| Kip Addotta – Wet Dream Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| From my perch, there are no funnier sinker-songwriter numbers. | |
| Helen Reddy – Angie Baby Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| I heard this song today for the first time in a long time, and it struck me how much fun the songwriter had with the premise. It's purposely never made clear if the neighbor boy really exists or not. The majority of the evidence ("Lovers' appear in your room each night", "Toward the radio he's bound") points to him being made up by the crazy girl. However, the chorus hits you with "Living in a world of make believe ... well, maybe," which leaves the door open to him being real. And that ambiguity was the songwriter's intent. | |
| Liam Lynch – United States Of Whatever Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| The two best songs by puppets are this sock puppet punk classic and the dreamy "Rainbow Connection" by the most sincere puppet ever, Kermit the Frog. Both are awesome, but they couldn't be further apart musically or lyrically, which just goes to show you can't pigeon-hole puppet...whatever. | |
| Kermit the Frog – Rainbow Connection Lyrics | 2 years ago |
|
Similar to "Last Chance" by Shooting Star, this is a song about faith, dreams, exploration, and taking risks. It's beautifully written and performed. The last verse referencing the sailors hearing a Siren song is somewhat ominous, in that Sirens typically led their followers to disaster. It was an interesting choice to include in the lyrics and adds more weight to the journey - the outcome is not assured. While I ultimately see the song as one of venturing out, it takes on added depth when played at funerals. The lyrics become even more poignant as people grieve and reflect on someday finding the rainbow connection. |
|
| The Stranglers – Peaches Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| This song is so Spinal Tap-esque. | |
| U2 – I Fall Down Lyrics | 2 years ago |
|
Several lines in this song hint to Julie being an addict, particularly this verse: "Julie say something Julie say you're sorry You're gonna get better You better not leave me here anyway" "John" is professing his willingness to stick with her throughout her "falls" and is pleading with her to stay with him and get better as he hurts when she hurts. He explains that he has also fallen down for whatever reason on multiple occasions, so he understands that neither of them are perfect. I really like his "I broke myself" line. He's acknowledging that at times he's fallen short, it was his own fault, and he's presumably learned from it. |
|
| The Jam – Going Underground Lyrics | 3 years ago |
|
There are a handful of lyric lines and verses in all of music that come to mind frequently because they ring true for yet another situation: "Braying sheep on my TV screen Make this boy shout, make this boy scream" This applies to so many situations. And if you expand "TV screen" to include computer screens, even more. |
|
| Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend Lyrics | 3 years ago |
| This seems to be Matthew stuck in the "friend zone" with someone he would rather be dating. I see the girl in question as having just been dumped ("I hear you need somebody to love"). Taken in this context, the last verse could just be Matthew promising not to dump her. | |
| Dead Boys – Sonic Reducer Lyrics | 3 years ago |
|
I always heard the song as: I've got my down machine, got my electronic dream Sonic Reducer, I ain't no loser The word down matches with Reducer, which may be why I hear it that way. This was the song I always turned to in college when times were tough. A great catharsis song. |
|
| The Who – Had Enough Lyrics | 3 years ago |
|
This song resonated with me from the first time I heard it as a kid. It lingered in my head throughout high school as something of a refuge during tough times. It has a great build to the opening line (which Roger screams perfectly). The strings add more tension later in the song. This, I believe, is John Entwistle's greatest song, and I will always be thankful to him (and The Who) for the catharsis I found through this song. This song's role in my life was later supplanted by Sonic Reducer in college and Bullet with Butterfly Wings as a worker bee. |
|
| Dire Straits – Down To The Waterline Lyrics | 3 years ago |
|
This song always takes me back to the giddy days of dating when I was a kid. A couple of lines in particular succinctly capture the scene for so many of those dates: "No money in our jackets, and our jeans are torn Your hands are cold, but your lips are warm." |
|
| The Monkees – Sometime in the Morning Lyrics | 3 years ago |
| The Monkees had some great songwriters writing their material. This song is another solid entry in a long line of catchy pop tunes. Simple, sweet, evocative lyrics, a brilliant melody, and one of Mickey's best singing performances. The most under-rated Monkees song. | |
| Bobby Bare – All American Boy Lyrics | 3 years ago |
| This is a cool, story song inspired by Elvis and is a rockabilly classic. The label mistakenly listed Bill Parsons as the artist. The lyrics are pretty straight-forward, so I wouldn't read much into them. Funny, though, and delivered perfectly. | |
