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The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten Facts


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"Kind of a Drag"

The Buckinghams

Written by Jim Holvay.

Released as a single in 1966, reaching #1 on Billboard Hot 100 in February next year.

Also a track of their debut album "Kind Of A Drag".

Although most commonly lumped in with the likes of Gary Puckett & the Union Gap or Tommy James & the Shondells -- the subgenre of '60s pop that comic writer/musician Eddie Gorodetsky once memorably dubbed "goatee rock" -- the Buckinghams' singles, particularly their big hit, "Kind of a Drag," are actually more of a precursor to the horn-led soft rock of Chicago. ( James William Guercio, who shepherded Chicago through their biggest hits, was the Buckinghams' producer and A&R man, cementing the link.) Although Dennis Tufano's blue-eyed soul vocals neatly tie the song to the tradition of the Righteous Brothers and the like, Guercio's ultra-smooth production and the almost easy listening tone of the horn section, along with the lightly jazzy bounce of the melody itself, make clear the new style that Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears would soon be following.
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The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #214

This week there are three songs needing facts.

Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar (1979)

Wild Wild Life - Talking Heads (1986)

Strange Magic - Electric Light Orchestra (1975)

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. As always the Songfish thanks you. smiley-music007-1.gif

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"Wild Wild Life"

Talking Heads

Written by David Byrne and recorded /released in 1986 by The Talking Heads.

A track of their album "True Stories".

The single had "People Like Us", sung by actor John Goodman, as the B-side: "Wild Wild Life" is part of the soundtrack of Byrne's movie "True Stories", featuring John Goodman. It made #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 by the end of the year, reaching #15 in Australia and #43 in the UK.

The video won the MTV Best Group Video Award in 1987.

"Wild Wild Life" is pretty tame, an ironic, midtempo rocker that's the closest Talking Heads have ever come to formula – naturally, it's already getting radio airplay.

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"Heartbreaker"

Pat Benatar

Credited to Geoff Gill, Carole Bayer Sager, Clint Wade and David Wolfert

A track from Pat Benatar's debut album, "In the Heat of the Night", released in 1979.

The single had "My Clone Sleeps Alone" as the B-side. It made the charts, reaching #23 on Billboard.

VH1 said it was the 72nd best hard rock song of all times.

While not confirmed as an influence, the lyrics of "Heartbreaker" are similar to the song of the same title by the Crystals with "Heartbreaker, dream-maker, love-taker" being strikingly alike to the Crystals' lyric "Heartbreaker, hip shaker, troublemaker".

Edit:[smaller]Back in the times I worked for her label company. I remember I wrote some 5 or 6 pages about this album[/smaller]

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"Strange Magic"

Electric Light Orchestra

The song was written by Jeff Lynne and recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra for their sixth album, "Face The Music", from 1975.

The single was released in 1976. The B-side was "Showdown (live)" in the UK and it lasted 4.02 minutes. "Strange Magic " is the same than the one on the album, except for the orchestral intro that was deleted. It reached #38 in the UK charts.

The single released in the US had "New World Rising" as the B-side; the A-side was also edited and it lasts 3.20 minutes. It went to #14 on Billboard.

This lovely Electric Light Orchestra song, one of the best tracks on their breakthrough album Face The Music, is a fine example of songwriter Jeff Lynne’s skill at creating ballads that are as memorably hook-laden as his uptempo pop tunes. The lyrics of "Strange Magic" have a psychedelic tinge as its narrator describes the woman who has bewitched him in otherworldly terms: "You’re sailing softly through the sun/In a broken stone age dawn/You fly so high/I get a strange magic." The music lives up to the fanciful style of the lyrics with a gorgeous melody that blends mellow ascending verse melodies with an airy chorus that builds to a stirring peak on its final lines. Electric Light Orchestra’s recording of "Strange Magic" plays up the hooks in this melody and adds even more with its crafty arrangement, including a stunning intro full of swirling strings, some George Harrison-styled slide guitar riffs, and a complex backing vocal arrangement that layers on piles on a vast array of counter-harmonies as the song progresses. The end result was lush enough to make a good slow dance song but dense enough with hooks to hold up to repeated listens. "Strange Magic" did quite well as a follow-up single to "Evil Woman," peaking in the pop chart top-20 and becoming a radio staple for the group. It remains a favorite with pop fans today and recently was used to powerful effect during a school dance sequence in The Virgin Suicides.
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The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #215

This week there are seven songs needing facts.

Where Have Good Times - The Kinks (1965)

Gel - Collective Soul (1995)

Tired of Toein' the Line - Rocky Burnette (1980)

I'm Not Talking - The Yardbirds (1965)

Express Yourself - Madonna (1989)

Call On Me - Chicago (1974)

Save a Prayer - Duran Duran (1982)

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. As always the Songfish thanks you. getsmileyphp6-1.gif

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wow... don't worry, Lea, it's a weekend, we´ll help... :)

The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #215

This week there are seven songs needing facts.

Where Have Good Times - The Kinks (1965)

Gel - Collective Soul (1995)

Tired of Toein' the Line - Rocky Burnette (1980)

I'm Not Talking - The Yardbirds (1965)

Express Yourself - Madonna (1989)

Call On Me - Chicago (1974)

Save a Prayer - Duran Duran (1982)

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. As always the Songfish thanks you. getsmileyphp6-1.gif

We already have a bit of songfacts for "Call On Me" - Chicago

The rest of the songs are not in the database...

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"Tired of Toein' the Line"

Rocky Burnette

Written by R.Burnette/Ron Coleman.

A track from his 1979 LP "Son of Rock and Roll", his first album. The single was released in 1980 and the B-side was "Boogie Down in Mobile, Alabama".

It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the Australian charts. It was a worldwide hit.

Rocky Burnette is the son of Johnny Burnette.

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"Where Have All The Good Times Gone"

The Kinks

Written by Ray Davies.

It was released as a single in the UK in November 1965 as the B-side of "Till the End of the Day".

In March 1966 it was released in the US.

It was also included as a track of their 1965 album, the fourth, "The Kink Kontroversy".

It was re-released as an A-side in 1973 after Bowie covered the song in his Pin Ups album.

â€Where Have All The Good Times Gone?†was released as a b-side to the first single â€Till the End Of The Day†from The Kinks’ fourth long player, The Kink Kontroversey. In what would become typical Ray Davies’ fashion, the tracks forlorn sentiments went against the grain of the times, lamenting the end of the party just as swinging London was kicking into high gear. Musically, the recording suggested a more pronounced English folk rock element that would soon develop into the band’s favored sound for what remained of the ‘60’s. Davies and company seem to be experimenting with a looser, late night wooziness that was not previously apparent on their initial hard rock singles or well crafted pop ballads. The simple arrangement propelled by strummy guitars has the feel of an after hours sing-a-long, especially in the loosely harmonized and oft repeated chorus lyric. Ray Davies seems to be pining for the good old days with lines like, “Well once we had an easy ride and always felt the same / Time was on our side and I had everything to gain / Let it be like yesterday / Please let me have happy days†while later casting a skeptical eye to generational over-glorification of the past, delivering verses with a loose mouthed nonchalance that at times boarders on a childlike taunt, “Ma and Pa look back at all the things they used to do / Didn’t have no money and they always told the truth / Daddy didn’t have no toys / And mummy didn’t need no boys†At this point the meaning of the chorus has been transformed, the Davies’ brothers harmonies on the same lines now soaked with sarcasm, sound more like a jeer, “Won’t you tell me / Where have all the good times gone? / Where have all the good times gone?†Reaching the final verse, the nostalgia has matured into full-blown, generation gap resentment as Davies means to have the last word with the scornful comment, “Well, yesterday was such an easy game for you to play / But let’s face it things are so much easier today / Guess you need some bringing down / And get your feet back on the groundâ€
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"Save a Prayer"

Duran Duran

Written by Simon LeBon/Nick Rhodes/John Taylor/Andy Taylor/Roger Taylor.

The sixth single by Duran Duran, it was released on August 9th 1982. Its B-side was "Hold Back The Rain"

Also a track from their second album "Rio".

It went up to #2 in the UK singles charts, becoming Duran Duran's biggets hit till now.

MTV aired the video in the US and though it wasn't released as a single, it was very popular too.

The song was also #2 in the Irish charts and #56 in the Australian charts. The live version reached #16 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1985.

The video was filmed by director Russell Mulcahy among the jungles, beaches, and temples of Sri Lanka in April, 1982. Scenes were filmed atop the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya, among the ruins of a Buddhist temple at Polonnaruwa and the island's southern coastline.

A live version of the song was released in 1984. That night, Simon LeBon dedicated it to Marvin Gaye, who had been fatally shot the previous day. The video was taken from Duran Duran's Oakland, California concerts that were filmed for the Arena (An Absurd Notion).

"Save a Prayer (Live)", an edit from the live album Arena, was released as b-side of the single "Save a Prayer" (US Single Version) in the United States in January 1985. The single peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending 16 March 1985.

The release was accompanied by a new live video, drawn from footage shot in 1984 for the concert film Arena.

Dance-friendly items like "Rio" and "Hungry Like The Wolf" gave Duran Duran their chart breakthrough in the U.S. but they were also capable of making lush ballads guaranteed to make their fan base swoon. One of the finest, perhaps the finest, was "Save a Prayer," a lilting epic from Rio that has a special place in the heart of every Duran Duran fanatic. The lyrics revolve around a chance meeting between two people that flares into a love affair but ends all too soon: "Some people call it a one night stand/But we can call it paradise/Don't say a prayer for me now/Save it 'til the morning after." The music maintains the stormily romantic quality of the lyric by combining meditative verses with an aching chorus that swells and ebbs in a way that perfectly captures the song's heartbreak. Duran Duran's recording places an emphasis on Nick Rhodes' swirling, minimalist synth lines and Simon LeBon's pained vocals as the rhythm section holds down a steady but subdued beat, with Andy Taylor adding a few searing bursts of electric guitar during the chorus. The result was a stylish mood-piece that became a number two hit in the U.K. and earned plenty of airplay on MTV with a glossy video that featured the band jet-setting around the atmospheric locale of Sri Lanka.
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"I'm Not Talking"

The Yardbirds

Written by Mose Allison.

A track of their second album, "For Your Love", from August 1965. It was the first Yardbirds album released in the US.

Jeff Beck plays guitar on this track.

Although "I'm Not Talking" was another unsuccessful attempt by the Yardbirds to break into the U.S. pop charts, it was, in fact, one of the best records to date, capturing the group's snaky threat perfectly. Led by guitarist Jeff Beck's wicked riffing and excellent solo, the song is menacing, and one of the best interpretations of a Mose Allison song in the rock idiom. The near-violent tempo and overall moxie of the band's performance is solidified with their Beck-inclusive lineup in this song. Originally part of the band's For Your Love album, it's now available on the excellent German Rhino compilation Ultimate Yardbirds.

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"Express Yourself"

Madonna

Written by Madonna and Stephen Bray.

The single was released in May 9th 1989 and its B-side was "The Look Of Love". There were many releases in other formats: the version from the LP was 4.37 minutes, while the The Immaculate Collection version lasted 4.03 mins and the 7" record was 4.35 minutes. There was also an extended dance version lasting over 8 mins. long.

It's also a track from her album "Like A Prayer".

It went #2 in the Billboard charts by July, spending two weeks there.

It reached #1 in Canada, Italy, and Japan and became a hit all over Europe. It was her sith single to reach the fisrt place on the charts in Europe.

The video was directed by David Fincher and filmed in April 1989 at Culver Studios in Culver City, California. It was based on the Fritz Lang classic film Metropolis. The video marked the first appearance of the Shep Pettibone remix of the song. Its budget of $5 million made it the most expensive music video in history at the time it was made (it is currently the third most expensive of all time).

"Express Yourself" had its world-premiereon May 17, 1989 on MTV. It ranked #10 on both Rolling Stone magazine's "The 100 Top Music Videos" and MTV's "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" as well as #1 on Slant Magazine's "100 Greatest Music Videos"

Madonna mentioned jokingly in a 1990 BBC interview that the main theme of the video and the cat metaphor represents that "Pussy rules the world".

The original version of the video was not available on DVD or home video until the release of Celebration: The Video Collection in 2009. The version contained on The Immaculate Collection was an abridged version

The song is one of female empowerment, urging women never to "go for second-best" and to put their love "to the test".

It was certificatd Gold in Australia and in US and Silver in the UK.

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We already have a bit of songfacts for "Call On Me" - Chicago

I'll add some more, but very few... :P

""Call On Me"

Chicago

A track for their 1974 album "ChicagoVII", with Peter Cetera on leading vocals.

The single had "Prelude to Aire" as the B-side and was released in June 1974. It was the first song written by Lee Loughnane . The song reached #1 in the Hot Adult Contemporary Charts and #6 on Billboard.

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The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #216

This week there are five songs needing facts.

Sky Is Crying, The - Stevie Ray Vaughan (1991)

Who's Making Love - Johnny Taylor (1968)

Tired of Being Alone - Al Green (1971)

Louisiana Rain - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1979

Jane - Jefferson Starship (1979)

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. As always the Songfish thanks you. getsmileyphpb-2.gif

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"Jane"

Jefferson Starship

Written by David Freiberg, Jim McPherson, Paul Kantner and Craig Chaquico.

"Jane," released as a single in advance of the album, displayed the result: even before Thomas' soaring tenor entered, it sounded like Foreigner. But it also made the Top 20, which helped the album into the Top Ten and to a gold record award.

Freedom at Point Zero is a 1979 album by Jefferson Starship. It was the first album for new lead singer Mickey Thomas. The single, "Jane", peaked on the charts at #14.

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"Tired of Being Alone"

Al Green

"Tired of Being Alone" is a soul song written by Al Green that became popular in the early 1970s and remains popular to this day, being a score in popular shows such as Nip/Tuck. It reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and # 7 on the Hot Soul Singles Chart . Though released on the 1971 album, Al Green Gets Next to You, the song was written in late 1968 and intended to be released on the 1969 album, Green Is Blues. Problems occurred with the first recording, so it was postponed for production. It was altered and perfected the second time around.

In 2004, Green's version was ranked #293 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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"Louisiana Rain"

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1979

Written by Tom Petty.

The last track from this third album, "Damn the Torpedoes", released in October 1979. This was the album that made Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers famous.

Produced by Tom Petty and Jimmy Iovine, the song is considered by allmusic like a "tear-jerking ballad".

It's also included in a live version in the "Live Anthology" album from 2009.

:help:

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