This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Fiancé/Husband/Lover/Wife

From her 1988 self-titled album. The song peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart on September 23, 1988.

From SongfactsAn aching song about an overwhelming feeling of jealousy, Etheridge wrote “Bring Me Some Water” after entering an open relationship with her girlfriend. Even though Etheridge agreed to the arrangement, she found herself tormented by the idea of her lover in the embrace of another woman.

In our interview with Etheridge, she said: “It was very painful. It was very true. It was awful.”

Etheridge often writes songs about turbulent relationships, some more personal than others. She frames them in a way that she could be singing about either a man or a woman, and since this song was released five years before Etheridge came out as gay, most listeners assumed she was singing about a man.

This was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, losing to Tina Turner’s Tina Live in Europe. Etheridge performed the song at the ceremony.

This is one of Etheridge’s most famous songs, but you wouldn’t know it by its chart performance. Etheridge was an unknown artist when the song was released, and it never cracked the Hot 100 (it did make #10 on the Mainstream Rock chart – her first song to appear on any Billboard chart). As she built a following, the song got a lot more attention and a fair amount of airplay. It is also one of her concert staples, which has helped keep it alive.

Bring Me Some Water

Tonight I feel so weak
But all in love is fair
I turn the other cheek
And I feel the slap and the sting of the foul night air
And I know you’re only human
And I haven’t got talking room
But tonight while I’m making excuses
Some other woman is making love to you

Somebody bring me some water
Can’t you see I’m burning alive
Can’t you see my baby’s got another lover
I don’t know how I’m gonna survive
Somebody bring me some water
Can’t you see it’s out of control
Baby’s got my heart and my baby’s got my mind
But tonight the sweet devil, the sweet devil’s got my soul

Will this aching pass
Will this night be through
Wanna hear the breaking glass
I only feel the steel of the red hot truth
And I’d do anything to get it out of my mind
I need some insanity that temporary kind
Tell me how will I ever be the same
When I know that that woman is whispering your name

Somebody bring me some water
Can’t you see I’m burning alive
Can’t you see my baby’s got another lover
And I don’t know how I’m gonna survive
Somebody bring me some water
Can’t you see it’s out of control
Baby’s got my heart and my baby’s got my mind
But tonight the the sweet devil, the sweet devil’s got my soul

Oh-huh,oh yeah
Got my soul
Uh-huh, ooh yeah

Somebody bring me some water
Can’t you see I’m burning alive
Can’t you see my baby’s got another lover
And I don’t know how I’m gonna survive
Somebody bring me some water
Can’t you see it’s out of control
Baby’s got my heart and my baby’s got my mind
But tonight the sweet devil, the sweet devil’s got my soul
Oh yeah, oh, oh
Baby’s got my heart, my baby’s got my mind
Tonight the sweet devil, the sweet devil’s got my soul

Writer/s: MELISSA ETHERIDGE

This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Days of the Week.

From their 1979 album, The Fine Art of Surfacing. The song reached #73 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and #1 on the UK’s singles chart.

From Songfacts

This is about Brenda Spencer, a 16-year-old high school student who lived across the street from Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California. On Monday, January 29, 1979, she opened fire on the school with a rifle her father had given her for Christmas, killing two adults (including the principal) and injuring nine children before going back to her home. Police surrounded her home and waited for seven hours until she gave herself up. In that time, she spoke with a reporter on the phone. When asked why she did it, she replied, “I just started shooting, that’s it. I just did it for the fun of it. I just don’t like Mondays. I just did it because it’s a way to cheer the day up. Nobody likes Mondays.”

This was #1 hit in 32 different countries, but it flopped in America, probably because the subject matter hit too close to home. Gun violence is a big problem in America.

At a basic level, this is often heard as a song lamenting the beginning of the work week. Some radio stations play it every Monday at a certain time.

Group leader Bob Geldof wrote this. He went on to organize charity efforts Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8, earning a KBE (the equivalent of knighthood given to people born outside of England) for his efforts. The Boomtown Rats played this as part of their set at Live Aid.

While in Atlanta touring, Bob Geldof heard the news story about Brenda Spencer. Geldof composed the song on the spot, originally as a reggae number. Back in Los Angeles after the tour, a studio demo was recorded with grand piano and vocals. By the time ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ was introduced onstage in Loch Lomond, Scotland, the song had been transformed dramatically.

