Take It Easy

For Song Lyric Sunday this week Jim is completing his trip around the band’s instruments by inviting us to play a song that features a great guitar riff, as he tells us in his post Six String. This should be easy, but as there are so many where could I begin? I began compiling a list, but even after I had managed a fair bit of pruning there were still seven songs on it. I decided that I would play three of them, so with a heavy heart I took four out: the ones which missed the cut are Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, Heart’s Barracuda, Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back In Town, and AC/DC’s Back in Black. You can see my problem, can’t you, but maybe someone else will play one of those.

My lead tune for today is one that I have played before, but not for SLS. Indeed, it has featured as the basis for a post which I have since reworked, so it is a regular favourite of mine. It’s always a great listen, though:

And the lyrics:

Get your motor runnin’Head out on the highwayLookin’ for adventureAnd whatever comes our way

Yeah, darlin’, go make it happenTake the world in a love embraceFire all of your guns at once andExplode into space

I like smoke and lightnin’Heavy metal thunderRacin’ with the windAnd the feelin’ that I’m under

Yeah, darlin’, go make it happenTake the world in a love embraceFire all of your guns at once andExplode into space

Like a true nature’s childWe were born, born to be wildWe can climb so highI never wanna die

Born to be wildBorn to be wild

Get your motor runnin’Head out on the highwayWe’re lookin’ for adventureAnd whatever comes our way

Yeah, darlin’ go make it happenTake the world in a love embraceFire all of your guns at once andExplode into space

Like a true nature’s childWe were born, born to be wildWe can climb so highI never wanna die

Born to be wildBorn to be wild

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Mars Bonfire

Born To Be Wild was written by the wonderfully named Mars Bonfire (who also had a less wonderful real name: Dennis Edmonton). Mars/Dennis is Canadian, so this may have had something to do with the album it was on – Steppenwolf’s January 1968 eponymous debut – reaching #1 in Canada, as well as #6 in the US and #59 in the UK. This was released as a single in May 1968, and also reached #1 in Canada, as well as #2 in the US and #30 in the UK. As the video shows, the track was featured in the movie Easy Rider, which is one of my all time favourites, though I admit it looks a little dated nowadays. But this is still one of the best driving songs I know, 56 years after it was released. On the vague off chance that you might be interested, or are feeling incredibly bored, this is that previous reworked post. A little taste of my teenage years!

Today’s second song is another rock classic:

You Really Got Me was The Kinks’ third single and was the one that made them stars. It was released in August 1964 and got to #1 in the UK, #2 in Australia, #4 in Canada and #7 in the US. The song was included on their debut album, snappily entitled The Kinks, which came out in October that year, and reached #3 in the UK and #29 in the US. Ray Davies may have been the band’s lead vocalist and songwriter, but brother Dave’s lead guitar work had much to do with their success. Don’t ask about the bit after the song – I’ve no idea what it is!

I promised you a third song, and as guitar riffs go they don’t come much better than this:

No apologies for the audio-only clip – it is the best way to get the full majesty of the song, which I’m playing in its full version. Derek and the Dominos was a short-lived English-American blues rock band formed in spring 1970 by singer-guitarist Eric Clapton, keyboardist-singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. They had previously played together in Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, during and after Clapton’s brief time with Blind Faith. Layla was the title track of their album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, released in November 1970, which got to #16 in the US but didn’t make the UK chart. The track was released as a single in March 1971, getting to #51 in the US but again not a UK chart hit. Things improved when it was re-released in May 1972, however: this time it got to #7 in the UK and #10 in the US. A further re-release made #4 in the UK in 1982. The album did also eventually make an appearance in the UK Albums chart: one week at #68 in 2011! It’s odd how that can happen, especially as this has become such an iconic track.

That’s my three for today, and I wonder how many of them will be played by others taking part? I’ve had a good run of not duplicating others, but I have a feeling that may end today! Still, there’s nothing wrong with sharing a taste for great music, is there? And I think I’ve avoided the obvious pitfall (Deep Purple, I’m looking at you).

See you again for Tuesday Tunes, I trust? 😊