Some Songs Are Simply Too Much in One Way or Another

Remember those cold mornings in the movie "Groundhog Day" when Phil Connors (Bill Murray) wakes up to "I Got You Babe" on the radio alarm clock?

Nothing against the Sonny and Cher song but it's certainly not a tune I'd want to hear to start my day at 6 a.m. And there are other tunes that I've heard too much in my lifetime. They give me the shivers.

There are a few songs I really liked when they were released, but in my most humble opinion, they've been overplayed on the radio through the years. When they come on, I tune them out.

It would be a nightmarish "Twilight Zone" experience for me to be stranded on an island with the following songs blaring day after day after day.

Here's my list:

"Sympathy for the Devil" — The Rolling Stones 
"Ride Captain Ride" -- The Blues Image 
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" — Charlie Daniels Band
"Money" — Pink Floyd
"American Pie" — Don McLean 
"Nights in White Satin" — The Moody Blues
"Dueling Banjos" — Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
"Piano Man" — Billy Joel
"Stairway to Heaven" — Led Zeppelin
"More Than A Feeling" — Boston
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" — Rupert Holmes 
"Bohemian Rhapsody" — Queen

And there are a few songs I didn't care that much for when released so they're automatically tuned out:

"Muskrat Love" — America and The Captain and Tennille 
"You Light Up My Life" — Debby Boone
"Tragedy" — The Bee Gees
"Band on the Run" — Paul McCartney and Wings
"You're Beautiful" — James Blunt

And then there are a few songs that are difficult to categorize because they can be like a virus and stick in your head all day:

"Achy Breaky Heart" — Billy Ray Cyrus
"The Final Countdown" — Europe
"Macarena" — Los Del Rio
"Party All the Time" — Eddie Murphy
"Anna (Go to Him)" — The Beatles
"The Candy Man Can" — Sammy Davis Jr.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" — Duran Duran

I'll spare you those irritating Christmas songs. Bah humbug!

Let me add that after not hearing overplayed songs for a while, I don't mind listening to them again. Just not an overdose. It can kill you!

Any songs that fit these criteria for you?

Until the next time . . . 


P.S. -- I'd appreciate it if you'd click the "Follow" button (far right column under "Followers" with all the pretty faces) since Google has eliminated more than 100 followers by shutting down Google+ extensions.

Story Songs -- Some Friendly Tunes

Some of the most uplifting tunes are those about friendship. Aside from food and water, having friends helps sustain us through life's journey.

Friends are special. They brighten our days with their presence,  lift us up when we're down, and enhance our memories when we reflect on our lives. 

There are quite a few friendship songs that I've enjoyed through the years, so many that I can't include them all in this post. More will come later. 

Here are some of my favorites:

The Beach Boys -- "Friends"
No. 47 in 1968
Written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine

"We been friends now for so many years

We've been together through the good times and the tears

Turned each other on to the good things that life has to give"

Queen -- "You're My Best Friend"
No. 16 in 1976
Written by John Deacon

"Oh, you're the best friend I ever had

I've been with you such a long time

You're my sunshine and I want you to know

That my feelings are true

I really love you

Oh you're my best friend"

James Taylor -- "You've Got a Friend"
No. 1 in 1971
Written by Carole King

"You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running, to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there

You've got a friend"

Simon & Garfunkel -- "Old Friends"
Released in 1968 on "Bookends" album
Written by Paul Simon

"Old friends

Memory brushes the same years

Silently sharing the same fear"

Andrew Gold -- "Thank You for Being a Friend"
No. 25 in 1978
Written by Andrew Gold

"And when we both get older

With walking canes and hair of gray

Have no fear, even though it's hard to hear

I will stand real close and say,

Thank you for being a friend"

Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks -- "Whenever I Call You Friend"
No. 5 in 1978
Written by Kenny Loggins and Melissa Manchester

"Whenever I call you friend

I believe I've come to understand

Everywhere we are

You and I were meant to be

Forever and ever"

The Zombies -- "Friends of Mine"
Released in 1968 on "Odyssey and Oracle" album
Written by Chris White

"It feels so good to know two people

So in love...

So in love..."

More to come later, my friends.

Until the next time...

Friendship Songs

I believe most of us value true friends, you know, those folks you can always count on during good times and especially the bad.

We all have our share of fair-weather friends, those who show up when things are sunny but disappear during dark and bleak days. Are they really friends?

I've compiled a few songs about friends--only those with friend in the title--that address the importance of friendship in our lives.

"You've Got a Friend" -- written by Carole King and a No. 1 song by James Taylor in 1971.

"Thank You for Being a Friend" -- written and performed by Andrew Gold in 1978.

"You're My Best Friend" -- written by John Deacon and a No. 16 hit by Queen in 1976.

"That's What Friends Are For" -- written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and a No. 4 song for Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder in 1986.

"Friends of Mine" -- written by Chris White and performed by The Zombies in 1968 (from the "Odyssey and Oracle" album).

"Friends" -- written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson and Al Jardine and performed by The Beach Boys, a No. 47 song in 1968. 

"Old Friends" -- written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel in 1968 (from the "Bookends" album).

"With a Little Help from My Friends" -- written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles in 1967 and later a No. 1 song in the United Kingdom by Joe Cocker a year later. (Yes, I know there's a double meaning about the "friends.")

Other songs to consider "Whenever I Call You Friend" (written by Kenny Loggins and Melissa Manchester) and a No. 5 song by Loggins and Steve Nicks in 1982, "Friends in Low Places" (written by Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee) and performed by Garth Brooks, and "Friends," written Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

What are your favorite "friend" songs?

Until the next time (and thank you for being a blog friend)... 

(Information about songs  from Wikipedia)