Setlist Society

This week we've got another guest list, this time from good friend and travel companion Lauren. Here's the list, check for explanations in the notes.

1. "Redemption Song" from Uprising by Bob Marley & The Wailers
2. "Police and Thieves" from Police and Thieves by Junior Murvin
3. "The Guns of Brixton" from London Calling by The Clash
4. "Alternative Ulster" from Alternative Ulster - Single by Stiff Little Fingers
5. "Kill the Poor" from Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys
6. "Dissident" from Vs. by Pearl Jam
7. "Teen Age Riot" from Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth
8. "The Eraser" from The Eraser by Thom Yorke
9. "Y Control" from Fever to Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. "Bad Kids" from Good Bad Not Evil by Black Lips
11. "Fight for Your Right" from Licensed to Ill by The Beastie Boys
12. "Five Corporations" from End Hits by Fugazi
13. "Rip it Up" by Elvis Presley
14. "Ladies Love Outlaws" from Ladies Love Outlaws by Waylon Jennings
15. "Killing Floor" from The Real Folk Blues by Howlin' Wolf
16. "Lucifer" from The Black Album by Jay-Z
17. "I Shall Be Released" from To Love Somebody by Nina Simone
    

This week I decided to go easy on the ordering and just put them in (mostly) chronological order. Maybe that will be interesting. Here's the list:

1. "Original Faubus Fables" from Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus by Charles Mingus
2. "Let's Get Together" from The Parent Trap by Hayley Mills
3. "Blowin' In The Wind" from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan
4. "Like a Rolling Stone" from Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
5. "Taxman" from Revolver by The Beatles
6. "Fortunate Son" from Willy and the Poor Boys by Creedence Clearwater Revival
7. "Volunteers" from Volunteers by Jefferson Airplane
8. "Compared to What" from Swiss Movement by Les McCann & Eddie Harris
9. "What's Going On" from What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
10. "Think About It" from Flight of the Conchords by Flight of the Conchords
11. "Live and Let Die" from Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney & Wings
12. "Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)" from Good Old Boys by Randy Newman
13. "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" from Rocket to Russia by The Ramones
14. "Bad Reputation" from Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
15. "Love is All Around" from Greatest Hits by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
16. "What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes" from Impeach the Precedent by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
17. "Ewok Celebration/Finale" from Return of the Jedi by John Williams

Ok, a few notes. First off, you get the version of Faubus with the lyrics that Columbia wouldn't let Mingus use. I know you have to listen to it twice, but it's a good track. It's a little known fact that the next track is an anti-cold war protest song hidden inside of a Disney movie. Think about it. #4 is my choice for Electric Dylan sticking it to the masses at Newport, among other things. #9 and #10 are a kind of parodic call and response, and one of two places where music appears out of chronology. #11 challenges the societal notion that we should live and let live, which also happens to be an excellent intro to one of my least favorite Bond flicks. I like #15 because I think it works on a couple of levels - it's both Punk and speaks to feminine empowerment (though I'm a man, so what would I know?). And finally, we've got a track that both celebrates the Rebellion's victory over the evil Man that is the Empire, and should be the anthem of those of us who want proper versions of a trilogy that we love. Enjoy. I hope I haven't inflicted too much of my strange humor on you this week.

Most of these songs tie into the stick-it-to-the-man theme in obvious ways (the Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa selections, for example), some are a a little less in-your-face (Coldplay, Monsters of Folk), and a few need a note of explanation. I've included "Back in the USSR" because here the Beatles are simultaneously paying tribute to Chuck Berry (who stuck it to the man in his own ways), parodying The Beach Boys, and supporting Russia (some say "Back in the USSR" could be taken as "Backin' the USSR," a la the 1968 campaign"I'm Backing Britain"). You gotta love the White Album. Like when they make fun of Bob Dylan's speaking/singing/mumbling habit in "Rocky Raccoon"--the guy changed folk by plugging in his guitar and introduced the Beatles to pot and still they are willing to poke fun at him on an album, he who was pretty dang good at stickin' it to the man himself? That's gutsy. And funny. But I digress. I put "Revolution 1" on here instead of "Revolution 9" for one reason:

For this week's theme I selected a variety of songs that stick it to The Man in as many various ways possible: socially, culturally, and of course politically:

1. "They" from Finally Woken by Jem
2. "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" from We Gotta Get Out of This Place [single] by The Animals
3. "Gold Watch Blues" from What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid by Donovan
4. "Power to the People" from Power to the People [single] by John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band
5. "Let Me Be" from You Baby / Let Me Be [single] by The Turtles
6. "Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock" from The Graduate by MC Lars
7. "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" from Motorcade of Generosity by Cake
8. "Pop Lie" from The Stand Ins by Okkervil River
9. "Proud" from The Bruce Lee Band by The Bruce Lee Band
10. "I Should Be Allowed to Think" from John Henry by They Might Be Giants
11. "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" from Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly
12. "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)" from Indian Reservation by Paul Revere and the Raiders
13. "Fables of Faubus" from Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
14. "For What It's Worth" from Buffalo Springfield by Buffalo Springfield
15. "A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission)" from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel
16. "Talking World War III Blues" from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan
17. "99 Luftballons" from 99 Luftballons by Nena
18. "Zombie" from No Need to Argue by The Cranberries
19. "Prevenge" from The Spine by They Might Be Giants
20. "7 O'Clock News / Silent Night" from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel
21. "Blowin' in the Wind" from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan
    

The setlist opens with "They," generally suspicious of the vague and shadowy authorities that dominate the sundry aspects of our lives. 2-5 stick it to The Man socially, transitioning with track 6 into a more culturally-specific protest. 7-9 continue that cultural sticking with music-industry specific jabs. Track 10 refers to music and culture, but also provides a nice segue into the section on government--any song that starts out by quoting Allen Ginsburg has to have some anti-government angst in it.

The government section of the playlist comprises the rest, but is divided into two specific themes. 11-13 deal with the oppression of ethnic groups. Track 14 marks the beginning of the war section, which comprises the rest of the list, even though the song was actually inspired by clashes between unrestful youths and police in L.A. But For What It's Worth has long been used as a reminder of the anti-Vietnam protest songs, demonstrated here by Simon & Garfunkel. After that you have a couple of songs expressing trepidation at the potential for nuclear holocaust, a track by an angry Irish woman who doesn't like war in general, and a song that is almost certainly about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Wrap it up with two classics, one an ironic Christmas carol recorded in 1966, and one that offers a vague answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything.

I assumed the worst when Christina suggested a list to cope with a terrible day, week, whatever. And the worst means that there will be a few stages of coping.

First comes the need to drown out sorrow with hard-hitting riffs and licks. A little build-up at first, perhaps, but then it's drive, drive, drive. The hard-hitting sounds get more and more jaded in their lyrics, until...

Stage two completes the journey from hard-hitting sounds to hard-hitting lyrics. It's the blue phase of coping. Life is hard. I kind of feel like whining. I need a hole to just hide in. But this too shall pass into...

Stage three brings me up out of my hole and reminds me that there are lovely things that still soothe the soul. It ends with some resolve that I should go ahead and plan on getting out of bed tomorrow and try to be optimistic. Who doesn't want to feel good after going through all that?

1. "The President's Dead" from The President's Dead [single] by Okkervil River
2. "Dope Nose" from Maladriot by Weezer
3. "Flathead" from Flathead [EP] by The Fratellis
4. "Rumble in Brighton" from Guitar Slinger by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
5. "Everything Went Numb" from Everything Goes Numb by Streetlight Manifesto
6. "Scott Farcas Takes It on the Chin" from Hello Rockview by Less Than Jake
7. "Cabrón" from By the Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers
8. "The Likes of You Again" from Swagger by Flogging Molly
9. "My Friends Over You" from Sticks and Stones by A New Found Glory
10. "Five Long Years" from From the Cradle by Eric Clapton
11. "Kiss with a Fist" from Lungs by Florence and the Machines
12. "The Modern Leper" from The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit
13. "Mean Old World" from The Blues [Disc 1] by Eric Clapton
14. "The Pharaohs" from Middle Cyclone by Neko Case
15. "Dig Me a Hole" from Fireproof by Dawn Landes
16. "Horses on the Range" from Citsuca by Timmy Curran
17. "Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King soundtrack by Howard Shore with Annie Lennox
18. "Sweetness Follows" from Automatic for the People by R.E.M.
19. "3. Saturday Night Waltz" from Rodeo by Aaron Copland
20. "Pick Yourself Up" from When I Look in Your Eyes by Diana Krall
21. "Bright Spring Morning" from Rump Shaker by Suburban Legends

In perhaps an all-too-perfect followup to Christina's guest appearance, this week's theme is "Sticking It to the Man!" Pick the songs in your playlist that best exemplify this concept, whether through lyrics, historical context, musical style... as long as you can justify how it fits the theme, it works.

