Listening Post #39: Born To Cry

Dion - Runaround Sue

I was a big fan of Dion DiMucci as a teenager after hearing Runaround Sue used in an episode of Moonlighting. Soon after that, I discovered his 80s output, including the excellent 1989 album Yo Frankie and it's big single...

Dion - Written On The Subway Wall

A little later, I fell for the allure of perhaps his greatest record, the Phil Spector-produced Born To Be With You... although Dion had such a hell of a time working on that record that he later disowned it. The curse of Phil.

Dion - Born To Be With You

I've even checked in with Dion's 21st Century recordings, including collaborations with some of his biggest fans...

Dion with Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen - Angel In The Alleyways

Dion is 86 now. He's been releasing music for almost 7 decades. I've been listening to his songs for 4 decades. And yet, I only heard this one for the first time a couple of weeks back.

It's a belter.

Snapshots #273: A Top Ten Numbered Street Songs

Farewell also to Vivienne Westwood. You might argue she's not taking a snapshot in this picture... but she is driving a tank to David Cameron's house, so I think she wins.

Here are this week's answers... I would have said all the numbered streets were from New York, but at least one of them (Charles Wright's street) is from L.A. I checked, so you don't have to.

10. The Stones in 'Nam.

Hanoi Rocks - 11th Street Kidzz

9. Blokes curse.

Men Swear!

Menswear - 125 West 3rd Street

8. Heavily associated with management.

Don't mess with The Boss's wife.

Patti Scialfa - 23rd Street Lullaby

7. Sounds like he's still vain.

I always get him mixed up with David Sylvian. Except David Sylvian doesn't rhyme with "still vain".

Sylvain Sylvain - 14th Street Beat

6. The King isn't wrong when he questions this week's connection.

King Charles is Right when he asks What... well, you get the idea.

Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - The 103rd St. Theme

5. Law-breaking clowns.

Fun Lovin' Criminals - 10th Street

4. She: is a ninja!

"Is a ninja" is an anagram.

Janis Ian - 42nd St Psycho Blues

3. Where Weezer meets the Hurricanes.

The lead singer of Weezer is called Rivers Cuomo. If he met Johnny & The Hurricanes, we might be left with...

Johnny Rivers - Positively 4th Street

A Dylan song, obviously, but Bob appears here often enough.

2. Old Cricketer's a right weirdo.

Roy Harper sang about an old cricketer. 

Harper's Bizarre - 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)

A Simon & Garfunkel song, obviously, but Paul appears here often enough. Also, this was the version that made the UK Top 40 back in 1967. With a very young Boris Johnson in the band...

1. Bomb, by Wacko.

Anagram!

Happy New Year, everyone. Thanks for playing.

Saturday Snapshots #153 - The Answers

RIP, Dame Diana.

Here are this week's answers...



10. Song about writing about songs, written by a songwriter who sounds like a songwriter who writes the songs... with a bit missing.

Let's start from the back.

Barry Manilow sang I Write The Songs. (Although, rather ironically, he didn't write it. It was written by Beach Boy Bruce Johnson.)

Take a bit off and you're left with Barry Mann, one half of the Mann/Weil songwriting duo (with his wife, Cynthia Weil). Before that though, he sang some of his own songs... including this one, which is all about writing songs.

Barry Mann - Who Put The Bomp?

9. Stealing Liz or Andy is a puzzle.

Stealing is nicking (where I come from, anyway).

Liz and Andy were both Kershaws.

Nik Kershaw - The Riddle

8. Santana Samba gets an A in winter sports... fortunate lass!

Bruce will be disappointed you didn't get this one, Charity Chic.

Top work from Mrs. Brian though.

Santana recorded Samba Pa Ti.

An A in winter sports would be a Ski... Alpha.

Patti Scialfa - Lucky Girl

7. Prestige, dropped by Joan.

Joan Armatrading dropped the pilot.

A prestige is the grand finale of a magic trick.

Pilot - Magic

6. World Eater at the tiller, like The Godfather said.

Jimmy Eat World.

The tiller is the Helm.

The Godfather made you an offer you can't refuse.

Jimmy Helms - Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse

5. A horse or a gun for Dear Madonna... is that what you meant?

A colt is a horse or a gun.

