Around 1985, while he was driving his car, Simon listened to a cassette of the Boyoyo Boys’ instrumental “Gumboots”. Inspired by the unusual sound, he wrote lyrics to sing over a re-recording of the song, which became the first song of his next musical project, Graceland, an eclectic mixture of musical styles including pop, a cappella, isicathamiya, rock, and mbaqanga. Much of the album was recorded in South Africa and featured many South African musicians and groups, particularly Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Warner Bros. Records had serious doubts about releasing an album of this category, but when it did, in August of 1986, Graceland was praised by critics and the public and became Simon’s most successful album. It reached No. 1 in many countries, including Australia and the UK, and peaked at No. 3 in the U.S. It was the second-best-selling album of 1987 there, and eventually reached a 5x Platinum certification, recognizing five million copies sold only in America. Another seven million copies were sold internationally, becoming his best-selling album. The singles “You Can Call Me Al” (a British Top 5 hit), “Graceland”, “The Boy in the Bubble” and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” became standards and were highly praised. Simon, at age 45, back in the forefront of introducing popular music, received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Graceland, and embarked on the successful “Graceland Tour”.

A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Lyndon Johnson’d into Submission)

“A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara’d Into Submission)” is a song written by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Originally recorded for Simon’s 1965 UK-only debut, The Paul Simon Songbook, it was recorded soon after by Simon and his partner, Art Garfunkel, for the duo’s third album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. It is generally considered a parody of American musician Bob Dylan’s writing style, especially that of “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”, a lengthy piece released on Dylan’s 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The original version was subtitled “Or how I was Lyndon Johnson’d into Submission” in a spoken introduction at the beginning, after Simon announced the song’s title. The subtitle does not appear on the sleeve or the disc label.

Simon’s original, solo performance found on The Paul Simon Songbook is lesser known than Simon & Garfunkel’s; the album remained out of print until 2004, when it was re-released by Columbia/Legacy.

In early 1965, Simon was in the midst of a period in which he went back and forth between the United States and Great Britain. Eventually spending most of 1965 in Britain, he recorded The Paul Simon Song Book in London, while making a living singing folk clubs in Britain. During this period he was also writing with Bruce Woodley of The Seekers. The album’s liner notes by Judith Piepe, state of the song: “This is, of course, a take-off, a take-on, a private joke, but no joke is all that private or any less serious for being a joke.”

In 1966, together with Art Garfunkel, Simon re-recorded the song for the duo’s album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, with several lyrical changes. The list of names dropped is revised. When Simon complains about a man who is, “…so unhip, when you say Dylan he thinks you’re talking about Dylan Thomas,” the next line in the London solo version is “It’s all right Ma. It’s just something I learned over in England,” referencing the Dylan songs “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “I Shall Be Free No. 10.” However, the Simon and Garfunkel songs says, “It’s all right Ma. Everybody must get stoned.” the second part referencing the Dylan song “Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35″.

At the end of the 1966 recording Simon says, “Folk rock,” and, after an audible noise, “I’ve lost my harmonica, Albert.” This presumably refers to Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman. In the 1965 version, however, Simon sings, “When in London, do as I do: find yourself a friendly haiku… Go to sleep for ten or fifteen years.” Which could be a reference to his girlfriend at that time, Kathy Chitty, who people referred to as ‘The Haiku’.

–

Names dropped in the 1965 version:

• Lyndon Johnson, President of the United States (1963–1969)
• Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom
• Jack Kerouac, an American novelist
• John Birch, an American Baptist missionary
• The Rolling Stones
• The Beatles
• Larry Adler, noted harmonica player
• Ayn Rand - a novelist
• Walt Disney, American film producer
• Diz Disley, British jazz guitarist
• John Lennon, member of the Beatles
• Krishna Menon -, Indian politician
• Walter Brennan - American actor
• Cassius Clay - American boxer, later known as Muhammad Ali
• Lenny Bruce - American comedian
• Dylan Thomas - Welsh poet
• James Joyce - Writer and poet
• Rolls-Royce - A British automobile
• Mick Jagger - British musician
• “Silver Dagger” – a nineteenth century folk song largely associated with Joan Baez
• Andy Warhol - American visual artist
• Tom Wilson - record producer who produced several of Bob Dylan’s ’60s LPs, Simon & Garfunkel’s début album, and the electric version of The Sounds of Silence
• Art Garfunkel - American singer, Paul Simon’s partner in Simon and Garfunkel
• Barry Kornfeld - second guitarist on Simon and Garfunkel’s Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. album

I was Union Jacked, Kerouac’d
John Birched, stopped and searched
Rolling Stoned and Beatled till I’m blind
I’ve been Ayn Randed, nearly branded
Communist ‘cos I’m lefthanded:
That’s the hand they use, well, never mind!

I’ve been Walt Disneyed, Dis Disleyed
John Lennoned, Krishna Menoned
Walter Brennan punched out Cassius Clay
I’ve heard the truth from Lenny Bruce
and all my wealth won’t buy me health
So I smoke a pint of tea a day

I knew a man his brain so small,
He couldn’t think of nothin’ at all.
He’s not the same as you and me.
He doesn’t dig poetry. He’s so unhip that
When you say Dylan, he thinks you’re talkin’ about Dylan
Thomas,
Whoever he is.
The man ain’t got no culture,
But its alright, Ma,
It’s just sumpthin’ I learned over in England.

