The Chain: April 2008
I want to try out a very simple and (hopefully) fun idea.
I name a tune and put it on the blog. Then you pick a song that you think should follow it, and tell me why. What's the connecting link? Maybe one song borrows heavily from the other — it's the same key or the lyrics are similar or the beat is similar. Maybe the song features a singer who later played in another band, or the songs share the same producer.
Then someone takes your song choice and names a new tune — we'll make a selection from your posts as quickly as possible — and tells us why it should follow. Call it six degrees of musical separation. After we have enough songs, I could make a mix of all the songs using small excerpts.
Let's see how this goes, and if you love it, we'll try it again.
Robin, the other NPR Music producers, and I thought of a lot of songs to start the chain, but the one we came up with is (drum roll)...
"This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by the Talking Heads, from Speaking in Tongues.
Be sure to reference the most recent song posted, NOT the one we started with... and be sure to tell us what song you're referencing.
More From All Songs Considered
Comments
You must be signed in to leave a comment. Sign In / Register
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and Terms of Use. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.
1. "Genius of Love,' by the Tom Tom Club. Not only do the two songs share Tina Weymouth and a similar light-but-funky spirit, but "GoL" provides a nice counterpoint, transitioning through a number of different musical and vocal styles that will help open up the next link in the chain considerably.
2. Mariah Carey's "Sweet Sweet Fantasy"(I think that's the name of the song Im thinking of) but im pretty sure it has the beat. It least I think of one when I here the other.
I had to look this one up... hadn't heard it, but you're totally right... I can really hear "Genius of Love" in it. -- robin
3. "Come See About Me" by Diana Ross & The Supremes.
It strays away from the Talking Heads Style funk accompaniment, but it has those same airy, almost whispered vocals, and the soaring female backup singers. It helps that Diana Ross and Mariah Carey are both powerful and captivating performers.
4. "Come Fly with Me" by Frank Sinatra
A little different style, but another classic singer beckoning a lover to come hither, albeit a male perspective.
5. "About a Girl" by Voltiare
There's nothing quite like being with the one you love. Except, maybe, being with the one someone else loves. I believe Mr. Sinatra would've agreed.
6. About a Girl by Nirvana
This connection is obvious in the title.
7. The Cars - My Best Friend's Girl
There's nothing quite worse than losing a girl you love. Except, maybe, losing her to your best friend.
8. David Bowie- Always Crashing in the Same Car
Cars and model wives
9. Seu Jorge - Rock and Roll Suicide
It's a Bowie cover and a crash of sorts.
10. Beck - Tropicalia
Bossanova flavor Seu Jorge brings to his acoustic tracks.
11. Arcade Fire- Haiti
From the album Funeral because of this lyric in Tropicalia, "You're out of luck- You're singing funeral songs"
12. "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" - Broken Social Scene.
Both Canadians, same kinda lazy vocals.
13. Yo La Tengo - Cherry Chapstick
A slow song needs a fast one with a similar vibe to follow it. And thematically: Seventeen-year-old-girls... Cherry Chapstick... hello Lolita!
Toto ??? Africa
Both have great synth horn intros.
14. vampire weekend, 'oxford comma' for the lyric: "take the chapstick, put it on your lips."
also, has that world flavor that leads yu back to talking heads!
15. Dan Baird - "I Love You Period"
although his punctuation (re)marks aren't as complex as an 'oxford comma', he DID lay the groundwork for incorporation of such silly things in to music.
Margerine Melodie by Stereolab off the Margerine EcLIPSe album - the lips reference in the album title and who needs an excuse to listen to Stereolab...
16. Cake- "Friend is a Four Letter Word"
Fun play on words like "I love you period". Typical response to grammatically correct teenage love letter.
17. Georgie James - "Cake Parade"
For the obvious reasons. It's too early for me to get very deep.
18. Ian Rhett - "(Didn't Know I Was) Unamerican"
Similar piano intro and connection with soldiers and sailors - Far from Talking Heads
19. Avalon--Roxy Music
Both songs about being safe and secure somewhere, both sort of languid pace musically.
20.Wonderful World, Beautiful People - Jimmy Cliff.
21. What a Wonderful World/Somewhere Over the Rainbow--Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Both are world music, both are optimistic in a realistic way. (I've set up anybody that's a fan of Robin Williams, Judy Garland, and EToys.)
Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby - Islands
Israel was a giant Hawaiian man, Hawaii is an Island (I know that was a stretch)
22. The Man That Got Away - Judy Garland
Tom EG did indeed set me up well! The Judy Garland connection isn't very creative, I'll admit, but gosh, does this song soar or what?
23. I got rhythm - George Gershwin
with lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin also wrote the lyrics for "The Man that got away". There's a marvelous version of this standard played by Thelonious Monk. Great idea, Bob! This is fun!
thanks Kaiser
24. 'I Got You (I Feel Good)' - James Brown
It's got rhythm and it continues the 'got' theme.
25. Feeling Good - Nina Simone
Nina's got as much soul as Mr. Brown, and she's also feelin' good.
26. Freedom - The Isley Brothers
Both songs are soulful sharings of the joy of freedom. Nina: " ... freedom is mine and I know how I feel ... ."
This exercise is like Pandora meets the Telephone game ...
I love that description
bob boilen
27. Freedom - Jimi Hendrix
A song of the same name but from a more desperate place. Additionally, Hendrix played w/ the isley Brothers in his younger days.
So, two poosibilities. The worst one, which is a terrible suggestion, David Hasselhoff's "Looking for Freedom" (which is apparently the shiza in Germany). Or, Propaghandi's "Stick The ***king Flag Up Your G*dd*m *ss, You Sonofab*tch", which doesn't get much points in the way of tact. In fact, I guess we should scratch both those choices and go with, Handsome Boy Modeling School's "The Truth," because of the conviction that carries over from the way Hendrix sings "right on, straight ahead" to Roisin's "The truth hurts because the truth is all there is"
28. Freedom of '76 - Ween
Even Ween people everywhere gotta be free
29. Had To Phone Ya - The Beach Boys off of "15 Big Ones" released in '76
30:Don't Come Round Here No More:
Tom petty and the Heart Breakers
Because the phone call went bad
31. Don't Lose My Number - Phil Collins
a) Continuing the phone call scenario
b) Call and response vocal harmonies
32. and through the wire - peter gabriel
the genesis connection
the phone call scenario
33. New York Telephone Conversation - Lou Reed
obvious phone connection
connection to the start of the thread with the "home" lines in each song...
(...home is where I want to be pick me up and...)
(...am I even home. Did you see...)
A stretch, but, the phone is common in house as well as the lamp which plays a major role in the beautiful lamp dance David Bryne performs while singing Naive Melody.
34. Mr. Telephone Man - New Edition
Give some love to Bobby B. Besides, no list is really complete without either Bell, Biv, or DeVoe. New Edition...well, that just takes care of THAT now, doesn't it?
35. Mr. Tambourine Man-Bob Dylan
In response to Mr. Telephone Man-New Edition
We could probably play this game using only Dylan songs.
I like the Dylan idea.
bob
36. Cymbal Rush, Thom Yorke, The Eraser
Sorry, it's not Dylan! Maybe for another list ...
"No more conversation
No more conversation
You should took me out when you had the chance
You should took me out when you had the chance
All the rooms were numbered
And the losers turned away
Don't turn away
Don't turn away"
39. "Turning Away" by Pink Floyd.
"On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we wont understand
Dont accept that whats happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or youll find that youre joining in
The turning away"
.....response to "dont turn away"
