Song #9: The Proclaimers - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"

Song #9: The Proclaimers - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (1988)

Sunshine on Leith

"And when the money comes in for the work I do, I'll pass almost every penny onto you."

One bad habit I have is, during the school year, when I go to sleep around 9pm or 9:30pm and wake up at 4:30am (for extra time in the morning, before you even flinch to ask), waking up anywhere from 12am to 3am, unplanned, with no alarm, and turning on the TV and watching infomercials for a brief time before going back to the bed. I'm fully conscious and alert, so I'm not sleepwalking, but it has become an unplanned, disorganized ritual; I'll go downstairs and get a glass of chocolate milk and return to my bed, sitting in the glow of my TV screen watching whatever happens to be on (be it some random car/product infomercial or Live Prayer with Bill Keller).

One night in September 2010, I awake around 1:15am, get my glass of chocolate milk, and rush back to my bedroom to catch some Family Guy. In the episode, a cutaway gag reveals Peter Griffin singing backup for the band The Proclaimers, the famous Scottish twin brothers known for their monstrous hit "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," which turned into an international favorite. The brief cutaway gag shows Peter singing the song before interrupting The Proclaimers' recording session, thinking they interrupted his singing. Immediately then, I had to grab my phone and find the song; it was infectious and unlike anything I've heard.

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" is a goofy love song, about a man so head-over-heels in love with a woman he'd dare make a five-hundred mile odyssey on foot, or even a one-thousand miles round-trip marathon, just to be the man who walks one-thousand miles to the front door of the woman he loves. The song has a strange vibe to it, with The Proclaimers' thick Scottish accidents coming through with every line of the song, with the lyrics of the song continuing to get quirkier and quirkier as it goes on. The song is a masterclass of offbeat romance songs and shouldn't go unheard.

That freshman year, I played "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" over one-hundred times on my phone, almost going forth with making a music video for it for my Television class, which I was taking at that time. Needless to say, I still know all the words and brazenly blast it through my car speakers or my headphones to this day, be it 1pm or 1am.

Give "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ4Ib-7fJqY

Watch the "Family Guy" clip featuring The Proclaimers (the same one mentioned above), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahMjV3ku4qw

Song #10: Fear Factory feat. Gary Numan - "Cars"

Song #10: Fear Factory feat. Gary Numan - "Cars" (1999)

Obsolete

"Here in my car, nothing seems."

IMPORTANT NOTE: As hard as it is for me to believe, we have reached the final ten songs of "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" blog series and, on September 8th, 2014, the final writeup will be published. There will be more in the vein of a "music dedicated" blog series from me, I can assure you, but I digress. I make this brief note to say that these next ten songs have a more significant, clearer meaning to me than the previous. The previous ninety mean a great deal to me, so much so that the magic is hard to articulate in words, but these next ten songs hold a solidified, incorruptible place in my heart. While this series is not ranked in any way, not even these next ten songs, all I can ask is you read these next ten blogs with a greater sense of seriousness than you may have given the last few blogs. Enjoy; I will release a small "statistical" blog for "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" on September 9th, 2014.

SONG #10: When it comes to remixes of some of my favorite songs, most are just played once before they're quickly forgotten and never listened to again, on the count of my dissatisfaction with the remix or my complete indifference. Others are kept around on my phone for that special time they're needed, but that special time only comes every once in a while. A select few number of remixes hold a prominence on my phone's playlist and the most played remix on my phone is of Gary Numan's "Cars," which is put together by an alternative rock band called Fear Factory.

The remix of "Cars" provides more of a nu-mental, punk feel to a song that was firmly implanted in the techno genre of music, and blends the vocals of the band's lead singer Burton C. Bell with the cold, detached vibes brought forth by Gary Numan. The song is a masterclass of metal and techno, brought together to create a forceful song that often helped score the kind of hangout my friend Mike and I began having in the fall/winter of 2013. The hangout was simple and effective, where we'd often cruise the streets of our neighborhood, hitting all the common places for teenagers (Best Buy, White Castle, and Goodwill), while using time in his Mustang or his father's Jeep to blast music and be as raucous as we could. The remix of "Cars" enthusiastically helped better an evening, mainly because it was such a fun song to listen to and that it pumped so well through bass-heavy speakers.

Expertly-produced, with the sound carefully mixed and the vocals timed nicely, it's a wonder why Fear Factory's rendition of "Cars" doesn't get as much recognition as the remixes of other songs.

Give "Cars" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pa-95S7Hvg

[Delayed Post]: Song #11: R.E.M. - "The One I Love"

Song #11: R.E.M. - "The One I Love" (1987)

Document

"This one goes out to the one I love..." 

If I could pinpoint one particular chorus in music that I felt was sung so powerfully, so contemplatively, and so mysteriously that it deserves an award in itself it has to be the chorus of "The One I Love," sung by Michael Stipe of R.E.M.. The chorus's words send shivers up my spine each time, and provide the perfect soundtrack and mood for an intimate evening with me and a cigar.

Since I first heard "The One I Love," stocking liquor at the good ol' liquor store where I work, I was instantly mesmerized by the chorus, its sound, and the way the song flowed. The nine-word phrase that is spoken at the start of the chorus made it so all I could do was stop, think, and listen to the words, spoken in such a dark and chilling way. This couldn't be a love song; it was far too dim and moody.

Contrary to the conception of the people who foolishly request this song and dedicate to their sweetheart on oldies radio, "The One I Love" is a song about using and mistreating people. This is affirmed by the follow-up line to Stipe's chorus-introduction by saying, "a simple prop to occupy my time," modifying the alleged soul he loves into somebody not an object of his desire but an object of his momentary satisfaction. When he's done with that prop, he'll move on to another, and another, and hopefully one day recognized the loneliness and emptiness that misusing people brought onto him.

"The One I Love" is an incredible ballad about self-reflection and momentary contempt of oneself, before our subject likely returns to his same old ways. There's little else to say besides that this blog goes out to those who've misunderstood.

Give "The One I Love" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0rBNf-sIvU

Song #12: The Gregory Brothers feat. Antoine Dodson - "Bed Intruder Song"

Song #12: The Gregory Brothers feat. Antoine Dodson - "Bed Intruder Song" (2010)

"Bed Intruder Song" - Single

"You don't have to come and confess; we lookin' for you, we gon' find you, we gon' find you!"

I have yet to really declare this publicly, or express such an interest in this subsector of music, but, since freshman year and my entire sophomore year, I have been something close to obsessed with music that was made out of something that's original form wasn't music. With the rise of the internet, we've seen creativity, activism, and personal thoughts flourish incalculably, and we've seen music and remixes being made from news broadcasts, press conferences, and interviews, or stuff that wasn't musical in its original form.

There are two driving forces behind this kind of music-making, and they are The Gregory Brothers (with their line of "Songifying" originally non-musical things and their immensely successful series online "Auto-Tune the News") and DJ Steve Porter, ESPN's main-DJ, who compiles remixes and songs out of sports interviews, press conferences, and even does musical renditions featuring highlights of sports seasons for the NBA, NFL, and NHL.

