White And Nerdy - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Artist: "Weird Al" Yankovic
Song: White & Nerdy
Year: 2006
Album: Straight Outta Lynwood

Weird Al makes me appreciate songs that would rarely be in my playlist. I don't think the original Chamillionaire song will ever make my rotation, but I like it more after hearing Al's parody version.

Lyrics:
hey see me mowin'
My front lawn
I know they're all thinking
I'm so White N' nerdy

Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Can't you see I'm white n' nerdy
Look at me I'm white n' nerdy!
I wanna roll with-
The gangsters
But so far they all think
I'm too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
I'm just too white n' nerdy
Really, really white n' nerdy

First in my class here at M.I.T.
Got skills, I'm a Champion of DND
MC Escher that's my favorite MC
Keep your 40
I'll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin to the contrary
You'll find they're quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Steven Hawkings in my library
My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
I got people begging for my top 8 spaces
Yo I know Pi to a thousand places
Ain't got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I'm a whiz at minesweeper I can play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you're gonna stay amazed,
my fingers movin' so fast I'll set the place ablaze
There's no killer app I haven't run
At Pascal, well, I'm number 1
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain't got a gat but I gotta soldering gun
Happy days is my favourite theme song
I can sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I'll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I'm fluent in Java Script as well as Klingon

They see me roll on, my Segway!
I know in my heart they think I'm
white n' nerdy!
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Can't you see I'm white n' nerdy
Look at me I'm white n' nerdy
I'd like to roll with-
The gangsters
Although it's apparent I'm too
White n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
I'm just too white n' nerdy
How'd I get so white n' nerdy?

I've been browsing, inspectin'
X-men comics you know I collect 'em
The pens in my pocket
I must protect 'em
my ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you ROTFLOL
I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code who do they call?
I do HTML for them all
Even made a homepage for my dog!
Yo! Got myself a fanny pack
they were having a sale down at the GAP
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
POP POP! Hope no one sees me gettin' freaky!

I'm nerdy in the extreme and whiter than sour creme
I was in AV club and Glee club and even the chess team!
Only question I ever thought was hard
Was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?
I spend every weekend
at the renaissance fair
I got my name on my under wear!

They see me strollin'
They laughin'
And rollin' their eyes 'cause
I'm so white n' nerdy
Just because I'm white n' nerdy
Just because I'm white n' nerdy
All because I'm white n' nerdy
Holy cow I'm white n' nerdy
I wanna bowl with-
the gangsters
but oh well it's obvious I'm
white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
I'm just too white n' nerdy
Look at me I'm white n' nerdy!

Old Dan Tucker - Bruce Springsteen

Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Song: Old Dan Tucker
Year: 2006
Album: We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

This is the only album by Bruce Springsteen consisting entirely of material that he did not write himself. These songs were written or made popular by folk artist Pete Seeger. The entire album is a breath of fresh air. Most of the songs have secret political influences, but the songs are both catchy and fun.

"Old Dan Tucker" dates back to at least 1843. It is theorized that the song became popular by word of mouth, with no actual lyrics written down. There are several different versions of the song floating around, which may be a result of its origins.

While it may seem that Bruce is branching out by including folk songs in his repertoire, he has been in this particular vein of music for awhile. As he has gotten older, his music has gravitated towards the folk side of music. If not in practice, then in theory. The only branching out Bruce is doing is releasing an entire album's worth of music that was not written by him.

"Old Dan Tucker" has its charms. The end result is an energetic performance that culminates in smiles for the artist and the listener. Bruce is letting us in on the joy of performing, rather than sharing another painful memory or rite of passage. In a way, these songs are a rite of passage. These songs are handed down from generation to generation. Now it is someone else's turn.

Lyrics:
One, two, three, four

Now old Dan Tucker was a fine old man
Washed his face in a fryin' pan
Combed his hair with a wagon wheel
And died with a toothache in his heel

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Now old Dan Tucker come to town
Riding a billy goat, leading a hound
The hound dog barked and the billy goat jumped
And landed old Tucker on a stump

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Now old Dan Tucker got drunk and fell
In the fire and kicked up holy hell
A red-hot coal got in his shoe
And oh my Lord the ashes flew

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Come on!
Let it go!

