included Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Liggins, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and others. She’s always been known for her powerhouse vocal delivery and she’s one of the most successful recording artists of the 1970s. Her website states that she has sold more than 130 million records worldwide. One of today’s most fascinating artists is Lady Gaga and we played BAD ROMANCE from her Fame Monster album which also has a few meaningless words in it. As of April 16, 2010, her music videos gained over one billion viral views, becoming the first artist to reach this milestone. So she obviously doesn’t need any help from me so I’m going to get you to have a peek at Donna Summer instead!
Its been mooted that catchy songs are just that because they’re easy to sing along to. Meaningless words seem to help that process. Here’s another example for you: The J. Geils Band with CENTERFOLD. We played this one in our ‘Fashion’ show, but its such a good example of meaningless words in a song, it had to be included here too. Na, na, na, na, na,
A great triple play of classics followed: Reggae artist Barrington Levy with HERE I COME, the great Otis Redding with FA-FA-FA-FA-FA (SAD SONG) and Major Lance with UM, UM, UM, UM, UM. Another classic that wouldn’t be the same without its meaningless words is NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE from Steam. It may have been a bit of a one-hit wonder 
but its served sports fans very well, ever since it was recorded in 1969.
All girl Aussie band, The Spazzys, offered up SUNSHINE DRIVE, which first appeared on their Aloha Go Bananas! album. I found my copy on the soundtrack to the film Suburban Mayhem. Its easy to see that they’re influenced by The Ramones who had a song of their own called PINHEAD that produced their concert catch-cry “Gabba, Gabba, Hey!”. For some reason that I can’t fathom, I didn’t actually play this song but, as penance, here’s a clip to satisfy all you Ramones fans. Who said punk was dead?
Back to some Pommy classics: the Kinks with DAVID WATTS, the Beatles with OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA and Manfred Mann with DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY. How upbeat is this little ditty? Check it out:
Pocket rocket, Brenda Lee recorded a very catchy tune that uses meaningless words, DUM 
DUM. No idea what the words mean and I’m not sure that Sting and the Police have a clue what they’re singing about when they declare DE DO DO DO, DE DA DA DA.
Another couple of classic tunes with meaningless words came from The Drifters with I COUNT THE TEARS and the Delfonics with LA LA MEANS I LOVE YOU. Does that mean that if you go to local club La La Land you’ll find love? Hmmmmm, don’t think so somehow.
We signed off with a doozy: GOOD MORNING STARSHINE by Oliver. Impossible not to singalong to this one.
Next week’s show will be on SHELTER. I’m thinking of both interpretations of the word. It could be a building or it could be the protection or refuge you find in something or someone. So get those suggestions in and, yes of course, the Stones GIMME SHELTER is a given!
Here’s this week’s playlist:
Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) – #1 Hits of the ’50s Volume 4, Barry Mann
Rama Lama Ding Dong – The Rama Lama Ding Dong EP, The Edsels
Blue Moon – The Original 60’s Summer Album, The Marcels
How High The Moon – Confirmation, Ella Fitzgerald
Bam Bam – One Two, Sister Nancy
Bom Bom – The Essential Daddy Cool [Disc 1], Daddy Cool
Jersey Girl – Heartattack And Vine, Tom Waits
Little Darlin’ – Rock n’ Roll Boogie Hits Of ’57, The Gladiolas
Da Do Ron Ron (Re-Recorded / Remastered) – – Soundtrack To The ’60s (Re-Recorded / Remastered, The Crystals
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) – Beyoncé
Ying Tong Song – Let’s All Sing Along With The Goons, The Goons
Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song) – Dickies
Tutti Frutti – Little Richard, Little Richard
Hey Jude – The Beatles
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Bad Romance (Album Version) – Lady Gaga
State of independence – Donna Summer, Donna Summer
Centerfold – Best Of The J Geils Band, The J Geils Band
Here I Come – Here I Come, Barrington Levy
Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) – Otis Redding
Um Um Um Um Um – Soul Masters: Um Um Um Um Um, Major Lance
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye – ’60s: Gold, Steam
Heebie Jeebies – A Portrait Of New Orleans Jazz CD1, Louis Armstrong
The Sunshine Drive – Suburban Mayhem Soundtrack, The Spazzys
Do Wah Diddy Diddy – The British Invasion: History of British Rock, Vol. 2, Manfred Mann
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles (White Album) [Disc 1], The Beatles
David Watts – Greatest Hits, The Kinks
Dum Dum – Sweet Nothin’s, Brenda Lee
de do do do, de da da da – The Very Best, Sting & The Police
I Count The Tears – Greatest Hits, The Drifters
La La Means I Love You – The Legend of The Delfonics, The Delfonics
Good Morning Starshine – Billboard Top 100 Of 1969, Oliver
Next week: SHELTER
Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM, Tuesdays 4-6pm, Sydney time
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MEMORY
Memories can haunt us, no matter how much we want to escape them. There are false memories, conflicting memories of the same event and memories that clash with the reality of the present. Thanks to mass media, memory isn’t something that only belongs to us as individuals. When we see scenes at the 
cinema or television or on DVDs over and over again, they become part of our collective memory. Even if you’ve never seen the film King Kong you know that there’s a scene where a big gorilla climbs up the Empire State Building with a human girl in his hand. And whenever a comedy show or film features a scene where someone is killed or threatened in a shower most people understand it’s a parody of Psycho. So mass media, film and television in particular, have contributed hugely to a memory that we share with millions of other people.
