Ok, so I couldn’t resist a veiled reference to the channel I work for. I decided to give things a bit of twist with my take on this month’s theme. Maybe it’s the reality exec in me or the fact that I don’t have many songs about real people in my iTunes, but here are six songs that have some tie to real people or personalities…

“ALL THOSE YEARS AGO” by George Harrison
The first method of incorporating “real people” into songs is the tribute song. John Lennon’s death in 1980 led to a wave of tributes. My personal favorite “Empty Garden” was featured in my list, “E.P.,” back in December, but this George Harrison hit from 1981 is the most popular Lennon tribute. Some have criticized it for being a bit light and fluffy, but it was significant in being the closest thing to a Beatles reunion until the “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” singles years later.

“DEATH ON TWO LEGS” by Queen
The next “real people” method is the spiteful, “I hate you, I can’t believe you did this to me!” song. Often, this is used for breakup songs (see “Song for the Dumped”), but the “you screwed me over” theme carries into this Queen song that Freddie Mercury wrote about their ex-manager, Norman Sheffield. There’s no subtlety here…but then again, when has there been any in a Queen song? Freddie outright calls the guy a shark. While never a single, this track from the landmark album “A Night at the Opera” shows off Queen’s definitive sound about as well as “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

“YOU’RE SO VAIN” by Carly Simon
Third on the list of “real people” songwriting styles is the “Who is this song about?” category. I present to you the grandmama of them all…”You’re So Vain.” Carly Simon’s song about a gavotting playboy flying around in a Lear jet stands as one of pop music’s greatest mysteries. Who the hell is this song about? Theories have ran the gamut from the song being about Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson, James Taylor, and Mick Jagger (who makes a cameo singing backing vocals). I’ve always thought the song was about Narcissus, but then again, that’s just me!

“BOXING” by Ben Folds Five
We now move to a song that utilizes the method of “real people” in a fictional situation. This song, the closer of Ben Folds Five’s phenomenal debut album, sets a scene of of an aging Muhammad Ali giving one more interview to Howard Cosell. This beautiful waltz about boxer’s last hurrah contrasted the rambunctious sounds of other tracks like “Philosophy” and “Uncle Walter.” I still have distinct memories of Ben and the boys doing this live while Robert Sledge put a smoky cigarette in the neck of his bass. This is one I wish was made as a proper video with boxers waltzing in the ring!

“MICHAEL CAINE” by Madness
Time to change things up with a song named after a famous person that has nothing to do about that famous person. Most recently, Scissor Sisters did it with the excellent “Paul McCartney.” We go a little earlier for this one…to 1984 to be exact…with Madness’s song named after the star of “Alfie” and “Jaws: The Revenge.” While the song has a sample of Michael Caine’s voice, it’s all about an informant during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

“MINNIE MOUSE” by Sparks
And last but not least, a song about a famous character…one so iconic, some kids would think she was real: Minnie Mouse. This ode to the Disney symbol’s girlfriend was written and performed by none other than Sparks for Disney’s “Splashdance” album. It’s goofy (pun intended), synthy 80s fare with a little French thrown just to give that right amount of fromage!

Download: George Harrison, “All Those Years Ago” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Queen, “Death On Two Legs” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Ben Folds Five, “Boxing” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Madness, “Michael Caine” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Sparks, “Minnie Mouse” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

The Beatles are one of my all-time faves, and it’s well-known that they cut their teeth on the club circuit. In the UK and in Germany, the Fab Four were known as a potent (and often volatile) live act before they were signed to Parlophone Records. However, this energy carried on and evolved over the years, as the Fabs got older and their creative visions changed.

So roll up, roll up for the Fab-ulous Live Evolution of Mssrs. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starkey.