I’ve been James Joyced, Rolls Royced
Mick Jaggered, silver daggered
Andy Warhol won’t you please come home?
I’ve been mother, fathered, aunt and uncled
Tom Wilsoned, Art Garfunkled
Barry Kornfeld’s mother’s on the phone

When in London, do as I do
Find yourself a friendly haiku
Go to sleep for ten or fifteen years

–

• Audio from the 1965 Album, The Paul Simon Songbook:
  

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A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara’d into Submission)

“A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara’d Into Submission)” is a song written by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Originally recorded for Simon’s 1965 UK-only debut, The Paul Simon Songbook, it was recorded soon after by Simon and his partner, Art Garfunkel, for the duo’s third album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. It is generally considered a parody of American musician Bob Dylan’s writing style, especially that of “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”, a lengthy piece released on Dylan’s 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The original version was subtitled “Or how I was Lyndon Johnson’d into Submission” in a spoken introduction at the beginning, after Simon announced the song’s title. The subtitle does not appear on the sleeve or the disc label.

Simon’s original, solo performance found on The Paul Simon Songbook is lesser known than Simon & Garfunkel’s; the album remained out of print until 2004, when it was re-released by Columbia/Legacy.

In early 1965, Simon was in the midst of a period in which he went back and forth between the United States and Great Britain. Eventually spending most of 1965 in Britain, he recorded The Paul Simon Song Book in London, while making a living singing folk clubs in Britain. During this period he was also writing with Bruce Woodley of The Seekers. The album’s liner notes by Judith Piepe, state of the song: “This is, of course, a take-off, a take-on, a private joke, but no joke is all that private or any less serious for being a joke.”

In 1966, together with Art Garfunkel, Simon re-recorded the song for the duo’s album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, with several lyrical changes. The list of names dropped is revised. When Simon complains about a man who is, “…so unhip, when you say Dylan he thinks you’re talking about Dylan Thomas,” the next line in the London solo version is “It’s all right Ma. It’s just something I learned over in England,” referencing the Dylan songs “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “I Shall Be Free No. 10.” However, the Simon and Garfunkel songs says, “It’s all right Ma. Everybody must get stoned.” the second part referencing the Dylan song “Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35″.

At the end of the 1966 recording Simon says, “Folk rock,” and, after an audible noise, “I’ve lost my harmonica, Albert.” This presumably refers to Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman. In the 1965 version, however, Simon sings, “When in London, do as I do: find yourself a friendly haiku… Go to sleep for ten or fifteen years.” Which could be a reference to his girlfriend at that time, Kathy Chitty, who people referred to as ‘The Haiku’.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Names dropped in the 1966 version include:

• Norman Mailer – an American writer
• Maxwell Taylor – an American soldier and diplomat
• John O’Hara – an American writer
• Robert McNamara – an American military leader (U.S. Secretary of Defense at that time)
• The Rolling Stones - a British rock group
• The Beatles – a British pop and rock group
• Ayn Rand – a novelist
• Phil Spector – a record producer
• Lou Adler – a record producer
• Barry Sadler – an American soldier and musician
• Lenny Bruce – a stand-up comedian
• Dylan Thomas – a Welsh poet and writer
• Mick Jagger – a British singer
• Andy Warhol – an American painter
• Roy Halee – Simon and Garfunkel’s record producer
• Art Garfunkel - an American singer for Simon and Garfunkel

I been Norman Mailered, Maxwell Taylored
I been John O’Hara’d, McNamara’d
I been Rolling Stoned and Beatled till I’m blind
I been Ayn Randed, nearly branded
Communist, ’cause I’m left-handed
That’s the hand I use, well, never mind

I been Phil Spectored, resurrected
I been Lou Adlered, Barry Sadlered
Well, I paid all the dues I want to pay
And I learned the truth from Lenny Bruce
And all of my wealth won’t buy me health
So I smoke a pint of tea a day

I knew a man, his brain so small
He couldn’t think of nothing at all
He’s not the same as you and me
He doesn’t dig poetry. He’s so unhip that
When you say Dylan, he thinks you’re talking about Dylan Thomas
Whoever he was
The man ain’t got no culture
But it’s alright, ma
Everybody must get stoned

I been Mick Jaggered, silver daggered
Andy Warhol, won’t you please come home?
I been mothered, fathered, aunt and uncled
Been Roy Haleed and Art Garfunkeled
I just discovered somebody’s tapped my phone

–

• Audio from the 1966 album, Parsely, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme:

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Billy Joel

Joel was born in the Bronx and raised in Hicksville, New York in a Levitt home. His father, Howard (born Helmuth), was born in Germany, the son of German merchant and manufacturer Karl Amson Joel, who, after the advent of the Nazi regime, emigrated to Switzerland and later to the United States. Billy Joel’s mother, Rosalind Nyman, was born in England to Philip and Rebecca Nyman. Both of Joel’s parents were Jewish. They divorced in 1960, and his father moved to Vienna, Austria. Billy has a sister, Judith Joel, and a half-brother, Alexander Joel, who is an acclaimed classical conductor in Europe and currently chief musical director of the Staatstheater Braunschweig.

Joel’s father was an accomplished classical pianist. Billy reluctantly began piano lessons at an early age, at his mother’s insistence; his teachers included the noted American pianist Morton Estrin and musician/songwriter Timothy Ford. His interest in music, rather than sports, was a source of teasing and bullying in his early years. (He has said in interviews that his piano instructor also taught ballet. Her name was Frances Neiman, and she was a Juilliard trained musician. She gave both classical piano and ballet lessons in the studio attached to the rear of her house, leading neighborhood bullies to mistakenly assume that he was learning to dance.) As a teenager, Joel took up boxing so that he would be able to defend himself. He boxed successfully on the amateur Golden Gloves circuit for a short time, winning twenty-two bouts, but abandoned the sport shortly after breaking his nose in his twenty-fourth boxing match.

Joel attended Hicksville High School in 1967, but he did not graduate with his class. He had been helping his single mother make ends meet by playing at a piano bar, which interfered with his school attendance. At the end of his senior year, Joel did not have enough credits to graduate. Rather than attend summer school to earn his diploma, however, Joel decided to immediately begin a career in music. Joel recounted, “I told them, ‘To hell with it. If I’m not going to Columbia University, I’m going to Columbia Records, and you don’t need a high school diploma over there’.” Columbia did, in fact, become the label that eventually signed him. In 1992, he submitted essays to the school board and was awarded his diploma at Hicksville High’s annual graduation ceremony, 25 years after he had left.

