Rock With You - Michael Jackson

Artist: Michael Jackson
Song: Rock With You
Year: 1979
Album: Off The Wall

Forget all the personal stories about Michael Jackson. Is he a creepy guy? Sure. Does his behavior seem odd? You betcha! Over the past two decades, we have let that dominate our thoughts about Michael Jackson. After years of self boycott, I started to play the old solo stuff. It still sounded great.

If one can listen to the music itself and not pass judgement on the singer himself, the music is still catchy and enjoyable. I don't care if he ever puts out another worthwhile album of music. This early solo stuff will more than make up for whatever studio enhanced feces he can spread among the masses today.

I doubt if he will ever be as popular as he was in the eighties. "Rock With You" was one of the beginning steps in his breakout solo career as an adult. This vibe is even being captured by Justin Timberlake for some of his recent solo hits. The music is still good. It's just the singer that went bad. I really didn't mean that to be punny, but whatever.

Give the old stuff a second chance. It may surprise you. I sure never thought I'd have Michael Jackson on my iPod, but some of his earlier stuff was just so damn catchy, it's hard not to include it. I've wrestled over the thought of having his music included, but in the end the music itself won me over.

Lyrics:
Girl, close your eyes
Let that rhythm get into you
Don't try to fight it
There ain't nothin' that you can do
Relax your mind
Lay back and groove with mine
You got to feel that heat
And we can ride the boogie
Share that beat of love

I wanna rock with you (all night)
Dance you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (all night)
We're gonna rock the night away

Out on the floor
There ain't nobody there but us
Girl, when you dance
There's a magic that must be love
Just take it slow
'Cause we got so far to go
When you feel that heat
And we're gonna ride the boogie
Share that beat of love

I wanna rock with you (all night)
Dance you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (all night)
We're gonna rock the night away

And when the groove is dead and gone... yeah
You know that love survives
So we can rock forever, on

I wanna rock with you
I wanna groove with you

I wanna rock with you
I wanna groove with you

I wanna rock (all night) with you girl (sunlight)
Rock with you, rock with you (yeah) (all night)
Dance the night away

I wanna rock with you (yeah) (all night)
Rock you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (all night)
Rock the night away
Feel the heat feel the beat (all night)
Rock you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock (all night) - rock the night away

Here Comes My Girl - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Artist: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Song: Here Comes My Girl
Year: 1979
Album: Damn The Torpedoes

This song always reminds me of my fiancée. Everything in the world could be going wrong, but one thought of her and the problems start to melt away. I can imagine that can be applied to anyone of the feminine persuasion that you love. It could be a fiancée, a girlfriend, a wife, a daughter. Pretty much anyone that you would consider to be "yours" at the time.

I've always thought that this was a very underrated song from Tom Petty. It only hit as high as number 59 on the charts, but it's a damn good song. It captures a nonchalant attitude, but gives a purpose behind the attitude. My interpretation is that a female that you care about can make all your problems seem to disappear, but I'm sure that's not the only school of thought.

It almost seems as if Tom Petty is taking a page from the Isaac Hayes playbook. He seems to be slightly rapping during the song. He alternates that with periods of singing. This was his style of music though. The spoken word and sung parts of a song can be found in other songs from his catalogue.

Tom has a lazy way of speaking the verses in this song. It fits with the mood perfectly. It enhances the chorus parts, when he actually sings. This is a prime example of why Tom Petty became popular in the late seventies. This was something familiar and yet something new and exciting. A marriage of blues and rock with a twist of country thrown in for flavor. The perfect recipe.

Lyrics:
You know sometimes, I don't know why,
But this old town seems so hopeless.
Yeah, I ain't really sure, but it seems I remember the good times
Were just a little bit more in focus.

But when she puts her arms around me
I can somehow rise above it.
Yeah, man when I got that little girl standin' right by my side,
You know, I can tell the whole wide world to shove it, hey!

Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight.

Every now and then I down to the end of the day
And I have to stop and ask myself why I've done it.
It just seems so useless to have to work so hard
And nothin' ever really seems to come from it.

But then she looks me in the eye and says,
"We're gonna last forever."
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it.
No, 'cause it just feels so good and so free and so right.
I know we ain't never goin' to change our minds about it - hey!

Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight. (Watch her walk.)

Every time it seems like there ain't nothin' left no more,
I find myself having to reach out and grab hold of something.
Yeah, I just catch myself waiting, wondering, worrying
About some silly little things that don't add up to nothin'.

But then she looks me in the eye and says,
"We're gonna last forever."
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it.
No, 'cause it just feels so good and so free and so right.
I know we ain't never gonna' to change our minds about it - hey!

Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight.