Scrivener's Friday 5 - La La La La La - Music

From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog:
"Long-time (and even short-time) participants in the Friday 5 pretty much know that my two favorite topics to ask questions about are food and music. And I’ve had a pretty good music-filled week, so here are five questions inspired by that."

1.What’s your favorite song about a specific city?

Gosh there are plenty of city songs that i like. Here are 10 of them.

1. Honolulu City Lights - Keola and Kapono Beamer + the remake by The Carpenters. The song captures the essence of wanting to go back home to Honolulu.

2. City of the Angels - This song by Journey is my favorite for LAX.

3. The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace - always loved this fictional account of gangsters and Al Capone. The record went to #1 in 1974. The song could also fit in question #2.

4. Honey's Tune (Hilo's Such A Rainy Old Town) - by Olomana - This song just feels "so Hilo" especially about the rain. You got to have lived there or been on the Big Island of Hawaii to know what I mean.

5. El Paso - Marty Robbins - one of the best story songs ever, this is like an audio movie rolled into 5 minutes. From back in the days of real country music.

6. Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John - a great, uptempo dance song about a tennis team from Philly. Great arrangement and orchestration. #1 in 1975.

7. Echo Valley 2-6809 - The Partridge Family - One of the best songs on PF's Sound Magazine.

8. San Francisco - Scott McKenzie  - hippie song from 1967. "Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair".

9. London's Calling - The Clash for when you're angry.

10. Summer Night City - A Euro-pop song by ABBA from 1979. Location is probably fictitious or wherever there is a hot disco.

2. What’s your favorite song about a real, historical figure?

1. Candle in the Wind by Elton John (1973 - Marilyn Monroe) - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 1973 Live in Australia - 1987
2. James K. Polk - They Might Be Giants (1990 on Istanbul Not Constantinople CD single)
3. Hey Jude - The Beatles (Julian Lennon, 1968 - he's not historical but he is part of Beatles history)
4. I'm Henry the 8th I Am - Herman's Hermits (1965) - Fun from when I was a kid.

3. What are your favorite song and favorite group (or solo artist) from the classic Motown era?

Way to much to list just one.

1. My Girl - The Temptations (1965)
2. Superstition - Stevie Wonder (1972)
3. Love Child - Diana Ross & the Supremes (1968)
4. Get Ready - Rare Earth (1970)
5. I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye (1968)
6. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder (1974)
7. Reach Out (I'll Be There) - The Four Tops (1966)
8. Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1969)
9. Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1970)
10. War - Edwin Starr (1970)

I would like to include "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips but this was released in 1973 on Buddah Records after they left Motown.

Favorite artist - Stevie Wonder (especially after he took creative control of his music in 1970).

Favorite group - Rare Earth (they were on a Motown imprint from 1969 to 1974)

Today Motown is just part of Universal Music and not its own label anymore.

4. What’s your favorite song by a musician (or band) you really dislike?

"The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem - definitely not a fan, but the song is ok.

5. What’s your favorite song with the word “song” in its title?

1. Song on the Radio - Al Stewart (1978) from Time Passages
2. Look What They've Done to My Song Ma - Melaine or The New Seekers (early 1970s)
3. Songs From the Wood - Jethro Tull (1978)
4. This Song - George Harrison (1976) - about being sued for My Sweet Lord.
5. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole "chestnuts roasting on an open fire...."

Song Stuff - From Scrivener's Friday 5 Blog

I answered these questions on my Friday 5 Answers blog. Since they were music related, they can also be cross-posted to this music blog, which makes this I believe, the first new entry for 2015.

The questions come from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog. People respond and post answers on their own blogs.

1. What’s a song that reminds you of your parents?

I wasn't at their wedding, but I think "The Hawaiian Wedding Song" was featured then.... way back in 1955. My Dad liked jazz music, big band... Lawerence Welk stuff. He also liked Hawaiian music, Arthur Lyman, Don Ho, The Four Amigoes and even some songs by Elvis Presley.

My Mom was mostly into country music and Hawaiian. However I remember her teaching us "The Twist" by Chubby Checker, "The Bunny Hop" and "Hokey Pokey" when we were kids.

In a nutshell, no one song reminds me of my parents but instead several of them.

2. What’s a song that makes you think of food?



"Junk Food Junkie" by Larry Groce from 1976... "in the daytime I'm Mr. Natural, just as healthy as I can be... in the night time I'm a junk food junkie, good Lord have mercy on me!"

3. What’s a memorable song from a movie soundtrack?

Theme from "Star Wars" - Song is so good that it is used to start all 6 movies so far. My top 10 movie soundtrack songs:



1. Star Wars - John Williams / London Symphony Orchestra
2. Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees (Saturday Night Fever)
3. Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland (The Wizard of Oz)
4. A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles (A Hard Days Night)
5. Theme From "Jaws" - John Williams / London Symphony (Jaws)
6. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) - Strauss / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
7. Lara's Theme / Somewhere My Love - Maurice Jarre (Dr. Zhivago)
8. Grease - Franki Valli (Grease)
9. Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky") - Bill Conti
10. Theme from the "Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" - Ennio Morricone / Hugo Montenegro

There are many more.

4. What was your favorite song from 2014?



"My Silver Lining" by First Aid Kit got the most plays last year on my iTunes and iPods. I really liked that song. Haven't compiled my list of Top 100 songs of 2014 yet.


5. What are your favorite songs for when you’re behind the wheel?

1. Deadman's Curve - Jan & Dean
2. Behind the Wheel / Route 66 medley - Depeche Mode
3. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
4. Breaking Into Cars - The Raveonettes
5. Love in a Trashcan - The Raveonettes
6. Slow Ride - Foghat
7. Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood & the Destroyers
8. Suzy & Jeffrey - Blondie
9. The Crunge - Led Zeppelin
10. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival