Tuesday Tunes 272: Numbers x 3

Posted on by

 

As I still have a list of loads of songs with numbers in their titles I thought I’d play a third set for you. As before, numbers are their only connection, apart from the fact that I like them all – that rather goes without saying, doesn’t it! I hope you enjoy them – they are a bit of a mixed bag.

Let’s get started with a favourite band for me:

I’ve tried so far to avoid using ‘one’ as my number but couldn’t resist this track. R.E.M. released The One I Love as a single in August 1987, and then on their fifth album, Document, the following month. The single reached #9 in the US and #51 in the UK, but a 1991 re-release made #16 here, making it their first big hit single on both sides of the pond. The album was also their most successful at that point, making #10 in the US, #13 in Canada and #28 in the UK. It went Platinum in both the US and Canada, and eventually made it to Gold in the UK in 2013. I think they call that ‘staying the course!’ I loved the band right from their first album, Murmur, and have a full set from the days before streaming took over.

My next song for today is a very gentle one, but again is another that I have always loved:

That was, if you didn’t already know it, Janis Ian with At Seventeen. Many songs have been written about coming of age, but to my mind few have done it better than this. It first appeared on Janis’ seventh studio album, Between the Lines, in March 1975, and was then taken as the second single from it in July 1975. The album reached #1 in the US and #4 in Canada, though it didn’t make the UK charts. The single was also successful, getting to #3 in the US (#1 on the Cashbox rankings), #6 in Canada and even got to #54 in the UK. I think it was just too delicate for our charts at that time, stuffed as they were with glam rock! The song won Janis a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, which I think was well deserved. She wrote the song about a social outcast in high school, after reading an article in the New York Times. No doubt it would be deemed ‘woke’ today in some circles, though I think that should be a badge of honour!

Another from that era next:

50 Ways To Leave Your Lover was included on Paul Simon’s fourth solo album, Still Crazy After All These Years, which was released in October 1975 and made #1 in the US, #6 in the UK and #8 in Canada, going Gold in the US and the UK and Platinum in Canada. The song was released as a single in December 1975, and topped both the US and Canadian charts, though it only made #23 here in the UK. I still like it, though, with its clever wordplay on the various names he mentions. But why no “Just stay alive, Clive’ is what I’ve always pondered – but I’m trying my best! An honourable mention for Steve Gadd’s drumming on this – it’s a masterclass of understatement.

I’m cranking the pace up again for today’s two closing tracks. Like this:

Two Princes was a track on the Spin Doctors’ debut album, Pocket Full Of Kryptonite, which was released in August 1991. It originally sold in modest numbers, but really took off in 1993 after two of its tracks had been hit singles. The first of those was Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong (October 1992, US #17, UK #23) and this one. It was released in January 1993, and peaked at #7 in the US and #3 in the UK. The album then surged up the charts, finally reaching #3 in the US and #2 in the UK. I bought it back then and played it a lot – it was loads of fun and the band’s sense of humour was very much to the fore. It came with me a lot on the long car commute to work – it is great driving music. And on an utterly irrelevant and unrelated side note, the band’s lead singer, Chris Barron, still follows me on Twitter, proving what good taste he has. But as he hasn’t posted anything there for two years maybe it’s just inertia!

For my final song this week I’m going back to the Seventies again, and an album that was a huge part of the soundtrack to my uni days:

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five was the closing track on Band On The Run, the masterpiece of an album by Paul McCartney and Wings, which was released in November and December 1973 (UK and US respectively) and topped the charts in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Spain and Norway, and sold well just about everywhere else. It has gone 3x Platinum in the US and Platinum in the UK, and to my mind is the best post-Beatles McCartney album. You, of course, are free to differ – though I rate his first solo effort, McCartney, close to it. And Ram wasn’t bad, either…

That’s a wrap for today. As I said at the outset they are a mixed bag, so I hope you found something to enjoy in there. I’m off to try and keep warm, as it is turning distinctly autumnal here. Enjoy your week, and I’ll see you again in a couple of days for one of my annual reminder posts. Take care 😊

 

41 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 272: Numbers x 3”

