like it says on the tin
Welcome to this year's Earworm review. Usual disclaimer follows:
This is a list of the songs that took over my head in 2008, presented in no particular order whatsoever. It is not a representative list of everything I listened to, or even of the CDs brought into this house in the past year. It is not a list of the best songs on the CDs in question. It is simply a list of songs that burrowed into my brain and wouldn't come out for weeks at a time.
Jonathan Coulton, "Code Monkey"
"Code Monkey get up, get coffee / Code Monkey go to job" If you work--and that's not guaranteed to be true these days--you have no excuse for NOT having this song stuck in your head occasionally.
Hayward Williams covering Sam Cooke, "Bring it on home to me"
"If you ever change your mind / 'bout leavin', leavin' me behind" Done as the encore at a Cafe Carpe show, this is one I want Hayward to include on an album sometime soon.
Peter Mulvey, "Kids in the Square"
"that has got no this / and this has got no that / the emperor has got no clothes" Yep still here a year later. And Peter's next album of new material isn't due out until fall...
Jeffrey Foucault covering Billy Bragg, "Between the wars"
"And I'll give my consent / to any government / that dares not deny a man a living wage" In the same way that heresluck prefers other people covering Dylan, I prefer other people covering Billy Bragg.
Los Lobos, "Two Janes" (Kiko)
"Too many angels with brand new silken wings / too many cries for love but no one hears a thing" Peter Mulvey covers this on Ten Thousand Mornings and highly recommends the original album. I finally got a copy and...stuck.
Lyle Lovett, "If I had a boat" (Pontiac)
"The mystery masked man was smart / He got himself a Tonto / 'Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free / But Tonto he was smarter / And one day said kemo sabe / Kiss my ass I bought a boat / I'm going out to sea"
The Who, "Babba O'Reilly" (Who's Next)
"Put out the fire / Don't look past my shoulder" This is my officemate's fault. He was talking about getting tickets to see Blue Man Group which lead to their cover of this song and from there to the original.
Townes Van Zandt covering the Rolling Stones, "Dead Flowers" (Roadsongs)
"Take me down, little Susie, take me down / I know you think you're the queen of the underground." I'd like Redbird to cover this one sometime, but until then I'll have to make do with Van Zandt's mournful, stripped down version.
Hayward Williams & Jeffrey Foucault, "Copper Kettle" (trad.)
"My daddy he made whiskey / my grandaddy he did too / we ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792"
Still available for download on Jeff's web page. Click the link already!
Jeffrey Foucault covering John Prine, "Storm Windows" (Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes)
"I can hear the wheels of automobiles / so far away, moving along through the drifting snow" Jeff's full album of John Prine covers was just released...we got our copy in the mail today. This song has been available off his website for a few months. Once again, I urge you to make with the clicking.
Nena, "99 Red Balloons"
"The war machine springs to life / Opens up one eager eye / focusing it on the sky / as 99 red balloons go by." For me, a blast from the past; for some in my office, a new experience. Here, go listen to this fun cover version with harmonica!
Clutch, "Electric Worry" (From Beale Street to Oblivion)
"Well you made me weep / and you made me moan / you caused me to leave, child / my happy home" Something else that's my officemate's fault. Best hard rock album I've heard in a long time, though.
This is a list of the songs that took over my head in 2008, presented in no particular order whatsoever. It is not a representative list of everything I listened to, or even of the CDs brought into this house in the past year. It is not a list of the best songs on the CDs in question. It is simply a list of songs that burrowed into my brain and wouldn't come out for weeks at a time.
Jonathan Coulton, "Code Monkey"
"Code Monkey get up, get coffee / Code Monkey go to job" If you work--and that's not guaranteed to be true these days--you have no excuse for NOT having this song stuck in your head occasionally.
Hayward Williams covering Sam Cooke, "Bring it on home to me"
"If you ever change your mind / 'bout leavin', leavin' me behind" Done as the encore at a Cafe Carpe show, this is one I want Hayward to include on an album sometime soon.
Peter Mulvey, "Kids in the Square"
"that has got no this / and this has got no that / the emperor has got no clothes" Yep still here a year later. And Peter's next album of new material isn't due out until fall...
Jeffrey Foucault covering Billy Bragg, "Between the wars"
"And I'll give my consent / to any government / that dares not deny a man a living wage" In the same way that heresluck prefers other people covering Dylan, I prefer other people covering Billy Bragg.
Los Lobos, "Two Janes" (Kiko)
"Too many angels with brand new silken wings / too many cries for love but no one hears a thing" Peter Mulvey covers this on Ten Thousand Mornings and highly recommends the original album. I finally got a copy and...stuck.
Lyle Lovett, "If I had a boat" (Pontiac)
"The mystery masked man was smart / He got himself a Tonto / 'Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free / But Tonto he was smarter / And one day said kemo sabe / Kiss my ass I bought a boat / I'm going out to sea"
The Who, "Babba O'Reilly" (Who's Next)
"Put out the fire / Don't look past my shoulder" This is my officemate's fault. He was talking about getting tickets to see Blue Man Group which lead to their cover of this song and from there to the original.
Townes Van Zandt covering the Rolling Stones, "Dead Flowers" (Roadsongs)
"Take me down, little Susie, take me down / I know you think you're the queen of the underground." I'd like Redbird to cover this one sometime, but until then I'll have to make do with Van Zandt's mournful, stripped down version.
Hayward Williams & Jeffrey Foucault, "Copper Kettle" (trad.)
"My daddy he made whiskey / my grandaddy he did too / we ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792"
Still available for download on Jeff's web page. Click the link already!
Jeffrey Foucault covering John Prine, "Storm Windows" (Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes)
"I can hear the wheels of automobiles / so far away, moving along through the drifting snow" Jeff's full album of John Prine covers was just released...we got our copy in the mail today. This song has been available off his website for a few months. Once again, I urge you to make with the clicking.
Nena, "99 Red Balloons"
"The war machine springs to life / Opens up one eager eye / focusing it on the sky / as 99 red balloons go by." For me, a blast from the past; for some in my office, a new experience. Here, go listen to this fun cover version with harmonica!
Clutch, "Electric Worry" (From Beale Street to Oblivion)
"Well you made me weep / and you made me moan / you caused me to leave, child / my happy home" Something else that's my officemate's fault. Best hard rock album I've heard in a long time, though.