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Olivia Newton-John - If Not For You

Olivia Newton-John - If Not For You Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: If Not For You
Released: 1971

If Not For You Lyrics

If Not For You, babe I couldn't even find the door
I couldn't even see the floor
I'd be sad and blue, if not for you

If not for you, babe, the night would see me wide awake
The day would surely have to break
It would not be new, if not for you

If not for you, my sky would fall, rain would gather too
Without your love I'd be nowhere at all, I'd be lost, if not for you

If not for you, the winter would hold no spring
Couldn't hear a robin sing
I just wouldn't have a clue, if not for you

If not for you
My sky would fall
Rain would gather too
Without your love I’d be nowhere at all
I’d be lost if not for you

If not for you
The winter would hold no spring
You couldn’t hear the robin sing
I just wouldn’t have a clue
If not for you
If not for you

Writer/s: BOB DYLAN
Publisher: BOB DYLAN MUSIC CO
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

If Not For You Song Chart

Bob Dylan wrote this song and recorded it in 1970 on his New Morning album. Ron Cornelius is a producer, songwriter and publisher who has played on albums by Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Loudon Wainwright III and many others. He told us about the Nashville sessions that produced the album:
"I always wanted to cut an album with him not as an ongoing thing, just saddle up with 5 or 6 guys, go for what you know right on the spot, and it was a series of sessions known as The New Morning Sessions that my wish came true. Dylan played his own acoustic guitar and sang, we had Charlie Daniels on bass and Al Kooper on keys and Russ Konkel on drums and me playing lead guitar. It was just a handful of guys going for what we know. He did something in those sessions that in all my work I've never seen anybody do - he would say 'OK, here's the song that we're going to do,' and he would go ahead and sing it down for us. While he's singing it down for you, you need to chart the song so at least you know the lay of the land. He'd say 'Has everybody got it, need me to play it again?,' then he'd say 'Let's cut it once and see what happens.' Well, as soon as the red lights come on to record, he'd take off playing the song in a completely different tempo than he had just played it. Everybody now is really off base, and you have to just go for what you know. If you'd get 3/4 of the way though it and it fell apart and we had to stop and do it again, we'd go back and red light the song, this time - completely different tempo. I mean way off, drastic changes. Not just fast or slow, he might flip into a Reggae type feel or something. If anybody fell off bad enough to stop that one, he'd say 'let's try it one more time.' The third time he'd take off in a completely different area. I know he was doing that to keep you off base, so that you had to be able to accommodate what was in front of you right now for the first time. If anybody fell off that time bad enough to stop the song, he'd say 'Next Song.' We cut for 21 days doing that and New Morning came out of those sessions. For a session player that was very weird because you're used to somebody singing their song, and you grasp what they're doing and hopefully everybody in the room does, and you get a magical take of it, and if you don't you try it again until everybody feels 'there it is.' Then you can move on to the next song.

This was Olivia Newton-John's first major hit on an international scale, and put her on the map in the all-important United States market for the first time, where the song went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts. Newton-John herself disliked the song and resisted recording it, doing so only grudgingly at the urging of her managers and fiancé. (thanks, Mike - Santa Barbara, CA)

Newton-John had her dog in the recording booth with her and at one point during the session he got up and knocked over a music stand. The sound can still be heard in the recording today, just after the instrumental bridge. (thanks, James - Minneapolis, MN)

George Harrison recorded this in 1970 for All Things Must Pass, his first solo album after The Beatles broke up. It was a triple album made up mostly of songs Harrison wrote as a member of The Beatles but were not recorded by the group. The first track on the album was "I'd Have You Anytime," which Harrison wrote with Dylan in 1968. This was the only song on All Things Must Pass that Harrison didn't write.

Olivia Newton John's songwriter John Farrar suggested that she cover this Bob Dylan song for her first UK release. Olivia said in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, "I wasn't keen on that song at all, but I'm so glad John chose it because it's not one that I would have picked. I didn't think I sang it well, so when it was a hit you know I had to really say it was my management, and Bruce Welch and John Farrar who produced it, that were really the ones that thought that was a good record for me cause in those days I loved singing those big dramatic ballads, you know, talk about being sentimental." (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)

Joan Jett - Bad Reputation

Joan Jett - Bad Reputation Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Bad Reputation
Released: 1981

Bad Reputation Lyrics

I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do
An' I don't give a damn 'bout my Bad Reputation

Oh no not me
An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
An' I'm only doin' good
When I'm havin' fun
An' I don't have to please no one
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn
'Bout my reputation
I've never been afraid of any deviation
An' I don't really care
If ya think I'm strange
I ain't gonna change
An' I'm never gonna care
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

Pedal boys!
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my reputation
The world's in trouble
There's no communication
An' everyone can say
What they want to say
It never gets better anyway
So why should I care
'Bout a bad reputation anyway
Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation
You're living in the past
It's a new generation
An' I only feel good
When I got no pain
An' that's how I'm gonna stay
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not
Not me, not me

Writer/s: JOAN JETT, RITCHIE CORDELL, MARTIN KUPERSMITH, KENNETH BENJAMIN LAGUNA
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Bad Reputation

Jett wrote this with Kenny Laguna, who produced the album and helped her establish a solo career after her group, The Runaways, broke up. In our interview with Laguna, he said: "It's about Joan having been kind of a wild woman in The Runaways, and us trying to make a record deal, going around having people say, 'No, she's too crazy, like the punks and nazis.' Joan had this bad reputation, no label would sign her - that's why we own the records. It was so frustrating, we thought we should write a song about it. One day Joan said something and I said, 'You shouldn't do this.' I was trying to give her the advice of an old man, but she was a teenager at the time, and she says, 'Look, I don't care about my bad reputation.' I said, 'Whoa, there's the song.'"

This song made a very bold statement, establishing Jett as an independent-minded rocker with no concern for traditional gender roles in rock. Her co-writer Kenny Laguna told us: "'I don't give a damn about my reputation, it's a new generation,' that was the whole thing, a girl could do what she wants to do. When she was singing those lyrics, it was radical because there were no girls doing anything other than what they were supposed to do, they were all supposed to be like the girl groups. They were supposed to be dainty, wear dresses. They weren't supposed to play instruments. The song was definitely autobiographical."

Laguna had worked for The Who's European record company and was friends with the band. The Who fronted money so he and Jett could make the album, which was called Joan Jett. In Europe, the album was released on a German label called Ariola Records. They didn't want to use this song as a single, and instead released "Jezebel" and "You Don't Know What You Got." They didn't do very well and Laguna bought the record back from Ariola for $10,000. In the US, they released the album on their own label, Blackheart Records, and changed the track order so this led off the album.

Joan Jett made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 and developed a reputation as a leading lady of rock, but around this time, she was struggling to get noticed and trying to get airplay.

Kenny Laguna told us how this song ended up on one very influential station, which gave it the push it needed. "I remember Dan Neer, who was one of the top DJs in New York at WNEW, his girlfriend was helping us out with publicity," he said. "She brought him down to see Joan play in Brooklyn and he left after three songs - I thought he hated it. The next day WNEW started playing 'Bad Reputation,' which is not the song we wanted them to play, we wanted them to play 'Do You Wanna Touch Me,' but it became their breakout song of the week. In those days, the AOR stations were alternative, but real alternative, not like today's alternative which is really a Top 40 format and is all about record company priorities. These guys were playing something on an independent label. Every time a station didn't want to play 'Touch Me' or burned it out, we would make them play 'Bad Reputation.' That was the beginning of the song becoming known. Then there were a few bands that covered it, and it just took off."