Madonna sang Dear Jessie.

Jessi Colter - You Mean To Say

4. Sons of ageing MacDonald go bucolic.

Old MacDonald had a farm.

Bucolic means "relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life."

The Farmers Boys - In The Country

Great dancing in that video.

3. Shorter cave dwellers and crazy item.

Cave dwellers are troglodytes.

The Troggs - Wild Thing

2. Dog saint and manservant get together.

A Saint Bernard & a Butler.

Bernard Butler - Not Alone

That's a top song. Not heard it in years.

1. Mr. Jawbones... isn't it a bit early for that, first thing on a Saturday morning?

"Mr. Jawbones" was an anagram.

I think we're all getting too old for the rest on a Saturday morning.

(Sunday, on the other hand... I mean, don't let me interrupt you.)



We'll take it to the bridge again next Saturday...

Hot 100 #23

Some German rap today for you, courtesy of... erm... German rappers 23 (aka Bushido and Sido). Don't say I don't treat you.

23 - Mit 'Nem Lächeln

Following last week's unexpected (except by me) victory for Half Man Half Biscuit, The Swede played it safe this week...

So could it be two weeks running for HMHB? 

Half Man Half Biscuit - Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years

Charity Chic will not be happy with the first word in your sentence there, Swede.

Still, this'll cheer him up. Here comes George...

The Butthole Surfers - 22 going on 23

That's a rather disturbing song for you. 

Bet that won't stop you suggesting it again next week, George.

And Dwight Yoakam - Readin', Writing, Route 23

That's more like it.

Hang on, The Swede's back...

Prince Far I - Psalm 23

I was expecting that after last week.

Soothsayers - Crying on 23rd

New to me.

Underworld - Twenty Three Blue

Japanese bonus track. No stone unturned!

The Lightmen - Luke 23:32-49

I'm not quite sure how I missed my two previous opportunities to suggest that one. Better late than never.

You know it's rare when it's only on youtube once. All done, Swede?

Delayed inspiration...

John Cooper Clarke - 23rd

That was one from my list.

Quick reminder of the Lime Green Rule, for anyone who's not been paying attention...

Unless they're amazing suggestions, I'm going to stop allowing lyrical 24s (and so on) as we get nearer number one. Let's face it, there are way too many. So you'll have to be really persuasive if you want to sell me on a lyrical reference from now on. Sorry.

Because, look, here's George again.

Damn that lime green rule. It means whip Crack Away by Doris Day is excluded.

Exceptions can be made in exceptional circumstances, George.

Twenty-three miles we've covered today

Doris Day - The Deadwood Stage

Although, to be fair, you could have had that four weeks ago, before the Lime Green Rule was instituted.

Here's a man the sheriff watches

On his gun there's more than twenty-seven notches

Time for C, who's found another suggestion from my shortlist...

Blonde Redhead - 23

Any band with Japanese art students sounds good to me (but whatever happened to them, are they still going?)

Apparently so, unless their website's lying.

Here comes somebody else wanting to flout the Lime Green Rule. It's Lynchie...

Before the lime green restrictions, I'd have said Jesus, the Missing Years by John Prine was a serious contender.

John Prine is always a contender in this house, Lynchie.

Charley bought some popcorn, Billy bought a car

Someone almost bought the farm but they didn't go that far

Things shut down at midnight, at least 'round here they do

Cause we all reside down the block inside 23 Skidoo

I really must enforce that rule more stringently. What else do you have for me?

Patti Scialfa - 23rd Street Lullaby

Martin was late to the party this week...

FurryBootsCityBoy beat me to Patti Scialfa...

You snooze, you lose.

I'm going for a punctuation cheat:

The Wedding Present - 2,3, Go!

Well, it's always nice to see my students using commas.

Over to Jim in Dubai who was hoping not to give me any nightmares like he did last week...

My offerings this week.

Stephen Duffy - Twenty Three

That was on my list.

Hippo - Twenty Three

The internet tells me you're making that one up, Jim.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Twenty Three Hour Toothache

Not that one though. But no nightmares this week, so thank you.

Finally this week, it's Rigid Digit...

