Cheap Trick – “If It Takes A Lifetime”

"If It Takes A Lifetime" (Robin Zander, Tom Petersson, Rick Neilsen, Bun E. Carlos & Julian Raymond) Copyright Z.P.N.&C./Sony/ATV (BMI) and Maxiva (ASCAP)

One of the most underappreciated bands in rock.  Undaunted by the ups & downs of the fickle music business, Cheap Trick have played over 5000 shows and released 20 albums, including “Rockford” in 2006, one of their best albums ever.  I could’ve picked any song from this album– it’s that good– but I settled on “If It Takes A Lifetime”.  If you don’t have this album in your collection, don’t wait– Go get it now.

“If It Takes A Lifetime” (Robin Zander, Tom Petersson, Rick Neilsen, Bun E. Carlos & Julian Raymond) Copyright Z.P.N.&C./Sony/ATV (BMI) and Maxiva (ASCAP)

Starz – “She”

 Click here to play the podcast
"She" (Peter Sweval, Joe X. Dube, Michael Lee Smith, Brendan Harkin & Richie Ranno) Copyright 1978 Starzongo Music, Inc/Rock Steady Music, Inc/ASCAP

A great hard rock & power pop band that somehow fell through the cracks in the late ’70’s, Starz had all the ingredients to make it big– a band of seasoned professionals with a charismatic frontman, a big-name manager, and a record deal with Capitol Records… but while bands like Foreigner, Styx & Boston sold millions of records, Starz just couldn’t break thru to a larger audience.  Too bad, because these guys had some great rock tunes.  Here’s one of their power-pop tracks that serves as a great example of how to write a catchy, memorable song.

Special thanks to the RockNPod Expo for connecting me with the guys in the band.

“She” (Peter Sweval, Joe X. Dube, Michael Lee Smith, Brendan Harkin & Richie Ranno) Copyright 1978 Starzongo Music, Inc/Rock Steady Music, Inc/ASCAP

Badfinger – “Day After Day”

 Click here to play the podcast
"Day After Day" (Pete Ham) Copyright 1971 Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Living under The Beatles’ shadow was a blessing and a curse for Badfinger.  One of the greatest Power Pop bands of all time, they crafted a catalog of great songs that defined the genre.  “Day After Day” is one of the greatest singles of all time, featuring a beautiful melody, great performances, and a guest appearance by a Beatle.  What more could you want?  This song deserves a place in history.

“Day After Day” (Pete Ham) Copyright 1971 Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

The Bears – “As You Are”

 Click here to play the podcast
"As You Are" (The Bears) Copyright 2001 Car Caught Fire Music/ASCAP

Adrian Belew is best known as a brilliant sideman & guitar foil (Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads) and a member of King Crimson, but most people are unaware of his “band on the side”, The Bears.  The other 3 members are no slouches either– this was really a band of 4 equal members that could all write great songs.  The Bears blend Art-Rock and Power Pop in their own distinctive way.  This song features lead vocals by 3 members, and packs plenty of substance & meaning into a 4:53 pop song.  If you’re unfamiliar with The Bears, this song provides a great entry point.

“As You Are” (The Bears) Copyright 2001 Car Caught Fire Music/ASCAP

Kiss – “Flaming Youth”

"Flaming Youth" (Ace Frehley/Paul Stanley/Gene Simmons/Bob Ezrin) Copyright 1976 Cafe Americana, Inc/Kiss Songs, Inc (ASCAP)/All By Myself Publishing Co Ltd. (BMI)

Kiss was the band that turned a generation of kids — including me — into rock & roll obsessives.  Love ’em or hate ’em, Kiss became huge stars after the release of the “Destroyer” album in 1976.  This is one of my favorite songs on the album, and features some off-the-wall moments like circus instruments, odd time signatures and a mysterious guitar solo.  Your uniform is leather, your power is your age– set the world on fire, baby!

“Flaming Youth” (Ace Frehley/Paul Stanley/Gene Simmons/Bob Ezrin) Copyright 1976 Cafe Americana, Inc/Kiss Songs, Inc (ASCAP)/All By Myself Publishing Co Ltd. (BMI)

TRANSCRIPT:

We are back for another episode of I’m in Love with that Song. It’s time to take another deep dive into one of my favorite songs. This time out, it’s “Flaming Youth” by Kiss.

Hi, my name is Brad Page, and on this podcast, I pick a song from my library and we’ll listen to it together, listening for the little details that make a song work. I’m not a music professor, so we don’t get into the fine points of music theory here—that’s not what this podcast is about. We’re just going to shine a light on songs that I think are great.

