A to Z Challenge 2023

A to Z Reflections — 2023

Fandango16 Comments

The April 2023 A to Z Blogging Challenge is over. Well, the sponsors of the challenge would like us to each publish a “Reflections” post where we look back over the past month and discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly. So let’s do some reflecting.

M.C. Escher’s “Hand with Reflecting Sphere”

My theme for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge was classic rock songs. Each day during the month (except for the first four Sundays), I posted a classic rock song: a video from YouTube, along with a brief bit of background about the song and the recording artist(s).

This turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. For every letter of the alphabet — except for X and Z — there were dozens of fantastic classic rock songs to choose from and picking just one song for each letter was maddening. But this was what I signed up for.

Actually, it wasn’t what I signed up for because I didn’t technically (and officially) sign up at all. I had gone through all of the official rigamarole for the 2018 through 2022 A to Z Challenges, but this year I was one of a number of bloggers who participated in the challenge without signing up. We were “going rogue,” and Paula Light, one of us rogue participants, created a unique non-badge badge for us:

Anyway, I made it through the month posting classic rock songs and I hope I brought a lot of fond memories for those of us who grew up in the classic rock era. And perhaps I introduced others who weren’t around in the 60s and 70s to some “new” music — at least to them — that they enjoyed.

For me, it was like posting my responses to Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday prompt nearly every day of the month. I enjoyed doing that and learning some of the very interesting — and often surprising — backstories behind the songs I featured. On the other hand, it took up a lot of time, so I didn’t get to read as many of the posts from other bloggers that I follow. And I also wasn’t able to participate in as many blogging prompts as I usually do.

Stats wise, my April 2023 stats (with around 12,400 total views), were my lowest April views since 2018. That could be because my number of annual views peaked in 2019 and have been going down every year since then. Or it could be because I didn’t “officially” register for the A to Z challenge and, therefore, didn’t get as much exposure for my A to Z posts. Or it could be for both or for neither of those reasons.

Bottom line, I’m glad I participated this year and I hope those of you who took the time to read my A to Z posts enjoyed them. I plan on being back again next year, either officially or unofficially.

If you missed any of my A to Z classic rock posts, just tap or click on the letter below and it will take you to that letter’s song.

Previous 2023 A to Z posts: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Z is for “Zanzibar”

Fandango15 Comments

Well this is it. The final 2023 A to Z Blogging Challenge post. My theme for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge has been classic rock songs. Each day during the month (except for the first four Sundays, I posted a classic rock song: a video from YouTube, along with a brief bit of background about the song and the recording artist(s). I hope you enjoyed the songs I picked.

My Z song is “Zanzibar” from Billie Joel.

“Zanzibar” was written by Billy Joel. It first appeared on his sixth studio album, 52nd Street, released in 1978. The album was named for the famous street in Manhattan that housed several jazz clubs in the ’40s and ’50s. Keeping with the theme, Joel wanted to write a tune about Zanzibar, the East African island where Freddie Mercury was born, because he thought it sounded like a jazzy title.

When Joel brought the idea to his producer, Phil Ramone, Ramone though the name sounded more like a sports bar than an exotic locale. Joel ran with the idea and wrote a jazzy tune about a barfly who falls in love with a waitress at a sports bar.

“Zanzibar” allowed Joel to showcase his versatility by creating a jazzy mood inspired by the musicians he grew up on. What emerged was a solid pop/rock tune adorned with tasteful elements of hot and cool jazz. The smitten bar patron in the song, who admits he’s “just another face at Zanzibar,” looked to sports figures like Muhammad Ali and Pete Rose, and the baseball team the New York Yankees, who were the World Champions at the time, to give him the courage to take a swing at romance with the waitress.

The lyrics also used a baseball expression as a sexual metaphor when the singer wants to steal second base with a waitress in the bar if the waitress will allow it.

After baseball player Pete Rose’s fall from grace in 1989, when he became permanently ineligible from baseball for allegedly gambling on baseball games during his time with the Cincinnati Reds, Joel changed the lyric “Rose, he knows he’s such a credit to the game,” to “Rose, he knows he’ll never reach the Hall of Fame” during live performances.

Here are the lyrics to “Zanzibar.”

