De Do Do Do De Da Da Da! The Police!

When I think of the 80’s, I think of the Police! Now, I used to get in a lot of trouble as a teen but I’m not talking about the cops mind you, but the awesome band that recorded one of my favorite songs, “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". The Police, released this as a single in December 1980. It was the second single from the album Zenyatta Mondatta and a top ten hit in the United Kingdom and the United States!

According to Sting, the song is about the attraction that people have to simple songs. About the way politicians, entertainers and other people use words to manipulate others. He decided to write this when he became interested in songs with nonsense lyrics like, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” and “Tutti Frutti,” and “Da Do Ron Ron”. He wanted to find out why those songs worked and decided to write one of his own. He claims that his son came up with the title. Sting called it, “An articulate song about being inarticulate.”

There are those critics out there that still dismiss this song but Sting says they just haven’t bothered to listen to the lyrics. Critics! I say, with a reunion tour that ended in 2008 that grossed $358 million? Who cares!!

BOOM BOOM CLAP! BOOM BOOM CLAP!!

For all of you music fan’s, I’m sure it didn’t take you long to figure out my title!

"We Will Rock You" was written by Brian May, guitarist for Queen. This song and the song that usually follows it, "We Are the Champions" were written in response to an event that occurred during Queen’s 1977 British Tour. The band had played a gig at Stafford's Bingley Hall, and Brian May stated that they did an encore and then went off stage, and instead of the crowd continuing to clap, they sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" to them. They were just completely knocked out and taken aback and it was quite an emotional experience for them. Brian said he thinks these “chant things” are in someway connected with that.

The stomping effects in the song were created by the band overdubbing the sounds of themselves stomping and clapping many times and adding delay effects to create a sound like many people were participating. The durations of the delays were in the ratios of prime numbers, a technique now known as non-harmonic reverberation.A tape loop is used to repeat the last phrase of the guitar solo three times as opposed to Brian May playing it three separate times on the recording.

Remember, when you crank this song up, it will be the 2 most important minutes of your musical life!

Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4 Live at the Greek!

This version of "25 or 6 to 4" (written by Chicago’s Keyboardist/Singer Robert Lamm) is one of the best live versions I have ever heard! It features Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire playing live at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in 2004

Chicago fans have long argued about the meaning of this song. Lamm himself says that the title is just a reference to the time of day, and that the song is about writing a song. The time of day in reference is 3:35 AM (or 3:34 AM), which would then be 25 (or 26) minutes to 4 AM.

Lamm explained that he was living with a group of guys up above Sunset Strip in the Hollywood Hills where he could look out over the city late at night. He wanted to describe the process of writing the song he was writing. So, “Waiting for the break of day, searching for something to say, flashing lights against the sky”, (there was a neon sign across the street). That song came from the fact that it was 25 or 6 to 4am in the morning when he looked at his watch. He was looking for a line to finish the chorus. The rest as they say, is history!

Juke Box Hero!! R-O-C-K O-N!!

Oh yeah!! Juke Box Hero! Wow! I remember cranking this song up in my room till the walls shook! This was Foreigner’s third single from their 1981 Foreigner 4 album.

What I really like was the inspiration for the song. The song focuses on a boy unable to purchase a ticket to a sold-out rock concert. Listening from outside, he hears "one guitar" and has an epiphany, leading him to buy his own guitar from a second-hand store and begin to play without any lessons. He realizes that with the guitar he can become famous, and does. The song then goes on to describe the struggle he has to stay on top of the music charts, which makes him a "Juke Box Hero." He eventually encounters another fan outside the stage door at one of his concerts, who reminds him of himself and how it all began. Guitarist Mick Jones stated that the song was inspired by an actual fan who stood waiting outside an arena for about five hours in the rain. Jones, impressed by his dedication, decided to take him in and give him a glimpse of what happens backstage at a show. Very cool!

"I looked out this morning and the sun was gone....."

"More Than a Feeling" by Boston, was released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album on Epic Records in September 1976. It was Boston's biggest hit and it took writer/guitarist Tom Scholz five years to complete. This track has become a staple of Classic Rock and in 2009, it was named the 39th Best Hard Rock song of all time by VH1. Ranked in the top 10 by yours truly.  Go ahead, it's ok. Get out of your chair and play that air guitar!