Songs I Didn't Skip

***I have dumped this into a Spotify playlist so if you're inclined, you can listen there in order. However there are a few tracks that are not on the service. *** Spotify Link

I've had more time lately to listen to music as I am walking/exercising my dog. My usual practice is to play the bulk of my music library on shuffle mode and skip the songs I don't want to hear. Yes, I am aware of this amazing invention known as the Playlist, but I am kind of lazy and this way allows me to catch songs I might not have actively chosen to include. 

On one of our more recent subzero nights out in the backyard, I started to wonder what made me stop on a particular song? Since I never tire of blathering on about my movie/TV/music preferences, I thought it would be fun to write some notes, song by song. 

This first entry will be longer but if I don't hate the entire exercise, I'll update the list. I've been more in a frame of mind to stop on songs that are not necessarily "classics" but have something that catches my attention. The random songs are coming from my iTunes library set to exclude Classical, Soundtrack, and Jazz genres. This is ca. 11,000 tracks. At the times I am listening, I don't want to have to concentrate on anything beyond the various forms of pop music. AND, since I am an old person who rarely listens to anything very new, a lot of this stuff is going to seem pretty stale. It seems all too appropriate to write about this on an old time blog.  Here We Go.

"Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest (1972)

I started this out with a one-hit wonder and this is one of the greats. Sure, the lyrics aren't exactly Dylan but it's a fun, catchy little tune with great/silly lines like, "Everybody here is out of sight / They don't bark and they don't bite". I also love the electric piano line that plays over the start of the track. 

"Walk The Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was) (1989)

I'm on a roll with the goofy songs and this one really fits. However, there's a great groove behind the silly lyrics. I also once heard this tune done live with at least one of the track's original singers, Sweet Pea Atkinson and Lyle Lovett's backing band at a Lovett show. I'd love to hear a recording of that version as it just killed (Lee Sklar on bass!). 

"She's Hot To Go" by Lyle Lovett (1987)

By random luck, this one soon came up in rotation soon after. This is probably one of the lesser tracks from Lovett's fantastic album, "Pontiac" but beyond the impeccable musicianship that permeates Lovett's recordings, the humor often stands out. Example:  

She looked so fine to me

But when I stepped around her man

My eyes could plainly see

She was ugly from the front

She was ugly from the front

She was ugly from the front

And I said ugly-ugly-ugly-ugly-ugly

Well I could handle it behind her

And I like it on the side

But don't make me look around her man 'cause she's

Ugly-ugly-ugly-ugly-ugly

She was ugly from the front

She was ugly from the front

She was ugly from the front

(the song stops and this is spoken)

And I said this girl was so ugly

(and one of the backup singers says)

Well you're ugly too.

"Everything I Own" by Bread (1972)

If this band was an actual type of bread, what would it be? Not Wonder Bread but perhaps "Soft Honey Wheat". This is a really good, if sad, song which was written about the loss of a parent. It's great and wears its 1972 sound on its sleeve. 

"Silver Rider" by Band of Joy (2010)

Whoa, I stopped on a track less than 20 years old! This Robert Plant project is actually a great listen and I really like how this track just smolders.