Now Old Dan Tucker come to town
Swinging them ladies all round
First to the right then to the left
Then to the gal that he loved best

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Blues Never Fade Away - Elton John

Artist: Elton John
Song: Blues Never Fade Away
Year: 2006
Album: The Captain & The Kid

Bernie Taupin and Elton John write and record beautiful songs. Most of their recent work have had a lot of meaning behind the lyrics. Since they have been around for four decades, each has seen their share of loss. Most of the losses they've had to deal with have been losses that we have had to endure as well. Though, I would imagine, they were a lot closer to the people that we've all lost in the during their careers.

All of the people mentioned or hinted at are real people that Bernie and Elton knew. They have been victims of AIDS or murder. There are so many people that fit the vague descriptions in the lyrics that memories of many celebrities and victims that were thrown into the spotlight appear through my mind when I hear this song.

Elton John songs lost their way in the nineties. Too much focus was on Disney soundtracks and quick cash that Elton did not seem relevant anymore. He became the old man singing the generic love songs. Thankfully, that image has washed away with the last few albums. He won't regain his old status as the hottest ticket in town, but he has become the elder statesman instead of the crooning old man.

Songs like this one show me that there is a lot left in Bernie and Elton's bag of tricks. There is still things to be said and music left to write. I'm just hoping that another soft rock bonanza doesn't pitfall the boys. That would be a tragedy.

Lyrics:
He wasn't famous but I sure did love him
I've got his picture in a little frame
He lost his life to a big disease before it even had a name
But there's so many more and I've lost count
The hows and whys aren't important now
All that matters is they came around
And brightened up our lives

She was twenty one with her life ahead
You don't need to know her name
She breathed her last on the cold stone floor of a Hollywood arcade
But fate's right hand isn't always just
Puts a lot of pressure on your faith and trust
She was just a little girl, ain't that enough
To rage against the day

And how did we get so lucky
Targets on the rifle range
Who makes the call and who gets to choose
Who gets to win and who gets to lose
It's like a rolling dice in the belly of the blues
And blues never fade away
Hey hey hey, colors run when the rain falls
But blues never fade away

He shone so bright with a lust for life
Like the Sun King that he was
His passions hung upon his walls and were printed onto cloth
And for reasons I never understood
About the choices made between the bad and good
I've tried to figure out why
The pain never goes away

And how did we get so lucky
Targets on the rifle range
Who makes the call and who gets to choose
Who gets to win and who gets to lose
It's like a rolling dice in the belly of the blues
And blues never fade away
Hey hey hey, colors run when the rain falls
But blues never fade away

And there's marble markers and little white crosses
Along the beaten path
And I've spread their ashes on the wind
And I miss John Lennon's laugh

And how did we get so lucky
Targets on the rifle range
Who makes the call and who gets to choose
Who gets to win and who gets to lose
It's like a rolling dice in the belly of the blues
And blues never fade away
Hey hey hey, colors run when the rain falls
But blues never fade away

Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond Of Each Other) - Willie Nelson

Artist: Willie Nelson
Song: Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond Of Each Other)
Year: 2006
Album: iTunes Download

Willie Nelson is one of my favorite country artists, even though he really hasn't been country in years. He's been just about everything else in the past twenty odd years though. I'm waiting for Willie's death metal album. I'm sure it will be a real hoot.

This song was available for download on Valentine's Day 2006. Willie and his band had been practicing this song as a lark since the eighties. He never thought it would see the light of day, except for the occasional play during rehearsals. That all changed when Brokeback Mountain came out and was a runaway hit.

Thinking that the song could capitalize on the movie and straddle the line between humor and seriousness, Willie released it. Most country stations refused to play it, but Willie's target audience ate it up. It got airplay on non-country stations and became a mainstream hit for the gay community. It also marked the first appearance of a Willie Nelson song on the top 100, since 1985. Willie is old enough to speak his mind on any subject and I think that he's earned the right to do that. We are all along for the ride.

I rather enjoy the upbeat and jovial mood of the song. I'm not gay, but many of my friends are. I haven't heard one complaint from them over this song. Willie is one of the artists that could sing the phone book and I would find it entertaining. Yet, no matter what genre or style he chooses, Willie makes the most of it. I always smile when this song pops up on the iPod.

Lyrics:
Well, there's many a strange impulse out on the plains of West Texas.
There's many a young boy who feels things he can't comprehend.
And a small town don't like it when somebody falls between sexes.
No, a small town don't like it when a cowboy has feelings for men.

And I believe to my soul that inside every man there's the feminine.
And inside every lady there's a deep manly voice loud and clear.
Well, a cowboy may brag about things that he's done with his women.
But the ones who brag loudest are the ones that are most likely queer.

