Song Stuck In My Head

One of the more underrated Zeppelin songs.

Growing up in Boston during the 70s and 80s, there were tons of amazing bands. Some made it big, most didn't. When the Cars hit, it was a big deal. While the J. Geils Band, Aerosmith, and Boston had hit in the early-mid 70s, there was this new wave scene coming up in the late 70s/early 80s. The Cars were early-in on the lesser-known "no wave" scene that was the art-punk underground between punk and new wave. In 2011, the Cars did their first album and tour in 24 years. The album is one of their greatest. The tour was a short one, maybe 12-13 shows. The fist show in 24 years was in Seattle and I was there. There's more to this story, but... this was the song they opened with.

One of the great Seattle Bands that ushered in the Seattle Sound of the mid-80s through mid-90s. Guess who all those "grunge" rock stars worhsip?

My brother is the only person in the history of our family on either side with blonde hair (no matter how much he dyes it in midde-age life!). We called him Blondie because this song was big when we were kids at the time. There are worse things to be nicknamed after, one of the greatest records from an era full of amazing records. The band is Blondie and its frontwoman is the brilliant Debbie Harry and the great Chris Stein . The cassette of Paralell Lines was in permanent rotation in the family cars. It didn't include this song, but it's one we rocked out to at home and on our rides to visit our grandparents in Rockport. While I loved Blondie, every chance I got I'd slip in the Pretenders or the Clash or one of my mix tapes. It's why I always rode in the front seat.

Watching a great show on Amazon Prime (Mayor of Kingstown), this song came on. It reminded me that before he turned into a cornball crooner with the American Songbook standards, essentially becoming a poor man's Barry Manilow, Rod the Mod put out a lot of great stuff.

I just like this song and thought of it today when someone on a music message board I've been on for 24 years said something like "Roxy Music made Saturday night music, and Brian Ferry as a solo artist made Sunday afternoon music."

Easy guy to make fun of. He had a few good tunes, though!

Everything about this song is great. These guys met as students in the music dept. at DePaul U. in Chicago where I lived a couple blocks away but a couple decades later with my brother Ed, cousin Paul, and high school/college roommate Fran. Amazing music scene in that town and neighborhood for generations before, during our years there, and hopefully still.

It's so hard to figure the best Zeppelin stuff given how much Blues material they stole without giving credit or paying royalties until legally forced to. But they put out some good tunes. Best blues cover band since the Stones.

This cool Milwaukee band opened for the band I was working for on a 6-week national tour in '98-99. After opening night in Champaign, IL, our singer told these guys, "We got a record deal but if you guys don't get one and get a lot bigger than we ever will, I don't even know what to say. Don't forget us!" Nicest guys in the world, all of them. And then this song came out and went Billboard Top 40.

There's not enough time to describe my relationship with Petty's music and the role it's played in every phase of my life. For now, just dig this folk song from his Wildflowers album. For reference, "Mary Jane's Last Dance" (his biggest hit) was recorded for but didn't make this album, added as the "bonus track" to sell the Greatest Hits album a couple years later. That's how good it is.

I've always enjoyed Neil. Growing up, we had his 12 Greatest Hits in the house. Later in '95 or so, I got Hot August Night at a record store in Chicago. Seen him twice at Madison Square Garden, in '91-92 and in '08-09. I liked the acoustic album he did a few years ago with Rick Rubin, and I do not like Rick Rubin, but even a goofy hack like Rubin can't get between a great songwriter and the songs. Best thing RR did on that one was stay out of the way. Asked my cousin Mark, a weapons-grade Neil fan, "what's your favorite Neil song?" He offered a handful depending on the mood. I chose the first one from his list which is also the first I ever heard from Neil, a real rave-up.