The Gregory Brothers' "Bed Intruder Song" is one of two songs in the category of "remixes" that shows up on my "One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" blog series. Ever since I heard this song my freshman year, I had to play it on repeat about a dozen more times; I loved the unique qualities of it and the fact one could take something that didn't have a trace of musicality in it and make it so.

The "Bed Intruder Song" was made from a news report that took place in Alabama, about the attempted rape of a young woman named Kelly Dodson. While Kelly was the victim, the most prominent voice in the news report became Antoine Dodson, her brother, who gave an animated and quietly funny interview while expressing anger over his sister's attempted rape. The Gregory Brothers, a popular group known for taking news broadcasts and turning them into music on Youtube, saw the video, and soon after, released a short version of the song before putting up a full-length version on iTunes.

What amazes me each and every time I listen to "Bed Intruder Song" is how it plays like a real song, with specific verses, choruses, and structural soundness rather than acting as a jumbled remix. Not to mention, when one considers all the effort put into pitch, tone, and creating an instrumental to make the remix sound just right, the amount of time and effort put into the song could practically match a real, studio-produced song. "Bed Intruder Song," while an amazing work of artistic creativity, is still not my favorite one of these remix videos I have yet to see. Stay tuned...

Give "Bed Intruder Song" (the full version) a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKsVSBhSwJg

Song #13: Meat Loaf - "Everything Louder Than Everything Else"

Song #13: Meat Loaf - "Everything Louder Than Everything Else" (1993)

Bat Out of Hell II: The Monster is Loose

"If you want my views on history, then there's something you should know - the three men I admire most are Curly, Larry, Moe."

I feel I made great use of the Meat Loaf song "Everything Louder Than Everything Else" my senior year in high school, when I was assigned a "video story" project where I would compile a collection of pictures, text, and music together into a brief short with the ultimate goal being to try and string along a theme or an overarching idea. My presentation was different from the remainder of the class because it was more about showcasing teenage nihilism and emphasizing that imperfections are our reality. I was heavily inspired by the invaluably honest and cutthroat works of director/photographer Larry Clark and director Harmony Korine, two men who I consider incredible influences in my life, and "Everything Louder Than Everything Else" really amplified the idea of living in the moment and living a "wasted youth," which I heavily depicted in the video project.

"Everything Louder Than Everything Else" is a powerful song in every sense of the word, with Meat Loaf, in my opinion, singing as powerfully as ever, articulating the unfathomable stress and complications that plague the life of the every day teenager. Meat fills an eight minute song with some of the most exhilarating social commentary I have yet to hear on teenagers, breathlessly detailing their mindset of living in the moment and ignoring existential questions in favor of receiving immediate gratification. The song is a masterclass in adolescent study and far too underrated.

Meat only makes his point by communicating such a message in a way teenagers can hear it, through loud guitar riffs, boisterous production, and headbanging instrumentals that almost result in auditory-whiplash. "Everything Louder Than Everything Else," just from its title, sums up the average teenager's "live fast, die young" mentality, and truly compliments the 1990's era rock, which was fun-loving and enticing to listen to, providing unforeseen levels of energy and explosive excitement. This is one of the best songs about youth that I know.

Give "Everything Louder Than Everything Else," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evIhduAT2f4

Song #14: Gary Numan and Tubeway Army - "The Machman"

Song #14: Gary Numan and Tubeway Army - "The Machman" (1979)

Replicas

"Yellow newspapers tell the story of someone; "do you know this man?," tomorrow the cure."

As I mentioned in my writeup for Gary Numan and Tubeway Army's "Down in the Park" (number seventy-two in "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski"), Gary Numan entered my life in a strange time, the summer before I went into my junior year in high school. At that time, my popularity was beginning to take off and I was experiencing social confidence and energy like I never had before. However, my nights were always spent alone, listening to music in my headphones in the wee hours of the morning, alone with my thoughts in the glow of my TV, the only sound coming into my ears was the music through my noise cancelling headphones and my mind was crowded with biting thoughts about school, college, and the future. Keep in mind, this was summer, so stress was at a minimum for me.

Fast-forward to the present, where I'm just two weeks away from starting college, and each night I find myself doing the same thing I described above. Although if I thought my mind was full that summer and the following summer, I could've never imagined I'd have as much on my mental plate as I did now. At least twice a week, I'll throw on Gary Numan, as he reminds me of myself in a basic sense, bearing a lot on his mind, struggling to find the words to help articulate his fears, and stating them in a heavily vague and metaphorical way in his songs.

His tune, accompanied by the unique and incredibly-advanced sounds of his short-lived band Tubeway Army, "The Machman" fools with its more upbeat-tempo than his darker songs like "Down in the Park," but if one pays attention to the lyrics, their structure, and their delivery, they find yet another brooding anthem in the career of Numan. "The Machman," from what I can decipher, concerns an ostracized, isolated young boy, who is abducted by a robot or a machine humanoid (what a "machman" is) in order to join him in his journey of restlessness in life. Numan's character then speaks of the "yellowed newspapers" (a line I love) that state the boy's missing person status as well as the suspect in question, but little do they know, that this "machman" isn't a harmful being, but someone who, through isolation and alienation (no pun intended) has helped a young boy see that he isn't alone, despite being two totally different species.

I wouldn't be surprised if that meaning is way off, but because of Numan's ambiguous and stylistic approaches to building verses, it's hard to feel like you've pinpointed any meaning in his songs. That's why we have the sound and the unforeseen instrumentation on his songs to turn towards, which provide us with sounds and mixing that seems just as alien as the concepts Numan speaks off. "The Machman" was initially going to be the Gary Numan song on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" blog series that I had little conception of, an was due to be a short, direct blog-post. You can see how well that turned out.

Give "The Machman" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rWc0pATrhI

Song #15: XTC - "Mayor of Simpleton"

Song #15: XTC - "Mayor of Simpleton" (1989)

Oranges & Lemons

"What you get is all real, I can't put on an act, it takes brains to do that anyway."

XTC's "Mayor of Simpleton" is one of the most romantic songs I've ever heard, and is a necessary listen for people still under the belief that looks or intelligence is the sole quality their future significant other need possess. The song is sung in the first person, concerning a man who is in love with a woman who is way out of his league in the intelligence department. She seems to be a university scholar, with a group of likeminded friends that value intelligence in the people they associate themselves with.

Our singer, however, isn't the brightest bulb in the closet, and he knows that. What's touching is his level of emotional intelligence, as he recognizes his middling amount of institutional intelligence, but boldly reminds the woman he's in love with what he could offer her in terms of true love and emotion. The character illustrates these feelings through a method of stating what he isn't good at, metaphorically referring to himself as "the Mayor of Simpleton," but reminding the woman that he's wise enough to know one thing and that thing is he loves her deeply.

