The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, 431-440

The book is Remain in Love, a twist on the Talking Heads album Remain in Light. As an old married couple myself, I find I'm championing similarly committed couples. Go Tina and Chris!

The Supremes, Stop in the Name of Love, You Can't Hurry Love

What can I say about the Supremes that Diana hasn't already said herself? I cannot believe I'm about to meh a Motown artist, but meh. My heart belongs to the Three Degrees. 

The Surfaris, Wipe Out

One of the few songs I can play on guitar. I really need to start taking lessons again. 

Swinging Blue Jeans, Hippy Hippy Shake

A classic that has been remade by everyone from The Beatles to the Georgia Satellites. 

T. Rex, Bang a Gong

Another glam rock entry for this list. Marc Bolan, gone too soon. 

Talking Heads, Life During Wartime, Once in a Lifetime

We went shopping for a cottage this weekend, and Once in a Lifetime was on heavy rotation on Dave's Spotify list. I'm kind of over TH right now as a result. Still, Once in a Lifetime was played incessantly during those early MTV days, and David Byrne's oversized white suit made quite the impression. And I would love to read Tina and Chris' book about being happily married while being edgy alt rockers. Shout out for the little side project the Tom Tom Club and the hit Genius of Love. 

James Taylor, Fire and Rain

One of those 70s singer/songwriters that is not on my playlist. He's ok. 

Television, Little Johnny Jewel

I originally started this story thinking I knew a shred of information about the band, and instead went on for a while about Pamela Des Barres' husband Michael, who was actually in the band Detective. 

Anyway, I still know nothing about Television except they were darlings of the post-punk era at CBGBs, and Little Johnny Jewel is an instrumental jam that appears to be abouuuuuuuut 15 minutes long. Oh, we are 5 minutes in, and they just started singing. Can't understand a word.

I'm thinking this is notable for being the end of one thing, and the beginning of something else. 

Listening, I feel like I'm should be nodding along while standing in the corner of the lead guitarists' basement rec room, trying to be cool, my shoes sticking to the floor from a spilled shot n' pop mixed by the drummer's girlfriend. I was invited by bassist who I know from econ class, the handbill invite  crudely designed from images cut out of a Sears catalog, info scribed with a sharpie marker. Lead singer crooning along to lyrics I suspect were made up on the spot. I'm pretending to have a good time. 

At the end of the night, the band has made $26 by selling red solo cups at the door, and the handbill gets shoved in a scrapbook with the words "our first gig!" written below it with the same sharpie marker. 

Maybe I will say I knew them when. 

The Temptations, Ain't Too Proud to Beg

I 

Love

The

Temptations. 

There for a strange stretch of time, every time I was hospitalized, the miniseries The Temptations: Forever was televised. I watched every single minute of it. 

Who's the best singer in the Temptations: Ruffin or Edwards? Trick question: could be Eddie or Paul! 

I could go on about the Temps, and I will in the next post.