"THE MOTION OF LOVE" GENE LOVES JEZEBEL (1987)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

There are more than a handful of songs that are truly representative of the 80s. These tracks sound like the 80’s. They celebrate the 80’s. And they remind us of the decade so many of us love maybe just a little too much. A-ha’s “Take On Me". Huey Lewis & The News’ “The Power of Love”. Dires Straits’ “Money For Nothing”. The list goes on. There are many obvious contenders. And the little known new wave gem “The Motion of Love” by Gene Loves Jezebel might be right up there.

Those who tuned in to Long Island’s WDRE in the late 80’s will remember the song. Every time I heard it, I had to turn it up. In the chorus, the whole band joins in. The melody was crafted to invite the listener to sing along, too. The instrumentation is textbook 80’s new wave with pulsing guitar riffs and shimmery synth hooks. The most distinctive aspect of the song are the yelps that accompany the lead vocals throughout the song. There’s nothing quite like it in pop music, but somehow they sound the way the 80’s should sound. Music aside, Gene Loves Jezebel also had the look to match – like poster boys with one foot in the glam rock world and the other in a new wave universe.

“Pretty angel You've got a rhythm that's blue.”

"STILL OF THE NIGHT" WHITESNAKE (1987)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

In high. school, a friend lent me his Whitesnake cassette. Glam metal generally isn’t my cup of tea, but let’s just say, when Poison, Def Leppard or Whitesnake was playing on the radio, I didn’t necessarily switch the dial. Still, that Whitesnake album exceeded my expectations. So much so that I bought my own cassette and a t-shirt to match. Everyone from that era probably remembers “Here I Go Again” and the power ballad “Is This Love?”. But the song to know is an epic banger called “Still of the Night”.

If you’re going to listen to one Whitesnake song in your lifetime, make sure it’s this one. The tendency with glam metal songs is to assume a certain simplicity of the output, that the songs are all running at one single speed: hard and fast. But “Still of the Night” has three distinct movements. The hard & fast formula still applies. But there’s a great epic mid-tempo section outro starting at the 3:55 mark. And the magnus opus within a magnus opus starts at the 2:10 mark where the song downshifts into a mesmerizing performance led by John Syke’s electric guitar played with a violin bow. Coverdale wrote an exceptional song, and proved he’s far more than just a stereotypical glam metal frontman. Hands down, “Still of the Night” breaks stereotypes and is one of the greatest hard rockers of the 80’s.

“In the shadow of night I see the full moon rise telling me what's in store.”

"A NIGHT LIKE THIS" THE CURE (1985)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

In my opinion, this is where the golden age of The Cure began. A string of early albums (Seventeen Seconds, Faith, Pornography) had exceptional moments. But The Head on the Door is where it all came together. The sound was full, now featuring a quintet: Robert Smith who wrote all the songs, Lol Tolhurst on keys, Porl Thompson as a multi-instrumentalist, Simon Gallup laying down the bass lines and Boris Williams on drums. The album is tight from start to finish – and one of the standouts appears midway through Side B: “A Night Like This”.

Probably one of my all-time favorite Cure jams, “A Night Like This” is a prime example of the band’s expertise in musical layering, where each instrumentalist finds his own unique territory and no one is stepping into another’s territory. Yet, the power of The Cure is that the songs are so incredibly cohesive. The layers all come together. In this Head On the Door classic, Tolhurst’s iconic chords on the keys fade in first and luring us in. Smith and Porl spin these gorgeous, intricate webs on their guitars. These riffs are the bedrock of the song, not the rhythm section, which becomes the most prominent aspect of the track. Gallup’s bass lines are perhaps the most memorable aspect of the song, and Williams matches Gallup’s heavy imprint on the drum set. On the studio version, session contributor Ron Howe blasts out a sax solo for the ages. One of the most epic concerts I’ve ever been to was The Cure at MSG in 2016 – “A Night Like This” sounded as sharp and relevant as it was 30 years prior.

“Say goodbye on a night like this if it's the last thing we ever do.”