  1. Pingback: That Was October | Take It Easy

  2. These were all really good ones. I was happy to hear the Wings song and the Spin Doctors. Haven’t heard those in awhile and we have the Wings album still, I think. I’ve always heard of Janis Ian but never knew her songs, but this one was really good. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you, Barbara, I’m pleased you enjoyed these. I played the Wings album to bits while I was at uni! And I’m glad you liked Janis Ian, as that one seems to have met a mixed response.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Hi Clive. Not sure about Janis Ians ’17’ but otherwise your choices are right up my street. I love REM and have three of their albums (2 on cassette!). On 50 ways, I agree with your comment on Steve Gadd’s drumming. I love his solos on Steely Dan’s Aka. The Spin Doctors’ one is a great track as is McCartneys (Band on the Run is one of my favourite 70s albums).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Janis Ian seems to have divided opinion, which kind of surprises me. But I’m glad you enjoyed the others, even if you are an R.E.M. lightweight: just 3?! I have the full set, a mix of cassette and CD.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Lots of tunes to choose from numbers …Three out of Five for me one was surprise to me as I generally am not a fan of McCartney but I don’t mind this track one of his better ones…and of course R.E.M and Paul Simon…Hope your week is going well, Clive 🙂 xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Three out of five for me today, Clive. I like the tunes by McCartney, R.E.M., and Paul Simon equally well. You might be surprised, considering my preferred genres, that I don’t care for “Two Princes.” I haven’t heard the Janis Ian tune in a couple of decades, but apologies to you, that song never did anything for me.

    An entertaining theme, as there are numerous songs to choose from.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Must do better! Two Princes surprises me, though, and I guess Janis Ian isn’t to everyone’s taste.

      I still have loads I could play for this, and as there are so many I’m thinking of breaking my own self-imposed rule of three weeks for a theme and going for another next Tuesday. Thanks as always fro reading and commenting 👍

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. The Office meme had me smiling right away! 🙂
    The first song wins this round and LOL at the Spin Doctors video. It was fun.
    Good job, once again!

    Annnd off the subject but back to what we talked about last week. I am not losing my mind. 🤣 You did play A Thousand Years on your blog, though, you didn’t pick the song. It was the song playing in a very moving video that you showed for an organization. I can’t remember the name, but it was a video compiled of deaf children with their moms signing. Do you remember?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you, Carolyn, I’m pleased you enjoyed this.

      Thank you for your good memory. I really don’t recall that but as you’ve piqued my interest I’m going to have to look for it now!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Update: I’ve found the video in a web search. It is absolutely beautiful and very moving, but I really don’t remember having played it before, and as it is so lovely I think I would. I wasn’t sure about doing another post for numbers but this has made up my mind – definitely one more next Tuesday and this will close it. Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • Yay on finding the video! I am not crazy, well…at least not in regards to the video. I look forward to seeing it again and if you didn’t play it before I don’t know who did. Maybe some of your readers will remember it and jog your memory when you play it next week. LOL!
        You are welcome! Its definitely a video worth being played …. again! 😂

        Liked by 1 person

      • It’s still a mystery to me, as it would have to have been in the past couple of years since we started following each other and I have no recollection of it at all! The video is lovely and deserves to be shared, whether or not it is my first time! The big clue for me is that if I had played it I would have tagged Christina Perri, and searching my posts for her draws a total blank.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Hmmm….I wonder if one of your followers posted it in your comments. I have seen that before in your music posts where your theme reminds someone of a song. Maybe the mystery will be solved on Tuesday. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    • I’m glad you liked those, John. Thanks for your suggestion: that one is already on my candidate list, though I’m not sure if I’ll run with this again next week. I don’t normally do mini-series for more than three weeks but I still have a long list for this one!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Also, I bought the never-0relased double album version of Red Rose Speedway – what a sprawling work that was, but due to Wild Life not selling they convinced him not to do a double album…some of it is terrific, but all worth hearing

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Terrific list and agree on McCartney – if he had only included Another Day and Oh Woman Oh Why to his debut solo album it would have been even greater – but those were the days when he still released “singles” between albums, like Juniors Farm, another classic….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Great collection of songs, Clive. Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” brought back a lot of memories; I had great affection for that song even though in 1975 I was far from 17. I didn’t know “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors but what an immediately and immensely likable song that is! Thanks for including that one. Enjoy the rest of your day, Clive. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Please leave a reply, I'd like to know what you think