Most people know “Take Me To The River” as a Talking Heads song. It was actually written by Al Green and Teenie Hodges for Al Green’s 1974 album Al Green Explores Your Mind. The song was not released as an Al Green single, but passed off to Syl Johnson who brought it up to #48 on the US Hot 100 chart in 1975. The Talking Heads didn’t cover “Take Me To The River” until their 1978 album – More Songs About Buildings and Food.
Here is the Al Green version:
and the Syl Johnson version:
and for those who don’t know, The Talking Heads:
:
Talk about being thankful! Lauryn Hill’s memories are about growing up in New Jersey, but these lyrics transcend just one person’s reminiscence. I think everyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s can find something in this song to relate to, and bring a smile to their face. This song-besides being catchy as anything-underscores the need to look back and remember where you came from, and to never forget what it was like to be a younger you, and try your best to hold on to that childhood feeling that all is right with the world and things will be okay.
Enjoy!
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Posted in Underplayed Music on November 23rd, 2010 by eddielehwald –
Well, once again the holidays are upon us! It’s Monday now, but it’ll be Thursday before you know it, and I’m sure that America’s turkeys are quaking in their adorable little three-toed boots as Thanksgiving rapidly approaches.
For this weeks song picks, I thought I’d get into the holiday spirit with songs that I, personally am thankful for. “Keep On Growing” is easily in my top five favorite songs ever, and it’s one of those rare gems that just seems to get better and better and better the more you listen to it. A standout song on an album of standout songs (Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs-don’t own it? Beg, borrow, or steal a copy, there’s a reason it’s a classic), this tune smacks you right in the face with a totally unassailable groove and a glorious, heavenly wash of guitars that force you to get down to it and ROCK. Enough talk, hit play and love it!
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Posted in Underplayed Music on November 22nd, 2010 by eddielehwald –
The best thing about doing this is that not only do I get to share awesome music with a bunch of wonderful people (you’re all wonderful!), but sometimes I get to find out new music myself! I started out with the intention of writing about a totally different song also called “Fox On The Run”, but thanks to the magic of YouTube, I stumbled upon this catchy gem! Manfred Mann recorded this in 1968, but the over time his version has been forgotten and “Fox On The Run” has become a bluegrass staple. I think they’re both great, (seriously, I’ve been listening to both of them one after another, over and over again, for about forty minutes now) that’s why I’ve included the Manfred Mann version as well as a bluegrass cover (Tom T. Hall, in this case).
The video for the Tom T. Hall version is…kind of amazing. Somewhere, someone heard this song and said “You know what? I kind of see this being sung by a overweight duck named Yu Yo who wears a sort of pirate outfit. Yeah, that’s the stuff!” The song is great on its own, but the video takes it to an entirely different level.
Oh my goodness, how I love this woman! Sister Rosetta was doing amazing things with an electric guitar almost before anyone knew what one was. She was a masterful performer and-as you can see here-an absolute joy to watch onstage. Ahead of her time, she mixed gospel and secular music years before Ray Charles, and played incendiary rock and roll guitar solos long before anyone had even considered approaching music that way. Enough talk, take a trip to heaven with Sister Rosetta!
Well, it’s Monday again. It might seem like a cruelty to inflict this song on you as you settle into the ‘ol computer chair for another week of desk driving, but it’s a very pretty, very sad song, and John Hartford is someone absolutely worth checking out if you haven’t already.
Fun Fact: Other than being an accomplished guitarist, banjo player, fiddler and soft shoe performer, as well as the father of modern bluegrass (“Newgrass”-easy enough), John Hartford was an actual licensed steamboat captain on the Mississippi, a job which he did a few days a week during summers for his entire life. Folk music and steamboats, the man knew how to live!
It’s a big day here at Daily Song Fix. 200 posts! Hope you’ve enjoyed them all!
I don’t care what anybody says, Tom Jones is awesome. His voice is instantly recognizable no matter what genre he’s involved in at the moment (and he does them all!).
As awesome as this song is, Mr, Jones probably doesn’t have a lot of experience playing the part of a man with a cheating wife. Something tells me it’s usually the other way around….
If you were one of those lucky few in Atlantic City for Phish this past weekend, you got to hear Little Feat’s ‘Waiting For Columbus’-one of my all-time favorite albums-performed by one of my favorite bands. Alas, I wasn’t there (I had a ticket but the aforementioned move to Texas prevented me from attending). I sold my ticket, and I like to think that even though I missed the show, maybe whoever took my place was more deserving.
After all, I already know and love Little Feat, but maybe the person who took my ticket didn’t. And maybe, just maybe, they loved it. And maybe they went out when they got back from the show and they bought their own copy of “Waiting For Columbus”, and they sat at home and soaked in the laid-back, swampy funky soulful slinky groove that is Little Feat. Maybe they found that Lowell George wasn’t just singing to anyone, he was singing RIGHT TO THEM. Maybe they felt they had discovered something amazing, something they couldn’t believe they’d lived without for so long, something that filled every little empty musical niche in their lives, and they went out and bought even more Little Feat albums, and soon they’ll have so many that they lend them to their friends, and the process starts all over, and before you know it, everyone in America is finally listening to Little Feat.
Wouldn’t that be great?
Here’s Rock ‘n Roll Doctor, a very deceptive song in that it grooves and is very danceable, but upon closer inspection is very rhythmically dense, changing time signatures almost every measure and never ever settling on a consistent meter. It’s part of Little Feat’s genius that they make something so very very difficult sound so easy and smooth.
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