I was thinking of Neil Diamond which made me think of the cover Urge did of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and memorably featured in the heroin overdose scene, which in turn led me to what a great album Saturation is. It was a toss-up between this song and Sister Havana . I chose this one because at my first job when I moved to Chicago in '94/95, this was on the mix tape I made for my walks to and from the CTA bus and El trains on my commute, so it has sentimental value. I'm old, so when I say mix tape I mean analog cassette in a cheap Walkman Knock-off I got for like $20 at the Walgreen's on Broadway. Good times.

I and presumably millions of others were first exposed to this tune when Springsteen's live cover of it was included on the USA For Africa We Are The World album in the mid-80s. When an artist I like a lot covers something I'm not familiar with, I tend to check out that artist and usually end up getting into their catalog.

Cool old school Boston hip hop from '91. Ed OG is still doing it.

This is the band I did my first two tours with as a roadie, in 2014. Nicest people in the world, and they impressively have a big and dedicated audience while refusing to talk to the press or do radio (they've never been on t.v. or played on commercial radio, yet were selling out 3.000-seat theaters and headlining outdoor shows to as many as 15-20,000 people). Great band that treated me like family.

One of the great rock bands of the modern era, a duo fronted by the bad-ass rocker Alison Mosshart who you may know as co-bandleader from the Dead Weather with Jack White. When this song was out in 2008, I couldn't get enough of it.

Easily a Top 5 band for me. This amazing band put out post-war electric blues with boogie, jazz, glam rock, pop into the mix. You know a few of their songs even if you think you don't (Love Stinks, Freeze Frame, Centerfold...). I've always liked this one, an original and a call-back to their influences. I'll likely double down on another Geils tune tomorrow or in a few minutes.

I don't normally use live versions here, but this is the definitive version of this song. When the Bears were in the Super Bowl in 2006, my brother and I got face value tickets and went (thank you, Big Sark and Big Herm). We had no idea what we were in for. The Super Bowl is essentially Disney World for football fans. The NFL Experience for ticketholders is like a state fair carnival playground for goofballs like us. Anyway, as we're wandering around and doing all the things, we hear this guy on the public address say, "REO Speedwagon to the stage in ten minutes." We stopped in our tracks and looked at each other. Whoa! Speedwagon? Chicago band? the Bears are playing? Where is this alleged stage??? Apparently, there's a stage right outside the stadium with a pre-game concert and that year it was Speedwagon. While they were playing this song, I looked at my brother and said, "it's their Freebird." The halftime show was Prince, it rained cats & do

I worked a few days for these guys when this record had just come out and they were shooting a live concert DVD. Nicest guys in the world. "Dean Ween" (Mickey) was one of the funniest guys I've ever met, like weapons-grade crazy pee your pants funny.

When I was a kid, this older teenager stole a car, gave it to my father who was in the wiseguy-level criminal business. From that deal we got a tape deck for the family car and a small suitcase full of cassette tapes which my father let me listen to and play DJ in the car. For reasons I'll never know, he didn't love the Beatles, so in the car it was anything but them.  Which naturally inspired me to sneak out the White Album cassettes and listen on my knock-off Walkman in my bedroom. And that was my introduction to the Beatles.

Seems like forever when this came out. The Kills are a kick-ass band that melted my brain one night in Seattle.

Saw a meme about this song the other day and it reminded me of what a lovely sounding but pretty sad song this is. I've always been a sucker for a sad song.

Watching the college national championship football game tonight, as with any sporting event the stadium was playing the White Stripes' anthem "Seven Nation Army" and the crowd was chanting along. It reminded me of my favorite post-Stripes Jack White band, the Raconteurs.

In the late '60s, before his solo career and way before joining Van Halen, Sammy Hagar was in this cool band with Ronnie Montrose.

Took a day off. Greatest show I've ever seen was Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the Vic Theater in Chicago in 2002. They closed wkth this song.

This one's for my former father in law, Mike.

From the amazing Some Girls album.

A friend on a music discussion group asked about overlooked songs from the '90s. This one came to mind. Stuck in my head today.

Happy New Year from one of my favorite Blues artists, everyone!