What I Would Have Played – Better Than Facebook!
Everyone (well, just about everyone) who reads this has a Facebook account, and you’ve seen everyone and his/her brother putting up the video of whatever song was at the top of the charts on the week of their birth. After seeing some really terrible songs on there for the better part of a week — and not participating myself — I present to you the five songs I wish had been #1 on the week of my birth.
1. Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
This breezy yet longing waltz is a perfect capture of Simon during the pinnacle of his career. Sandwiched between experimental periods (1972′s Mother and Child Reunion and 1986′s Graceland, for instance), this song captures Simon in a period after his divorce. There are, as with everyone in those places, more questions than answers, and that really comes through in the song. The absolutely beautiful and haunting sax solo from Michael Brecker is the highlight here, set up by the string accompaniment. Of all the essentials in Simon’s catalog, this song is at the top of the list.
2. The Housemartins – Caravan of Love (1986)
Most people in America got very limited — or no — access to the music of The Housemartins, and only a little more to the music of the “spinoff” group, The Beautiful South. This cover of an Isley-Jasper-Isley song certainly got a lot of attention in the UK, however, gaining the band a #1 single across the pond. Paul Heaton’s boys were known for being a little more overtly sarcastic in their music, but this beautiful a capella performance was a welcome departure. Despite this band’s major claim to fame being the production of Fatboy Slim (who performed in The Housemartins under his given name), this song serves as a great memory of a band that called it quits far before their time.
3. Extreme – Decadence Dance (1991)
A lot of people came to know (and lampoon) Extreme for their “lighter” fare (Hole Hearted and More Than Words), but this was a straight-ahead rock band with a solid sense of sarcasm. This video takes a pretty open shot at the “hair metal” of the day, as well as the uptight parents groups that seemed to sense impending doom coming out of kids’ stereos. As dated as this video is, crank your speakers and prepare to rock.
4. Eli “Paperboy” Reed – Pick a Number (2010)
I’m a huge fan of soul music throughout many generations, but this is one of the less expected sources of soul imaginable. I happened upon this talented musician on the show Live From Daryl’s House, and this song stuck with me. This devotee of 60s Chicago soul sings the hell out of this — and every other — song he records, and I’ve included this bonus performance from the aforementioned program.
5. Living Colour – Love Rears Its Ugly Head (1990)
It’s not every day that a song about a struggling relationship has a funk groove behind it, but Living Colour made a career of shattering stereotypes. This track was a success on the charts for the band, reaching number eight, but it still never seemed to get its due. Sit back and enjoy one of the more musically unconventional “love” songs out there.
