We did not get cable in my area until a year or two after it launched so I never saw the beginning of the channel. Of course, I was crazy about it when we first got cable. It was like nothing else. They showed full concerts which I thought was great and of course the videos. But It also had it’s bad side because some of the artist or bands had hit songs only because of MTV that would have never made it on the radio. The very first video MTV showed was the Buggles Video Killed The Radio Star. It pretty much destroyed Billy Squier’s career because of a less than macho video he made. MTV nowadays is a big joke nothing but reality TV shows permeates the channel. For a day like today why don’t they let the original VJ’s take over the channel and we could have it back at least for a little while. The VJ’s…Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, and the late JJ Jackson. I have now communicated over Twitter with Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman, and Alan Hunter.
From their 2020 album Power Up. The song has not charted…Happy Halloween!
From digitaljournal.com
Iconic rock band AC/DC has cast a rocking “Witch’s Spell” with their new single and music video. Digital Journal has the scoop.
The song is upbeat and infectious, couple with a retro ’80s vibe to it. The music video was directed, edited, and animated by Wolf & Crow and it utilizes performance footage of the group that was shot by Clemens Habicht; moreover, AC/DC and their creative director, Josh Cheuse, have brought this irresistible track to life in a refreshing manner.
Let me tell you your fortune It could be sinister, or maybe not Like a leopard, can’t change it’s own spotsRide a moon beam Sail the starlight My blaze in the night sky See the witch’s flightCaught in a witch’s spell Got a tale to tell Caught in a witch’s spell Got a tale to tell Caught in a witch’s spellGood time maker who likes it hot Like a card playin’ shark who takes the whole lot (And that’s a lot)Riding moonbeam Sail the starlight My blaze in the night sky See the witch’s flightCaught in a witch’s spell Got a tale to tell Caught in a witch’s spell Got a tale to tell Caught in a witch’s spellIt’s all coming to ya It’s all coming through ya I get bathed in a light The spell’s just rightCaught in a witch’s spell Got a tale to tell Caught in a witch’s spell Got a tale to tell Caught in a witch’s spellCrystal balls and an almanac She gonna take you to hell and back I’ve got potions, snake oil style Good luck charms and a witch’s spell Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Angus Young / Malcolm Young
This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Bird/Cat/Dog/Fish/Pet.
From the 1982 movie soundtrack An Officer and a Gentleman. The song peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on October 29, 1982.
From Songfacts
This was written for the movie An Officer And A Gentleman, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1983. The film is known for its closing scene, where Richard Gere, dressed in his Navy uniform, comes into the factory where Debra Winger is working, gets hot and heavy with her, then carries her out as her co-workers cheer. It’s perhaps the most famous “sweeps her off her feet” archetype in film.
The movie ends with a still frame of Winger in Gere’s arms as the credits roll and “Up Where We Belong” plays.
The entire process – from idea to inclusion in the movie and release – took only 30 days. Will Jennings wrote the lyrics. He’s responsible for the words to many famous songs, including “My Heart Will Go On,” “Looks Like We Made It,” and many of Steve Winwood’s hits. Jennings told us:
“Joel Sill, who was head of the music department of Paramount, asked me to consider writing a song for this film. I watched a rough cut, loved the film and I heard enough parts to make up a song. I asked Joel to send me the work track and I stitched together the verse, chorus, and bridge of the song and wrote the lyrics… Joel sent it to Stewart Levine, a fine music producer, and Stewart and I talked the song over on the phone and he went in to the studio and cut the hit track with Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.”
Will Jennings told us about coming up with the words to this song: “I am a working class person and these people in the film trying to make it, they are my people. The mountain imagery is about striving for the top – people often don’t hear the lyric right – it is ‘Where eagles cry, on a mountain high’ instead of ‘Where eagles fly, on a mountain high’ – if you have ever heard an eagle cry, the power and beauty of it and all the wild freedom of it, you will get the distinction. As far as “All I know is the way I feel…’ well, if you have nothing else to tell you what to do in your life, you have to go with the way you feel… if you are lost, you have only your instinct and passion to guide you.”
Up Where We Belong
Who knows what tomorrow brings In a world few hearts survive All I know is the way I feel When it’s real, I keep it alive
The road is long There are mountains in our way But we climb a step every day
Love lift us up where we belong Where the eagles cry On a mountain high Love lift us up where we belong Far from the world below Up where the clear winds blow
Some hang on to used to be Live their lives looking behind All we have is here and now All our lives, out there to find
The road is long There are mountains in our way But we climb a step every day
Love lift us up where we belong Where the eagles cry On a mountain high Love lift us up where we belong Far from the world we know Where the clear winds blow
Time goes by No time to cry Life’s you and I Alive today
Love lift us up where we belong Where the eagles cry On a mountain high Love lift us up where we belong Far from the world we know Where the clear winds blow
Love lift us up where we belong Where the eagles cry On a mountain high Love lift us up where we belong
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
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
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 Sundayfor 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
This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Contrasts
From their 1989 album, Pump. The song reached #22 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on August 17, 1990.
From Wikipedia
The live footage was filmed during part of the band’s swing through the south. Clips from their shows in Tallahassee, Jackson, New Orleans, and Shreveport were used in the video.
Additionally, the song reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, the third single from Pump to do so.
