Creedence Clearwater's 'Suzy Q' is a good example. I think it has four words in the lyrics. Well, maybe a few more, but not many more. This awful song made it all the way to the number 11 spot on the Top 100.
How about the one-hit wonder 'The Kingsmen' and their stupid tune 'Louie Louie', mostly associated with the movie 'Animal House.' Other than the title, most of the remainder of the lyrics are unintelligible, which is probably a good thing.
Many, many more bad tunes abound in the 1960's: 'Young Girl,' by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, really bad writing. And a really bad name for a band as well, but I digress.
Of course, there was 'In A Gada Da Vida' by Iron Butterfly, who could forget this bad tune? I was in the service in the early 1980's, and was cruising along the back woods around San Angelo, TX, where four or five of my buddies and I noticed on a rusty neon bar sign the headline that stated 'Featuring Iron Butterfly.' We were curious, walked into the bar, and nobody was there, except the bartender and the band, apparently taking a cigarette break. They saw us come in, and they started up their one and only tune, 'In A Gada Da Vida.' It was really them, a bunch of burnt out old hippies living off of their one old hit. We didn't stay for the entire tune, we finished our beers and left. They were still only halfway through the never ending, tedious drum solo when the screen door slammed after the last of us left.
I hear 'The Monkees' are getting back together (sans the late Davy Jones). Boy, I can hardly wait.
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25 comments:
Now don't go picking on the classic Louie Louie. It transcends bad so far that it reverses course and ends up good. Years ago one of our local stations had Louie Louie weekend. They played every version of Louie Louie back to back for the entire weekend. Do you have any idea of how many versions of Louie Louie exists? Hundreds - from garage bands, marching bands, and all the way to symphony orchestras.
I really didn't like the Monkeys the first time. Really.
Adrienne: no, I didn't know how many versions of Louie Louie there are out there. Next time I am in an elevator, I'll see if one is playing.
LL: how about the Monkees' moronic TV series? Good stuff?
What? No Beach Boys? That was some good music. Jan and Dean had a few good songs, too. I always enjoy The Little Old Lady From Pasadena.
I was in Alaska in the early 80's. Eielson AFB. Wish we could have stayed in Alaska; but everything happens for a reason, or so they say.
Fredd, You're cherry picking man. There were many good tunes from the 60's. CCR for example. I actually like every tune from CCR. That's unique.
But Inna gada da vidaa. The most accepted story is that some drunk band member stumbled in and said that the name of the tune should be In the Garden of Eden. It was translated as Inna Gada da Vida.
But hey man, how about Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly !
I didn't like the Monkeys much but their guitar player Was talented. I'll say that when I was about 12, I got a letter from a girl who offered me sex and included her picture. My mom intercepted it and said that the picture looked like Mickey Dolenz. Kind of turned me off. The date never happened. What could have been.....
LindaG: the Beach Boys had some serious dreck that they called music: 'In my Room.' I rest my case. Never been to Alaska or Hawaii. All the contiguous lower 48, though, have seen Fredd's footprints.
Kid: Micheal Nesmith was the musician among the bunch. Peter Tork could play, too. And Mickey could sing. Davy Jones? He was the heart throb.
Pop music, even under the guise of Rock, is always inane. The late 60s had some good stuff, though: Hey Jude, All along the Watchtower, Nights in White Satin, Purple Haze, House of the Rising Sun, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Whole Lotta Love.
OK, the lyrics suck, but the music was good.
Adrienne, That's wild.
Fredd, I'm down with your Monkey's analysis.
Fredd, Don't be dissing the Beach Boys. For the time and the age of most of us at the time, they put out somc Great stuff, including In My Room. Little Honda resonated too.
Final Comment I think:
The very BEST bands of the 60's were Spencer Davis Group and Them, who had Van Morrison as a singer and who put out G L O R I A.
The two hottest songs of the sixties -
Gimme Some Lovin
I'm a Man
Check out the thumb pick on the bass. Steve Winwood was in so many great bands too. Spencer Davis, Blind Faith, Traffic..
A young Van Morrison - GLORIA
Now that was Music !
Sorry, Fredd. I could identify with that song, so I disagree.
Have to agree about CCR. A lot of good music there, too.
Kid/LindaG: other than Help Me Rhonda, the Beach Boys music bites. Final word on those guys.
Euripides: The Moody Blues were an exceptional band for the times. Knights in White Satin was probably their biggest hit, but Ride My Seesaw was ahead of its time, a truly outstanding tune in an era of bad music, Led Zeppelin not withstanding.....
LindaG: although I bash Suzy Q, this is the only song that ever made the charts that John Fogarty diddn't write. The rest of their stuff was OK.
We did like the Moody Blues, though hubby liked them more than me.
Haha. Fredd, there was definitely a lot of bad music in the 60s. But if there weren't so many tastes in music, there wouldn't be so many bands out there.
Another band I liked that a lot of people didn't was The Kingston Trio. But they got their start in the 50s.
Fre4dd, Moody Blues - Isn't Life Strange, Tuesday Afternoon, I'm just a Singer in a Rock And Roll Band, many others. Knights was a bit over orchestrated. Good tune though.
Kid: Days of Future Past, Moody Blues, had on every cut back up orchestration by the London Symphony Orchestra. 30 violins, 10 french horns, the whole magilla. Of course it was a bit over orchestrated.
That was the point. And yes, Knights was a good tune. The lyrics were schmaltzy as all get out, but I never really hold a band to account over the words. Except America with Horse with No Name, they should be horse whipped. And a few others (Louie Louie..)
LindaG: The Kingston Trio a bit before my time. I am old, but not that old. Now The Association (Windy), they were a bit of sunshine in a dark musical period. Great harmonies, for the day.
Fredd, Bad Lyrics> We Built This City...
Fredd, you say Windy, I think Along Comes Mary. ;-)
Yes, great harmonies. I like harmonies and music, too. Haha. And I agree with you, re, Horse With No Name and Louie Louie.
Kid: those putrid Starship lyrics were written in the 1980's. Remember, I'm bad mouthing the 1960's here.
The drum solo is particularly difficult. On the ears.
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