Glycerine Album: Sixteen Stone (1994)
Comedown Album: Sixteen Stone (1994)
Swallowed Album: Razorblade Suitcase (1996)
by Bush

Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale wrote "Glycerine" about his relationship with his girlfriend at the time, a model named Jasmine Lewis, who is credited as a backup vocalist on the Sixteen Stone album. Rossdale dated her for about five years before their breakup, which was exacerbated by busy schedules that kept them apart. Gavin's next relationship was with Gwen Stefani, whom he met when her band No Doubt was opening for Bush on the Sixteen Stone tour. They got married in 2002.

Glycerine is a chemical used in perfumes and medicines and also to preserve food. The title comes from the explosive applications of glycerine to stabilize nitro. Rossdale said the song was about how love was like a bomb.

This song came together very quickly for Rossdale, who wrote it in his London flat. When he played it for the band, he felt there was something "ancient and mystical" about it. "I was like a conduit," he told Entertainment Weekly in 2017. "Something about it was bigger than anything we were doing."

The video, directed by Kevin Kerslake, won the Viewer's Choice Award at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. Kerslake directed four Nirvana videos, and also worked with Soundgarden, R.E.M. and Stone Temple Pilots.

When a popular producer named Desmond Child heard this song, he thought Rossdale was singing "Kiss The Rain." When he found out that wasn't the title, he started writing a song called "Kiss The Rain" for Billie Myers. It became her first single and hit #15 in the US.

The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever" is referenced in the line, "We live in a wheel where everyone steals, but when we rise it's like strawberry fields." Bush loved The Beatles and it was John Lennon and Paul McCartney who inspired them to form a band.

Gavin Rossdale talked about his Beatles reference and the meaning of the song in an interview with Fuse: "In 'Glycerine,' it's a cynical world. 'Strawberry Fields' is a Beatles reference because when people think of that song it makes them happy: it elevates you and it lifts you up. For me, it's like a soft pillow. Most of my lyrics and most of the songs that I've written are about rising up against struggle and what you do within problems like the human condition. How we can screw up and how we can make up for it and what we can escape from and what we can win."

Lead singer Gavin Rossdale wrote Comedown about his ex-girlfriend, Suze DiMarchi. She was lead singer of a band called Baby Animals.

Rossdale had written songs with other people, but Comedown was the first one he wrote on his own. It gave him a lot of confidence and inspired him to keep writing.

Rossdale said of Comedown: "It was written in the context of half regret, half celebration and just being objective about the situation of coming down from that high and dealing with those intense emotions."

Reflecting on Comedown in 2017, text limit

Would I Lie To You Album: Be Yourself Tonight (1985)
Sweet Dreams Album: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (1982)
Sexcrime Nineteen Eighty Four Album: 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) (1984)
by Eurythmics

For Eurythmics third album, Dave Stewart set out to make a "killer R&B riff." He found it one morning when he was having breakfast with his acoustic guitar on his knee. He took the riff to Annie Lennox, who wasn't sure about it at first, since it didn't fit their sound.

As Stewart explained in The Dave Stewart Songbook: "When we started putting it down Would I Lie To You had a lot of energy and inspired Annie to come up with the great lyric, 'Would I Lie To You" and a melody with very odd answering harmonies, 'Now, would I say something that wasn't true.' These harmonies are very unusual and Annie is a genius at working them out very quickly in her head. The song started to be a fusion between Stax type R&B and Eurythmics."

Lennox sings this from the perspective of an angry girlfriend who walks out on her cheating lover. It was not directed at Stewart, although they were a romantic couple before forming Eurythmics, but inspired by the breakup of her first marriage, to a Hare Krishna named Radha Raman.

"I was always looking for a good relationship, and you can see it in the songs, all this unrequited love," Lennox told Q magazine regarding her songwriting during this period. "I was never in one spot, so my emotions were in turmoil."

Eurythmics recorded Be Yourself Tonight in a small room they set as a recording studio in the suburbs of Paris. Lennox and Stewart lived in apartments on top of each other while they were making the album.

Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played the Hammond organ on Would I Lie To You; he and Stewart previously worked together on "Don't Come Around Here No More." Martin Dobson was brought in for horns.

In the book Annie Lennox: The Biography, Lennox explained that Sweet Dreams is about the search for fulfillment, and the "Sweet Dreams" are the desires that motivate us.

"Sweet Dreams" is a song of contrasts, with a heart-pumping beat but a lyric that carries a dark undercurrent. Listeners have adapted it accordingly. In a 2022 Songfacts interview with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, he explained: "A lot of people use it as a very uplifting dance record at EDM festivals and raves and parties. When the DJ puts that on there's always a lot of hands in the air. But it's actually a very sort of existential, spooky record asking if this is what the world has come to. Is this what our dreams are made of? And then some people want to use you, some want to abuse you. So it goes into a topic that could go massive if you want it to. Eurythmics songs always had a bit of that in it, a juxtaposition between the music and the lyric."

"I suppose it was reality, basically, what we were writing about," he added. "It wasn't a Disney kind of world."
Eurythmics are British: Annie Lennox hails from text limit

Metal Health (Bang Your Head) Album: Metal Health (1983)
Slick Black Cadillac Quiet Album: Riot II (1978)
Highway To Hell Album: Highway to Hell (2016)
by Quiet Riot

"Metal Health", sometimes listed as "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)", "Bang Your Head" or, as it was listed on the Billboard Hot 100, "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)", is a song by the American heavy metal band Quiet Riot on their breakthrough album, Metal Health. One of their best known hits and receiving heavy MTV music video and radio play, "Metal Health" was the band's second and final top 40 hit, peaking at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Being about the headbanging subculture, the song caught the attention of many heavy metal fans on its release. The single contained both the studio-recorded version and a live version, which was later released on their Greatest Hits compilation. The lyric, "well now you're here, there's no way back", eventually became the title for Quiet Riot's documentary, released in 2015.

The song title is a play on the phrase "Mental Health," and is a celebration of the rebellious nature of heavy metal and fans who bang their heads to the music. Lead singer Kevin DuBrow wrote the lyric, which is based on the slights he heard throughout his life. DuBrow, who died of a drug overdose in 2007 at age 52, did indeed have a "mouth like an alligator," as he would always speak his mind.

Thanks to a video that got lots of airplay on MTV, this song helped bring heavy metal music with a pop sheen into the mainstream, paving the way for photogenic hair bands of the '80s like Mötley Crüe and Twisted Sister.

Quiet Riot had been around for a while, releasing their first album in 1977 with Randy Rhoads, who later became Ozzy Osbourne's go-to axeman, on guitar. By the time they released their third album, Metal Health, they were polished and poised for stardom. "Metal Health" was the first single, but it went nowhere. Their cover of the Slade song "Cum On Feel The Noize" was released as a follow-up, and that one caught on in America, going to #5 in November 1983, the same month the Metal Health album topped the chart, becoming the first metal album to do so. With the band now established, "Metal Health" went up the chart, landing at #31 in February 1984.

Guitarist Carlos Cavazo and drummer Frankie Banali are the co-writers on this track along with Kevin DuBrow. "We were huge fans of AC/DC, so we wanted something that had a very simple, straight ahead groove at a certain tempo," Banali said in a Songfacts interview. "It went through a lot of different changes, and what I mean by 'changes,' a lot of that song has to do with the tempo. I listen to a lot of classical music and jazz, and the thing that I found interesting about both classical music and jazz is that certain parts of a song only work at a certain tempo, and they don't work at another tempo. With jazz, they shift gears - the same thing with classical. With rock 'n' roll, you basically start at a tempo text limit

Gotta Go Album: Something's Gotta Give (1998)
Riot Riot Upstart Album: Riot Riot Upstart (1999)
by Agnostic Front

Gotta Go is one of Agnostic Front's most popular songs, "Gotta Go" became a hardcore anthem. The group's lead singer Roger Miret wrote the lyrics; he told us: "It's one of those songs like you've just got to leave the situation. You've got to get out of it. Whatever it is, I've got to go, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear this, I don't want to hear that."

Riot, Riot Upstart is the sixth full-length studio album from Agnostic Front. It was released in September 1999 on Epitaph Records and follows Something's Gotta Give released the previous year. The album was produced by Lars Frederiksen of fellow punk band, Rancid, and the title track appeared on a volume of Epitaph Records' Punk-O-Rama compilation series.

https://www.agnosticfront.com/

Agnostic Front is an American band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre.

Formed in 1980 with Vincent "Vinnie Stigma" Capuccio (formerly of the Eliminators) on lead guitar, with Diego on bass, Rob Krekus (aka Robby Crypt Crash) on drums and John Watson on vocals. Despite being billed at their first concert as the Zoo Crew, Stigma introduced them as Agnostic Front, saying that the poster had been made prior to deciding on the name. They soon added Ray Barbieri, aka Raybeez, on drums and Adam Mucci on bass. After Watson was arrested, the band hired James Kontra as their vocalist, who eventually quit before a performance at Great Gildersleeves after a disagreement with Capuccio about how to hand out stickers. Although never having spoken to him before, Stigma told some of his friends to ask Roger Miret (former bass player of the Psychos) if he wanted to be the vocalist of Agnostic Front, because he liked his style of slam dancing. In 1983, this lineup recorded their debut EP United Blood. The EP was officially released later that year, however by that point Mucci had departed from the band, and been replaced by Todd Youth.

During its initial phase, the band consisted entirely of skinheads. Although this would change over time, Agnostic Front would continue to feature skinheads as part of their lineup. This led to a belief among some that the band espoused ultra-nationalist or fascist politics, an assertion denied by vocalist Roger Miret in a 1985 Flipside interview:

"...We're skinheads. And the skinheads in England have a very bad name like with the fascists and stuff like that. But this is America not England. Just because the skinheads are fascists over there doesn't mean we got to grow our hair out if we don't feel like it.... We love our country — but not necessarily how our government works."

Agnostic Front
Roger Miret – vocals
Vinnie Stigma – guitars
Rob Kabula – bass
Jim Colletti – drums
Production
Recorded at Big Blue Meenie Studios, Jersey City, NJ

Your Party Album: La Cucaracha (2007)
Buckingham Green Album: The Mollusk (1997)
The Rainbow Album: Chef Aid: The South Park Album (1998)
by Ween

"Your Party" was written by Gene Ween, who also sings the lead vocals. The track features guest musician David Sanborn on alto saxophone.

Gene Ween has stated that the idea of "tri-colored pasta" was the germ of inspiration for the song. He said he always thought that style of pasta had a "fanciful and exciting flair".

David Sanborn Appearance:
Gene brought this song to the studio one night and played it for me on acoustic guitar. It sounded like something from Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat". We both agreed that it was a good tune but needed a smooth jazz kind of approach. That's why we asked David Sanborn to play sax on it, which he did, and he did a great job. I never said anything to Gene but I was trying my best to get it to sound like the 70's Bee Gees, at least musically.

And here is Dean again, speaking on a different occasion:

Ok, let me first start off by saying that we vowed never, ever, ever, would there be horns on a Ween album. As teenagers we always used that as a yardstick to determine when our favorite band was starting to suck, when their new record came out and it had horns on it (this rule applies only to rock music and white people). But there has always been one provision to this rule, and that was we would only use horns if we could get David Sanborn to play some sexy saxophone on a Ween tune. We finally wrote a song worthy of him, contacted his manager and it turns out he was a Ween fan and immediately agreed to do it. So that, in and of itself, means that we have accomplished one of our lifelong goals as a band.

"Your Party" dates back to at least January of 2007, when Gene Ween played the song several times at solo acoustic shows, nine months before the release of La Cucaracha. Ween began playing the song with the full band later that year, and it has remained a common live Ween song ever since. In addition, Gene Ween has played "Your Party" very often individually, both solo acoustic and with his band Freeman. It was even played a handful of times by the Dean Ween Group.

"Your Party" was used in an episode of the show Sex Education (season 3, episode 3).

The Mollusk album version of "Buckingham Green" features lead vocals by Gene Ween and a guitar solo by Dean Ween. The song's title may have been inspired by a shopping center called Buckingham Green in the town of Buckingham, PA, near New Hope.

"Buckingham Green" is significantly older than its appearance on The Mollusk and dates back to 1992.

Three separate demo recordings of "Buckingham Green" were made during the sessions for Chocolate and Cheese, all three of which can be found on the bootleg Chocolate and Cheese Demos: Summer 1992.

A version labeled "Buckingham Clean" or "Buckingham Green Take 1" is a short and simple rendering of the song's three verses, with a repeat of the first verse as in the text limit

Spanish Fly Album: Van Halen II (1979)
Little Dreamer Album: Van Halen (1978)
Mean Street Album: Fair Warning (1981)
Sunday Afternoon in the Park Album: Fair Warning (1981)
by Van Halen

“Spanish Fly” is the seventh track on Van Halen II, released in March of 1979. It is a flamenco-style acoustic guitar piece, as well as Eddie Van Halen’s second studio-produced solo—considered to be a sort of follow-up to 1978’s hugely influential “Eruption” from Van Halen I.

According to the official Van Halen News Desk, producer Ted Templeman was hosting a New Year’s Eve party in December 1978 when he witnessed Eddie “fooling around” on an acoustic. Surprised that he was just as skilled with nylon strings, he asked Eddie to record something for their sophomore effort. Later, in Guitar World magazine, Eddie recalled the moment:

Ted Templeman walked in and said, ‘You can play acoustic?’ I looked at him, like, ‘What’s the difference? It’s got six strings!’ I ended up coming up with ‘Spanish Fly.’

It was also common for Eddie to incorporate sections of Spanish Fly into his live guitar medleys.

The recording Little Dreamer and this debut album with producer Ted Templeman began August 29, 1977. The tracks were recorded quickly during sessions between August 31 and September 8, 1977. Work on the album ended October 4 with the final mixing of "Little Dreamer" and "Eruption" (titled simply "Guitar Solo" on studio documents). Overall, the album cost approximately $54,000 to produce.

"We didn't have a ton of material," recalled bassist Michael Anthony, "so we basically just took our live show and all the songs we knew and went for it. The whole album only took a couple of weeks. Ted Templeman wanted to make a big, powerful guitar record, and he had all he needed in what Eddie was doing."

The subsequent tour began March 3, 1978 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago with the band opening for Journey and Montrose in the United States. They later opened for heavy metal band Black Sabbath in Europe and the United States.

Mean Street David Lee Roth grew up in New Castle, Indiana, where the streets were certainly not mean, but he made his way to Los Angeles, which likely inspired his lyric about toughing it out in a desperate part of town. That's where Van Halen made their rise.

Another Hollywood transplant from Indiana is Axl Rose, whose "Welcome To The Jungle" lyric for Guns N' Roses was inspired by the seedy areas of that town.

"Mean Street" is the first track on Fair Warning, Van Halen's fourth album. It came at a very creative time for the band when they were in a groove, creating an album a year with producer Ted Templeman. The song is quintessential Van Halen, opening with Eddie Van Halen doing some tapping on his fretboard - a sound he innovated. It also has the harmony vocals of Michael Anthony, a monster guitar riff from Eddie, and an interlude where David Lee Roth gets to change gears. It's this section where he evokes the name of the album:

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Southern Rock Opera Act Two The Drive By Truckers

originally this piece was a direct complaint to Elon because my fake account was nuked for using the ("N WORD")
so it was n word heavy at the beginning, and since my satire is basically only funny to me (which explains a lot... also I don't care because this is the internet and not real) this has been re-edited and school friendly, as it's a rocket scientist's life...

Now with 119% MORE Elon Memes. Happy African-American Day from the richest nigger there is!
Southern Rock Opera is the third studio album by the American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2001. A double album covering an ambitious range of subject matter from the politics of race to 1970s stadium rock, Southern Rock Opera either imagines, or filters, every topic through the context of legendary Southern band Lynyrd Skynyrd. The record was originally self-released on Soul Dump Records. The album was re-released on July 16, 2002 by Lost Highway Records. The album was financed by issuing promissory notes in exchange for loans from fans, family and friends of the band.

The album's artwork was done by Richmond, Virginia artist Wes Freed.

The idea for Southern Rock Opera pre-dates the band's formation in 1996. Southern Rock Opera began in a long discussion between Drive-By Truckers' frontman Patterson Hood and former Truckers bassist and producer Earl Hicks, during a road trip. The pair discussed writing a semi-autobiographical screenplay about growing up in the South and about the plane crash that almost ended the career of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, taking singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and Gaines' back-up-singer sister Cassie Gaines.

Soon after this discussion, Hood formed Drive-By Truckers. The Truckers recorded two studio albums and one live album during the four years between their formation and the actual recording of Southern Rock Opera. During these years, Drive-By's principal songwriters Hood, Mike Cooley, and Rob Malone continued to contribute songs to "The Rock Opera", as they had come to call it.

After the release of their live album Alabama Ass Whuppin', Drive-By Truckers began recording what they hoped would be their magnum opus: Southern Rock Opera. According to Patterson Hood, "(the album) was recorded in Birmingham, upstairs in a uniform shop during an early September heat wave, with no air-conditioning. We had to turn the fans off when we were recording, and we worked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. So Southern Rock Opera was fun to write, but we had a miserable time making it."

After the album was finished, however, the troubles continued for The Truckers when they ran out of funding for the immense project. To resolve the problem, and to avoid "any fine print crap", as Hood put it, the band took a non-traditional approach. The Truckers made a prospectus and solicited investors, with a promise of 15% interest, to pay for the manufacturing and distribution of Southern Rock Opera. text limit

Southern Rock Opera Act One The Drive By Truckers

originally this piece was a direct complaint to Elon because my fake account was nuked for using the ("N WORD")
so it was n word heavy at the beginning, and since my satire is basically only funny to me (which explains a lot... also I don't care because this is the internet and not real) this has been re-edited and school friendly, as it's a rocket scientist's life...

Now with 119% MORE Elon Memes. Happy African-American Day from the richest nigger there is!
Southern Rock Opera is the third studio album by the American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2001. A double album covering an ambitious range of subject matter from the politics of race to 1970s stadium rock, Southern Rock Opera either imagines, or filters, every topic through the context of legendary Southern band Lynyrd Skynyrd. The record was originally self-released on Soul Dump Records. The album was re-released on July 16, 2002 by Lost Highway Records. The album was financed by issuing promissory notes in exchange for loans from fans, family and friends of the band.

The album's artwork was done by Richmond, Virginia artist Wes Freed.

The idea for Southern Rock Opera pre-dates the band's formation in 1996. Southern Rock Opera began in a long discussion between Drive-By Truckers' frontman Patterson Hood and former Truckers bassist and producer Earl Hicks, during a road trip. The pair discussed writing a semi-autobiographical screenplay about growing up in the South and about the plane crash that almost ended the career of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, taking singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and Gaines' back-up-singer sister Cassie Gaines.

Soon after this discussion, Hood formed Drive-By Truckers. The Truckers recorded two studio albums and one live album during the four years between their formation and the actual recording of Southern Rock Opera. During these years, Drive-By's principal songwriters Hood, Mike Cooley, and Rob Malone continued to contribute songs to "The Rock Opera", as they had come to call it.

After the release of their live album Alabama Ass Whuppin', Drive-By Truckers began recording what they hoped would be their magnum opus: Southern Rock Opera. According to Patterson Hood, "(the album) was recorded in Birmingham, upstairs in a uniform shop during an early September heat wave, with no air-conditioning. We had to turn the fans off when we were recording, and we worked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. So Southern Rock Opera was fun to write, but we had a miserable time making it."

After the album was finished, however, the troubles continued for The Truckers when they ran out of funding for the immense project. To resolve the problem, and to avoid "any fine print crap", as Hood put it, the band took a non-traditional approach. The Truckers made a prospectus and solicited investors, with a promise of 15% interest, to pay for the manufacturing and distribution of Southern Rock Opera. text limit

Peaches Album: The Presidents of the United States of America (1995)
Lump Album: The Presidents of the United States of America (1995)
Dune Buggy Single & Album: The Presidents of the United States of America (1995)
by The Presidents Of The United States Of America

First theory: It's just a song about how peaches are great. Perhaps a little commentary about how natural peaches are better then canned stuff.

Second theory: It's about women's private parts and cunnilingus.

The Presidents Of The United States Of America also have a song called "Kitty," which is about a cat (or is it?). They insist these songs - which they're well aware are full of double meanings - are about the literal explanations.

In an interview with Presidents lead singer Chris Ballew, he told the story behind Peaches. "The key line, 'Moving to the country, going to eat a lot of peaches,' I overheard a homeless man who was walking by the bus stop where I was waiting for a bus," he said. "He was saying it under his breath over and over again: 'I'm moving to the country, I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches.' And I thought, 'That's interesting. I've never heard a homeless guy talk about his future and peaches and the country like that.'

I was on my way to my girlfriend's house and I didn't have a guitar there but the phrase stuck with me. I later got home and put it to a little music. All I had was that, then I was trying to be Nirvana in the verse, gnarly and growly.

So I had a verse and a chorus, and the verses were about how I had taken some hallucinogenic drugs and gone to a girl's house that I had a crush on. I was intending to tell her how I felt but she wasn't home, so I sat in her yard under a peach tree, having a psychedelic experience smashing peaches in my fist, literally like I say in the song, and watching the juice dribble and watching the ants run around. She never showed up, so I never got to tell her, but I bottled it and turned it into that song."

"Peaches" was written by the three band members: Chris Ballew, Dave Dederer, and Jason Finn. Dederer came up with the part that closes out the song:

Millions of peaches
Peaches for me
Millions of peaches
Peaches for free

"The song sounds like two different songs," Ballew said. "It's got my verse/chorus/verse/chorus, and then Dave's end part."

"I love that that song was so popular because it really was a collaborative thing," he added. "Dave and I depended on each other to make that song work. Growing up as I did in the shadow of Lennon and McCartney, I thought it was cool that we had that collaboration."

The Presidents Of The United States Of America were one of the many Seattle bands signed to a major label when grunge hit. Unlike most of these bands, they panned out, selling over 3 million copies of their debut album on Columbia Records.

Their first single was "Lump," which got a lot of airplay and some spins on MTV. "Kitty" followed, then "Peaches." The album was released in July 1995, and the band promoted it relentlessly, making the rounds on radio stations in the mornings while they toured. "Peaches" reached its chart peak in April 1996; they put out their next album, II, in November.

That album didn't produce any substantial hits but still sold 500,000 copies. By this time, the band was burned out, and in early 1998, they called it quits. They reunited from time to time, and lead singer Chris Ballew found an audience as Caspar Babypants, a maker of music for kids. From 1997–2004, their cover of "Cleveland Rocks" was the theme song to The Drew Carey Show.

The band name is ironic, meant to contrast their lo-fi sound with the gravitas of the highest political office in their home country. It ended up being a great marketing tool, especially on Presidents' Day. On that holiday in 1996 (February 19, 1996) MTV aired a 30-minute concert of the band performing from Mount Rushmore.

The music video of Peaches was directed by Roman Coppola, son of The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. Most of it is just the band performing in an orchard, but it takes a hard turn when a group of ninjas show up and attack them. According to Ballew, Coppola had been watching ninja movies and was keen to shoot a fight sequence.

The peach was a symbol of immortality to the ancient Chinese. They placed bowls of peaches in the tombs of close family members to prevent the bodies from decaying. Giving the fruit as a gift was a sign of friendship. (From the book Food for Thought: Extraordinary Little Chronicles of the World by Ed Pearce)

Lump follows the story of a woman named (or nicknamed) Lump who lives in a boggy marsh. She's not too bright, but has managed to attract a mate ("Lump slipped on a kiss and tumbled into love").
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Jungle Boogie Album: Wild & Peaceful (1973)
Kool and The Gang

It took some brains to make this video... like the Mayor and City Council of Westminster South Carolina

Praise Jesus Harder!

"Jungle Boogie" was first released on the Kool & The Gang album, Wild & Peaceful, in October 1973. A month later, November 24, 1973, the track was released as a single, with the little recognized "North, South, East, West" as the B-side. With the million-selling success of "Jungle Boogie" and the success of other singles, "Funky Stuff" and "Hollywood Swinging," the album was quickly certified gold by the RIAA, the band's first certified gold album. "Jungle Boogie" hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 after receiving extensive play in dance clubs and discos, leading to the single being certified gold as well on February 2, 1974. The album, Wild & Peaceful peaked at #6 on the Billboard R&B Album chart and #33 on the Billboard Pop Album chart.

The main spoken vocals on "Jungle Boogie" were performed by then-roadie, Donal Boyce, who became better known as "The Boogie Man." Boyce's vocals on the hit were so popular he was invited to sing back-up and perform "vocal effects" on a number of Kool & The Gang singles, including "Spirit of the Boogie," "Open Sesame," and "Slick Superchick." Boyce performed with the band from 1973 to 1977.

All the songs on Kool & The Gang's 1973 album Wild & Peaceful, including "Jungle Boogie," were credited to the songwriting team of Kool & The Gang and Gene Redd. At the time, Kool & The Gang was made up of six members: Robert 'Kool' Bell, Claydes Smith, Dennis 'D.T.' Thomas, Ronald 'Khalis Bayyam' Bell, Robert Mickens, and George Brown. The group joined together with music producer and founder of De-Lite records, Gene Redd, in 1968, when Redd signed them to his first record label, Redd Coach Records.

Since its release in 1973, "Jungle Boogie" has been sampled and covered repeatedly. Kool & The Gang sampled their own hit, releasing an instrumental version with an overdubbed flute section and additional percussion called "Jungle Jazz" on their album, Spirit of the Boogie. In 1988, Hip hop duo EPMD sampled the track for their debut single, "Strictly Business." The 1989 Beastie Boys hit, "Hey Ladies," used parts of "Jungle Boogie" to help land the first single in US history to chart in the Top 20 on both the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart and the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Madonna followed suit with sampling for her 1992 hit "Erotica," a controversial song that got the material girl banned from the Vatican and banned from airplay on the surrounding radio stations. The 1994 Top 10 hit by Janet Jackson, "You Want This," featured samples from both "Jungle Boogie" and "Love Child" by The Supremes.

Media moguls love to use a well-recognized song like "Jungle Boogie" for their projects. Director Quentin Tarantino used the track for his 1994 film, Pulp Fiction. A cover version of "Jungle Boogie" by The French was featured in text limit

Roll Me Away Album: The Distance (1983)
Like A Rock Album: Like a Rock (1986)
by Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band

Bob Seger always seemed more like a regular guy than a Rock Star, and Like A Rock is a moving song about pride and consistency which struck a chord with working class Americans who could relate to him. Seger grew up in Michigan, paid his dues with constant touring, and stayed true to his roots.

Seger was 40 years old when Like A Rock was released, and there was a wisdom to his words that appealed to his audience. In a 1986 interview with Creem magazine, he said: "It's a matter of growing up. From the time I was 20 until I was 30, I didn't sell a whole lot of records, but I was doing a lot of rock 'n' roll. That's the way I felt at the time. Maybe during the period when I was 30 to 40, I was getting more mature, writing about older themes. I'm sure 'Like A Rock' doesn't mean much to someone who's 20, but I gotta write what I know about."

Talking about writing Like A Rock in a 1994 interview with Music Connection, Seger said, "There have been times where I've written a bunch of verses before I even know what the title is. That's what happened with 'Like A Rock.' I wrote the first three verses of that song before I even knew where I was going. Then, one day, I just fell into the 'like a rock' thing, and I thought it worked."

Guitarist/singer Rick Vito played the guitar on Like A Rock. Vito was in Fleetwood Mac from 1987-1991.

The album version of Like A Rock is 5:56 long. The single version was cut down to 4:36.

Like A Rock was used in an advertising campaign for Chevrolet trucks that ran from 1991 - 2004, making it indelibly associated with the vehicles. The song helped sell a lot of Silverados, and is considered one of the best choices for an ad campaign in the history of music. With a sturdy tempo, a singer who fits the demographic, and lyrics about reliability, this was the perfect song. The title provided a tag line better than anyone in Madison Avenue could have dreamed up, and the song got a new life, becoming much better known than it was on initial release.

The Like A Rock video was shot in the Mojave Desert. They went for cinematography over effects, with a blue tint and no lip synching. It was artistic but slow, and failed to make an impact on MTV. Some guys were never meant to be video stars.
This song was used in the soundtrack for the film The Weather Man (2005), which starred Nicolas Cage.

"Roll Me Away" is a song on the album The Distance. The song was used as Seger's opening song on his Face the Promise tour in 2006–2007, his first tour in a decade.

According to Seger the song was inspired by a motorcycle trip he took to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He stated:

"I wanted to do that for a long time. It was fascinating being out. The first night it was 42 degrees in northern Minnesota; the second it was 106 in South Dakota and all I had on was my shorts, and my feet were up on the handlebars to keep them text limit

Seven Turns Album: Seven Turns (1990)
Soulshine Album: Where It All Begins (1994)
The Allman Brothers Band

Seven Turns refers to a Navajo belief that there are seven times in life that you must make a decision that determines your life path. Taking the wrong path means you must either backtrack or stay on the road to ruin.

Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts wrote Seven Turns after producer Tom Dowd asked him to write something similar to "Blue Sky," which he composed for the band's 1972 album Eat A Peach.

This was the title track to the Allman Brothers comeback album. They had not recorded together for nine years.
This was one of the few Allman Brothers songs where Betts sang lead.

Seven Turns features Warren Haynes on slide guitar. His addition to the band on the Seven Turns album allowed them to play with two guitars, like they did before Duane Allman died in 1971.

"Soulshine" is a song written by American musician Warren Haynes and originally recorded by Larry McCray on his 1993 album, Delta Hurricane. It is best known as a recording that The Allman Brothers Band released on their 1994 album, Where It All Begins, featuring Gregg Allman on vocals. The song's title originates from Haynes's nickname, given by his father.

Although the Allmans' version was never released as a single, it remained one of their best known songs among fans and concert-goers. A live version of the song, which appeared on the Allmans' 2003 DVD, Live at the Beacon Theatre, had Allman and Haynes alternating vocals on the verses and harmonizing on the chorus, and includes a slide solo from Derek Trucks, as Dickey Betts was no longer with the band. This has become the standard for the song in most recent years with dual vocals.