Ali dances and the audience applauds
Though he's bathed in sweat he hasn't lost his style
Ali don't you go downtown
You gave away another round for free

Me, I'm just another face at Zanzibar
But the waitress always serves a secret smile
She's waiting out in Shantytown
She's gonna pull the curtains down for me, for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be, I'll be

Rose, he knows he's such a credit to the game
But the Yankees grab the headline every time
Melodrama's so much fun
In black and white for everyone to see

Me, I'm trying just to get to second base
And I'd steal it if she only gave the sign
She's gonna give the go head
The inning isn't over yet for me, for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be

Tell the waitress I'll come back to Zanzibar
I'll be hiding in the darkness with my beer
She's waiting out in Shantytown
She's gonna pull the curtains down for me, for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be

Previous 2023 A to Z posts: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y

Y is for “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

Fandango17 Comments

My theme for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge is classic rock songs. Each day during the month (except for the first four Sundays, I will post a classic rock song: a video from YouTube, along with a brief bit of background about the song and the recording artist(s).

This is much more difficult than I thought it would be. For every letter of the alphabet there are dozens of fantastic classic rock songs to choose from and picking just one song for each letter is maddening. But this is what I signed up for.

My Y song is “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” from The Rolling Stones.

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones on their 1969 album Let It Bleed. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. It was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in its 2004 list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”

The Stones first recorded this in 1968 as part of the Beggars Banquet sessions. It didn’t make the cut for that album, so it was revived for Let It Bleed. The chorus of children in the recording is the London Bach Choir. Their 60 voices were double-tracked to make it sound like there were even more of them. The London Bach Choir tried to have its name removed from the album credits when it found out it was called Let It Bleed and contained “Midnight Rambler,” a song about a serial killer.

The lyrics are about how hard it is to find happiness. No matter what you have, you always want more. Although Marrianne Faithful, who was Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, claimed that her drug use was the inspiration for this song.

Part of the folklore around the lyrics are that Mick Jagger went into a local (Chelsea) drugstore to get a Cherry Coke. Back then a cherry coke was a coke with real cherries in it, and drug store soda fountains were the place you usually found them. The store didn’t have cherry cokes and Mr. Jimmy, the man standing in line behind Jagger, commented, “Well, you can’t always get what you want.”

Donald Trump used this song throughout his campaign when we ran for (and won) the Republican nomination in 2016. The Stones issued a statement asking him to stop using their music, but not only did Trump ignore the request, he used the song as the capper to the Republican National Convention, having it played after his acceptance speech amidst the balloons and confetti.

Here are the lyrics to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you'll find
You get what you need

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need
Ah, yeah
Oh

And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a fifty-amp fuse"
Sing it to me, honey

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
You get what you need
Ah baby, yeah
Ah

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And, man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him

You can't always get what you want, well no
You can't always get what you want. I tell you, baby
You can't always get what you want, no
But if you try sometimes you just might find, uh, mm
You get what you need, oh yeah, woo!

Ah, woo!

You get what you need, yeah, oh baby
Ah yeah

I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well, I could tell by her blood-stained hands, sing it

You can't always get what you want, yeah
You can't always get what you want, ooh yeah, child
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need, ah yeah
Ah baby, woo!

Ah, you can't always get what you want, no, no, baby
You can't always get what you want, you can't now, now
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find that you
You get what you need, oh yeah
Ah yeah, do that

And here’s a bonus for you. I very early live recording of the song. Look how young Mick Jagger looks.

Previous 2023 A to Z posts: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X

X is for “Xanadu”

Fandango11 Comments

My theme for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge is classic rock songs. Each day during the month (except for the first four Sundays, I will post a classic rock song: a video from YouTube, along with a brief bit of background about the song and the recording artist(s).

This is much more difficult than I thought it would be. For every letter of the alphabet there are dozens of fantastic classic rock songs to choose from and picking just one song for each letter is maddening. But this is what I signed up for.

Wait, forget that last paragraph. It doesn’t apply to the letter X. I Googled “classic rock songs that start with the letter X” and two songs came up. Both named “Xanadu.” One “Xanadu” is from Olivia Newton John, and I’m sorry, but I can’t in good conscience suggest that Olivia Newton John’s disco song “Xanadu” is classic rock. So…

My X song is “Xanadu” from Rush.

“Xanadu” was a song by the Canadian progressive rock band Rush from their 1977 album, A Farewell to Kings. It is approximately eleven minutes long, beginning with a five-minute-long instrumental section before transitioning to a narrative written by Neil Peart, which was inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Kubla Khan.

The legend of Xanadu is related to a number of myths and legends going back to the prehistory of Asia and the Americas, specifically that of Shamballa. There was a movement in the time of Coleridge to explore these legends. The song does not explicitly state where “Xanadu” is, but references to Kubla Khan imply that it is a mythical place based on Shangdu, the historical summer capital of the Mongol Empire.

