Alrighty, let us continue with part 2. This is number 90 to number 81. Remember; if some of the accompanying links don’t work properly be sure to let me know. Feel free to leave a comment.
90. “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” by Tom Waits – From the 1992 album Bone Machine. There is something just utterly fantastic about Tom Waits, then aged 43, belting out lyrics such as: “When I see my parents fight I don't wanna grow up. They all go out and drinking all night and I don't wanna grow up. I'd rather stay here in my room. Nothin' out there but sad and gloom. I don't wanna live in a big old tomb on Grand Street.” I can really relate to the sentiments in this song. In terms of instrumentation, this is actually an almost uncharacteristically normal song from Tom during the 1990’s; just guitars, bass, drums and vocals. This song would later be covered by The Ramones who had a great mutual respect with Tom. It really hammers home that old cliché that “growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.”
89. “Heretics & Killers” by Protest the Hero – From the 2005 album Kezia. Protest the Hero have a remarkable talent for writing songs that go in seemingly random and chaotic directions while still coming across as fluid and completely natural. “Heretics & Killers” is no exception. There seems to be no real cohesion to the song structure, and yet it works extremely well. There’s a lot of variety in terms of melody and rhythm. Top notch performance by the band on this one. The lyrics are quite vivid and interesting with a strong sense of anti-religiosity throughout.
88. “Body Movin’ (Fatboy Slim Remix)” by Beastie Boys – From the 1998 single Body Movin’. This is the version of the song that was used for the music video. It’s longer than the original version and has very different beats and samples. Overall it’s quite a good remix by Fatboy Slim and I tend to enjoy it much more than the original. The song itself is just typical Beastie Boys rhetoric; basically just having a good musical time. The music video is a riot, parodying the infamous B-movie Danger: Diabolik.
87. “Der Erlkӧnig” by Franz Schubert – Opus 1 (D. 328), 1820. Der Erlkönig was a poem originally written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1782. It tells the story of a man and his dying son riding home when the son starts hearing and seeing strange things; in particular the Erlkönig (often translated as “Elf King”). The Erlkönig sings to the young dying boy and tries to entice him to come away with him. The son yells for his father to help him but his father is oblivious to any supernatural things going on and simply thinks his son is hallucinating. Franz Schubert does a magnificent job at conveying through music not only the emotions involved through each character as they speak but also the frantic ride home by horseback. There is a constant gallop in the song representing the horse hooves. The juxtaposition of all three characters is so well done, with the father trying to remain calm, the son being scared and anxious and the Erlkönig trying to act all sweet and nice, and finally angry. Schubert really captures everything going on so well with the music.
86. “The Pot” by Tool – From the 2006 album 10,000 Days. It was rumoured that after using a Ouija board the band decided their next album should be in the style of the blues. I don’t think that quite came across, except for in this song. Maynard James Keenan does a great job with the vocals and the lyrics are quite interesting as is typical of Tool. The focal point of this song for me though is the bass. Justin Chancellor plays such great, catchy, complex and infectious bass riffs throughout this song. The lyrics of “The Pot” are filled with double meanings. You can look at the lyrics in a way that suggests it’s about authority and laws or you could see them instead as simple drug references. “The Pot” refers to that old phrase “the pot calling the kettle black”. After mentioning kangaroo courts and the guilty there’s a reference to stoning/being stoned. The lyrics “you must have been high” could mean the feeling of being above the law. At face value this song is just kinda fun, the more you look into it the more it makes you think.
85. “Bubbles” by System of a Down – From the 2002 album Steal This Album! Not much to say about this one. It’s just a short, fast-paced fun little song. It has a really catchy chorus and some pretty good riffs. Nothing spectacular but just so goddamn energized.
84. “Pet” by A Perfect Circle – From the 2003 album Thirteenth Step. I really, really enjoy Maynard James Keenan’s lyrics on this particular song. “Pet” would later be reworked into “Counting Bodies like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums” but I think that “Pet” works a little better. The lyrics are quite vivid and memorable and seem to suit the music very well, an example: “I'll be the one to protect you from your enemies and all your demons. I'll be the one to protect you from a will to survive and a voice of reason. I'll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choices son; they're one and the same. I must isolate you. Isolate and save you from yourself.”
83. “Alice’s Restaurant Masacree” by Arlo Guthrie – From the 1967 album Alice’s Restaurant. This song is a blast. Clocking in at over 18 minutes it tells the true life (albeit embellished for comedic effect) story about how Arlo was denied admittance to the army because years earlier he had been arrested for littering. Arlo has great comedic timing and serious song-writing skills, both of which are put to great work in this piece. Guthrie tells the story in an amusingly long-winded way, going on weird tangents and describing things in ridiculous detail. But through all the humour Arlo still manages to make some poignant points about the Vietnam War, the draft and the bureaucracy involved in those processes.
82. “Chop Suey!” by System of a Down – From the 2001 album Toxicity. This is one of the first System of a Down songs I ever heard and it’s still one of my favourites. Since this song is ridiculously famous I don’t see much point in describing it. The reason I enjoy it so much is that it has great melodies throughout. There’s also a nostalgia factor for me with this song. Toxicity was the first album I ever owned. It’s a stroll down memory lane.
81. “Changes” by Tupac – From the 1998 album Greatest Hits. Although recorded in the early 1990’s this song wasn’t released until after Tupac’s death. Some of the lyrics were reused from previous songs. The song samples "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Musically, it’s a beautiful little beat. Lyrically, this song is phenomenal. Pac is almost pleading for people to grow past their prejudices. He challenges people to treat each other with respect and live together without fear. Although I can’t fully relate to some of the things he says in this song I can really empathize and it’s songs like this that makes me wish this world we live in was so much better than it is.
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