The Longest Time

“The Longest Time” is a doo-wop single by Billy Joel. The song was released as a single in 1984 as the fourth single from the 1983 album An Innocent Man. It reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart. Overseas, the song went to number twenty-five on the UK Singles Chart.

The song features Joel on lead vocals and all backing vocals. Joel recorded 14 different background tracks which were mixed into the song.

Click here to view the embedded video.

–

Woa, oh, oh,
For the longest time
Woa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
What else could I do
I’m so inspired by you
That hasn’t happened for the longest time

Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
That’s where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven’t been there for the longest time

Woa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Woa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest
I’m that voice you’re hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn’t happened for the longest time

Maybe this won’t last very long
But you feel so right
And I could be wrong
Maybe I’ve been hoping too hard
But I’ve gone this far
And it’s more than I hoped for

Who knows how much further we’ll go on
Maybe I’ll be sorry when you’re gone
I’ll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven’t been there for the longest time

I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
Now I know the woman that you are
You’re wonderful so far
And it’s more than I hoped for

I don’t care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time

Woa Oh Oh Oh
For the longest time
Woa, Oh Oh Oh
For the longest time
Oh Oh Oh Oh
For the longest time
(Fade out)

–

• Audio from the 1984 album,  An Innocent Man:

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• Audio from the 1984 album,  An Innocent Man:

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Cooke had 30 U.S. top 40 hits between 1957 and 1964, and a further three after his death. Major hits like “You Send Me”, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, “Cupid”, “Chain Gang”, “Wonderful World”, and “Twistin’ the Night Away” are some of his most popular songs. Cooke was also among the first modern black performers and composers to attend to the business side of his musical career. He founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. He also took an active part in the American Civil Rights Movement.

On December 11, 1964, Cooke was fatally shot by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled that Cooke was drunk and distressed, and that the manager had killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide. Since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned.

Summertime

“Summertime” is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP.

The song soon became a popular and much recorded jazz standard, described as “without doubt… one of the finest songs the composer ever wrote….Gershwin’s highly evocative writing brilliantly mixes elements of jazz and the song styles of African-Americans in the southeast United States from the early twentieth century.” Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim has characterized Heyward’s lyrics for “Summertime” and “My Man’s Gone Now” as “the best lyrics in the musical theater”. The song is recognized as one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music, with more than 33,000 covers by groups and solo performers.

There are over 25,000 recordings of “Summertime”. In September 1936, a recording by Billie Holiday was the first to hit the US pop charts, reaching #12.^[7] Other notable recordings include those by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald in 1957, Sam Cooke also in 1957, Gene Vincent and Miles Davis in 1958, John Coltrane in 1961, The Marcels in 1961, The Tornadoes in 1964, Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company on the 1968 album Cheap Thrills, Al Green on the 1969 album Green is Blues as well as The Zombies. The most commercially successful version was by Billy Stewart, who reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.

The Doors occasionally performed this song on stage as a medley in the middle of “Light My Fire”, which can be heard on Live in Boston. English singer-songwriter Nick Drake recorded the song in 1967 or 1968, and it is included on the posthumous anthology Tanworth In Arden. The Fun Boy Three released their version in July 1982. In 1998, Morcheeba and Hubert Laws recorded the song for the Red Hot Organization’s compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody.

–

It’s summertime and the living is easy
Fish are jumping and the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich and your mama’s good looking
Hush little baby
So Don’t you cry

One of these mornings you’re gonna rise up singing
You spread your wings and take to the sky
But until that morning there is nothing can harm you
With your daddy and mommy standing by
They are standing by

–

• Audio from the 1957 album, Sam Cooke:

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Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix often favored raw overdriven amplifiers with high gain and treble and helped develop the previously undesirable technique of guitar feedback. Hendrix, along with bands such as Cream was one of the musicians who popularized the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock which he often used to deliver an exaggerated pitch in his solos, particularly with high bends and use of legato based around the pentatonic scale. He was influenced by blues artists such as B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Albert King, and Elmore James, rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, as well as by some modern jazz. In 1966, Hendrix, who played and recorded with Little Richard’s band from 1964 to 1965, was quoted as saying, “I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice.”

Carlos Santana has suggested that Hendrix’ music may have been influenced by his Native American heritage. As a record producer, Hendrix also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas. He was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic and phasing effects for rock recording.

Hendrix won many of the most prestigious rock music awards in his lifetime, and has been posthumously awarded many more, including being inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. An English Heritage “Blue plaque” was erected in his name on his former residence at Brook Street, London, in September 1997. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6627 Hollywood Blvd.) was dedicated in 1994. In 2006, his debut US album, Are You Experienced, was inducted into the United States National Recording Registry, and Rolling Stone named Hendrix the top guitarist on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.

Castles Made of Sand

The song is a melancholy meditation on thwarted plans. The first verse features a loving relationship reduced to conflict and social disgrace; the second verse recounts the death of a native American Indian boy who dreams of glory in battle, but is eventually killed in his sleep. The third verse presents a disabled girl who prepares for suicide, only to see a “golden winged ship passing my way”, which causes her to jump excitedly in her wheelchair. However: “it really didn’t have to stop – it just kept on goin’”. Each verse is followed by the chorus, which consists of slight variations on the line, “…and so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually…”.

The song is known for its intricate guitar solo, which is heard on the record played backwards.

A common interpretation of the lyric centres on the chorus and its metaphor of universal transience — “Castles made of sand fall in the sea eventually” — illustrated by specific cases in the verses, which suggest that not only love and ambition but also disease and fear, will fade and vanish.