I identify a lot with this song, not so much in the regard that I view myself as stupid, but someone who is academically average, at best, struggling with various mathematical and scientific concepts, otherwise known as the driving force of today's world. Even my favorite fields, English, sociology, film, media, and politics, confuse the hell out of me occasionally. What I can provide people, however, is a pleasant sense of humanity and acceptance if they are kind and open to me.

"Mayor of Simpleton" is one of the most moving, upbeat romance songs I've ever heard, reminding us of the power, capacity, and invaluable qualities of the human spirit, which should, but often do not, hold higher prominence in people's minds than intelligence. The qualities of love, hope, and emotions and our ability to communicate and express them are what makes us imperfectly human, which is what "Mayor of Simpleton" manages to remind us with a romantic ballad that is simply wonderful in every regard.

Give "Mayor of Simpleton" a listen (the UK version, which I find superior to the US version), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t2j8NcVpW4

Song #16: Joe Walsh - "Life's Been Good to Me"

Song #16: Joe Walsh - "Life's Been Good to Me" (1978)

But Seriously, Folks...

"I can't complain, but sometimes I still do, life's been good to me so far."

I've heard numerous different versions of Joe Walsh's smash-hit "Life's Been Good to Me," from the original vinyl rendition, to the radio edit, to the full-cut on the album and Youtube, and even live from Joe Walsh himself at The Eagles concert I attended back in October 2013. Each time I hear the song, I recall my own personal life, my brief stint in the popularity "limelight" in high school for my film reviews, and contemplate all I've been graced with in a way that is amazingly self-reflective and quietly therapeutic.

"Life's Been Good to Me" is a lengthy masterpiece of a song, from the long-stretches of instrumentation that don't feel like they're subtracting from the lyrical poetry of the song, to the humorous and often referential lyricism that Walsh employs. The song is a reminder of living in the rock limelight, how some are more fortunate than others, and even references real-life events and run-ins other rock stars had in the 1970's, when this song was written.

My favorite line is and always will be the one I quoted above, which I often recite and provide my own personal spin on it when in a conversation with people. It's one of the most honest lines about humans that I've heard. We all love to complain, even if we really shouldn't, and even in a state of satisfaction, contentment, or the rare but pleasant indifference, we still have the gall to whine about the most petty things. Walsh sums that up beautifully in his song, which is one of the most insightful rock songs that dives into the human spirit.

Give "Life's Been Good to Me" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWvKDSwvls

Song #17: N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton"

Song #17: N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton" (1987)

Straight Outta Compton

"As I leave, believe I'm stompin', but when I come back, boy, I'm comin' straight outta Compton!"

If there were ever a song on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" that needed virtually no explanation and could easily exist with just the above information, it's probably N.W.A.'s bestselling single "Straight Outta Compton." To put it simply, and to exercise brevity, this is one of the strongest, most cut-throat rap songs ever made, showcasing the talents of multiple young men in one graphic and detailed song about growing up in a violent part in Los Angeles.

It was "Straight Outta Compton" that set the bar for West Coast Rap in the middle of brutal "coast wars" when it came to rap music. It was "Straight Outta Compton" that showed the true power, not just one, but up to five or six rappers could have on a single track. And it was "Straight Outta Compton" that brought mainstream audiences aware of the violence, criminal activity, coldness, and pulsating fear that lurked in the poverty-stricken neighbors all across America.

"Straight Outta Compton" has been a go-to anthem of mine for its energy as well as its display of culture, and I guarantee you I'll keep coming back for more, as this, while one of the granddaddies of the genre, is also one of my personal favorite rap songs of all time.

Give "Straight Outta Compton" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZqZschnrxM

Song #18: Lil Wayne feat. Static Major - "Lollipop"

Song #18: Lil Wayne feat. Static Major - "Lollipop" (2008)

Tha Carter III

"Shawty said the nigga that she wit can't hit. Well, shawty, I'mma hit it, hit it like I can't miss."

Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" is one of the best contemporary rap songs I have yet to hear. The song is simultaneously great for the club, being incredibly infectious and easy to dance to, while also being passionate and romantic. It's the rare song you can dance and make-love to, with its presence never too graphic and vulgar so intimacy isn't disrupted, nor too sappy and gooey that it couldn't masquerade as a great dance track.

The song features the talents of the late Static Major, who provides help for the song on the chorus, and tragically died before the song was even released. Wayne and Major help create a song that remains lyrically potent and addicting for a whomping five minutes in length, never tiring or becoming too monotonous.

Make no mistake, however, for this song is a bit dirtier than your average romance song. Yet in its expression of intimate and rather dirty lovemaking, never is the song cynically vulgar or offputting in its illustrations of affection. It's also an unbelievably well-produced song, with the production by Deezle and Jim Jonsin making the song incredibly easy to listen to and never too bombastic in style or structure.

Never being a die-hard fan of Wayne's music other than sporadic songs, I was amazed at how affected I was by "Lollipop" on a deeper sense, especially when I chose to revisit it in January 2014. Its visceral qualities make it one of the most exuberant and soulful rap songs of the 2000's decade.

Give "Lollipop" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsgrcYGDvmY

Song #19: Gary Numan - "Metal"

Song #19: Gary Numan - "Metal" (1979)

The Pleasure Principle

"Picture this, if I could make the change, I'd love to pull the wires from the wall." 

Gary Numan's "Metal" is one of his many songs that concern the frightening disconnect between humans and androids/robots. The song concerns an android, who's longtime desire to become human is only disrupted by the burdening thought that his wish will never be and that his life will be confined to the cold, unfeeling sense of a robot.

Numan conducts "Metal" with the similar techniques he uses to make his other tracks work so well. He makes "Metal" so aesthetically original and different from anything else that we've heard before, utilizing innovative synthesizers and intricate sound mixing in order to make a technically sublime song. Numan also infuses the track with frighteningly potent and contemplative ideas about the capability of our technology and where it may be taking us and what it may be feeling.

The tone of the song, while more alive and optimistic, still manages to communicate darker, bleaker vibes that Numan often conveys, and works to complement Numan's Pleasure Principle album, a piece made up of some of his best work. "Metal" is one of the few songs on the album that includes lyrics by Numan, sung in a typically monotone and droning form. This is a profoundly underrated piece of 1970's/1980's new wave music.

Give "Metal" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpBUmS5em0w

Song #20: K'naan - "Wavin' Flag"

Song #20: K'naan - "Wavin' Flag" (2009)

Troubadour

"So we'll patiently wait for that faithful day. It's not far away, but for now we'll say..."

If there's a song that begs to be the anthem for perseverance, persistency, the dream or success, freedom, and even civil disobedience, it's "Wavin' Flag" by the Somali-Canadian musician K'naan. I remember first hearing "Wavin' Flag" when I was home sick from school. Upon hearing it for the first time, I replayed it an additional four, each time feeling empowered and invigorated with a sense of unforeseen gusto and determination to do whatever I pleased.

