Date: Nov 30, 1968
Weeks: 2
I'm not sure how to feel about this song. For one thing, it's starting to sound like the 70s, with the minor chords and backing string section, yet the guitar part still sounds very 60s. You can almost hear one decade awkwardly transitioning to the next. I like the guitar and the backing vocals, because they still have that 60s sound that I associate with the Supremes. The 70s string sound is much less compelling.
The next awkward thing is the subject matter of the lyrics. The singer is telling a man that she doesn't want to sleep with him because she doesn't to conceive a child out of wedlock. And the reason she gives is that she was herself a child born out of wedlock, and her life was pretty miserable growing up. I've never felt quite so out of touch with dated lyrics as this. I feel like there are better arguments to me made for not having sex if you're not ready. But I realize that 1968 is before the widespread availability of birth control, the safe-sex movement, and greater social acceptance of children born out of wedlock. So this song is a bit of a window into a different world for me. At any rate, the idea of contemplating all the potential consequences of sex is wise and timeless. "The love we're contemplating is worth the pain of waiting." That's a good point, for any era.
At any rate, the lyrics are well-written. They express the pain of growing up poor with an absentee parent, and a desire to not put her own child through that. They also communicate a fairly complex message. "Don't think that I don't need you. Don't think I don't want to please you." So she's not making up an excuse, this sentiment is genuine.
As always, Diana Ross's voice is excellent. The backing Supremes are shuffled way deep into the background of the mix here, which I guess is why this song is credited to "Diana Ross and the Supremes."
My verdict: Like it. I was pretty conflicted until I considered the lyrics. It's a well-written song that communicates a feeling even long after that feeling seems dated. I can overlook some of the less pleasant sounds of the 70s creeping in.
Showing posts with label 1968. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1968. Show all posts
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Song #197: "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers
Date: Feb 3, 1968
Weeks: 1
That sitar opening is fairly unmistakable as identifying the late 60s. Everything about this song sounds very uniquely 60s, including the special effects that get applied to the vocals. And yet this isn't a 60s song I've heard pushed as a classic example of the music in the 60s. This is new to me, and I like being able to come to it absolutely fresh and find something enjoyable.
The music is very catchy. The beat that the rhythm guitar is putting out is a very classic rhythm, and it's one I enjoy whenever I hear it. The bass line is also really fun. Everything else kind of gets layered on top of those, becoming more of a sense of sound than anything particularly melodic, but it's done just enough to create a great sound without overwhelming the song with noise.
And it's good that the tambourine is featured. It's a tough instrument to feature well, but they managed it here, and it enhances the story that is told in the lyrics.
As for the lyrics, they're pretty simple. A poor street musician says if you pay him, he'll play his tambourine for you. I'm not sure that method actually works for street musicians, as it's much more common to see them playing their instruments and accepting donations, but it kind of evokes an image of a funny hippie refusing to share his "deep" tambourine music with you unless you pay him first. So the song is a bit tongue-in-cheek without being a novelty song, exactly. And I always appreciate that kind of music.
My verdict: Like it. Songs like this are why I wanted to do this blog. I think it's very odd that a song can get popular enough to reach No. 1, and then get forgotten afterward, especially when it's actually a pretty good song.
Weeks: 1
That sitar opening is fairly unmistakable as identifying the late 60s. Everything about this song sounds very uniquely 60s, including the special effects that get applied to the vocals. And yet this isn't a 60s song I've heard pushed as a classic example of the music in the 60s. This is new to me, and I like being able to come to it absolutely fresh and find something enjoyable.
The music is very catchy. The beat that the rhythm guitar is putting out is a very classic rhythm, and it's one I enjoy whenever I hear it. The bass line is also really fun. Everything else kind of gets layered on top of those, becoming more of a sense of sound than anything particularly melodic, but it's done just enough to create a great sound without overwhelming the song with noise.
And it's good that the tambourine is featured. It's a tough instrument to feature well, but they managed it here, and it enhances the story that is told in the lyrics.
As for the lyrics, they're pretty simple. A poor street musician says if you pay him, he'll play his tambourine for you. I'm not sure that method actually works for street musicians, as it's much more common to see them playing their instruments and accepting donations, but it kind of evokes an image of a funny hippie refusing to share his "deep" tambourine music with you unless you pay him first. So the song is a bit tongue-in-cheek without being a novelty song, exactly. And I always appreciate that kind of music.
My verdict: Like it. Songs like this are why I wanted to do this blog. I think it's very odd that a song can get popular enough to reach No. 1, and then get forgotten afterward, especially when it's actually a pretty good song.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Song #205: "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors
Date: Aug 3, 1968
Weeks: 2
I wasn't sure if the Doors had actually made it to the top of the charts, but it turns out they made it twice. Of course, I can't say I knew this song particularly well before now, while there are several Doors songs I do know that never made No. 1. But I'm rapidly discovering that's not that unusual.
I like the Doors sound. It's very raw, which is a great term I've learned to apply when the music is sloppy and unpolished, but I like it. This song starts out seeming a bit more organized than is usual for the Doors, but eventually spins off into the kind of barely controlled chaos that makes them appealing. The transition seems to happen right at the key change in the middle of the song. The rather dull first half of the song stops, there's a nice big hit as the music comes back, and then it spins off into chaos.
And that part right there is where the song gets fun. I was unimpressed after the first half, but the second half is so enjoyable that it retroactively justifies the first half. That was laying the foundation for the part of the song that's really very good.
