Okay, we interrupt our family-oriented posts for a bit of self indulgence. Some of you with long memories and not enough important things to occupy your time may recall that some time ago we did a little "who sang that song?" quiz about the titles of the blog posts.
Well, that was exactly 30 posts ago, so why not do it again?
Those of you who want to play along (i.e. those of you with not enough important things to occupy your time) can take a look at the last 30 titles (including this one) and see if you can name the artist. Then check your answers below.
As an added bonus, I've included some links to videos of some of the songs, so you can waste even more time! (And check out some cool music in the process...)
So, without further ado, her we go:
I Hear Her Playing Music – Barry Manilow
This is from the album At The Mayflower,
from Barry’s “second career” (the one where he kept recording original songs,
but nobody actually listened to them any more). (His “third career” is the phase he’s in now, where he’s
mostly just recording covers, but still nobody listens to them.)
Summer and Lightning – Electric Light Orchestra
From their fabulous Out Of The Blue double album. ELO filmed videos for a lot of their songs, which are great for seeing what rock bands with really big hair and beards thought looked like cool clothes to wear back in the 70s, but I couldn't find a video for this song.
Especially For You(th) – Smithereens
Like the clever way I worked in a song title there? Yes, I’m sure you’re impressed. This is the title track to the ’reens
first full-length album. I missed
seeing the Smithereens when they played in Boise a few years back, in what
turned out to be the last time they played here. They’re still recording, so technically there’s a
chance they’ll come back to Boise. But it’s
not likely, they seem to be sticking close to their New Jersey base these
days.
Click here for Pat DiNizio with a
live solo version.
Hip to be (on Temple) Square – Huey Lewis and the News
A rock band singing about how it’s cool not to be cool. What’s not to like? They also did a video for the song that
features some innovative use of close focus. You can see it
here. But you might want to avoid it if
you’re prone to motion sickness.
Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and
walked...
Classic Primary song.
This one was a gimme.
It's a mistake – Men At Work
A song about the stupidity of war from a band down under.
Video here.
Swingin' – John Anderson
This is a country hit from the early ’80s. There’s something really addictive about this song. You can see it
here.
High Priest of Rhythmic Noise – Cheap Trick
This one should have been easy, given that it was a post
about Cheap Trick.
Boat on the River – Styx
Here’s an unusual twist for a hard rock band. The instrumentation consists of
mandolin, accordion, double bass, and acoustic guitar. There’s some great harmony between Tommy
and Dennis on the last verse. The
single didn’t do well in the U.S., but was a big hit in Europe.
Check it out.
Addicted to Spuds – “Weird Al” Yankcovic
One of the few songs I can think of that name-checks Idaho. With a title like that, how could it
not?
Deep Purple – Donny and Marie Osmond
Yes, “Deep Purple” is also a band, but what I was thinking
of is the song, as sung by Donny and Marie
here. Donny and Marie really were pretty good. And ironically, the heavy metal band
actually took their name from this song, as it was the favorite song of Richie
Blackmore’s grandmother.
11 – Smithereens
Okay, actually this is not a song, but the name of the ’reens’ third full-length
album. Why is it called 11? Could it be that “11” is the binary
representation of the number 3?
Maybe. More likely it’s
just an homage to the classic film Ocean’s 11, with a side dose of “amps that
go up to 11.” Yes, that’s the
album cover in the background of the photo in this post.
Ajisai - Lindberg
Shot through the heart – Bon Jovi
This title is often confused with the Bon Jovi song You Give
Love A Bad Name, as the latter song starts out with the words “shot through the
heart.” The latter was also a
much, much bigger hit.
20 candles – Matsu Takako
Thanksgiving Day – Do As Infinity
Blowin' – B’z
This isn't my favorite B'z song, but
here is a video of a live performance.
Deck the Halls – traditional
Come, All Ye Shepherds – Kurt Bestor
I actually don’t know anything about this song, other than
it’s on a Kurt Bestor Christmas instrumental album. I assume it’s probably a traditional song, but the Bestor
album is the only place I’ve ever heard it.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas – Bing Crosby
This was also a big hit for Perry Como, but I like the
Crosby version better.
Interestingly, this song was written by Merideth Willson, who wrote the
music for the musical The Music Man.
Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
Oddly enough, I couldn’t find the original ZZ Top video for
the song. But
here is a version
featuring one of the craziest drummers you’re likely to ever see, with a band
called Rick K and the Allnighters.
Do You Wanna Dance – The Mamas and the Papas
There are a lot of versions of this song out there, by
everybody from the Beach Boys to The Ramones.
Here is the version I was thinking of.
Slip Slidin' Away – Paul Simon
A rather depressing song, actually.
Here is Paul with Art Garfunkel at the
famed concert in Central Park.
Sparkle – Okui Kaori
Goin' to the Dance With You – Kristen Chenoweth
Kristen Chenoweth is really, really good.
Here she is with this song.
Come clean -
Hillary Duff
Yikes, how did I get Hillary Duff sandwiched between
classical piano and Kristen Chenoweth?
That just seems wrong. But you can give her a listen anyway
here.
The Firefly – Anton Bilotti
This one was easy, too – that’s the song that Yumiko is
playing in the video in this post.
What's Going On – Off Course
The song was co-written, and most famously recorded, by
Marvin Gaye (so give yourself a point for that). The version I have is from an early concert by the Japanese
rock band Off Course (back when they were in their socially conscious folk duo
phase).
Something New – Smithereens
From their
Green Thoughts album.
Here is a live version from Pat DiNizio,
performing solo.
Who Are You? – The Who
Who
else? video
And there you have it. Well, if anyone actually read this far, I hope you had even half as much fun as I did.
