Good evening, and welcome to your songs about charisma. LongTallSilly says he has had a charisma by-pass this week, and it is a quiet week so I’m guessing this is a common feeling. I will try and think of more engaging themes…
If you have an Earworm you’d like to share, please send an .mp3, .m4a or a link to adempster73@gmail.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme will be holidays – things you might do, places you might go, camping, ice cream, skiing, knotted hankies, anything you can justify. And if you have an idea for a theme, please let me know.
Worms should reach me by close of play on Sunday 16 June. Many thanks to all contributors. Keep calm, and carry on!
Toad the Wet Sprocket – Fly From Heaven – Fintan28: Jesus had a brother. His take on the cult of charisma delivered by Paul goes straight at it’s disdain for his brother’s humanity in order to elevate faith over deeds. James sees it painfully clearly. Faith or deeds? And here we still are.
Dire Straits – Ticket To Heaven – Fintan28: Has the silky theft of the charismatic always been with us. They prey on the best of our hearts with little compunction.
Lou Reed and John Cale – Style It Takes – Suzi: From Songs For Drella, their tribute to Andy Warhol, who certainly did have the style it takes.
Jackie Wilson – Lonely Teardrops – Fintan28: I’m old enough to have seen both Elvis Presley and the Beatles appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. Great stuff but it’s seeing Jackie on American Bandstand that still stays fresh in my memory. Sharkskin suit, Cuban heels and dance moves from another world. Yeah! Mr Excitement indeed.
ShelleyDevoto – Can You See Me Shining? – shoegazer: Pete & Howard together one last time.
Hole – Boys On The Radio – tincanman: Courtney Love knew all about the irresistible lure of bad boys on the radio; she was married to one of them.
Patti Smith – Gloria – severin: The most charismatic artist I ever saw on stage. First at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1976 at the age of 18 (me, not her) and more recently at the South Bank Centre when she curated Meltdown. I failed to get a ticket for her own performance but did see Television. They were great in their way but didn’t exactly excite us. Then Patti came on at the end to sing a brief song with them and the atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
Megan Moroney – Why Johnny – tincanman: Johnny Cash turned on all his charisma and sex appeal and all that to get June to forgive his drinking and drugging and womanizing.
Unthanks – Lucky Gilchrist – severin: Lucky G you had it tough, dragged up in the Glasgow rough / How come you were sensational, wild and inspirational? / Lucky G was full of glee, a bit like Freddie Mercury / Camp and yet angry… I think this bloke sounds like he had charisma.
Oysterband – This Is The Voice – Suzi: Celebrating a musician, a political activist too, it seems. We never learn who this song is about, but clearly he was pretty inspirational.
Main Playlist, blurbs above:
YouTube Playlist, blurbs below:
Schwartzeneggar – Child of the Times – wyngatecarpenter: Superficial charm but dead inside.
The Damned – Dozen Girls – wyngatecarpenter: Dave Vanian is mystified as to why the subject of the song is so successful with women, Captain Sensible comes in at the end and gets to the bottom of it.
Carole King ft Slash – I Feel The Earth Move / The Loco-Motion – MaggieB: I’ve been waiting for an excuse to post this 🤣
Jonathan Richman – There’s Something About Mary – severin: Even if his friends can’t see it.
ZZ Top – Sharp Dressed Man – AliM: They come runnin’ just as fast as they can’ Cause every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man.
The Offspring – Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) – AliM: If you haven’t got it, fake it – So if you don’t rate, just overcompensate / At least that you’ll know you can always go on Ricki Lake…
The 'Spill 
Worms are boxed, thanks all.
I am so sorry, I was otherwise detained 😦
Looking forward to listening all the more this week!
No problems , a few people said they couldn’t think of anything so I think it wasn’t a great topic. It’s hard to find anything new!
It was great to hear that Shelley/Devoto collaboration again. They did very briefly perform together in 2012 when I went to the “Buzzcocks Back To Front” gig in Brixton. There were three sets. One of the music they recorded after reforming. Then the “classic” version of the band playing the singles and songs from their first three albums. And finally, the original line-up (including Howard) playing all the songs from Spiral Scratch. That was a wonderful night.
Could someone tell me what this week’s youtube opener is, please? All I can see is a text block that the video is not available in my country (happens more often than you’d care to believe). I shall have to try and find it elsewhere.
It’s Kings of Leon and Molly’s Chamber. I hadn’t thought about that when posting YouTube videos, I might have to go back to photos!