When this started getting airplay, it attracted the attention of record labels and Jett signed a deal with Boardwalk Records. The album was then remixed and the title was changed to Bad Reputation. The next year, Jett released "I Love Rock And Roll," which was a huge hit, but not the one Jett wanted to be known for the rest of her life - she didn't write that one.

This became Jett's signature song, and although it's very well known, it was never released as a single.

Speaking about recording this song, Kenny Laguna said: "We tried to do one of those speedy punk rock songs. The day we recorded it, we didn't know it too well, we just managed to get a good drum track. Joan had to play all the guitars - the rhythm track was pretty good. I put on like a Jerry Lee Lewis piano, but until the piano went on, it really sounded kind of unfinished."

This was the theme song to the NBC TV show Freaks And Geeks. The show was about a group of kids trying to deal with high school. It was canceled after one season in 1999-2000, but had a large cult following and was praised by critics who felt it would have gotten better ratings if NBC gave it a chance.

Some of the movies this has been used in include Shrek, Wonderland, Kingpin Baby Mama, Kick-Ass and 10 Things I Hate About You. It's very popular for scenes that portray an outcast in a lighthearted way.

The MMA champion fighter Ronda Rousey uses this song as her entrance theme.

When Jett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, she was the first to perform at the ceremony, and opened her set with this song.

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Led Zeppelin 4
Released: 1971

Stairway To Heaven Lyrics

Stairway To Heaven

The most famous rock song of all time, this didn't chart because it was never released as a single to the general public. Radio stations received promotional singles which quickly became collector's items.

On Tuesday November 13, 2007, Led Zeppelin's entire back catalogue was made available as legal digital downloads, making all of their tracks eligible for the UK singles chart. As a result, at the end of that week the original version of "Stairway To Heaven" arrived in the UK singles charts for the first time. Previously, three covers had charted: the multinational studio band Far Corporation reached #8 with their version in 1985, then reggae tribute act Dread Zeppelin crawled to #62 in 1991 and finally Rolf Harris' reworking outdid the other two, peaking at #7 in 1993.

Robert Plant spent much of the '70s answering questions about the lyrics he wrote for "Stairway." When asked why the song was so popular, he said it could be its "abstraction," adding, "Depending on what day it is, I still interpret the song a different way - and I wrote the lyrics."

The lyrics take some pretty wild turns, but the beginning of the song is about a woman who accumulates money, only to find out the hard way her life had no meaning and will not get her into heaven. This is the only part Plant would really explain, as he said it was "a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back."

Led Zeppelin started planning "Stairway" in early 1970, when they decided to create a new, epic song to replace "Dazed And Confused" as the centerpiece of their concerts. Jimmy Page would work on the song in an 8-track studio he had installed in his boathouse, trying out different sections on guitar. By April, he was telling journalists that their new song might be 15-minutes long, and described it as something that would "build towards a climax" with John Bonham's drums not coming in for some time. in October, 1970 after about 18 months of near constant touring, Page and Plant worked on the song at a Welsh cottage called Bron-yr-Aur, where they started writing songs for the album. They started recording it in December when the band convened at Island Studios in London, but were only able to record the intro to their satisfaction.

To complete "Stairway" and the rest of the album, they changed venues and went to Headley Grange in Liphook Road, Headley, Hampshire, where they recorded using a mobile studio owned by The Rolling Stones. It was a huge, old, dusty mansion with no electricity but great acoustics. Bands would go there to get some privacy and focus on songwriting, as the biggest distractions were the sheep and other wildlife. Here's more information and a photo of Headley Grange.

The lyrics came to Robert Plant in a flash of inspiration when he and Jimmy Page were sitting by the fireplace at Headley Grange with Page strumming the intro chords. Said Plant: "I was holding a pencil and paper, and for some reason I was in a very bad mood. Then all of a sudden my hand was writing out the words, 'There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold/And she's buying a stairway to heaven.' I just sat there and looked at the words and then I almost leapt out of my seat."

Plant's implication that something else was moving his pencil for him led to speculation that it was Satan who was dictating the words, and along with the backward messages and Page's Aleister Crowley connection, there was enough evidence for many listeners that the devil had some role in creating this song.

This is rumored to contain backward satanic messages, as if Led Zeppelin sold their souls to the devil in exchange for "Stairway To Heaven." Supporting this theory is the fact that Jimmy Page bought Aleister Crowley's house in Scotland, known as Boleskine House. In his books, Crowley advocated that his followers learn to read and speak backwards.

Robert Plant addressed the issue in an interview with Musician magazine: "'Stairway To Heaven' was written with every best intention, and as far as reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, that's not my idea of making music. It's really sad. the first time I heard it was early in the morning when I was living at home, and I heard it on a news program. I was absolutely drained all day. I walked around, and I couldn't actually believe, I couldn't take people seriously who could come up with sketches like that. There are a lot of people who are making money there, and if that's the way they need to do it, then do it without my lyrics. I cherish them far too much." (thanks, Rob - Easton, PA and Tolga - Naples, FL)

This runs 8:03, but still became one of the most-played songs on American radio, proving that people wouldn't tune out just because a song was long. It was a perfect fit for FM radio, which was a newer format challenging the established AM with better sound quality and more variety. "Stairway" fit nicely into what was called the "Album Oriented Rock" (AOR) format, and later became a staple of Classic Rock. By most measures, it is the most-played song in the history of American FM radio. It has also sold more sheet music than any other rock song - about 10,000 to 15,000 copies a year, and more than one million total.

Jimmy Page has a strong affinity for this song, and felt Robert Plant's lyrics were his best yet. He had him write all of Zeppelin's lyrics from then on.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine (March 13, 1975) the interviewer, Cameron Crowe, asked Jimmy Page how important "Stairway To Heaven" was to him. Page replied: "To me, I thought 'Stairway' crystallized the essence of the band. It had everything there and showed the band at its best... as a band, as a unit. Not talking about solos or anything, it had everything there. We were careful never to release it as a single. It was a milestone for us. Every musician wants to do something of lasting quality, something which will hold up for a long time and I guess we did it with 'Stairway.' Townshend probably thought that he got it with Tommy. I don't know whether I have the ability to come up with more. I have to do a lot of hard work before I can get anywhere near those stages of consistent, total brilliance."

This was the only song whose lyrics were printed on the album's inner sleeve.

Many novice guitarists try to learn this song, and most end up messing it up. In the movie Wayne's World, it is banned in the guitar shop where Wayne (Mike Myers) starts playing it. If you saw the movie in theaters, you heard Wayne play the first few notes of the song before being scolded and pointed to a sign that says "NO Stairway To Heaven" (Wayne: "No Stairway. Denied."). Because of legal issues - apparently even a few notes of "Stairway To Heaven" have to be cleared, and good luck with that - the video and TV releases of the movie were changed so Wayne plays something incomprehensible. This novice guitar Stairway cliché later showed up on an episode of South Park when the character Towelie tries to play the song in a talent show and screws it up.

Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones decided not to use a bass on this because it sounded like a folk song. Instead, he added a string section, keyboards and flutes. He also played wooden recorders that were used on the intro. Bonham's drums do not come in until 4:18.