When Haynes and bassist Allen Woody formed Gov't Mule, they took Soulshine with them. Gov't Mule performs "Soulshine" live at their concerts and it was included on the band's Live... With a Little Help from Our Friends, The Deep End, Volume 1, and The Deepest End, Live in Concert releases.

Beth Hart covered this song on her 2007 album, 37 Days.

Soulshine was covered by two contestants from the thirteenth season of American Idol. C.J. Harris used the song during his audition (and also in the Top 8) and Ben Briley performed the song during "Rush Week".

The 1997 David Allan Coe album Live: If That Ain't Country... has a cover of Soulshine as the second track, since Haynes, Coe's original guitar player, joined him for that concert.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love Album: The Game (1979)
Keep Yourself Alive Album: Queen (1973)
Another One Bites The Dust Album: Greatest Hits (1980)
by Queen

Freddie Mercury wrote Crazy Little Thing Called Love while Queen were recording The Game in Germany. He wrote it while taking a bubble bath in his room at the Munich Hilton. Peter Hince, the head of Queen's road crew, recalled to Mojo magazine September 2009: "The idea for the song came to him while he was in the bath. He emerged, wrapped in a towel, I handed him the guitar and he worked out the chords there and then. Fred had this knack of knowing a great pop song."

Freddie acknowledged that perhaps his limited talent on the guitar helped shape the song: "'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' took me five or ten minutes. I did that on the guitar, which I can't play for nuts, and in one way it was quite a good thing because I was restricted, knowing only a few chords. It's a good discipline because I simply had to write within a small framework. I couldn't work through too many chords and because of that restriction I wrote a good song, I think."

Crazy Little Thing Called Love sounded a lot more like Elvis Presley than Queen. It was a different sound for the group, but their fans loved it.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love was the first song on which Freddie Mercury played rhythm guitar. He was keen to keep the song minimal, despite his limited guitar knowledge, and producer Mack claimed that he rushed into the studio to record it "before Brian could get there!"

He also played the guitar solo on the original recording of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, but the tapes were lost so Brian May played the solo instead, using a Fender Telecaster to achieve the period sound. May didn't seem to like playing another guitar, and even when playing live, after performing the solo on the Telecaster he would immediately switch back to his Red Special.

At first, this was not released in the US. Since the album was not out yet, radio stations there started playing import copies of the single. This led Queen's record company to release it in America, about 3 months after it came out in England.
Mercury's name is in the lyrics. He sings, "Are you ready," and the band sings, "Ready Freddie."

This section took on a poignant edge after Mercury's death when the song was performed with guest singers, as the lyric was never altered regardless of the vocalist. Fans would take this opportunity to bellow the 'Ready, Freddie!' lyric back at the band in remembrance of the singer.

On stage, Crazy Little Thing Called Love was an important part of the show. Brian May often used three different guitars during the song: the first verse was played by Freddie alone with his guitar, then Brian joined with another Ovation Acoustic; before the third verse he had already switched to a Telecaster on which he performed the solo. During the singalong part (famous for its "ready Freddie" line) Brian again changed text limit

Hard To Handle Album: Shake Your Money Maker (1990)
Remedy Album: The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)
Jealous Again Album: Shake Your Money Maker (1990)
by The Black Crowes

Hard To Handle was originally recorded by Otis Redding, who wrote it with Allen Jones and Al Bell. It was the only cover song on The Black Crowes debut album, which sold over five million copies.

Running a compact 3:08, The Black Crows turned Hard To Handle into a rocker, using guitars instead of horns and extending the song from Redding's 2:18 original.

Hard To Handle was The Black Crowes' third single, following "Twice As Hard" and "Jealous Again." It made #45 in the US in December 1990, as the group was rapidly gaining momentum. After "She Talks To Angels" hit #30 in May 1991 - over a year after the album was released - "Hard To Handle" was reissued, this time going to #26 and becoming the highest-charting single for the band on the Hot 100. The group had been together for five years before signing a record deal with Def American, which prepared them well for the onslaught of success. Their live act had already been honed, and many who saw them remained lifetime fans as they became more of a jam band.

In an interview with Black Crowes lyricist/frontman Chris Robinson, he explained: "'Remedy' is a song that essentially is about freedom. We were into the whole idea that the 'war on drugs' was just silly - it was this asinine concept to me and millions of other people. So that song to me is about freedom, plain and simple, just put in a Rock & Roll framework."

A track from the second Black Crowes album, this was their last song to make the Hot 100 - a surprising development considering they charted three songs from their first album and had a lot of radio support. As the band moved forward, the focused more on their core fanbase (the "connoisseurs" as Chris Robinson calls them), which circumscribed their popular fortunes.

The pro-marijuana stance the band espouses in Remedy is something they played up around this time. To help promote the album, they appeared on the cover of High Times magazine, played the Atlanta Pot Festival, and had signage at their concerts with marijuana leaves.

"Jealous Again" was the first single from The Black Crowes, released in 1990 after the band had been around in some form for six years. It was written by Rich and Chris Robinson, the brothers who lead the band. Rich is the guitarist and Chris the lead singer, but they collaborate on both music and lyrics.

The song reflects their time on the road, pushing forward as they pursue their rock and roll dream ("Singing songs, ain't got no regrets"). They seem to be addressing a girl, letting her know there's a lot they had to sacrifice, and acknowledging that life with an aspiring rock star isn't always easy.

"When you're a kid and you're in a rock band, that's your life, and there are a lot of walls put up for you to bust through," Chris Robinson said. "text limit

There Goes Another Love Song Album: Outlaws (1975)
Dixie Highway
by Outlaws

A movie about a Tumbleweed... made me think "There Goes Another Love Song"

Henry Paul, founding member of The Outlaws, says There Goes Another Love Song is another in their repertoire of songs about being on the road: "'Trying to get back to where I know I belong,' there we are again, sitting in some stupid Days Inn in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1974." And even though they were doing something they loved, and on the edge of serious success, it didn't assuage the caged feeling of not being able to see their loved ones. Says Paul, "Even as much as you love your job, there's things about that lifestyle that'll make you do things you don't want to admit that you did. That's why they throw TVs out of window. That's why the rock and roll thing is so violent and self-destructive.It's kind of like being a lab rat stuck in some treadmill hell, that in order to keep your sanity you've got to lash out at what's right immediately there, whether it's your hotel room or shooting a TV or being Keith Moon over and over again. But that's where that song came from, and it had a very commercial appeal, and it was a single for us. And although it didn't chart particularly high, it was obviously and definitely a cornerstone in our musical career."

There Goes Another Love Song's chorus was written by Outlaws drummer Monte Yoho, and lead guitarist/singer Hughie Thomasson filled out the rest of the words. Says Henry Paul, "'There goes another love song,' that specific line, 'Someone's singing about me again, now I need more than a friend,' was written by Monte. He was a man of very few words, our drummer. He was a very smart and sharp, witty guy, but he wasn't the most poetic character. I'm not trying to say that he was a dumb guy, just that his sense of poetry was on the target, but it wasn't close to the center. But he wrote that, and then Hughie sort of rounded out the song with the verses."

Henry Paul “I hope that Dixie Highway reinforces the notion that the Outlaws still matter, and that southern rock will always matter,” he says. “It’s a message we’re proud to bring into the twenty-first century.”

It was Skynyd’s Ronnie Van Zant who brought the Outlaws to the attention of their eventual home of Arista Records, forcing an executive to watch a support spot with Skynyrd in Columbus, Georgia in 1974. With typical bullishness, Van Zant collared label boss Clive Davis and told him: “If you don’t sign the Outlaws, then you’re the dumbest music person I’ve ever met – and I know that you’re not.”

Thomasson died of a heart attack two years afterwards, but Henry Paul keeps things moving forwards. He’s completely comfortable with that, having overturned a lawsuit from Hughie’s widow that attempted to prevent him doing so.

“I hated being dragged down that road, so let me say one thing about the whole situation,” he responds, choosing his words with caution. “text limit

Chicken Train Stomp Album: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1973) track 4
Standing On The Rock Album: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1973) track 6
by Ozark Mountain Daredevils

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils are an American band formed in 1972 in Springfield, Missouri. They are most widely known for their singles "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" in 1974 and "Jackie Blue" in 1975.

Bassist Michael "Supe" Granda has also written a book about the band, It Shined.

The band name was derived from "Cosmic Corn Cob & His Amazing Ozark Mountain Daredevils", a name that John Dillon came up with at a Kansas City "naming party" after the band was told that the name they had previously been using, "Family Tree", was already taken ("Burlap Socks" and "Buffalo Chips" were two other monikers that had been considered). The band shortened the name because none of the band members at the time wanted to be called "Cosmic Corn Cob", and they did not want the name to sound similar to the Amazing Rhythm Aces.

In 1971 Randle Chowning formed a band which included himself, Steve Cash, John Dillon, Elizabeth Anderson, Larry Lee, Rick Campanelli, Bill Jones and Michael Granda.

The band recorded a demo at Springfield's Top Talent Studios (soon to be renamed as American Artists) and that demo, containing such early songs as "Rhythm of Joy", found its way to New York music executive John Hammond via the hands of band friend Steve Canaday, co–owner of the New Bijou Theater. In July 1972 Hammond sent a producer, Michael Sunday, to the band's Ruedi-Valley Ranch in Aldrich, Missouri, the house rented from Randle Chowning's Southwest Missouri State University teacher Mrs. Ruedi, where the band rehearsed and where Chowning and his brother Rusty lived. Sunday offered the group $500 to make another demo tape at American Artists but ultimately decided to pass on offering them a contract. Many of the songs on this demo appeared thirteen years later as the record The Lost Cabin Sessions.

The band later sent a tape to the team who managed fellow Missourians Brewer & Shipley, Kansas City's Paul Peterson and Stan Plesser (who also owned the Vanguard, a popular coffee house, and ran their own Good Karma Productions). The pair gave the band a chance and became their managers as well in October 1972. The band then changed their name to the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (see "Name") and saw the departure of Campanelli and Jones along with the addition of Buddy Brayfield, a friend of Granda's, as the piano player. Anderson, though still romantically involved with Dillon, retired from the stage. Campanelli left on his own to pursue a master's degree in music; Jones rejoined the Daredevils briefly later and would continue to appear as a guest player on some of their shows and recording sessions.

The band began playing out in 1972 and 1973. On February 8, 1973 they played at Cowtown Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri. Later that month, on February 21, they played a concert at Shawnee Mission text limit

Beautiful Girls Album: Van Halen II (1979)
by Van Halen

This song is a credo of sorts for Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth: all he needs is a beautiful girl. Or more accurately, beautiful girls, as Roth played himself off as a rock-and-roll Lothario.

The song showcases his wordplay ("She was seaside sittin', just a smokin' and a drinkin' on ringside") as well as Eddie Van Halen's deluxe guitar riffs and Michael Anthony's rich backing vocals.

"Beautiful Girls" was the second single from the Van Halen II album, following "Dance The Night Away." Their singles did not sell well, but their albums did. Many people bought the first Van Halen album after hearing this one.

The group wrote this in David Lee Roth's basement. They had just finished a tour and were under tight deadline pressure to record their second album. They released an album every year until 1984.

Roth fractured his foot doing a jump for the album's photo shoot. Since there was no way Roth could stay still on stage, they postponed their tour so he could heal.

The album took six days to record. Van Halen was quick in the studio because they laid down most of the tracks live, with very little overdubbing.

Brad Tolinski, who spoke with Eddie Van Halen for Guitar World a number of times, had a revelation about this song after a conversation with Steve Vai. "I was listening to 'Beautiful Girls,' and what hit me was that these wild assortment of bends and growls and zany guitar sounds, they functioned almost as commentary on David Lee Roth's outrageously, hypersexual, Bugs Bunny persona," he said. "It was almost like Looney Tunes. Like Carl Stalling, who wrote the music for Looney Tunes. So, what you have, since Ed is such a sensitive musician, he's responding to this outrageous persona of David Lee Roth and just creating sounds that would somehow go along with that. I think that 'Beautiful Girls' is such a perfect example of David Lee Roth being funny and off the wall, and Eddie having to figure out something on the guitar to respond."

On their 1979 tour, David Lee Roth gave each of the crew members five backstage passes, which they were supposed to give to beautiful women. If Roth shacked up with one of the babes, he gave the roadie that got her in $100 the next day.

Eddie and Alex were born and raised in Holland. Their family moved to Pasadena, California in 1967, when Eddie was 10 and Alex was 12.

Eddie took piano lessons throughout his youth. He credits his understanding of classical music for his ability to write songs.

Eddie and Alex' father, Jan Van Halen, was a professional clarinet player.

Their original name was Mammoth, but they changed it after finding out another band had it first. It was Roth's idea to use the name Van Halen - Eddie and Alex didn't like it.

Roth was in a band called Redball Jet when he met Eddie and Alex. Michael Anthony met Alex at Pasadena City College.
Eddie had serious stage fright, and the only way he could perform early on was by text limit

The Fish Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To Die Rag Live Woodstock 1969
Country Joe and the Fish

Country Joe McDonald is named after Josef Stalin.

McDonald and Melton met as members of the Instant Action Jug Band. The original incarnation of the Fish was a jug band.

They were all arrested in Worcester, Massachusetts for inciting a crowd to lewd behavior by leading them in the infamous "FISH" cheer (Gimme an F - Gimme a U - etc.).

The band remained together long enough to appear in the 1971 film Zachariah.

McDonald has become involved in causes ranging from Vietnam veterans to saving the whales.

McDonald has a daughter named Seven. No joke, Seinfeld fans.

The Fish briefly reunited in 1977 for a tour and an album, Reunion.

In 1992, Melton ran for a city judgeship in Mendocino, California. He lost.

Country Joe McDonald performed solo and with The Fish at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. McDonald says he was "scared to death" and had to be pushed onstage for his solo performance.

1965-1970
Country Joe McDonald Vocals, guitar 1965-1970
Barry Melton Guitar 1965-1970
David Cohen Guitar, keyboards 1965-1970
Bruce Barthol Bass 1965-1970
Chicken Hirsch Drums 1965-1970

The Fish Cheer is a satire of US government attitudes toward the Vietnam War. Country Joe McDonald released it at the height of the war after he had been discharged from the US Navy for several years. He wrote it in about 30 minutes after it popped into his head.

The song attempts to put blame for the war upon the politicians and leaders of the US military and the industry that makes its money from war, but not upon those who had to fight the war: the soldiers. It expresses the thoughts of a person trapped in the military system and forced to go to war by something called "conscription." Conscription, or the "draft" as it was called, was a system that picked young people and forced them into the military and into the war. The only other choice was jail or an attempt to "dodge the draft" for religious, physical or mental reasons. It was very hard to get out of the draft because so many people were being killed in the war that they would take just about anyone.

The Fish Cheer attempts to address the horror of going to war with a dark sarcastic form of humor called "GI humor." GI humor is a way people have of complaining about their situation so it will not get them in trouble and keep them from going insane in an insane environment like war.

This was the title song for Country Joe & the Fish's second album. When they performed it at Woodstock, they created one of the more memorable moments of the festival when they led the crowd in the "Fish Cheer":

The album version of the Fish Cheer: "Gimme an F... Gimme an I... Gimme an S... Gimme an H..."