So this episode, we’re going back to the very first band that I really loved: Kiss with “Flaming Youth”.

[Music]

We’ll be right back after this message.

[Commercial Break]

“Flaming Youth” is the song that opens side two of Destroyer, the album that really brought Kiss to a much wider audience and is still one of their best-selling records today. Released March 15, 1976, this album was recorded with the classic lineup of Kiss, and on this song, you’ve got Paul Stanley on lead vocals and guitar, Ace Frehley on guitar, Gene Simmons on bass, and Peter Criss on drums. But just as important as the four band members is producer Bob Ezrin, whose vision shaped the whole album, and his presence can be felt in every aspect of every song on this record.

Paul, Gene, Ace, and Bob Ezrin all receive songwriting credits for “Flaming Youth”, and that’s one of the things that interests me about the song. Bob Ezrin took different elements and song ideas that Paul, Ace, and Gene independently brought into the recording studio, and he stitched them together to make this song. Paul had part of a chorus idea. Ace had a good riff but not much else around it. Gene had a song called “Mad Dog”, and Ezrin would take the main riff from that song and discard the rest. You add all those elements together and you end up with an improbable combination that actually works.

Back in 1973, Kiss had played a show with an all-girl band called Flaming Youth, and that’s where the song title came from. The song starts with an introduction that is classic Kiss.

[Music]

That “whoo-yeah” is vintage Paul Stanley, and that whole intro is so good.

[Music]

And right out of the gate, you’ve got some classic teenage anthem lyrics there: “My parents think I’m crazy, they hate everything I’m into, they think I’m lazy, they don’t understand me.” What teenager hasn’t felt that way?

[Music]

So, one quick verse and we’re right into the chorus. They don’t waste any time. And playing along with the guitars is a calliope—you know, that circus organ sound? I can’t think of too many hard rock bands that featured a calliope, but Kiss does it here.

[Music]

And that guitar riff is the one that came from the pre-existing song “Mad Dog” that Gene Simmons had brought in. Bob Ezrin didn’t care much for the song, but he did like that riff, so they added it to this song. Let’s take a minute and listen to the original riff as it appeared in its initial form in the “Mad Dog” demo.

[Music]

Now, that’s just a demo recording, so it is rough, and the tempo is much slower. But it’s the same riff, and it’s a good one, and Ezrin was smart to place it in this song. Let’s go back to “Flaming Youth” and listen to the riff in its new context.

[Music]

A quick drum break and we’re into the second verse.

[Music]

When the vocals pause, there’s a sound of music rising and falling in the background. The way it swirls reminds me of the sound of a rollercoaster rushing by. Along with the calliope, it enhances the underlying feeling of being at a carnival, but it also captures the crazy up-and-down emotions of being a teenager. Let’s go back and listen to that again.

[Music]

That’s the part right there. I’ll skip it back and we’ll listen one more time.

[Music]

Now the song gets interesting in a couple of ways. Number one: there’s an ongoing mystery over who actually played the guitar solo on this song. It’s likely Ace Frehley, but it could also be Dick Wagner. Wagner is a brilliant guitarist, a real gunslinger, and a favorite go-to player for Bob Ezrin. Ezrin has used him many times over the years on various recordings, and Wagner played a number of guitar parts on this album, all uncredited. For at least one interview, Wagner said he was the one that played on this song, but in the most recent book on the subject, he seems to have backed off that claim. Either way, this solo is classic Ace Frehley, or it’s Dick Wagner doing a spot-on impression of him.

The second thing to note here is that Kiss does something they almost never do: they play in an odd time signature. Virtually all Kiss songs are in 4/4, but this section is in 7/4 time. Now, I always say that I don’t get into technical musical discussions on this podcast, so for those of you who aren’t musicians, just bear with me for a second—it’ll all make sense.

With most rock and pop songs, you’ve got four beats in a measure, meaning you can count to four before the beat cycles around and you’re back at one again. That’s true for the rest of this song, but during the guitar solo, there are seven beats in a measure. You have to count to seven before the beat cycles back around. This is really rare in rock and pop songs, and practically non-existent in Kiss songs. But here it is. So, count with me on this:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

You don’t really notice that when you’re just listening to the song, but once you start counting, it feels strange.

[Music]

We’re back in normal 4/4 time here. The dynamics have gotten softer and you can really hear that calliope up front now.

[Music]

The guitars are coming back in and we’re slowly building back up.

[Music]

Now check out the sound in the background: higher and higher and higher and higher and higher and higher!