Robert Plant is a great admirer of all things mystic, the old English legends and lore and the writings of the Celts. He was immersed in the books Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis Spence and The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Tolkien inspiration can be heard in the phrase, "In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees," which could be a reference to the smoke rings blown by the wizard Gandalf. There is also a correlation between the lady in the song and the character from the book, Lady Galadriel, the Queen of Elves who lives in the golden forest of Lothlorien. In the book, all that glittered around her was in fact gold, as the leaves of the trees in the forest of Lothlorien were golden. (thanks, Shannon - Tacoma, WA)

Dolly Parton covered this on her 2002 album Halos and Horns, and Robert Plant said he liked her version. Other artists to cover this include U2, Jimmy Castor, Frank Zappa, The Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews Band, Sisters of Mercy, Nancy Wilson, Zakk Wylde , Elkie Brooks, Pardon Me Boys, White Flag, Jana, Great White, Stanley Jordan, Far Corporation, Dixie Power Trio, Justin Hayward, Leningrad Cowboys, Dread Zeppelin, Tiny Tim, piano virtuoso Richard Abel, and Monte Montgomery. Neil Sedaka had an unrelated Top 10 hit with the same title in 1960. (thanks, Brett - Edmonton, Canada)

Many critics trashed this song when it came out: Lester Bangs described it as "a thicket of misbegotten mush, and the British music magazine Sounds said it induced "first boredom and then catatonia."

Led Zeppelin played this for the first time in Belfast on March 5, 1971 - Northern Ireland was a war zone at the time and there was rioting in nearby streets. John Paul Jones said in an audio documentary that when they played it, the audience was not that impressed. They wanted to hear something they knew - like "Whole Lotta Love."

The song got a better reception when the band started the US leg of their tour. In an excerpt from Led Zeppelin; The Definitive Biography by Ritchie Yorke, Jimmy Page said of playing the song at an August, 1971 show at the Los Angeles Forum: "I'm not saying the whole audience gave us a standing ovation - but there was this sizable standing ovation there. And I thought, 'This is incredible because no one's heard this number yet. This is the first time hearing it!' It obviously touched them, so I knew there was something with that one." (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)

Jimmy Page considers this a masterpiece, but Robert Plant does not share his fondness for the song. Plant has referred to it as a "wedding song" and insists that his favorite Led Zeppelin song is "Kashmir." After the band broke up, Plant refused to sing it except on rare occasions, including Live Aid.

This was the last song the remaining members of Led Zeppelin performed when they reunited for Live Aid in 1985. Bob Geldof organized the event, and did his best to get many famous bands to play even if they had broken up. Unlike The Who, Geldof had an easy time convincing Plant, Page, and Jones to play the show. They played the Philadelphia stage with Tony Thompson and Phil Collins sitting in on drums.

The acoustic, fingerpicking intro is very similar to the song "Taurus" from the band Spirit, who toured with Led Zeppelin when they first played the US. Regarding the composition of the track, Jimmy Page told Rolling Stone: "I was trying things at home, shunting this piece up with that piece. I had the idea of the verses, the link into the solo and the last part. It was this idea of something that would keep building and building."

Forty-three years after the song's original release, Francis Alexander Maloify, a lawyer for the trust of late Spirit guitarist Randy California, filed a plagiarism lawsuit. The intention was to block the release of the reissue of Led Zeppelin IV until California was given a co-writer credit and a portion of the profits.

Pat Boone released an unlikely cover on his album In a In a Metal Mood. Boone wanted to see how it would turn out as a jazz waltz, and it opened and closed the song with soft flute playing. In a subtle reference to his Christian faith, Boone changed the line "All in one is all and all" to "Three in one is all and all" - a reference to the Christian Trinity (the Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Another notable cover was by an Australian performer called Rolf Harris, who used a wobbleboard (piece of quite floppy wood, held at both sides, arched slightly and wobbled so the arch would continually invert) and changed the line "And it makes me wonder" to "Does it make you wonder." (thanks, Iain - Edinburgh, Scotland)

In the '90s, Australian TV host Andrew Denton had a show on which various artists were asked to perform their version of this song. Their versions were released on an album called The Money or the Gun: Stairways to Heaven. Artists performing it included Australian Doors Show, The Beatnix, Kate Ceberano and the Ministry of Fun, Robyne Dunn, Etcetera Theatre Company, The Fargone Beauties, Sandra Hahn and Michael Turkic, Rolf Harris, Pardon Me Boys, Neil Pepper, The Rock Lobsters, Leonard Teale, Toys Went Berserk, Vegimite Reggae, The Whipper Snappers, and John Paul Young. In reply to Rolf Harris' version, Page and Plant performed his song "Sun Arise" at the end of another Denton TV show. (thanks, Graham - Australia)

In January 1990, this song was added to the Muzak playlist in a solo harp version. Unlike the original, the Muzak version, arranged and recorded to provide an "uplifting, productive atmosphere" and "counteract the worker-fatigue curve in the office environment," did not do so well, as even this sanitized version drew a lot of attention to the song, thus undermining the intention of the Muzak programming. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The band performed this at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in 1988 with Jason Bonham sitting in on drums for his late father. Plant did not want to play it, but was convinced at the last minute. It was sloppy and Plant forgot some of the words. This was not the case when Jason joined them again in 2007 for a benefit show to raise money for the Ahmet Ertegun education fund. They performed this song and 15 others, earning rave reviews from fans and critics.

Zeppelin's longest ever performance of this song was their last gig in Berlin in 1980. It clocked in around 15 minutes long. (thanks, Marshall - Gallatin, TN)

Gordon Roy of Wishaw, Scotland had all of the lyrics to this song tattooed on his back. He did it as a tribute to a friend who died in a car accident.

In the late '90s, the radio trade magazine Monday Morning Replay reported that "Stairway" was still played 4,203 times a year by the 67 largest AOR (album-oriented rock) radio stations in the US. ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, refuses to release exact figures on how many times it has been played since its release, but figure that on each AOR station in America, the song was played five times a day during its first three months of existence; twice a day for the next nine months; once a day for the next four years; and two to three times a week for the next 15 years. There are roughly 600 AOR and Classic Rock stations in the US, which means that "Stairway" has been broadcast a minimum of 2,874 times. At 8 minutes per spin, roughly 23 million minutes - almost 44 years - have been devoted to the song. So far.

On January 23, 1991, under the direction of owner and general manager John Sebastian, the radio station KLSK (104.1 FM) in Albuquerque, New Mexico played this song over and over for 24 hours, confounding listeners who weren't used to hearing Led Zeppelin on the station. The song played over 200 times, with many listeners tuning in to find out when it would end. It turned out to be publicity stunt, as the station was switching to a Classic Rock format.

Explaining his guitar setup for the solo, Jimmy Page told Guitar Player magazine in 1977: "I was using the Supro amp for the first album, and I still use it. The 'Stairway to Heaven' solo was done when I pulled out the Telecaster, which I hadn't used for a long time, plugged it into the Supro, and away it went again. That's a different sound entirely from the rest of the first album. It was a good, versatile setup."

The Foo Fighters did a mock cover of this song, and their version was to say that nobody should try to cover the song because they will screw it up. Dave Grohl intentionally carried the intro on way too long, asked his drummer and audience for lyrics, and when it came time for the guitar solo, he sang Jimmy Page's part. This was done purely as a joke, and to tell people not to cover the song, as Grohl is a huge Zeppelin fan, and lists Zeppelin's John Bonham as a major influence. (thanks, Bert - Pueblo, NM)

Rolling Stone magazine asked Jimmy Page how much of the guitar solo was composed before he recorded it. He replied: "It wasn't structured at all [laughs]. I had a start. I knew where and how I was going to begin. And I just did it. There was an amplifier [in the studio] that I was trying out. It sounded good, so I thought, "OK, take a deep breath, and play." I did three takes and chose one of them. They were all different. The solo sounds constructed - and it is, sort of, but purely of the moment. For me, a solo is something where you just fly, but within the context of the song."

