This blog presents our findings of our project work on Rock History. We have been researching on different topics. The entries represent the variety of our interests as well as musical taste... so enjoy...
The song was written by Joe South for Billy Joe Royal, which became just a minor hit. The more famous version is from Deep Purple, recorded in 1968 for their debut album Shades of Deep Purple.
Original sung by Billy Joe Royal
Other cover versions:
Deep Purple 1968
Russell Morris & The Rubes 1976
Kula Shaker 1997
The version from Deep Purple was used in various movies:
Appollo 13 (1996)
Isn`t she great (2000)
When strangers appear (2001)
Beyond the sea (2004)
Children of men (2006)
I think that the version by Gotthard is the best, because... Well, just because^^
From his early teenage years, Jon Bon Jovi was convinced that one day he would be a rock star. Born March 2nd, 1962, Jon grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey with 2 brothers, Matt and Tony. He didn't show much interest in school, but preferred to sing with David Bryan in local bands. His cousin, Tony Bongiovi, owned a record studio where he occasionally let Jon record demos with other musicians. In 1980 Jon had written a song, "Runaway", and was able to record a demo of the song in his cousin's studio. "Runaway" was then included on a local radio's compilation tape where it got serious airplay.
Because of "Runaway"'s big success, Jon realized that if he wanted to go anywhere further with his dreams he would have to get a real band together. This led to the formation of the present Bon Jovi Band which consists of David Bryan on keyboards, Richie Sambora on guitar, Alec John Such on bass, Tico Torres on drums, and Jon Bon Jovi on vocals. Their debut album, Bon Jovi, came out January 21, 1984 an contained songs such as; "Runaway" and "She Don't Know Me".
If you would like to read more on the beginning of the Bon Jovi Band please visit these sites:
About 3 weeks ago we were told to pick a song that had to do with time. We would then have to do a presentation about our song on how it's music, lyrics, and/or structure related back to time. So ... of course, the first thing i had to do was choose a song, which in itself was a difficult process. I probably listened to every song on my iPod trying to find a good song. I also had my friend, who is a music junkie, help me out and send me a few songs too. But I just wasn't satisfied with what I had found. Then, this morning in the car, this song, "Summer of 69", came on the radio. And I started to tell my host mother about how much I liked it and that's when it hit me. This would be the perfect song to do my presentation on! So here is "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams:
"Summer of 69" Lyrics:
I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it 'til my fingers bled
Was summer of '69
(0:20 min.)
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit and Jody got married
I shoulda known we'd never get far
Oh when I look back now That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah - I'd always wanna be there Those were the best days of my life
(0:50 min.)
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you got a job to do
Spent my evenin's down at the drive in
And that's when I met you yeah
(1:10 min.)
Standin on your Mama's porch You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was no or never Those were the best days of my life
Back in summer of '69
(1:40 min.)
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind I guess nothin' can last forever - forever, no, yeah
(2:10 min.)
And now the times are changin' Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong
Standin' on your Mama's porch You told me that it'd last forever
Oh when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never Those were the best days of my life, oh yeah
(2:40 min.)
Back in summer of '69, uh-huh
It was the summer of 69, oh yeah, me n' my baby in 69
It was the summer, the summer, summer of 69
(3:20 min.)
History:
"Summer of 69" is a song by Canadian artist, Bryan Adams, and was written by Adams and Jim Valance.It was released in June 1985 under A&M Records as the fourth single from Reckless. That year it won the BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) Citation of Achievement for U.S. for radio airplay and the following ear it won the Procan Award (Performing Rights Organization of Canada) for Canadian airplay. In recent years the song has been making an effect on music charts internationally. And has been described as: "A most wonderful, straightforward, and unpretentious rock 'n' roll pop song."
Analysis:
In this song the singer is reminiscing on his summer of 69. And he tells us that they were the best days of his life. This song takes place in the present but is mainly about the singer's memories of that summer. We are able to realize that these moments are in the past and are his memories from the phrases highlighted in purple. But if we take a look at the phrases highlighted in red, we can see the change in how the singer conception of time changes. He bases his perspective of time on his summer of 69. In the beginning of the song he states; that summer seemed to last forever and you told me that you'd wait forever. But then as the song changes back to the present we see that his outlook on time has changed. He says, man we were killin' time and i guess nothin' can last forever. He even talks about how the times are changin' and to look at everyhing that has came and gone. He has come to realize that that summer is in the past and will say there. But even though he has realized this, we can tell he still likes to reminisce on that summer because at the end of the song he goes back to the summer of 69.
This song from he red hot chili peppers where published in her album "Californication", it speaks about the globalization of the western civilization. The song is mainly about the dark side of Hollywood. The song opens to "Psychic spies from China try to steal your mind's elation.". The track also makes references to topics such as pornography ("hardcore soft porn") and plastic surgery ("pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging") and even some pop culture references including Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain and David Bowie ("Cobain, can you hear the spheres singing songs off Station to Station?").
In Kiedis's book Scar Tissue he reveals that the band had enormous difficulty in putting the song together. Kiedis had written the lyrics, which he felt were some of the best he had ever written, but the band could not decide how the song should sound musically. As they struggled with the song it seemed like they would not be able to finish it in time to include it on the album, until one day Frusciante walked into the studio and exclaimed that he had "figured it out". He played the song as he visualised it, and it went from being a song that could have been an afterthought, to become one of their most famous hits.
The song is about a girl who broke up with her boyfriend. But he wants her back. He runs after her because he doesn't want that this is the end of their love story. He won't go down and he won't go anywhere. He will fight for her and he will never give up.
Time in the song:
He sings about how his life was in the past, when they were still together. He also speaks about how it is now and how he would like to have it in the future.
Looking back at the beginning of this
And how life was
Just you and me loving all of our friends
Living life like an ocean
But now the current's only pulling me down
It’s getting harder too breath
It won’t be to long and I will be going under
Can you save me from this?
Cause it’s not my time I'm not going
There's a fear in me it’s not showing
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
Oh but I won’t go
I look ahead to all the plans that we made
And the dreams that we had
I'm in a world that tries to take them away
Oh but I'm taking them back
Cause all of this time I've just been too blind to understand
What should matter to me
My friends this life we live, it’s not what we have
It’s what we believe in
Cause it’s not my time I'm not going
There's a fear in me but it’s not showing
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
But it’s not my time I'm not going
There's a will in me and now I know that
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
Oh but I won’t go
I won’t go
There might be more than you believe
(There might be more than you believe)
There might be more than you can see
But it’s not my time I'm not going
There's a fear in me it’s not showing
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
But it’s not my time I'm not going
There's a will in me and now it’s gonna show
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
Oh
There might be more than you believe
(There might be more than you believe)
There might be more than you can see
This song tells the story of a boy named Johnny and his rise to fame. In the beginning of the story, Johnny is still a young boy and has nearly his whole life ahead of him. He is eager to start learning the guitar, and dreams of becoming a musician some day. In the second verse, Johnny leaves home to pursue his career as a musician. At this point, he knows that he still has most of his life ahead of him. This is suggested when he says that he will be a big star "someday," which means that he most likely doesn’t expect it to be in the near future. In the third verse, his career as a musician really takes off. However, in this verse, there is a bit of a contradiction, where the aspect of time is concerned. Johnny is surprised that his life is going by "so fast," but then he also says he has made the big time "at last," meaning that it seems to him as though it has taken him quite a while to get there. In the last verse, Johnny passes away, and the songwriter, Paul Rodgers, compares Johnny’s life to a "warm summer day". This probably means that like a summer day, it was nice and enjoyable while it lasted, but it went by too quickly and ended too soon. At the end of the last verse, it is said that if you "listen to the wind, you can still hear him play," meaning that Johnny left a lasting legacy.
