I'll be your Tennessee Lamb
Led Zeppelin, Whole Lotta Love
I was lucky enough to live on Ryan's creek in Big Rapids my senior year of college, which connected Canadian Lakes to the Muskegon River. Why is this important? My roommate Jill, a Deadhead and Zeppelin enthusiast, found most any excuse to blast this band, typically when we were hosting parties. One particular night, dead of winter, we decided it was time for us to earn our polar bear status by frolicking in the creek while singing this song. "Shake for me girl, I wanna be your back door man."
The Left Banke, Walk Away Renee
I don't know, it's not a bad song, just sounds very dated to me. I don't hear any influence in today's music. It's a bit melancholy, however the harmonies are nice. Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy have a version that is very sweet and timeless.
John Lennon, Give Peace a Chance, Imagine, Instant Karma
I have a conflicted love for Lennon. He was a dick in many instances where he could have been a better person, but the how-to-be-a-rock-star playbook wasn't written quite yet at the height of Beatlemania. And he didn't learn from his dad how to treat his woman, something he confessed in discussing his marriage to his first wife Cynthia. I know Yoko gets plenty of shit from fans, but if she influenced him to be a better man, I think that's more important than being a rock star.
That said, these three songs sprang from his personal transformation from a Fab to a man. Instant Karma is the jewel of the three. I understand Give Peace a Chance being on the list, but given the heartbreaking end to his life in sharp contrast to the joyous Double Fantasy album, I'd rather the song Starting Over or Woman be here instead. And the day Will was born? I couldn't get Beautiful Boy out of my head.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
From biopics and documentaries, this guy was kind of an ass. I don't know what pact he made with the devil, but he's one of the few from that era still standing. He can pound a piano with the best of 'em.
Little Eva, The Locomotion
How do you not love Little Eva and this pop perfection?
Little Feat, Dixie Chicken
There's something so easy going and lovely about this song. Bar room boogie. Southern fried soul. Oh us girls and our feminine wiles. Also part of a grand 70s tradition of awesome album covers. The pillow top, the accordion, what's with that chick's fingers? Easy to sing along.
Little Walter, Juke
A lesson in harmonica mastery.
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