[Music]

Ah, some classic Ace Frehley guitar licks tossed in at the end. And the song fades out over the repurposed “Mad Dog” guitar riff.

[Music]

When I was a young kid before high school, I really couldn’t care less about music. It just wasn’t my thing. I was into comic books big time—superheroes. But as soon as I discovered Kiss, that was it. They were the perfect transition from the world of comics to the world of rock and roll. For me and my friends at the time, and thousands of kids like us, Kiss was a huge inspiration. Now, say what you will about the band—and there’s a lot to love and hate about them, I get it—but discovering Kiss literally changed my life.

From Kiss, I went on to find so much amazing music, but they were the ones that opened the door for me. After Kiss came my love for guitars, and songwriting, and collecting albums, and a lifetime of studying rock and roll… but it all started with a seed planted by this band.

If you’d like to learn more specifically about the recording of the Destroyer album, here’s a book for you. It’s called Shouted Out Loud: The Story of Kiss’s Destroyer and the Making of an American Icon by James Campion. This book gives you so much insight into not just this particular record, but just in general, the work that a record producer does, what recording engineers do, and everything from creating the album artwork on. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

And you know, if it wasn’t for Kiss, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here doing this podcast. So, thanks for joining me for this episode of I’m in Love with that Song. I’ll be back again soon. In the meantime, send me an email at lovethatsongpodcast@gmail.com or check the Facebook page for this podcast. And if you enjoy the show, please share it online with your friends, post a review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening to the show. Come back again for another adventure in music land. Now, let’s let the boys play us out with “Flaming Youth” by Kiss.

[Music]

This is where you do your part by downloading, streaming, or buying the complete song from your favorite music source. Support the music you love.

Utopia – “The Road To Utopia”

 Click here to play the podcast
The Road To Utopia" (Utopia) Copyright 1980 Fiction Music/Utopia (BMI)

Utopia is back together for a reunion tour this Spring (2018), so there’s no better time to revisit one of their great songs. I think this era of Utopia pretty much invented “Progressive Pop” and this song is a great example of their songcraft and musical skills. See you on the road to Utopia! (And don’t forget to share this podcast with friends, leave comments on iTunes, etc. It really helps!) 

“The Road To Utopia” (Utopia) Copyright 1980 Fiction Music/Utopia (BMI)

David Bowie – “Time”

 Click here to play the podcast
"Time" (David Bowie) Copyright 1973 Tinoretto Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music Inc Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc (BMI), Chrysalis Songs (BMI)

With this song, David Bowie practically invents the Goth-Punk-Cabaret genre.  It’s an epic song with brilliant piano by Mike Garson.  Let’s explore the track and see what makes this masterpiece tick.  And if you like the podcast, please share!

“Time” (David Bowie) Copyright 1973 Tinoretto Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music Inc Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc (BMI), Chrysalis Songs (BMI)  (phew, that’s a mouthful.)

TRANSCRIPT:

Welcome to I’m in Love with That Song, the podcast where we listen to a different song each show. This episode, we’re listening to “Time” by David Bowie.

Hi, my name is Brad Page, and I am a music junkie. There’s really nothing that moves me as much as a great song. So with this podcast, I pick one of my favorite songs and just try to understand why it moves me so much by listening attentively to the little elements and details that make up a great song. And in this episode, we’ve really got something: David Bowie and “Time.”

“Time” was recorded for David Bowie’s sixth studio album called Aladdin Sane, released in 1973. It was the sixth song on the album and, if you were listening to it on the original vinyl, it would have been the song that opens side two.

The song was written by David Bowie while on tour in New Orleans. And while it was completed in 1972, the song was actually started by Bowie in ’71 with the working title “We Should Be All On By Now.” And the earlier version was initially given to his friend, George Underwood.

After Bowie rewrote it, the song took on a distinctly European cabaret feel. And to me, this song is patient zero for all of the goth punk cabaret and burlesque rock bands that came after.

The song was produced by Ken Scott, and the band features David Bowie on vocals and acoustic guitar; Mick Ronson on electric guitar and backing vocals; Trevor Bolder on bass; Mick Woodmansey on drums; and Mike Garson on piano.

Now, Mick Ronson was Bowie’s ace in the hole. He had so much to do with shaping Bowie’s early sound, and I think he’s a really underappreciated guitarist. But on this whole album, especially the title cut and this song, I think you have to give the MVP award to Mike Garson on piano, who brought a whole new depth and soundscape to Bowie’s music at this time. This was Garson’s first album with the band, and his input is essential.

The song opens with the sound of Mike Garson’s piano off in the distance. Imagine you’re walking into a half-empty cabaret hall from the back and slowly, gingerly, walking to your seat at the front. The piano is heavy in the right channel with plenty of reverb to give it that sense of depth and distance. Here comes the bass and vocals.

Some echo on the lead vocal. Now backing vocals and acoustic guitar enter. The whole band is on board now. Instead of just playing guitar chords, listen to how Mick Ronson uses the electric guitar to play like an orchestra.

The lyrics to this verse—”Time in quaaludes and red wine, demanding Billy dolls and other friends of mine.” The Billy dolls he’s referring to is Billy Murcia, the drummer for The New York Dolls, who died in 1972. Bowie had partied with him just a few months before.

The piano starts to get heavier here. Backing vocals again. Sounds to me like Mick Ronson is using a little bit of wah-wah pedal on the guitar on that short part. Just that little part there.

And this is the chorus. This is the first appearance of the chant or sing-along section, and check out the great piano parts that play behind him.

Now we’re back in that dark cabaret, and I love Mike Garson’s piano here. It is so evocative. And David Bowie really plays up the part, the way he points to us with each line.

Let’s go back and listen to this part again and notice how the reverb on the vocals disappears when he says the word “You.” That word, and only that word, are dry, meaning that there’s no reverb on them. That makes the word even more in your face.

This is another part of the song that I love. How Bowie just stops. Time freezes. And all he does is breathe, like he’s at a loss for words or there’s nothing more to say. Let’s go back, listen to him breathe, and then Mick Ronson lets out a guitar solo that’s more of a wail or a howl than any traditional guitar solo. It’s intense, and it’s such an interesting choice from Ronson.

Listen to how nasty that guitar tone is—distorted and scratchy. The orchestrated guitar and piano really add to the drama here. Check out the electric guitar part.

And here’s more great guitar playing from Mick Ronson.

We’ve reached the wordless chorus again, and this is one of the all-time great epic refrains, like The Beatles on “Hey Jude.” But where the sing-along on “Hey Jude” is celebratory and kind of life-affirming, here we get a refrain with a sense of foreboding. It’s a steady, forward march like the progression of time itself. We know we can’t stop time. It’ll have its way with us. But we’ll raise our voices against the darkness anyway.

Listen to the backing vocals. And catch the bass lick here. The backing vocals get more intense.

I like the way the bass is holding down the groove at this point. And the song doesn’t fade out. Instead, David Bowie surrenders to the inevitability of time, and the piano adds an exclamation point. There’s also a little bit of saxophone there that you can hear at the end.

So that is David Bowie and “Time.” The concept of time was a frequent subject for Bowie. On his previous record, the song “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” opens with the line, “Time takes a cigarette and puts it in your mouth.” The song “Changes” references time and, well, really you can’t have change without the passage of time. In 1987, he wrote a song called “Time Will Crawl.” Those are just a few examples.

Time can be your friend, and it can be your enemy. Time can be fluid in the way that we perceive it. But more than almost anything else, time is the thing that defines our lives. Whether you try to ignore it, or outrun it, or make the best of it, we’re all limited by it. In the Buddhist philosophy of impermanence, nothing lasts forever.

Bowie created a body of work that will last as long as there are people to hear it. I’m a huge David Bowie fan, and there are few artists whose music means as much to me. I’m sure we’ll be dipping into his catalog again here on I’m in Love with That Song.

If you are looking for more info on David Bowie, there’s no shortage of great books on him. There’s at least a dozen that are worth checking out. I referred to Peter Doggett’s book, The Man Who Sold the World: Bowie and the 1970s, when I was prepping for this podcast.

So, that’s it for this episode. Thanks again for listening. My email is lovethatsongpodcast@gmail.com, and you can also find the podcast on Facebook. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. I’ll see you again next time on I’m in Love with That Song.

Thanks for listening to this episode on David Bowie and “Time.” To listen to the song again, complete and uninterrupted, stream it, download it, or buy it, and support the music you love.

Tom Petty – “Even The Losers”

 Click here to play the podcast
"Even The Losers" (Tom Petty) Copyright 1979 Alamo Music Corp (ASCAP)

Tom Petty always knew how to write an anthem, and this is one of his best.  A rallying cry for anyone who’s been rejected or on the losing side of love.

“Even The Losers” (Tom Petty) Copyright 1979 Alamo Music Corp (ASCAP)

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello and thanks for joining me for another episode of I’m in Love with That Song, the podcast where we explore a different song each episode. This time, we’re listening to “Even The Losers” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

My name is Brad Page, and on this podcast, I pick a favorite song of mine and really look at the little details and moments that make it a great song. I don’t focus on music theory or technical musician-y stuff. This is a podcast for anyone who’s a music fan—at least, I hope so. So, on this episode, we’ll be listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Even the Losers.”

“Even the Losers” is the third track on the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers called Damn the Torpedoes. The album was recorded throughout 1978 and ’79 and released in October of ’79. This album turned out to be their big breakthrough album, and it’s certainly one of my all-time favorite records. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and engineered by Shelly Yakus.

The Heartbreakers are: Tom Petty on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Mike Campbell on lead guitar; Benmont Tench on piano, organ, and backing vocals; Ron Blair on bass; and Stan Lynch on drums and backing vocals.

“Even the Losers” was written by Tom Petty, and the song structure is pretty straightforward. You’ve got an intro, verse, chorus, and a bridge. What’s interesting is that there’s no third verse in this song. Most songs do have at least three verses, but here, Petty foregoes a third verse and goes straight into an extended chorus at the end. But when the song starts, it begins with a completely separate piece of music that was edited in.

That voice there? That’s the voice of Mike Campbell’s wife, Marcy. Campbell was recording some demos at home and the washing machine was making a lot of noise. So when Mike yelled at Marcy to turn it off, she replied, “It’s just the normal noises in here.” I think she was annoyed by the whole thing. The tape recorder was still running, so the conversation was captured on tape, and later when Tom Petty heard it, he thought they should take that clip and edit it into this song. So let’s go back and pick it up from that point.

On this intro, you’ve got an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar playing the same parts, doubled. And that’s a technique that works great because while the electric guitar adds some grit, the acoustic guitar gives the notes some clarity. So you end up with a part that has some bite to it, yet the notes still really pop. That shaker actually works great on this song. And listen to how the bass and the kick drum are really locked in together. There’s a lot of reverb on the drums, but they’re still very crisp and punchy.

In this second verse, you can really hear that combination of pent-up anger and hurt in Petty’s voice. He was so good at conveying that feeling. Mike Campbell starts adding these little guitar fills. Like every word you said was meant to be, no, it couldn’t have been that easy to forget about me.

The organ part on the chorus really helps to build the emotion. Now we come to the guitar solo, and this is a classic Mike Campbell guitar solo. According to Campbell, the idea behind it was, “What would Chuck Berry do?” Now, Chuck was known for playing two notes at once in his guitar solos, and so Campbell builds this whole solo around playing two notes constantly through the entire part. It’s not a particularly flashy solo, but it fits the song perfectly.

There’s a term that musicians often use: “serve the song.” And it means to play a part that’s in service of the song rather than to yourself or your ego. It’s all about playing what makes the song better, not what makes you look good. Mike Campbell is easily in my top three guitar players of all time because he’s always playing in service of the song. He never overplays, he doesn’t underplay—it’s just the right notes at the right time. I love this guy.

Now we’re at the bridge and the band dials it back just a bit. Check out the organ part. They break for dramatic effect; the drummer keeps the beat going on the ride cymbal, and then the organ builds it back up. I love the sound of the drums here. It’s great how he sings “little bit of pride” like he’s barely holding onto any pride at all, and then finds the strength to defiantly sing “they get lucky sometimes.” Tom Petty calls us to our feet as the drums drive us into the final guitar solo.

“Even the Losers,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This song is a real rock and roll anthem because it speaks to longing and pain and loneliness, and yet offers an element of hope and a rallying cry for all of us loners, which is what every great rock and roll anthem does one way or another. Petty wrote the lyrics based on a painful experience from his youth: in love with a girl who just wasn’t going to love him back. The first girl that broke his heart—source material for a million great songs.

All of the lyrics that are really specific, like smoking cigarettes on the roof and throwing rocks into the water by the overpass—those things really happened to Tom Petty. It’s always interesting to me when a song includes lyrics that are really specific and yet somehow make the song more universal.

Well, thanks for listening to one of my favorite songs with me. And before we go, I want to mention two resources that I used for a little research on this song. One is the book called Petty: The Biography by Warren Zanes—great book. And the other is an episode of Classic Albums that focused on Damn the Torpedoes. That’s available on DVD. If you’re a Tom Petty fan, I recommend checking both of those out.

Well, I’m looking forward to doing this again next time on I’m in Love with That Song. You can email me at lovethatsongpodcast@gmail.com or look for I’m in Love with That Song on Facebook.

This is where you go and listen to the whole song by downloading it, streaming it, or buying it from your favorite source of music. Support the music you love.