Pranks, Punk and Industrial Culture from V. Vale

Sometimes — actually, every day — we get tired of “reality” and a certain amount of “escapism” seems necessary. If we were lucky enough to have had a lengthy dream, we might recall the imagery and do an amateur “Freudian” analysis of it — at the least, wonder what could have possibly inspired the dream. Sometimes we think of “projects” that may not necessarily make a dime but seem worthwhile anyway. Last night we wondered what the most **”beautiful”** songs ever written might be — at least, those suitable to play on a piano at a party like the one we attended last Monday night, where suddenly four people with quite good voices materialized around a piano. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much agreement as to which songs could be sung. Moral: maybe it’s necessary to carry a list of favorite songs around — you never know when you might be called upon to play the piano. Hindsight is always better than…

Some of these songs might be as follows:
() Teddy Bears’ Picnic (A minor) — once J.G. Ballard listed this as Number One on a “favorite songs” list – the lyrics are positively Surrealist
() Unchained Melody (Righteous Brothers) (key of C). This has to be one of the most spectacular performances ever, by Bobby Hatfield. (YouTube)
() “You Were Always On My Mind” (G) Pet Shop Boys version much better than songwriter Willie Nelson’s (YouTube)
() “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” – Platters’ Tony Williams has one of the greatest voices in history, and the female singer Zola Taylor is unique
() “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King’s lyrics are almost Nietzschean, or at least remind one of Milton’s “Paradise Lost.”
() “Winner Takes It All” – Abba’s lyrics are almost Nietzschean too: “The gods may throw a dice/Their minds as cold as ice/And someone way down here/Loses someone dear.”
() “Fernando” by Abba – a South of the Border-influenced classic celebrating “The Revolution” — the one that never arrives
() “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff – a classic rite of Dark Passage hymn
() “Horst Wessel Song” — beautiful tune; don’t know what the lyrics are saying, but this one forbidden song may have subverted an entire nation to kneel to a George W. Bush type
() “Since I Don’t Have You” by the Skyliners — these song lyrics show how thin and insubstantial the reasons for living may suddenly become
() “Brown Eyed Girl” by THEM – in this case, Van Morrison’s vocal interpretation really takes this song (great lyrics to begin with) to the Olympean dimension
() “Your Cheatin’ Heart” (key of G) so simple, so classic, so vexatious, so eternal (DNA testing has shown that a surprisingly large number of children are not sired by the putative biological father)
() “Tennessee Waltz” — love is often not eternal, but can quickly be transferred to another
() “I Fall to Pieces” — sometimes the best cure for a failed romance is to simply move out of town
() “Tracks of My Tears” – Smokey Robinson’s voice is amazing
() “Up On The Roof” (G) – the Drifters takes every listener to another dimension, a better world
() “Dock of the Bay” – every artistic San Franciscan has probably felt the pain of this song, sometime…
() “Hey Joe” – Jimi Hendrix’s version much better than the Leaves” – beautiful music, deplorable lyrics not really suitable for children
() “I Still Miss Someone” – Johnny Cash’s lyrics are so poignant you can feel the knife edge of his pain
() “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by ___
() “Yesterday.” Beautiful. Longing is one of the most powerful emotions on our planet.
() “Jamaica Farewell.” Harry Belafonte, once a radical, wrote a melody worthy to be sung by an Outcast of the Islands…
() “Auld Lang Syne” – a chestnut but still replete with hidden harmonies that ensure its longevity.
Of course, what songs are missing from this list? — V. Vale, RE/Search founder, www.researchpubs.com