Another interesting aspect of this song is the question as to whom the song is about. In an interview, the songwriter, Paul Rodgers, stated that the song is a warning to those in the music industry. He also referenced Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. "At that particular time you had Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin...just a catalog of people who didn't make it, who overdosed in their beds...that was the gem of this song. It's a story and it's almost a warning." – Paul Rodgers, Guitar World, April 1999. Another interesting comparison is the story of Johnny in "Shooting Star" to the story of musician Johnny Cash. Cash’s story is quite similar to that of the boy in the song. Although Cash wasn’t inspired by the Beatles like the boy in the song was, Cash started singing at a young age, and eventually left home to pursue his musical career. Similar to Johnny in the song, Cash’s first songs were quite successful, and Cash soon became a famous musician. At the time the song was written, Cash was very famous, but he was also known for doing a lot of drugs. It is possible that when Paul Rodgers wrote this song, he got inspiration for it from Johnny Cash’s story. He used it as warning to musicians about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. However, whether the song really does have a connection to Johnny Cash is unknown, as Paul Rodgers has never mentioned Cash. It may very well be a coincidence.
BAD COMPANY
"Shooting Star"
Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatle song,
'Love me do,' I think it was. From there it didn't take him long.
Got himself a guitar, used to play every night,
Now he's in a rock 'n' roll outfit,
And everything's all right, don't you know?
Johnny told his mama, hey, 'Mama, I'm goin' away. I'm gonna hit the big
time, gonna be a big star someday', Yeah.
Mama came to the door with a teardrop in her eye.
Johnny said, 'Don't cry, mama, smile and wave good-bye'.
Don't you know, yeah yeah, Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, don't you know. Don't you know that you are
a shooting star, And all the world will love you just as long,
As long as you are.
Johnny made a record, Went straight up to number one,
Suddenly everyone loved to hear him sing the song.Watching the world go by, surprising it goes so fast.
Johnny looked around him and said, 'Well, I made the big time at last'.
Don't you know, don't you know, Don't you know that you are
a shooting star,
Don't you know, oh, yeah, Don't you know that you are
a shooting star, yeah,
And all the world will love you just as long,
As long as you are, a shooting star.
Don't you know that you are a shooting star, Don't you know, yeah,
Don't you know that you are a shooting star, now,
And all the world will love you just as long, As long you are.
Johnny died one night, died in his bed, Bottle of whiskey,
sleeping tablets by his head. Johnny's life passed him by like a
warm summer day, If you listen to the wind you can still hear him play
Oh oh oh, Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, yeah, don't you know', Don't you know that
you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, yeah,
Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you, don't you,
don't you, don't you,
Don't you know, don't you
know, oh, yeah, you are,
Yeah, a shooting star, yeah, oh
oh oh oh oh......
Don't you, don't you know
that you are a shooting star,
Don't you don't you know......
The song tells the story about a man who is remembering all the things people told him to encourage him to become a rock star. He talks about that you should not always live your life by the rules, you should sometimes take some detours and experience something totally different and new. The way might not always be easy but sometimes you have to risk something to be able to advance.
The song was released in 1999 by Smash Mouth, a rock band from San Jose, California.
Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Back to the rule and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow Chorus: Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now but wait 'til you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The waters getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire how about yours
That's the way I like it and I never get bored Chorus
Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Back to the rule and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow Chorus
"Beds are Burning" from Midnight Oil is a political song about giving native Australian lands back to the Pintupi, who were among the very last people to come in from the desert.
Pintupi refers to an Australian Aboriginal group who are part of the Western Desert cultural group.
These people began moving from the Gibson Desert to settlements in the 1930s.
In 1981 they left the desert to return to their own country and they founded the Kintore community settlement.
Today Kintore is a thriving little community with a population of about 400 people.
If you want to know more about Midnight Oil have a look at their official website: http://www.midnightoil.com/
Out where the river broke The blood wood and the desert oak Holden wrecks and boiling diesels Steam in forty five degrees
The time has come To say fair's fair To pay the rent To pay our share
The time has come A fact's a fact It belongs to them Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning How do we sleep while our beds are burning How can we dance when our earth is turning How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come To say fair's fair To pay the rent, now To pay our share
Four wheels scare the cockatoos From Kintore East to Yuendemu The western desert lives and breathes In forty five degrees
The time has come To say fair's fair To pay the rent To pay our share The time has come A fact's a fact It belongs to them Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning How do we sleep while our beds are burning How can we dance when our earth is turning How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come To say fair's fair To pay the rent, now To pay our share The time has come A fact's a fact It belongs to them We're gonna give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning How do we sleep while our beds are burning