At Woodstock, the Fish Cheer was uncensored.

The first version of this song was an acoustic rendition recorded at Arhoolie Records Studios in El Cerrito, California, in 1965. McDonald released a limited number of copies on his own text limit

Come Together
Beatles Album: Abbey Road 1969
Aerosmith B-side of "Kings and Queens" single Released 31 July 1978

Timothy Leary was a psychologist who became famous for experimenting with LSD as a way to promote social interaction and raise consciousness. Leary did many experiments on volunteers and himself and felt the drug had many positive qualities if taken correctly. When the government cracked down on LSD, Leary's experiments were stopped and he was arrested on drug charges. In 1969, Leary decided to run for Governor of California, and asked John Lennon to write a song for him. "Come Together, Join The Party" was Leary's campaign slogan (a reference to the drug culture he supported) and was the original title of the song. Leary never had much of a campaign, but the slogan gave Lennon the idea for this song.

After Timothy Leary decided against using this song for his political campaign Lennon added some nonsense lyrics and brought it to the Abbey Road sessions. Paul McCartney recalled in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs: "I said, 'Let's slow it down with a swampy bass-and-drums vibe.' I came up with a bass line, and it all flowed from there."

In a 1980 interview with Playboy magazine, John Lennon said: "The thing was created in the studio. It's gobbledygook. 'Come Together' was an expression that Tim Leary had come up with for (perhaps for the governorship of California against Reagan), and he asked me to write a campaign song. I tried and I tried, but I couldn't come up with one. But I came up with this, 'Come Together,' which would've been no good to him - you couldn't have a campaign song like that, right?"

John Lennon was sued for stealing the guitar riff and the line "Here comes old flat-top" from Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me." The lawsuit did not come from Berry, but from Morris Levy, one of the music industry's most infamous characters (see our interview with Tommy James for more on Levy). He owned the song along with thousands of other early rock songs that he obtained from many poor, black, and unrepresented artists. Levy sued the Beatles, or more accurately, John Lennon, over the song around the time the Beatles broke up.

For years, Lennon delayed the trial while he and the Beatles tried to sort out all the legal and business problems that plagued Apple Records. Finally, in an attempt to avoid the court room as much as he could (Lennon felt like he was appearing in court more often than not), he settled with Levy. Lennon agreed to record his Rock N Roll album, which was just a series of cover songs, including three songs Levy owned (including "You Can't Catch Me") on the tracklist.

The deal made sense: Lennon always wanted to make a covers album, and Levy wanted the value of his songs to increase (when a Beatle re-records a song, that is just what happens). To make a long long long story short, Lennon recorded the album over the Lost Weekend, a year-or-two period when he was separated from Yoko Ono text yoko'd

Amnesia Album: Tubthumper (1998)
The Wizard Of Menlo Park Album:Un (2004)
Give The Anarchist A Cigarette Album: Anarchy (1994)
by Chumbawamba

"Amnesia" is the second single from English band Chumbawamba's eighth studio album, Tubthumper (1997). The song's lyrics address the sense of betrayal that English leftists felt during the rise of New Labour. Released on 19 January 1998 by EMI, the song was met with favorable reception from critics, who regarded the song as a highlight from Tubthumper.

The song was a top-10 hit in Canada and the United Kingdom, giving the group their final top-20 entries in both countries. The song also reached number one on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, becoming the group's final US chart entry. An accompanying music video was also released.

"Amnesia" lyrically explores the dishonesty of politicians and the ignorance of voters who continue to vote them into office. Chumbawamba's Alice Nutter told MTV that the group "wrote "Amnesia' before the general election in England, and we basically wrote it about Blair's new labor [sic]," adding that the song has a universal message, noting that "people forget that what Bill Clinton says before he gets elected is not what Bill Clinton will do when he's in office, and that's not about Bill Clinton, that's about all politicians." At the end of the album version of the song, there is an interlude that samples a UK public service announcement on mad cow disease.

Amnesia was released as a CD single in the UK. A 12-inch single of the song was later released in the US, featuring "Tubthumping" as its B-side. A full-page ad featured in Spin magazine, for the song's parent album mentioned the inclusion of "Amnesia" on the album, was accompanied by partial lyrics.

Un is the eleventh studio album by Chumbawamba, released on 8 June 2004 by Koch Records. The album was written and produced by solely by Chumbawamba. A musical departure from predecessor Readymades (2002), the album incorporates elements of folk, electronic, and world music. Thematically, the album acts as a social commentary on a variety of political and social issues, including individualism and anti-consumerism. Un was promoted with two singles: "The Wizard of Menlo Park" (included here) and "On eBay".

Anarchy is the sixth studio album by Chumbawamba. Many of the tracks address specific social issues, such as homophobia, strikes or otherisms.

Its graphic cover, depicting a baby's head emerging from a vagina, prompted the record to be banned from some shops and stocked in plain sleeves in others. The Spotify and iTunes version of the album replaces the baby picture with a painting of red roses.

The album was a commercial success, giving the group their first top-40 album on the UK Albums Chart. The album debuted and peaked at number 29 on the chart dated 7 May 1994; it spent a total of three weeks on the chart before exiting the top 100.

Give The Anarchist A Cigarette is the first track.

Lowrider Album: Stoned Raiders (2001)
Insane In The Brain Album: Black Sunday (1993)
Rock Superstar Album: Skull & Bones (2000)
by Cypress Hill

1988-
B-Real Lead rapping
DJ Muggs Turntables
Sen Dog Rapping
Eric Bobo Drums 1994-

Cypress Hill started in Cypress Park, California in 1988. The group signed a deal with Columbia Records in 1989 after the label heard their first demo. Black Sunday, Cypress Hill's second album, came out in 1993 and went straight to #1 on Billboard's Top 200 chart. It spent 2 weeks at the top spot, displacing Zooropa by U2 and getting knocked off by the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack.

Cypress Hill was banned from playing Saturday Night Live in 1993 after they smoked marijuana onstage and trashed their instruments after performing the song "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That."

In 1995, Cypress Hill appeared on The Simpsons, performing at a fictional festival called Homerpalooza. The episode poked fun at Lollapalooza and Woodstock 1994, two festivals that the Hip-Hop group had recently headlined.

Cypress Hill attempted to gain a larger audience in 2000 by releasing a guitar-driven single called "Rock Superstar." The group also joined punk bands MxPx and The Offspring on tour the same year.

"Lowrider" is the second single from the album Stoned Raiders. The song is featured in the British TV series Soccer AM. The song was the second part of the double A-Side single it shared with "Trouble" in Europe. "Lowrider" was not released until February elsewhere.

On the album, there is a hidden track. The hidden track is rather ominous as it features a slow drum beat and a low pitched organ that only plays five notes. This lasts for around two minutes.

"Insane in the Brain" is a song released in June 1993 by Ruffhouse and Columbia as the first single from the group's second album, Black Sunday (1993). The song was written by group members Louis Freese, Lawrence Muggerud and Senen Reyes, and produced by Muggerud (DJ Muggs). In addition to hitting number one on the US rap chart, it also was a mainstream hit, reaching number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993. "Insane in the Brain" earned a 3× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and sold 3,000,000 copies domestically. The accompanying music video was directed by Josh Taft, featuring the group performing at a rave.

According to B-Real, the song was actually a diss song aimed at Chubb Rock. The group felt Chubb had ridiculed their style on his 1992 album, I Gotta Get Mine Yo. DJ Muggs credited "Jump Around" by House of Pain, also produced by himself, as a major influence.