The song is presented to us with a wonderful array of sharp but not bombastic production values and a wickedly infectious chorus, which recites the poetic lines, "When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag." Right off the bat, those words, their meaning, and their delivery should inspire anyone with a heart to either shoot for the stars or try to make a difference. The song owes itself to the numerous countries in the world fighting for religious freedom, political/religious persecution, or whatever it may be.

The song was used effectively in the trailer for the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, was the theme song for encouragement and reconstruction after the devastating earthquake his the impoverished country of Haiti, and even the theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, selected by Coca-Cola. To this, "Wavin' Flag" still captivates me and is my personal favorite song showing empowerment and spreading the message of courage, bravery, and the incorruptible aspirations of freedom.

Give "Wavin' Flag" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_03ifD7l4

Song #21: Hank Williams III - "Six Pack of Beer"

Song #21: Hank Williams III - "Six Pack of Beer" (2008)

Damn Right, Rebel Proud

"Well, workin' real hard ain't hard to do, when you got you a lot of money comin' to you. But I ain't got a dime, so I'll just sit here. Even though I'm broke, I got a six pack of beer."

Much like John Conlee's "Common Man" (number eighty-three on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski"), Hank Williams III's "Six Pack of Beer" illustrates a common-ground on which many blue collar folks can relate. The song concerns III, likely in a state of reflection and intimacy with himself, stating how he lives in a shack on a dirty road in the country, making little cash, but still finds enough pocket change that amounts to the price of a six pack of beer. The song isn't about alcoholism, nor is it about addiction, but it's rather about being able to salvage what little money you have, that really should be put to other things, to something that provides one with great pleasure and solace. 

III's vocals are top-notch on this track, briskly-paced and raspy, put to an effective banjo instrumentation. This was the very first song by III I had ever heard. One Sunday morning in May 2010, I remember paging through a Best Buy catalog and seeing a picture for Hank Williams III's new album Rebel Within, which was due out that coming Tuesday. I immediately grabbed my phone and looked up other songs by Hank Williams III, quickly finding "Six Pack of Beer," picking it because I felt the title alone could spawn a great song, and played it loud. Before I knew it, I downloaded half the songs from III's albums Damn Right, Rebel Proud (the album this particular song is on) and Straight to Hell. I loved III's brand of outlaw, neotraditional country, uncompromising to the manufactured and plastic sound of contemporary Nashville and pop country music, and basking in the light of the pioneering outlaw/heartbreak country songs the genre was predicated off.

To this day, Hank Williams III remains one of my favorite working artists and "Six Pack of Beer" is a testament to his character and his work at keeping a genre alive. Here's to earning it.

Give "Six Pack of Beer" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CuC-r0wwpg

Song #22: Billy Joel - "Piano Man"

Song #22: Billy Joel - "Piano Man" (1973)

Piano Man

"He said, 'son, can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes, but it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger man's clothes.'"

"And a waitress is practicing politics as a businessman slowly gets stoned; yeah, they're sharing a drink they call 'loneliness,' cause it's better than drinking 'alone.'"  

"And the piano it sounds like a carnival and the microphone smells like a beer. And they sit at the bar, and put bread in my jar, and say, 'man, what are you doin' here?'"

Billy Joel's "Piano Man" is a song I've heard an upwards of about twenty-five times and I'm pretty sure I've cried each time. I need to brace myself before listening to the song, as it generates compelling and unthinkably potent emotions that seem to have been suppressed inside myself for a great deal of time. Many love the song, but I'm not sure how many know the meanings and ideas behind it. Many cite the song as one their favorites by Joel, but I wonder if they have lived it. I'm here to try and say, in a manner lacking pompousness, I can adequately define a meaning of the song and am currently living as the piano player and one of the lounge customers mentioned in the song.

The song concerns a successful, night-time lounge from the point of view of Billy Joel, who was a piano player there for quite some time in his younger years. Joel got to know the clientele and claims that the song is comprised of the kinds of people he knew and saw on a regular basis. One commonality between all of the clientele is their disillusionment and lack of satisfaction in life. Some of the regulars are Paul, a real-estate novelist who never had time for a wife (mentioned in a line that usually ignites my tears), Davy, who's still in the Navy and probably will be for life, and even John, the bartender, who gets Joel his drinks for free but would rather be working as an actor.

As I said, the common ground with all these souls is they are functioning in a reality they don't want to be in, and have lost sight and track of their ambitions and are just trying to get by and survive now. This is the kind of song that proves to other countries that America isn't flawless and its people wealthy and automatically born to lives of greatness. As someone who works at a liquor store, I'm constantly told by the recurring customers how good of a writer I am and that college will be a place where I will find great success. Much like Joel, working as the talented and charismatic piano man, I'm recognized and appreciated by loyal customers for my talent. 

However, I can't help but occasionally feel like I'll soon be one of the customers, working tirelessly at a job I don't like because my ambitions are too far out of reach for me. Combine that with Joel's amazing, descriptive lyrics and his detailed accounts of numerous busy-bodies in a lounge, all of whom sound like wonderful souls that would be great to converse with, and I break down in a fit of tears. 

"Piano Man" is a song about when ambitions pass you by, and when life catches up and reminds you that many of your personal dreams will tragically go unfulfilled because of here-and-now obligations like food, rent, and necessities. As someone going into English in college in just another month, this fact hits me harder and harder whenever I think of it, and I can't help but feel like I'll cry harder and harder in my later years as this song's descriptions of disillusioned customers may prove prophetic for me.

For right now, though, get me a gin and tonic and crank this one up loud.

Give "Piano Man" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaUyJyPekJE

Song #23: Michael Jackson - "Smooth Criminal"

Song #23: Michael Jackson - "Smooth Criminal" (1987)

Bad

"So they came into the outway, it was Sunday, what a black day. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, sounding heartbeats, intimidations."

Ever since I first heard Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" years back, I always thought that a film adaptation of the song wouldn't be difficult, if the right writer was hired and the song's ideas and structure came into play (and, you know, we heard the song in the film). The song is probably my most favorite of Jackson's mainstream hits, narrowly beating "Beat It," and that reason is mainly because of how simultaneously fun, energetic, and suspenseful the song is.

The song describes a woman by the name of Annie, who is gravely injured after a break-in or a burglary, which leaves bloodstains on the carpet, with our singer detailing the brutal account as well as trying to play the hero. Right off the bat, this seems like the kind of song Jackson was made to sing, being the fact the song has so much energy and soul into its simplistic but entertaining lyrics. Jackson sings at such a rapid-fire pace, almost to the point of obscuring complex and beautifully-written lyrics (like the one I quoted above).

