When Doves Cry - Prince

Artist: Prince
Song: When Doves Cry
Year: 1984
Album: Purple Rain

Since when does a "dance" song not have a bass line? Since almost never, but this Prince song is the exception to that rule. I could mention the iconic video, but why bother. You are not going to see it. Prince (or his management) deletes and/or mutes every video that is put up on YouTube featuring Prince. Isn't that kind of sad?

I can see disabling the embedding feature, but to deliberately sabotage videos on YouTube is pretty low. This is no way to gain fans. It almost seems that Prince's entire career is based upon pissing the fans off and making his music virtually inaccessible to the average fan. That is, unless you pay him for the privilege of being in his fan club. They get exclusives that no one else gets.

I can remember listening to "When Doves Cry" when I was a kid. I thought the structure of the song was funky. It had a catchy beat, but I couldn't figure out why it did. I think the images for the video helped out tremendously. For someone so dependent on visuals, isn't it strange that Prince's policy is to destroy all web based streaming content of his videos?

I love Prince's songs. I have never run into a really bad Prince song. The only thing that I don't like about it is Prince's ability to shoot himself in his tiny little foot. The fans deserve better treatment. The music is revolutionized. The artist is not.

Lyrics:
Dig if you will a picture
Of you and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can you my darling,
Can you picture this?

Dream if you can a courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat,
The heat between me and you

How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world so cold? (A world so cold)
Maybe I'm just too demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father, too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied (She's never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like when doves CRY!!!

Touch if you will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You've got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase you
Even doves have pride

How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world so cold? (A world so cold)
Maybe I'm just too demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father, too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied (She's never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like when doves CRY!!!

How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world so cold? (A world so cold)
Maybe I'm just too demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father, too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied (She's never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves CRY!!!

There are no YouTube videos of Prince music videos or songs.

Stephanie Knows Who - Love

Artist: Love
Song: Stephanie Knows Who
Year: 1967
Album: De Capo

Anyone who was anyone in the sixties knew about Arthur Lee's band, Love. The Doors wanted to be Love. They are on record as saying they would be happy if they could make an album that sounded half as good as a Love record. The Rolling Stones drew inspiration for the song, "She's A Rainbow" from another one of Love's songs.

Today, the band is largely forgotten. I never hear radio play Love. I never hear anyone talk about Love. That's a shame. Love is a once in a lifetime type of band. They inspired so many to do so much. We all owe a large debt of gratitude to this band. Without them, many of the songs and artists that we know and love would not exist.

De Capo would be a transition record of sorts. Love was starting to evolve past the sound of their first album, but had not quite advanced to the state of their third album. Although this album, and most of its songs, are critically acclaimed, the album can become a bit uneven.

The first half of the album recalls Love's first album. The second half prepares the listener for the broader spectrum of the upcoming third album, which is said to be Love's best. I cannot figure out a reason for a band like Love to ride so high in the late sixties, only to be relatively unknown in the present day. Most good bands are rediscovered later on. Let's hope this happens with Love.

Lyrics:
What's in your life, dear Stephanie
What's in your life for me
Aches and pains they cloud your sight
But tired you did you said you did

What can I say, dear Stephanie
Who shall I next inform
Of love and poetry that you bring
Your eyes, your hair, your everything
Yeah

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Come on, come on, come on, come on
What am I now, dear Stephanie
Am I you in disguise
The words they come so naturally
I save them all for Stephanie, yeah

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Come on, come on, come on, come on

Hey, all right
Talk to me all the time
From A to Z and in between
Say it sweet all the time
All the time, yeah ...

Walk - Pantera

Artist: Pantera
Song: Walk
Year: 1992
Album: Vulgar Display Of Power

I can't believe that four years have passed since the death of Darrell Abbott. He was better known as Dimebag Darrell, the amazing guitarist for Damageplan and Pantera. The Abbot brothers defined the sound of Pantera. From their glam beginnings to their cowboy heavy metal, they were the core. Of course Phil Anselmo's vocals pushed the vision into the limelight.

Pantera worked as a whole. When tensions split the band, the resulting projects never had the same life. Pantera was unique and special. It will never happen again. For years, I have associated December 8th with the birth of Jim Morrison and the death of John Lennon. Each have their own important place in rock history, but Dimebag Darrell should not be forgotten so easily. Like Lennon, he was murdered by a gun. Unlike Lennon, Darrell Abbott was playing on stage at the time.

"Walk" was the song that catapulted Pantera into the mainstream. It has a simple and effective guitar riff and a chanting chorus. It's just the type of song to whip a crowd into a frenzy. This was usually the song that started the mosh pits at a Pantera concert.

I was privileged enough to see Pantera twice. The first time was with White Zombie at Rosemont Horizon, which has since changed names. The second was at the Aragon Ballroom. Rosemont was a barn. The crowd ate Pantera up though. It was an enjoyable experience. The Aragon show was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. This crowd was there to see Pantera. There were no posers in the crowd. It was pure Pantera fans wall to wall in the venue. I am lucky to have seen that one.

Lyrics:
Can't you see I'm easily bothered by persistence?
One step from lashing out at you
You want in to get under my skin and call yourself a friend
I've got more friends like you, what do I do?

Is there no standard anymore?
What it takes who I am where I've been belong
You can't be something you're not
Be yourself, by yourself, stay away from me
A lesson learned in life, known from the dawn of time

Re-spect, walk
What do you say?
Re-spect, walk
Are you talkin' to me?
Are you talkin' to me?

Run your mouth when I'm not around, it's easy to achieve
You cry to weak friends that sympathize
Can you hear the violins playing your song?
Those same friends tell me your every word

Is there no standard anymore?
What it takes who I am where I've been belong
You can't be something you're not
Be yourself, by yourself, stay away from me
A lesson learned in life, known from the dawn of time

Re-spect, walk
What do you say?
Re-spect, walk
Are you talkin' to me?

Re-spect, walk
What do you say?
Re-spect, walk
Are you talkin' to me?
Are you talkin' to me?
No way punk!

Re-spect, walk
What do you say?
Re-spect, walk
Are you talkin' to me?

Re-spect, walk
What do you say?
Re-spect, walk
Are you talkin' to me?
Are you talkin' to me?
Walk on home boy.

I'm Super - Big Gay Al

Artist: Big Gay Al
Song: I'm Super
Year: 1999
Album: South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

While I've been busy today, I haven't forgotten about the once a day format on this site. I'll keep it brief.

This song always cheers me up. I love the entire movie. It has catchy and risque songs. There some toe tapping fun! I loved the juxtaposition of Big Gay Al singing at a military show. Brilliant!

Enjoy the song from the movie with clips from The Dark Knight. It actually fits in an eerie sort of way.

Lyrics:
Bombs are flying
People are dying
Children are crying
Politicians are lying too.

Cancer is killing
Texaco's spilling
The whole world's gone to hell
But how are you?

I'm super
Thanks for asking
All things considered
I couldn't be better I must say

I'm feeling super
No, nothing bugs me
Everything is super when you're
Don't you think I look cute in this hat

I'm so sorry
Mr. Cripple
But I just can't feel too bad for you right now.
Because I'm feeling
So insanely super
That even the fact that you can't walk
Can't bring me down

[Background singers:]
He's super
Thanks for asking
All things considered
He couldn't be better he must say

[Big Gay Al:]
I'm super
No, nothing bugs me
Everything is super when you're
Don't you think I look cute in this hat
These little pants, this matching tie
That I got at Vogue

I'm super

[Background singers:]
In the barracks and the trenches as well

[Big Gay Al:]
Stick 'em up.

[Background singers:]
Big Gay Al says do ask do tell

[Big Gay Al:]
Skittles

[Background singers:]
Yes he's super and he's proud to be gay

[Big Gay Al:]
OK

[Background singers:]
Everything is super when you're gay!
When you're gay!

Ty Cobb - Soundgarden

Artist: Soundgarden
Song: Ty Cobb
Year: 1996
Album: Down On The Upside

The fourth single from Down On The Upside was "Ty Cobb". It remains the last burst of energy from the now defunct band Soundgarden. Originally titled. "Hot Rod Death Toll", the song was renamed "Ty Cobb" because it reminded bassist and co-writer Ben Shepard of the ballplayer Ty Cobb.

I was privileged enough to see Soundgarden on the 1996 Lollapalooza tour. They were there at the insistance of Metallica. They performed right before Metallica each night. I saw the show at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds in Illinois. Let's just say the people of Pecatonica were not ready for people traveling from all over the state to converge on their little town. It's out of the way and the signs are practically hidden from the main road.

By the time Soundgarden came on, the sun was making the last of its presence known. After a day of hot sun with no shade and very little refreshment, I was ready to call it quits. I still had a three to four hour drive ahead of me. Soundgarden gave it their all and when "Ty Cobb" came on, the crowd ate it up and moshed their brains out.

When Metallica went on, I had a raging headache from sun exposure and dehydration. There was water available for close to $5 a bottle. That's steep today, but in 1996, it was highway robbery. The next year Lollapalooza returned to Tinley Park and then it disappeared for almost a decade. I have fond memories of that day, but I don't ever want a repeat of that day. I didn't get home until 4:30 in the morning and my day of driving and concert going started 23 hours earlier. Still, I'm happy I went.

Lyrics:
I'm sittin' in a magic hat with smoke and mirrors and tire rubber fires
Watch me disappear
What made it slow you down?
Sucking on a ball and chain
Another motherfucker goes down the drain
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Just add it up (To the hot rod death toll)
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Just add it up (To the hot rod death toll)

Sick in the head, sick in the mouth
And I don't hear a word you say
Not a bit and I don't give a shit
I got the glass, I got the steel
I got everything
And now I need is your head on a stake
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Just add it up (To the hot rod death toll)
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Just add it all up (To the hot rod death toll)

Hard headed fuck you all (Hard headed)
Hard headed fuck you all (Hard headed)
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all

Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Hard headed fuck you all
Just add it up (To the hot rod death toll)
(To the hot rod death toll)
(To the hot rod death toll)
(To the hot rod death toll)
(To the hot rod death toll)

Icky Thump - White Stripes

Artist: White Stripes
Song: Icky Thump
Year: 2007
Album: Icky Thump

"Icky Thump" is a bit of a departure and a revival for the White Stripes. It marks a return to politically themed songs. It also features a radical movement towards a different sound, while still retaining their signature sound. This is a song of maturity for Jack and Meg White.

The song deals with the topic of immigration. In the video, Jack easily crosses the border into Mexico, only to face the same problems that Mexican immigrants face when coming into the United States. He is forced to work for essentially slave labor until he can make it back into the United States.

The addition of other instruments and other sounds is a welcome change. I think Jack's other musical ventures are finally impacting the White Stripes. That could be a wonderful thing. The changes in this song are particularly pleasant. The synthesizer snake charmer solos are an interesting add to the song.

The lyrics seem to be more stream-of-consciousness based. It makes for a different style of song that is constructed uniquely from the rest of the catalogue. Change is not always good, but Jack has found the right path to move forward.

Lyrics:
Yah-hee, icky thump,
Who'd thunk?
Sittin' drunk on a wagon to Mexico.

Ah, well, what a chump,
Well, my head got a bump when I hit it on the radio.

Redhead señorita looking dead came and said,
"Need a bed?", en español.

I said, "Gimme drink of water,
I'm gonna sing around the colla'
And I don't need a microphone."

Icky thump with a lump in my throat,
Grabbed my coat and I was freakin',
I was ready to go.

And I swear besides the hair,
She had one white eye,
One black stare,
Lookin' up, lyin' there.

On the stand near her hand was a candy cane,
Black rum, sugar cane, dry ice, something strange.

La, la, la, la, la, la, la...
La, la, la, la, la, la, la...

White Americans what nothin better to do
Why don't ya kick yourself out, you're
an immigrant too.

Who's using who?
What should we do?
Well, you can't be a pimp and a prostitute, too.

Icky thump, handcuffed to a bunk, robbed blind,
Looked around and there was nobody else.

Left alone, I hit myself with a stone,
Went home and learned how to clean up after myself.

Shot In The Dark - Ozzy Osbourne

Artist: Ozzy Obsourne
Song: Shot In The Dark
Year: 1986
Album: The Ultimate Sin

This album is full of legal troubles. This song is one of the hot bed issues. The "writer" of the song, Phil Soussan, seems to have stolen the song from his previous band, Wildlife. It would be one thing if he had actually written the original version but Steve and Chris Overland, of Wildlife, actually wrote the original piece.

This was Ozzy's biggest solo hit and a concert favorite. Ozzy reportedly found out about the original version in 1992 and immediately stopped playing the song in concert. This was also Ozzy's best selling album, up to that point. After the 1995 reissue, the album has not been reprinted, unlike the rest of the catalogue.

"Shot In The Dark" is a pretty standard hit from the mid-eighties metal scene. It's a decent song and I can definitely see why it was a hit back then. It's catchy and has a good melody. Pair that with a video that was played all over MTV and you've got a good size hit on your hands.

The video is pretty laughable today. A girls night out on the town. The girls all have the high hair and the requisite denim and leather outfits. The driver, while obviously female, reminds me of Axl Rose from that period. They're bored and see an Ozzy billboard, so they find themselves at his concert. Then a girl is possessed by the music. Ozzy is in his chunky grandmother perm phase and the Overland brothers still haven't seen a penny to my knowledge.

Lyrics:
Out on the streets I'm stalking the night
I can hear my heavy breathing
Paid for the kill, but it doesn't seem right
Something there I can't believe in
Voices are calling from inside my head
I can hear them, I can hear them
Vanishing memories of things that were said
They can't try to hurt me now

But a shot in the dark
One step away from you
Just a shot in the dark
Always creeping up on you
All right

Taught by the powers that preach over me
I can hear their empty reasons
I wouldn't listen, I learned how to fight
I opened up my mind to treason
But just like the wounded, and when it's too late
They'll remember, they'll surrender
Never a care for the people who hate
Underestimate me now

But a shot in the dark
One step away from you
Just a shot in the dark
Nothing that you can do
Just a shot in the dark
Always creeping up on you
All right

But just like the wounded, and when it's too late
They'll remember, they'll surrender
Never a care for the people who hate
Underestimate me now

But a shot in the dark
One step away from you
Just a shot in the dark
Nothing that you can do
Just a shot in the dark
Always creeping up on you
All right

Just a shot in the dark
Just a shot in the dark
Just a shot in the dark
Just a shot in the dark

Dead Skin Mask - Slayer

Artist: Slayer
Song: Dead Skin Mask
Year: 1990
Album: Seasons In The Abyss

Before you dismiss Slayer, take the time to actually listen to their music. You will find that each song has been meticulously created to be a unique experience. There are no repeated licks. There are no repeated lyrics. There are the horrors of real life laid out in song.

The horrors of war. The reality of serial killers. The underside of human existence is present in these songs. It's a reality that we cannot face, but one that we must face. The tales told in Slayer songs are ones of reality. They are gritty stories that recall horrible things and make each one sound delicate and somehow bursting with a strange beauty.

"Dead Skin Mask" tells us the story of Ed Gein. Ed was a serial killer in Wisconsin and spawned the fictional inspirations of Norman Bates, Jame (Buffalo Bill) Gumb (from Silence Of The Lambs) and Leatherface. While Ed Gein would make his mark on popular culture, Slayer would strip away the mythos and present a more morbid tale.

The music for "Dead Skin Mask" is mood appropriate. It mimics the feeling of childhood innocence and creates a sinister tone around that. The build up to the end is just right. The end of the songs features a release. Almost as if you are following Ed Gein until his luck runs out.

Lyrics:
How I've waited for you to come
I've been here all alone
Now that you've arrived
Please stay a while
And I promise I won't keep you long
I'll keep you forever

Graze the skin with my finger tips
The brush of dead cold flesh pacifies [sings "appease"] the
means
Provoking images delicate features so smooth
A pleasant fragrance in the light of the moon

Dance with the dead in my dreams
Listen to their hallowed screams
The dead have taken my soul
Temptation's lost all control

Simple smiles elude psychotic eyes
Lose all mind control rationale declines
Empty eyes enslave the creations
Of placid faces and lifeless pageants

In the depths of a mind insane
Fantasy and reality are the same

Graze the skin with my finger tips
The brush of dead warm flesh pacifies the means
Incised members ornaments on my being
Adulating the skin before me

Simple smiles elude psychotic eyes
Lose all mind control rationale declines
Empty eyes enslave the creations
Of placid faces and lifeless pageants

Dance with the dead in my dreams (Hello? Hello Mr Gein?)
Listen to their hollowed screams (Mr Gein?)
The dead have taken my soul (Lemme out of here Mr Gein)
Temptation's lost all control (Mr Gein? I don't wanna play anymore Mr Gein)
(Dance with the dead in my dreams (Mr Gein, it's not any fun anymore,)
Listen to their hollowed screams (I don't want to play anymore Mr Gein)
The dead have taken my soul (Mr Gein? Lemme out of here Mr Gein
Temptation's lost all control) (Lemme out, LEMMMMEEE OOUUUUUUTTT!!)

Crazy - Aerosmith

Artist: Aerosmith
Song: Crazy
Year: 1993
Album: Get A Grip

As soon as I picked up this album in 1993, I could pick out the five singles. I think it was more of a formula back then. This was the one questionable song. My friends thought I was nuts. They said it was good, but not single worthy. Fear not, I assured them. This would be a single.

I was right and they mysteriously forget the conversation ever took place. That's fine by me. I'm just happy that my ear was able to pick the singles out. I guess I missed out on an opportunity to be an A&R man. Oh well.

This was one of the trio of videos starring Alicia Silverstone. I appreciated the effort that Aerosmith took to hook in the MTV generation. That strategy wouldn't work now. There's no cohesive way to watch videos. MTV is all reality shows and VH1 is all pop culture countdowns and reality shows. I miss turning on the television and vegging out to videos for a few hours.

I would say that this is the last smash album by Aerosmith. At least exposure-wise. This album was everywhere. You know it's bad when an album track shows up in a Jim Carrey movie before he was "Jim Carrey", movie star. The thing I remember most of all about this video is the runaway tractor and the farmboy picking his nose in the car. Those seemed "Crazy", even for the video.

Lyrics:
Come 'ere baby

You know you drive me up the wall
The way you make good for all the nasty tricks you pull
Seems like we're makin' up more than we're makin' love
And it always seems you've got something on your mind
Other than me
Girl, you gotta change your crazy ways - you hear me

Say you're leavin' on the seven thirty train
And that you're heading out to hollywood
Girl, you've been givin' me that line so many times
It kinda gets that feelin' bad looks good

That kinda lovin' turns a man to a slave
That kinda lovin' sends a man right to his grave

I go crazy, crazy, baby, i go crazy
You turn it on - then you're gone
Yeah you drive me crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby
What can i do, honey
I feel like the color blue

You're packin' up your stuff
And and talkin' like it's tough
And tryin' to tell me
That it's time to go
But i know you ain't wearin' nothin' underneath that
Overcoat and that it's all a show

That kinda lovin' makes me wanna pull down the shade,
Yeah
That kinda lovin' yeah, now i'm never gonna be the same

I go crazy, crazy, baby, i go crazy
You turn it on - then you're gone
Yeah you drive me crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby
What can i do, honey
I feel like the color blue

I'm losing my mind
Girl, 'cause i'm goin' crazy

I need your love, honey, yeah
I need your love

I go crazy, crazy, baby, i go crazy
You turn it on - then you're gone
Yeah you drive me crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby
What can i do, honey
I feel like the color blue

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