Rather than go wimpy, I’m going with songs that talk a big enough game to at least make it into that alley:
The Rolling Stones, “Street Fighting Man” (great song for me and my boys to listen to while getting psyched up for that alley fight, but I’ve gotta leave the song at home when push comes to shove – you know Mick’s running)
The Doors, “Roadhouse Blues” (again, I’m cranking it up before the alley fight, but Manzarek’s going to drop a load at the first sight of real danger)
The Stooges, “Gimme Danger” (no dice – Bowie thinks he’s tagging along)
Is this because of my comment in the other thread that “Weller wants no parts of ANY of this. He’s stammering and quaking out on main street, reaching into his bag full of romantic love songs, getting all Spandau Ballet on people”?
Either way, a funny idea.
In the spirit of the above passage, I nominate “the bitterest pill”. That tune’s a lover, not a fighter.
“Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” and “Renegade” are like two brothers who bought pre-distressed leather jackets and hang out in pool halls, where they always flip the cues around kung-fu style between shots and they have these stories about these fights they were in, but it was while they were at some private college on the other side of the state. If you get stuck at a bar with them, they’re gonna shoot their mouths off and start trouble, but when the punches get thrown, they’re already halfway down the block. I don’t blame them, though. You deserve whatever beating you catch for hanging with the Styx brothers in the first place.
This is actually easier than the songs-you’d-want-on-your-side thread!
I’m defining this challenge not as songs that proudly embrace their wimpiness but those that try to sound tough.
“Street Fighting Man” – Mick Jagger? Enough said. Although I gotta say “Gimme Shelter” might make my knife-fight list when I get around to compiling it.
“I Predict a Riot” – I like it as much as or more than the next guy, but please. They actually gave interviews about how it’s not about predicting a riot, which is like telling the biker in the bar that it was THAT guy over THERE who said something about the biker’s girlfriend.
“The Boys Are Back in Town” – Controversial, perhaps, but please. Hangin’ down at Dino’s Bar and Grill? A II-V chord progression? Those spiraling guitar unisons at the end? All reasons I love it, but all reasons I’m telling that song to change its shirt before we go out.
Maybe it’s not all the song’s fault. If it hadn’t been played before every minor-league home opener and classic-rock arena concert of the past five years, I’d feel differently. But I hope not.
You know who else I don’t trust to have my back? Back in the day when you were just as likely to get into a drag race as you were a chain fight, “Tuff Enuff” may have had some kind of rep and I probably would have crossed the tracks with him to rough up some Socs. But I don’t know, man, game’s a lot more fierce these days.
Is this yet another variant of this whole concept? Songs that could perform superhuman deeds under life-threatening circumstances? For example, when I was in 8th grade, the average-built Adam K decided to pick at fight with ultra-scrawny Phil P. It all seemed like a given, until Phil utterly pummeled Adam, who, for two weeks, walked around school with a pair of stupid sunglasses to cover up his black eyes. So, I’m talking about a band you might think of as lightweight that somehow pulls some brass knuckles out of a back pocket.
Death Cab For Cutie – Title and Registration
Of Montreal – Spoonful of Sugar
The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience – Grey Parade
What’s great about the song in the video is that the lyrics are such an amazing description of the song itself.
Rather than go wimpy, I’m going with songs that talk a big enough game to at least make it into that alley:
The Rolling Stones, “Street Fighting Man” (great song for me and my boys to listen to while getting psyched up for that alley fight, but I’ve gotta leave the song at home when push comes to shove – you know Mick’s running)
The Doors, “Roadhouse Blues” (again, I’m cranking it up before the alley fight, but Manzarek’s going to drop a load at the first sight of real danger)
The Stooges, “Gimme Danger” (no dice – Bowie thinks he’s tagging along)
HVB,
Is this because of my comment in the other thread that “Weller wants no parts of ANY of this. He’s stammering and quaking out on main street, reaching into his bag full of romantic love songs, getting all Spandau Ballet on people”?
Either way, a funny idea.
In the spirit of the above passage, I nominate “the bitterest pill”. That tune’s a lover, not a fighter.
Oh…and by the way: Let’s go Flyers (“and let’s go Gene Hart”)!!!!
Somewhere near Trois Rivieres, Quebec, the Moose is smiling.
“Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” and “Renegade” are like two brothers who bought pre-distressed leather jackets and hang out in pool halls, where they always flip the cues around kung-fu style between shots and they have these stories about these fights they were in, but it was while they were at some private college on the other side of the state. If you get stuck at a bar with them, they’re gonna shoot their mouths off and start trouble, but when the punches get thrown, they’re already halfway down the block. I don’t blame them, though. You deserve whatever beating you catch for hanging with the Styx brothers in the first place.
This is actually easier than the songs-you’d-want-on-your-side thread!
I’m defining this challenge not as songs that proudly embrace their wimpiness but those that try to sound tough.
“Street Fighting Man” – Mick Jagger? Enough said. Although I gotta say “Gimme Shelter” might make my knife-fight list when I get around to compiling it.
“I Predict a Riot” – I like it as much as or more than the next guy, but please. They actually gave interviews about how it’s not about predicting a riot, which is like telling the biker in the bar that it was THAT guy over THERE who said something about the biker’s girlfriend.
“The Boys Are Back in Town” – Controversial, perhaps, but please. Hangin’ down at Dino’s Bar and Grill? A II-V chord progression? Those spiraling guitar unisons at the end? All reasons I love it, but all reasons I’m telling that song to change its shirt before we go out.
Maybe it’s not all the song’s fault. If it hadn’t been played before every minor-league home opener and classic-rock arena concert of the past five years, I’d feel differently. But I hope not.
“Our House” CSNY
“Wonderful Tonight” Clapton
“Spirit of Radio” Rush
Bravo, Rick Massimo!
You know who else I don’t trust to have my back? Back in the day when you were just as likely to get into a drag race as you were a chain fight, “Tuff Enuff” may have had some kind of rep and I probably would have crossed the tracks with him to rough up some Socs. But I don’t know, man, game’s a lot more fierce these days.
Is this yet another variant of this whole concept? Songs that could perform superhuman deeds under life-threatening circumstances? For example, when I was in 8th grade, the average-built Adam K decided to pick at fight with ultra-scrawny Phil P. It all seemed like a given, until Phil utterly pummeled Adam, who, for two weeks, walked around school with a pair of stupid sunglasses to cover up his black eyes. So, I’m talking about a band you might think of as lightweight that somehow pulls some brass knuckles out of a back pocket.