Did you miss this Friday's episode of the Colossal Countdown? Or do you just want a recap of the songs I played, with some bonus fun facts attached? Either way, read on to find out the stories behind the songs for Episode #2 of Graeme's Colossal Countdown!
#482: Wild Thing (The Troggs, 1966)
Many of these songs on the list will be from an epic mix CD my Dad made about 10 years ago. We played it over and over again, but I rarely got sick of many of those songs. The first song on the list was "Time Has Come Today", which you'll be hearing a lot later on down the list. But the second song? Well, it grabbed your attention right away with that opening guitar slide + riff! That's because "Wild Thing" was indeed a bit wild for its era. Described on Wikipedia as garage rock or proto-punk, it was a bit different from what listeners typically heard in the mid 60s. And it was rewarded with a #1 spot on the pop charts.
#481: Black Night (Charles Brown, 1951)
This one I found out about all by myself, when doing research on R&B songs for "Graeme's Golden Oldies", a show I did spring semester of sophomore year. It's a pure blues song that was recorded for Aladdin Records, and the audience of African-American listeners absolutely loved it. It remained at the top position of the R&B charts for 14 straight weeks, which was longer than any other single at the time. Its bleak lyrics, coupled with smooth piano and saxophone, make it a very interesting listen more than seven decades later.
#480: Photograph (Def Leppard, 1983)
Well, I guess it's back to crediting Dad with influencing my music taste! This glam rock song from 1983 was a key feature of the MTV era. It was a #12 hit on the pop charts, but a #1 hit in the "mainstream rock" category. Phil Collen plays a monster guitar solo on this one, and Joe Elliott does a great job on lead vocals. Elliott described this song as about "something you can't ever get your hands on". Well, considering the music video prominently featured Marilyn Monroe, and considering she was dead by then... I guess they were right!
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| Well, it was a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. But, you get the point. |
#479: Electroman Adventures v2 (Waterflame, 2015)Sometimes I gotta play to my audience, but at other times... yeah, I'm gonna play something from my era that chances are only I will like. I had to give a shoutout in one way or another to the way that Geometry Dash music influenced me during my early teen years. And one of those songs was "Electroman Adventures" by Waterflame, a fantastically energetic EDM (electronic dance music) song. Well, Waterflame made a sequel to it... and in this case, the sequel was actually better than the original! With its high-octane guitars and groovy beat, this just had to earn a spot on my list.
#478: My Way (Frank Sinatra, 1969)
There could not be a much more drastic shift in genres with the next selection on my list! This is back-to-back weeks with Sinatra on my list if you're keeping track, and this one is often considered his "signature song". Well considering Sinatra got sick of this song and hated performing it, there's two of his songs later on my list that could earn the title "signature song" a lot more. But I have to give credit where its due, because Sinatra's powerful vocals, alongside a stirring orchestra, made this a worthy last-minute addition to my list. But what truly inspired this selection? Well, it would be the numerous AI parodies on YouTube. And even I got in on the fun there!
#477: Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, 1956)
This iconic song of the doo wop era got a well-earned spot on my list. And in case you're wondering if this spot is too low, well... iconic status alone does not get you a spot! Despite the large quantity of doo wop songs on my list, many of the most popular do not make it. I still have to personally find something special about it. And between Lymon's vocals and the rockin' saxophone solo, I can see why so many were a big fan of this tune in the mid 50s. This song was a huge influence on Veronica Greenfield (later Ronnie Spector). We know Frankie Lymon wrote some of it, but other members Herman Santiago and Jimmy Merchant would later get credit as co-writers.
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| Worthy rock 'n roll hall of famers... with more songs to come on the list! |
#476: Rock Island Line (Johnny Cash, 1957)
Rarely will only one minute earn you a spot on this list, but in this case... Johnny Cash's very first LP track earns that distinction. Yes, the song is indeed 2 minutes and some change in its length. But the first half is spent with him rambling on about how he is trying to cheat the guy at the toll gate. But the second half of the song kicks off with him declaring "I fooled you! I fooled you!". And from then on out, it's a grand one-minute burst of energy that just had to get a spot on this list. Hell, if "C is For Cookie" made it, why not this? Johnny also hits some pretty rare high notes during this one-minute burst. It's worth a listen, needless to say!
#475: Tears Dry on Their Own (Amy Winehouse, 2006)
Amy would go on to influence other soulful British singers, most notably Adele. Her tragic passing in 2011 coincided with Adele's triumphant release of her album 21. But back in 2006, it was Amy's time to shine with her album "Back to Black". There will be more tracks from this album on the list later on, but I certainly had to include this 60s influenced song. After all, its callback to Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is something that caught my attention right away the first time I listened to it.