Unfortunately, we remember melancholy and pleasure in equal measure. The concept of looking back in hindsight is also a bit complicated. It’s easy to write off youthful idealism as simply being naïve as Stevie Wonder did in our opening number YESTERME, YESTERYOU, YESTERDAY. According to Stevie it was all “a cruel and foolish game we used to play”. Well that’s how he remembers it anyway.
And talking of cruel, I can’t imagine anything worse than getting Alzheimer’s disease and Elvis Costello’s song VERONICA is all about that. It tells the story of an old lady who lives in a nursing home and is gradually losing her memory. It was inspired by Costello’s grandmother.
The Ramones want to know DO YOU REMEMBER ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RADIO? Has it ever gone away?
Collecting objects that remind us of old times should bring back good memories, but that’s not always the case as Soft Cell tell it in MEMORABILIA. Sarah Vaughan would rather experience something that didn’t work out than never do anything at all in I’D RATHER HAVE A MEMORY THAN A DREAM. The real classic of this triple play, however, was the Shangri-Las with their ode to a lost love affair: REMEMBER (WALKIN IN THE SAND). Here’s a great clip from the excellent “Songmakers Collection” DVD, with interviews with Mary Weiss and writer producer George ‘Shadow’ Morton about this track and their other hit, LEADER OF THE PACK.
Jurassic 5 dug deep into their memory banks for REMEMBER HIS NAME. As did Fall Out Boy for THNKS FR TH MMRS . The Zutons, REMEMBER ME is about those kind of friends who seem to forget you once they are entrenched in a romantic relationship. Don’t you just hate that!
THOSE WERE THE DAYS is from Cream’s 1968 album Wheels of Fire. The album cover was designed by Australian artist Martin Sharpe and it won the the New York Art Directors Prize for best album cover in 1969. The sound on the album was characterised by a hybrid of blues, hard rock and psychdelic rock, combined with Eric Clapton’s blues guitar, Ginger Baker’s jazz-influenced drumming and the basslines and voice of Jack Bruce.
One of the most beautiful voices I’ve heard belongs to Sarah McLachlan. And one of my favourite songs of hers is one that I first heard on the soundtrack to the film The Brothers McMullen. It’s called I WILL REMEMBER YOU.
Otis Redding’s name is synonymous with the term ‘soul’ and we had to include his classic with I’VE GOT DREAMS TO REMEMBER. Redding died at the very early age of 26 but his memory is kept alive with the Youth Educational Dream Foundation and a very good website. Go to: http://www.otisredding.com/
British group Bloc Party look back regretfully on an opportunity for love that wasn’t realised in I STILL REMEMBER:
The Kinks wonder what ever happened to their childhood friend in DO YOU REMEMBER WALTER? It’s from their album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.
The Supremes reflected on the good and bad memories of a love that used to be in REFLECTIONS while Jimi Hendrix had only good memories of a past love, (he even wants her back!), in REMEMBER.
Relationships that survive depend partly on shared memories, but those memories need constant topping up. Indie rockers, Yo La Tengo document this well in OUR WAY TO FALL.
There was a fair bit of nostalgia in this week’s show, (well what did you expect?) and one of my faves was The Platters with REMEMBER WHEN. Also fitting the bill was Elvis Presley who seems somewhat confused in I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET.
Memories, daydreams, disconnected thoughts – they fill our minds in a never-ending rush. Our next song, THE WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND, evoked this beautifully, conveying the incredible weirdness of our thought processes. If you’re after nostalgia then what about Noel Harrison with the original version of the song that served the film The Thomas Crown Affair so well.
Ok back to recent memories. Jack Johnson wonders DO YOU REMEMBER? and P.M. Dawn are SET ADRIFT ON A MEMORY. Thanks to Lynden for suggesting that one and several others on our list today.