Mary J. Blige recorded this in 2010 backed by Travis Barker, Randy Jackson, Steve Vai and Orianthi. Blige told MTV: "Once you get lost in the rock-and-roll moment of it, all you can do is scream to the top of your lungs or go as low as you need to go. It's not a head thing - it's a spirit thing." She added: "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway To Heaven.' I make songs my own by going deep inside myself and translating them to 'what would Mary do.'" The song is included as a bonus track on the UK re-issue of her album Stronger With Each Tear and made available for download. Blige performed the song on the April 21, 2010 episode of American Idol. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

In solo work or with other groups, Jimmy Page would not let anyone but Robert Plant sing this, but he did play it as an instrumental on occasion.

The ending of this song is distinctive in that is closes out with just Robert Plant's voice. According to Jimmy Page, he wrote a guitar part to end the song, but decided to leave it off since the vocal at the end had such an impact.

Jimmy Page often called "In The Light" from Physical Graffiti a follow-up to this song.

John Lennon - Instant Karma

John Lennon - Instant Karma Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Very Best Of John Lennon
Released: 1970

Instant Karma Lyrics

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon your gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of?
Laughing in the face of love
What on Earth you tryna do?
It's up to you, yeah, you

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the face
You better get yourself together darling
Join the human race

How in the world you gonna see?
Laughing at fools like me
Who on Earth do you think you are?
A superstar? Well, right you are

And we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well, we all shine on
Everyone, c'mon

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognize your brothers
Everyone you meet

Why in the world are we here?
Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on Earth are you there
When you're everywhere
Gonna get your share

Well, we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah, we all shine on
C'mon and on and on, on, on

Yeah, yeah, alright

Well, we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah, we all shine on
On and on and on, on and on

And we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well, we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun

Yeah, we all shine on
Like the moons and the stars and the sun
Yeah, we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Writer/s: LENNON, JOHN /
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Instant Karma

Karma is the belief that your actions effect your future lives. Good deeds will have a positive effect while bad deeds bring negative consequences. The concept of Karma is popular in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Lennon's idea of "Instant Karma" refers to a more immediate concept of accountability for your actions. Basically, what comes around, goes around.

John Lennon wrote and recorded this song in one day, which was either January 26 or 27, 1970, depending on the source. It was unusual in the Beatles era for a song to be written and put into tape the same day. Lennon told Rolling Stone in January 1971 about the recording of this song and its quick turnaround: "I wrote it in the morning on the piano. I went to the office and sang it many times. So I said 'Hell, let's do it,' and we booked the studio, and Phil came in, and said, 'How do you want it?' I said, 'You know, 1950's.' He said, 'right,' and boom, I did it in about three goes or something like that. I went in and he played it back and there it was. The only argument was that I said a bit more bass, that's all; and off we went."

In this song, Lennon addresses critics who are not on board with his message of unity and hope ("You better get yourself together..."), but according to Yoko Ono, the song is really an invitation, not a condemnation. "It's like, 'Let's all be together and anybody who's out there who's not in this game, why don't you join us?,'" she told Uncut in 1998. "And to say that 'We all shine on,' it's a beautiful, beautiful thing, instead of saying some people are shining and some people are not. It's a really uplifting song."

A good indication of Lennon's mindset at the time and inspiration for this song can be seen in the statement he and Yoko released on December 31, 1969, declaring 1970 "Year 1 AP (After Peace)." The statement read: "We believe that the last decade was the end of the old machine crumbling to pieces. And we think we can get it together, with your help. We have great hopes for the new year."

George Harrison played guitar on this and Billy Preston played piano on this track. Preston helped out The Beatles with their Let It Be Album.

According to Philip Norman's book John Lennon: The Life, the chorus was made up of Mal Evans, Yoko, and a small group of strangers Lennon rounded up from a West End pub called Hatchetts.

In 2007 U2, Christina Aguilera, R.E.M. and Black Eyed Peas all contributed to an album of John Lennon cover songs called Instant Karma.

This was the first of many recordings by members of the Beatles that Phil Spector produced in 1970. He helmed three albums in the same year for them, which were Let It Be for The Beatles, All Things Must Pass for George Harrison and Plastic Ono Band for John Lennon. According to the BBC book The Record Producers, John Lennon wanted Spector to produce a single before letting him take on Let It Be. "Instant Karma" proved that Spector could work with sparse instrumentation and still produce a hit, and it won over Lennon.

In 1993, "Instant Karma" was used in a Nike commercial directed by David Fincher. Predictably, many of Lennon's fans did not appreciate his music being used to support a major corporation, and Yoko Ono took some heat for allowing the song's use. Yoko explained her decision in an interview with Option, where she said: "Look, even if we have something against big business, big business is going to thrive. It's going to be there. The way I see it is: I've got an access there for millions of people to hear 'Instant Karma'; and I got $800,000, which went to the United Negro College Fund. That's what I got for that song. You have a problem with that? What's the alternative? Big business is going to be there no matter what we do. So if it's going to be there, why don't we use it for positive things. To say this is wrong is the same kind of snobbery as, like, an avant-garde composer saying, 'Ah, we should not do that commercial deal; it's bad.' I don't buy that. I mean, what is sell-out? What does sell-out mean?"

Alan White played drums on this song. White was a member of the band Yes, and also worked with George Harrison, Joe Cocker, Ginger Baker and The Ventures. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The title of the Stephen King novel The Shining, which was later made into a film starring Jack Nicholson, was inspired by the refrain in this song: "We all shine on."

At first, King called his novel The Shine, but when he found out that "Shine" was an archaic, derogatory term used to describe African-Americans (referring to shoe-shiners), he changed it to The Shining.

Instant Karma is also the title of Mark Swartz' 2002 novel.

In their 2009 "Blue Sky" TV commercial, Chase bank used a version of this song sung by Peter Murphy. While the "We all shine on" chorus is a sensible sentiment for a bank looking to attract new customers, invoking "Karma" at a time when large banks like Chase helped trigger a financial meltdown was a questionable call. Also puzzling was the choice of Murphy, who is the former lead singer of the Goth band Bauhaus.

Nirvana - Lithium

Nirvana - Lithium Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Nevermind
Released: 1991

Lithium Lyrics

I'm so happy because today
I've found my friends
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, cause so are you
We've broken our mirrors
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care
And I'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze
Cause I've found god
Hey, hey, hey

I'm so lonely but that's okay I shaved my head
And I'm not sad
And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard
But I'm not sure
I'm so excited, I can't wait to meet you there
But I don't care
I'm so horny but that's okay
My will is good
Hey, hey, hey

I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack

I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack

I'm so happy 'cause today
I've found my friends,
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, that's okay, 'cause so are you,
Broke our mirrors
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care,
And I'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze
'Cause I've found god

Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah, yeah

I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack

I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack

Writer/s: KURT COBAIN
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Lithium

There is a lot of self-loathing going on in this song, as Kurt Cobain sings, "I'm so ugly" and takes the voice of a man on the brink of killing himself - dysfunctional, random, and all of that. Cobain made it clear that most of the time, he wasn't singing about himself in his songs, but was pulling from what he saw in other people. This depressive theme crept into some of the songs on their In Utero album as well, which at one point was going to be called "I Hate Myself And I Want To Die." At live shows, Cobain would sometimes put this in perspective, asking the audience, "Hey everybody, why so glum?"