"THE MORNING FOG" KATE BUSH (1985)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

In stark contrast to the U.K., the U.S. has always been slower to adopt alternative and progressive forms of music on any real mass scale. Alternative has been just that – the alternative. And progressive forms have been even more niche. It’s why Kate Bush is such an underrated talent here in the States, even though she was quite famous in the U.K. Critics have suggested that Bush would’ve been more successful had she made her appearance ten years later during the Lilith Fair years – among the very artists she inspired. And maybe that’s the greatest compliment we can give Kate Bush. That she was so far ahead of her time, paving the way, even if we didn’t understand the road she was creating until we looked back at it many years later. That’s the feeling I get when I hear the Hounds of Love album and its closing track, “The Morning Fog”.

“Cloudbusting” and “Running Up That Hill” are two of my other favorite tracks from the same album. But, even in the States, these songs got some due respect on college rock stations. But in this country, “The Morning Fog” flew completely under the radar. One of Bush’s more melodic tracks, the song contained pop expressions that manifested in un-pop instrumentation like classical guitar and a Slovakian flute known as the fujara. There’s a beauty and a sophistication to the way Bush strings together different sounds. But instruments aside, it’s the way that she sings that makes her so unique and distinct. She sings like an actress on a stage who’s capable of expressing a wide range of emotions.

“I am falling like a stone, like a storm. Being born again into the sweet morning fog.”

"USED CARS" BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (1982)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

Boy was I late to the Nebraska party. I’ve never been a huge Springsteen fan even though Born in the U.S.A. was my first album purchase ever. I didn’t like it much. Too much Heartland when I was all about Brit pop at the time. A couple of decades later I finally discovered an album that preceded it. Nebraska is raw heartland rock. Free of the bells and whistles that production-heavy albums often get mired in. It was all about the songs on this one. “Atlantic City” is one of my favorite recordings of all time. But not far behind it is the first track on Side B, “Used Cars”.

No E Street band. No session instrumentalists. No backing vocals. Just the Boss. On “Used Cars”, Bruce sings, plays guitar and creates these gorgeous moments on the harmonica. Like a classic used car, the track is no frills and unassuming. Without the immediate intrigue and weight that some of the other Nebraska tracks carry (“Atlantic City”, “Johnny 99”, “Highway Patrolman”), “Used Cars” relied on maybe the most important attribute of a song: powerful storytelling.

“Now mister, the day my number comes in I ain't ever gonna ride in no used car again.”

"GET UP" R.E.M. (1988)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

Green isn’t the prototypical R.E.M. album. Coming off of Document, one of my all-time favorite records from the band, Green felt a bit disjointed and uncharacteristic. But some of my favorite R.E.M. songs hail from this album. “Orange Crush”, “Turn You Inside-Out” and “You Are the Everything”. The album also included the band’s first big mainstream hit in the States with “Stand”. Green showed that R.E.M. was still evolving, still experimenting, but still staying true to who they are as a band. “Get Up” is an undisputed case in point.

The song sorta sounds like an R.E.M. song, but it also sorta doesn’t. It plays that pivotal role of being Track 2, where its continued momentum coming off Track 1 is mission critical. “Get Up” begins like it’s missing a few opening bars and is already midway through an intro. That unique character continues with the song composition, where verses sound like choruses and the chorus sounds like a verse. The song’s title is sung out loud incessantly in rounds. The dreamlike state mid-slumber is brought to life by what sounds like wind chimes. This was a song Michael Stipe wrote about bandmate Mike Mills, who was sleeping in and having trouble arriving at work on time during the album’s recording. Mills didn’t even know it was about him until nearly ten years later. Can’t help but wonder how many R.E.M. fans thought it was a song about themselves.

“Dreams, they complicate my life.”

"LAND OF CONFUSION" GENESIS (1986)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

I featured my first Genesis song on Mental Jukebox last month: “Follow You Follow Me”. And now I’m back at it almost immediately. There’s something truly sensorial about many 80’s songs. Unlike music from decades prior, we didn’t just hear them, we saw them. MTV and VH-1 transformed the musical landscape with unforgettable images, and enabled a generation to push past the predictable pop stuff and venture out a bit. When we hear songs like “Money For Nothing”, “Simply Irresistible” and “Take On Me”, we immediately recall the images that brought the music to life. Another such example hails from the powerhouse Genesis album Invisible Touch. A banger of a song called “Land of Confusion”.