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other.
Say, what do you think all them saddles and boots was about?
And there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother.
And inside every cowboy there's a lady that'd love to slip out.

And there's always somebody who says what the others just whisper.
And mostly that someone's the first one to get shot down dead.
So when you talk to a cowboy don't treat him like he was a sister.
You can't fuck with a lady that's sleepin' in each cowboy's head.

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other.
What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?
And there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother.
And inside every lady there's a cowboy who wants to come out.
And inside every cowboy there's a lady that'd love to slip out.

Worms - Beth Orton

Artist: Beth Orton
Song: Worms
Year: 2006
Album: Comfort Of Strangers

Would you believe that this song was recommended by a computer? A few years ago, I tried out a web site called Pandora. Basically, you type in your favorite artists and using mathematical equations, it finds artists that are in a similar vein.

I typed in Tori Amos and up popped Beth Orton. I listened to a few different songs and wound up liking them quite a bit. A lot of her songs are a little quirky, like Tori's songs.

"Worms" has a bouncy beat to it. A great deal of the time, I hear about an artist that I should check out because I like another artist. Most of the time, that artist stinks up the joint. I open my ears to all recommendations, but sometimes it feels like I'm a judge on American Idol when I do that.

I like music that's a little bit different. Quirky would be the perfect word to describe it. I generally don't care for music that is so quirky that it ceases to be music. This song is something that will keep me upbeat and in a good mood.

Lyrics:
worms don’t dance they haven’t got the balls
no matter how do you do
it’s just you do that’s all
you got what it takes to knock at my door
you wanna get all excited
never been here before

and now i’m your apple eating heathen
the original sin
well you ain’t got my faith
so best keep your belief
i had waited forever to love someone
i swear i heard you thank your god this time
for having me come along

chickens don’t fly but they have got the wings
no matter how hard they try
they bump into things
they’re all running around
like they’re heads on the ground
they got a wish bone where their backbone should’ve grown

and now i’m your apple eating heathen
any old rib stealing eve
well you don’t have my faith
so best keep your belief
i had waited forever to love someone
i swear i heard you thank your god that time
for having me come along

intimacy reduced to cruelty
had you believe like this was meant to be
and i look for the magic
but you got away with it
that’s all

Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

Artist: Gnarls Barkley
Song: Crazy
Year: 2006
Album: St. Elsewhere

I can remember listening to the car radio when I first heard this song. "Crazy" had been out for a little while and I remember hearing about it everywhere. I usually avoid things that are hyped up so much.

I was driving out to a friend's house for a night of trivia and movies. This song came on the radio and I couldn't help but being impressed. It sounds so simple, yet so effective. I was in an almost trance-like stare while driving. The beat of this song had it's power over me.

I'm a Rolling Stone subsciber, so I'm not completely out of the loop for current popular music. This took me by surprise. The last time that I had heard Cee-Lo, he was writing and producing other people's music and warming up to a solo career. When I had last heard from DJ Danger Mouse, he made one of the best mash-ups of the internet age with The Grey Album.

I was not ready for this to hit.

I couldn't get this song out of my head for weeks. Normally, that's a bad thing. Not so, in this case. It was so simple and catchy, but still somewhat complex, that I didn't mind it running through my head. Suffice to say, I'm lucky that I had taken that route many times before. I don't remember how I got out of the wooded area on Archer Ave. without swerving off the road. It was like tunnel vision. I don't know how I arrived to I-55, but I got there safely.

I love when a song grabs you like that. I just wish that it didn't happen when I was driving.

Lyrics:
I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much space

And when you’re out there, without care
Yeah I was out of touch
But it wasn’t because I didn’t know enough
I just knew too much

Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly

And now that you are having the time of your life
Well think twice
That’s my only advice

Come on now, Who do you, Who do you, who do you,
Who do you think you are?
Ha Ha Ha, Bless your soul
You really think you’re in control?
Well…

I think you’re crazy
I think you’re crazy
I think you’re crazy
Just like me

My heroes are at the heart
To the life I wanna live
And all I remember, is thinking
I wanna be like them
Mmhmm
Ever since I was little,
Ever since I was little it looked like fun
And as no coincidence I’ve come
And I can die when I’m done

Maybe I’m crazy
Maybe you’re crazy
Maybe we’re crazy
Probably

Oooooooo