One of my favourite films deals with amnesia. Memento, starring Guy Pearce, and directed by Christopher Nolan, is a fascinating story about someone who can’t store new memories. A song about about the subject is I DON’T REMEMBER by Peter Gabriel.
Bob Dylan’s memory song is a love ballad from the Empire Burlesque album: I’LL REMEMBER YOU. And if its nostalgia that you’re after, consider MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS from Dean Martin. An oldie but a goodie, as they say.
I’ll never forget Michael Jackson with REMEMBER THE TIME from the Dangerous album. Another sad memory for me is Freddy Mercury singing THOSE WERE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES which many think was the song he dedicated to his fellow Queen members when he knew that he was dying.
Back to the 70’s and some Aussie based punk rock: remember The Saints and MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS?
We closed the show with a cover of a song that I swore I wouldn’t play this week, but this version is so sweet it had to make the cut: The Waifs with a little help from Clare Bowditch. They’re singing Frank Ifields I REMEMBER YOU.
This week’s theme on MEMORY segues nicely into next week’s topic. My computer crashed last week and I had to invest in a drive with a lot more memory to cope with all the songs that I collect for these shows. So next week its MACHINES, ROBOTS AND COMPUTERS. No Television or Radio songs please because you know they are a whole theme to themselves. and no modes of transport, for the same reason. But any other gadget or gizmo is up for grabs.
Here’s this week’s complete playlist. All songs available on iTunes.
Yesterme Yesteryou Yesterday – Stevie Wonder
Veronica – Elvis Costello
Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio – The Ramones
Memorabilia – Soft Cell
I’d Rather Have a Memory Than a Dream – Sarah Vaughan
Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand) – The Shangri-Las
Remember his name – Jurassic 5
Thnks fr th Mmrs – Fall Out Boy
Remember Me – The Zutons
Those Were The Days – Cream
I Will Remember You – Sarah Mclachlan
I’ve Got Dreams To Remember – Otis Redding
I Still Remember – Bloc Party
Do You Remember Walter – The Kinks
Reflections – Diana Ross & the Supremes
Remember – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Our Way to Fall – Yo La Tengo
Remember When – The Platters
I Forgot to Remember to Forget – Elvis Presley
Do You Remember – Jack Johnson
The Windmills Of Your Mind – Noel Harrison
Set Adrift On Memory Bliss – P.M. Dawn
I Don’t Remember – Peter Gabriel
I’ll Remember You – Bob Dylan
Memories Are Made Of This – Dean Martin
Remember The Time – Michael Jackson
Memories Are Made of This – The Saints
Those Were The Days Of Our Lives – Queen
Remember You (feat. Clare Bowditch) – The Waifs
Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM, Tuesdays 2-4pm, Sydney time
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HOLIDAYS
I’m extremely lucky because I live in an area where other people come to for their holidays. Here in Byron Bay, we’ve got it all – great all-year round weather, fabulous beaches, rainforest, great little hinterland villages. So where do I go on my holidays? To the city of course! I’m having a couple of weeks off to drive down the coast, visit friends and catch up with family. So I thought it appropriate that this week’s show featured a playlist of songs about holidays. And what better than to open the show with a Bing Crosby classic, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, the Beef Wellington Remix. Here’s a great clip with the scene from the 1942 film Holiday Inn, starring Crosby and Fred Astaire. Yes, I know it’s about Christmas but, hey wasn’t that just a minute ago? And besides, not only do you get to hear the song, you get to see Fred dance. How good is that!
For me holidays are more about changing your routine and catching up with people I love, more than, say, hanging poolside with masseur and daquiri at the ready. Nothing wrong with that of course. In fact the tropical island style of holiday appeals to many of the songwriters in this week’s show. A couple of examples: Typically Tropical with BARBADOS and 10cc with DREADLOCK HOLIDAY. Here’s 10CC:
Earth,Wind & Fire supplied a fine piece of R&B with GETAWAY and then it was Fiddlers Dram’s DAY TRIP TO BANGOR proving that even a short break constitutes a holiday in my books.
Next it was a classic – Connie Francis with VACATION – and then Lindsey Buckingham gave us HOLIDAY ROAD from the film National Lampoon’s Vacation.
Subway followed with the track HOLIDAY from their 2005 album Young For Eternity and then another perfect holiday song: LET’S GET AWAY FOR A WHILE from The Beach Boys.
In HOLIDAY, by the Happy Mondays, singer Shaun William Ryder is not a happy chappie. Doesn’t look like he’s going to get to his holiday destination if it’s up to the Customs officials. “I smell dope, I smell dope, I smell dope”. Careful folks.
