1. Say- John Mayer

• "Even if your hands are shaking, and your faith is broken, even as the eyes are closing, do it with a heart wide open (a wide heart), say what you need to say." You might think I have a lot to say about this song. You'd be wrong. You might think I'm crazy. That's a whole 'nother story. "Say" was released as a single in late 2007. It was written for the film "The Bucket List". I haven't seen the film but I understand the song plays such a critical role in the movie that it is used over the end credits (and at no other time in the film). I do like "Say" but it doesn't do a whole lot for me. I suppose the song lacks the emotional depth it strives so much to achieve. Musically I do enjoy the 1:05 mark when the band kicks in and the song gets a little more punch. In 2009 "Say" won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal performance over Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" which in terms of chart longevity proved to be the biggest pop song of all time. Mayer has won The Best Male Pop Vocal Grammy 4 out of the last 8 years and was nominated one other time so it's almost his category. In 2008 John Mayer re-released the Continuum with "Say" appended as the final song.

2. Till There Was You- The Beatles

• "And there was music, and wonderful roses, they tell me, in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew, there was love all around, but I never heard it singing, no I never heard it at all, till there was you." What a sweet song. The Beatles were known to cover rock n roll songs early in their career. Songs like "Roll Over Beethoven", "Twist and Shout" and "Rock and Roll Music" to name just a few. They also dipped into Broadway show tunes with their cover of "Till There Was You", a song written in 1957 by Meredith Wilson (a dude) for the musical "The Music Man". I'm not big into musicals (discount the fact that I recently saw a production of "Oklahoma") but "The Music Man" does have a bunch of great tunes. "Seventy Six Trombones" and "Gary, Indiana" are classics. Fans of the cartoon series "Family Guy" are inadvertently familiar with the musical thanks to their rendition of "Shipoopi", which believe it or not does not alter the lyrics. Getting back to the fab four... The Beatles performed "Till There Was You" regularly-it was one of the songs they played on their 1st appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, an appearance which proved to be a defining moment in pop culture history.

3. Ring The Alarm- Fu-Schnickens

• "Ring the alarm, and not a sound is dying, woah, aye. So take heed to this lesson I bring or the lesson I brought, which was taught to one another, all slack MC's better ring the alarm, in other words run for cover." My first introduction to Fu-Schnickens was hearing "Ring The Alarm" on the radio (I've been a true fu-schnick ever since). It was most likely on Philadelphia's "Power 99", which at the time (1991) relegated hip hop to the late evenings and weekends. The normal broadcasting hours were saved for the "quiet storm" R&B nonsense the average hip hop fan looked at with disgust. "Ring The Alarm" provides quite an introduction to the Fu-Schnicken style of speed rapping and occasional backwards lyrics. I didn't discover the origins of this tune until a number of years ago. "Ring The Alarm" is based on a mid 1980's reggae song of the same name by Tenor Saw. It's one of those songs where you don't need to be a fan of the reggae genre to appreciate what's going on. The Fu-Schnickens speed up the Tenor Saw sample and bust rhymes that will make your head spin.

1. Cigarette- Ben Folds 5

• "Fred Jones was worn out, from caring for his often, screaming and crying wife, during the day but, he couldn't sleep at night for fear that she, in a stupor from the drugs that didn't even, ease the pain would set the house a blaze, with a cigarette." I can remember buying Ben Folds Five "Whatever and Ever Amen" and BareNaked Ladies "Rock Spectacle" in the summer of 97 at a store called Circuit City. Last week's episode of Family Guy mocked the now extinct electronics chain;"Circuit City- even our name was bad". I can remember playing both CDs when I moved into my apartment for my senior year of college. You know, you hook your stereo system and speakers up early so you can listen to music as you do the rest of your unpacking. That semester I listened to the Ben Folds 5 CD a sane amount (the same can't be said for "Rock Spectacle"). "Whatever and Ever Amen" features great songs like "Brick", "Kate", "Battle Of Who Could Care Less", and "Song For The Dumped". It also features "Cigarette", a slow moper that clocks in at 1:38. Lyrically I've given you the whole deal. Musically it features solo Ben on piano (the other dudes that make up the 5 are not represented). The music is pleasant and sounds like something you might hear at your local piano recital.

2. Hoodoo Voodoo- Wilco

• "Black birdy, blue jay, one, two, three, four, trash sack, jump back, E F G, biggy hat, little hat, fatty man, skinny man, grasshopper, green snake, hold my hand." Back in the late 90s (when I was listening to "Rock Spectacle" on repeat) Wilco hooked up with alt-folk singer Billy Bragg to record a number of unreleased Woody Guthrie songs. Woody Guthrie sits alongside Pete Seeger as a godfather of folk music. "Mermaid Avenue" and "Mermaid Avenue" Vol. II" document the fruits of this unique recording endeavor. If I'm to believe what I read online, Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy was ambivalent about the project and Billy Bragg didn't want the band mixing/touching his recordings. If Tweedy wasn't sure about the project I'm guessing he was fairly pleased with the results. Songs like "California Stars", "One By One" "Airline to Heaven" and "Hoodoo Voodoo" have become Wilco concert staples. "Hoodoo Voodoo" is a fun nonsense song. At least I can't make any sense of it. Musically it reminds me of "Picture Book" by the Kinks. If you listen to the two side by side I dare you to not draw that comparison. This particular version of "Hoodoo Voodoo" comes from a concert at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA in 2008. It was my first Wilco show and I was not prepared for how good the band was. I was blown away.

3. Different Names for the Same Thing- Death Cab For Cutie

• "Alone on a train aimless in wonder, an outdated map crumpled in my pocket, but I didn't care where I was going, 'cause they're all different names for the same place." Some people must find charm in lo-fi recordings. Why else would a band with access to multi-million dollar recording equipment and studios produce a song that sounds like it was sung into a tape recorder? "Different Names for the Same Thing" is classic depressing Death Cab, at least for the first two minutes. After that we get a slow build into the electro-sound more associated with lead singer Ben Gibbard's side project The Postal Service. "Different Names for the Same Thing" comes from Death Cab For Cutie's first major label record "Plans". The band had previously released albums on a smaller independent label. I can't remember if The O.C. explicitly referenced "Plans" (it probably did) but Death Cab was Seth Cohen's favorite band so you know he was listening to this back in the day when he was pinning for Summer Roberts. I can't blame him. Summer Roberts, yum.

1. What Do You Need- Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons

• "And my lovers they don't understand what ever needed you for, but I needed you for me, they don't understand anything about me, they don't understand what it is about me that loves." A year ago I had no idea who Cory Chisel was. I had the fortune of seeing him open up for Brendan Benson at the World Cafe in Philadelphia. I became a fan that night. Cory Chisel reminds one of a young Bruce Springsteen in his hey'. The friend I saw the show with commented that Cory offers all the things he liked about Springsteen (the sound) without all of the stuff he didn't (the pretense). More on that show in a bit. "What Do You Need" comes from the full length "Death Won't Send a Letter" album. It's a straight forward rock song that won't change your world. "Born Again", "So Wrong For Me" and the gorgeous "Tennessee" are the standout songs from the album. As an encore to the show Brendan brought Cory back on stage for a cover of Tom Petty's classic "American Girl". Brendan sang the first verse but forgot the opening lyrics. It's funny to me because the opening lyric is basically the name of the song.

2. Sunday Kind of Love- Etta James

• "And my arms need someone, someone to enfold, to keep me warm when Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold, love for all my life to have and to hold, oh and I want a Sunday kind of love." Hey ladies, how do you when a guy really likes you? It's when he gets seeing his friends out of the way on Friday and Saturday to spend his Sunday with you. Etta James is best known for her smash "At Last" but she has a handful of other classics in her collection including "Sunday Kind of Love". James was recently portrayed by Beyonce Knowles in the film Cadillac Records and Beyonce recorded a few of her songs on the soundtrack. Given that Beyonce is an icon in her own right it's not hard to imagine a yet to be born signer playing miss Knowles in the movies decades from now. I hope when that soundtrack comes out it features "Bug A Boo". Getting back to Etta James I definitely recommend that you listen to this song...just try to resist the urge to go out and buy Dockers.

3. Born Under a Bad Sign- Albert King (featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan)

• "Wine and women is all I crave, a big legged woman is going to carry me to my grave, born under a bad sign, I been down since I began to crawl, if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all." Albert, Freddie and B.B. represent the three kings of blues guitar. If you spend any time listening to these cats you'll hear where guys like Clapton, Page, Beck, etc got their sound from. In 1983 Albert King played a concert with Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was the hot blues guitarist of day. The concert was filmed for the show "In Session". That show was released as a CD years later but for whatever reason this particular song (perhaps Albert King's best known song) was left out. Years later the song was included in an Albert King Stax Profiles greatest hits collection. I first came across "Born Under a Bad Sign" as an instrumental cover on the Jimi Hendrix "Jimi Blues" album. Jimi's version is of course amazing but this version takes the cake; you get the lyrics and Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan trading licks. A DVD of the King/Vaughan In Session concert is being released next month.

1. End of the Line- The Traveling Wilburys

• "Maybe somewhere down the road aways (end of the line), you'll think of me and wonder where I am these days (end of the line), maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (end of the line), purple haze." For those not in the know, The Traveling Wilburys were a late 80s/early 90s super group featuring Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison and Bob Dylan. These old white guys could really make a great song. How much do I like this song? A lot. Why should you care? I'm not sure but that is kinda the premise of this blog. I'm not into Elvis much, but the "well it's all right" chorus of "End of The Line" has a great 50's Elvis feel. Perhaps the chorus reminds me of "That's Alright Mama", the Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup cover which was Presley's 1st single. This may be the last time I reference "The King" as he's not on my iPod and I'm not a fan. "End of the Line" is worth checking out for any fans of Tom Petty or classic rock in general.

2. Space Between The Lines- Pictures and Sound

• "There's a little sparrow singing, and a ring around the sun, and I'm right here by the shoulder, just stickin' out my thumb. Now I'm right back where I started, in the space between the lines, I come expecting nothing, but what i find." Blue Merle had a handful of original songs- "Road to Town", "Foreign Girls" and "Space Between The Lines" that did not find their way onto their debut (and only) studio album "Burning in the Sun". "Space Between The Lines" became a live staple for the band. Blue Merle front man/songwriter/singer Lucas Reynolds recorded the song as the title track for his 2006 solo EP. He re-recorded it in 2008 as Pictures and Sound. The various versions of "Space Between The Lines" are pretty much the same- plodding, moody and introspective...but that's right up my alley. Lucas Reynolds, who now goes by Luke, has a great new independent album available online. You can stream it for free and supposedly a physical CD version exists (I'm still waiting for mine in the mail). Very recently Luke became a full time member of Guster. Perhaps the lads from Guster will give us another incarnation of "Space Between The Lines".

3. Lucky (Suerte) [feat. Ximena Sarinana]- Jason Mraz

• "Se que te quiero cuando te vas, supe desde tiempo atras, Es que mi corazon no sabe querer hasta volverte a ver, suerte que despierto junto a ti, suerte que senti lo que senti, suerte que regresas para mi." Who said this blog has no international appeal? This re-recording of "Lucky" finds Jason Mraz ditching duet partner Colbie Caillat and teaming up with Ximena Sarinana. Jason kicks a few verses in English, Ximena answers back in Espanol and they sing together in Spanish. The original version of this song is so sugary that repeated listening could cause tooth decay. With this version I'm less aware of what they're singing about so I can focus on the nice melodies and harmonies. The melodies are so nice that I took the time to teach myself this song on guitar (with help from the We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things "Play It Like It Is" song book) despite the fact that I have no chick to sing it with. I've been playing guitar for years and years but I still haven't found the "Juliana next to my Evan" or the Natalie next to my J.R. (despite my best efforts).

1. Hello, I Love You- The Doors

• "She holds her head so high, like a statue in the sky, her arms are wicked and her legs are long, when she moves my brain screams out this song." With "Hello, I Love You" The Doors give us a perfectly crafted pop song in 2 minutes and 13 seconds. Thanks guys. Of course The Doors weren't afraid to jam out either with classics like "Light My Fire", "Riders On The Storm" and "L.A. Woman" clocking in at over 7 minutes. I wasn't alive when The Doors were making music but from what I can gather the band brought a lot of excitement to rock and roll, particularly with their live shows. If you saw The Doors on any given night perhaps you'd see Jim Morrison get arrested on stage for inciting a riot or exposing himself. Rock and Roll is supposed to have the element of danger. In 2010 alternative music is a band like Weezer using an imagine from a globally popular television show (Lost) to promote an album named after a corporate clothing sponsor (Hurley) distributed by a major record label (Epitaph). Epitaph poses as an indie label but they are RIAA member (i.e. a part of the establishment). Anywhoo, not too long ago a friend sent me a link to watch an episode of the hit show Glee that featured "Hello" songs. I was watching to see how they tackled Lionel Richie (it was OK) but in the process caught the Pat Boone-esque performance of "Hello, I Love You". Thankfully Jim Morrison was not alive to see it but sadly Val Kilmer may have been exposed.

2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band- The Beatles

• "It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play, they've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile, so may I introduce to you, the act you've known for all these years." Last week I mentioned how Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" as the greatest album of all time in 2003. There are a handful of Beatles albums I'd rank ahead of "Sgt. Pepper's"- "Rubber Soul", "Revolver", "The Beatles (White Album)", and "Abbey Road" to name a few. Even John Lennon admitted there was no concept in this supposed concept album. All that being said, the introduction (this song) to the album is about as iconic as it gets. The audience cacophony interrupted by Ringo's drum beat and George's lead guitar is priceless...whatever lyrics follow are fine by me as I'm already hooked. Three days after the release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the Jimi Hendrix Experience performed the lead song in a concert which featured Paul McCartney and George Harrison among the audience members. That performance is featured on the "Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set". To give further credit to "Sgt. Peppers" (as if it actually needs it) the album does feature the fabulous "With a Little Help From My Friends" which has the distinction of being Brian Wilson's favorite Beatles song.

3. Rise 'n' Shine- Kool Moe Dee

• "Are you ready to elevate, as I rhyme on time you'll illuminate, hard as diamond, knowledge shining, it's that time and it's all in the timing." You'd think that any hip hop song that features Kool Moe Dee, KRS-One and Chuck D would be amazing. After all most hip hop historians would place these three along with Melle Mel and Rakim as the greatest old school emcees of all time. Sadly the results don't match the greatness of the participants. "Rise 'n' Shine" was among a few songs from Moe Dee's 4th studio album "Funke, Funke Wisdom" that got radio/video play but the emcee was on the downward arc of his brilliant career. Technically this trio had appeared together once before as the Stop The Violence Movement with a host of other rappers on the song "Self Destruction" which is a masterpiece. The other notable song from "Funke, Funke Wisdom" is the smooth jam "How Kool Can One Blackman Be" which features an interpolation of the 1974 James Brown hit "Papa Don't Take No Mess". Two years later Janet Jackson would sample said track as the basis for "That's The Way Love Goes" which became her most successful single ever in the states and garnered her a Grammy.

1. Something- The Beatles

• "Somewhere in her smile she knows, that I don't need no other lover, something in her style that shows me." When this came up on shuffle I thought "this blog just got serious". We are talking about one of the great love songs of all time. Frank Sinatra felt the same and called it his favorite Lennon/McCartney song. Of course "Something" was written by George Harrison. It's easy to forgive 'old blue eyes' given the fact that Harrison compositions represented such a small percentage of The Beatles catalogue. "Something" is the 2nd song from "Abbey Road". Rolling Stone magazine recently ranked "Something" as the 6th best Beatles song of all time. In 2003 the magazine ranked "Abbey Road" as the 14th greatest album of all time. They placed 4 Beatles albums ahead of "Abbey Road" including "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" as the #1 album of all time. Have they even listened to these albums? "Abbey Road" is The Beatles at their best. The Rolling Stone top 10 list is all albums from the 60s and 70s. In all fairness to Rolling Stone the list was compiled pre-Lady Gaga. We have to imagine "The Fame Monster" is now in their top ten.

2. What Is Life- George Harrison

• "What I feel, I can't say, but my love is there for you any time of day, but if it's not love that you need, then I'll try my best to make everything succeed." In 1970 George Harrison released his 1st post-Beatles solo album "All Things Must Pass". It features great songs like "What Is Life", "If Not For You" and "My Sweet Lord" to name a few. Harrison's earlier solo efforts, recorded and released while The Beatles were still together- "Wonderwall Music" (1968) and "Electronic Sound" (1969) were experimental efforts. "All Things Must Pass" is a proper solo album and a masterpiece. In the late 60's Harrison was growing as a songwriter but having a hard time getting The Beatles to record his songs. The Beatles had rejected a number of his songs, including the gorgeous "Isn't it a Pity" which found its way onto "All Things Must Pass". Harrison had so much material built up that "All Things Must Pass" was issued as a triple LP. The album would become the most commercially successful solo album from any of the former Beatles. I remember reading John Lennon's reaction to "All Things Must Pass" the Harrison biography "Dark Horse: The Life and Art of George Harrison"- he offered some polite praise but questioned if it really warranted three LPs. Way to be magnanimous John.

3. Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind- The Lovin' Spoonful

• "Sometimes there's one with big blue eyes, cute as a bunny, with hair down to here and plenty of money, and just when you think she's that one in the world, you heart gets stolen by some mousey little girl." In my day pop songs were 2 minutes long and that's the way we liked it. "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind" clocks in at just under 2 minutes. If I had a nickel for every 'mousey little girl' who's stolen my heart I could quit my day job. The Lovin' Spoonful were lead by singer/songwriter John Sebastian. Sebastain went on to write the hit song "Welcome Back" which was commissioned as the theme to the sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter". Had he known the show would help launch the career of John Travolta and the song would be sampled decades later by the rapper Mase he may have decided to keep the song to himself.

Workers of the World Unite Edition

1. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)- NaS

• "Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops harassing, imagine going to court with no trial, lifestyle cruising blue behind my waters, no welfare supporters more conscious of the way we raise our daughters." In 1996 Nasir Jones teamed up with Lauryn Hill of Fugees fame to record this crossover hit. "If I Ruled the World" is based on a Kurtis Blow song of the same name. It also references The Delfonics song "Walk Right Up to the Sun". If you want to get a feel for Kurtis Blow's original "If I Ruled the World" look no further than the 1985 film "Krush Groove". Not only will you see Kurtis Blow rock the mic but you'll get a look at a 17 year old LL Cool J and pre-"Licensed to Ill" Beastie Boys. If you like NaS and reworked old school hip hop you should check out his cover of Slick Rick's "Hey Young World" from Levi's Pioneer Sessions 2010 Revival Recordings.

2. I Wanna Be Your Lover- Prince

• "I wanna be your lover, I wanna be the only one who makes you come running, I wanna be your lover, I wanna turn you on, turn you out, all night long, make you shout." Shakedown 1979. The purple one kicks off his self tittled sophomore release with this pop classic. The album also features "I Feel For You" which would become a big hit for a Rufus-less Chaka Khan 5 years later. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" fits in with the disco style of the time yet it stands up years later much better than most of the music from that era. If you didn't know any better you'd peg this for a mid 80s hit. An aging Marvin Gaye started to view Prince as a threat after the success of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" as critics framed Prince as the era's new sex symbol. I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the "Prince" LP cover- a shirtless long haired Prince complete with mustache. What a sight to behold.

3. Hot Blooded- Foreigner

• "You don't have to read my mind, to know what I have in mind, honey you ought to know, now you move so fine, let me lay it on the line, I wanna know what you're doing after the show." I spent the better part of my sophomore year in college playing NHL 96 and listening to Foreigner's greatest hits. Songs like "Double Vision" and "Head Games" found their way into our hockey vocabulary. If you gave me a week to prepare I'm fairly confident that I could beat anyone with the 96 Florida Panthers. The lads in Foreigner were some randy fellows. Songs like "Urgent", "Feels Like the First Time" and "Hot Blooded" are all about shagging in the sheets. Foreigner tours to this day and while the band has gone through countless line up changes, the band's founding guitarist Mick Jones has been a constant. 1977''s Hot Blooded" is built on Jones's hot guitar riff and lead signer Lou Gramm's hormonally charged lyrics. These days Lou is hot blooded for the Lord; his band released an album of Christian music in 2009.