In Coleridge’s poem, Xanadu is the fictional name of the land where Khubla Khan ordered the dome to be built: “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree.” Coleridge goes on to describe the dome as a “Miracle of rare device, a sunny pleasure dome with caves of ice.” As to the poem, the notion of the “Man from Porlock” is a famous yet unsubstantiated tale offered by Coleridge himself to explain why his poem is unfinished. Many in the literary world believe the tale to be a fabricated explanation.

Here are the lyrics to “Xanadu.”

To seek the sacred river Alph 
To walk the caves of ice 
To break my fast on honey dew 
And drink the milk of paradise 

I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book, I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and man alone
Searching for the lost, Xanadu 

Xanadu

To stand within the pleasure dome 
Decreed by Kubla Khan 
To taste anew the fruits of life 
The last immortal man 
To find the sacred river Alph 
To walk the caves of ice 
Oh, I will dine on honey dew 
And drink the milk of paradise, oh, paradise

A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost, Xanadu 

Xanadu

Held within the pleasure dome 
Decreed by Kubla Khan 
To taste my bitter triumph 
As a man, immortal man 
Never more shall I return 
Escape these caves of ice 
For I have dined on honey dew 
And drunk the milk of paradise, whoa, paradise

And for those of you who are Olivia Newton John fans, I give you her “Xanadu.”

Previous 2023 A to Z posts: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W

W is for “What a Fool Believes”

Fandango16 Comments

My theme for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge is classic rock songs. Each day during the month (except for the first four Sundays, I will post a classic rock song: a video from YouTube, along with a brief bit of background about the song and the recording artist(s).

This is much more difficult than I thought it would be. For every letter of the alphabet there are dozens of fantastic classic rock songs to choose from and picking just one song for each letter is maddening. But this is what I signed up for.

My W song is “What a Fool Believes” from The Doobie Brothers.

“What a Fool Believes” was written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by the Doobie Brothers (with McDonald singing lead vocals) for their 1978 album, Minute by Minute. The single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received Grammy Awards in 1980 for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Michael McDonald’s concept for the lyrics was a scenario where two people who had a passionate relationship long ago meet at a restaurant. To the man, the affair was the best thing in his life, but to the woman, it was fun, but it was time to move on. In the conversation, the man makes a complete fool of himself. When the woman excuses herself to leave, he doesn’t get the message, believing he still has a shot and that their affair was much more meaningful than it actually was. Love makes a man a fool, and even a wise one can’t reason it away.

After McDonald wrote the original version of this song, he presented a fragment of it to producer Ted Templeman, who encouraged him to continue working on it. Kenny Loggins came in when McDonald got stuck on the bridge of the song. Bassist Tiran Porter had suggested Loggins to McDonald because the two were good friends.

While he was waiting for Loggins to arrive at his home, McDonald played some of the songs that were “in progress” and asked his sister Maureen which she thought was best. As Loggins was getting out of his car, he heard McDonald playing a fragment of “What a Fool Believes.” According to Loggins, he heard about three-quarters of the verse’s melody (no lyrics), but McDonald stopped at the bridge. Loggins’ mind continued without a break, and the song’s bridge was born. Then Loggins knocked on the door, introduced himself to McDonald, and demonstrated the bridge that he devised before the two of them could sit down. The lyrics were finished over the telephone the next day.

Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers. McDonald joined the Doobies in 1975 as a temporary replacement for injured singer-guitarist Tom Johnston. McDonald became a full-fledged member, singing such hits as “What a Fool Believes,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” and “Minute by Minute.” However, The Doobie Brothers took on a different sound when they lost lead singer Johnston. Instead of the album rock they were known for, they had more of a soft rock sound with Michael McDonald as lead singer. And some Doobie Brothers fans didn’t like that. Personally, I thought McDonald added another dimension to the band, and I preferred to Doobies when McDonald was part of the group. McDonald left the Doobie Brothers in 1982 to pursue a solo career.

Here are the lyrics to “What a Fool Believes.”

He came from somewhere back in her long ago
The sentimental fool don't see 
Trying hard to recreate what had yet to be created
Once in her life, she musters a smile for his nostalgic tale
Never coming near what he wanted to say
Only to realize it never really was

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
Than nothing at all keeps sending him

Somewhere back in her long ago
Where he can still believe there's a place in her life
Someday, somewhere, she will return

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be (if love can come and love can go, then why can't love return once more?)
Is always better than nothing 
(Who got the power?)
Than nothing at all (oh, now)
What a fool believes he sees (I believe she's never gone away)
No wise man has the power 
To reason away (to reason away)
What seems to be (oh, if love can come and love can go, oh, mama)
Is always better than nothing (better than nothing)
Than nothing at all (oh, I believe)

Previous 2023 A to Z posts: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V