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm mm, mm, mm mmCome on Lovin’ you has got to be (Take me to the other side) Like the devil in the deep blue sea (Take me to the other side) Forget about your foolish pride (Take me to the other side) Oh take me to the other side (Take me to the other side)My mama told me there’d be days like this And man she wasn’t foolin’ ‘Cause I just can’t believe the way you kiss You opened up your mouth with bated breath You said you’d never leave me You love me, you hate me, I tried to take the loss You’re cryin’ me a river but I got to get acrossLovin’ you has got to be (Take me to the other side) Like the devil in the deep blue sea (Take me to the other side) Forget about your foolish pride (Take me to the other side) Oh take me to the other side (Take me to the other side)I’m lookin’ for another kind of love Oh lordy, how I need it The kind that likes to leap without a shove Oh honey, best believe it To save a lot of time and foolish pride I’ll say what’s on my mind, girl You love me, you hate me, you cut me down to size You blinded me with love and, yeah, it opened up my eyesLovin’ you has got to be (Take me to the other side) Like the devil and the deep blue sea (Take me to the other side) My conscience got to be my guide (Take me to the other side) Oh honey, take me, take me, take, take, take, takeTake me to the other side I’m lookin’ for another kind of love Oh, lordy, how I need it The kind that likes to leap without a shove Honey, you best believe it Now I ain’t one for saying long goodbyes I hope all is forgiven You loved me, you hate me, I used to be your lover You know you had it coming, girl So take me to the other sideLovin’ you has got to be (Take me to the other side) Like the devil and the deep blue sea (Take me to the other side) My conscience got to be my guide (Take me to the other side) Oh honey, take me to the other side (Take me to the other side)Lovin’ you has got to be (Take me to the other side) Like the devil in the deep blue sea (Take me to the other side) Forget about your foolish pride (Take me to the other side) Oh take me to the other side
This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Above/Below/Between
From his 1984 album, VOA. The song peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart on August 3, 1984.
Two Sides Of Love
You never hear about it
It’s not the thing you talk over with friends
You never see it comin’ until it begins
But something stepped in between us
It’s taken all of our time alone
In a heart broken maze
But it still is shown
So why does she cry herself to sleep at night
Why do I have to work so hard to make things right
To fall in love came nat’rally
To make it last is so hard you see
I’m caught in between the two sides of love
A kiss goodbye, a kiss hello
You wonder why she gets lonely
You’ve got to show her no doubt
She’s your one and only, yeah
A kiss goodbye, a kiss hello
You wonder why she gets lonely
You’ve got to show her no doubt
She’s your one and only, yeah
We make promises, promises
And late at night you make big plans
Someday we’ll run away
And leave the love demands, yeah
Two sides of love
Two sides of low
Two sides of love
This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week’s prompt…Acquire/Collect/Gather/Secure.
The title song from his 1983 album. The song peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on January 20, 1984.
From Songfacts
Billy Idol got the title for this song from the Rebel Yell brand of bourbon whiskey, which has been around since 1936. On an episode of VH1 Storytellers, Idol explained that he was at an event where Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones were taking swigs of Rebel Yell straight from the bottle. This gave him the idea for the title, and he wrote the song around it.
Idol wrote this song with his guitarist, Steve Stevens, who came up with some unique sounds on the track. The ray-gun effect on the solo he created using a Lexicon PCM 41 digital delay processor, but he later figured out a way to get a more distinctive sound using an actual ray-gun. By tweaking a toy ray-gun, he was able to hold it to his pickups and generate these strange sounds. His “ray gun guitar” became one of the most popular spots of a Billy Idol concert.
The video was directed by Jeff Stein, whose previous work included The Who documentary The Kids Are Alright. It was shot at the Capitol Theater in New Jersey with the audience made up of kids they bussed in from New York City. In the book I Want My MTV, Stein said: “We had lots of beer and wine on the busses, which nowadays you could not do. Everyone was well soused. I put the hot looking girls with the big tits up front.”
Sounds of the crowd cheering and singing along were added to the video version of the song, which captured the live energy of this anthemic song. The clip was a huge hit on MTV, but it almost missed its premiere slot – Stein says MTV made them edit out a shot of a kid holding a beer, and the tape made it to the network just minutes before air.
Rebel Yell
Last night a little dancer came dancin’ to my door
Last night a little angel Came pumpin cross my floor
She said “Come on baby I got a license for love
And if it expires pray help from above”
In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more
With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more
In the midnight hour babe more, more, more
With a rebel yell more, more, more
More, more, more
She don’t like slavery, she won’t sit and beg
But when I’m tired and lonely she sees me to bed
What set you free and brought you to be me babe
What set you free I need you hear by me
Because
In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more
With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more
In the midnight hour babe more, more, more
With a rebel yell more, more, more
He lives in his own heaven
Collects it to go from the seven eleven
Well he’s out all night to collect a fare
Just so long, just so long it don’t mess up his hair
I walked the ward with you, babe
A thousand miles with you
I dried your tears of pain, babe
A million times for you
I’d sell my soul for you babe
For money to burn with you
I’d give you all, and have none, babe
Just, just, justa, justa to have you here by me
Because
In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more
With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more
In the midnight hour babe more, more, more
With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more
More, more, more
Oh yeah little baby
She want more
More, more, more, more, more
Oh yeah little baby
She want more
More, more, more, moreWriter/s: Billy Idol, Steve Stevens
Free Fallin' 