However, the best part about "Smooth Criminal" is its sound and instrumental structure, which is one of the catchiest eighties pop has seen. The song sounds unlike anything I've personally ever heard, and its unconventional style fits with the kind of unpredictability Jackson accentuated throughout his career so freely and in an unrestricted manner. The song is a beautifully-done thriller, one I rank higher than Jackson's overplayed "Thriller." But "Smooth Criminal" also works to show that Jackson actually incorporated almost every genre, from suspense, to thriller, to comedy, to horror in his music in some way, shape, or form.

Give "Smooth Criminal" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBrWNbjw3RA

Song #24: O-ZONE - "Dragostea Din Tei"

Song #24: O-ZONE - "Dragostea Din Tei" (2004)

DiscO-ZONE

"Vrei să pleci dar nu mă, nu mă iei."

I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea what O-ZONE's international hit "Dragostea Din Tei" translates to in English, other than a vague idea given to me by my Romanian friend. It's the same way I really don't have any idea what Psy's "Gangnam Style" is supposed to mean in English. Foreign hits in America are interesting because very few people can accurately say what the song means in English, so one can see that the popularity stems from simply how the song sounds and how the music makes one feel.

Such statements are only proven by O-ZONE's smash-hit "Dragostead Din Tei," a song that was made heavily popular by a viral video in the mid-2000's of a man lipsyncing the song and dancing while wearing headphones. The hilarity of the video and the catchiness of the song made "Dragostea Din Tei" skyrocket in popularity to become one of the biggest international hits of the 2000's. For me, I loved the song from the first time I heard it, precisely because of the way it made me feel, giddy, excited, and entirely immersed in a sound I hadn't heard before. Revisiting it in June 2014, while my buddy and I danced to the song in his Mustang while waiting for his emissions test to commence, the song hasn't lost any of its charm - it's still as hypnotic and immersing as it originally was. This is mainly because of the song's sound, I feel, with its memorable instrumentation put to the crisp vocals of the trio of singers. The song is a must-hear, even if the meaning alludes you.

Give "Dragostea Din Tei," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRx5PrAlUdY

Song #25: Baha Men - "Coconut"

Song #25: Baha Men - "Coconut" (2002)

Move It Like This

"You put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both together; put the lime in the coconut and you'll feel better!"

I've said before in my writeups for "Normal" and "Move It Like This" (numbers ninety-six and fifty-five on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski") that my love for the Baha Men as a child (and an adolescent) was unconditional and I'll continue to prove it with "Coconut." Being track number two on their album Move It Like This, I vividly remember my mom having to skip back a step on the CD player in the car so I could hear this particular jam for the umpteenth time. I don't know what it was that made me love this song, but perhaps I could start by recalling how it made my mother's Bonneville Pontiac rock back and forth in a rather unsubtle way.

Whatever it was, I fell in love with "Coconut" almost immediately, immersing myself in the song's infectiousness and living up every moment of its aura. The Baha Men deliver another rousing spectacle in terms of production and mixing, giving us yet another inanely that is equal parts silly and carefree as it is bombastic. "Coconut" is yet another example of a song by the group that is much superior than its overplayed hit "Who Let the Dogs Out?" but doesn't receive any airplay at all, unlike the aforementioned song.

Give "Coconut" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiE48aAx9qA

Song #26: Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Proud Mary"

Song #26: Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Proud Mary" (1969)

Bayou County

"Rollin' on a river!"

Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" was one of the songs that helped me relax enough to drive when I was learning the basics back in the summer of 2012. I've been trying to work up enough meat and time to devote to a medium-length blog post about my experiences with driving for over a year now, and will try to release something of a coherent, acceptable blog post by the end of 2014. "Proud Mary" was just smooth enough to relax my nerves and paced just quickly enough for me to sink into on a level that didn't seem so somber and meditative.

"Proud Mary" is a fairly simple song, existing as a joyous and beautifully-sung, sixties rock song that carries a wonderful aura to its presence. It makes for a relaxing ballad, but can surprisingly add to a raucous little party or something along those lines. Ever since I heard "Proud Mary" at work, amidst a stressful day of work, I was convinced that nothing bad could ever happen with CCR scoring a certain point in my day.

Give "Proud Mary" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hid10EgMXE

Song #27: Giuseppe Andrews - "Electrocuted"

Song #27: Giuseppe Andrews - "Electrocuted" (2010)

Songs from 'Look'

"Yesterday I was prosecuted by a jury of soccer moms. Though I tried so hard to dispute it, they said they don't wanna hear that song."

"Electrocuted" was the first song I ever heard by avant-garde musician Giuseppe Andrews, and instantaneously fell in love with the song's incredibly different sound, aura, and mixing. Much like most of Andrews' songs, I struggle to find meaning within the song (from what I can gather, it concerns a man who murdered his neighbors and, after being found guilty by a jury of soccer moms, is about to get the electric chair), but I return to the idea James Brown conveyed with his music that "if it looks good, sounds good, and feels good, it's music."

That line could, in turn, formulate the thesis for Andrews' entire career. "Electrocuted" was the first song to be played on Look, the Showtime Television show Andrews starred in, playing Willie, a gas station worker who was a struggling musician. In one of the show's early episodes, while playing the song one day with his pal Carl, who was dancing and prancing through the aisles, Willie suggests that him and Carl make a music video and put it online to attract attention. Carl suggests to get crazy costumes, invite Willie's girlfriend over, dance all throughout the aisles and around the counter of the gas station like he was previously doing, and to film it all through the security cameras/ATM cameras inside the gas station. Look's subversive quality as a Television show was that it was all shot through security cameras, and centered around the idea that these people (even though they were fictional characters) had know idea they were being filmed.

"Electrocuted" plays like a lost eighties song that contributed to the sounds and vibes brought on by new wave/techno music, a genre I'm increasingly finding myself attached to. "Electrocuted" is not only a fun song, but it sounds wonderful, with Andrews' uniquely mixed vocals creating a level of dance and infectiousness rarely seen in such independently made music. The song is as complex as it is simple, and therefore, earns a place on the list.

Give "Electrocuted" a listen (the video is the finished product of Willie's music video from the Look Television series), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7QxQT5gzQY

Song #28: Dolla - "Corner High School"

Song #28: Dolla - "Corner High School" (2010)

The Miseducation of Dolla

"Young niggas do or die, anytime you're welcome to swing by."

Dolla's "Corner High School" is one of the many songs by the late rapper that, I believe, released commercially or even officially, would've shook the rap community something fierce. The song is three minutes of some of the most breakneck rapping I've heard in contemporary times, with Dolla breathlessly illustrating his years of school and education, which were obtained and conducted through the way of hard knocks or "the corner." Assisted by amazing production, the song ranks as one of the most satisfying songs from the man himself and paints a deeper picture of a man who died too young and whom we knew too little.

The song works, first and foremost, because of its chorus, which is catchy and says more in a few lines than most rappers say in a song. In just a few lines, Dolla details an environment, attitude, and lifestyles crafted out of desperation to survive and see tomorrow. He explains how he wasn't blessed with prestigious education and grandeur and that he was only given what the streets would provide him with, which was often some drugs and a wealth of opportunities that, while dangerous, paid incredibly well.