Leon Hendrix, the younger brother of Jimi, has said that Jimi revealed privately to him that the song was about their family.  The first verse is their mother leaving their father Al for the final time. The second verse is referencing his Native American heritage and the stories his grandmother (a quarter Cherokee)  would tell him. The boy who played “war games in the woods with his Indian friends” is said to be Leon (as stated by himself), but could also be about Jimi. The third verse, by this account, channels Jimi’s memories of his mother Lucille in hospital suffering from liver disease, and wishing to die so she would suffer no more: “to her legs she smiled you won’t hurt me no more.” Lucille did have cirrhosis of the liver, but was recovering outside of Hospital, when she was admitted unconscious to hospital, where she died from a ruptured spleen caused by a blow from an unknown source, not a liver complaint as is often stated, although this was listed as a contributing factor on her death certificate. The song “Little Wing” is also about his mother Lucille, according to Leon, although in interviews he gave an alternate interpretation, most likely so he would not have to recount painful memories (it is widely known that Jimi didn’t like to recollect on his past to the public) Jimi himself said the song was about the Monterey Pop Festival personified as a girl.

Locals from the Moroccan town Diabat have claimed that the song title was inspired by the Bordj El Berod-watchtower ruin. This statement however is not likely to be true as Jimi stayed in Morocco in 1969 (Castles Made Of Sand was written in 1967).

–

Down the street you can hear her scream “you’re a disgrace”
As she slams the door in his drunken face,
And now he stands outside and all the neighbours start to gossip and drool.

He cries “Oh girl, you must be mad,
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?”
Against the door he leans and starts a scene,
And his tears fall and burn the garden green.

And so castles made of sand, fall in the sea, eventually.

A little Indian brave who before he was ten, played war games in
the woods with his Indian friends, and he built a dream that when he
grew up, he would be a fearless warrior Indian Chief.

Many moons passed and more the dream grew strong, until tomorrow
He would sing his first war song,
And fight his first battle, but something went wrong,
Suprise attack killed him in his sleep that night

And so castles made of sand, melts into the sea eventually.

There was a young girl, whose heart was a frown,
Because she was crippled for life, and couldn’t speak a sound
And she wished and prayed she would stop living, so she decided to die.
She drew her wheel chair to the edge of the shore, and to her legs she smiled

“You won’t hurt me no more.”
But then a sight she’d never seen made her JUMP AND SAY
“Look, a golden winged ship is passing my way”
And it really didn’t have to stop…it just kept on going.
And so castles made of sand slips into the sea,
Eventually

–

• Audio from the 2010 album, Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix:

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System of a Down

The band is a part of the Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization co-founded by Tankian and fellow musician Tom Morello, dedicated to bringing together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.

Chop Suey!

“Chop Suey!” is the first single from Armenian American alternative metal band System of a Down’s second album Toxicity. The single was released in September 2001 and earned the band its first Grammy nomination. The song’s working title was “Suicide”; the band members claim the change was not caused by pressure from their record company. Certain pressings of the album include an intro to the track where the comment “We’re rolling ‘Suicide’” can still be heard faintly.

The album Toxicity was number one on the charts during the week of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the controversy surrounding the popular single at the time led to Clear Channel Radio placing the song on a list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles. Although it was never actually banned completely from the air, Clear Channel Radio stations were advised against playing any of the songs on the list.

The song was included on Blender magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born” list.

In an interview, Daron Malakian explained, “The song is about how we are regarded differently depending on how we pass. Everyone deserves to die. Like, if I were now to die from drug abuse, they might say I deserved it because I abused dangerous drugs. Hence the line, ‘I cry when angels deserve to die’. The lyric ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit‘ is a reference to Jesus’ death on the cross, as, according to the Gospels, it was one of the seven things Jesus said while dying.”

–

Wake up (wake up)
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
Hide the scars to fade away the shake up
(Hide the scars to fade away the shake )
Why’d you leave the keys up on the table?
Here you go create another fable

(You wanted to)
Grab a brush and put on a little makeup
(You wanted to)
Hide the scars to fade away the shake up
(You wanted to)
Why’d you leave the keys up on the table?
(You wanted to)

I don’t think you trust, in, my,
Self-righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die

Wake up (wake up)
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
Hide the scars to fade away the shake up
Why’d you leave the keys up on the table?
Here you go create another fable

(You wanted to)
Grab a brush and put on a little makeup
(You wanted to)
Hide the scars to fade away the shake up
(You wanted to)
Why’d you leave the keys up on the table?
(You wanted to)

I don’t think you trust in my
Self-righteous suicide,
I cry, when angels deserve to die
In my self-righteous suicide,
I cry, when angels deserve to die

Father (father)
Father (father)
Father (father)
Father (father)
Father into your hands, I commend my spirit
Father into your hands, why have you forsaken me?
In your eyes, forsaken me
In your thoughts, forsaken me
In your heart, forsaken me

Oh, trust in my, self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self-righteous suicide
Why cry when angels deserve to die?

–

• Audio from the 2002 album, Toxicity:

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Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode’s origins date back to 1977, when schoolmates Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher formed a The Cure-influenced  band called No Romance in China, with Clarke on vocals and guitar and Fletcher on bass. Fletcher would later recall, “Why am I in the band? It was accidental right from the beginning. I was actually forced to be in the band. I played the guitar and I had a bass; it was a question of them roping me in.”  In 1979, Clarke played guitar in an “Ultravox rip-off band”, The Plan, with friends Robert Marlow and Paul Langwith.  In 1978–79, Martin Gore played guitar in an acoustic duo Norman and The Worms with school friend Philip Burdett on vocals. In 1979, Marlow, Gore, and friend Paul Redmond formed a band called The French Look with Marlow on vocals/keyboards, Gore on guitar and Redmond on keyboards. In March 1980, Clarke, Gore and Fletcher formed a band called Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards and Fletcher on bass.