According to a live interview aired on Double J during a feature of the Black Sunday album, "insane in the membrane" was a localised gang term used at the time by the Crips when doing something crazy. It was then appropriated into this song. A 2019 interview with The Guardian elaborated further that both Bloods and Crips used a similar phrase as an informal insanity plea textlimit

The Ballad Of Curtis Loew Album: Second Helping (1974)
Double Trouble Album: Gimme Back My Bullets (1976)
Gimme Three Steps Album: Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd (1973)
by Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Ballad Of Curtis Loew was written by Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins, who both died young (Van Zant in 1977 at 29, Collins in 1990 at 37). If they spoke about the song, it's been lost to time, but guitarists Gary Rossington and Ed King have both discussed it, and they give conflicting origin stories.

According to King, who joined the band in 1972, Curtis Loew is a composite of different people, including Shorty Medlocke, the grandfather of Ricky Medlocke, who played guitar in an early Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup (Ricky later formed the band Blackfoot). Shorty, according to King, could "play anything," and contrary to the song's lyrics, was not black (In a 1997 interview on the Lyve From Steel Town album, the band was quoted as jokingly saying, "We needed to 'color' the song up").

Rossington a founding member of the band who grew up with Collins and Van Zant in Jacksonville, Florida, says there really was a Curtis Loew, although "Loew" wasn't his last name. "It's a true story," he said in a radio interview. "It's about a Black man who grew up in the west side with us. There was a store called Mulberry Market, and there was a Black man who stayed out there. His name was Curtis and he had an old dobro guitar. He kept it in his house right behind the store, but if you gave him some money - 50 cents or even a quarter - he'd play a song for you. He'd rake out his bottle and play the blues.

We would collect Coke bottles - which the song says - drive all around the neighborhood getting them, then we'd cash them in, get the money and give it to Curtis Loew. He would go right across the street to the wine store and buy a bottle of wine. We'd give him like a quarter and he'd play for a minute and he'd come out straight and just play a song and say, 'give me the money, boy.' But when we'd all get together, three or four of us would put our money together and we'd give him like a dollar, $1.50. I think a bottle of cheap wine back then was $1.25. Then he'd go across the street and buy a bottle, have two or three nips, then he'd play a little song and half a bottle would be gone.

He was into it. He was stomping his foot and he'd take an old Coca-Cola crate, turn it upside down, and that was his beat. He's start playing and he'd drink a little more wine he'd start singing and playing and kicking. That was fun."
"The Ballad Of Curtis Loew" wasn't released as a single and the band rarely played it live, but it still found a following among the Skynyrd faithful and is one of the most popular deep cuts in classic rock. It's part of the band's second album, Second Helping, which also includes "Sweet Home Alabama." The band recorded the album at The Record Plant in Los Angeles at the same time the Eagles were making their third album, text limit

If Miller can't drive your car, you don't want it...
The heart is the green chakra

Hear My Train A Comin' Album: Blues (1969)
Fire Album: Are You Experienced? (1967)
Castles Made Of Sand Album: Axis: Bold As Love (1967)
by Jimi Hendrix

Hear My Train A Comin' is also known as "Getting My Heart Back Together Again," Hendrix often played this song live, but never released the song on an album. Hendrix first played it in studio on December 19, 1967. During a photo shoot session, he was given a guitar and asked to play something for the camera. The original tape was re-discovered in 1993 only and remastered by Eddie Kramer. You can hear it on the Blues compilation, released in 1994. On this album, you can also hear a live version played by Hendrix on May 30, 1970 in Berkeley.

The only Jimi Hendrix Experience studio recording of Hear My Train A Comin' crops up on the 2010 Valleys of Neptune album. Hendrix producer/engineer Eddie Kramer commented to Toronto's The Globe and Mail: "It shows a complete at-oneness with his instrument. Jimi had a thought in his mind, and in a nanosecond it gets through his body, through his heart, through his arms, through the fingers, onto the guitar."

The Hear My Train A Comin' version on Hendrix's posthumous album, People, Hell & Angels, was drawn from Jimi's first ever recording session with his old army pal, Billy Cox, and drummer Buddy Miles. He would later record the groundbreaking album Band Of Gypsys with the powerhouse rhythm duo. Co-producer John McDermott commented to Digital Spy: "Billy and Buddy understood how to set the tempo. If you listen to this recording, they play it the same way as they did on the Live At The Fillmore East album. They knew intuitively that the song should have a great, menacing groove; it shouldn't be old-school, old-tempo, four-bar stuff. They wanted it to have a totally different feel, and that's what makes it exciting."

The main lyrics in Fire ("let me stand next to your fire") came from a time when the band had just finished a gig in the cold around Christmas, 1966. They went to bass player Noel Redding's mother's house in Folkestone, England, and when they got there, Jimi asked Redding's mother Margaret if he could "stand next to her fire" to warm up. The family dog, a German Shepherd, lay by the fire, which inspired the line, "Move over Rover, and let Jimi take over."

The lyrical lightning bolt of Fire was a breakthrough for Hendrix, who had just started writing songs at the request of his manager Chas Chandler. Writing riffs was easy for him, and it turned out he had a talent for crafting lyrics as well, as he was able to turn a simple line into a fiery tale of lustful passion. (This story is verified in Mat Snow's Mojo story on Hendrix that ran in the October 2006 issue.)

Hendrix is legendary for theatrics like setting his guitar on fire and playing it with his teeth (not at the same time). Fire was the song he was (appropriately) playing when he set it on fire for the first time. It happened at a concert in London in March 1967, two months before txtlimi

We Used To Know Track 8 on Album: Stand Up (1969)
Bourée Album: Track 3 Album: Stand Up (1969)
by Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson has speculated that the chord progression in "We Used to Know" was picked up subconsciously by the Eagles when they toured together in 1971 or 1972 and used in their song "Hotel California". However Don Felder, who wrote the music for "Hotel California", did not join the Eagles until 1974. In a 2016 interview, Anderson stated that the chord progression had likely been used in earlier songs and also called "Hotel California" a "much better song" than "We Used to Know". He was probably lying...

Stand Up, released in 1969, is the second studio album by British band Jethro Tull. It was the first Jethro Tull album to feature guitarist Martin Barre, who would go on to become the band's longtime guitarist until its initial dissolution in 2012. Before recording sessions for the album began, the band's original guitarist Mick Abrahams departed from the band as a result of musical differences with frontman and primary songwriter Ian Anderson; Abrahams wanted to stay with the blues rock sound of their 1968 debut, This Was, while Anderson wished to add other musical influences such as folk rock.

The design of the album cover started with a visit to New Haven, Connecticut during a concert tour in late February 1969. Under the direction of producer Terry Ellis, the band met a woodcarver named James Grashow who followed them for a week in order to properly represent them in wood. The resulting gatefold album cover, in a woodcut style designed by Grashow, originally opened up like a children's pop-up book so that a cut-out of the band's personnel stood up, evoking the album's title. Stand Up won New Musical Express's award for best album artwork in 1969. The pop-up was not carried over to the 1973 album reissue, but is now available on the 180g vinyl issue of the Steven Wilson remixed version of the album, released in 2017.

Stand Up represents the first album project on which Anderson was in full control of the music and lyrics. The result was an eclectic album with various styles and instrumentation appearing in its songs.

The album was released 25th July, and was No. 1 on the UK charts the following week, 3rd August, following up on the success of the non-album single "Living in the Past", which had reached No. 3 in the UK singles chart on the day the album was released. The album was Jethro Tull's first success in the United States, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard 200.

Jethro Tull released their debut album "This Was" in October 1968. During the recording of This Was, frontman Ian Anderson began writing new material which differed from the straight blues/jazz fusion style which the band were known for at the time. Anderson estimated that he wrote "50 percent" of Stand Up during the summer of 1968. Anderson wrote the album's songs on an acoustic guitar in his bedsit in Kentish Town, London, and cited Roy Harper, text limit