THE PRETENDERS - "Back on the Chain Gang"

The Pretenders
"Back on the Chain Gang"
Single - B-side: "My City Was Gone"
Released: Oktober 1982
Album: Learning to Crawl (Released: January 1984)
Writer: Chrissie Hynde
Label: Sire
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and originally recorded by her band, the Pretenders, and released as single by Sire Records in October 1982. The song was also released on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and was later included on the Pretenders' next album Learning to Crawl in January 1984. This was the first Pretenders single featuring Billy Bremner and Tony Butler, who replaced Farndon and Honeyman-Scott.

The Pretenders' single "Back on the Chain Gang" 1982
(Photo courtesy of Sire)

The Pretenders - "Back on the Chain Gang" (music video)

"Back on the Chain Gang" was recorded after James Honeyman-Scott, the Pretenders guitarist, died of a drug overdose at the age of 25 on June 16, 1982. This came two days after the Pretenders fired their longtime bassist, Pete Farndon, because of his drug abuse problem. Hynde wrote "Back on the Chain Gang" as a memorial to Honeyman-Scott, and she dedicated it to him.

 The "picture of you" Chrissie Hynde sings about is a picture she found in her wallet of Ray Davies, leader of the band The Kinks. Hynde and Davies were a couple and had a daughter together. This song started off about him, but the meaning changed when Honeyman-Scott died. This is a very emotional song. Chrissie Hynde sometimes tears up when performing it.

 The hammering sounds and the chain-gang chant heard during the chorus of the song echoes the earlier production of Sam Cooke's song "Chain Gang", released in 1960.

 A Chain Gang is a group of convicts who are chained together while they do manual labor, usually outside.


The Pretenders' album Learning to Crawl, 1984
(Photo courtesy of Sire)

The Pretenders - "Back on the Chain Gang" 
(from the album Learning to Crawl, 1984)
In an interview with Guitar Player in 1992, George Harrison claimed that "Back On The Chain Gang" utilizes a chord that he had "invented" and incorporated into the Beatles song "I Want to Tell You": "That's an E7 with an F on top and I'm really proud of that because I invented that chord… There's only been one other song, to my knowledge, where somebody copped that chord - Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders on 'Back On The Chain Gang.'"

The Pretenders 1980's
(Photo courtesy of  Rhino.com)
In 1995, the American singer Selena recorded a Spanish-language song "Fotos y recuerdos" using the melody of "Back On The Chain Gang".

Line-up / Musicians:
Chrissie Hynde – vocal, guitar
Martin Chambers – drums
Billy Bremner – lead guitar
Tony Butler – bass

Links / Reviews:
Songfacts: Back On The Chain Gang by The Pretenders
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EAGLES - "Tequila Sunrise"

Eagles
"Tequila Sunrise"
Single / B-side: "Twenty-One"
Released: 17 April 1973
Album: Desperado (Released: 17 April 1973)
Writers: Don Henley, Glenn Frey
Label: Asylum
"Tequila Sunrise" is a 1973 song by American rock band the Eagles. It was the first single from the band's second album Desperado.

Eagles' single "Tequila Sunrise", 1973 (front cover)


Eagles - "Tequila Sunrise" (1973)

Glenn Frey and Don Henley wrote this song together, and Frey sang lead. Along with "Desperado," it was one of two songs they came up with the first week that they started writing together. The songs formed the basis for a Western theme, with Frey and Henley comparing the life of a cowboy to that of a musician. "Tequila Sunrise" shows the transient nature of each job, as the singer falls for a woman who just wants to use him and move on. The theme didn't immediately connect with the buying public, but the songs stood the test of time and became staples of the Eagles catalog. Bon Jovi would later borrow the idea for their 1986 hit "Wanted Dead Or Alive."

 A Tequila Sunrise is a drink made with Tequila and orange juice. Some grenadine is poured on top to create the red and orange colors of a sunrise. "Tequila Sunrise" is also the name of a 1988 movie starring Kurt Russell and Mel Gibson.


This song, however, doesn't refer to the drink, but is about a guy who has been drinking straight tequila until the sun comes up.


