Continuing along on this Quantum Leap-esque stroll through my own musical lifetime, here are some of my faves from 1976.
1. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," Elton John & Kiki Dee
Don't go breaking my heart/I couldn't if I tried/Oh honey if I get restless/Baby you're not that kind/So don't go breaking my heart/You take the weight off of me/Oh honey when you knock on my door/Ooh, I gave you my key
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this song, as it was my favorite from childhood. (EDIT: This mp3 is not my favorite. For some reason, it's being a little bitch and won't load. Until I get it figured out, here is a surprisingly high-quality clip of Elton and Kiki performing the song at Live Aid.)
2. "Somebody to Love," Queen
Each morning I get up I die a little/Can barely stand on my feet/Take a look in the mirror and cry/Lord, what you doing to me?/I've spent all my years believing in you/But I just can't get no relief, Lord!/Somebody, somebody/Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Not only my favorite Queen song, but one of my favorite songs, period.
3. "Last Child," Aerosmith
Take me back to a south Tallahassee/Down cross the bridge to my sweet sassafrassy/Can't stand up on my feet in the city/Got to get back to the real nitty gritty
Annnnd here's my favorite Aerosmith song! Remember when those guys rocked? They really all need to start taking drugs again.
4. "Crazy on You," Heart
My love is the evening breeze touching your skin/The gentle sweet singing of leaves in the wind/The whisper that calls after you in the night/And kisses your ear in the early light
Although I wanted to be Olivia Newton-John as a kid, part of me thought it would be fun to be one of the Wilson sisters. I didn't really care which one because they were both kick-ass.
5. "Hot Line," The Sylvers
Operator, excuse me please/But this is more than an emergency/Take those phones off of your ears/'Cause this is only for my baby to hear/Stop all the calls in the world 'til I catch you, girl/Catch you at home/I asked the CIA/They said it was ok, to use their private phone
Yet another favorite from my childhood. I remember dancing my butt off to this one on a regular basis. It may also be the song that started my love of hand claps.
6. "Sir Duke," Stevie Wonder
Music is a world within itself/With a language we all understand/With an equal opportunity/For all to sing, dance and clap their hands/But just because a record has a groove/Don't make it in the groove/But you can tell right away at letter A/When the people start to move
A great tribute to jazz legends by an R&B legend.
7. "New Kid in Town," Eagles
There's talk on the street, it's there to remind you/That it doesn't really matter which side you're on/You're walking away and they're talking behind you/They will never forget you 'til somebody new comes along/Where you been lately?/There's a new kid in town/Everybody loves him, don't they?/Now he's holding her, and you're still around
This has always been my favorite Eagles song. I always thought it was like a movie set to music.
8. "Something About You," Boston
When I get angry I say things I don't wanna say/I really mean it, I don't want to leave you this way/I couldn't help my reaction/I want you to know/I lose control over you/I just wantcha to know/Got this feeling inside/Gotta have ya, have ya /Ain't no good to hide
I guess it's cool these days to make fun of Boston, but I'm not sure why. That first album was pretty perfect. Yeah, all the songs sound pretty much the same, but they're all good!
9. "American Girl," Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Well, she was an American girl/Raised on promises/She couldn't help thinkin' that there was a little more to life/Somewhere else/After all, it was a great big world/With lots of places to run to/And if she had to die tryin'/She had one little promise she was gonna keep
As an American girl, I'm required to like this song. But anytime it comes on while I'm by myself in the car, I always get a little afraid that someone's gonna kidnap me and force me to put the lotion in the basket.
10. "Serenade," The Steve Miller Band
Did you see the lights as they fell all around you?/Did you hear the music?/A serenade from the stars/Wake up, wake up/Wake up and look around you/We're lost in space and the time is our own
My favorite Steve Miller song, and one that he didn't play the first three times I saw him. (I've seen him, like, seven or eight times because tickets were always cheap and it was just like going to a fun, outdoor party.) He finally played it (and kept it in the setlist) around show #4, much to my drunken twirling delight.
