Bonus tracks edition this week – free lyric excerpts and commentary!
“But he made too many enemies
Of the people who would keep us on our knees“
– “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead,” XTC, Nonesuch
(A catchy little song about persecution, sort of a companion piece to their earlier “Dear God” if you read a little too much into it)
“I’m not here for your entertainment –
You don’t really want to mess with me tonight“
– “U + Ur Hand,” Pink, I’m Not Dead
(The first time I heard this, I thought it might be Kelly Clarkson…but the profanity and attitude indicated that it probably wasn’t. This is one of the best kiss-off songs I’ve heard in ages.)
“Look at me once, look at me twice –
Look at me again and there’s gonna be a fight“
– “Rock This Town,” The Brian Setzer Orchestra, The Dirty Boogie
(Yep, it’s the same song from his Stray Cats days, given the big-band treatment.)
“Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you“
– “Fix You,” Coldplay, X&Y
“Someday somebody’s gonna ask you
A question that you should say yes to
Once in your life – Maybe tonight…”
– “Question,” Rhett Miller, The Believer
(This is a re-arrangement of a song Rhett originally recorded with his band, the Old 97s.
One of the many reasons I love Scrubs is the way it uses music. This was the song that played over the scene where Turk proposed to Carla.)
“‘Cause I want to have a really true love
Don’t ever want to have to go and give you up“
– “4 in the Morning,” Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape
(I’ve had those dramatic middle-of-the-night relationship-in-crisis conversations. I hope not to have them ever again… But aside from that, I think that this is the best singing I’ve ever heard from Gwen.)
“And I thank the Lord that there’s people out there like you…“
– “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” Elton John, To Be Continued…
(This was always one of my favorite Elton John songs anyway. It played over the scene in Almost Famous where Penny Lane is asked to leave Max’s Kansas City because Russell’s girlfriend has noticed her; William follows her out and runs after her, reaching her room at the Plaza just after she’s overdosed on Quaaludes. While not my favorite scene, that is one of my favorite movies, and it’s my mental video for this song now.)
“I love it in your room up there
When you’re gone I like to try on all your clothes”
– “In Your Room,” The Bangles, Greatest Hits
(This is probably my favorite Bangles song – I love the intro.)
“Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted”
– “The Promised Land,” Bruce Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Town
(One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite Springsteen albums – Bruce in inspirational mode.)
“Now you are the burden of my generation –
I sure do love you,
But let’s get that straight“
– “That Was Your Mother,” Paul Simon, Graceland
(With its zydeco arrangement and reminiscing lyrics about “when I was still single and life was great,” this song is just fun.)
