Category: My Sunday Song

My Sunday Song – “Captain Bring Me Down” By Danger Danger

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For My Sunday Song #412, we are going to discuss the song “Captain Bring Me Down” by Danger Danger. The song was off their fourth album called ‘Four the Hard Way’ and written by Paul Laine and fellow bandmate, Bruno Ravel. For the song, you had Paul on vocals and on keyboard, Bruno on bass, Tony Bruno on guitar and Steve West on drums. I don’t believe the song was a single, but it might be the best song on the album and the most saddest of stories.

The story behind the song is a little heart wrenching. In an interview Mike Ladano and I did with Paul, I brought up this song and mentioned it was my favorite on the album and Paul graciously told the story of the song despite how personal the song was to him. He was working with a friend of his on his friend’s album and they were sharing stories together of how they were both bullied when they were kids and in school. After working on the album, his friend, Randy, went to visit his brother and ended up doing heroin with his brother and died. Paul was moved by the stories he and Randy had discussed on bullying and turned it in to a song. It is about meeting your bullies years later and they treat you like you are best friends. They were the cool kids and school and now they drown their sorrows in alcohol.

The song opens with Paul’s keyboards and Tony on acoustic guitar. The keyboards are like violins and string orchestration and are so powerful sounding. The vibe is somber and the tempo is slow and the lyrics hit you right in the heart and the stomach. The percussion and drums on the song were used perfectly as emphasis of the sadness. The guitar solo is so tasteful and played for the song as it is not a time to showboat. So well done. Paul delivers one of his best vocal performances on this album with this song as he makes you feel every word and every note. I have never listened to this song the same way after I heard Paul’s story. It was great before, but now it is one of the best songs I think he has ever done.

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My Sunday Song – “Dorianna” by Paul Laine

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For My Sunday Song #411, we are back to me picking the songs after a year of other people picking tracks. This next 10 song set will highlight songs from throughout the career of one of my favorite singers, Paul Laine. He has a new solo album coming out this year, so I figured it was time to celebrate Mr. Laine. We will go through his solo stuff and his work with Danger Danger, The Defiants and so much more. First up is the ballad “Dorianna” off his debut album ‘Stick It In Your Ear” which was produced by the late, great Bruce Fairbairn. The song was released in 1990 and was the first single from the album. The song went to #76 in his home country of Canada, but did not chart down here in the states. And it should’ve had.

The song was written by Paul Laine and seems to talk about the loss of relationship. One filled with promises made and never kept. A heartbreaking look at a love that ended suddenly and he is having a hard time excepting it. He misses her greatly and is holding on now to a memory. He will always love her, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“Dorianna” is the first of several ballads on the album. This ballad brings the power to the power ballad. It opens with the church organ keyboards before Paul’s stunning vocals come softly in with the first verse. He pulls out all the emotion the song requires and you will feel the love he has lost. The guitar work on this is amazing as well and it has a solo that fits the song perfectly. There is a dramatic break towards the end of the song that has some cool keyboard effects accompanying the guitar that take the song over the top and the drums on this thing are so powerful as you feel every beat. Whenever you get to the chorus, you can’t help but scream out her name as well. The song has a great groove and is very catchy and will stick in your head for days.

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My Sunday Song – “No Prayer For the Dying” By Iron Maiden

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For My Sunday Song #410, we are tackling another Iron Maiden song thanks to Harrison Kopp. His final choice is “No Prayer to the Dying” which is the title song for the album of the same name. The album was their 8th studio album and the first one without Adrian Smith as he left he band due to creative differences. This particular song was not a single and was solely written by Steve Harris. 

The song seems to be very introspective as the protagonist sits alone by a window watching it rain. He starts to question what life is all about and wondering why he was there. He sounds a little depressed and very lonely. He starts to plead to God for answers as he feels his prayers were never answered. He might be dying and therefore feels that because of that, there are no more prayers left to be answered. The strange thing about the lyrics are that they never say the title, “No Prayer for the Dying”. Not mentioned once.

Musically, the song is just over 4 minutes which I think is short for a Maiden song. In fact, there are no 6 minute or more songs on the album which I believe is a first. The song starts off slow and fairly quiet. The music is almost as thoughtful and introspective as the meaning behind the lyrics. Bruce Dickinson’s vocals are emotive and almost smooth but still a little grit. The verses are really soft and in between the verses the music picks up. I don’t think there is actually a chorus. The instrumental pieces between the verses is the chorus as it is a great melody. There is some great depth in the bass lines and the rhythm section entirely. About midway through the song the music cranks it up a notch, the bass lines are fast and powerful, but the guitars are shredding and they are frenzied and it is all fantastic. There a drum barrages and it is all wild and crazy. It really changes the dynamics of the song and makes it really interesting. Bruce comes back in screaming now as he pleads with God to answer his prayers. It slows back down to the gentleness of the beginning and then ends. A really cool track.