Eagles' single: "Tequila Sunrise" , 1973


Eagles - "Tequila Sunrise" (from the album Desperado)

The line, "Take another shot of courage" refers to how if you drink tequila, it will give you courage to talk to women (although not coherently). The Eagles, who knew their way around a tavern, used to refer to tequila as "instant courage" at a time then they needed some to approach the ladies.

In the liner notes of 2003's The Very Best Of, Don Henley had this to say about the song: "I believe that was a Glenn title. I think he was ambivalent about it because he thought that it was a bit too obvious or too much of a cliché because of the drink that was so popular then. I said, 'No-Look at it from a different point of view. You've been drinking straight tequila all night and the sun is coming up!' It turned out to be a really great song."


Eagles - "Tequila Sunrise" (live)

Eagles, Desperado photo shoot (Photo by: Henry Diltz)

A cover version was recorded by country music singer Alan Jackson on the 1993 tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles. South African singer Ray Dylan included a version on his album "Goeie Ou Country vol 3".

Line-up / Musicians:
Glenn Frey: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Don Henley: Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Randy Meisner: Bass, Backing Vocals
Bernie Leadon: Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Backing Vocals

Links / Reviews:


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THE DOORS - "Love Me Two Times"

The Doors
"Love me Two Times"
Single / B-side: "Moonlight Drive"
Released:: November 1967
Album: Strange Days (Released: 25 September 1967)
Writer: Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison, John Desmore
Label: Elektra
________________________________________________________
"Love Me Two Times" is a song by The Doors. It was written by the band and first appeared on the 1967 album Strange Days. It was released as the second single (after "People Are Strange") from that album, and reached number 25 on the charts in the US.

The Doors' single "Love Me Two Times" (France single cover)
(Courtesy of Elektra / thedoors.com)

The Doors - "Love Me Two Times" (single 45 rpm)

This was released as a single in December, 1967, the same month Jim Morrison was arrested at a show in New Haven when he delivered an on-stage rant against a police officer who confronted him backstage with a young girl. This incident, combined with the rather suggestive lyrics of "Love Me Two Times," enhanced the dark, rebellious image of The Doors, but also scared them away from some family-friendly radio stations that refused to play the song. I reached its chart peak of #25 on January 13, 1968, but have done a lot better if Morrison's baggage wasn't attached to it.

 Ray Manzarek played the final version of this song on a harpsichord, not a clavichord. See Ray Manzarek's book Light My Fire on page 258.


The Doors' single "Love Me Two Times" (Dutch single cover)
(Courtesy of Elektra / thedoors.com)

The Doors - "Love Me Two Times" (Europe 1968)
Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote this song after their keyboard player Ray Manzarek implored the band members to go home and write some songs. Krieger came up with this one "Light My Fire" in about an hour. It was a rare Doors song where lead singer Jim Morrison did not contribute lyrics.

Krieger's lyrics were inspired by both The Doors going on the road and American soldiers going to Vietnam. The theme is sex as a way to survive in strange times, and the need to be "loved two times" before going away.

Through most of the song, Jim Morrison left off the "s" in "two times," creating a double meaning to the phrase.

The Doors - "Love Me Two Times" (Stage performance, Europe, 1968)

The Doors performance - Danish TV, Copenhagen, 1968
"Love Me Two Times" was covered by Aerosmith for the soundtrack of the 1990 film Air America (whose producers, Carolco Pictures, would also produce a biopic about the Doors) and was also played at the band's MTV Unplugged performance that same year, where lead singer Steven Tyler dedicated the song to Jim Morrison, who performed with the Doors at the same venue of the Unplugged performance, the Ed Sullivan Theater, several years prior. The 1990 cover reached number 27 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. In 2001, the song was included on their greatest hits album, Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology. In addition, their version was included on the Doors tribute album Stoned Immaculate.

The Doors - "Love Me Two Times" (album Strange Days,1967)

In 2000, the surviving members of the Doors taped a VH1 Storytellers episode with guest vocalists filling in for Morrison. Pat Monahan from Train sang on this.

 It was also covered by pianist George Winston on his album Night Divides the Day – The Music of the Doors.

 The song is also briefly covered in the song "Bitchin' Camaro" by the Dead Milkmen, albeit with slightly altered lyrics.

