Your Daily Song Fix

Bill Withers was the last of six children born on July 4, 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia. He was the only man in his family who did not end up working in the coal mines of West Virginia.  Instead, he enlisted in the US Navy and became interested in writing and singing songs while stationed in Guam.  In 1967, after being discharged, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his music career. As a self-proclaimed untrained musician, he became known for his story-telling ability and most of his early recordings did not feature a traditional song structure.  “Harlem” does not have a chorus; instead, each verse escalates in a crescendo as the song progresses. Withers uses this structure to build tension and compliment the story he’s telling in his lyrics.

(+3 rating, 4 votes)

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From their 1977 album of the same name, this song rocks, plain and simple. Richard Hell is best known for his influence on punk fashion (spiked hair, clothing held together with safety pins, etc.) and for his roles in the band Television (who was infinitely instrumental in the popularization of New York’s CBGB club) and then later with Johnny Thunders’ The Heartbreakers.

Since the 80s, Hell has focused primarily on writing novels, but still releases some music.

(+5 rating, 6 votes)

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If a man writes this song for you and you don’t fall in love with him your heart is made of stone. The Chicago-based group Pieces of Peace is also, almost certainly, the only band to ever be created in Chicago and disband in Singapore.

"Why would you deny me?"

If you’ve made it to Singapore as a band you’ve probably done something right, or have you?

I love my Dap Kings and my Amy Winehouse but sometimes there is nothing like the real deal.  This is song is 1960s soul that melts your heart and reminds you that you have to treat your lady right.

(+3 rating, 5 votes)

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Sam Cooke began his career singing gospel, first with siblings and later as part of other various groups through the early 1950s.  In the second half of that decade, Cooke transitioned to pop music, releasing “Lovable,” his first pop single in 1956.  “Having a Party” was recorded in 1961 under his own record label after he had gained significant notoriety.  The studio version of this song features Cooke’s clear, soothing voice; something he carried over from his gospel days and a quality his fans adored him for.  The live version of the song appeared on “Live at the Harlem Square Club,” recorded in 1963, just one year before his controversial death in December, 1964.  In this live cut, a coarseness can be clearly heard in Cooke’s voice, probably as the result of time spent touring and performing live shows.  This grittier version of the song exemplifies something closer to rock and roll, and captures Sam Cooke’s true versatility as a singer and performer.

Studio version:

Live version:

(+4 rating, 4 votes)

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In honor of the New Orleans Jazz Festival this past weekend, here is a New Orleans classic originally written by James “Sugar Boy” Crawford.

(+5 rating, 5 votes)

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You know the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin but The Flamin’ Groovies may have been crafting the most timeless music in San Francisco during the Age of Aquarius.  This song from 1970’s Flamingo hooks you immediately and pounds the rock fury home from beginning to end.  The guitar solo routinely makes a fool of me while I try the fingering in my car.

SPN

(+2 rating, 2 votes)

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Oh and look, Incubus has a cover of this song. Thanks for the hat tip, Google video! Tell the high-schoolers from 2003 about that one, but if you are looking for a foolish, feel-good flashback, the original “Let’s Get Crazy” is a good place to start. This track by Prince & The Revolution was obviously recorded at the dawn of the drum machine, but it’s still a good one to bring to an 80s party attended by people you don’t entirely hate.

Practice your two-step too, because this song will have all the wasted people in the room bouncing like a beach ball. “Shoot the jumper. Shoot it.”

(+3 rating, 3 votes)

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This song first appeared in 1969 and did not receive much critical acclaim. Recently, however, the English rock band, The Heavy, have gained success sampling the horn lines from this tune with their song “How You Like Me Now?” That song appeared most recently in a KIA commercial that aired during the Superbowl. The Heavy song is great, but it is always nice to see where the original comes from. I dare you not to dance to this one.

(+7 rating, 7 votes)

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