And that was just the chorus, mind you; "Corner High School" carries on for an incredible, deeply moving three minutes in a way that cements my statement that Dolla is, in my opinion, one of the strongest rappers of all time and far, far too unrecognized and under-appreciated.

Give "Corner High School" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2jMjvrEzrA

Song #29: Elton John - "Crocodile Rock"

Song #29: Elton John - "Crocodile Rock" (1972)

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player

"While the other kids were rockin' 'round the clock, we were hopping and bopping to the crocodile rock!"

Even as the internet continue to dominate other mediums, showing a greater sense of variety and less limitations than others like Television and radio, I admittedly still gravitate towards radio before I do online radio or podcasts. I've always found a certain love for the primitive qualities of radio, that have more or less stayed primitive since radio's inception. The first two years of my high school career were defined by two radio shows - WKSC-FM's DreX in the Morning (which was abruptly taken off the air in December 2010 with no explanation, which still makes me livid whenever I think of it) and WJMK-FM's Eddie and JoBo's morning show. These were two shows that never failed to wake me up, make me laugh, and get my day off to a fitting start before I endured a long day at school.

The big difference between DreX and Eddie and JoBo was that DreX was an anchor on a Top 40 station, and even though his show was talk oriented, you still heard a mainstream hit every now and then. Eddie and JoBo played classic songs, from the sixties, seventies, and the eighties specifically, which is how I was introduced to a barrage of hits from yesteryear. One of them was Elton John's supremely catchy and addicting "Crocodile Rock," which stands as my favorite Elton song.

"Crocodile Rock" was a song that once I heard it, I had to hear it again. Then again. And then once more. The song ranked as my most placed song of sophomore year in high school, each time fulfilling me with the same kind of energy and excitement as the first time I heard it. The song is a simple story about bonding over music and the appreciation of dance, concerning the narrator and his close friend Susie, who would unconventionally dance with him to the crocodile rock, while everyone else was "rockin' 'round the clock."

The song makes me reminisce on a time I had a close girl-friend when I was in first/second grade; her name was Nikki and her and I did everything together. She still ranks as one of the cutest, sweetest girl I've ever met, but as life would have it, she moved after second grade, and I haven't seen her since. I maintain incredibly loose contact with her, but it's almost impossible to have it the way it used to be. She's off doing her own thing, hopping and bopping to the tune of a different song. All I can do is wish her good fortune and reminisce, as I so often do.

Give "Crocodile Rock" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlSh_6xqUAE

Song #30: America - "A Horse With No Name"

Song #30: America - "A Horse With No Name" (1971)

America

"After two days in the desert sun, my skin began to turn. After three days in the desert fun, I was looking at a river bed. And the story had told of a river that flowed, made me sad to think it was dead."

Fewer songs put me at such a remarkable ease like the poetry brought forth in America's smash hit song "A Horse With No Name." Its visualizations are some of the best I've ever seen written and sung, and the song works as a master-class in folk/rock music. However, even after hearing it for the umpteenth time, if one sits down and listens to the lyrics of the song, the song has a great deal of goofy, weirdly-phrased lyrics, some of which don't make a great deal of sense. Yet like most songs of the seventies, the beauty is in the sound, the instrumentation, and the voices, with lyrical interpretation not always being the forefront of a particular song. 

"A Horse With No Name" is another song off my list taken from the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This particular song existed on the game's fictional radio station of K-DST, the classic-rock station. Several of my fondest memories with my now ten year love affair with the game were cruising around the desert in a beat-up vehicle, either outrunning cops or just having a great deal of fun with my friend, as we took turns playing, with this song in the background for good measure. For some reason, the game's content and this particular song mesh together unbelievably well, so well that it almost seems like "A Horse With No Name" was written for the video game.

The bottom line is that "A Horse With No Name" has an unmistakable poetry and grace to its structure, equipped with sharp and vivid visualizations and some of the most soothing vocals this side of the Sahara. It's one of the best folk songs I know.

Give "A Horse With No Name" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAJ0l4OBHM

Song #31: Hank Williams III - "If the Shoe Fits"

Song #31: Hank Williams III - "If the Shoe Fits" (1999)

Risin' Outlaw

"If the shoe fits, wear it, and if the truth hurts, bear it; well, that's the kind of life I'm living and I plan on living long."

There's a piercing honesty and sense of realism in Hank Williams III's "If the Shoe Fits," one of the earliest songs he released on his debut album Risin' Outlaw in 1999. It has been the subject of my curiosity for years, as it basically details a down-to-earth ideology of settling for the bare-basics in terms of having a comfortable life and looking past the truth's flaws, even if it hurts. The song could really be the staple for the American man in the present-day, and the fact that it's a country song - a genre so unfairly and ignorantly bashed by far too many - makes it that much more meaningful.

If you read the quote above, you know what the song's about. The song concerns Hank Williams III detailing his outlaw life, while stating that if something fits acceptably, he'll take it, and if the truth hurts, take it as it is because there is nothing you can do about it.

Hank Williams III has always had a brutally honest way of looking at life, but his sensibilities are expressed in a much harsher, stronger way than ever before with "If the Shoe Fits." The song personifies a "rhino-skin" attitude to issues, as well as details the culture and environment III grew up around. The song is a truly remarkable iteration of culture and personal attitude, set to a fantastic instrumental and provided with splendid vocals by III.

Give "If the Shoe Fits" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLpW6gHaaYM

[Delayed Post]: Song #32: Toby Keith - "Should've Been a Cowboy"

Song #32: Toby Keith - "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993)

Toby Keith

"I mighta had a sidekick with a funny name, runnin' wild through the hills chasin' Jesse James."

Before Toby Keith was internationally known as a country singer, he boasted a damn-sexy mullet and wrote songs wishing he had thoroughly contemplated his career choice. "Should've Been a Cowboy," Keith's first big hit off his debut album Toby Keith in 1993, is a song I've loved dearly since I was about four-years-old, even though I never really understood the lyrics until I was a teenager and never really cared much for Western films or Television. 

"Should've Ben a Cowboy" is just a damn-fun song, regardless of your level of enthusiasm for Westerns, with Keith singing about how he wishes he had been a cowboy, referencing numerous different Western programs such as Gunsmoke, The Lone Ranger, and people like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. The song hits the ground running from the first verse, boasting a beautiful, melodic instrumentation with Keith coming in providing the song with smooth, velvety vocals in order to capture not only an aura but a vibe that isn't present with many country songs today.

The song is addicting and always flashes me back to being a kid, particularly over at my grandmother's house, warming me up with its incredible nostalgia vibes and motivation, like this song still does to this date. A footnote about the song is that with over three million plays on country radio during its respective decade, it was the most played country song of the 1990's, at least proving I'm not the only one who finds something peculiarly special about this song.