I Don’t Like Mondays

The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sureOh, oh, oh tell me why
I don’t like MondaysTell me why
I don’t like MondaysTell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day downThe Telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world
And mother feels so shocked
Father’s world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to their own little girl
Sweet sixteen ain’t that peachy keen
Now, it ain’t so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need oh, woahTell me why
I don’t like MondaysTell me why
I don’t like MondaysTell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
Down, down
Shoot it all downAll the playing’s stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school’s out early and soon we’ll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain tackles
With the problems and the how’s and why’s
And he can see no reasons
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die, dieOh, oh, oh and the silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sureTell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me whyI don’t like Mondays
Tell me whyI don’t like, I don’t like, I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like, I don’t like, (tell me why) I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I want to shoot, the whole day down, uh, uh, uh

Source: LyricFindSongwriters: Bob Geldof

This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Ghost/Pumpkin/Trick/Treat/Witch.

From her 1980 album, Crimes Of Passion. The song reached #18 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on March 13, 1981.

From Wikipedia

“Treat Me Right” is a single by Pat Benatar. Benatar released HER version December 29, 1980, as the third and final single released off her best-selling album, Crimes of Passion. Produced by Keith Olsen, the song was written by Doug Lubahn.

But it was released a year earlier than Benatar in 1979 by the band BULLSEYE. And never received wide radio play as her.

Treat Me Right

You want me to leave, you want me to stay
You ask me to come back, you turn and walk away
You want to be lovers, and you want to be friends
I’m losing my patience, you’re nearing the endOne of these days you’re gonna reach out and find
The one that you count on has left you behind
Don’t want to be no martyr, with no one, no say
Oh my, my baby, before it’s too lateTreat me right, treat me right
Open your eyes, maybe you’ll see the lightDo you think I’m a fool, well you better think twice
I’ve had enough baby, it’s time you realized
That you can’t have it both ways, it’s no way to live
You’ve done all the takin’, it’s your turn to giveOne of these days you’re gonna reach out and find
The one that you count on has left you behind
Don’t want to be no martyr, with no one, no say
Oh my, my baby, before it’s too lateTreat me right, treat me right
Open your eyes, maybe you’ll see the light
Oh, treat me rightYou want me to leave, you want me to stay
You ask me to come back, you turn and walk away
You want to be lovers, and you want to be friends
I’m losing my patience, you’re nearing the endTreat me right, treat me right
Open your eyes, maybe you’ll see the light
Oh, treat me rightTreat me right
Treat me right
Treat me right
Treat me right
Treat me right
Treat me right
Treat me right
Treat me right

Source: LyricFindSongwriters: Douglas Harden Lubahn

This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Hold/Pause/Stop/Wait

From his 1982 album, American Fool. The song reached #19 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on January 21, 1983.

From Apple music

Though credited to John Cougar, 1982’s American Fool marks the moment when John Mellencamp began to assert his true identity as an artist. This is a scrappy version of classic rock ‘n’ roll, built around storytelling lyrics and guitar-centered tunes that harkened back to Dylan and the Stones. The playful “Hurts So Good” became the album’s first hit, but it was the small-town-romance theme of “Jack & Diane” that truly defined the album’s sensibility. Mellencamp’s raspy, Indiana-accented vocals breathe life into his tales of Middle American dreams, ambition and heartache. Tracks like “Hand to Hold Onto” and “Can You Take It” offer plenty of radio-friendly punch and attitude. Going deeper, “Weakest Moments” is indicative of the working-class balladry that would turn up on later albums. The album’s title cut — added to the remastered version of the album — is a good-natured declaration of independence. More than anything, it’s this sense of personal freedom that makes American Fool such a fun listen — for the first time, John is taking off his Cougar disguise and getting real.