The lyrics are about a man seeing a woman walking down the street and instantly lusting after her. "Hello, I love you won't you tell me your name?" Even though he's saying "I love you," he's not exactly waxing poetic on the topic of love at first sight. This is a raw sexual attraction that he's expressing here. Meanwhile he's doubting his worthiness to be with her. "Do you think you'll be the guy to make the queen of the angels sigh?" Usher really needs to take notes here, because this is the same topic as both of his songs that I've reviewed so far (encountering a sexy woman and expressing a desire to get with her), but the Doors manage to express that lust without resorting to talking about having sex in public, or luridly describing her body the way only a 12-year-old can do.
My verdict: Like it. There are definitely better Doors songs than this, but this isn't bad.
Weeks: 2
I wasn't sure if the Doors had actually made it to the top of the charts, but it turns out they made it twice. Of course, I can't say I knew this song particularly well before now, while there are several Doors songs I do know that never made No. 1. But I'm rapidly discovering that's not that unusual.
I like the Doors sound. It's very raw, which is a great term I've learned to apply when the music is sloppy and unpolished, but I like it. This song starts out seeming a bit more organized than is usual for the Doors, but eventually spins off into the kind of barely controlled chaos that makes them appealing. The transition seems to happen right at the key change in the middle of the song. The rather dull first half of the song stops, there's a nice big hit as the music comes back, and then it spins off into chaos.
And that part right there is where the song gets fun. I was unimpressed after the first half, but the second half is so enjoyable that it retroactively justifies the first half. That was laying the foundation for the part of the song that's really very good.
The lyrics are about a man seeing a woman walking down the street and instantly lusting after her. "Hello, I love you won't you tell me your name?" Even though he's saying "I love you," he's not exactly waxing poetic on the topic of love at first sight. This is a raw sexual attraction that he's expressing here. Meanwhile he's doubting his worthiness to be with her. "Do you think you'll be the guy to make the queen of the angels sigh?" Usher really needs to take notes here, because this is the same topic as both of his songs that I've reviewed so far (encountering a sexy woman and expressing a desire to get with her), but the Doors manage to express that lust without resorting to talking about having sex in public, or luridly describing her body the way only a 12-year-old can do.
My verdict: Like it. There are definitely better Doors songs than this, but this isn't bad.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Song #200: "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro
Date: Apr 13, 1968
Weeks: 5
Now there's a unique angle for a love song: A guy who's in love with a girl he doesn't even like.
"Came runnin' in all excited, slipped and almost hurt herself, and I laughed 'til I cried."
Wow. That's a degree of mean you rarely get in love songs. That's awful. I guess it's not awful if she was okay, but he didn't say "I made sure she was okay, and then I laughed because she did a great comedy pratfall."
"She was always young at heart, kind of dumb and kind of smart, and I loved her so."
!
I can't imagine saying anyone was "kind of dumb and kind of smart" and expecting anyone to think I liked them. How can I like this character if he says the woman he loved was dumb? I can't even...
Wait.
Is Honey a dog?
That would kind of make sense. She was excited and slipped but was fine. Yeah, it's funny when dogs do that. And "kind of dumb and kind of smart" is a perfect description of a lot of dogs. They're dumb, but they're also smart enough to be trained and we love them for it.
Okay, so Honey's a dog. Clever! I follow you now.
Oh, wait. "She wrecked the car and she was sad, and so afraid that I'd be mad."
*sigh*.
No, Honey is a grown woman. And this guy is awful and condescending to the woman he claims to love.
Then I guess Honey dies suddenly when he's not home. Well, all he says is that "the angels came." Thanks for bothering to understand and explain how the woman you say you loved died, dude. That's really deep of you. You must have really appreciated her.
Oh, unless he means that she was literally taken up by angels. I think I saw an episode of The X-Files like that. But somehow I doubt that's what he means. That would make this song a hundred times more interesting, though.
So the lyrics are condescending, awful, and incapable of even telling a proper story. Well done!
The music is bad, too. I've listened to the album version as well as a live performance. The music is barely there. Utterly generic, ignorable, and present merely to give the awful vocals something to be sung to.
My verdict: Don't like it. The song invests everything in the lyrics. And the lyrics are insulting and awful.
Weeks: 5
Now there's a unique angle for a love song: A guy who's in love with a girl he doesn't even like.
"Came runnin' in all excited, slipped and almost hurt herself, and I laughed 'til I cried."
Wow. That's a degree of mean you rarely get in love songs. That's awful. I guess it's not awful if she was okay, but he didn't say "I made sure she was okay, and then I laughed because she did a great comedy pratfall."
"She was always young at heart, kind of dumb and kind of smart, and I loved her so."
!
I can't imagine saying anyone was "kind of dumb and kind of smart" and expecting anyone to think I liked them. How can I like this character if he says the woman he loved was dumb? I can't even...
Wait.
Is Honey a dog?
That would kind of make sense. She was excited and slipped but was fine. Yeah, it's funny when dogs do that. And "kind of dumb and kind of smart" is a perfect description of a lot of dogs. They're dumb, but they're also smart enough to be trained and we love them for it.
Okay, so Honey's a dog. Clever! I follow you now.
Oh, wait. "She wrecked the car and she was sad, and so afraid that I'd be mad."
*sigh*.
No, Honey is a grown woman. And this guy is awful and condescending to the woman he claims to love.
Then I guess Honey dies suddenly when he's not home. Well, all he says is that "the angels came." Thanks for bothering to understand and explain how the woman you say you loved died, dude. That's really deep of you. You must have really appreciated her.
Oh, unless he means that she was literally taken up by angels. I think I saw an episode of The X-Files like that. But somehow I doubt that's what he means. That would make this song a hundred times more interesting, though.
So the lyrics are condescending, awful, and incapable of even telling a proper story. Well done!
The music is bad, too. I've listened to the album version as well as a live performance. The music is barely there. Utterly generic, ignorable, and present merely to give the awful vocals something to be sung to.
My verdict: Don't like it. The song invests everything in the lyrics. And the lyrics are insulting and awful.
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