The Go-Go’s bring things back to a less serious issue, holiday romance, in their 1982 hit, VACATION.
The Kinks had to face the culture shock of being English and taking a HOLIDAY IN WAIKIKI. The song is from their 1966 album ‘Face to Face’. Unfortunately couldn’t locate a decent clip of this track but here’s a cutie, also written by Ray Davies, HOLIDAY 1972:
I love Sky Edwards voice on the Morcheeba track THE SEA. So calming. Is it any wonder that the seaside is the number one holiday destination?
For those of us who live near the ocean, we need to look for something entirely different if the saying “a change is as good as a holiday” is going to ring true. The Gibson Brothers contributed a catchy piece of Latin Disco about a place I’ve always wanted to go to: CUBA. Here’s a rare video clip of the Gibsons from 1979:
Simple Plan are so keen to get a girl our of their life, they’ll even buy her the ticket so she can go on a long VACATION. A one way ticket out of their life. I should have included this one in my Unrequited Love show, obviously. Its from the movie NEW YORK MINUTE, but I probably didn’t need to mention that, as the band were the best thing in it.
Then it was another tale about holiday romance, except that this time it looks like it was all in Mike Skinner’s imagination. The song, FIT BUT YOU KNOW IT, from Mike’s alter-ego The Streets, tells a tale that could take place in any holiday town on a Friday night:
There was no way I was going to omit Madonna’s first hit single from 1983, HOLIDAY. While I’m not a mad fan, I do think the 80’s were her best period and this song shows her at her peak. Here she is performing during the Virgin Tour.
Weezer claimed that an ISLAND IN THE SUN is their ideal getaway. Then it was Scouting for Girls, with a song that all us workers will relate to: I NEED A HOLIDAY.
Canned Heat don’t need any tropical holiday. They’re perfectly happy GOING UP THE COUNTRY. The unofficial anthem of the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969, this one was requested by Judi, listening way up in Cairns, Northern Queensland – another great holiday destination and ironically the most tropical you can get here on the East Coast of Australia. Here’s a clip from the Woodstock film, as backdrop to Canned Heat’s iconic piece of music.
Another request: this time it’s from from Jack, who loves his Aerosmith. The song was PERMANENT VACATION. And then it was the most politically motivated song on our list, The Dead Kennedys with HOLIDAY IN CAMBODIA.
After that assault on the senses, it was time to bring it down a notch. And what better way than with the wistful pop sound of Belle & Sebastian with PIAZZA, NEW YORK CATCHER. Meanwhile, Blur were following the herd on holiday from London to Greece in GIRLS AND BOYS and the Stranglers were sounding very pervy indeed in PEACHES.
Another change of pace and tone with Natalie Merchant, of 10,000 Maniacs, with a beautiful track about holiday memories, VERDI CRIES. Here she is performing on the Jonathan Ross show:
Squeeze are PULLING MUSSELS (from the shell). Like you do on holidays. The Radiators want to go on a SUMMER HOLIDAY. Ok, so we’re already into Autumn, here in the Southern Hemisphere, but it doesn’t matter what season it is, holidays are a good thing.
My idea of a great holiday is a road trip and that’s what I’ll be doing over the next couple of weeks. Driving down the coast and catching up with family and friends. My next track by The Cardigans tapped into my love of nostalgia. It’s a song that should bring back memories to all of us who, as kids, piled into DADDY’S CAR for that annual holiday trek.
We closed the show with a great song. You can’t go on a road trip without this on your compilation CD: Willy Nelson with ON THE ROAD AGAIN.
See you in a couple of weeks, when hopefully I’ll be inspired by all that driving because the theme will be ROADS AND STREETS. In the meantime, the show will continue same time, same space with Des in the chair. Next week, to celebrate International Women’s Day, he’ll be compiling a playlist dedicated to “all things feminine”. Ooh, that should be interesting. Make sure you listen in.
Here’s this week’s Holiday playlist:
COOL YULE
‘Tis the season to be jolly, so I did my best with a very funky Christmas show this week with lots of appropriate music and giveaways for our listeners.
Bette Midler opened the show with COOL YULE and that set the mood for what followed. I never thought I would see the day that Bob Dylan recorded a Christmas album, and isn’t he collecting some flak for doing so? But I, for one, happen to love the album Christmas in the Heart and appreciate the guts it took to release it. We played a couple of songs from the album. First up it was MUST BE SANTA. Check out the clip. Gotta love a guy with a sense of humour!