 "Love Me Two Times" was also covered by Joan Jett, and included on the compilation The Hit List.

 Line-up / Musicians:
Jim Morrison – vocals, percussion
Ray Manzarek – Vox Continental organ, harpsichord 
Robby Krieger – guitar
John Densmore – drum
With
Douglas Lubahn – bass guitar

 Links / Reviews:
Wikipedia: Love Me Two Times
Songfacts: Love Me Two Times by The Doors
The Doors official website: thedoors.com - songs Love Me Two Times
Rateyourmusic: The Doors - Love Me Two Times / Moonlight Drive

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THE BEATLES - The Long and Winding Road"

The Beatles
"The Long and Winding Road"
Single / B-side: For You Blue
Released: 11 May 1970 (US)
Album: Le It Be (Released: 8 May 1970)
Writer: Paul McCartney
Label: Apple
____________________________________
"The Long and Winding Road" is a ballad written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney). It is the tenth track on the Beatles' album Let It Be. It became the group's 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 13 June 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet while all four remained alive. 
The Beatles' single "The Long and Winding Road", 1970  (front cover)
(Photo courtesy of Apple)

The Beatles - "The Long and Winding Road" (1970)

While the released version of the song was very successful, the post-production modifications by producer Phil Spector angered McCartney to the point that when he made his case in court forbreaking up the Beatles as a legal entity, he cited the treatment of "The Long and Winding Road" as one of six reasons for doing so. New versions of the song with simpler instrumentation were subsequently released by both the Beatles and McCartney.

McCartney originally wrote the song at his farm in Scotland, and was inspired by the growing tension among the Beatles. McCartney said later "I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing and came up with that song, imagining it was going to be done by someone like Ray Charles. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration."
The Beatles's single "The Long and Winding Road" - "For You Blue" (1970)

The Beatles - The Long and Winding Road" (original version)
The song takes the form of a piano-based ballad, with conventional chord changes. Lyrically, it is a sad and melancholic song, with an evocation of an as-yet unrequited, though apparently inevitable, love.

The "long and winding road" of the song was claimed to have been inspired by the B842, a thirty-one mile (50 km) winding road in Scotland, running along the east coast of Kintyre into Campbeltown, and part of the eighty-two mile (133 km) drive from Lochgilphead. In an interview in 1994, McCartney described the lyric more obliquely "It's rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it's a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It's a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist."

Th Beatles' album Let It Be, 1970 (front cover)
(photo courtesy of Apple)
The Beatles - "The Long and Winding Road" (album Let It Be, 1970 - 2009 Remaster)

The Beatles recorded "The Long and Winding Road" on 26 and 31 January 1969, the day after the group's final performance on the roof of their Apple headquarters, with McCartney on piano, John Lennon on bass guitar, George Harrison on guitar, Ringo Starr on drums, and Billy Preston on electric piano. This was during a series of sessions for an album project then known as Get Back. Lennon, who played bass only occasionally, made several mistakes on the recording.

In May 1969, Glyn Johns, who had been asked to mix the Get Back album by the Beatles, selected the 26 January recording as the best version of the song. The Beatles had recorded a master version as part of the 'Apple studio performance' on 31 January, which contained a different lyrical and musical structure, but this version was not chosen for release. For both the 1969 and 1970 versions of the Get Back album, Glyn Johns used the 26 January mix as released on the Anthology 3 album in 1996.

In the spring of 1970, Lennon and the Beatles' manager, Allen Klein, turned over the recordings to Phil Spector with the hope of salvaging an album, which was then titled Let It Be.

Spector made various changes to the songs, but his most dramatic embellishments occurred on 1 April 1970, the last ever Beatles recording session, when he turned his attention to "The Long and Winding Road". At Abbey Road Studios, he recorded the orchestral and choir accompaniment for the song. Spector succeeded in remixing "The Long and Winding Road", using 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of 14 women. The orchestra was scored and conducted by Richard Hewson, who would later work with McCartney on his album, Thrillington. 