Lithium is a drug used by doctors and psychiatrists to treat patients with manic-depressive disorder, also known as bipolar depression. This is a very volatile mental condition, and Lithium often helps regulate the mood of the patient. Mike Tyson is a famous lithium patient.

The CD single contained a sonogram photo of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love's unborn child, Frances Bean; Kurt said he thought he saw Frances doing the heavy metal devil horn hand gesture when he watched the sonogram. The single also included all the lyrics to the songs on the Nevermind album, so people could finally figure out what Kurt was singing in "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

The album was produced by Butch Vig . He also produced the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream and is the drummer for the band Garbage.

Kurt Cobain collaborated with Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan in an informal blues band during 1990. One of the names they considered for the group was Lithium. (thanks, Adam - Dewsbury, England)

There was a group called Nirvana that was around from 1967-1972 and had modest success in Europe. That band got back together and sued Kurt Cobain's Nirvana in the early 1990s for taking their name. The suit was amiably resolved, and the other Nirvana released their version of "Lithium" on their 1996 album Orange And Blue. (thanks, Andrew - Cape Town, South Africa)

Cobain spent a period of his life moving between the homes of various relatives and friends. One of these friends came from a family of reformed Christians, and in this song Cobain compares living in this house to having bipolar depression.

Living Color guitarist Vernon Reid told Rolling Stone magazine: "My favorite song on Nevermind was 'Lithium.' Kurt Cobain tapped into something in the culture that nobody had given a voice to before: passionate ambivalence: 'I'm so ugly, but that's OK 'cause so are you.' He captured the idea of having incredibly powerful feelings about not having feelings." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Bruce Lash recorded a mellow lounge version that was used in the 2008 movie Marley & Me. Lash explains: "I recorded the song as part of an album I did called Prozak For Lovers II, in 2004. I did the first Prozak For Lovers in 1998. I was looking for songs that were hard or angry or alienated to make sort of loungy Bossa Novas out of. Calm them down. Make them soothing. 'Lithium' has such a beautiful melody, and I never realized how great the lyrics were until I started working on the Prozak version of it. it was a natural!
The thing about this kind of song treatment is that the lyrics really come to the front, and I find the result is especially pleasing when the lyrics are as good as they are in this song.

How did it get into Marley? The film's editor, Mark Livolsi, told me that he had put it in the cut fairly early on, and its placement was never questioned. I have no idea how he came across my recording of the song. I did, however, send him a fruit basket, as a thank you. :)" (Thanks to Bruce for filling us in. Prozak For Lovers II is available at CD Baby and on iTunes.)

Nirvana performed this at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. It was quite an eventful evening for the band, as they wanted to play "Rape Me" but MTV wanted "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Cobain had to check out of rehab to attend the show, and had made comments disparaging MTV in the past. At rehearsals, a standoff ensued where MTV threatened to go nuclear, banning not just Nirvana, but other acts from their label if they didn't fall in line. "Lithium" was the compromise, but Nirvana made the network sweat, playing a few seconds of "Rape Me" before going into their agreed upon song. During the song, after a bit of network-sanctioned stage diving from the crowd, they smashed up their instruments, with Krist Novoselic getting hit in the head by his bass - a fairly common event at Nirvana finales. Kurt Cobain also had beef with Axl Rose at the show, and Kurt made sure to spit on Axl's keyboard after a backstage altercation.

The video was made up of footage of the band performing at the Reading Festival in England, where they were the headliners in 1992.

Janet Jackson - Escapade

Janet Jackson - Escapade Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Rhythm Nation 1814
Released: 1990

Escapade Lyrics

As I was walkin' by
Saw you standin' there with a smile
Lookin' shy, you caught my eye
Thought you'd want to hang for a while
Well I'd like to be with you
And you know it's Friday too
I hope you can find the time
This weekend to relax and unwind

My mind's tired
I've worked so hard all week
Cashed my check
I'm ready to go
I promise you
I'll show you such a good time

Come on baby, let's get away
Let's save our troubles for another day
Come go with me, we've got it made
Let me take you on an Escapade (let's go)

Escapade
We'll have a good time
Escapade
Leave your worries behind
Escapade
Well you could be mine
Escapade
An escapade

So don't hold back
Just have a good time, yeah yeah
We'll make the rules up as we go along
And break them all if we're not havin' fun

Come on baby let's get away
Let's save our troubles for another day
Come go with me we've got it made
Let me take you on an escapade

Come on baby let's get away
Let's save our troubles for another day
Come go with me we've got it made
Let me take you on an escapade (let's go)

Escapade
We'll have a good time
Escapade
Leave your worries behind
Escapade
Well you could be mine
Escapade
An escapade

(My mind's tired I've worked
Worked so hard all week
I just got paid, we've got it made
Ready to go
I promise you I'll show you
Such a good time)

Come on baby let's get away
Let's save our troubles for another day
Come go with me we've got it made
Let me take you on an escapade

Come on baby let's get away
Let's save our troubles for another day
Come go with me we've got it made
Let me take you on an escapade (let's go)

Come on baby let's get away
Let's save our troubles for another day
Come go with me we've got it made
Let me take you on an escapade

Writer/s: HARRIS, JAMES SAMUEL III/LEWIS, TERRY / JACKSON, JANET DAMITA JO
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, JANET JACKSON DBA BLACK ICE
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Escapade

Jackson was going to do a remake of the Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' 1965 hit "Nowhere to Run," but Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who were her songwriters and producers, suggested they do an original song with a similar beat, which meant they would keep more of the songwriting royalties. Jam and Lewis pulled the word "Escapade" from a notebook they kept of song title ideas, and came up with the track while Jackson wrote the lyrics.

Former New Edition member Johnny Gill contributed finger snaps.

This album proved that Jackson's previous release, the breakthrough album Control, was not a fluke. Including this song, it brought her seven US Top-5 singles, an unheard of number of (Top-5) hits for one album.

Jackson embarked on her very first concert tour - "The Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990" - the same week this song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Jimmy Jam remembered how the song came together: "While [Janet] was sitting in one room coming up with lyrics, I put it on the 24-track. We hooked the drum machine up. On my left hand I played the bass, on the right hand I played the chord. And it was just enough for her to sing to, which we do a lot. Because we like to let her sing to as minimum of a track as we can do, then fill in the track around her so that her part is the main part of the song. With 'Escapade,' she sang it and we kept saying we'll go back and redo the track... we never redid the track."

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Grace
Released: 1994

Hallelujah Lyrics

Well I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this:
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to her kitchen chair
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

But baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Well there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me do ya
But remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya

And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Writer/s: COHEN, LEONARD
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Hallelujah

Arguably Buckley's most famous work, this was originally written and recorded by Leonard Cohen in 1984 on his album Various Positions. Cohen's rendition was released as a single in Spain and the Netherlands, but got little attention in the United States.

Jeff Buckley heard the song in the early '90s and began performing it at his shows in and around New York City. He included it on his 1994 debut album Grace, but the song didn't gain widespread attention until after Buckley's death in 1997, which sparked renewed interest in his work. Many artists took note of "Hallelujah" and recorded their own versions of the song. Many of these covers found their way into movies and TV shows, popularizing the song across a wide audience.