| Rainbow – All Night Long Lyrics | 3 years ago |
| This song is so Spinal Tap-esque. | |
| The Jam – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight Lyrics | 3 years ago |
| All Mod Cons received zero airplay in most all of the U.S. This was a crime, as I rank All Mod Cons as one of my top 5 albums of all-time, and this song is the ultimate album closer. A very poetic lyric about a guy getting beat up set to one of The Jam's best melodies. | |
| The Clash – Complete Control Lyrics | 3 years ago |
|
You can't get much more punk than this song, one of the all-time best. The extra lines Joe throws in add even more to it. One line that maybe I've misheard that is not listed on the sheet above sounds to me like "I don't judge you, why do you judge me?" I hope that's what he's saying, because there are so many times in life when that sentiment applies. |
|
| The Who – Won't Get Fooled Again Lyrics | 4 years ago |
| While a lot of things signaled the end of the 60s style (Beatles breaking up, Joplin/Hendrix/Morrison dying), I've always viewed this song as the official end. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" is a brilliant, cynical punk lyric. The Who never really fit in with the hippies of the 60s, and this song was the perfect counterbalance to Joni Mitchell's overly idealistic "Woodstock". | |
| U2 – Rejoice Lyrics | 4 years ago |
|
The centerpiece of an incredible, highly-underrated album. Inspirational. I can't tell how many times I've said to myself, sung to myself, or written out these lines in my life when I was feeling low: I can't change the world But I can change the world in me If I rejoice. |
|
| Shooting Star – Last Chance Lyrics | 4 years ago |
|
An inspiring combination of melody and lyric. Shooting Star never got the credit they deserved. My ear has never been able to discern one line from this song. Is it: Self respect robbed by self content or Self respect robbed by self contempt Either one seems to fit within the context of the song. |
|
| Electric Light Orchestra – Livin' Thing Lyrics | 5 years ago |
|
I think this song is about finding a new love while still married and feeling guilty about it. The incredible violin intro and the throwaway lines "I'm taking a dive" add tension and depth to this, one of the finest songs in the phenomenal ELO catalog. The verses are his conscience talking directly to himself about the mess he's gotten himself into, "you and your sweet desire" lines refer to the new love, and the livin' thing is his marriage. Lynne did get divorced soon after this was written. |
|
| Tom Petty – You and Me Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| On an album that starts with such bile against the recording industry, it's kind of a surprise when this beautiful little gem appears. Just a straightforward song about the beginning of a committed relationship played against one of the sweetest melodies in the Petty catalog. | |
| Nina Gordon – Tonight And The Rest Of My Life Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| I see the song as Nina's feelings about leaving Veruca Salt and going solo. The first verse sounds like someone who feels exhausted from touring (bright lights in her eyes every night) and being in a band. The rest of the song is her complete joy at being able to chart her own course. And she sings it so beautifully. Incredible vocals. | |
| Death Cab for Cutie – Black Sun Lyrics | 6 years ago |
|
"There is a role of a lifetime And there's a song yet to be sung And there's a dumpster in the driveway Of all the plans that came undone" I appreciate the juxtaposition of Zooey's and Ben's aspirations against the lousy concrete reality of what was actually happening and that they would not share their future achievements together. Very poignant. |
|
| Grateful Dead – Touch Of Grey Lyrics | 7 years ago |
|
I appreciate this song more as each year passes. This song, to me, is about AGING. As you age, various things become more/less important. Used to hate the morning sun waking him up, now doesn't really care. Used to be all about the issues, now supports the issues (every silver lining) but isn't going to lead the fight (has a touch of grey). Looking back on life, a lot of things happen, you meet a lot of different people, and you go through many changes (deltas). But what really matters is that you maintain grace and find love. The problems of the world, both personal (rent in arrears) and public (kid can't read at seventeen) are not as important as grace and love. It's often not until you've aged and have a touch of grey that you realize this. |
|
| America – Sister Golden Hair Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
I've always figured the singer in this song was on tour. Not only could he not get himself to take a day to fly home, he could not even bring himself to write. He feels guilty about both, which just makes it all the more difficult to do either. At the same time, he's kind of hoping she'll somehow make it easier for him to follow-through. In the end, he decides to just write a song about the situation. |
|
| The Who – You Better You Bet Lyrics | 8 years ago |
