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The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten Facts


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If Not for You:

"If Not For You" is a 1970 song by Bob Dylan. The song was also covered by George Harrison for his 1970 solo album "All Things Must Pass" and by Olivia Newton-John.

Harrison covered Dylan's "If Not For You", which had been recently released on Dylan's New Morning album. Alan White, later of Yes, stated that John Lennon played on "If Not For You"

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The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten #87

FOUR songs without Songfacts:

Hair - The Cowsills (1969)

I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) - Aretha Franklin (1967)

Hard Way, The - The Kinks (1975)

Serenade - Steve Miller Band (1976)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

The Songfish thanks you.

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Hard Way, The - The Kinks (1975)

The Hard Way is a track from The Kinks’ conceptual album Schoolboys In Disgrace. It was recorded 22 Sept, 1975. It was also the B-side of the US single I’m In Disgrace.

According to back cover liner notes on Schoolboys in Disgrace, the story which the album presents is as follows:

"Once upon a time there was a naughty little schoolboy. He and his gang were always playing tricks on the teachers and bullying other children in the school. One day he got himself into very serious trouble with a naughty schoolgirl and he was sent to the Headmaster who decided to disgrace the naughty boy and his gang in front of the whole school.

After this punishment the boy turned into a hard and bitter character. Perhaps it was not the punishment that changed him but the fact that he realised people in authority would always be there to kick him down and the Establishment would always put him in his place. He knew that he could not change the past but he vowed that in the future he would always get what he wanted. The naughty little boy grew up... into Mr. Flash."

Mr. Flash was the name of the villain from The Kinks' rock opera, Preservation: Acts 1 & 2.

Given the self-referential nature of The Kinks Present Schoolboys in Disgrace, it’s unsurprising that the album includes this not-so-fond reminiscence of one of Dave Davies’s school headmasters. Davies has stated that his expulsion was for failing to attend class and that he also had been caught on the school grounds having sex with his girlfriend, so perhaps this interruption in his formal education is understandable. The real life context of the song aside, it’s one of Ray Davies’s best musical rants, with bitingly accurate lyrics set against a strong, harsh percussion beat and driving guitar riffs. Big brother Ray, who also attended the school, takes on the persona of the inflexible authoritarian. With the opening lyrics “Boys like you were born to waste…†he establishes the bigotry that is inherent in a person who believes that punishment and destruction of self-image are important elements in learning. It’s also an example of how the Kinks frequently influenced other innovative music makers. For example, you can hear echoes of the opening riffs for â€The Hard Way†in the minimalist electro-pop of Devo.

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"Hair"

The Cowsills

A hit by The Cowsills in 1969, it reached #2 in the US charts.

Composed by Galt MacDermot/James Rado/Gerome Ragni for the Broadway musical "Hair" in 1968.

allmusic:

..."Hair" was that golden opportunity that opened the door to life after bubblegum. It is The Cowsills performing on all instruments, sounds generated by the two founding brothers, and promoted by the group itself, according to the liner notes accompanying "The Best Of The Cowsills: The Millennium Collection". The booklet explains that where MGM first balked at this single, airplay on a Chicago station and the immediate positive response fueled the label's decision to back this eventual huge hit...
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"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)

Aretha Franklin"

Wikipedia knows a lot:

"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" is a 1967 soul single released by American singer Aretha Franklin. The song became a defining song for the Memphis-born, Detroit-raised musician, in that it became the first big hit of her career. The song peaked at number one on the Rhythm and Blues charts and number nine on the pop charts. The B-side was "Do Right Woman".[1] Up until then, Franklin placed two Top 40 singles on the pop chart during her modest tenure on Columbia Records. Signing with Atlantic Records in 1966, the label's main producer Jerry Wexler got Franklin to record the blues song (written by Ronny Shannon) in the famed Alabama music studio, FAME Studios, with the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Franklin later says of her Atlantic tenure that "they just told me to sit on the piano and sing". Within minutes of Franklin's recording, Wexler knew he had a hit. The song's recording was later marred because of a fight between Franklin's then manager and husband, Ted White, and a Muscle Shoals session musician after the musician was seen flirting with Franklin forcing Wexler to move the recording of more songs with Franklin in their traditional New York home studio where they had some members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section flown to New York to record the b-side, "Do Right Woman/Do Right Man" and a number of other tracks. Wexler then issued the record to radio stations, who ate up the song, which rose to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Franklin's first #1 hit on the R&B charts. It was also the title of Franklin's star-making Atlantic Records debut. Franklin would soon become a superstar after the release of this song. The song has since been called a pivotal moment in rock and roll. It ranked #186 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song was covered by Aerosmith as "Never Loved a Girl" on 2004's Honkin' on Bobo a collection of old blues and r&b songs. In 2006 Allison Crowe recorded the song for release on her album, This Little Bird.

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It was released in 1977 as the fourth single from the album.

It´s also included in their greatest hits LP.

:help: :help:

I emailed the Steve Miller fan site to see if maybe someone there could send some information but haven't heard back from them. Don't think I will at this point. I'll look around and see what I can find.

I did nominate the song so I will try to help find info on it :D. I like doing that kind of stuff.

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Thanks everyone :thumbsup:

The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten #88

FOUR songs seeking facts this week:

Funk #49 - James Gang (1970)

Autumn Stone, The - Small Faces (1969)

Look At Little Sister - Stevie Ray Vaughn

So Into You - Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

The Songfish thanks you.

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Thanks edna :bow: :bow:

The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten #89

FOUR songs again this week that are not currently part of the songfacts database:

Set Me Free - The Kinks (1965)

Under The Milky Way - The Church (1988)

Magic - Pilot (1974)

Stop! Stop! Stop! - The Hollies (1966)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

The Songfish thanks you.

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"Under the Milky Way"

The Church

all from wikipedia:

...a 1988 song by The Church. Written by the band's vocalist and bassist, Steve Kilbey, and his partner Karin Jansson, it was originally released on The Church's Starfish album. It won the Australian ARIA award for best song in 1989. The song has been described as "hauntingly beautiful" and was The Church's biggest hit to date, staying in the US top 40 for several weeks. Unlike most of their songs, this one featured primarily acoustic guitar playing, driven by a 12-string guitar melody. According to a press release issued with Starfish, the song was written about an infamous Amsterdam hash bar called The Milky Way (Melkweg) Bar, which Kilbey used to frequent. What sounds like a bagpipe solo midway through the song, was actually performed by an E-bow.

The single was released in several configurations (7", double 7", 12", CD single), in many countries, with at least five different cover art designs. The main b-sides were "Musk" and "Warm Spell." Spanish versions added "Anna Miranda" and "Perfect Child."

"Under The Milky Way" was included in the 2001 movie Donnie Darko. In 2006, the song was performed with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Lead singer Steve Kilbey said after the performance that it was as if the song was made for the occasion, though in his blog he was critical of the Commonwealth Games as an event.

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"Magic"

Pilot

Written by Billy Lyall and David Paton.

Released in 1974 a s a single and as a track of their album "Pilot(From the Album of the Same Name)"

wikipedia:

"Magic" is a pop song of 1974, the first commercial success for the Scottish band, Pilot.

Published on single, it was a #11 UK Singles Chart, and peaked at #5 during the summer of 1975 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100, and remains a pop classic. The song was also included on Pilot's debut album.

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thanks everyone :bow:

and thankyou sammy :laughing:

The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten #90

FOUR songs needing factoids again this week:

Wild Night - Van Morrison (1971)

Buckets Of Rain - Bob Dylan (1975)

Come And Get Your Love – Redbone (1974)

Sex And Candy - Marcy Playground (1997)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

The Songfish thanks you.

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"Buckets of Rain"

Bob Dylan

wikipedia said:

Buckets of Rain" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released in 1975 on his critically acclaimed album Blood on the Tracks.

Musically, this is a blues song; however, it has a somewhat more upbeat feel to it than most of the songs on Blood on the Tracks. This only serves to heighten the sadness inherent in the material, though, since it sounds like a vain attempt to be happy again. In the officially released studio recording, "Buckets of Rain" is played in the key of E major. Instrumentally there are only two: acoustic guitar and bass guitar. The guitar is not in standard tuning; rather, it is in what is called "Open E" tuning, allowing Dylan to play a simple E major chord without fretting any strings.

"Buckets of Rain" was included on the Wonder Boys Soundtrack, which was released in 2000. Dylan also sang this song in a recording with Bette Midler on her 1976 album Songs for the New Depression. Dylan has only performed this song one time live, as a surprise opener at a November 18, 1990 concert in Detroit.

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"Come And Get Your Love"

Redbone

Written by Lolly Vegas and produced by Lolly and Pat Vegas, lead singers of Redbone.

It was part of their LP "Wovoka", released in 1974

From wiki:

It reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. RIAA certification came on April 22, 1974 for selling over a million copies, garnering a gold record.

According allmusic, This is one of those songs that will jump-start any party. From the all-Indian rock band, Redbone made one of the few songs that had immediate success and subsequent staying power. It's clear to see why this worked. The subtle funky bass and drums and strong, non-ornate strings made this is an unconscious classic. The guitar as sitar and chanted vocals helped too. The chorus is so big that it begs for a drunken singalong. A request no doubt accepted by generations of stumblebum warblers. It may be a subliminal thing. The lead singer here sounds so "tuned in" a listener could get a contact get by just hearing him. While this did big business on the R&B chart, no one is going to mistake Redbone for Kool & the Gang. What helped this crossover was the confidence and genuine soulfulness. With the onslaught of non sequitur lyrics, this has a few kitschy lyrics like "If you want some/Take some" and the perennial rock & roll puzzler "Get it from the main vine." Get what? We may never know, but while a lot of songs from the time are dated, this still packs exuberance and charm.

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