Typically, Townspeople suggest one of two types of Last Man Standing topics: those that seem like they may be so specific that the topic is exhausted after 4 entries and those that promise to break the magical mark of 200 entries. Today’s Last Man Standing, suggested offlist by Townsman andyr’s better half, certainly opens the floodgates to the latter variety: songs about rivers.
Now, we can go at least 2 ways with this: songs about specific rivers or all songs about rivers in general. I briefly considered seeing if we could find a song for every river in the rocking, English-speaking world, until I looked it up and found that there are about 250,000 rivers in the United States alone. We’re good, but not that good.
Since I don’t want to exclude one of the most excruciating title tracks in rock history, Bruce Springsteen‘s nonspecific “The River” (now played and, therefore, off the board), let’s keep this competition open to all (almost, see next exclusion) river-referencing rock songs. The judges will, however, rule harshly against streams, creeks, bays, oceans, lakes, ponds, and any other tributaries that fall outside the category of river.
The only other exclusion, just because I need to be a bit of a dick and encourage a degree of difficulty, will be repeat entries of any songs citing the Mississippi River. The first “Mississippi River” entry will be the last one allowed.
Let it flow!
“Black Water”, Doobie Brothers. Sorry to hog the Mississippi.
Dead River by Big Dipper
“River of Dreams” by the artist W. Martin Joel
Following the River – The Rolling Stones
Since Gregg mentioned Black Water, is Big River excluded? I don’t think Johnny Cash ever mentioned the Mississippi by name.
And while I’m waiting for a ruling, I’ll say Somewhere Down the Lazy River by Robert “Robbie” Robertson.
R.E.M.’s “Cuyahoga”
Then what makes you think it’s the Mississippi? I’ll leave it to you to judge. Thanks for playing by the rules.
The Standells’ version of “Dirty Water,” which namechecks the River Charles.
Joni Mitchell’s “River”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM3vKiaKe_w
No question that’s the Big River in question: the song travels down the river from St. Paul, Minnesota, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, passing through various cities along the way. “Cavortin’ in Davenport”,” no less! A truly great song.
[Donning pince-nez] That’s Somewhere Down the *Crazy* River, unless Robbie did a mash-up with Hoagy Carmichael. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQwCi8f3iuk
Incidentally, though not much of fan of Robbie’s solo work, am I the only one who remembers his performance on SNL (1988?1989?) of Crazy River as being really great? Can’t find it on the youtube.
Neil Young, “Down by the River”
Green River by CCR
Los Lobos, “Down on the Riverbed”
Talking Heads (originally Al Green) “Take Me to the River”
Talking Heads’ “Cities,” with that “It’s only the river/It’s only the river” line, regarding the smell of some rust belt city, if memory serves.
There’s a great song by Ian Tyson (of the Canadian folk duo Ian & Sylvia) called “Song for Canada” that was also recorded by Dylan & the Band in the Basement Tapes sessions but not released except as part of the “Genuine Basement Tapes” bootleg collection, where it was mis-named (though appropriately) “One Single River.” It is a wonderful song and the Basement Tapes performance is glorious. It is a plea for Canadian unity, as I understand it. Wish I could provide a link, but…
One single river always flowing to the sea
One single river rolling in eternity
Two nations in this land that lies along its shore
But just one river rolling free.
River deep, Mountain High.
Waist Deep in the Big Muddy by Pete Seeger
Harry Belafonte doin’ up “The Next Big River” ages ago before the Calypso album became his Sgt. Pepper.
Oh, and “Boat on the Charles” by Turd Runtgreen.
Many rivers to cross.
Merle Haggard – Kern River
Bob Dylan – Watching the River Flow
Brian Eno – By This River
Pete Townshend – Till All the Rivers Run Dry
Nick Mason’s Fictitious Sports – Hot River
Sparks – I Bought the Mississippi River
And the prize for the stupidest “river” title goes to Van Morrison with ” You Don’t Pull No Punches, But You Don’t Push the River”.
I know you’re still pretty new to this, tonyola, so we’ll leave all but one of your entries (remember the “One Mississippi” rule). We try to limit ourselves to one entry per post, so there’s a steady accumulation of entries until the last one is reached. All that said, you just took “Watching the River Flow” from my fingertips. Damn!