Past installments:
1975
1974
1973
1. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," Elton John & Kiki DeeDon't go breaking my heart/I couldn't if I tried/Oh honey if I get restless/Baby you're not that kind/So don't go breaking my heart/You take the weight off of me/Oh honey when you knock on my door/Ooh, I gave you my key
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this song, as it was my favorite from childhood. (EDIT: This mp3 is not my favorite. For some reason, it's being a little bitch and won't load. Until I get it figured out, here is a surprisingly high-quality clip of Elton and Kiki performing the song at Live Aid.)
2. "Somebody to Love," Queen
Each morning I get up I die a little/Can barely stand on my feet/Take a look in the mirror and cry/Lord, what you doing to me?/I've spent all my years believing in you/But I just can't get no relief, Lord!/Somebody, somebody/Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Not only my favorite Queen song, but one of my favorite songs, period.
3. "Last Child," Aerosmith
Take me back to a south Tallahassee/Down cross the bridge to my sweet sassafrassy/Can't stand up on my feet in the city/Got to get back to the real nitty gritty
Annnnd here's my favorite Aerosmith song! Remember when those guys rocked? They really all need to start taking drugs again.
4. "Crazy on You," HeartMy love is the evening breeze touching your skin/The gentle sweet singing of leaves in the wind/The whisper that calls after you in the night/And kisses your ear in the early light
Although I wanted to be Olivia Newton-John as a kid, part of me thought it would be fun to be one of the Wilson sisters. I didn't really care which one because they were both kick-ass.
5. "Hot Line," The Sylvers
Operator, excuse me please/But this is more than an emergency/Take those phones off of your ears/'Cause this is only for my baby to hear/Stop all the calls in the world 'til I catch you, girl/Catch you at home/I asked the CIA/They said it was ok, to use their private phone
Yet another favorite from my childhood. I remember dancing my butt off to this one on a regular basis. It may also be the song that started my love of hand claps.
6. "Sir Duke," Stevie Wonder
Music is a world within itself/With a language we all understand/With an equal opportunity/For all to sing, dance and clap their hands/But just because a record has a groove/Don't make it in the groove/But you can tell right away at letter A/When the people start to move
A great tribute to jazz legends by an R&B legend.
7. "New Kid in Town," EaglesThere's talk on the street, it's there to remind you/That it doesn't really matter which side you're on/You're walking away and they're talking behind you/They will never forget you 'til somebody new comes along/Where you been lately?/There's a new kid in town/Everybody loves him, don't they?/Now he's holding her, and you're still around
This has always been my favorite Eagles song. I always thought it was like a movie set to music.
8. "Something About You," Boston
When I get angry I say things I don't wanna say/I really mean it, I don't want to leave you this way/I couldn't help my reaction/I want you to know/I lose control over you/I just wantcha to know/Got this feeling inside/Gotta have ya, have ya /Ain't no good to hide
I guess it's cool these days to make fun of Boston, but I'm not sure why. That first album was pretty perfect. Yeah, all the songs sound pretty much the same, but they're all good!
9. "American Girl," Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Well, she was an American girl/Raised on promises/She couldn't help thinkin' that there was a little more to life/Somewhere else/After all, it was a great big world/With lots of places to run to/And if she had to die tryin'/She had one little promise she was gonna keep
As an American girl, I'm required to like this song. But anytime it comes on while I'm by myself in the car, I always get a little afraid that someone's gonna kidnap me and force me to put the lotion in the basket.
10. "Serenade," The Steve Miller BandDid you see the lights as they fell all around you?/Did you hear the music?/A serenade from the stars/Wake up, wake up/Wake up and look around you/We're lost in space and the time is our own
My favorite Steve Miller song, and one that he didn't play the first three times I saw him. (I've seen him, like, seven or eight times because tickets were always cheap and it was just like going to a fun, outdoor party.) He finally played it (and kept it in the setlist) around show #4, much to my drunken twirling delight.
Past installments:
1975
1974
1973
Comments
Crazy On You and Somebody To Love are killer songs :)
Man, what a good year.
I also quite like the Glee version.
As far as which Heart sisters' you'd rather pick, I think you'd pick the blonde nowadays... I'm just saying.