1. “Can’t Buy Me Love” - The Beatles (live at the Hollywood Bowl, 30 August 1965)
   Beatlemania in the U.S. started with concerts in New York and Washington, DC, but it came to a head with concerts at Shea Stadium and Hollywood Bowl. And this performance from 1965 captures some of that energy: the loud crowds, the Beatles in hyper mode, and the powerful punch of their early hits. The crowd noise on the recording would prove exceedingly difficult for George Martin to work with in assembling a live Beatles album - so much so that it took until 1977 for this recording to officially surface. And given that the raw, three-track recordings have surfaced on unofficial channels, it’s easy to see why no live recording of the Beatles was issued during their prime years. It’s a pity, because they knew how to rock, as well as how to work a crowd. While the songs popped on the studio recordings, they exploded on the stage.
2. “Get Back” - The Beatles (live on the roof of Apple Studios, 30 January 1969)
   This is the opening salvo of the infamous “Rooftop Show,” where The Beatles, along with Billy Preston on keyboards, decided to crawl out of the studio and “audition” some of their new material in front of a live audience - one that stood 40 feet below on the street, or in neighboring office buildings or cars on the roads. While this isn’t their strongest live performance (those days having been left behind over three years prior, if not longer), it shows that, as a band, they still had their potency, even if internal strife was tearing the band apart at the time.
3. “Imagine” - John Lennon (live at the Apollo Theater, New York City, 17 December 1971)
   John Lennon’s live performances were few and far between. His “Live Peace In Toronto” shows in 1969 occurred during the recording sessions for Abbey Road and Let It Be, and were thrown-together affairs. After the breakup of the Fabs, Lennon only performed in charity concerts. The concert where this acoustic guitar version of “Imagine” was performed was to raise awareness of the plight of John Sinclair, an anti-war activist who was serving a 10-year jail term for possession of marijuana. I love this version of “Imagine” because you can hear the audience’s response to the then-current hit song, as well as Lennon’s emotion behind the lyrics.
4. “Maybe I’m Amazed” - Paul McCartney & Wings (live as The Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland, 17 December 1979)
   This song first appeared on McCartney’s first solo album, the aptly-named McCartney. The studio version featured Paul on all of the instruments, and came across as a sincere, if workmanlike performance. When he played it on the Wings tours, however, the song became a majestic ballad, full of pomp, energy and life. This is from the same concert as “Coming Up,” which Mandel highlighted in his “One Night Only… Times Seven” posting earlier this month, and features the final lineup of Wings in one of its final live shows (they would play one more time on December 31st, as part of the “Rock For Kampuchea” shows in London).
5. “Photograph” - Ringo Starr & The All-Starr Band (live at the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 3 September 1989)
   It’s hard to pick a Ringo Starr track that’s better live than it was in the studio. Not to slight Ringo, but he’s more of a showman in the “compère” sense: he knows how to work the crowd and give credit to the others in the band, but isn’t known for knockout live performances of his own work. But on his 1989 tour, he had something to prove. He was fresh out of rehab, having finally kicked a decades-long alcohol addiction, and had a band with a lot of talent (Billy Preston, Garth Hudson, Levon Helm, and Joe Walsh, to name a few). So this performance of “Photograph,” which was co-written with George Harrison, is a step above Ringo’s usual live offerings.
6. “All Those Years Ago” - George Harrison with Eric Clapton & Band (live in Japan, December 1991)
   As is the case with Ringo, it’s tough to find a great live cut from George Harrison. Like Lennon, his live shows are few and far between: other than a tour in 1974 (”Hari’s On Tour”) that blew out his voice by the fourth show, he mostly played one-off and charity gigs. One of these - the Concert for Bangla Desh - stands as a landmark of charity concerts: the first of its kind, and one of the most successful. But he mostly stuck to his gardening, until a lost bet with Eric Clapton had him on a short tour of Japan. And George did his best to keep his fans satisfied, as this live version of “All Those Years Ago” shows: while not the most peppy performance, George, Eric and band put a lot of work into the song, and it benefits from this effort.
7. “Get Back” - The Beatles (live on the roof of Apple Studios, 30 January 1969)
   To close things up, I include this, the third run-through of “Get Back” from the Apple Studios rooftop concert. This take is interrupted by the London Police, who are responding to a noise complaint by the studio’s neighbours (many think that this police action was actually brought on by The Beatles’ PR people as a way to “add a little edge” to what was turning into a very sad recording and filming process). So you hear the band get startled by the constables, your hear instruments drop out as the officers unplug the amps, and you hear Paul improvise new lyrics during the run-out (”You’ve been singing on the roofs again/And that’s no good/’Cos you know your mommy doesn’t like that/She gets angry/She gonna have you arrested!/Get back…”). And when all was said and done, John Lennon lets loose one of the classic lines of the Fab canon.