Joe Cocker’s “Cry Me a River.”
Cry me a river — the Joe Cocker version.
This River Is Wild – The Killers
Find A River – REM
Honeysuckle Blue – Drivin n Cryin – “Have you ever seen the blue ridge mountians or hte Chattahoochee”
Kevn Kinney – Chattahoochee Coochee Man
To The River – John Mellencamp
The Knack – River of Sighs
Pixies – River Euphrates
The fact that my “Mississippi” song was by the always-fun Sparks rather than some whiny singer-songwriter makes it valid.
Once again, that’s a lot of wasted comments crammed into this one response. How are we going to reach 200 entries if we keep this up? 🙂
The River Hymn, the last track on The Band’s Cahoots album.
“Where the river flows” – Collective Soul
“Yellow River” by I. P. Freely
….sorry…I was about to burst!!!
Proud Mary – CCR
“Yes, The River Knows” by Morrison, Manzarek and Friends
“Sitting by the Riverside,” The Kinks.
LMS!
Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge….
Nick Drake, “River Man”
The Melodians sat by “The Rivers of Babylon”. I guess reggae doesn’t count?
We’re counting reggae, country, and other closely related genres that had high points during and were incorporated by the rock era. Pre-war blues, showtunes, “standards,” opera, classical, and the like are EXCLUDED.
I was just trying to remember the name of that bridge!
What a great song, by the way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc
Byrds, “Ballad of Easy Rider.” The river flows, it flows to the sea, wherever that river goes, that’s where I want to be…” Said to have been scribbled on a napkin by Bob Dylan and handed to Peter Fonda to give to Roger McGuinn. Or something.
Please sir, may I be allowed Woody Guthrie’s Roll On, Columbia? I am sure there’s a rock version.
Randy Newman, “Burn On” It’s about the Cuyahoga.
Approved.
Madness, “Night Boat to Cairo”. It’s just gone noon, half past monsoon/on the banks of the river Nile
“London Calling” by El Clash Combo…”‘Cuz London is drowning, and I live by the river!….. ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-woooo!”
River Song — Dennis Wilson off Pacific Ocean Blue.
Pete “I wish I’d never joined a band” Townshend – “The Sea Refuses No River”
In case you don’t know what I’m referring to, old jabber-jaw Pete has been yakking to the press again: http://www.nme.com/news/the-who/55640
(Though, I’m sure “All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes” would have been immediately snatched up by a label if he’d been a solo act and didn’t have The Who catalog behind him….Yeah, right.)
I’m a little horrified that I can remember this one. I can’t remember my shoe size but my capacity for recalling bad songs sometimes seems unlimited. I’m not happy about that. Please forgive me but here goes…
Osmonds – Down By the Lazy River
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zji4K3izQdA
Van Morrison – You Don’t Pull No Punches, But You Don’t Push The River”
Paul Simon, “The Cool, Cool River”
The Nile – Pink Floyd
River Euprhates – Pixies
The River of Water – Yo La Tengo
Mango Pickle Down River – MIA
Travelin’ Riverside Blues – Led Zeppelin, Hindu Love Gods, et al.
The Grassroots: The River Is Wide
Bob Dylan – Red River Shore
The man said “songs about rivers” not every song that ever happened to mention a river in passing.
Prefab Sprout – Dandy of the Danube.
LMS!
The Alarm – Let The River Run Its Course
Moon River
The Walkabouts – Drag This River
Woody Guthrie “Roll On Columbia”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20ZffI6by3A
Come Sail Away, Styx. Ha ha!
Whiskey River – Willie Nelson
Billy Lee Riley – Suwanee River Rock
I’m only pince nezing because I love that record, but it’s Swanee River Rock (and yes I know that’s not how the river’s name is actually spelled).
Black Muddy River – Grateful Dead
I was typing from bad music memory and good knowledge of geography.
The Gories – Goin’ To The River
“Washing of the Water” Peter Gabriel. Starts “River, river carry me home”.
Nice!
Rivers Cuomo – Buddy Holly
“Old Folks at Home” Stephen Foster.
I guess I need a ruling on his one: “The Blue Danube” Johann Strauss. Do instrumentals count?
In this case it doesn’t matter: classical music is ineligible.
I guess you are referring to the description “river-referencing rock songs”. I think Stauss rocks (in a waltzy kind of way) but to each his own. I’m assuming my previous entry is also ineligible.
I’m sorry, it was in the Comments that I clarified. I thought I had that in the body of the post. My bad, as the kidz say.
I already used the Danube anyway…
Sufjan Stevens: Decatur
“Sangamon River it overflowed
It caused a mudslide on the banks of the operator”
Tear Stained Eye – Son Volt
Reference to a river overflowing.
A repeat Danube reference, however, would be OK because the “One Mississippi” rule only applies to the Mississippi.
“Has anybody seen the bridge?
Bridge?
Have you seen the bridge?
I ain’t seen the bridge!
Where’s that confounded bridge?”
Auto Pince Nez! I think that Tear Stained Eye refers to the Mississippi overflowing.
Songs about the Mississippi could be it’s own LMS. There’s Tennessee Plates by John Hiatt “They crossed the Mississippi like an oil slick fire…”
Led Zep’s re-work of “When The Levee Breaks”
The Louvin Brothers, “The River of Jordan”
Misty Morning, Albert Bridge – the Pogues
Ferry Cross The Mersey – Gerry & The Pacemakers
Good one, BrettSounds, and welcome to the show! I’m so geographically challenged that I didn’t know the Mersey was a river.
BrettSounds is (currently) Last Man Standing!
Black River Swamp – Link Wray (singing and sounding not unlike Van Morrison)
The Inmates’ version of “Dirty Water,” which is about the Thames rather than the Charles.
Blitzen Trapper’s “Black River Killer”, which I am choosing to enter now as a reminder that I’m holding out a true masterpiece to play at a later hour.
Duran Duran – Rio
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land
I never understood that song.
dry river – Dave Alvin and the Chipmunks
XTC – Millions
“He bake you golden like the Yangtse mud.”
“River Run” The Radiators. Although it is probably about the Mississippi since they are from the Crescent City.
Starsailor – The Thames
Sufjan Stevens – Alanson, Crooked River
(I’ve been there. It’s a lovely in Northern lower Michigan.)
A lovely river, that is.
Dennis Wilson: River Song
The Band – Amazon River of Dreams.
I love that album. Nothing but super awesome on it, if you ask me.
Chris deBurgh “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”
Oh man, there’s a song I forgot about that I never needed to remember.
Okolona River Bottom Band by Bobbie Gentry. I believe that as I am on the West Coast, I am the last man awake and standing.
The Cowsills – River Blue
Wrong Side of the River – Mott the Hoople
Yeah, it popped into my head when someone mentioned Styx earlier in the thread.
Burning Spear “Jordan River”
There’s an Irish folk song done by many – The Ferryman – about the Liffey
That was me. Styx and Chris deBurgh, both deserving of obscurity.
Oh I know it was you.
“River’s Gonna Rise” David + David. Love that Boomtown record.
Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” mentions the River Ganges, except he spells it “Ganja.” I guess geography isn’t his strong suit.
The Pogues – “The Broad Majestic Shannon”
Old Man River by The Jeff Beck Group with Rod singing. Bleech, does that stink. I disqualify myself.
Bob Dylan – “Shenandoah”
Paul Simon – Peace Like A River
Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead
“Saw my baby down by the river, knew she’d have to come up soon for air…”
and
“We can discover the wonders of nature, rolling in the rushes down by the riverside.”
Don Covay – “Have Mercy” (also covered by The Rolling Stones)
“But if you leave me baby
Girl if you put me down
I’m gonna make it to the nearest river child
And jump overboard and drown
That’s right…”
Uh, does this mean I’m LMS on this thread?
Can anyone ever really be assured that they are the Last Man Standing?
Only on the rare thread that has a cap. This one, like many others, has been left open. My guess is that in 2014 chergeuvara will go back and “top off” every old LMS. He’s a wily one!
Oh well, I guess that bottle of Dom Pérignon ’59 isn’t gonna be cracked tonight after all .
You kidding me? I still have multiple entries left for this one, including the most important song about rivers in the history of modern music. For now: XTC, River of Orchids