King Harvest “Dancing in the Moonlight”
The super catchy one-hit wonder that everybody loves, and the word repeated so many times in it that everybody should notice.... Read More
Whitney Rose “In A Rut” (2020)
“Don’t ask me how I got this way / Oh, that’s asking too much” cries Whitney Rose amidst the whirlwind chorus as she rattles off the title line ‘I’m In A Rut’ an appropriately repetitive 28 total times. Only her delivery is so rapid-fire, gaps collapsed between the few words and syllables..... Read More
Creedence Clearwater Revival “Molina” (1970)
..I’d like to revisit the topic here to award an equally important title for the longest single fake ending duration – call it the qualitative title – to Creedence Clearwater Revival. In their 1970 hit ‘Molina,’ the band held their false finish for a full, time-stopping..... Read More
Rolling Stones “Dance Little Sister” (1974)
Over the years, rockers seem to have exhibited some curious ideas about sisters, but in particular little sisters. The thought occurred to me recently when hearing Elton John’s much-forgotten rave-up ‘Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock and Roll)’ – not explicitly about a “little” sister, but with the lyric..... Read More
Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers “Roadrunner” (1976)
..it’s 4 beats to a measure, and the count goes to 4. Except for one: ‘Roadrunner’ by Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, which starts with a count-off…to 6. As best as I know, it’s the only song ever to do this, though surely this can’t be verified... Read More
Steely Dan “Bodhisattva”
It’s doubtful you would ever think of Steely Dan as a “guitar solo” band, and that’s true in part because their jazz/R&B/rock amalgam never made them a typical rock and roll group, but also due to the fact that their ostensible main guitarist, co-founder, Walter Becker, played only a fraction of them... Read More
Beach Boys “Don’t Worry Baby” (1964)
The enigmatic Brian Wilson, known to some as America’s pop Mozart, is properly lauded for creating some of the most complex, multi-dimensional, and convention-challenging compositions in the history of pop/rock music. ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ is not one of those songs. It’s enduring genius is no less impressive... Read More
Van Morrison “Wavelength” (1978)
I think most music observers who are fans of Van Morrison – and could there be any who are not – consider this song a bit of a trifle, given the outrageous output that Morrison had already assembled at the point that ‘Wavelength’ was released in the fall of 1978 (just for example, ‘Brown Eyed...... Read More
Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine” (1971)
Say that Bill Withers created a few of Soul/R&B’s most memorable songs ever, and I’d say “I know.” Say that he was an extremely uncharacteristic success story, and I’d say “I know” again. Say “I know” 24 more times (for a total of 26) and you’ll equal the number of times Withers said “I know”...... Read More
Bob Seger “The Fire Down Below” (1976)
You’re listening to a good tune, enjoying it as you go through the verse-verse-chorus-solo sections, and at a certain point as the chorus circles around again, you feel the coda forming, the familiar parts of a song wrapping up, and sadly you know it’s about to end. And then – euphoria! – it re-starts. Even...... Read More