As a companion piece to last week’s prompt, Jim is asking us this week to play something by someone who hasn’t been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame but should have been, in his post Rock Music’s Highest Honor. I have commented before on my view of this so-called honour, this ‘Rock and Roll’ entity, which seems to constantly ignore deserving cases while allowing entry to pop, (c)rap, and RnB artists who should be elsewhere, if anywhere. Frankly, it is a blatant money-making exercise, and if its owners don’t think they will make enough cash by inducting someone they just don’t get in. I follow a page on Facebook called Induct Warren Zevon Into The Hall Of Fame, and this year was delighted to learn from it that Warren was actually included as one of the fourteen acts for a fan vote on who should be admitted. He came third in that vote but did that count for anything? No, of course it didn’t. So we are left with the usual selection of acts that mostly have nothing to do with rock music, but whose record company has greased the palms of the Hall of Shame’s owners: seven of the fourteen have been chosen, and only one of them is a true rock act. I’m making up for that today as best I can by playing three songs by that remarkable musician, who deserves the dubious honour of being admitted much more than several of this year’s chosen few.
I’m starting with what will probably count as his best known song:
And here are its lyrics:
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fooks
For to get a big dish of beef chow mein
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
You hear him howling around your kitchen door
You better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo, huh
He’s the hairy handed gent who ran amok in Kent
Lately he’s been overheard in Mayfair
You better stay away from him, he’ll rip your lungs out Jim
Huh, I’d like to meet his tailor
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen
Doin’ the werewolves of London
I saw Lon Chaney Jr. walking with the Queen, uh
Doin’ the werewolves of London
I saw a werewolf drinkin’ a piña colada at Trader Vic’s
His hair was perfect
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Hey draw blood
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Warren Zevon / Robert T. Wachtel / Leroy P. Marinell
Werewolves of London lyrics © Zevon Music, Leadsheet Land Music, Songs Of Universal Inc.
You get a taste of his sense of humour from that, don’t you, both in the song’s lyrics and the video. Warren’s father was a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine, whose original surname was Zivotofsky, and who worked as a bookie handling volume bets and dice games for a notorious Los Angeles mobster. His mother was from a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints family and was of English descent. Coming from a family that mixed mobsters and Mormons is fairly uncommon, I’d have thought, but it probably explains his wry take on life in so many of his songs. From those beginnings he developed a musical career which saw him release twelve albums, which have somehow been turned into six compilation albums by his record companies. He achieved some chart success in the US and Australia, and a couple of his albums also made the UK chart. He was taken from us at the ridiculously early age of 56 by mesothelioma, a virulent form of cancer, and as was so typical of him he took this on head first after it was diagnosed and called in favours from a stellar cast of musical friends to help him make one final album, The Wind. This is the closing track from that album (have the handkerchiefs ready):
How many songs start with a heartbreaking lyric like this, when you know what is behind it:
Shadows are falling and I’m running out of breath
Keep me in your heart for awhile
If I leave you it doesn’t mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Keep Me In Your Heart was written by Warren and his long time friend Jorge Calderón, who has worked with many artists, including the likes of Jackson Browne. Bob Dylan also gets a writer credit. The video is taken from a documentary about the making of the album which is, as you might expect, full of joy, laughter and tears. The Wind was released on 26 August 2003: Warren died on 7 September, just twelve days later. This final album won him two posthumous Grammy Awards, plus a further three nominations, yet somehow the Hall of Shame doesn’t think him worthy of membership. They clearly know nothing about music.
I promised you a third song. Warren became great friends with David Letterman, and appeared on his Late Night show several times. This was one of Letterman’s favourites, and is another good example of Warren’s sense of humour:
It is nearly twenty years since we lost this genius, and still they can’t recognise him for induction, even when fans have shown them how much they value him. Money speaks more loudly than talent, it would appear. But I still love his music, whatever those clowns might think.
See you again for Tuesday Tunes 😊🎶
