A friend of mine once described Snow Patrol as “elevator music” but there is something special about this song. Every time I hear it it makes me think of taking a relaxing “timeout” from the stresses and busyness of modern life. I get an image of a couple just stepping back for 10-15min and taking a quiet moment to themselves. It always makes me feel better, every single time I hear it.
Lyrics
We’ll do it all Everything On our own
We don’t need Anything Or anyone
If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
I don’t quite know How to say How I feel
Those three words Are said too much They’re not enough
If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we’re told Before we get too old Show me a garden that’s bursting into life
Let’s waste time Chasing cars Around our heads
I need your grace To remind me To find my own
If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we’re told Before we get too old Show me a garden that’s bursting into life
All that I am All that I ever was Is here in your perfect eyes, they’re all I can see
I don’t know where Confused about how as well Just know that these things will never change for us at all
If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Blaze of Glory was Jon Bon Jovi’s debut album and was written for and inspired by the movie Young Guns II. Only two songs from the album actually featured on the official soundtrack of the film.
This track wasn’t one of the featured songs but to me totally encapsulates the ethos of the gunslinger and the raw grit of the lifestyle that has been romanticised in many other films. This to me is the standout track of the album.
Lyrics
A whisky bottle comforts me And tells me not to cry While a full moon says a prayer for me I try to close my eyes
But the night’s there to remind me Of the guns and the early graves The ghosts appear as I fall asleep To sing an outlaw’s serenade
Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ When you’re livin’ on the run Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ for the young Is it too late to ask for forgiveness For the things that I have done Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ for the young
Oh, the desert’s been a friend to me It covers me by night And a snakebite’s not my enemy But it taught me how to fight
All this fame don’t bring you freedom Though it wears a thin disguise And an outlaw is just a man to me And a man has to die
Oh, dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ When you’re livin’ on the run Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ for the young Is it too late to ask for forgiveness For the things that I have done Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ for the young Na
And I hope someone will pray for me When it’s my turn to die… pray for me Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ When you’re livin’ on the run Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ for the young Is it too late to ask for forgiveness For the things that I have done Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ for the young Na
American V was recorded by Cash shortly before his death in 2003 and posthumously released in 2006. Similar to the four other albums in the series, it features many cover versions of old songs. American V was the first Cash album to reach No1 in 37 years.
American V features the very last song written by Johnny Cash (“Like the 309“) but it is this song that is the stand out track on the album for me. Cash’s voice is raw and full of age, you can hear and feel his many years and his impending death. It is simultaneously heart-breaking and uplifting.
“If You Could Read My Mind” was first recorded by Gordon Lightfoot and had its first release in 1970.
Lyrics
If you could read my mind love What a tale my thoughts could tell Just like an old time movie ‘Bout a ghost from a wishing well In a castle dark or a fortress strong With chains around my feet You know that ghost is me And I will never be set free As long as I’m a ghost that you can’t see
If I could read your mind love What a tale your thoughts could tell Just like a paperback novel The kind the drugstore sells When you reach the part Where the heartaches come The hero would be me Heroes often fail And you won’t read that book again Because the ending’s just too hard to take
I walk away like a movie star Who gets burned in a three way script Enter number two A movie queen to play the scene Of bringing all the good things out in me But for now love, let’s be real
I never thought I could act this way And I’ve got to say that I just don’t get it I don’t know where we went wrong But the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back
If you could read my mind, love What a tale my thoughts could tell Just like an old-time movie ‘Bout a ghost from a wishing well In a castle dark or a fortress strong With chains upon my feet The stories always end And if you read between the lines You’ll know that I’m just trying to understand The feeling that you left
I never thought I could feel this way And I’ve got to say that I just don’t get it I don’t know where we went wrong But the feeling’s gone And I just can’t get it back
This is a cover version of the original song that was written in 1939 for The Wizard of Oz and performed by Judy Garland. Mixed with the reggae rhythm of the ukulele and the amazing voice of Israel that contrasts with his size I find this version completely captivating.
It was initially recorded on the album in 1989 and featured on a number of soundtracks before being released as a single long after Israel’s premature death in 1997 aged 38.
Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high And the dreams that you dream of Once in a lullaby, oh
Somewhere over the rainbow Bluebirds fly And the dreams that you dream of Dreams really do come true-ooh-ooh Someday I’ll wish upon a star Wake up where the clouds are far behind me Where trouble melts like lemon drops High above the chimney tops that’s where You’ll find me, oh
Somewhere over the rainbow Bluebirds fly And the dream that you dare to Oh why, oh why can’t I? I
Someday I’ll wish upon a star Wake up where the clouds are far behind me Where trouble melts like lemon drops High above the chimney top that’s where you’ll find me Oh, somewhere over the rainbow way up high And the dream that you dare to Why, oh why can’t I? I
It’s almost impossible for me to write about “Welcome to the Jungle” and not think about this track. It’s the 3rd single for Guns ‘n’ Roses and came hot on the heels of “Sweet Child o’ Mine“. I absolutely love the guitar and drum solos, especially the section between the first and second verses. The sheer power and energy as the track switches into the second verse is vividly seen in the live section of the video below.