Give "Should've Been a Cowboy" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zquk_DExKo

Song #33: Travis Tritt - "It's a Great Day to Be Alive"

Song #33: Travis Tritt - "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" (2000)

Down the Road I Go

"It's a goofy thing, but I just gotta say, I'm doing all right."

After my entry on Chief Keef's "Savage," I think we need a breather in this blog series, which is why I chose my next entry to focus on Travis Tritt's wonderful ballad "It's a Great Day to Be Alive." The song concerns exactly what the title alludes to, with no underlying, cynical context to be added or bestowed upon the material. The song has Tritt in a feel-good mood, as he expresses greatness in the regard that he's "doing all right," and has no present worries or complaints. He's just happy to be alive.

The song concerns one man's gratefulness to be alive, when some days, admittedly, that's the thing we take for granted the most. Prolific news reports on TV show shootings, stabbings, or deadly diseases killing people left and right, but many of us still take for granted the fact that we're still walking this Earth and we are fortunate for what we have. 

The song iterates my idea about being grateful, even for the little things, but the act of "being grateful" is so hard to convey quietly; usually you have to proclaim it or state it in context. While being passively grateful is more difficult, it's something I always try to do whenever I hear this song. Think about my life, the fact I live in a moderately-wealthy neighborhood, have attended great, safe schools, was granted with amazing opportunities my high school career and got untold amounts of recognition through generous and explicit awards that I didn't even know (or believe) I was qualified for. Not to mention the fact that I have found something I'm deeply passionate about, which takes some people their entire life to find out. 

"It's a Great Day to Be Alive," even in its sentimental state, is still a song that we need to sing more often.

Give "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tSE2w53ts

Song #34: Chief Keef - "Savage"

Song #34: Chief Keef - "Savage" (2012)

Finally Rich

"My young boys clap heat, my young boys don't care. Yeah, them O'Block boys savage, boy, don't go over there. They shootin' shit on sight, guns bangin' like a snare, and if you think that you is tough and you get popped, oh well."

Chief Keef's "Savage" was my motivation for writing my first blog on the teenage rapper that took Chicago by storm with his incredibly violent lyrical content, bombastic production, and blatant gang affiliations. "Savage," in my opinion, is Keef's defining track in terms that it illustrates exactly who he is, where he comes from, and what he's about. The song is a brutal and heartwrenching song, existing in the "drill" subgenre of rap defined by the characteristics above, and tells of Keef's life when he lived in Chicago and was a regular, petty-gangbanger.

The opening lines of the song, quoted above, are the coldest and most telling of the song, basically saying that Keef's friends are all armed with guns and behave like complete savages. They'll shoot things when they first see them, so much so that you constantly have gunshots wailing through the streets of the neighborhood, and if you think you are tough and you can handle them, but you wind up dead, oh well. The fact that the lyrics come from a seventeen-year-old are all the more frightening and potent.

"Savage" isn't an impressive song in terms of rhymes, flow, and variety, being that most of the song sounds the same and Keef's guttural, sometimes indistinguishable lyrics are distracting on the first listen or so. However, the ideas behind the song are the kind of unfiltered, cold-hearted honesty you can't hear on the evening news (which, believe me, if you live in Illinois, you've heard a great-deal about shootings and kidnappings on the evening news). "Savage" is Keef's most underrated song, detailing a harsh reality in such a bold and defining way.

Give "Savage" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IduVvrgKiqc

Song #35: REO Speedwagon - "Ridin' the Storm Out"

Song #35: REO Speedwagon - "Ridin' the Storm Out" (1973)

Ridin' the Storm Out

"My wine bottle's low; I'm watching for the storm. I've been thinking lately of what I missed in the city."

I've already found myself mentioned REO Speedwagon's effective jam "Ridin' the Storm Out" in my blog concerning the end of my junior year, which proved itself to be a raucous storm of responsibility, stress, complicated work, and obligations. I suppose one could say it was my introduction to life. 

The last month of my junior year, I remember telling everyone I knew to "ride the storm out" when we ended our conversation (now my zinger at the end of a conversation with somebody is "be good, stay safe"). I thought "ride the storm out" effectively summarized what we were going through as high school students, and you obviously can't control weather patterns or adverse conditions, so all you can do is put on some good music, tackle the priorities head first, and metaphorically ride it out. That's precisely what I did.

"Ridin' the Storm Out" became my theme song for the month of May 2013, as my trigonometry class continued to be a rough, unforgivable burden of a class, I had just finished taking the ACT and was eying specific colleges, and had to finalize all my work for the forthcoming final exams, something that is necessary every year in high school but wasn't as easy as it was the previous years my junior year. I had a lot on my plate, and, as always, still wanted to try and hit one film a day and continue my writing, which proves difficult when you're getting barked at for not doing well in a class people know you're not very good at and have to worry about the priorities of hopefully being a college student soon down the road.

The song fit because it was upbeat (the kind of song I'm always in the mood for), beared lyrics that seemed to just be about surviving and waiting, which is the epitome of high school/college students, and had an infectious chorus that I could sing with passion. It was everything I needed at that time in my life and still do now that I have another four years that are sure to be stressful and consuming.

To anybody experiencing the kind of terrential downpour in the vein of mine, I think you'll want to click the link below.

Give "Ridin' the Storm Out" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTBv4kAdk_w

Song #36: The Clash - "I Fought the Law"

 

 Song #36: The Clash - "I Fought the Law" (1979)

The Cost of Living (EP)

"I lost my girl and I lost my fun; I fought the law and the law won, I fought the law and the law won."

 

The Clash's cover of The Cickets' (and Bobby Fuller Four's) "I Fought the Law" has become my anthem for whenever I make an appearance on live radio or record a live radio show. It all started back in 2011, when I made my radio debut on WDGC 88.3FM, the radio station run by my high school. It was the beginning of August; I remember getting driven to the school, nervous as all hell, making a guest appearance on the radio show run by my good friends Shane and Jordan Gustafson, both of whom immensely talented in their fields. I had never been within ten feet of a radio studio, and my first time would actually be sitting in a formal radio booth, before loads of expensive sound-mixing equipment and such, talking about film, my writing, and with the possibility of taking phone calls. It was all happening too fast and I had never had this kind of opportunity to network.

Yet I arrived there and, in my opinion, did a damn fine job, and enjoyed the company of two incredibly talented people. However, not before waiting for them to arrive to the station and listening to the music and eyeing all the equipment before me. I arrived fashionably early - like fifteen minutes before I was scheduled. The brothers Gustafson weren't there yet, so the station manager (also the assistant teacher), whom I'm good friends with, told me to just wait in the booth and just look at the equipment.

This brings me to today's song - The Clash's "I Fought the Law." "I Fought the Law" was playing when I first walked in the radio booth. From the first guitar riff, I was hooked on the song and its addicting energy. The song has much more life and energy than Fuller Four's song, which captured more of a regretful, ballady essence. The Clash bring a wonderful sound to a song that once possessed an entirely different aura and, similar to how "Winchester Cathedral" (number forty-four on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski") took me out of a stressful, hectic moment, for a brief two minutes, all that existed was me and that song.