A lot has been said of the song’s video that uses puppets as caricatures of world leaders and of the band members themselves. The video won a Grammy, but, in my opinion, this accolade undercuts what a great song “Land of Confusion” is in and of itself. It’s a sign of the times. It’s less of a political statement - and more of a cry for humanity. Written by Mike Rutherford, the lyrics were gold, lamenting the disillusionment of the Reagan/Gorbachev era. But the best part of the song was the instrumentation. It starts with that iconic muscular guitar riff by Rutherford, features equally muscular drumming by Collins, and finishes off with Banks’ arpeggios on the keys that are truly emblematic of the times. “Land of Confusion” is a perfect song to kick things off with this month on Mental Jukebox.

“There's too many men, too many people making too many problems.”

"LET'S STAY TOGETHER" AL GREEN (1972)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Many of the greatest movies of all time often have great music attached to them. But great music from the opening credits to the end credits, well, that’s a rare commodity. Pulp Fiction carries the noteworthy distinction of being one of the great films as well as one of the great soundtracks of all time. You can’t pick just one song, every single one of them is exceptional. “Let’s Stay Together” is probably one of four marquee tracks on the album, along with “Jungle Boogie”, “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Bustin Surfboards”.

What makes the Al Green song so special? I think it’s this. There are few songs in the history of music that capture the essence of their era so well while also demonstrating a timeless staying power. “Let’s Stay Together” is one of them. It is unapologetically 70’s to the bone. Like a time capsule of the era. But this classic has also aged beautifully. Pulp Fiction proved it. The horn section beckons us in the intro, but from there it’s all Al. It’s a gift to the world. Without exaggeration, one of music’s greatest vocal performances with Green’s natural vocal range and falsetto maneuvers so naturally entwined.

“Whatever you want to do is alright with me.”

"FOLLOW YOU FOLLOW ME" GENESIS (1978)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

The departure of Peter Gabriel from Genesis was a significant turning point in the band’s history. Both Gabriel and the continuing members have even wrote about the split in their music. “Solsbury Hill” is a reflection on Gabriel’s bittersweet departure the band, and the name of the Genesis album following his exit is …And Then There Were Three…. While the original Genesis lineup was a huge prog rock force to be reckoned with, I love Peter Gabriel’s solo work and the new era of Genesis much more. I understand the intent was to really push the progressive limits of the music, but, in my opinion, the original lineup took it too far. I can name at least 30 Peter Gabriel solo songs and at least 20 new-era Genesis tracks that I like much more than “Carpet Crawlers”. By narrowing down to three members, I think Genesis’ sound was simplified for the better, starting with the classic anthem and musical turning point “Follow You Follow Me”.

For me, the big change on the album was the flow of the music. It felt much more natural, less forced. An actual verse-chorus structure developed by Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. And get this, the song was based in reality. It was a song of romance, not of mythic creatures and fairy tales. The realness of “Follow You Follow Me” was refreshing and relatable. Prog rock purists may scoff at it. But, at the same time, it wasn’t like the song was void of all progressive tendencies. The instrumentation, in particular, still held on to a musicality that pushed boundaries especially with Tony Banks on keys.

“I will stay with you will you stay with me. Just one single tear in each passing year there will be.”

"ROCK AND ROLL" THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (1970)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Producer Brian Eno famously said this: “The Velvet Underground didn’t sell many records, but everyone who bought one went out and started a band.” The quote speaks to the pure love of the music that the band had. Lou Reed himself once said this about music: “If I hadn't heard rock and roll on the radio, I would have had no idea there was life on this planet. Which would have been devastating - to think that everything, everywhere was like it was where I come from. That would have been profoundly discouraging. Movies didn't do it for me. TV didn't do it for me. It was the radio that did it." It’s the sentiment behind “Rock and Roll”. That song was about him.

“Rock and Roll” is Lou Reed wearing his rabid love for music on his sleeve. A passion I’ve always identified with – that undying obsession to music. No other creative expression or pursuit compares. This was the b-side to “Sweet Jane”, which is a spectacular song in itself. But I think those two songs could’ve easily swapped sides with each other without anyone blinking an eye. “Rock and Roll” was on that level. It had this unexpected chord progression to it which was driving the song from the start, while Reed’s howling falsetto turned in one of the band’s finest vocal moments. It’s one of my all-time favorite Velvet Underground songs.

“There was nothin' goin' down at all, not at all. Then one fine morning, she puts on a New York station. You know, she don't believe what she heard at all. She started shaking to that fine, fine music. You know, her life was saved by rock and roll.”

"BOOGIE SHOES" KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (1975)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Few soundtracks defined the decade better than Saturday Night Fever. It’s like a musical encyclopedia of the 70s. Every single track is a cultural icon, from the heavy dose of the Bee Gees (“Stayin’ Alive”, “More Than A Woman” and “Night Fever”) to Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You” to The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno” to Walter Murhpy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven”. More than halfway through, the album gets interesting with a song that’s not just pure disco: “Boogie Shoes”.

KC & The Sunshine Band released the song three years before the soundtrack. But back then, it was just a b-side. Saturday Night Fever really helped put “Boogie Shoes” on the map. Trumpets and saxophones adorn this fun, two-minute song. Those horn arrangements are legendary. “Boogie Shoes” has a little disco heart. and a lot of funk mixed in there as well. What makes the song less expected, however, is that these other genres make these sneaky entrances through the back door of the song, including elements of doo-wop and rockabilly. There’s simply nothing else like it.

“I want to put on my my my my my boogie shoes.”

"THE KNACK" SQUEEZE (1979)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Squeeze is generally hailed as an underrated rock band. An outfit that deserves more attention that it has received from critics and fans. The songwriting partnership of Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook has netted a catalog that’s big on melody, often on the cheery side of things. While “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)” and “Tempted” are classics in my book, the band is generally not my cup of tea. But there’s one lesser-known track off of Cool For Cats that is very un-Squeeze-like, and maybe my favorite track of theirs: “The Knack”.

The melody on “The Knack” is less neat and defined unlike most Squeeze songs. It’s hard to even decipher which notes are being sung. I think it’s why I like it so much. “The Knack” is less on the nose. It’s also less cheery, almost sinister, lying comfortably on the darker side of new wave. The most iconic elements of the song are the skittish keyboard hook and the rhythm section that features a punchy bass line that gets out in space. Cool For Cats is often remembered for the title track and “Up the Junction”, but halfway through the album one can find a song that defies expectations.

“Waffle in a Guinness. Tied between the bars. Fifty fifty chances. Bulletproof all cars.”

"THE BED'S TOO BIG WITHOUT YOU" THE POLICE (1979)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

The Police are that unique breed of rock that we can look back at and affirm one thing: no one else was doing what they were doing at the level in which they were doing it. There are countless bands that merged rock with punk. Many others who merged rock with new wave. But no other relevant band did what they did with rock and reggae so seamlessly. The sound is invigorating and has a very improvisational feel even in its calculated nature. One of the more pronounced examples of this is the eighth track off Regatta De Blanc: “The Bed’s Too Big Without You”.

It’s a song about a former girlfriend of Sting’s. It’s a song of loneliness and remorse. It’s not an unusual topic for a rock song, but it’s a lament told on a bed of reggae rock, a genre that The Police seemed to be defining almost overnight. There’s nothing else like it. Over the course of the band’s career, Sting’s most obvious contributions have been his songwriting abilities and his soaring tenor vocals. But critics have said his bass playing is a bit lacking, almost pedestrian. Well, that’s simply not the case with “The Bed’s Too Big Without You”. The song puts the bass playing at the forefront. The bass line cascades downward along with Sting’s waning spirit. Just maybe you might feel a little bit of what Sting was feeling when he wrote the song.

“Living on my own was the least of my fears.”