#474: Things We Said Today (The Beatles, 1964)
On Friday, I was wearing my Paul McCartney shirt I got at the rock 'n roll Hall of Fame. But in typical Graeme fashion, I spilled melted chocolate on it before I could even get into the station. So, I wore a more appropriate shirt in that case, one that said "Feast Mode". Sorry Paul, but at least I played a fantastic song of yours from early on in The Beatles career! He and his girlfriend Jane Asher were on pretty disparate paths in this era. But he wrote beautiful love songs for her anyway, considering that he truly had to treasure the time he could spend with her. I understand Paul, I was apart from my girlfriend for two months this summer!
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| A Hard Day's Night... a true masterpiece album with more songs to come. |
#473: Waiting For a Train (Jimmie Rodgers, 1929)
If ever there were an anthem for the Great Depression, this tune would be it. Well, Jimmie Rodgers recorded other songs during that era that may also be considered "Great Depression anthems". After all, he was a man stricken with TB, and with his gaunt smile and looks that only a mother could love... he appealed to the hobos and railroad bums. He had a face for the radio, which lucky for him, was one of the only available mediums to listen to music back then. But I could imagine being in some shack, listening to him through crackled shellac on the old phonograph. "I'm a thousand miles away from home, just waiting for a train". Your music lives on, Jimmie!
#472: Remember (Walking in the Sand) (The Shangri-Las, 1964)
I mentioned on the show how this was an appropriate song to play after Amy Winehouse, considering the Shangri-Las were one of her biggest influences. And indeed, Amy used to play this song live. Anyway, George "Shadow" Morton, the writer of this song, was some washed up doo wop singer by the time 1964 came along. He claimed to be some bigshot songwriter (he was not). But producer Jeff Barry challenged him to prove his legitimacy, and he later came up with this song, as well as "Leader of the Pack". Well, the rest as they say, is history!
#471: She Works for KGB (Igor and the Red Elvises, 2019)
Musik Fest is a truly great time for the Lehigh Valley to come together and listen to some unique musical acts. But none are more unique than this group, who I was initially drawn into because its lead singer talked of singing "sad songs about Russian orphans". He then proceeded to play something very upbeat! That is the humor with which Igor Yuzov approaches his songwriting and stage presence, and that humor shines during the chorus of this song. "I work for Taco Bell... she works for KGB!". Now, the lineup of his band is always in flux. But considering I've seen him 4 of the last 5 years (with the one obvious exception being 2020), the Red Elvises remain my favorite band! Well, favorite current band.
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| The uncomfortably large triangle guitar is certainly part of what makes their band distinctive. |
#470: Loving a Girl Like You (The Harptones, 1954)
I initially had this song at 1961, considering that's what Discogs told me. As it turns out, Discogs was unreliable, and I pretty much knew it. 1961 sounded way too late considering the recording quality of the song. So, my Grandpa, with his more proper musical encyclopedias, informed me that the recording date was 1954. Well, despite its imperfect recording quality, one cannot mistake the beautiful voice of Willie Winfield, backed powerfully by The Harptones on this very underrated tune. It's only thanks to r/doowop that I found this as a last minute addition to the list!
#469: The Shrine of St. Cecelia (The Harptones, 1957)
Ah yes, back to back Harptones songs on my list! Now, this phenomenon used to be called "2 For Tuesday" on my radio show. But considering I stole that line from 99.9 The Hawk, and considering I host my shows on Friday... I decided to scrap this line. There will be plenty more times throughout this list where I give an artist a "spotlight". In other words, I hold two of their songs in such similar regard, that I play them back to back on the show. And in this case, "The Shrine of St. Cecelia" is another beautiful slow jam from this legendary group.
#468: Love You Most of All (The Persuasions, 1973)
As a diehard Persuasions fan, I had heard just about everything from their 70s glory days. Whether it be Spread the Word, We Came To Play, or Chirpin... I had heard just about all of it. But among the last albums I listened to was "We Still Ain't Got No Band". And let me tell you, it's just as good as any of the others! And this short but sweet song is proof. There is way more guts in this sub-2 minute song than there ever was in the Sam Cooke version (sorry Sam, you know I love your music too). Sam's original version from 1958 was good... this version 15 years later is great.
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| Still Ain't Got No Band... still ain't on Spotify! |
#467: (They Long To Be) Close to You (The Carpenters, 1970)
The Carpenters' tender music was quite the iconic sound in the early 70s. Whether it was Karen's beautiful alto voice, or the smooth backing from her brother Richard, the Carpenters had themselves a string of hits during this era. And this #1 pop hit has particular significance in our family. That's because during the GTV era, when my Dad made music videos of my brother and I, this was Robert's official baby song. Now, my official baby song will be later on the list (sorry Robert, it's better). But, I still had to give my little brother a shout out!
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