Give "I Fought the Law" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsS0cvTxU-8

Song #37: Don McLean - "American Pie"

Song #37: Don McLean - "American Pie" (1971)

American Pie

"And while Lenin read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park, and we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died."

I remember singing Don McLean's monstrous hit "American Pie" - and I mean the full eight and a half minute song, not the five minute radio edit - on the swingset in my backyard when I was eight or nine-years-old, marveling at the complexity of the song, its length, and its lyrics sung with incredible passion and emotion on part of McLean himself. The song got me so energized and excited in some parts, while bringing me down when McLean would circumvent and return to his more somber, sadder focus during the first and the last verse. 

One thing remains about me and "American Pie" that was prominent when I was younger; I still don't really have much of an idea what the song talks about and can only give the interpretation of a handful of lyrics. The song is well-known for its heavily ambiguous, cryptic lyrics, much of which have been open for analysis, debate, and interpretation for years, with McLean remaining courageously silent on his meanings behind the lyrics. Just like The Eagles' "Hotel California," it seems we'll never know the official meaning - just the heavily-analyzed meanings of bloggers like us.

In a broad sense, the song describes "The Day the Music Died," or February 3, 1959, where musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Vallens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed in a plane crash in Iowa. The crash left the United States and the music industry stunned, as three invaluable talents, one of them seventeen-years-old, were taken like that, forever leaving a scar on the rock and roll industry that was just gaining serious momentum in the late fifties.

McLean's "American Pie" has been the defining song of that incident, recounting the horrors and how "February made [him] shiver with every paper [he'd] deliver," and discusses other surrounding events that occurred around the time these three artists were killed. My favorite line is the one I quoted above, which can be open to just as much interpretation as any of the lines of the song. Breaking it down one by one, the reference to Lennon reading a book on Marx could go both ways; we could either be talking John Lennon, who was believed to be influenced by the German philosopher Karl Marx or Vladimir Lenin, a Russian philosopher who believed in Marx politics). I believe it's the latter because the followup line already concerns The Beatles by saying "the quartet practiced in the park." Finally, "we sang dirges in the dark" references sad songs or dark poetry, meaning, to fit the time period and the surrounding events, the narrator and his pals engaged in dark poetic exchanges.

Don McLean's "American Pie" really tests the idea of just what music is. Essentially, music is poetry with instrumentation, which is what "American Pie" proved with its vague lyricism. Whenever I put on the song now, I just bask in the complexity of it all and I remember when I was younger, doing the same thing. Not much has changed and there will always be the day the music died.

Give "American Pie" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U

Song #38: Giuseppe Andrews - "Laroo"

Song #38: Giuseppe Andrews - "Laroo" (2009)

Songs from "Look"

"To Heaven, to Heaven, to Heaven right now. To Heaven, to Heaven, and all that it allow."

I already talked about how much of an enigmatic artist Giuseppe Andrews was in my writeup for his song "Reason" (number seventy-five in "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski"), yet I didn't scratch the surface on what the singer was really about. His song "Laroo" proves that he can take virtually any idea, something that really is barely an idea anyway, and turn it into a compelling song about something no one knows but himself. "Laroo" has no coherent story that I can discern, or any lyrical metaphors I can really pick up on. It's a song about nothing, but effective in creating essence and an indescribable mood, which is what Andrews' filmography and discography has been predicated off of from the start.

Hearing this song again for the first time in months transports me back to freshman year, when I watched Adam Rifkin's Television show Look on Showtime religiously. I'd record it via VHS tape (yes, I didn't have a DVR and still recorded on tape in 2010 - 2011) Monday night and watch it back Tuesday after school. It was something I couldn't wait to do. Each time I watched an episode, I couldn't believe few others were watching this show. Following the lives of many different people and intertwining their stories using surveillance footage, while scripted, still seemed to be the most natural and realistic program on Television. Andrews played a musician on the show, struggling to get a juicy record deal, and, in one episode, decides to hold a mini-concert at the gas station he worked in. This is where the clip below was taken from.

The song truly shows that even if a song is about essentially nothing, tone and essence can make an empty ballad an effective one if you carry out your practices ten-fold. Even with all the Baha Men, Hank Williams III, New Vaudeville Band, and Gary Numan on this list, I still believe "Laroo" is the strangest song on this list; it's also one of the most beautiful.

Give "Laroo" a listen (clip taken from an episode of Look described above), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtBLjUbDyIA

Song #39: Steve Azar - "Waitin' on Joe"

Song #39: Steve Azar - "Waitin' on Joe" (2002)

Waitin' on Joe

"Well I'm not one to worry, but I got a real bad feeling this time..."

It didn't dawn on me until yesterday that I haven't really put up a song on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" (as of now) that was a sad, upsetting song and have stuck to upbeat ballads, quirky novelty songs, or raucous country songs. That's an accurately summation of my person. While I often admire and invest in songs that are sad, I need to be in a special mood for them, embracing myself for what they bear because I know, if they are well-written, have great instrumentation, and have a relatable story, or one that's just interesting, I'll begin to cry. Sad songs have been my Achilles heal since the kindergarten country music days.

Steve Azar's "Waitin' on Joe," to this date, is one of the saddest songs I know by an artist too few know. If Azar's "I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday)" (number ninety-nine on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski") was his carefree, "have fun" anthem, then "Waitin' on Joe" is his more somber, sadder melody about appreciating what we have in life before it is taken away from us in circumstances we can't control.

Unfortunately, because Morgan Freeman makes an appearance in the video, he has unintentionally sucked up all of a person's attention about the song. I'd recommend the video to people and all they'd come back to me and say was that Morgan Freeman was cool. This is one of the few cases where star-power in a music video has done little to help the song further its message or ideas. 

The song concerns Azar, who, along with his brother, is supposed to start working on the river bay, but is stuck waiting for his frequently-tardy siblings as he almost always is. He can't get on the boat because he must wait for his brother, so, as usual, Azar's schedule is sacrificed because his brother won't hurry up. It isn't until the second/third verse that he realizes what has happened in a set of circumstances I'll leave you to hear on the song.

Azar's calm, breezy vocals make the song bear a more tranquil mood than the theme would suggest, and the song has a beautiful and passionate idea about how we naturally get caught up in waiting for things to happen that we forgot to appreciate what we have. In times that are growing more and more tumultuous, schedule-heavy, and organized, it's a wonder we can even have time to appreciate anything. But "Waitin' on Joe" slows it down for us in Azar's tour-de-force song that has grown to have some kind of a magical impact on me - I've heard this song over fifty times in my life, even as a young kid when I shunned it because it made me sad - and it still doesn't fail to make me cry.

Give "Waitin' on Joe" a listen (I've provided you guys with just the audio, so you won't be distracted by an A-list celebrity), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJqKwhHljwA