In the middle of the pouring rain.

Walking in Memphis was written by Marc Cohn and was released in 1991.  Cohn wrote the song after a visit to Memphis, TN.  It is semi-autobiographical and takes the listener on a trip through history and nostalgia.

He first mentions putting on his blue suede shoes, a tribute to Carl Perkins who recorded the song Blue Suede Shoes for Sam Phillips at Sun Studios.  Sun Studios is also located at 706 Union Avenue, as mentioned in the lyrics, and is where Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and countless Delta bluesmen recorded their music in the hopes of hitting it big.  He touches "down in the land of the Delta blues": Memphis is the top corner of the Mississippi Delta region; "in the middle of the pouring rain": the piano melody that opens the song is reminiscent of falling rain.

W. C. Handy is also given a mention, and justly so.  While Handy wasn't a Delta bluesman (he was actually a formally trained musician and bandleader), he was one of the first to recognize the brilliance of blues music.  It was Handy who introduced the blues to the rest of the world (before the recording studios took the chance).

Cohn sees the ghost of Elvis on Union Avenue, then follows "him up to the gates of Graceland", Elvis's Memphis mansion.  Inside a "pretty little thing" waits for the King in his Jungle room (Elvis' homage to his favorite vacation spot, Hawaii).

While he was in Memphis, Cohn took a short drive out of town to visit The Hollywood Cafe, which is a real place off of Highway 61.  Murial, who "plays piano every night at the Hollywood" struck up a friendship with Cohn and even attended his wedding in New York.  She was immortalized by being written into the song.

"Catfish on the table and gospel in the air" reminds us that we are truly in the South.  "Reverend Green be glad to see you" tributes Al Green, who is a celebrated soul singer in his own right, and later became an ordained pastor for the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis.

Megacolon

Like any good zombie, MusicZombie is undead.  It may hibernate from time to time, run down and tired from lack of good brainy nutrition, but it will always reanimate in search of its food source.  Unless it gets a bullet in its own brain, of course.

So, back again, on a semi-even food-intake level.  This time found in the latest book from one of my favorite authors, Mary Roach.  I have read every book she's written, which include topics about spaceflight to Mars, death, and the physiology of sex.  Her latest is a trip through the alimentary canal (that's the food tube, to those of you who lack dictionaries).  Gulp takes the reader through the digestive system, starting with the nose and saliva and ending at the rectum.  Not topics that may arouse a drowsy MusicZombie...until the entry into the small intestine and colon, where Mrs. Roach explores what really killed Elvis Presley.

It is common knowledge (I think) that Elvis died in the bathroom, apparently straining and causing cardiac arrest.  What is not commonly known is that he possibly suffered from a disorder called Hirschsprung's disease (though without a complete medical history from birth, it may be impossible to know for certain).  Basically, this means that while still in embryonic development (in the womb, again for the dictionary-less among you), the nerve tracks that are being laid throughout the soon-to-be digestive tract fail to develop throughout the entire length of the food tube.  The end of the line is left without the nerves that direct peristalsis (the wave motion that pushes foodstuffs through the intestines).  As a result of this defect, fecal matter gets stuck, so to speak, and gets backed up.  The unfortunate soul with this condition must then rely on sheer mass of stuff coming in to push old stuff to forward.

So, Elvis had to deal with a wicked bout of constipation nearly his entire life.  Drug use, no doubt, complicated the condition.  This actually may help to shed some insight on Elvis's appearance in his later years.  His stretched out, overly packed "megacolon" can be offered for his larger physique, and reports of lackluster concerts.  His autopsy also showed an overly packed, grossly large colon.

And with that, we begin 2014 with MusicZombie!

DMB at Alpine Valley, WI 2013

Here are a few pictures from the Dave Matthews Band concert my friend and I attended at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin.  The concert was part of a two-night stand at the venue (common for this band).  We attended the July 6 show.  It was awesome!

We went kayaking in Madison before heading over to Alpine Valley.  Super fun!

 The venue.  You can see the ski slopes in the background

Pre-show snack.  The "Sexy Veggie."

The opening act: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.  They rocked!  (BTW, we had great seats!)

Carter and Dave (and cameraman)

Rashawn Ross on the trumpet

Stefan Lessard on the bass guitar

Tim Reynolds!

Lots of DMB fans

Great band!  Amazing show!

They had created a really neat animation to play behind them for the song The Song That Jane Likes.  It very beautifully depicted the lyrics of this song. 

The Song That Jane Likes is an old song.  It was released in 1993 on the Remember Two Things album.  The whole concert on this night was a good mix of songs from every album spanning the band's career.  They even threw in a Tom Petty cover: Runnin' Down A Dream.  And, I finally got to see Halloween performed live.  Incredible!!

I love this band!

Put it all on Seabiscuit's nose!

I finally read Laura Hillenbrand's account of the life and times of Seabiscuit the racehorse.   Great book about a great story.  Why am I mentioning this?  She had mentioned in the book that somewhere out there is a disco song referencing the Biscuit.  So I looked for it.  And there is.  I'm just as surprised as you.  I probably shouldn't be, but I am.

It's full title is Seabiscuit in the Fifth, and the song has a fairly typical disco beat with a groovy-ass bass line.  It was released in 1980, performed by Belinda West.   The title refers to a tipster telling the listener to bet on Seabiscuit on the fifth race of the day.  The lyrics also makes mention to "Secretariat in the Derby", which of course is a reference to another famous racehorse at the Kentucky Derby (Secretariat was the 1973 Triple Crown Champion).

Most of the lyrics reference the typical "man, why don't you do me right?" that is so common in pop songs, but the integration of the horse race-speak is unique.  And, she knows something ain't right, and she got it "straight from the horse's mouth." 

Now, if I can just find some footage of Seabiscuit playing the piano...

The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd...

Well, it's spring.  The time of year when people start tiptoeing through the tulips, taking a walk on the wild side, riding bicycles, and listening to the robins rockin' out in the tree tops.  Also, I recently read Moneyball by Michael Lewis and baseball season has started.  So, baseball it is.

Baseball is the kind of game I always like playing more than watching.  I played softball growing up; pitching, third base, and some outfield.  I always enjoyed being at bat though.  I have a fond memory of hitting a line drive right at my coach's stomach one day at softball practice. (He was fine.)  Lots of people love baseball, in their own way.  So, naturally, the "great American pastime" has inspired some to write songs about the game.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game is the most obvious.  It was written by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer in 1908.  These guys, surprisingly, weren't even baseball fans, and hadn't even seen a game until several years after the song was written.  There is more to the tune that most people are aware of --typically only singing the choruse.  In the song, a young lady is asked out on a date, but refuses to go unless her beau takes her to a baseball game.  Take Me Out is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch.  The seventh-inning stretch is the break taken between the top and bottom of the seventh inning of the game.  People stand up, stretch, maybe take a short walk or get a snack.  When needed, the song also makes a dandy waltz!

Another popular song that captures the atmosphere of the game is John Fogerty's 1985 Centerfield.  Put me in, coach!  The opening guitar riff is instantly recognizable, and the hand claps have made their way into baseball tradition.  They can be heard often throughout a game.  The song makes reference to many baseball legends: Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, and Willie Mays.  In the second verse, Fogerty references the poem Casey at the Bat, written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. 

PLAY BALL!!

H2O

I'm around water a lot now (with the new job.  It's going well, BTW).  So, it isn't too much of a leap to start thinking about music and songs about water.  After some thought, I realized that there are less songs about water than there are about songs about activities on or in the water.  Let's dive right in, shall we?

Starting on the west coast: try Surfin' USA with the Beach Boys.  Or, if you aren't a very good surfer, you can Wipe Out with the Surfaris.  If are prefer to stay on dry land, you could just practice the different swimming strokes to Bobby Freeman's C'Mon and Swim (1964).

But why stay out of the water, landlubber?  Join Ariel the mermaid and her aquatic friends in a cheerful Caribbean calypso rendition of Under the Sea.  This song was featured in Disney's 1989 The Little Mermaid, in which Sebastian the crab tries to convince the finned girl to stay in the sea where she belongs instead of trying to sprout legs and run off with some land prince she just met and barely knows.

Water music isn't such a new thing, though.  Just ask England's King George in 1717.  He wasn't doing so well in the popularity polls, so his advisers suggested to him that he throw a boating party on the Thames River.  The King's composer, George Frideric Handel, was given the task of writing the music for the party (all good parties need music).  When Handel's Water Music was ready for performance, the King and his buddies listened from one barge, while the musicians performed from another.  It was a huge success, and Handel's watery suites are still recognizable and popular today.

At the end of a long day of swimming, surfing, and boating the Thames, you can relax with Otis Redding, just (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay (1967), wasting time.  Watching the boats cruise in and out of the harbour and hearing the seagulls shriek.  Redding wrote the song while literally sitting on the dock of a bay (well, maybe a houseboat).  I've read that the whistling at the end was an impromptu addition at the recording session; apparently, there was some time to fill.  Sadly, Redding died in a plane crash in Lake Monoma, (near Madison, WI) shortly after the song's release.  He never saw his song become a hit.

And with that, I'll leave you to swim around in your own thoughts. 

It's fun to stay at the

Y M C A!!

I have started my new day job at the local YMCA.  A little over a week into my new schedule, and so far have had only one mild freak out session (lots of change is scary, unless it's the kind of change you find at the bottom of your bag, and then you're all like "Hey I can do laundry now!").

I'm working in the aquatics department, which gives me lots of time to stand at the side of the pool watching gym members swim back and forth, back and forth, back and forth....which gives me some time to think about my favourite topics: music, science, and the Titanic vs. Iceberg screenplay I am writing (it's going to be a hit!).

In honor of this new mode of accumulating enough money to pay my rent, I thought I'd look into that ubiquitous song about the YMCA.  You know it, you've sang it, you've even probably done the accompanying dance moves; it's that Village People hit: Y.M.C.A. 

The tune was released in 1978, and from a quick glance at the lyrics, the song is about all the great things that the Young Men's Christian Association has to offer.  The author, Victor Willis, insists that though there are numerous double entendre in the song, it was not intended as a gay anthem.  In 1979, the YMCA actually sued the Village People for copyright infringement (and concern over marring their reputation).  The suit was dropped, though, after an increase in membership (behold the power of a catchy hook).

Now, get some exercise and spell out the letters with your arms like I know you've done before. 

Off the Shelf: Away From the World

It is time to finally say something about the latest release from my dear Dave Matthews Band.  Away From the World follows 2009's send up to the recently deceased founding member LeRoi Moore (we miss you, bro), Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.  Big Whiskey is great, incidentally, and proved to fans that Dave and Band hadn't lost their touch.  Though the true fans never doubted them.

Away From the World, released in September of 2012, was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who had been at the production helm through the 1990s.  Some of the sounds on this album echo back to those songs from that time, and a few tracks, such as Rooftop, carry the dark energy that can be heard in Before These Crowded Streets.

Listening (I mean really listening) to the CD on a recent lengthy drive around southeast Iowa, I came away with a few observations.  Even though the song style and direction the band has taken has been a bit of a turn from the "old" stuff, the music is still clearly stamped "Dave and Band Created This."  It isn't just the characteristic sound of saxophone versus guitar or busy drumming versus violin.  It isn't even Dave's unmistakable voice.  For me, a Dave song is always recognizable by the direction a song will take harmonically or lyrically.

The deluxe CD/DVD set I had ordered from the Warehouse came packaged with photo book, lyric cards, and this little assembly-required dude-in-a-box.

As an example, listen to If Only.  At the start, the song sounds like something John Mayer or Jack Johnson could do (not to belittle John Mayer, but his style different).  It's cool, relaxed, poppy, chillin' outside in the sun music.  I felt this way at the first listen.  The turn happens at the chorus, when he starts with "but I know you and you know me."  That harmonic shift out of a somewhat predictable progression makes the song all his.  Now that I've listened to it a few times, it sounds so inevitable, but the song could have gone in many directions.