Now if you’re talking cool, there is no cooler, in my opinion, than ‘Keef’ Richards. My favourite Rolling Stone gave us RUN RUDOLPH RUN and then it was Patsy Raye & The Beatniks with BEATNIK’S WISH. All Patsy wants for Christmas is a man. Tall order Pats, especially here in Byron Bay!
I’ve got a question for you. Who’s feeling a bit grumpy this Xmas? Go on hands up… Well if you’re feeling a little down in the dumps, the perfect song for you is the Staple Singers with WHO TOOK THE MERRY OUT OF XMAS? Another for you mopers is Charles Brown and PLEASE COME HOME FOR XMAS. What you all need is the optimism of Darlene Love’s ALL ALONE ON CHRISTMAS. Lifted from the soundtrack to the film Home Alone, the famous sound of the legendary E Street Band and Love’s voice make being alone at Christmas almost OK. Check out the video if you don’t believe me:
Next up in our Cool Yule show was Bob Seger and The Last Heard with SOCK IT TO ME SANTA. And then it was The Kinks with FATHER CHRISTMAS and The Ramones with MERRY CHRISTMAS (I DON’T WANT TO FIGHT TONIGHT). Whew, that was a rockin’ set of Chrissie tunes. The three tracks came from a compilation album called Christmas A Go-Go, put together by Steven Van Zandt who also goes by the name Little Steven. As well as playing in Bruce Springsteen’s band and acting in the hit series The Sopranos, he also hosts an American radio program called the Underground Garage . Check out the website where you can listen to archived programs.
Tina Sugandh is also known as TablaGirl. Originally from India, now resident in the US, I love her version of WHITE CHRISTMAS with its Bollywood undertones. We followed with an oldie but a goodie, by Little Esther Phillips and the Johnny Otis Orchestra, FAR AWAY CHRISTMAS BLUES.
I had to include the 80’s New Wave group the Waitresses in the show because they recorded a song about something I really do loath: CHRISTMAS WRAPPIING. Yeah, yeah, bah humbug.
Something most of us have to be careful about over the holiday period is drinking and driving. A great song that deals with the repercussions of doing so is The Youngsters with CHRISTMAS IN JAIL from an album entitled Doo Wop Christmas. It wasn’t as serious as it sounds, honestly. And neither was the very funny version of JINGLE BELLS from the 
Electric Prunes, another great track from Little Stevie’s Christmas A Go-G0 album.
Rufus Thomas makes this rather scary offer: I’LL BE YOUR SANTA. And then it was time for a little Latin in our Christmas show. First up, The Enchanters with MAMBO SANTA MAMBO and the wonderful Celia Cruz with some salsa, FIESTA DE NAVIDAD.
A complete change of tone followed: Clarence Carter with the brilliantly bawdy BACK DOOR SANTA. This Santa makes all the girls happy while the boys are out to play. Naughty Santa.
Roy Woods was one of the founding members of Electric Light Orchestra and left to form Wizzard. Their song I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY was a huge hit for them. Check out the video, with lead singer Mike Morley looking rather like Kris Kringle himself:
The great James Brown injected a little politics into the show with SANTA CLAUSE GO STRAIGHT TO THE GHETTO and then it was the extremely excited Jamaican DJ King Stitt with a little reggae. The song was CHRISTMAS TREE.
For all the cynics listening I had to include I DON’T BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS from the Sonics. And I’m sure all the rodders would have appreciated SANTA DRIVES A HOT ROD from The Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Were any of you born on Xmas Day? My birthday is in January and that’s bad enough, but I’ve always felt sorry for people born on Xmas Day itself. Like here’s your Christmas and your birthday present. Gee thanks. But at least you don’t get everyone’s Xmas rejects as birthday presents as I do in January. Yeah, yeah, cry me a river. For all of you born on Xmas Day, we played I WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS DAY from St. Etienne. It’s a nice piece of disco-pop, although I do worry about a band that named itself after a footie team.
The Cocktail Slippers, an all girl band from Norway, have been called “The 60’s Shangri Las meet the 70s Stooges meet the 80s Go Gos”. Loved their Christmas song, SANTA’S COMING HOME. I also don’t mind the occasional tribute band as long as they do it well. The Chesterfield Kings heavily mine The Rolling Stones for their garage sound and they do a great job with HEY SANTA CLAUSE.
Here’s the delicious Eartha Kitt, with the help of three ‘friends’ singing her hit of 1953 SANTA BABY. Hilarious.
We closed the show with the amazing Darlene Love with CHRISTMAS, (Baby, Please Come Home). The clip is from the David Letterman show of a couple of years ago. What a voice. Merry Xmas everyone!
Here’s this week’s playlist:
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