The song is about love which has soured and gone stale. Cohen used a lot of religious imagery, including references to some of the more notorious women in the bible. Here's some lyric analysis:

"You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you" - Bathsheba, who tempted the king to kill her husband so he could have her.

"She tied you to her kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair" - Delilah, who cut off Sampson's locks that held his superhuman strength.

"But remember when I moved in you and the holy dove was moving too" - This could be a reference to the divine conception and Mary.

The lines referring to the immaculate conception can also be interpreted as having a sexual connotation: "And every breath we drew was hallelujah."

Leonard Cohen explained: "Hallelujah is a Hebrew word which means 'Glory to the Lord.' The song explains that many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist. I say: All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value. It's a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion." (thanks, Roderick - Qingdao, China)

Regarding the line, "The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift," to which the chords played are: F - G - Am - F:

It is clever the way that not only the chords line up in the lyrics and in the music, but also because the connotations themselves of "major" and "minor" add to the meaning of the song. The "fourth" is a major chord based on the fourth of the key Buckley is playing in. Likewise the fifth is the major chord based on the fifth tone of the key. The "Minor Fall" corresponds to Buckley playing a minor chord based on the sixth of the key. "Major Lift" corresponds to playing the major chord on the fourth again. (thanks, Gol - Gainesville, FL)

The Bible makes reference to King David communing with the Lord and learning that certain types of music were more pleasing. The chords mentioned in the lyrics (that "David played and it pleased the lord) are often used in hymns. (thanks, Mike - Perth, Australia)

Leonard Cohen recalls singing this song to Bob Dylan the morning after Dylan's concert in Paris on July 1, 1984. Cohen says they sat down at a café and traded lyrics, and that Dylan especially liked the last verse of the song (Cohen often tells the story of comparing songwriting technique with Dylan at this meetup: while "Hallelujah" took him years to write, Dylan told Cohen that he wrote "I and I" in 15 minutes).

Dylan would later perform the song, singing it at two shows in 1988.

The melody has become a favorite in churches across America, where instrumental versions are often played by organists and bell choirs. Musically, it fits right in with traditional hymns, but the lyrics, although filled with religious imagery (especially the title), are rarely appropriate in this setting, since it is definitely not a worship song.

You will sometimes hear versions of the song with the lyrics altered for church performance. One such rendition was recorded by The Osmonds in 2015. It begins:

I heard about this baby boy
Who comes to Earth to bring us joy
And I just want to sing my song to ya

Larry Holder, the composer of "More Than a Child" and other worship songs, gave us his thoughts on the subject. Said Holder: "While there is Biblical imagery, it is not a worship song, in the common understanding. The music by itself is very moving, so I can understand someone wanting to use it instrumentally, although to me, it would tend bring to mind the lyrics (in my case, I'd start thinking about Shrek) which would actually be a distraction from worship.

It is interesting how someone came up with alternate lyrics for what the Osmonds sang, and that would definitely fit within a musical program at church at Christmas time in particular. (I have to presume permissions were obtained for such a derivative work to be written for such public use). I have heard that many of the hymns that Martin Luther penned actually used common melodies heard in the pubs of his day, so setting worship lyrics to secular melodies already well known has some logic to it.

There has been a lot of change in worship style, just in the past decade or so. I am a bass player in a praise band, in a church that not so many years ago was pretty much just choir, piano, organ (we actually have two services now, one traditional, one contemporary, which is not uncommon). It is easy to see how something contemporary but not purely originally worship music can become adapted and adopted into a contemporary worship setting. We sometimes walk a fine line between leading true worship and merely providing entertainment."

John Cale, who founded The Velvet Underground, recorded this song for the 1991 Leonard Cohen tribute album I'm Your Fan, and also included it on his 1992 solo album Fragments Of A Rainy Season. Jeff Buckley started covering the song after hearing Cale's version.

Cale shaped his own interpretation after Cohen faxed him 15 pages of lyrics for the song, claiming that he "went through and just picked out the cheeky verses." Cale's version also appears in the 1996 movie Basquiat and on its soundtrack.

Buckley always closed his live shows with this song. Remarkably, his revved-up crowds became extremely silent. (thanks, Kristy - La Porte City, IA)

Cohen started work on this song five years prior to recording it on his 1984 Various Positions album, by which time he had 80 verses to choose from - he picked the best four.

Rufus Wainwright recorded this for the 2001 movie Shrek. Wainwright did not sing on the version used in the film (John Cale did), but his version is on the soundtrack. Wainwright recorded for Dreamworks, which also distributed the movie, and he had an album coming out a few weeks after Shrek was released.

When the song appeared in Shrek, it was introduced to a very young audience, greatly expanding its appeal. (thanks, Andy - Indiana, PA)

Rufus Wainwright is the gay father of Leonard Cohen's granddaughter. Don't worry, we'll explain. Rufus is the son of the famous recording artist Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. Loudon is a bit younger than Leonard but the two are spiritual twins in the unique folk-poetry they're both known for. Kate McGarrigle, originally from Quebec, has herself crafted brilliant work both before and after meeting and marrying Loudon. Kate gave birth to Rufus in 1973 and died from cancer in 2010. Still, before and after Kate's death the Wainwright family was and is very close with Leonard Cohen and his daughter, Lorca. The Cohens and Wainwrights are both nothing short of Canadian folk music royalty (Loudon is from the States but his marriage to Kate made him an honorary Canuck).

In 2011, Rufus had a child with Leonard's daughter and the little girl, Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen, is being raised by the trio of Lorca, Rufus, and Rufus' lover John Weisbrodt. You can call it an unconventional setup, but one thing is certain: Viva most definitely has a long history of Canadian folk talent coursing through her veins.

A stark, a cappella version of this song by Imogen Heap plays during the season finale of the show The O.C. in 2006, accompanying a scene where the character Marissa dies.

Other notable uses of this song on TV shows:

Without A Trace on the first season finale episode.

The Fox series House, where It was used on the second season premiere episode "Acceptance."

The final episode of the third season of The West Wing. The president and staff were attending an opera when CJ Craig's (Press Secretary) secret service guard (and new love interest) was gunned down trying to stop a robbery.

This plays at the end of the movie The Edukators (Die fetten jahre sind vorbei), which got the Award Of The Public in Cannes, 2004. The main characters by then lost some faith in humanity, start an open relationship and continue to fulfill their revolutionary dreams. (thanks, Chris - Wageningen, Netherlands)

This appears in the final minutes of the 2005 Nicolas Cage movie Lord Of War. (thanks, Sandy Currin - lillington, NC)

In March 2008, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice performed this song during Leonard Cohen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Afterwards he told Billboard magazine what made this track so special for him. Rice said: "There's an amazing connection between sex and spirituality, and it's something Leonard Cohen hints at in that song. It's almost like a Buddhist master giving you a hint, but not the whole story. You have to take that hint and go sit with it."

