30 Day Song Challenge

My friend Susan has been posting links on her FB page daily called the “30 Day Song Challenge.” The problem is she does it one day at a time. I have no patience and then thought “why not blog it?” It’s not like a whole lot of people read this thing anyway, but I want to go through the exercise all in one slug. So here is my list. If I do this another day, it might change, so you might say it’s like Colorado weather – if you don’t like it, wait ten minutes – it’ll change.

Day 01 - your favorite song – Help! by The Beatles. That hasn't changed since 1965. One of the first songs I remember - I got it from my Beatlemaniac sister. Help!

Day 02 - your least favorite song – this might be the toughest question of all of these because I loathe and despise so many songs, especially if they’re rap.

Day 03 - a song that makes you happy - I just happen to have two such songs. I often play them back-to-back. They’re both from the Allman Brothers Band. The first is Blue Sky; the second is Jessica. Both songs together make for one long happy vibe. Blue Sky Jessica

Day 04 - a song that makes you sad – John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy). What makes me sad about this song is that whenever I hear it, I can’t help but think of a man who had all the hopes of seeing his young son grow up, only to have it all taken away in one tragic instant. Another song that evokes feelings of sadness is King Crimson’s Epitaph. It has that Mellotron sound that Pete Townshend once described as “a siren wailing in a canyon.” Ian McDonald’s woodwind work, Greg Lake’s impeccable singing, Robert Fripp’s acoustic accompaniment all makes for compelling listening. Beautiful Boy [Darling Boy] Epitaph

Day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone – Warren Zevon's Keep Me In Your Heart reminds me of my late brother-in-law, Roger Warr. This song kept playing through my head while I attended his funeral. It reminds me of my nieces, Mikayla and Auburn Warr, Roger's daughters, whom I know keep their dad in their hearts. Keep Me In Your Heart

Day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere – It Doesn’t Matter by Stephen Stills & Manassas. This song reminds me of Fort Collins, Colorado. While Carol and I were still dating, she had to move back home to Fort Collins. I got to see her one weekend every month. On one of those trips to see her I was introduced to Finest Records, a great record store that sadly is no longer with us. I found a copy of a Stephen Stills “greatest hits” album, and this song was on it. When I got it back to Carol’s apartment I heard this song for the very first time. Every time I’ve heard it since I think of those great weekends in Fort Collins with Carol. It Doesn't Matter

Day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event – Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd. While we were at the hospital awaiting the birth of my first son Greg, the Langley AFB hospital allowed us to bring a boom box into the delivery room. Carol had two requests – Pink Floyd and the Allman Brothers. As fate would have it, during the last push Pink Floyd was on the box. At the very instant Greg was completely out, we heard the words “welcome my son, welcome to the machine.” Welcome to the Machine

Day 08 - a song that you know all the words to – LA Woman by The Doors. Jim Morrison said more about the City of the Angels in one eight-minute song than Don Henley could on the entirety of the Hotel California album. I and a bunch of other drunks sang the whole damn thing to Carol in a bar in Pueblo called “The Rose.” She was highly amused. LA Woman

Day 09 - a song that you can dance to – this one is tough since I’m a white guy with no rhythm and can’t dance to save my life. I'm like the Elaine Benis "full body dry heave." But in going back to my college days, I knew a guy named Pete Scalia who would go crazy whenever he heard Kenny Loggins’ Footloose, so I’ll go with that one. Footloose

Day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep – Carol and I used to sing our boys to sleep. It didn’t matter what the song was because we were so bad they would fall asleep in self-defense. I don’t usually listen to music to make me fall asleep, but when I did, the song that usually did the trick was New Horizons from the Moody Blues’ Seventh Sojourn album. Not because it’s a boring song, but because it was very relaxing. Lost in a Lost World and For My Lady, both also from Seventh Sojourn, had the same effect. Great music. New Horizons Lost in a Lost World For My Lady

Day 11 - a song from your favorite band – Nobody Knows from An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band – First Set. The studio version is from Shades of Two Worlds. I like this one better. It’s about six minutes longer, with Dickey Betts playing probably the best and longest solo I’ve ever heard him play. This one would not be out of place on At Fillmore East.

