It’s after 5:00 on Friday, time to flip your boss off for the last time (behind his/her back, of course) and go get your drink on. As I slide down the dinosaur’s tail, here’s what I’ll be listening to:
Mr. Jones, Counting Crows: Great Friday kinda song. Also the subject of much debate over what the song is about. Opinions range from it being about Bob Dylan (“I wanna be Bob Dylan”) to, oddly enough, Adam Duritz’s penis. According to Adam, he wrote it about a friend of his, Marty Jones. Whatever the real meaning, it’s a great song.
Say Goodbye, Triumph: The best 3-man band to come out of Canada. Sorry Rush.
Ode To Billy Joe, Tom Scott and the L.A. Express: Originally done by Bobbie Gentry. A great “story” song. I like this version because the sax kicks ass.
Hurricane, Bob Dylan: Who was better at storytelling than Mr. Dylan. As much as I like the song for what it is, I just think it makes Dylan a complete badass for writing and performing a racially motivated song in the mid-seventies. Pretty ballsy.
Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits: I’m a huge Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler fan, and this song is as good as any the band done.
Use Somebody, Kings of Leon: Just to prove I actually listen to songs put out in the last 10 years? No, Kings of Leon are just that good.
Johnny 99, Bruce Sprinsteen: Live version, of course. Unless you’ve seen him perform it live you’ll never appreciate it.
Till It Shines, Bob Seger: Not one of his songs you’ll hear on the radio, but probably one of his best. Stranger in Town would be a greatest hits album for most people. Just another day at the office for Bob, and he looks like Jesus in a leather jacket on the cover, which is pretty cool.
More Than A Feeling, Boston: Far and away my favorite Boston jam. And Brad Delp will hold the title for “Most Creative Suicide” for a long time after that whole charcoal-grill-in-the-bathroom thing.
What Does It Take (To Win Your Love), Junior Walker and the All Stars: Great sax, end of story.
Life In A Northern Town, Sugarland: Originally done by The Dream Academy (that version also on my iPod). Give it a listen, just a good tune.
You, Collective Soul: A lot of good Collective Soul stuff out there that nobody has ever heard. This is actually on their new self-titled album.
There you have it, a dozen songs that will take me part of the long commute home. Hard to believe with all the Springsteen, Jackson Browne and John Mellencamp I have that no more popped up. I am relieved none of the John Denver or Fergie songs came on, ’cause that might have been embarrassing.