Soon after the formation of Composition of Sound, Clarke and Fletcher switched to synthesisers, working odd jobs including carpentry to buy or borrow them from friends. Dave Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Clarke heard him perform at a local scout hut jam session, singing to a rendition of David Bowie’s “Heroes”,  and Depeche Mode were born. When explaining the choice for the new name (taken from a French fashion magazine, Dépêche mode) Martin Gore said, “It means hurried fashion or fashion dispatch. I like the sound of that.”  Gore recollects that the first time the band played as Depeche Mode was a school gig in May 1980.  The band made their recording debut in 1980 on the Some Bizzare Album with the song “Photographic”, which was later re-recorded for their debut album Speak & Spell.

Personal Jesus

The song was inspired by the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley. According to songwriter Martin Gore:

It’s a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. It’s about how Elvis was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships; how everybody’s heart is like a god in some way, and that’s not a very balanced view of someone, is it?

–

Your own personal jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone whos there

Feeling unknown
And youre all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver
Ill make you a believer

Take second best
Put me to the test
Things on your chest
You need to confess
I will deliver
You know I’m a forgiver

Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith

Your own personal jesus…

Feeling unknown
And youre all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver
Ill make you a believer

I will deliver
You know Im a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal jesus
Reach out and touch faith

–

• Audio from the 1990 album, Violator:

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The Beatles are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music, selling over one billion records internationally.

Taxman

“Taxman” is a song written by George Harrison released as the opening track on the Beatles’ 1966 album Revolver. Its lyrics attack the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labor government of Harold Wilson.

Harrison said, “‘Taxman’ was when I first realized that even though we had started earning money, we were actually giving most of it away in taxes. It was and still is typical.” As their earnings placed them in the top tax bracket in the United Kingdom, the Beatles were liable to a 95% supertax introduced by Harold Wilson’s Labor government (hence the lyrics “There’s one for you, nineteen for me”). In a 1984 interview with Playboy magazine, Paul McCartney explained: “George wrote that and I played guitar on it. He wrote it in anger at finding out what the taxman did. He had never known before then what he’ll do with your money.”

In 1980, Lennon recalled in an interview with Playboy magazine, “I remember the day he [Harrison] called to ask for help on ‘Taxman’, one of his first songs. I threw in a few one-liners to help the song along, because that’s what he asked for. He came to me because he couldn’t go to Paul, because Paul wouldn’t have helped him at that period. I didn’t want to do it… I just sort of bit my tongue and said OK. It had been John and Paul for so long, he’d been left out because he hadn’t been a songwriter up until then.”

The backing vocals’ references to “Mr Wilson” and “Mr Heath,” suggested by Lennon, refer to Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, who were the leaders of the Labor Party and the Conservative Party, the two largest parties in British politics. Wilson, then Prime Minister, had nominated all four of The Beatles as Members of the Order of the British Empire just the previous year. The chanted names replaced two refrains of “Anybody got a bit of money?” heard in take 11, an earlier version released on Anthology 2 in 1996.

Recording began on April 20, 1966, but this was left unused and ten new takes occurred on April 21, 1966, the four tracks being filled that day with drums and bass, Harrison’s distorted rhythm guitar, overdubs of his vocal and Lennon and McCartney’s backing vocals. The ending was created on June 21, 1966.

–

Let me tell you how it will be,
There’s one for you, nineteen for me,
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.

(If you drive a car ), I’ll tax the street,
(If you try to sit ), I’ll tax your seat,
(If you get too cold ), I’ll tax the heat,
(If you take a walk ), I’ll tax your feet.
Taxman.

‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
(Haha! Mister Wilson!)
If you don’t want to pay some more
(Haha! Mister Heath!),
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.

Now my advice for those who die, (Taxman!)
Declare the pennies on your eyes, (Taxman!)
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
And you’re working for no-one but me,
(Taxman).

–

• Audio from the 1966 album, Revolver:
  

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Metalica

The original members consisted of Ulrich, James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney. Mustaine and McGovney were later kicked out of the band and replaced by Kirk Hammet and Cliff Burton. Burton was killed when the tour bus skidded out of control and was later replaced by Jason Newsted, who eventually was replaced by Robert Trujillo.

Metalica is considered the pioneer of “thrash metal”, and some critics consider their 1986 release of Master of Puppets to be one of the most influential and heavy “thrash metal” albums.

Nothing Else Matters

“Nothing Else Matters” is a power ballad by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, Metallica.

Singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield wrote the song (credited to Hetfield/Ulrich) while he was on the phone with his then girlfriend. Since he held the phone with one hand, he plucked the four open strings of a standard E-minor chord with the other, which eventually made up the first two bars of the song. The lyrics, which talk about being “so close, no matter how far”, were also dedicated to his girlfriend, indicating the bond they shared even when Hetfield was on tour. Initially, the song was not meant to be released, as Hetfield had written it for himself, but after drummer Lars Ulrich heard it, it was considered for the album.

–

So close no matter how far
Couldn’t be much more from the heart
Forever trust in who we are
And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don’t just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
And I know

So close no matter how far
Couldn’t be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
And I know

I never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don’t just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for things they say
Never cared for games they play
I’d never cared for what they do
I’d never cared for what they know
And I know

Yeah!

So close no matter how far
Couldn’t be much more from the heart
Forever trust in who we are
And nothing else matters

–

• Audio from the 1991 album, Metallica:
  

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Elton John

He is a composer, singer, and pianist who collaborates with songwriter partner Bernie Taupin to write some of the most recognizable music of the 20th century.

Known for some of his most flamboyant fashions and on-stage showmanship.

Your Song

“Your Song” is a ballad composed and performed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. It originally appeared on John’s self-titled second album in 1970.