Without a doubt this is one of my favourite songs of all time. Whenever I hear it after a long break it’s great to turn it up to full volume and blast it out. I was lucky to be among the 80,000 to watch Guns ‘n’ Roses live in Slane 1992 and this track was the encore. That followed by Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” as we walked up the hill away from the river and stage is one of my favourite memories…
Lyrics
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home (oh, won’t you please take me home) Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home (oh, won’t you please take me home)
Just a urchin livin’ under the street I’m a hard case that’s tough to beat I’m your charity case so buy me something to eat I’ll pay you at another time Take it to the end of the line
Rags to riches or so they say Ya gotta keep pushin’ for the fortune and fame You know it’s all a gamble when it’s just a game Ya treat it like a capital crime Everybody’s doin’ the time
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home
Strapped in the chair of the city’s gas chamber Why I’m here I can’t quite remember The surgeon general says it’s hazardous to breathe I’d have another cigarette but I can’t see Tell me who you’re gonna believe
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah yeah Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home, yeah yeah
So far away So far away So far away So far away
Captain America’s been torn apart Now he’s a court jester with a broken heart He said “turn me around and take me back to the start” I must be losing my mind “are you blind?” I’ve seen it all a million times
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah yeah Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah yeah Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home
I wanna go, I wanna go Oh, won’t you please take me home I wanna see how good it can be Oh, won’t you please take me home Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home Take me down, lead me ’round Oh, won’t you please take me home
I wanna see, what a woman can be I want to take you home Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home I wanna go, I wanna know Oh, won’t you please take me home, yeah baby
This was the first song written by the band as a collective, their second released single and featured on their debut album. It was named the greatest hard rock song of all time in 2009 by VHI and has received many high accolades since its release. To me it is Guns ‘n’ Roses at their purest.
As a hard rock song of the 80s though it hasn’t aged well. The original album cover art featured a robot attempting to rape a woman and the lyrics are highly suggestive of the same.
The video contains footage of violent riots mixed in with a live performance of the song. Some of this footage is taken from riots and disturbances in Northern Ireland including some from Bloody Sunday in Derry, 1972.
Lyrics
Oh my god
Jump
Welcome to the jungle, we’ve got fun and games We got everything you want honey, we know the names We are the people that can find whatever you may need If you got the money, honey, we got your disease
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your sha-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees Mwah, I, I wanna watch you bleed
Welcome to the jungle, we take it day by day If you want it you’re gonna bleed but it’s the price to pay And you’re a very sexy girl who’s very hard to please You can taste the bright lights but you won’t get there for free In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Feel my, my, my, my serpentine Ooh, ah, I want to hear you scream
Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here every day You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play If you got hunger for what you see you’ll take it eventually You can have anything you want but you better not take it from me
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your sha-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees Mwah, I’m gonna watch you bleed
And when you’re high, you never ever wanna come down So down, so down, so down, yeah
You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby, you’re gonna die In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your sha-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-knees, knees In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Feel my, my, my my, serpentine Jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your sha-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-knees, knees Down In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to you It’s gonna bring you down, huh
Miles gave two inspirations for the writing of “Children”. One was as a response to photographs of child Yugoslav war victims that his father had brought home from a humanitarian mission in the former Yugoslavia; and the other, inspired by his career as a DJ, was to create a track to end DJ sets, intended to calm rave attendants prior to their driving home as a means to reduce car accident deaths.
“Children” is one of the pioneering tracks of Dream house, a genre of electronic dance music characterized by dream-like piano melodies, and a steady four-on-the-floor bass drum. The creation of dream house was a response to social pressures in Italy during the early 1990s: the growth of rave culture among young adults, and the ensuing popularity of nightclub attendance, had created a weekly trend of deaths due to car accidents as clubbers drove across the country overnight, falling asleep at the wheel from strenuous dancing as well as alcohol and drug use. In mid-1996, deaths due to this phenomenon, called strage del sabato sera (Saturday night slaughter) in Italy, were being estimated at around 2000 since the start of the decade. The move by DJs such as Miles to play slower, calming music to conclude a night’s set, as a means to counteract the fast-paced, repetitive tracks that preceded, was met with approval by authorities and parents of car crash victims.