Hand To Hold On To

You can laugh and joke and make fun of your friends,
Spin in the middle when your troubles begin,
Take it nice and easy and always pretend
That you’re cool…so cool…so cool.Say, “I’munna hold onto that a while and I will and I’ll be tame”,
Talk like a jerk on an educated brain,
Be an old girl drivin’ the young boys insane,
Be a joker, a preacher…it does not matter.Everyone needs a hand to hold on to
Everyone needs a hand to hold on to
Don’t need to be no strong hand
Don’t need to be no rich hand
Everyone just needs a hand to hold on toHavin’ good luck with your financial situation,
Play the ponies, be the president of the United Nation,
Go to work and be a Hollywood stand,
Drive your four wheel drive right into the mud, butEveryone needs a hand to hold on to
Everyone needs a hand to hold on to
Don’t need to be no strong hand
Don’t need to be no rich hand
Everyone just needs a hand to hold on toAnd in those hours when you’re alone,
And there’s nobody there except yourself,
I know it…you want to pick up the phone,
And say, “Talk to me, talk to me, somebody please
Talk to me!” Yeah!Ohh, yeah!Everyone needs a hand to hold on to
Everyone needs a hand to hold on to
Don’t need to be no strong hand
Don’t need to be no rich hand
Everyone just needs a hand to hold on to

Source: LyricFind Songwriters: John Mellencamp

This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Brother/Sibling/Sister

From their 2014 debut album, Everybody Wants. The song did not chart.

All I could find was an album review.

From Allmusic.com

Originally released in 2014, the debut long player from the Derbyshire-based rockers is an unapologetic blast of earworm-heavy, modern rock/punk-pop in a neo-glam wrapper, and as cocksure as it is calculated. Imagine a Slade-crazed, real life version of Russell Brand‘s Infant Sorrow (the band from Get Him to the Greek) fronted by a man who delivers each and every “R” with a brazen alveolar trill in a voice that’s an amalgam of Freddie Mercury, Dee Snider, Noddy Holder, and David Johansen. Everybody Wants is not a subtle album. It’s all pomp, circumstance, bluster, and nasty, sugary goodness; an 11-track set (13 on the 2016 U.S. reissue) of hook-laden, radio-ready party songs that embrace both sleaze and cheese. Luke Spiller is a born frontman. He’s got the Jagger swagger, but where Mick‘s antics invoked the American south, Spiller is a purely East Midlands creation, and like the Darkness‘ Justin Hawkins, his flamboyant English delivery will likely be the barometer listeners use to gauge the duration of their stay. The songs themselves are largely formulaic, but delivered with such gusto that it’s easy to forgive the chicanery behind them. Bawdy, ballsy, silly, and sweet, standouts like “Could Have Been Me,” “Roll Up,” and “Kiss This,” not to mention a couple of new gems on the 2016 reissue — “These Times Are Changing” and “Ol’ Switcheroo” — will likely appeal to a wide range of pop enthusiasts. From the Buckcherry fan to the One Direction fan, there’s a little bit of something for everyone on the aptly named Everybody Wants.

My Machine

Start her up,
Here we go,
Engine hot,
Good to go,
She’s so keen,
Turn the key,
Here to satisfy you,Turning heads,
Looking right,
Always ready to ignite,
Turn her on,
Spark it up,
She’ll electrify you,Up a gear,
Road is clear,
So responsive when I steer,
There is nothing left to fear,
Hard to criticize you,I’m so happy you are mine,
Gonna buff you all the time,
Then your body’s gonna shine,
I was born to love you,Oh! You’ll never know, you’ll never ever know,
‘Cause when she breaks down,
No! It will be fine
Cause love is blindI’m gonna go for a ride,
I’m gonna get outside,
I’m gonna feel that grease,
Gonna slip inside,
Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machineI wanna make her new,
And paint her baby blue,
I’m gonna get inside,
Put the choke on you,
Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machine,Everybody thinks I’m mad,
Brother, sister, mum and dad,
She’s the best I’ve ever had,
She’ll make me turn against them,Check the mirror,
Looking trim,
Fill her up,
Let’s begin,
It’s a joy,
It’s a sin,
A weird infatuation,Oh! You’ll never know, you’ll never ever know,
‘Cause when she breaks down,
No! It will be fine
Cause love is blindI’m gonna go for a ride,
I’m gonna get outside,
I’m gonna feel that grease,
Gonna slip inside,
Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machine,I wanna make her new,
And paint her baby blue,
I’m gonna get inside,
Put the choke on you,
Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machine,I’m gonna go for a ride,
I’m gonna get outside,
I’m gonna feel that grease,
Gonna slip inside,
Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machine,I wanna make her new,
And paint her baby blue,
I’m gonna get inside,
Put the choke on you,
Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machine,Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machine,Can you hear her scream,
She’s my machine

Source: MusixmatchSongwriters: Ray Hedges / Nigel Butler / Luke Spiller / Adam Slack