by Sheena Easton (1984)Sugar Walls is gloriously dirty in its sexual connotations (Temperatures rise inside my sugar walls).
Of course it was written by the king of such things, Prince – but what I and maybe you didn’t know is that he wrote it under the amazing pseudonym “Alexander Nevermind”!! Genius.
by The Chordettes (1954)When you have a baby you suddenly have to sing baby songs. Initially I couldn’t remember any and just sang what popped in my head, but somehow, no matter how sing songy I made it “They’ve got the guns, but we got the numbers.. Gonna win, yeah we’re taking over.. Come on!” just seemed strange to sing to a little one.
Fortunately, and rather oddly since I don’t think I’ve really listened to it since it popped up in Back to the Future, Mr. Sandman was the other song I could think of. Van seemed to enjoy it very much and lately so do I. It’s a lovely song.
by Frank LoesserBaby, It’s Cold Outside!! So warm up with the season’s best lovey time song.. but make sure to do it with one of the many good renditions (Dinah Shore, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, etc) and not, say, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.
by Roy Orbison (1963) and Linda Ronstadt (1977)Still on a Roy Orbison kick, I thought I’d recommend his most beautiful song, Blue Bayou. Also recorded wonderfully by the lovely Linda Ronstadt, it’s a sentemental song and one of the prettiest I can call to mind. In fact, it ranks high in my favorites of all time, so it surprises me I’ve not recommended it here before.
As winter begins to nip at us, one can relate to dreaming of someplace with fishing boats and familiar sunrises. By the way, it does not refer to the Louisiana Water Park (though it would shake my whole reading of the song if it was) nor the Disney restaurant.
by Europe (1986)This airbrushed cover of The Final Countdown, Swedish hair band Europe‘s mega hit is enough to make anyone love it. I’ve been humming the song all day as we’ve been taking a stroll through the first season on Arrested Development. The song accompanies Gob’s magic acts.
by Charlie Rich (1960)Dubbed “The Silver Fox”, Charlie Rich was a pop country super star in the seventies, but it might be his most Elvis like hit, Lonely Weekends that he’s most remembered for. At least it’s the song that I like the most.
Even if his name is not the most recognizable of the era and genre, his work not only as a singer but a songwriter (he wrote for Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee) is considered by many to be the best to come out of Sun Studios.
by Fats Waller and Una Mae Carlisle (1939)The jazzy standard, I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby gained popularity in Blackbirds of 1928, a popular music review. It’s the Fats Waller (who is debated to be the true original author of the song) and Una Mae Carlisle version that I love to listen to. Waller reportedly hated music that was too sentimental and would goof around in recordings so that he wasn’t asked to do them anymore. He’s plenty goofy and endearing in this one.
Click here for the rest of I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
by Sonic Youth (1994)If the real deal Carpenters version of Superstar doesn’t sit well with you, maybe you’re of a hipper ilk and prefer somewhat ironic covers instead. Well, despite tons of iffy attempts by lesser artists, only a band as effortlessly cool as Sonic Youth can really pull of a modern take of one of 1970’s cheesiest (in a good way) ballads. Thurston Moore sounds drugged out and heart broken in a much drowsier and noisier take than The Carpenters (little wonder Richard does not care for it). It’s even more of a departure from the jazzy first incarnations by original artists Delaney and Bonnie and Rita Coolidge.
Aside from being one of my favorite Carpenters songs, I am partial to the hit due to its large part in the very funny Cintra Wilson book, Colors Insulting to Nature.
by TLC (1999)I am shocked that I have failed to recommend Silly Ho, a late nineties robotic blast of a pop song by TLC. As shocked as I am that I always meet empty stares when I mention it as one of my favorite songs.. but I suppose a song overshadowed by the inferior No Scrubs that didn’t even earn itself a music video wouldn’t be ingrained in the peoples memories as much as it has been in mine. Producer Dallas Austin (who required intervention by Lionel Ritchie to get released from a United Arab Emirates prison on a drug charge) wrote this awesome little number and is also responsible for other R&B greats like Hit ‘Em Up Style.
by Aaron Neville (1966)If you still harbor any resentment towards Aaron Neville for his part in “Don’t Know Much” (maybe it’s just me haunted by this adult contemporary radio classic) you only need to listen to the truly excellent love ballad, Tell It Like It Is. Neville’s original is my favorite version and the one I am most familiar with but to my surprise Heart had their biggest hit (bigger than Barracuda?!) with a rendition in 81. Other notable songsters that have tackled the hit are Nina Simone and Percy Sledge.