Shakira - 23

It's in the collection - no idea how it got there, but it aint bad ... I'm off to listen to some more. Never knowingly heard it.

Welcome to 50% of my record collection, RD. One of the reasons I do this blog is so I actually get to listen to some of the tracks I've never heard before.

OK, before we get to this week's debate, what else did my hard drive spew up?

Luna - 23 Minutes In Brussels

Redbone - 23rd And Mad

Republic of Loose - 23 Things I Don't Like 

Rufus Wainwright, Helena Bonham Carter, Martha Wainwright & Fiora Cutler - Unperfect Actor (Sonnet 23)

Teleman - 23 Floors Up

The Divine Comedy - 23rd of December

Carter USM - 23:59 End of the World

Death In Vegas - 23 Lies

Paul Westerberg - 23 Years Ago

Ryan Adams - Sweet Little Girl (23rd & 1st)

Which brings us to the debate. The Swede was the first to raise the issue...

Seriously though, is anything going to top 'Strawberry Letter 23' by Shuggie Otis this week?

Charity Chic seconded that... but then, Lynchie threw in the alternative.

I prefer The Brothers Johnson version of "Strawberry Letter 23" to Shuggie Otis, so there!

I must admit, I'm really kind of torn. I know Shuggie wrote it, and the original takes some beating... but I really am rather fond of the Brothers Johnson version myself, especially as it's the version I heard first. Have we to call it a tie?

(I know: chicken!)





Next week is Catch 22. We may never escape...

My Top Ten Lullabies...

...with the word "Lullaby" or "Lullabye" in the title. Because there are plenty more songs I could (and probably will) wade through to accomplish the same end.

I'm kinda getting sick of the lullaby CDs we first got to play to Sam at bedtime. The version of Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star is particularly offensive as the singer insists on over-pronouncing the word "diamond" as "DOY-MOND" and it grates every time we hear it. Sam has yet to be annoyed by it, but we'll soon teach him. We also bought some lullaby versions of Queen, Elvis and Guns 'n' Roses songs (thanks to Deano for pointing us in their direction!) which go down quite well, even though Louise claims to only know two Guns 'n' Roses songs... someone else in need of education. I'll learn them both by the time I'm done.

Meanwhile...


10. Dixie Chicks - Lullaby

See, the Dixie Chicks aren't just there to stick two fingers up to George Bush and kill off Dennis Franz.

9. Brad Paisley featuring Alison Krauss - Whiskey Lullaby

Speaking of my favourite TV actor, here's one of his former partners, Ricky Schroder, meeting a sticky end courtesy of Brad and Alison.

8. Billy Joel - Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)

I don't know why Billy Joel decided to pack in songwriting 20 years ago. He still tours but it seems he didn't have anything else to say, which is a great shame because I was a huge fan growing up. This is from his last ever album, River of Dreams. It's a simple piano ballad, the kind of thing he excelled at... the kind of thing I wish he'd write again.

7. Alice Cooper - Lullaby

Because we all need a little Alice to send us off to the land of nod. This is from his ridiculously pompous 90s concept album collaboration with Neil Gaiman which, at the time, I thought was pretty pants. A recent reassessment has led me to consider it a barking kind of genius. My critical faculties are obviously fading along with all my other bits.

6. Patti Scialfa - 23rd Street Lullaby

Here's why Patti deserves to be known as more than just "Mrs. Springsteen".

5. The Pogues - Lullaby of London

MacGowan's love/hate lullaby for a capital city as shabby, shameless and spectacular as he is.

4. Tom Waits - Midnight Lullaby

Early Tom Waits, from the days before he started gargling with razor blades. Should you prefer the latter to send of off to dreamland, try this instead: Lullaby.

3. Starsailor - Lullaby

I  always felt the critics were unkind to Starsailor: they wrote some cracking songs and singer James Walsh had a proper rock star voice. Listen to this again and give them a second thought.

2. The Cure - Lullaby

Mad Bob can't sleep because Spider-Man is having him for dinner. If he really sleeps with that much lipstick on, he must have to change his pillowcases every morning.

1. Shawn Mullins - Lullaby

And this is why I will never be cool...





There were plenty more lullabies in my collection (Birdland came close)... but which one sends you off to dreamland?