Day 12 - a song from a band you hate – Unskinny Bop from Poison. Tell me again why these posers ever got a recording contract. Quiet Riot’s cover of Slade’s Cum On Feel the Noize is also especially loathsome. I saw those guys open for the Scorpions in 1983. I couldn’t stand them then, and I can’t stand them now. Unskinny Bop Cum on Feel the Noize

Day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure – Abacab from Genesis. I Missed Again by Phil Collins also fits this category. Hell, almost anything from Phil Collins’ first three solo albums [Face Value, Hello, I Must Be Going, and No Jacket Required] fits this description, but definitely NOT Sussudio!!! Abacab I Missed Again

Day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love – The Beach Boys Wouldn’t It Be Nice. This is the lead-off track from Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson’s love letter to his girlfriend about getting married. Brian always sounded great when he sang lead. Wouldn't It Be Nice

Day 15 - a song that describes you – I Am the Walrus from the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. A strange song for a strange guy – yup, the Walrus was me. I Am the Walrus

Day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate – Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Radio ruined this song, and when EC plays it live he plays it too slow. I can honestly say I can go the rest of my life without hearing it again. Layla is the same way. Way, way, WAY too overplayed. Wonderful Tonight

Day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio – I don’t usually listen to the radio because formats are so restricted these days. Disc jockeys are not allowed to play anything they want anymore, so I don’t listen. But when I did, a song I heard on the radio often was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama.

Day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio – given the sad state of radio today, this would be a very long list. But if I have to pick one, I’ll pick John Entwistle’s I Wonder from Whistle Rhymes, his second solo album. It’s so obscure that if I heard it on the radio I’d probably drive the car into a ditch or something. “I’m so glad that sharks can’t fly…” I Wonder

Day 19 - a song from your favorite album – I Want You [She’s So Heavy] from the Beatles’ Abbey Road. I Want You [She's So Heavy]

Day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry – Not Now John from Pink Floyd. The first line of the song pretty much says it all – “Fuck all that we’ve gotta get on with these!” Not Now John

Day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy – Deep Purple’s Highway Star, the Made In Japan version. Highway Star [from 15 Aug 72 - the 16 Aug 72 version was blocked]

Day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad – Pete Townshend’s Empty Glass. At a time in my life a long time ago, two stanzas from this song pretty much summed up my mood – My life’s a mess I wait for you to pass/ I stand here at the bar I hold an empty glass… and Don’t worry, smile and dance, you just can’t work life out/Don’t let down moods entranse you – take the wine and shout! Empty Glass [cover version that's pretty good]

Day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding – Since I got married at a courthouse we couldn't really play any music. Had I done the traditional wedding thing, I would have chosen A Whiter Shade of Pale from Procol Harum. That's our song to this day. A Whiter Shade of Pale

Day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral – I won’t be actually playing anything at my funeral myself because I’ll be dead. I'm not even planning on having a funeral. Just burn me and scatter me somewhere. But if someone actually wants to have a funeral and play something for me, see Day 5 above.

Day 25 - a song that makes you laugh – AC/DC’s Big Balls. This song is Bon Scott at his most witty. If you’re not expecting it, this song will have you in stitches. Big Balls

Day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument – Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. I learned it mostly on a six-string guitar, but when I got a twelve-string THAT was the secret. Duane Allman’s Little Martha also fits this category. Be sure to tune your guitar to open E – otherwise you’ll become an alcoholic trying to learn it. Wish You Were Here Little Martha

Day 27 - a song that you wish you could play – A Fool for Your Stockings from ZZ Top’s Degüello. This is ZZ Top at their most bluesy. I’d be happy if I could play anything Billy Gibbons recorded [and sound like him, too]. A Fool for Your Stockings

Day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty – I don’t have one of those, so I’ll choose George Harrison’s Not Guilty. It was a song that was recorded for the White Album but didn’t make it. George revived it and cut it for his eponymous album that came out in 1979. Not Guilty

Day 29 - a song from your childhood – a really crappy song called The Night Chicago Died. It’s a really obnoxious song from a band called Paperlace. There is a level of Hell reserved just for them… The Night Chicago Died

Day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year – Bob Dylan’s High Water [For Charley Patton] from “Love and Theft”. High Water [For Charley Patton]

There you have it. Thank you Susan for inspiring me to write this. I’m always looking for good musical blog material.