Long before I even thought about why artists compose or write songs I used the album this track comes from to help me sleep at night. I found the rhythm and melodies calming and soothing. Strangely I also found it useful in the gym (many years ago!) to keep me focused and motivated either on cardio or weights, I guess the Techno side of it is still there despite the calming rhythms.
Robert Miles sadly died of pancreatic cancer in Ibiza, Spain, on 9 May 2017 at the age of 47.
This is a cover of the original song written by Simon and Garfunkel in the mid 60s. Disturbed have retained the original lyrics and style of the song but have tweaked it slightly. With the powerful voice and barely controlled anger this version has a new and stronger power that truly captures the original ethos of the song:
“the inability of people to communicate with each other, not particularly intentionally but especially emotionally, so what you see around you are people unable to love each other.“
Simon & Garfunkel, Denver, June 1966
I first discovered this cover version having seen the video shared by a friend on Facebook. The power of the voice combined with the imagery in the video simply blew me away. This is one of those songs that when it comes up on Spotify I turn the volume way up and can’t help but sing along.
Lyrics
Hello, darkness, my old friend I’ve come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone ‘Neath the halo of a street lamp I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light That split the night And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more People talking without speaking People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share And no one dare Disturb the sound of silence
“Fools,” said I, “You do not know Silence, like a cancer, grows Hear my words that I might teach you Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell And echoed in the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sound Of silence”
I was aware of Red Hot Chilli Peppers but hadn’t listened to them really throughout my teens. In my mid 20s with money to spend from my first real job I started to buy CDs and try out bands I’d heard of but hadn’t listened to. My first Chilli Peppers’ album was Californication but it is this track that is very much my favourite.
Lyrics:
Sometimes I feel like I don’t have a partner Sometimes I feel like my only friend Is the city I live in, the city of angels Lonely as I am, together we cry I drive on her streets ’cause she’s my companion I walk through her hills ’cause she knows who I am She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy Well, I never worry, now that is a lie
I don’t ever wanna feel Like I did that day Take me to the place I love Take me all the way I don’t ever wanna feel Like I did that day Take me to the place I love Take me all the way Yeah, yeah, yeah
It’s hard to believe that there’s nobody out there It’s hard to believe that I’m all alone At least I have her love, the city, she loves me Lonely as I am, together we cry
I don’t ever wanna feel Like I did that day Take me to the place I love Take me all the way I don’t ever wanna feel Like I did that day Take me to the place I love Take me all the way
Yeah, yeah, yeah Oh, no, no-no, yeah, yeah Love me, I say, yeah yeah One time
Is where I drew some blood (Under the bridge downtown) I could not get enough (Under the bridge downtown) Forgot about my love (Under the bridge downtown) I gave my life away Yeah, yeah Oh, no, no-no-no, yeah, yeah Oh, no, I said, oh, yeah, yeah Where I stay
Although I’ve been a fan of rock and metal music since my early teens I’ve never really clicked with Marilyn Manson. Then I heard this track and it quickly became one of my favourites. That may be as much to do with how I first heard it as the song itself…
One of my favourite TV shows is Stargate and especially the Stargate Atlantis series. S5:E19 “Vegas” is set in an alternative universe where a wraith is living incognito on Earth and being hunted by the alternative version of John Sheppard. During one scene the wraith disguises himself as human and heads out into the city. There is lots of other great music in that episode but for some reason this particular track caught and held my attention.
I particularly like the following lines, for some reason they really resonate with me…
You can’t see the forest for the trees
And you can’t smell your own shit on your knees
Lyrics:
And I don’t want you and I don’t need you Don’t bother to resist, or I’ll beat you It’s not your fault that you’re always wrong The weak ones are there to justify the strong
The beautiful people, the beautiful people It’s all relative to the size of your steeple You can’t see the forest for the trees And you can’t smell your own shit on your knees
There’s no time to discriminate, Hate every motherfucker That’s in your way
Hey you, what do you see? Something beautiful or something free? Hey you, are you gonna to be mean? You live with apes man, it’s hard to be clean
The worms will live in every host It’s hard to pick which one they hate the most
The horrible people, the horrible people It’s all anatomic as the size of your steeple Capitalism has made it this way, Old-fashioned fascism will take it away
Hey you, what do you see? Something beautiful or something free? Hey you, are you gonna to be mean? You live with apes man, it’s hard to be clean
There’s no time to discriminate, Hate every motherfucker That’s in your way
The beautiful people The beautiful people (ah) [4x]
[2x] Hey you, what do you see? Something beautiful or something free? Hey you, are you gonna to be mean? You live with apes man, it’s hard to be clean
niall harran 