And I also offer this BONUS track:

• “Live And Let Die” - Paul McCartney & Wings (live in Seattle, WA, June 1976)
  I couldn’t leave this song out of a live Fabs retrospective, as it’s often one of the highlights of a live McCartney show. He tends to pull out all the stops on this: energetic performance from Paul and the band, lots of lights and lasers, and firworks that heat up whatever venue he plays. When I saw him perform this song at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas back in 1993, it was one of those “woah - wow!” moments. I decided on this performance from Wings Over America because it includes a live brass section, something that Macca should use again (not to dis on Wix, but synthesizers can’t beat real brass).

Download: “Can’t Buy Me Love” - The Beatles (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Get Back” - The Beatles (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Imagine” - John Lennon (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Maybe I’m Amazed” - Paul McCartney & Wings (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Photograph” - Ringo Starr & The All-Starr Band (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “All Those Years Ago” - George Harrison with Eric Clapton & Band (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Get Back” - The Beatles (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Live And Let Die” - Paul McCartney (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

It was tough to do this and avoid profanity, but I giggled in giddy glee as I winnowed down the tracks for this set. And I think Mr. Carlin would be proud at how this list rises to the challenge!

1. “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” - Jimmy Buffett
   Now coming out of the mouth of David Cook, Taylor Hicks (or even Carrie Underwood… maybe), aiming at an older audience, this song could work. But out of the mouths of babes (e.g. David Archuleta)? No way Fox TV would let the tweenies hear their poster child croon “Why don’t we get drunk and screw?”
2. “Scream Thy Last Scream” - Pink Floyd
   It’s probably a safe bet that no Pink Floyd songs would ever make it into the American Idol songbook. For some reason, songs about losing one’s father in WWII, going insane and carnal capitalism don’t strike me as disposable pop fodder. But back in the days of Syd Barrett, the Floyd was seen as a possibly viable pop band (e.g. “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play”). But Barrett’s rapid decline into acid casualty status put the kibosh on that, and nowhere is it more evident than in this track, which aired on the BBC but was never released as a single. Gosh - I wonder why?
3. “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” - George Harrison
   Ah, sweet litigation! There’s something comforting in songs that talk about the less-than-friendly breakup of one of the legendary bands of all time. But that’s what George “The Quiet One” Harrison sings about on this slide guitar accented number. Again, while it’s not a subject that’s taboo, it’s one that most of the young contestants and voters in the target Idol demographic wouldn’t know.
4. “La Petit Mort” - Erin McKeown
   The French call orgasm la petit mort - “the little death.” And not only does this song talk about orgasm (and its possible Biblical ties), but it’s about having that “little death” with a fellow woman. In terms of taboo, we have both sex and lesbianism - huzzah!
5. “Enormous Penis” - Da Vinci’s Notebook
   Good ‘ol Paul and Storm wrote this ditty about how wonderful it is to have a sizeable phallus - and in four-part harmony, at that!
6. “I Lost My Tampon” - Krause
   Why is it the Dutch have all the fun? This Dutch alt-rocker sings about losing her feminine product somewhere…. place unknown. Would Idol go there? I think not!
7. “The Needle And The Damage Done” - Neil Young
   All the kids are diggin’ the heroin - they love their smack! And leave it to Neil Young to wax poetic about death by overdose - pep rally time!

Have fun!

Download: “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” - Jimmy Buffett (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Scream Thy Last Scream” - Pink Floyd (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” - George Harrison (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “La Petit Mort” - Erin McKeown (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Enormous Penis” - Da Vinci’s Notebook (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “I Lost My Tampon” - Krause (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “The Needle And The Damage Done” - Neil Young (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)