After a series of weeks of frustration, disappointment, stress, heartache and sadness, things are finally looking up. Ahhhhh. Thank goodness. Thanks, specifically, to the music I turned to for a little symphonic soothing. While a hellish week might suggest angry chick rock to one and mopey emo tunes to another, as a musical panacea for all that ails me this go 'round, I've really craved a gradual progression from beautifully melancholy to happily peppy songs. Follow my progression thusly, won't you?

1. "Both Sides Now" from Hits by Joni Mitchell - If you've ever seen "Love Actually", you will also remember the scene where Emma Thompson listens to this song alone in her bedroom after realizing that her husband is cheating on her. Thompson's heartbreaking performance coupled w/ Joni's mournful song...well, if you haven't seen it, it says it all.
2. "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops" from Strict Joy (Deluxe Edition) by The Swell Season (originally written/performed by The Frames) - I just love the last 2 lines - "There's a bad bone inside of me. All my troubles started there." The lyrics of this entire song are perfect, actually. I've definitely had this one on repeat in the last few weeks. I love you, Glen.
3. "Hallelujah" from Grace (Legacy Edition) by Jeff Buckley - Heartbreaking, slow, and beautiful. Amen.
4. "Fake Plastic Trees" from The Bends by Radiohead - This song has always made me kind of weep inside. Perfect for the days when you're feeling like weeping on the outside too.
5. "Breakable" from Girls and Boys by Ingrid Michaelson - Picking up tempo here. Simple lyrics, but easily very relatable. And sometimes I feel like a breakable girl.
6. "Way I Am" from The American by Martin Sexton - Progressing into the feel good section here. Martin's voice does things for me that penicillin never will.
7. "The Flower Duet" from Lakme by Leo Delibes - Mmmmm. Close your eyes and listen to this one. I actually can't listen to this duet without involuntarily closing my eyes.
8. "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini - Transportation to a beautiful place...probably Italy. This may or may not have something to do w/ the movie "A Room With A View".
9. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from Alone in IZ World by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - No matter how many times you've heard this one, tell me it doesn't make you smile.
10. "Sweet Disposition" from (500) Days of Summer Soundtrack by Temper Trap - The opening of this song forces my eyes closed and utterly transports me. As silly as it might sound, it makes me feel like I'm floating. I love that.
11. "This Too Shall Pass" from Of the Blue Colour of the Sky by OkGo - Because every so often we need full, orchestral reminders that this too SHALL pass! Also, if you've never seen the most recent video for this song...it is pure genius and will add another smile to your face.
12. "Little Secrets" from Manners by Passion Pit - Just a few weeks ago when I was having a really rotten day, a friend shared this one with me and it instantly made me smile from the inside out...and may have poured out of my eyes a little bit.
13. "Bohemian Rhapsody" from Classic Queen by Queen - Entering the "sing along as loud as you can" section! I dare you to try NOT to sing along!
14. "Island in the Sun" from Weezer [Green Album] by Weezer - I thought of including any number of other Weezer songs, but I just really loved the feeling of being on a holiday. Go ahead. Take a musical holiday from your problems for 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
15. "Lollipop" from Life in Cartoon Motion by Mika - Jared, thanks for reminding me of this song. I love it and I love Mika's infectious peppiness. Also, this has some pretty apt lyrics.
    
16. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" from Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend - VW never fails to infuse me with some much needed pep and feelgoodery. I could have included Paul Simon, because he often has the same effect, but I thought I'd give VW a shout out.
17. "Diner" from Black Sheep by Martin Sexton - Because Martin is just too good NOT to include twice. And doesn't this happy little ditty make you start moving in your chair or beating your knee/desk along w/ the beat?
18. "Chelsea Morning" from Hits by Joni Mitchell - The worst is over and you can wake up to your own Chelsea Morning. Who doesn't want to feel the sun pour in like butterscotch and stick to all your senses? Mmmm. Thank you, Joni, for being able to express my melancholy and my happiness!
19. "Here Comes the Sun" from Abbey Road by The Beatles - Cue The Beatles. Joni asked for the sun and here it comes.

Are you smiling yet? You should be.