A Sample Playlist About Change

Finding a muse is apparently a little bit like dating a supermodel. Once you gain admission into the club and get your membership card the sky is the limit. All of a sudden, I’m finding music muses everywhere, or… could it be I’m just discussing music with quite a few people lately? The good news is that all of a sudden I have a number of ideas for music lists and topics. The current muse of the moment is … (drum roll) … Cindy McCain. I know that will scare a lot of you, but hey, it is Halloween later tonight. 

This bonanza of muses would be much better if I could just find one with a great sense of humor for my other blog who isn’t a script doctor, joke writer, or stand up comedian. If I use anything said by one of them they get upset about plagiarism. Instead I probably just need to hang out with the J half of the Brothers Willis for an hour. He’s usually good for one or two laughs.

But I digress. The leaves are finally beginning to change color here in the Midsouth. The air finally has a bit of a nip to it (well it does early in the morning and late at night anyway). I have been having epiphanies of late. What better time than now to write a sample playlist for the topic of change.

1. Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is A Season) – The Byrds: If you will read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 you will understand why this is a truly inspired selection. You will also know where Pete Seeger found the lyrics. If you click on the link make sure you check out David Crosby’s funky eyewear.
2. A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke: If there are truly angels in heaven then one of them has the voice of Sam Cooke. This song has been covered by a ton of different artists, but it met its match the day SC recorded it. Don’t believe me? Click on the link and you’ll know within the first few bars of the vocal track.
3. Change the World – Eric Clapton: One of my favorite movies of all-time is Michael. This song was used in the movie along with Don Henley’s version of John Hiatt’s Through Your Hands. Musically Layla (the original version) is Clapton’s Magnum Opus. Lyrically, this song has got to be part of the discussion.
4. Waiting On the World To Change – John Mayer: I think this song is more of an ode to non-action than to actual change. It’s almost like they expect the hippies and radicals from the 1960s to change everything for them and leave them with some form of Utopia. I would love to tell you just how inane are the ideas expressed in this song, but John Mayer has dated Jennifer Anniston, Jessica Simpson, and Jennifer Love Hewitt so he’s doing something right.
5. Changes – David Bowie: Time changes all of us. Who better to point this out than the chameleon who is David Bowie. Did you know that the first major change in DB’s career was to change his name from David Jones to David Bowie. It seems some member of the Lollipop Guild ran off and joined the pop group The Monkees and decided to use the name Davy Jones.
6. Everybody’s Changing – Keane: They sure do make a lot of racket for three guys, but it’s a good kind of  racket.
7. A Change Would Do You Good – Sheryl Crow: Not everybody remembers when Sheryl Crow released Tuesday Night Music Club she was in trouble of being marketed as a “pop” sensation and not like the singer/songwriter she has become. Do you think it had anything to do with lyrics like, “all I wanna do, Is have some fun, I’ve got a feeling, I’m not the only one”? Anyway, this song was on the self titled album which was released next. Apparently a change in style did Sheryl a lot of good.
8. A Change Of Heart – Tom Petty: This was back when Petty was still kewl and wasn’t trying to sound like or be the backing band for Bob Dylan. Although he has had better songs this was the best of the bunch on Petty’s eponymous release, Long After Dark.
9. Roll With the Changes – REO Speedwagon: Unfortunately for this group they will always be known for their sappy Top-40 hits which are, frankly, some of their worst releases, but I guess those songs pay the bills. Roll With the Changes was released during the period when REO had a large tour following, but no Top-40 hits.
10. The Times They Are a-Changin’ – Bob Dylan: This song would be the counterpoint to John Mayer’s earlier entry. It was released in 1964 and captured the feeling of the day’s political and social upheaval.

There were several songs which didn’t quite make the cut but warrant a mention. Unchained is one of my top five Van Halen (not Van Hagar in the words of Joe Dir-tay) songs of all time. A couple of mellower songs which just missed the cut were The Beatles’ Across the Universe and Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve (although Richard Ashcroft wrote the song, because it sampled the symphony from The Last Time he was forced to give co-writing credits to The Glimmer Twins). I could have also included Man In the Mirror by Michael Jackson and Changes In Latitude, Changes In Attitude by Jimmy Buffett if I really wanted mass appeal.

Now, go out there and change something. ‘Tis the season!

Tags: Bob Dylan, Brothers Willis, Change, Cindy McCain, Counterculture, David Bowie, David Crosby, Davy Jones, Epiphanies, Eric Clapton, Halloween, Hippies, J Willis, Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Simpson, Jimmy Buffett, Joe Dirt, John Hiatt, John Mayer, Keane, Michael Jackson, Michael the Movie, Monkees, Muses, Music Playlist, Radicals, REO Speedwagon, Richard Ashcroft, Sam Cooke, Sheryl Crow, Songs About Change, Supermodels, The Beatles, The Byrds, The Glimmer Twins, The Lollipop Guild, The Rolling Stones, The Verve, Tom Petty, Utopia, Van Hagar, Van Halen