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My Sunday Song – “Bad romance” by Lady Gaga

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For My Sunday Song #409, we tackled Harrison’s next pick of “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga which was an unexpected, but welcome pick. The song is from Lady Gaga’s E.P. ‘The Fame Monster’ and was written by Lady Gaga and RedOne. The song did pretty well going #1 on the Top 40 Charts and #1 on the Dance charts as well, but held to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. To say it was popular is an understatement as it sold over 12 million copies worldwide. Crazy for a single. And the video, well it has over 1.7 Billion views. That is Billion with a B.

The song was inspired by the paranoia Lady Gaga felt while on tour for her debut album. It also draws from her quite unhealthy relationships she has had and is drawn to like a moth to a flame. Too many bad romances I guess. There is a big shout out Alfred Hitchcock movies with the lines…”I want your psycho, your vertigo schtick (Schtick, hey!) / Want you in my rear window, baby, you’re sick” which also points to unhealthy attachments that meet these adjectives.

The song is pure dance pop inspired by electro pop and it is full of synthesizers and drum machines. The song has one of the most catchiest openings with the “Oh-oh-oh’s” and then the “Ra-ra-ah-ah-ah / Roma Roma-ma / Gaga, “ooh la-la”. The minute you hear that you know the song and I think if you have a car full of people, they will all sing along. There is a rap piece in the middle and she even goes French for some lyrics. All making the song a massive earworm. One of the best pop songs she has ever done.

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My Sunday Song – “Yours Truly 2095” by Electric Light Orchestra

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For My Sunday Song #408, Harrison has picked a song from a band that was no surprise to me. He is a huge Electric Light Orchestra fan and to get a song from them was expected. The song of choice this time around is “Yours Truly 2095” from the band’s 1981 album ‘Time’. It was the band’s 9th album and was a concept album about basically time travel. I mean it is a little more detailed then that, but we aren’t here to talk about the album. We are here to talk about the song which was written by Jeff Lynne.

The song itself is about a guy who travels to 2095 and meets a Fembot (gynoid) and it makes him think of his girlfriend from back in 1981. The robot is smart with an IQ of 1001, but is cold and unkind and is nothing like his girl. Maybe some day he would “feel her cold embrace and kiss her interface”, but for now he won’t touch the fembot. He misses the warm and heartfelt touches of his actual girlfriend. I love the line “I met someone who looks a lot like you / She does the things you do / But she is an IBM”. It says they are trying to recreate the human contact with a robot, but she is really only a computer. A very cold world that would be. But the guys from Big Bang Theory would be ecstatic if this happened. They always wanted to build a sexbot.

The music is pure new wave, early 80’s synth pop. The vocals have the style of “Video Killed the Radio Star” as they are very processed. The song feels metallic and cold in its delivery. Very high tech for the time to with all the synths. Robotic noises throughout and the “2095” lyrics is spoken in a robot voice. A catchy little tune and as strange as it sounds. 

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My Sunday Song – “Excuse Me Mr.” by No Doubt

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For My Sunday Song #407, we get to Harrison’s next pick with “Excuse Me Mr.” by No Doubt. The song was the fourth single of their massively successful album ‘Tragic Kingdom’. The album that broke the band in to the big time. The single was released on August 21, 1996 and reached #17 on the U.S. Alternative Charts and #11 in New Zealand. The album itself, with the help of this song on the other singles, went to #1 on the charts and has sold over 16,000,000 copies worldwide with close to 10,000,000 of those in the U.S. alone. A rather successful album and song which was written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont.

The song appears to be about a man that the girl is interested in, however, he doesn’t seem to give here the time of day. The old story of two people that have known each other for years where one likes the other, but those feelings are not reciprocated. Unrequited love. She keeps waiting, but he isn’t ever going to come around. 

The song starts off as pure Ska and Gwen spits out those lyrics fast and frenetic with her signature high pitched little squeal that she has. So much confidence in her delivery. The song is upbeat and at a crazy speed with a barrage of drum hits from the wild Adrian Young, a slamming bass by the master Tony Kanal. Midway through the song, the music changes to more like a Dixieland big band sound with an almost circus quality which I think is to represent the lunacy of the girl waiting around for this guy to like her. A brilliant little twist to the song. The sounds of this song is what No Doubt was at heart rather than the pop sound that would come later.

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My Sunday Song – “Dance Along The Edge” By Concrete Blonde

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For My Sunday Song #406, we tackled Concrete Blonde’s “Dance Along the Edge”. Harrison’s pick takes us back to 1986 and the band’s debut album called ‘Concrete Blonde’. The song was the third single from the album and released in 1987. It was written by singer and bassist Johnette Napolitano. The album went to #96 on the Billboard Charts and brought the band in to the spotlight. I remember when they came out, but honestly, there were not what I was in to back in 1986 as I was in to much harder and heavier bands and not the alternative stuff of the time.

The song is a pretty powerful statement about relationships how we dance along the edge of issues within the relationship and never communicating with each about them in fear of hurting the other person or the relationship crumbling. The fear builds up and makes it all that much worse. You’ve seen relationships fall apart before and don’t want it to happen to you. You are happy and in love with the person, but the lack of communicating is ruining everything.