The Beatles - "The Long and Winding Road" (Let it Be documentary film)

The Beatles - :The Long and Winding Road" (Let It Be,,, Naked version, 2003)

In 2003, the remaining Beatles and Yoko Ono released Let It Be... Naked, touted as the band's version of Let It Be remixed by independent producers. McCartney claimed that his long-standing dissatisfaction with the released version of "The Long and Winding Road" (and the entire Let It Be album) was in part the impetus for the new version. The new album included a later take of "The Long and Winding Road", recorded on 31 January. With no strings or other added instrumentation beyond that which was played in the studio at the time, it was closer to the Beatles's original intention than the 1970 version.This take is also the one seen in the film Let It Be.

The Beatles 1970
(Photo by Bruce McBroom - Apple Corps. Ltd) 

Line-up / Musicians:
Paul McCartney – lead vocals, piano
John Lennon – bass
George Harrison – guitar
Ringo Starr – drums
Billy Preston – electric piano
With:
Phil Spector's orchestral and choral arrangements

Links / Reviews:


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THE WHO - "Behind Blue Eyes"

The Who
"Behind Blue Eyes"
Single / B-side: "My Wife" (U.S.), "Going Mobile" (Europe)
Released: 6 November 1971
Album: Who's Next (Released: 14 August 1971)
Writer: Pete Townshend
Label: Decca, MCA, Track, Polydor
____________________________________________________

Behind Blue Eyes" is a song by English rock band The Who. It was released in November 1971 as the second single from their fifth album Who's Next. Pete Townshend originally wrote this about a character in his "Lifehouse" project, which was going to be a film similar to The Who's Tommy and Quadrophenia. Townshend never finished "Lifehouse," but the songs ended up on the album Who's Next. The song is one of The Who's most well known recordings and has been covered by many artists.
The Who's  "Behind Blue Eyes" single, 1971
(Photo courtesy of Polydor)

The Who - "Behind Blue Eyes" (45rpm)

The origin of the song comes from an event that occurred after The Who's June 9th, 1970 concert in Denver. Townshend was tempted by a groupie. He went back to his room alone and wrote a prayer beginning, "If my fist clenches, crack it open..." The prayer was more or less asking for help in resisting this temptation. The other words could be describing Townshend's self pity and how hard it is to resist.

 "Behind Blue Eyes"  is  sung  from the point of view of the main villain  of  Lifehouse, Jumbo. The lyrics are a first-person lament from Jumbo, who is always angry and full of angst because of all the pressure and temptation that surrounds him, and the song was intended to be his "theme song" had the project been successful. 

 The version of "Behind Blue Eyes" on the original Who's Next album was the second version the band recorded;  the first version  was recorded  at  the Record Plant  in New York  on 18 March 1971   and features Al Kooper on Hammond Organ. The first version was released as a bonus track on the 1995 CD reissue of Who's Next.


The Who's album: Whos Next, 1971 (front cover)

The Who - "Behind Blue Eyes" (original version)

 Pete Townshend has also recorded two solo versions of the song. One, the original demo of the song, was featured on the Scoop album. The demo along with a newer recording of the song featuring an orchestral backing was featured in The Lifehouse Chronicles.

Pete Townshend - "Behind Blue Eyes" (Lifehouse version)

The Who on stage, 1971 (Photo by Joe Sia)
"Behind Blue Eyes" was covered by American nu metal Limp Bizkit. It was released in November 2003 as a single from their album Results May Vary. Limp Bizkit's arrangement is notable for Speak & Spell during bridge. Rolling Stone magazine readers choose this Limp Bizkit version as the Worst Cover Songs of All Time, and in 2013 Ultimate Classic Rock put it as Terrible Classic Rock Covers.

 Line-up / Musicians:
Roger Daltrey - vocals
Pete Townshend - acoustic guitar, lead guitar, backing vocals
John Entwistle - bass guitar, backing vocals
Keith Moon - drums

Links / Reviews:
Wikipedia: Behind Blue Eyes
Songfacts: Behind Blue Eyes by The Who
Rolling Stone: Rolling Stone Readers Choose the Worst Cover Songs of All Time
Allmusic: Behind Blue Eyes - The Who
Ultimateclassicrock: Terrible Classic Rock Covers
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