Mercy was a track that was released as a single and previewed on tour.  It's a fragile, politically-charged song that reminds us in a gentle way that we're dealing with a thinking rock star.  It is ultimately a hopeful song, in true Dave fashion.  Mercy, will we overcome this?/ One by one, could we turn it around?

Of all of the tracks, the one I gravitated to first was Gaucho.  Flowing melody over a plucky guitar riff, before leading into the hook: "We gotta do much more than believe if we really want to change things."  This sentiment resonates with my own beliefs, which is probably why it grabbed me, but, more importantly, the horn parts on this tune are so well orchestrated.  If there were ever a song that so well features what Jeff Coffin and Rashawn Ross are capable of in a "back up" band setting, this is the song.  And it isn't really "back up" band in the traditional sense; it's so much better!

The quiet solo Sweet was nice to see on the album.  I remember hearing it live for the first time while at the Chicago Caravan show, played as an encore.  Someone had apparently gifted Dave a ukulele and with it he wrote a beautiful little song about his young son learning to swim.

In some ways, this album can be interpreted as an answer to the Band's earliest music.  When Dave asked "Could I have been anyone other than me?" in Dancing Nancies (from 1995's Under the Table and Dreaming), he replies now with this advice in Drunken Soldier: "Fill up your head and fill up your heart and take your shot. Don't waste time trying to be something you're not."

Well spoken.

♪ On the 11th day...

...of Christmas, my Zombie gave to me: ♪

11 Beastie Boys
10000 Maniacs
9 Female rockers
8 Mile Marshall
7 minute music
6 ft. tall Grace Jones
Ben Folds Fiiiiiive
4/4 time
3 Pips and Gladys
2 Live Crew
and Tom Waits wailing in a treeeeeeee! 

I know, I know, there are only three Beastie Boys, but do you know how obscure the number 11 is in music history?

The Beastie Boys is a three-piece (originally a quartet) hip hip group formed in 1983 out of New York City.  Michael "Mike D" Diamond (drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (bass, died May 2012) and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (guitar).  All three provide vocals as well.

"Beastie" is a backronym* for Boys Entering Anarchic States Towards Internal Excellence.  Some of their best-known, game-changing tunes include: Brass Monkey, and Fight For Your Right (to paaaartaaaay!)

*A backronym is an acronym that is created after the fact.  For example: Zebra Orphans Making Boring Inchworm Earrings is a backronym for zombie.

♫ On the 10th day...

...of Christmas, my Zombie gave to me: ♪

10000 Maniacs
9 Female rockers
8 Mile Marshall
7 minute music
6 ft. tall Grace Jones
Ben Folds Fiiiiiive
4/4 time
3 Pips and Gladys
2 Live Crew
and Tom Waits swinging from a treeeeeeee! 

I actually don't know anything about this band.  They were popular in the 1980s (and are still going strong, with a slightly different line-up) and one of their most famous members is Natalie Merchant, who left the band in 1993.  Mary Ramsey stepped in to fill her shoes, and from the reviews it seems that she's done well.

Some of the band's notable hits include These Are Days, More Than This, and Because the Night.

♪ On the 9th day...

...of Christmas, my Zombie gave to me: ♫

9 Female rockers
8 Mile Marshall
7 minute music
6 ft. tall Grace Jones
Ben Folds Fiiiiiive
4/4 time
3 Pips and Gladys
2 Live Crew
and Tom Waits tearing down a treeeeeeee!

As James Brown says, it's a man's world but it wouldn't be nothing without a woman.  Hence, here are 9  females that show us that women can rock the music scene as hard as any man:

1. Ann Wilson -and-

2. Nancy Wilson of Heart  The first women of rock to not only sing, but to write the songs and play the instruments.

3. Blondie Deborah Harry, really, and known for several new wave hits including Call Me, Rapture, and Heart of Glass.

4. Alanis Morissette Canadian rocker who gave us an ironic definition of the word "ironic."  She also played the part of "God" in Dogma.

5. Lady Gaga If you don't know who Lady Gaga is by now there is just no hope for you. And I am not apologizing for this pop star on a "rock" list.

6. Linda Ronstadt Started her career in the 1960s with a band called Stone Poneys.  She dominated in the 1970s as a solo act and is still rockin' today.

7. Grace Slick Singer for Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship.  Proved that women could front a band and be more than just a sex symbol.

8. Janis Joplin Part of the "27 club": musicians who died at the age of 27, usually at the top of their careers, due to problems with drugs and/or alcohol.

9. Stevie Nicks Part of the heart and soul of Fleetwood Mac.

♪ On the 7th day...

...of Christmas, my Zombie gave to me: ♪

7 minute music
6 ft. tall Grace Jones
Ben Folds Fiiiiiiive
4/4 time
3 Pips and Gladys
2 Live Crew
and Tom Waits singing in a treeeeeeee!

 Most pop songs fit neatly into the 4 minute mark.  There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is our increasingly shrinking attention spans (but tradition is strong on this matter: the first recordable discs could only hold about 3-4 minutes of music).  There are many radio-friendly rock songs that run well over the typical four minutes, stretching to 7 minutes or more.  Here are just a few of them:

The End -- The Doors
Isn't It a Pity --George Harrison
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant --Billy Joel
Maggot Brain --Funkadelic
In-a-Gadda-da-Vida --Iron Butterfly
Free Bird --Lynyrd Skynyrd
Purple Rain --Prince
Cortez the Killer --Neil Young
Won't Get Fooled Again --The Who

♫ On the 6th day...

...of Christmas, my Zombie gave to me: ♪

6 ft. tall Grace Jones
Ben Folds Fiiiiiiive
4/4 time
3 Pips and Gladys
2 Live Crew
and Tom Waits swinging from a treeeee!

Grace Jones is a Jamaican singer, actress, and model.  As I write this, I'm watching a YouTube video of Jones performing Slave to the Rhythm while hula hooping throughout the entire song.  Impressive. 

She's not actually 6 foot tall, but she's close.  A statuesque and androgynous woman, she's created a following through outrageous outfits, live animals on stage performances, and creative personas.  Jones got her start as a model, then moved into acting and singing.  She appeared in Conan the Destroyer (1984) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and A View to a Kill (James Bond movie #14, 1985), among others.  Jones is a source of inspiration for many artists, including Lady Gaga, as well as for some male celebrities. 

Are you okay?

I will soon be getting re-certified for CPR/AED first responder and lifeguarding.  Thinking back on my first go-round with CPR training, I remember Resuscitation-Annie (or Anne, depending on who you talk to).  Resusci-Annie is the dummy-torso that is used when training for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).  It has a set of "lungs" and "trachea" that are set up to work like a real human adult so the trainee can learn and practice rescue breathing and chest compressions.

Thinking about Resusci-Annie brings up another Michael Jackson tidbit: in his 1988 hit Smooth Criminal, the lyrics ask "Annie are you okay?  So, Annie are you okay?  Are you okay, Annie?"  This is basically what CPR trainees are taught to ask the victim before they begin any assistance.  If the individual can speak, CPR is really unnecessary. 

Annie never spoke back to us in CPR class, so we would always proceed with rescue methods.

♪ On the 5th day...

...of Christmas, my Zombie gave to me: ♪

Ben Folds Fiiiiiiiive
4/4 time
3 Pips and Gladys
2 Live Crew
and Tom Waits singing about a treeeeeee!

 Ben Folds Five is an alternative rock trio out of North Carolina.  The group is made up of Ben Folds on piano, Darren Jessee on drums, and Robert Sledge on bass.  The band made the scene in 1995 with their self-titled debut album that featured their hit, Brick.  They released three albums before parting ways in 2000.

But it's okay!  After pursuing personal projects, the band reunited for one concert in 2008, then again to record three tracks on Ben's The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective, and in early January of 2012, the group formally reunited to record and release a new album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind.  The first single from this album, Do It Anyway, features the cast of Fraggle Rock.  Any band that makes room for Muppets in their creative vision is okay in my book.

♪ On the 3rd day...

...of Christmas, my Zombie gave to me:  ♫

3 Pips and Gladys
2 Live Crew
and Tom Waits in a treeeeee!

Gladys Knight and the Pips.  A soul and R&B family group out of Atlanta, GA featuring Gladys Knight, her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight, and her cousins, William Guest and Edward Patten.  Berry Gordy, Motown founder, discovered them in 1966 in Harlem's Apollo Theater.  They were signed onto Motown's Soul label that year.

The group's most well-known hits include Midnight Train to Georgia (1973), Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye), and an uptempo version of Marvin Gaye's  I Heard it Through the Grapevine. 

The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.  Gladys continues to perform, sometimes sans Pips.

♫♪ On the 1st day...

...of  Christmas, my Zombie gave to me:  ♫

TOM WAITS IN A TREEEEE!

I'm totally in love with Tom Waits.  He is an American songwriter known best for his raspy, gravelly voice (described by one critic as "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, then taken outside and run over with a car.") but also for his willingness to experiment with different styles, sounds, and instruments.

He's brilliant though!  His early career had a somewhat mainstream Tin Pan Alley/jazz style, but his later and most recent output can be described as a psychedelic Vaudeville show.  The lyrics are all cinematic imagery and lean, mean hooks.  His latest studio album, Bad As Me, was released in 2011.

Mmmmm...broccoli...

I just learned that for the last chunk of the third chorus of Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' is:

"You're a vegetable, you're a vegetable.

Still they hate you, you're a vegetable.

You're just a buffet, you're a vegetable.

They eat off of you, you're a vegetable."

Wow.

The Man in Black

I am almost finished reading Johnny Cash's autobiography (written by Johnny Cash-with Patrick Carr).  It's a good read.  Autobiographies are fascinating to me because they help to push away notions about a person that is sometimes put on them by industry, fans or critics.  By that I mean: you think you know someone, but you are almost always wrong in some respect.

Mr. Cash had plenty of demons, which he addresses in his book.  His struggles with drug abuse and dealing with fame are fairly well-known (and this isn't his first book, Man in Black by Johnny Cash was published in 1975), as well as his TV show and public persona.  He is the Man in Black.  But he wasn't always in black.  When he wasn't on stage or in the public eye, he wore whatever he wanted.  Early in the autobiography, he addresses three big questions that he's asked most often, one of which is the man in black thing.  Much of the reason is explained in what you hear in his song Man in Black (written in 1971): he wears the black "for the poor and beaten down, livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town," and "for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, but is there because he's a victim of the times."  He wore the black for "the sick and lonely old" and "the reckless whose bad trip left them cold."  He maintained these sentiments right up until his death in 2003.

But the other reason he wore the black comes from when he started performing, way back before the recording and record deals and touring and fame.  He was in a band (a trio with Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins) and they were deciding what they should wear for their first show.  All the men had a black shirt and blue jeans, so that became the uniform of sorts.

See? You think you know someone and it turns out you know nothing.  But you can always learn. 

Music Skeleton

I've got parodies on the brain.  A parody is any form of copying or mimicking of an existing work or person's style.  Parodies are used for satirical purposes, commentary, critique, or just to be funny.  What really defines the parody is the re-use of original material, and the art of parodying music has been around much longer than you may think, though not always in the now-prevalent humorous sense.  Early composers fused older works into their own, hybridizing the result.  It is hard not to just chalk this up as plagiarism, because the difference is subtle.  The difference is easier to see with humorous parodies.

"Weird Al" Yankovic built his career around the Fair Use (Section 107) of the Copyright law.  He takes popular songs and rewrites the lyrics, but keeps the spirit of the song intact (and usually everything else).  Under Fair Use, parodies are allowable because the parodied result does not detract from the marketability of the original.  Fans will still go out an buy the original music and not the altered version.  They may still buy the funny version anyway, but it won't take away from original artist's work because the original artist still created the work in the first place.

Another kind of funny parody is "genre parody", where a group reworks songs within a specific genre, such as rap or heavy metal and presents it in a radically different way, such as in Renaissance style or lounge music.  Think Pat Boone singing Metallica's Enter Sandman, among others.