On March 4, 2008, American Idol competitor Jason Castro performed this song to rave reviews by the judges. Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell both said that they considered the Jeff Buckley version the best. As a result, Buckley's "Hallelujah" hit #1 on Billboard's Digital Downloads chart the next week. In the UK the renewed interest in this song created by Jason Castro resulted in the song returning to the UK singles chart at #74. It also reached the Top 20 of the World Singles chart. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Grand Funk - We're An American Band Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: We're An American Band
Released: 1973

We're An American Band Lyrics

Out on the road for forty days
Last night in Little Rock put me in a haze
Sweet, sweet Connie, doin' her act
She had the whole show and that's a natural fact
Up all night with Freddie King
I got to tell you, poker's his thing
Booze and ladies, keep me right
As long as we can make it to the show tonight

We're An American Band
We're an American band
We're comin' to your town
We'll help you party it down
We're an American band

Four young chiquitas in Omaha
Waitin' for the band to return from the show
Feelin' good, feelin' right, it's Saturday night
The hotel detective, he was outta sight
Now these fine ladies, they had a plan
They was out to meet the boys in the band
They said, come on dudes, let's get it on
And we proceeded to tear that hotel down

We're an American band
We're an American band
We're comin' to your town
We'll help you party it down
We're an American band

We're an American band
We're an American band
We're comin' to your town
We'll help you party it down
We're an American band

We're an American band
We're an American band
We're comin' to your town
We'll help you party it down
We're an American band

We're an American band
We're an American band
We're comin' to your town
We'll help you party it down
We're an American band

We're an American band, wooo
We're an American band, wooo
We're an American band, wooo

Writer/s: BREWER, DONALD GEORGE
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

We're An American Band Song Chart

This was written by Grand Funk drummer Don Brewer. In our interview , he told us:

"We started out as a trio in 1969. Everybody calls it 'Heavy Metal,' but heavy metal didn't come around until the '80s, so we were just a hard rock trio. We were kind of riding along with the FM underground situation, so we were able to make 7-minute, 9-minute songs and we'd get the airplay because that was the in thing to do - we could get whole albums played. As we moved into 1972, FM underground radio was beginning to be very commercial, so they were looking for songs that were 3 minutes 30 seconds long. We needed to go that way. We left our former manager Terry Knight in 1972. We were going through lawsuits and all this crap and we came out with an album that was very different for Grand Funk Railroad called The Phoenix Album. We were lucky to have sort of a semi-hit off that record (Rock 'N' Roll Soul), but we knew that the next record had to be something big or the career was going to go down the toilet. We were touring, supporting The Phoenix Album, we were going from town to town, there were lawsuits flying all over the place, it was a very tumultuous time period. I remember lots of discussions in the back of cars going, 'What are we going to do next?' Our manager kept saying, 'Why don't you just write songs about what you do: you're out here on the road, you're going to this hotel, you go to different places, there's people, you come into town...'

So the thought came into my mind, 'We're coming to your town, we'll help you party it down.' That's really what we were doing - we were coming into town and we were the party. That's where the line came from, and the next thought I had was, 'We're an American band.' It wasn't to wave the flag or anything, it was just simply what we were. It was a true description and it kind of rolled off my mind. I went home and worked on the concept for a while and picked up a guitar; I'm not really a great guitar player, I can play tow-finger chords and that kind of stuff. I worked out the chord structure and I brought it in to rehearsal one day and there you go - we just let it go from there. It had a mind of its own."

The lyrics are about little things that were going on on the road during the Phoenix tour. All of them are true. Don explains the line, "Up all night with Freddie King, I've got to tell you, poker's his thing":

"Freddie King was the opening act for us, the great Blues guitar player from Texas. It always struck me as funny that he would make his band play poker with him every night. We used to sit in on some of the poker games, and that's where that line came from. His band, he'd pay them, and then he'd go win all the money back so they were broke and they'd have to keep playing for him - it was a great deal. A lot of people don't understand the Freddie King part because they don't know who Freddie King is. Anybody who knows about Freddie King immediately picks it up. People who don't say, 'What are you saying, that Focus can't sing?'"

Regarding the line, "four young chiquitas in Omaha," Don Brewer told us that it came from a situation where they checked into a hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. "There were four groupies in the lobby waiting to see the band," he said. "'Four young chiquitas' sounded a lot better than 'four young groupies' or 'four young girls.'"

The line, "Sweet Sweet Connie was doing her act" is about Connie Hamzy, a famous groupie known as "Sweet Connie." Some of her rumored conquests include Brewer, John Bonham, Keith Moon, Huey Lewis, Peter Criss, and Bill Clinton 9when he was governor of Arkansas). This song made her famous, and in 2010 VH1 ran a special about her life. According to Hamzy, she didn't have "the whole band," as stated in the lyrics, but she came pretty close - Mark Farner was a holdout.

Brewer sang lead on this. Grand Funk guitarist Mark Farner sang most of their songs, but Don was the lead vocal on songs like "Shinin' On," "Walk Like A Man" and "Gimme Shelter." He and Mark shared vocals on "Some Kind Of Wonderful."

Brewer: "From the time when I brought the song in and we worked up an arrangement to it and we got it recorded, the song just had a life of its own after that. Nobody can just sit down and say, 'I'm going to write a song like this and it's going to be a major hit.' They just either have it, or they don't, and that one just had it."

Todd Rundgren produced the We're An American Band album. He is an accomplished musician who produced albums for Badfinger and The New York Dolls before working with Grand Funk. He has played on albums by Joan Jett, Cheap Trick and Hall & Oates, and had success as a solo artist with the hit "Hello It's Me." Brewer explains his production style: "Working with Todd was very relaxed, he did the engineering himself as well as production. He would just kind of sit there and let us do our thing and work our way through all the arrangements - every now and then he'd drop in a suggestion. His real thing was the sound. He had a way of turning knobs that would make everything sound huge, even in the headphones. A lot of the engineers would come in and say, 'I've got to record everything flat, don't worry about what it sounds like in the headphones, I'll make it sound great later.' Todd was of the school that, 'I'm going to make it sound great right now, it's going to tape right now. I'm not going to screw around with it later and get a whole different sound. You guys are going to hear the way it's going to sound on the record in your headphones.' That was new to us and it just blew us away that we're hearing these great sounds in the headphones as we're playing. Back then, we used to do an entire album in a week, so you didn't have a lot of time for splicing and editing and changing arrangements after you got it done. It was done in a week and it was done with mistakes or without."

Grand Funk was one of the best-selling bands of the '70s, and this was their biggest hit. Critics were often very harsh, especially Rolling Stone magazine, but they had a huge fan base and got lots of radio play. Says Brewer, "The time was right, it was the summer heading for the 4th of July. We'd really come off of about a year of publicity in Rolling Stone and other music mags with publicity flying over our lawsuits with Terry Knight. There were a lot of things going on where as long as we came up with something that was very commercially viable, it was going to hit, and this came and really took it over the top. We enlisted Todd Rundgren to work on the album - we wanted that commercial appeal Todd could give us with FM radio - he really understood what the sound of the time was. When he came in, the magic was there. We recorded in Miami, one thing was leading to another and it was all snowballing and happening for us. The fact that the song was so good, and so commercially good just added to it."

This was the first of two #1 singles by Grand Funk - the other was their remake of "The Loco-Motion" a year later.

This was Grand Funk's first major hit after shedding their original manager, Terry Knight (they were originally Terry Knight and the Pack). It was also their first single as Grand Funk, rather than Grand Funk Railroad.

In the first pressing, all the copies of the 45 RPM records were pressed on gold vinyl. Says Brewer: "That was Capitol's idea. A couple of bands had done that prior to us. It's called virgin vinyl and it's expensive, so record companies didn't want to do virgin vinyl. You could see through it. Black vinyl, they can put all kinds of impurities in there that nobody cares about. Virgin vinyl, where you can see though it, if there were impurities and stuff there would be specks all through it, so they didn't like doing that, but we went to them and said, 'Look, we want to make a special statement,' so they agreed to print 100,000 units of both the single and the album on virgin gold vinyl to go along with the gold record situation we had going - we had about six gold records prior to that, and it was like, 'Let's give everybody a gold record.' They were rare, and they still go for a pretty good buck with collectors."

Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You

Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Breakaway
Released: 2004

Because Of You Lyrics

I will not make
The same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break
The way you did, you fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because Of You
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known
Better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life
Because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

Because of you
Because of you

Writer/s: HODGES, DAVID / CLARKSON, KELLY / MOODY, BEN
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir One Music, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Because Of You

Clarkson wrote this about her parents' divorce when she was 6 years old. The song might be aimed at her mom. When the divorce happened, her mom was always busy and little Kelly had to make sandwiches for herself to eat.

In the song, Clarkson sings about trying not to make the same mistakes her parents did, and how because of the divorce, she is scared to fall in love, in fear of going through the same pain her parents did.

On her Breakaway DVD, Clarkson explains that she started writing this long before she won American Idol. Kelly was 16 when she was with friends one night and they were talking about the influence that older people/peers have on you and started writing it. She sent a demo tape of the song to producers David Hodges and Ben Moody (formerly of Evanescence), who liked the song and worked on it with her.

Clarkson told Entertainment Weekly why she'd like to be remembered for this song in a 2011 interview: "I think because I worked so damn hard to get it on an album and just everyone was against it. There was some blood, sweat and tears going on there. I think I'm most proud of that song—just getting it on an album because no one liked it until it hit # 1 worldwide and everybody was on board."

Clarkson told the UK newspaper The Guardian: "You may as well grab a knife. That song really is the most depressing one I've ever written. I tried to get it on Thankful, and was laughed at and told I wasn't a good writer. So then I tried to get it on Breakaway – and the label saw the results, people responding to it, and allowed it to become a single. Then took credit for its success, of course."

Clarkson revealed that she burst into tears after playing this song for the first time to Sony record executive Clive Davis. "I cried because he hated it and told me verbatim that I was a 'sh--ty writer who should be grateful for the gifts that he bestows upon me,'" she said. "He continued on about how the song didn't rhyme and how I should just shut up and sing. This was devastating coming from a man who I, as a young girl, considered a musical hero and was so honored to work with."

The Beatles - Let It Be

The Beatles - Let It Be Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Let It Be
Released: 1970

Let It Be Lyrics

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, Let It Be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Writer/s: LENNON, JOHN / MCCARTNEY, PAUL
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Let It Be Song Chart

Paul McCartney wrote this song. It was inspired by his mother, Mary, who died when he was 14. Many people thought "Mother Mary" was a biblical reference when they heard it.

Since Let It Be was The Beatles last album, it made an appropriate statement about leaving problems behind and moving on in life. The album was supposed to convey an entirely different message. It was going to be called "Get Back," and they were going to record it in front of an audience on live TV, with another TV special showing them practicing the songs in the studio. It was going to be The Beatles getting back to their roots and playing unadorned live music instead of struggling in the studio like they did for The White Album. When they started putting the album together, it became clear the project wouldn't work and George Harrison left the sessions. When he returned, they abandoned the live idea and decided to use the TV footage as their last movie. While the movie was being edited, The Beatles recorded and released Abbey Road, then broke up. Eventually, Phil Spector was given the tapes and asked to produce the album, which was released months after The Beatles broke up. By then, it was clear "Let It Be" would be a better name than "Get Back."

McCartney had a dream one night when he was paranoid and anxious. He saw his mom who had been dead for ten years or so; she came to him in his time of trouble, speaking words of wisdom. This brought him much peace when he needed it. It was this sweet dream that got him to begin writing the song.

John Lennon hated this song because of it's apparent Christian overtones. He made the comment before recording it, "And now we'd like to do Hark The Angels Come." Lennon saw to it that "Maggie Mae," a song about a Liverpool prostitute, followed it on the album. (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, WA. for above 2)

It was John Lennon who wanted Phil Spector to produce the album. Spector worked on Lennon's "Instant Karma" and was known for his bombastic "Wall Of Sound" style. McCartney hated Spector's production, and in 2003 he pushed to have the album remixed and released without Spector's influence. The result was Let It Be... Naked, which eliminated most of Spector's work and is much closer to what The Beatles intended for the album. "Maggie Mae" and "Dig It" were removed, and an entirely different guitar solo was used for this song.

You'll hear different guitar parts on different versions on this song, as there were several overdubs of the solo. On April 30, 1969, George Harrison overdubbed a new guitar solo over the best take from the January 31, 1969 session. Harrison overdubbed another one on January 4, 1970, but there's a possibility that it was actually McCartney on that overdub. The first overdub solo was used for the original single release, and the second overdub solo was used for the original album release. The Let It Be... Naked version is the one from the movie.

The Beatles weren't the first to release this song - Aretha Franklin was. The Queen of Soul recorded it in December 1969, and it was released on her album This Girl's In Love With You in January 1970, two months before The Beatles released their version (she also covered The Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" on that album).

Aretha recorded it with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section , who were a group of musicians that owned their own studio in Alabama, but would travel to New York to record with Aretha. David Hood, who was their bass player, told us that Paul McCartney sent demos of the song to Atlantic Records (Franklin's label) and to the Muscle Shoals musicians. Said Hood, "I kick myself for not grabbing that demo. Because I think they probably dropped it in the garbage. Our version was different. We changed it a little bit from his demo, where their version is different from that demo and from Aretha's version, as well. Just slightly, but little things."

In April 1987, this was released as a charity single in aid of the The Sun newspaper's Zeebrugge ferry disaster fund. Featuring Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Kate Bush, Boy George and many others, it was called "Ferry Aid" and spent 3 weeks at #1 in the UK. (thanks, Vishal - Delhi, India)

Sesame Street used this with the title changed to "Letter B." The lyrics were changed to list words that begin with B.

This was the first Beatles song released in The Soviet Union. The single made it there in 1972.

In 2001, McCartney helped organize the "Concert For New York," to benefit victims of The World Trade Center disaster. He closed the show with this, inviting the other acts and some New York cops and firefighters on stage to sing with him.

The album had the largest initial sales in US record history up to that time: 3.7 million advance orders. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

This song was played at Linda McCartney's funeral.

On July 18, 2008, Paul McCartney joined Billy Joel onstage at Shea Stadium in New York and played this as the final song of the final concert at Shea. As a member of The Beatles, McCartney played the first stadium rock concert when they performed at Shea on August 15, 1965.

According to Ian Macdonald's book Revolution in the Head , McCartney wrote "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" on the same day. (thanks, mick - london, United Kingdom)

Until 1994 and the recordings for "Free As A Bird," the session for this song on January 4, 1970 was the last Beatles recording session. Lennon wasn't present that day, as he was on holiday.

A cover by American R&B artist Jennifer Hudson featuring the Roots, who are the house band on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, debuted at #98 on the Hot 100 in February 2010. She recorded it for the Hope For Haiti Now charity telecast after the earthquake that devastated the country. It was the third time the song had entered the US singles chart as Joan Baez's version peaked at #49 in 1971.

A month after Jennifer Hudson's version reached the Hot 100, Kris Allen took the song to the chart for a fourth time when his cover debuted at #63. Allen's cut charted after he performed the song on American Idol, with proceeds from its digital sales benefiting Haiti earthquake relief efforts through the Idol Gives Back Foundation.

John Legend and Alicia keys performed this song on the tribute special The Beatles: The Night That Changed America, which aired in 2014 exactly 50 years after the group made their famous appearance on Ed Sullivan Show. Legend introduced it as "a song that has comforted generations with its beauty and its message."