A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash

Artist: Johnny Cash
Song: A Boy Named Sue
Year: 1969
Album: At San Quentin

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Johnny Cash. There's something about his voice that I could listen to him sing the telephone book and I'd have a smile on my face. It's no different when he took a song written by Shel Silverstein and made a hit.

The lyrics tell of a young man that grew up angry because his father left. But before his father left, he named the boy, Sue. The main motivation in the young man's life was to kill the man who gave him that name.

I can remember reading Shel Silverstein as a kid. He was one of my favorite authors back then. He still holds a fond place in my heart. I can also remember hearing the Johnny Cash version of the song, but I never put them together.

There was a bit of controversy with the release of the song. Some people objected to the words bitch and damn being used in the song. I think it fits right into the theme of the song. I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Lyrics:
My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."

Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.

And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."

He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!

Spinning Wheel - Blood, Sweat & Tears

Artist: Blood, Sweat & Tears
Song: Spinning Wheel
Year: 1969
Album: Blood, Sweat & Tears

If you listen to familiar songs, really listen, you can get past the familiarity and get to the core of the song. Sure, this is a song of the psychadelic age, but it is also a song cautioning people not to get caught up in that scene because everything comes full circle.

I guess that's one of the reasons why this song always reminded me of an old fashioned merry-go-round. The kind where you ride the horses, not the school playground economy model. The song reminded me of a carnival atmosphere that didn't jive with the late sixties. It seemed more in tune with turn of the twentieth century settings.

"Spinning Wheel" came off the band's second album featuring the second lead singer, David Clayton-Thomas, who also wrote this pop gem. Blood, Sweat & Tears played Woodstock this year. I think that this album was the apex of their career. Most of that had to do with other issues besides the music. The music was fine, but the band's involvement with the State Department (in order to smooth over David Clayton-Thomas' visa) led to ridicule from most of their peers in 1970.

Most reviews of their third album focused on their cooperation with the government. Some didn't even mention the music. As a result, sales suffered and the band wanted to switch directions. This led to David Clayton-Thomas to leave the band. He returns and disappears several times after his initial departure. The current band tours, but features no original members.

Lyrics:
What goes up, must come down
Spinning wheel got to go round
Talkin' 'bout your troubles, it's a cryin' sin
Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel spin

You got no money and you, you got no home
Spinning wheel, all alone
Talkin' 'bout your troubles and you, you never learn
Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel turn

Did you find a directing sign on the straight and narrow highway?
Would you mind a reflecting sign?
Just let it shine within your mind
And show you the colors that are real

Someone is waiting just for you
Spinning wheel spinning true
Drop all your troubles by the riverside
Catch a painted pony on the spinning wheel ride
Ha!

Someone's waiting just for you
Spinning wheel spinning true
Drop all your troubles by the riverside
Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel fly

China Cat Sunflower - Grateful Dead

Artist: Grateful Dead
Song: China Cat Sunflower
Year: 1969
Album: Aoxomoxoa

I'm not a huge Dead fan, but I do like a few songs. I first heard China Cat Sunflower when I was listening to a concert broadcast on a local Chicago radio station, WXRT. During the concert, which I recorded on audio tape, I was blown away by the performance of this song.

I don't know if it was the timing of the song or if I was in a right frame of mind, but I really enjoyed the song. It has been sneaking on compilations ever since that moment in 1992. The rest of the concert was OK, but "China Cat Sunflower" was the highlight for me.

I botched my chance to see the Dead in 1995. July 9, 1995 to be exact. Jerry Garcia's last show. I figured that they would be around next summer and I would catch them then. I should have learned my lesson with Nirvana, but I usually learn the hard way. I missed out on a golden opportunity and blew it.

At least I can still listen to the music. I have found various recordings from that last show, so I can pretend to be there. It's not the same. Still, this incident (and many others like it) have taught me to live in the moment more often.

Lyrics:
Look for a while at the China Cat sunflower,
Proud walking jingle in the midnight sun.
Copperdome bodhi drip a silver kimono,
Like a crazy quilt stargown through a dream night wind.

Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandanna,
Like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eye jack.
A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle,
To a double-E waterfall over my back.

Comic book colors on a violin river Cryin' Leonardo,
Words from out a silk trombone.
I rang a silent bell, beneath a shower of pearls,
In the eagle-winged palace of the Queen Chinee.

Shaman's Blues - The Doors

Artist: The Doors
Song: Shaman's Blues
Year: 1969
Album: The Soft Parade

This album has been a sore thumb in the history of the Doors. The Soft Parade breaks new exciting ground, but is a departure in the eyes of mant fans. When half the songs feature a horn section, there's something amiss. That doesn't stop this from being a great album though.

"Shaman's Blues" is one of the songs uneffected by the horn section. It's a gritty, straightforward piece of blues fluff that is catchy. It's easy to dismiss this song as another of Jim Morrison's psychobabble ramblings. I am a fan of Jim and his poetry, but let's face it, some of it was free association. I can put ten different things on paper, throw them into the air, and piece it back together with just as much gusto.

The ending of this song features different ramblings from studio outtakes tacked onto the song. It would be interesting to think that the word bridesmaid was in the actual written lyrics for the ending verse. Then again, it's not that far fetched to think that random word wouldn't have fallen out of Jim's mouth on a take.

I would categorize this as an early attempt at the blues that the band would perfect on the L.A. Woman album. There is wisdom in this piece, if you look hard enough. This song fits Jim's style to a tee. I'm very happy that this track didn't find a bunch of syrupy horns on it. That just makes it that much more powerful.

Lyrics:
There will never be
Another one like you
There will never be
Another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together, anyway, all right

And if you have a certain evenin'
You could lend to me
I'd give it all right back to you
A how it has to be with you
I know your moves and your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind

Will you stop and think and wonder?
Just what you'll see
Out on the train yard
Nursin' penitentiary
It's gone, I cry out long

Go head, brother

Did you stop it to consider?
How it will feel
Cold, grinded grizzly bear jaws
Hot on your heels

Do you often stop and whisper?
It's Saturday's shore
The whole world's a savior
Who could ever, ever, ever
Ever, ever, ever
Ask for more?

Do you remember?
Will you stop?
Will you stop?
The pain

And there will never be
Another one like you
There will never be
Another one who can
Do the things you do, oh

Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together, anyway, all right

How you must of think and wondered
How I must feel
Out on the meadows
While you run the field
I'm alone for you
And I cry

The sweat, look at it
Optical promise
Heh, heh, heh
You'll be dead and in hell
Before I'm born
Sure thing
Brides maid
The only solution
Isn't it amazing?

Space Oddity - David Bowie

Artist: David Bowie
Song: Space Oddity
Year: 1969
Album: Space Oddity

David Bowie is nothing, if not an opportunist. This song was made to be released when the Apollo moon landing was happening. Pretty shrewd on ol' David Jones' part. If the song had tanked, it would have been largely forgotten and David would have a boatload of cash.

Instead, the song is still in heavy rotation on the radio and in movies. I'll bet you that anytime a tourist is in a space shuttle simulator, they are thinking of this song. I know I even think of this song when I'm waiting for takeoff in an airplane.

The song is crafted beautifully. It shouldn't work as a song, but it captures the right mood. I think that if the song was released today, it would be forgotten. Because it was done at the precise right time, it is an instant classic that continues to be ingrained in our consciousness.

The video is from the same guy who made the Smurf animated video to Kenny Roger's Lucille. I think this video is a much better result.

Lyrics:
Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may God's love be with you

Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five,
Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff

This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare

"This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell me wife I love her very much she knows"

Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you....

"Here am I floating round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do."

Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac

Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Song: Oh Well
Year: 1969
Album: Then Play On

With the mainstream success of Fleetwood Mac, few people realize that the band had been releasing albums as Fleetwood Mac since 1967. Fleetwood Mac started out of one of the early lineups of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Fleetwood Mac's name came from a song that was recorded named after the musicians Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.

Mick Fleetwood remains the only member from the original lineup that is still a part of the group. John McVie was there from the beginning, but did not join the group until partway through the first year. Peter Green was the mastermind behind Fleetwood Mac. The band almost split up after his departure.

Despite Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham being so associated with Fleetwood Mac, they didn't join until the mid seventies. This was Peter Green's last album with Fleetwood Mac and the contributions are wonderful. "Oh Well" is a perfect predecessor to bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, mixing in prog rock with blues.

There is actually an error with this song. A few seconds of part one overlaps onto part two of the song. When they were released as one whole song, those few seconds loop again where the original cut was made. Most people don't even notice it. I never did until I read about it.

I often wonder what Fleetwood Mac would have been like had Peter Green not departed abruptly because of illness. Would they be as big as they are now? It's hard to tell. I think that Fleetwood Mac would have enjoyed continued success, but would have floated around the mainstream more. On the bright side, we may have been spared the painful "eighties moments" that came on the soft rock albums that littered that decade. But we would have been denied albums like Rumours and Tusk. It's a tough choice.

Lyrics:
I can't help about the shape I'm in
I can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin
But don't ask me what I think of you
I might not give the answer that you want me to

Oh well

Now, when I talked to God I knew he'd understand
He said, Stick by my side and I'll be your guiding hand
But don't ask me what I think of you
I might not give the answer that you want me to

Oh well

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam

Artist: Steam
Song: Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Year: 1969
Album: Steam

With the White Sox possibly going to the postseason today, I figured this would be the perfect song to showcase. This song was first used by Nancy Faust in the mid seventies, after fans kept requesting it. It was used after an opposing pitcher would exit the game and eventually was played after every home win in Comiskey Park.

I can remember being at Comiskey Park in the mid eighties, with some awful White Sox teams, and the crowd would sing along at the top of their lungs whenever this was played by Nancy. This started to catch on with other teams and soon this was part of the repertoire of most sporting events. Sadly, this isn't the case anymore. The older the song gets, the less that it's used in sporting events. It's still used by the White Sox though.

This could have became an obscure one hit wonder, if not for the popularity during sporting events. It seems hard to believe that this was recorded originally as filler. Mercury Records wanted a filler cut for a B side, but ended up liking the song so much that it ended up as its own single.

There wasn't even a band called Steam. It was a few studio musicians that wrote and recorded the throwaway single. The success of the single inspired a quickly thrown together band that recorded an album and toured. The band disbanded in 1970 and was on the way to trivia question land, until a few Chicago White Sox fans rescued it.

Lyrics:
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye

He'll never love you, the way that I love you
'Cause if he did, no no, he wouldn't make you cry
He might be thrillin' baby but a-my love (my love, my love)
So dog-gone willin'
So kiss him (I wanna see you kiss him. Wanna see you kiss him)
Go on and kiss him goodbye, now

Na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye

Listen to me now

He's never near you to comfort and cheer you
When all those sad tears are fallin' baby from your eyes
He might be thrillin' baby but a-my love (my love, my love)
So dog-gone willin'
So kiss him (I wanna see you kiss him. I wanna see you kiss him)
Go on and kiss him goodbye, na-na na-na-na na na

Na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye

Hey hey-ey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye