T-Rex - Cosmic Dancer
one of my favorite songs of all time
I was 12 when I first started listening to Bob Dylan on a serious level; my dad bought the “Biograph” box set and I would take whatever tapes he wasn’t listening to and huddle up in my room with the headphones. Being 12, however, I missed a lot of the subtleties, was not aware of much of the historical context, etc. Also, I misheard many of the lyrics, particularly the ones at the beginning of this song when the main character talks about this disapproval of his ex’s family. I was under the impression that her folks “never did like mama’s homemade bread/papa’s bakery wasn’t big enough.” I remember thinking, “WHAT A BUNCH OF DOUGH-OBSESSED SNOBS! What did they want, a patisserie?” Basically, I was an idiot.
Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger (via Goldfinger: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Golden words he will pour in your ear
But his lies can’t disguise what you fear
For a golden girl knows when he’s kissed her
It’s the kiss of death ...
Okay. So I never saw a James Bond movie until I was in college. Not because I had no interest, I just kept forgetting, I guess. Goldfinger is the first one I saw (I’ve only seen four of them so far), and the theme song is probably one of the best theme songs I’ve ever heard in a movie (not to mention how friggin’ sweet the opening sequence to the movie is). Sean Connery is also the best James Bond there ever was. Fact.
Shankar Jaikishan - Title Music from Merchant-Ivory’s film Bombay Talkie
The Beatles - I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
CREEPY BEATLES OK
Like many white people, I’ve been listening to a lot of Beatles this week. And then reading a lot of opinions about the Beatles. It reminds me of when I first started drinking and it suddenly became extremely important that I communicate to everyone in the room how great this band is. And then I totally got laidn’t!
Anyway I agree with the people who say Abbey Road is the best one (although Past Masters Vol. 2 is suddenly a real contender) but I certainly do not agree with those who have anything bad to say (“Tedious!” “OMG when will it end!” “BO-ring!”) about what I have just decided is my favorite Beatles song: “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”
Like many white people, I first heard the Beatles at a very young age and so their music went straight through my gelatinous fontanel and got in there good before I had a chance to protect myself. But even then I didn’t cotton to the cutesy, kiddy songs. I preferred the ones that made me feel uneasy and confused (“yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog’s eye” activated something terrible in me) and that remains true to this day, this day when I listened to “I Want You” over and over and each time every hair on my manly hairy body stood on end.
I used to try and understand where people were coming from when they said they hated the Beatles, but I no longer try and understand something that makes zero sense to me. This post, however, makes 100% sense to me.
From my childhood, I specifically remember my mother, whom is/was the Beatles’ biggest fan (complete with horrible Beatles’ haircut) placing Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in my brother’s hand, telling him nothing other than to listen with an open ear (and my ears were of course soon to follow his lead). I also recall a copy of Help! on cassette which I would turn over, and turn over, and over and overandoverandover in my tiny walkman every day for a long period of time.
Hatred of this band continues to allude me. Especially considering songs like “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” which has been one of my favorites ever since I first heard it. Seriously. How can you hate the Beatles? It blows my mind.
Songs in my head: Faith No More - A Small Victory
If I speak at one constant volume
At one constant pitch
At one constant rhythm right into your ear
You still won’t hear
Crowded House - Don’t Dream It’s Over
Genius lyric: Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
Everytime I say “Hey Now…” (and I say it an awful lot), someone (usually Emerald) chimes in singing this song. And this band has always been one of Taylor’s favorites, so it always brings a bunch of ridiculous memories. Had to reblog.
Bob Dylan Cover:
Oh Sister- Andrew Bird