The instrumental focus is on John’s Leon Russell-influenced piano work, along with acoustic guitar, Paul Buckmaster’s string accompaniment, and a shuffling rhythm section.

The lyrics express the romantic thoughts of an innocent. Taupin offers a straightforward love-song lyric at the beginning: “It’s a little bit funny this feeling inside / I’m not one of those who can easily hide / I don’t have much money but boy if I did / I’d buy a big house where we both could live.” At times the self-deprecating narrator stumbles to get out his feelings, which despite being a melodramatic device, Allmusic calls “effective and sweet”: ”So excuse me forgetting but these things I do / You see I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue / Anyway the thing is what I really mean / Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen / And you can tell everybody this is your song / It may be quite simple but now that it’s done…”

The song was part of a stockpile of songs John and Taupin wrote while living together. John pinpoints his composition of the music to 27 October 1969. It took him only ten minutes. Taupin had penned the lyrics earlier that day over breakfast. John cites the song as one of his favorites, and plays it at most of his concerts. In an interview, he commented, “I don’t think I have written a love song as good since”.

“Your Song” was itself the inspiration for the song “We All Fall in Love Sometimes” on John’s 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. The original framed handwritten lyric, complete with egg and coffee stains from breakfast, can be seen in the lyrics booklet that is included with various editions of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

Elton John had said in an interview with The Actor’s Studio that he had only taken 30 minutes to compose the entire song.

–

It’s a little bit funny this feeling inside
I’m not one of those who can easily hide
I don’t have much money but if I did
I’d buy a big house where we both could live

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it’s not much but it’s the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one’s for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you’re in the world

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they’ve got me quite cross
But the sun’s been quite kind while I wrote this song
It’s for people like you that keep it turned on

So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you’re in the world

I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you’re in the world

–

• Audio from the 1970 album, Elton John:

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Cleveland was born in Henryville, Indiana. His skill was recognised at an early age, with appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, A Prairie Home Companion and before the United States Congress in his early teens.

After graduating from the Kentucky School for the Blind he performed with various musicians including Dale Ann Bradley and Rhonda Vincent.

His first solo project on Rounder Records, Flame Keeper, won the International Bluegrass Music Association Instrumental Album of the Year in 2002, and he shared the same award with Tom Adams in 2004 for Tom Adams and Michael Cleveland Live at the Ragged Edge. His third award came for his 2006 album Let ‘Er Go, Boys!.

Dark As The Night, Blue As The Day

Originally a song written and performed by American Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe in 1959, Micheal Cleveland and Flamekeeper recorded it in 2006 on their Let ‘Er Go Boys! album.

–

Dark as the night and blue as the day
I’m lonesome, my darling, since you went away
Sometimes I wonder, what made you strangely
Dark as the night and blue as the day

Blue as the sky, there is blues in my heart
It’s dark outside since we’ve been apart
Oh, tell me, please, tell me, why you betrayed?
Dark as the night, I’m blue as the day

–

• Audio from the 2006 album, Let ‘Er Go Boys!:

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Nirvana

With the lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from the band’s second album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana entered into the mainstream, bringing along with it a subgenre of alternative rock called grunge. Other Seattle grunge bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden had also gained popularity, and as a result, alternative rock in general became a dominant genre on radio and music television in the United States during the early-to-mid-1990s. As Nirvana’s frontman, Kurt Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the “spokesman of a generation,” with Nirvana being considered the “flagship band” of Generation X. Cobain was uncomfortable with the attention and placed his focus on the band’s music, believing the band’s message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, challenging the band’s audience with its third studio album In Utero (1993).

Nirvana’s brief run ended with Cobain’s death in April 1994, but the band’s popularity continued in the years that followed. In 2002, “You Know You’re Right,” an unfinished demo from the band’s final recording session, topped radio playlists around the world. Since their debut, the band has sold over twenty-five million albums in the US alone, and over fifty million worldwide.

Polly

“Polly” is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana.

Dating back to at least 1988, “Polly” stands alongside “About a Girl” as one of singer/guitaristKurt Cobain’s earliest forays into unfiltered pop songwriting. It was originally titled “Hitchhiker”, and later “Cracker”, but was renamed “Polly” sometime in 1989. It was left off Nirvana’s 1989 debut album, Bleach, because Cobain believed it was not consistent with the band’s heavygrunge sound of the time. However, it found its way onto the band’s second album, Nevermind, two years later, and remained a part of the band’s regular setlist until Cobain’s death (and Nirvana’s dissolution) in April 1994.

It also stands as drummer Chad Channing’s only contribution to Nevermind, having been asked to leave the band before the recording of the album in Los Angeles. Channing’s cymbal crashes remained on the final Nevermind version of the song as it was recorded at producer Butch Vig’s Wisconsin studios before Channing was replaced by Dave Grohl. The tracks from those Wisconsin sessions, which included soon to be Nirvana classics “In Bloom” and “Lithium”, would be used by the band as a demo in effort to attract major label attention. Those sessions also served to make the band comfortable enough with Vig’s production style that they would select him to produce Nevermind. “Polly” is a distinct song in that it is entirely acoustic (as originally recorded for Nevermind), which contrasts the more “clean-guitar-for-verses, distorted-guitar-for-choruses, quiet-loud-quiet” pattern Nirvana is famous for employing. The song has the least significant drum part of all of Nirvana’s catalogue of songs; all the song has are cymbals at the start of each chorus section.

Bass player Krist Novoselic remembers Cobain writing “Polly” after reading a newspaper article about the abduction, torture and rape in June 1987 of a 14-year-old girl by Gerald Arthur Friend; Friend had picked her up near the Tacoma Dome in his car after she had attended a rock concert.

The story really moved Kurt, and he wrote the song from the perspective of Gerald Friend.