|
This song, to me, is one of the many songs about a guy who travels a lot for his job and misses his wife/girlfriend. The difference between this song and the others is Townshend's gift for phrases and sincerity. He's just a much, much better songwriter than most. While many of the lyrics (and the music) are kind of bright or happy, the undercurrent of the song is sadness. Of being apart. And it gives the song more depth. Case in point: "I drunk myself blind to the sound of old T.Rex and Who's Next" In the context of the song, this line sounds like Townshend feeling a bit wistful for the early 70s when T.Rex was big and the top-to-bottom Who masterpiece Who's Next had been written and recorded. I may be reading too much into it, but I've often wondered if Townshend was actually lamenting the fact he hadn't written anything he thought was better than Who's Next. |
|
| Traffic – Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys Lyrics | 10 years ago |
|
"And the man in the suit has just bought a new car From the profit he's made on your dreams" This is one of the most spot-on, sad, cynical, enlightened, and smart realizations ever documented in a song. I don't know what specifically Winwood was referring to, but you can apply this sentiment to so many situations. |
|
| Electric Light Orchestra – Ticket to the Moon Lyrics | 10 years ago |
|
I think this song is about going back on tour. The last time ELO had toured when this song was written was back in 1978, in what looked like a huge spaceship for a stage. With the release of Time, ELO would once again have to return to the road, and Jeff Lynne was never a fan of touring. He was also newly remarried with a baby daughter at the time. "Ticket to the Moon", I believe, represents an upcoming, unwelcome trip back to the road and the stage. |
|
| Aerosmith – Janie's Got A Gun Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I agree with [missbekka] and Fortification about the way the music complements the lyrics. This is a great song, probably Aerosmith's best. The verses feature a narrator explaining what has happened and why. I've always felt the chorus ("Run away from the pain") with Tyler's tortured, pleading voice represented what was going on in Janie's mind most of her life. She wasn't thinking it only during the abuse or killing described in the verses, but it was a constant thought throughout her life. I really admire the way Tyler was able to pull so much emotion and meaning out of five simple words. |
|
| Blue Öyster Cult – Don't Fear The Reaper Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
One aspect of this song that leads to what I think is the song's true meaning has not been discussed - the solo. Here's how I see the song: 1. The first two verses find the narrator trying to talk his lover into committing double-suicide. 2. The solo kicks in. First, there are the quiet, tense, repeating notes as though the two are nervously wondering if they're really going to do it. Then, there's a huge, loud, sudden crash of violence ... the narrator has killed himself. 3. The final verse features the narrator (from beyond) STILL trying to talk his lover into committing suicide. And she does. Sorry, Buck, but the words AND the music ring truer than your post-release, lawsuit-dissuading comments ("Suicide? No, no, no. The song is a LOVE song. Certainly, no one would contemplate suicide upon listening to this silly love song"). C'mon, admit it, Buck. Regardless, this is one of the greatest songs ever written. |
|
| Dire Straits – Industrial Disease Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I agree with logomachon's interpretation completely. Well said. The only thing I would add is that this is one of the most clever songs in rock. | |
| Rainbow – Can't Happen Here Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
A great song - one of Rainbow's lyrical high points. With technology, industry, over-population, pollution, and the arms race all running at full speed (and seemingly out of control), it looked like the end of the world was at hand. Rainbow (Roger Glover specifically, I believe) commented on this situation. The frenetic verses lay out his case with the choruses presenting the defense. The final line of the song undercuts the defense wonderfully and simply - "Can it?". I appreciate the rhythmic quality of the lines in this song, the cool rhyming scheme, and the words themselves. This is a smart and very underrated song. |
|
| Dramarama – Senseless Fun Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| The desperation in Easdale's voice and lyric with this song is gut-wrenching. The song seems to be about Dramarama's failure to hit it big and that with each album/CD release, hopes were raised then dashed. A great, great song. | |
| David Gilmour – Murder Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I always thought this song was directed at Roger Waters. That Waters had metaphorically killed Pink Floyd, and Gilmour was striking back. Regardless, this song has one of the greatest couplets in rock: "Did you get rid of the voices in your head? Do you now miss them and the things that they said?" |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.