"THE BOXER" SIMON & GARFUNKEL (1970)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Bridge Over Troubled Water is the final studio album from Simon & Garfunkel, an album so good it prompts the listener to greedily beg for more. Simon carried the songwriting duties, but the harmonies are just as much a part of those songs as the melodies. The album spawned iconic songs that have made an indelible impact on the musical landscape: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” which features Art Garfunkel on lead vocals, “Cecilia” which has a persona driven mostly by its memorable percussion elements, and then there’s my favorite of the bunch: “The Boxer”.

The song is autobiographical, a rare treat inside the mind of the songwriter. The theme of being misunderstood and only remembered for what people want to remember are prevalent in the song. “The Boxer” is a masterpiece from a lyrical perspective. It bends words like poetry (“Such are promises. All lies and jest. Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest”). It paints images like prose (“Asking only workman's wages I come looking for a job. But I get no offers. Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue.”). And it goes beyond coherent words using syllables as expressions with the iconic refrain “Lie-la-lie”. There are simply few songwriters as gifted as Paul Simon.

“Asking only workman's wages I come looking for a job. But I get no offers. Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue.”

"SOLSBURY HILL" PETER GABRIEL (1977)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

My exposure to the music of Peter Gabriel started with MTV. Great, artistic videos. Songs like “Shock the Monkey” and “Sledgehammer” were these infectious, mid-tempo bangers. The videos looked great and the music sounded great. But it wasn’t until I was later introduced to Gabriel’s wider palette in his solo work that I truly became a fan. “Biko”, “Games Without Frontiers” and “Solsbury Hill” were the bridge to this proggy world of rock. The latter is playing non-stop today on my Mental Jukebox.

“Solsbury Hill” is a song about letting go from the past and looking ahead to the future. It’s a sentiment captured in the amazing lyrics and reflected in the timing. It was Gabriel’s solo debut, written and performed on the heels of his departure from Genesis. And it’s a sentiment revealed in the music. Each note bearing an apparent sense of optimism. Without being corny or insincere. Which, when you think long and hard about it, puts “Solsbury Hill” in a very small group of distinguished rock songs.

“Standing, stretching every nerve. Had to listen. Had no choice.”

"LANDSLIDE" FLEETWOOD MAC (1975)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Fleetwood Mac fans might be some of the most loyal music fans out there. To them, Rumours is like Citizen Kane. And Stevie Nicks is a goddess. I’ve never really stopped and wondered why these fans adore this band so much. But it is a peculiar thing. It rivals the level of devotion in Deadheads. Fans that will travel on planes and quit their jobs to see their band open with “The Chain”, close with “Go Your Own Way”, and play a Stevie Nicks ballad right smack in the middle of the setlist. A beautiful, timeless song called “Landslide”.

It occurred to me that “Landslide” might be a microcosm of everything that fans love about Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks’ signature raspy delivery is the centerpiece of the song. Wise beyond her years, written and sung with perspective we don’t often see in a rock star. And then there’s Lindsey Buckingham’s iconic acoustic guitar, steady, un-flashy, but absolutely critical to the sound of the song. The instrumentation is minimal because “Landslide” doesn’t need to be covered in layers. It’s the heart of the song that matters. And maybe that’s what Fleetwood Mac fans are truly after.

“Time makes you bolder. Even children get older. And I'm getting older too.”

"SEPTEMBER" EARTH, WIND & FIRE (1978)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Music plays such an integral role at weddings. Yet, there’s so much bad wedding music out there. You’ve heard ‘em. You probably danced to them. “Macarena”, “Electric Slide”, “Kung Fu Fighting”. They’ve somehow become wedding classics. But we know there are the real classics that seem to get everyone onto the dance floor. That’s something Earth, Wind & Fire knows a thing or two about. How to get your butt up off the seat. Your spirits up in the air. Your cheesiest dance moves out there for the world to see. They know all this because of the song “September”.

This is the song that launched a million wedding dance floors. It’s universally loved. 8 years old or 80 years old, Single or married, Everyone can appreciate it. As far as disco falsetto vocals and horn arrangements go, it doesn’t get much better. Maurice White added the unforgettable “bah-dee-ya” refrain to the song, When one of his co-songwriters questioned the inclusion of that gibberish, she quickly learned not to let lyrics get in the way of groove. “Bah-dee-ya” just works. The moment “September” plays, you’re in the moment. Ready to celebrate. Ready to cut a rug. Ready to let loose. And, if you’re not, well maybe you should’ve just stayed home.

“Do you remember the 21st night of September? Love was changing the minds of pretenders while chasing the clouds away.”

"BOTH ENDS BURNING" ROXY MUSIC (1975)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

There’s a scene in the music documentary Depeche Mode 101 where frontman David Gahan is singing gleefully to Roxy Music’s “Love is the Drug” while playing pinball. It would be easy to gloss over that scene because, on the surface, it seems meaningless. An extra shot thrown in to show the band unwinding behind stage. But it’s actually much more than that. It’s a poignant reminder that Roxy Music is an important band that went beyond glam rock and impeccable style. They are inspiration to many new wave bands and the genre’s various iterations. The influences can be heard throughout the Siren album, including the track “Both Ends Burning”.

While David Gahan’s vocals sound eerily similar to Bryan Ferry’s approach in “Love is the Drug”, you can make the argument that Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon sings like Ferry does in “Both Ends Burning”. In fact, the song sounds like a foreshadowing of early Duran Duran. The rhythm section, in particular, sounds like an early glimpse of John Taylor’s bass hooks and Roger Taylor’s drumbeats. The shimmery synth interludes have Nick Rhodes written all over them and the guitar riff finds the right moments to shine just like Andy Taylor did in the 80’s. Hearing back “Both Ends Burning” today, it’s a marvel to know Roxy Music created this a good 7 years before Duran Duran made their big entry into new wave. “Both Ends Burning” and the entire Siren album were a launch pad for many great bands to follow.

“Both ends burning and I can't control the fires raging in my soul tonight.”

"BICYCLE RACE" QUEEN (1978)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Some of the most impressive songs I know are ones characterized by dimension. These songs are like pieces of clay, stretched in different directions, taking on various tempos, chord progressions, instrumentation and genres. They give our ears a lot to listen to and plenty to think about. There are few bands that do this as well as Queen. Many of their more well known songs are epic pieces consisting of varying movements. One of the best examples of this appears on the first side of Jazz: the sing-songy “Bicycle Race”.

“I want to ride my bicycle”. Sounds simple, but then Freddie Mercury gets to the call-and-response verses and the song becomes a social commentary of the times. Like “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” and “We Didn’t Start The Fire” did for the 80’s, “Bicycle Race” made certain we never forgot about the 70’s long after they passed us by. But unlike the R.E.M. and Billy Joel songs, it employed more musical dimension in the process. You might love “Bicycle Race” or you may hate it. But one thing we can all agree on about the song is this: It’s never ever boring.

“You say "coke", I say "caine". You say "John", I say "Wayne". "Hot dog", I say, "Cool it, man". I don't wanna be the President of America.”

"MEXICO" JAMES TAYLOR (1975)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

James Taylor’s version of folk has straddled two sides of the emotional spectrum: happy and sad. Songs like “How Sweet It is” and “Your Smiling Face” were uplifting, but more often JT was hanging out on the other end of spectrum as evidenced by signature tracks like “Fire and Rain” and “You’ve Got a Friend”. “Carolina in My Mind” and “Country Road” would’ve been light and airy if they were sung by someone else, but there’s an inescapable sadness in the way Taylor sings those classics. Thankfully, that isn’t the case with “Mexico”. The border town fantasy sounds like a place you want to escape to, not escape from.

This is my favorite JT song of all time. Having harmony masters David Crosby and Graham Nash singing backing vocals certainly didn’t hurt. But it was JT’s acoustic guitar that was the musical highlight and the heartbeat of this song. From the opening sequence to the end refrain, he found a way to create a melodic masterpiece out of these unusual chord progressions—an uncommon achievement for pop music at the time. And the best thing about it, “Mexico” still holds up so well more than four decades later.

“Way down here, you need a reason to move. Feel a fool running your stateside games.”