–

Polly wants a cracker

I think I should get off her first
I think she wants some water
To put out the blow torch

Isn’t me
Have a seed
Let me clip
Dirty wings
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some help
Help myself
Got some rope
Have been told
I promise you
Have been true
Let me take a ride
I cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself
Polly wants a cracker
Maybe she would like moore food
Ask me to untie her
A chase would be nice for a few

Isn’t me
Have a seed
Let me clip
Dirty wings
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself
Got some rope
Have been told
I promise you
Have been true
Let me take a ride
I cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself

Polly said

Polly says her back hurts
She’s just as bored as me
She caught me off my guard
It amazes me, the will of instinct

Isn’t me
Have a seed
Let me clip
Dirty wings
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some my help
Please myself
I’ve got some rope
Have been told
I promise you
Have been true
Let me take a ride
Hurt yourself
Want some my help
Please myself

–

• Audio from the 1991 album, Nevermind:

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Nirvana

With the lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from the band’s second album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana entered into the mainstream, bringing along with it a subgenre of alternative rock called grunge. Other Seattle grunge bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden had also gained popularity, and as a result, alternative rock in general became a dominant genre on radio and music television in the United States during the early-to-mid-1990s. As Nirvana’s frontman, Kurt Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the “spokesman of a generation,” with Nirvana being considered the “flagship band” of Generation X. Cobain was uncomfortable with the attention and placed his focus on the band’s music, believing the band’s message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, challenging the band’s audience with its third studio album In Utero (1993).

Nirvana’s brief run ended with Cobain’s death in April 1994, but the band’s popularity continued in the years that followed. In 2002, “You Know You’re Right,” an unfinished demo from the band’s final recording session, topped radio playlists around the world. Since their debut, the band has sold over twenty-five million albums in the US alone, and over fifty million worldwide.

Lithium

Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain described “Lithium” as “one of those songs I actually did finish while trying to write it instead of taking pieces of my poetry and other things”. Nirvana recorded “Lithium” with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin during April 1990. The material recorded at Smart Studios was intended for the group’s second album for the independent record label Sub Pop. The book Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind (1998) noted that observers considered the session for “Lithium” as a key event in the developing rift between Cobain and drummer Chad Channing. Cobain was dissatisfied with Channing’s drumming as their musical styles were inconsistent. Cobain told Channing to perform the drum arrangement he had devised for the song. Cobain blew his voice out while recording vocals for the song, which forced the band to shut down recording. The songs from these sessions were placed on a demo tape and circulated within the music industry, generating interest in the group among major record labels.

–

I’m so happy. Cause today I found my friends.
They’re in my head. I’m so ugly. But that’s ok.
‘Cause so are you. We’ve broke our mirrors.
Sunday morning. Is everyday for all I care.
And I’m not scared. Light my candles. In a daze cause I’ve found god.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah…..

I’m so lonely. And that’s ok. (alt: ’cause today )
I shaved my head. And I’m not sad, and just maybe
I’m to blame for all I’ve heard. And I’m not sure.
I’m so excited. I can’t wait to meet you there.
And I don’t care. I’m so horny. But that’s ok. My will is good.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah…..

I like it. I’m not gonna crack.
I miss you. I’m not gonna crack.
I love you.I’m not gonna crack.
I killed you. I’m not gonna crack.

I like it. I’m not gonna crack.
I miss you. I’m not gonna crack.
I love you.I’m not gonna crack.
I killed you. I’m not gonna crack.

I’m so happy. Cause today I found my friends.
They’re in my head. I’m so ugly. But that’s ok.
‘Cause so are you. We’ve broke our mirrors.
Sunday morning. Is everyday for all I care.
And I’m not scared. Light my candles.
In a daze cause I’ve found god.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah…..

I like it. I’m not gonna crack.
I miss you. I’m not gonna crack.
I love you.I’m not gonna crack.
I killed you. I’m not gonna crack.

–

• Audio from the 1991 album, Nevermind:

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Radiohead

The musicians who formed Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, an independent school for boys in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Thom Yorke and Colin Greenwood were in the same year, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway were one year older and Jonny Greenwood two years younger than his brother. In 1985 they formed the band “On a Friday”, the name referring to the band’s usual rehearsal day in the school’s music room. The group played their first gig in late 1986 at Oxford’s Jericho Tavern; Jonny Greenwood originally joined as a harmonica and then keyboard player, but he soon became the lead guitarist.

Although Yorke, O’Brien, Selway, and Colin Greenwood had left Abingdon by 1987 to attend university, the band continued to rehearse often on weekends and holidays. In 1991, when all the members except Jonny had completed their university degrees, On a Friday regrouped, began to record demos such as Manic Hedgehog, and performed live gigs around Oxford at venues such as The Jericho Tavern. Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley had an active independent music scene in the late 1980s, but it centred around shoegazing bands such as Ride and Slowdive; On a Friday were never seen as fitting this trend, commenting that they had missed it by the time they returned from university.

Nevertheless, as On a Friday’s number of live performances increased, record labels and producers became interested. Chris Hufford, Slowdive’s producer and the co-owner of Oxford’s Courtyard Studios, attended an early On a Friday concert at the Jericho Tavern. Impressed by the band, he and his partner Bryce Edge produced a demo tape and became On a Friday’s managers; they remain the band’s managers to this day. Following a chance meeting between Colin Greenwood and EMI A&R representative Keith Wozencroft at the record shop where Greenwood worked, the band signed a six-album recording contract with the label in late 1991.^[11] At the request of EMI, the band changed their name; “Radiohead” was taken from title of a song on Talking Heads’ True Stories album.

Creep

Thom Yorke wrote the song while studying at Exeter University. According to him, it tells the tale of an inebriated man who tries to get the attention of a woman he is attracted to by following her around. In the end, he lacks the self-confidence to face her and feels he subconsciously is her.

When asked about “Creep” in 1993, Yorke said, “I have a real problem being a man in the ’90s… Any man with any sensitivity or conscience toward the opposite sex would have a problem. To actually assert yourself in a masculine way without looking like you’re in a hard-rock band is a very difficult thing to do… It comes back to the music we write, which is not effeminate, but it’s not brutal in its arrogance. It is one of the things I’m always trying: To assert a sexual persona and on the other hand trying desperately to negate it.”

This concert was “Live at the Astoria” performed on May 27, 1994.

–

When you were here before,
Couldn’t look you in the eye
You’re just like an angel,
Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You’re so fucking special

But I’m a creep,
I’m a weirdo
What the hell am I doin’ here?
I don’t belong here

I don’t care if it hurts,
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul

I want you to notice
when I’m not around
You’re so fucking special
I wish I was special

But I’m a creep
I’m a weirdo
What the hell am I doin’ here?
I don’t belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh

She’s running out the door
She’s running out
She run run run run…
run…

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You’re so fucking special
I wish I was special

But I’m a creep,
I’m a weirdo
What the hell am I doin’ here?
I don’t belong here

I don’t belong here…

–

• Audio from the 1993 album, Pablo Honey:

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In 1993 the band recorded the Garage Girl demo tape, which featured “Jack Names the Planets” and “Intense Thing” taken from Shed, as well as some new tracks including “Petrol”. Following Garage Girl, they released their compilation demo tape, Pipe Smokin’ Brick later that year, which featured an assortment of songs from the other tapes. Downpatrick musician Ray Valentine recorded Ash’s demos at his studio, Cosmic Rays. At that time, the band were known as “Genuine Real Teenagers,” because they were so young when recording their early material. The demo tapes had not gained much attention yet and the band were still playing small shows at local clubs, but in early 1994, Stephen Taverner came across the Garage Girl demo tape. Taverner put up the money so that they could press 1,000 7″ copies of “Jack Names the Planets” on his own LaLaLand record label. Taverner subsequently became the band’s full-time manager.

Ash released their mini album, Trailer, in October 1994, which only included seven songs. They received some airplay from Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1 and so followed up their debut single with “Petrol” and “Uncle Pat” on their new label Infectious Records. In 1995, Ash left school and released their breakthrough singles “Kung Fu” (featured over the end credits of Jackie Chan’s North American breakthrough film, Rumble in the Bronx), “Girl From Mars” and “Angel Interceptor”. The movie Angus was released, which featured two of Ash’s songs, “Jack Names the Planets” and “Kung Fu,” and served to introduce Ash to American audiences. The band had offered two other tracks that were cut, along with “Pansy Division’s Deep Water”, which made the soundtrack but was cut from the movie due to time constraints.

1996 saw them release the singles “Goldfinger” and “Oh Yeah” either side of their album 1977, which saw considerable success. The track “Lose Control” from that album was featured in the video game Gran Turismo. On 17 February 1997, Ash released Live at the Wireless, a live album, recorded at the Triple J Studios in Australia. A limited edition version of the album was released in the UK on the band’s own Deathstar label.

Shining Light

“Shining Light” is a song by Ash, which was released as the first single from their album Free All Angels. It was released in January 2001.

Shining Light” was written about Tim Wheeler’s now ex-girlfriend Audrey. Wheeler was driving home in his car when the line and tune “Yeah you are a shining light” came into his head. He rushed home and wrote it straight away on an acoustic guitar. The first time the band heard it, they say that they ‘knew it was a hit’.

“Shining Light” was first played at a London Astoria gig in 2000, and is considered to be one of the band’s greatest achievements, musically and lyrically. Ash once said of the song:

• Tim: “I think Shining Light’s a breath of fresh air”

• Rick: “It’s a very melodic song, it sticks in your head, so we thought it’d have a pretty good chance of getting in the Top 10. It was good being back there ‘cos it’s been a long time, over two years since we had a single out”.

• Charlotte: “It was the first song we recorded and we knew it would be the first single”.

“Shining Light” can also be found on Ash’s greatest hits compilation, Intergalactic Sonic 7″s as well as on the Tokyo Blitz DVD.

The song was re-recorded by Canadian artist Emm Gryner on her 2005 album Songs of Love and Death. In addition, this was the song played on the last ever episode of Roswell as the group in the series drives away forever – signifying the death of the series. It has also been covered by Coldplay and Noel Gallagher claims it to be one of his favorite songs.

–

Roman candles that burn in the night
Yeah you are a shining light
You lit a torch in the empty night
Yeah you are a shining light
Yeah you light up my life

You have always been a thorn in the side
But to me you’re a shining light
You arrive and the night is alive
Yeah you are a shining light
Yeah you light up my life

We made a connection
A full on chemical reaction
But by dark divine intervention
Yeah you are a shining light
A constellation once seen
Over Royal David’s city
An epiphany, you burn so pretty
Yeah you are a shining light

You are a force you are a constant source
Yeah you are a shining light
Incandescent in the darkest night
Yeah you are a shining light
Yeah you light up my life

my mortal blood I would sacrifice
for you are a shining light
sovereign bride of the infinite
yeah, you are a shining light
yeah, you light up my life

We made a connection
A full on chemical reaction
But by dark divine intervention
Yeah you are a shining light
A constellation once seen
Over Royal David’s city
An epiphany, you burn so pretty
Yeah you are a shining light

These are the days you often say
There’s nothing that we cannot do
Beneath a canopy of stars
I’d shed blood for you
The north star in the firmament
You shine the most bright
I’ve seen you draped in an electric veil
Shrouded in celestial light

We made a connection
A full on chemical reaction
But by dark divine intervention
Yeah you are a shining light
A constellation once seen
Over Royal David’s city
An epiphany, you burn so pretty
Yeah you are a shining light
Yeah you light up my life
Yeah you are a shining light
Yeah you light up my life

–

• Audio from the 2001 album, Free All Angels:

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