Johnette has crafted a really cool track. She lays down a great bass line that is the driving force for the song. There is a darkness and moodiness to the song as the bass drips with sadness. The guitar work is minimal from James Mankey, but the riff is really cool and accentuates the song perfectly. The drum beat from Harry Rushakoff adds more texture and flavor to the song. But the shining point is Johnette’s vocals. They are sensual yet a tinge of grit that blends so well together. She sings with so much feeling and so little effort that she makes it sound easy. She puts the right amount of sadness in to the words you feel the couples emotions and understand what they are going through. A really nice track.

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My Sunday Song – “Lord of Light” by Iron Maiden

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For My Sunday Song #405, we have Harrison’s next pick of “Lord of Light” by Iron Maiden. The song is off their 2006 album, ‘A Matter of Life and Death’. The song was not a single, but after listening to it, it easily could’ve been despite it’s over 7 minutes in length. The song was written by Adrian Smith, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson. The album itself, went to #9 in the U.S. Billboard Chart and #4 in the UK and #1 in Germany and several other countries. 

The song has a very dark, disturbing view point…at least disturbing to me. Bruce Dickinson had this to say about it…

Just imagine there was a whole range of places between Heaven and Hell and that you got to pick, and that Lucifer is, in fact, the ‘lord of light’ downstairs, which is kind of what his name means. And all this stuff about the vengeful, eternal God wagging his finger and punishing you is all just a load of PR nonsense.” – Bruce Dickinson

It is an interesting viewpoint to take and one that would make you think really hard about it especially on a Sunday. The lyrics lead me to believe that is truly what the song is about as there is talk of Lucifer by name and hell and demons. If you could pick where you go, why would you ever pick hell, but I guess there are a lot of evil people out there.

The song itself, starts of slow with an acoustic guitar and it is all dark and a little eerie. Bruce, softly speaks the lyrics and it makes it quite haunting. Then the guitars come screaming followed by Bruce at full voice. He does have one of the best metal voices out there. Nicko McBrain’s drums are pounding with an electric intensity. It goes soft again, almost gentle as Bruce softens his tone again. It builds and then the explodes out with a guitar solo that will leave you holding on for fear life. It is a wild ride of riffs and shredding with a barrage of gun fire drumming. Then it is full on solo with fiery fingers flying over the frets. You are out of breath when it finally ends. A killer song even if it is something I don’t want to think about.

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My Sunday Song – “Run Like the Devil” by Tony Martin

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For My Sunday Song #404, Harrison has chosen “Run Like the Devil” by singer Tony Martin. The song is off Tony’s 2022 solo album, ‘Thorns’, which was his first solo album since 2005’s ‘Scream’. The song was written by Tony Martin and Scott McLellan who plays guitar on the song (and the album). The former Black Sabbath singer really brings the metal on this song and the album. 

The song’s lyrics are dark and foreboding, while the music is heavy, and fast and little brighter. I am not sure the actual meaning behind it, but for me the song speaks of the evil that is always lurking and poking at you. You have to rise up, fly away and get away from it as fast as you can. Stay ahead of all the evil out there and do great things. If you make the wrong choices, it will hold you back and you will die, withering on the vine.

Musically, the song is really close to speed metal and it will crush your soul with the heaviness of it. Tony’s vocals soar at times as he races through the lyrics to keep up with that tempo. And he can still hit those crazy high notes. The drums are fast and frenzied and fabulous. Their bombastic strength is the driving force behind the song. Scott’s guitar work is lightning quick and he definitely shines on here as well, I mean just listen to that solo. The song is a super-heavy blistering track that shows how Tony is so good at what he does.

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My Sunday Song – “1633” by Blaze Bayley

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For My Sunday Song #403, Harrison has chosen a song from one of his favorite singers, Blaze Bayley. The song is “1633” off his 2010 album, ‘Promise And Terror’. The song wasn’t a single, but is a main force to the album. Blaze wrote the song and is the lead singer. If you don’t know Blaze, he was on Wolfsbane and for short time, he was lead singer to Iron Maiden. If it wasn’t for Harrison, I don’t think I would’ve ever given Blaze much thought, but I have found a few things I like including this song.

The song appears to be about Galileo who believed in Copernicus’ theory that the earth was not the center of the universe and it in fact revolved around the Sun. In 1633, The Catholic Church condemned and put Galileo on trial for this viewpoint. According to the song, Galileo’s sight and abilities were given to him by God so how is it offensive to God. I love a song that educates as well as entertains.

The song starts off with a beast of a bass line and that bass line is the driving force of the whole song. The guitars are heavy and nasty and deliver a driving rhythm. Blaze’s vocals are solid and I like the way he handles that chorus. The song can be a little repetitive, but it doesn’t get bothersome. In fact, it makes it a little catchy and after a few listens, you are all in. The end brings the bass back hard and heavy and the guitars and drums become explosive. Blaze does just that and blazes through the lyrics, almost rapping to a point. Then more guitar work to take us out. A real beast of a song.

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