This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Friday, July 1, 2022

Sounds Like Summer? ( #BOTB )


If the following seems like something I've posted before then you would be discerning correctly.  This post is not exactly the same as some others I've posted, but it is similar.  And after all it is that recurring musical thing some of us do.  We call it....


Battle of the Bands


        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Similar Summer Sounds

        Darned if I remember how this Battle episode came into being.  Maybe it's just my ongoing (weird perhaps?) quest to find songs that remind me of other songs.  This BOTB post is like a part two of my previous Battle which was based on songs I find to have similarities in melodic lines.

        Most likely this Battle came about after watching a show about the music of Kid Rock, an artist for whom I had previously had no interest in and might have a hard time coming up with many of his songs. On the other hand, maybe the show just reaffirmed something that I had previously noted about a few songs that have long been a part of my musical memory.

        No matter how the Battle premise came about, the following collection of songs has been lingering in the BOTB hopper waiting to be unleashed upon you who follow this blog.  These are songs that not only remind me of each other, but other hearers of the song apparently think the same way which is evidenced by the final Battle entry of the three contenders.

        Though not in a chronological sense of release date, this musical journey begins with the Warren Zevon song "Werewolves of London" (1978).  I never cared much for this song until more recent years when I came to have a greater appreciation for Zevon's music, but it's still not among my favorite tunes so I don't care to use it in this Battle (especially considering this is going to be a three song Battle and I don't want to burden you with any more songs that the three that I prefer).

       In any case, some time ago when I was listening to this song, it came to my aural mind that the song reminded me of Steve Miller's more well-known hit "Take the Money and Run".  Now, anyone who was of a cognizable age in the summer of 1976 will likely recall that this song was all over the place at the time and has remained a staple of classic rock.  As evidence that I'm not the only one who hears this similarity between the songs you might check out this amateur bar band mash-up of the two songs.

       Two summers prior to Miller's song release there was that ultimate rock anthem by Lynyrd Skynyrd (didn't I just do this one last time?) "Sweet Home Alabama".  That song rocked the airwaves in the summer of 1974 and has been popular ever since.  Maybe not as close sounding as the similarity between the Miller and Zevon songs, still I'm hearing a reminiscent melodic and rhythmic riff in the Skynyrd song as well.  

       So call me crazy if you want, but then you're going to have to call Kid Rock crazy too.  In his  2008 hit "All Summer Long" (which according to Wikipedia was inspired by Bob Seger's "Night Moves") Kid Rock very liberally samples "Werewolves of London" as well as "Sweet Home Alabama" and not in any plagiaristic sense.  In fact the song credits not only include the Kid Rock team, but also Zevon and the entire entourage who originally wrote the "Alabama" song.  Talk about giving credit where credit is due!   A whole bunch of people made money off "All Summer Long" and in the end they may have come up with what could be considered the ultimate summer song.

      That brings us to the arena of Battle. Three summertime song hits.  Some--or all--might bring back some fond memories of summers past.  This is a good collection of rock songs in my view, but you might think differently about them.  Which brings back the best summer memories for you?  Which song do you prefer most?  Take a listen to see if you hear the similarities and then tell us which is your favorite...


Steve Miller Band  "Take the Money and Run"  (1976)





Lynyrd Skynyrd   "Sweet Home Alabama"  (1974)





Kid Rock  "All Summer Long"   (2008)








Time to Vote!

         Nothing like a Battle of the Bands for a hot summer day.  Which song do you prefer?  
 Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.



Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 




Winner of this Battle Announced on Friday July 8th

      What do you think is the ultimate summer song?   Can you think of any songs that would fit well into a mash-up of the songs featured in this post?   What music are you listening to this summer?







20 comments:

  1. Hi Lee -

    When I started reading I must admit that I thought "he's nuts!" But after hearing the songs I've changed my mind. You are only "slightly off." Heh heh. No, actually I enjoyed this battle and found it very interesting. The first two songs are giant hits that everyone of a certain age remembers. Sweet Home was discussed lots in the last battle. Good song, overplayed... somewhat the result of not enough good songs TO play in the decades since.

    I was an early fan of the Steve Miller Band, buying and enjoying his first four albums. He was way bluesy then, and I did not like the change that occurred with the band starting with The Joker album. He had much bigger hits then, but I liked him better before. I still have most of those early albums, now that I think about it.

    Kid Rock. I never paid much attention to him and thought he was just a flash in the pan, just another singer/rapper... and one that didn't write. I noticed him more recently with his virulent anti-Biden song ("We the People - Let's Go Brandon.") I frankly gained more respect for him since he clearly is not pandering to his base! It is incredibly coarse... but oh, well. He is simply speaking the language of the masses. And telling them something they don't want to hear.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyFnLqJx-uU

    Given the context of THIS specific battle, I am voting for Kid Rock. In most other contexts I probably would vote otherwise, but you discussed the point of the battle and his mash-up does a great job of melding songs.

    Sixgun McItchyfinger

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for indulging me in this and glad you see some of what I see (or hear).

      I never heard any Steve Miller until "The Joker" started getting airplay. I wasn't overly impressed by that one. They started catching my attention with "Fly Like an Eagle" and "Abracadabra".

      I can appreciate the topical Kid Rock "We the People". I've heard it before and glad to hear the sentiment, though not particularly appreciative of the profanity. But I understand the rage.

      First vote goes to Kid Rock.

      Lee

      Delete
  2. Howdy, LEE ~

    I'd never heard this Kid Rock song before. (Not exactly my wheelhouse there.) It didn't do a whole lot for me (but then I didn't do a whole lot for it, either, so I guess we're even). And I found the video to be kind of disgusting. I don't think I'm going to be going out to acquire any Kid Rock rock soon.

    'Sweet Home Alabama'... well, as I commented in your previous Battle, "I actually liked [that song] until the eleventy millionth and eighty-sixth time I heard it." And, no, I did not just now listen to it for the eleventy millionth and eighty-seventh time, because there was no need to do so; I've known every single note of that song for about 38 years now.

    I've never actually associated 'Sweet Home Alabama' or Steve Miller's 'Take The Money And Run' with Summertime. I prefer the Steve Miller song, although that too has been overplayed and the rhyming of "facts is" with "taxes" always makes me cringe.

    Please chalk up a BOTB bote for Steve "Bad Grammar Boy" Miller.

    Maybe someday I'll do a BOTB match-up of Kid Rock's 'All Summer Long' against The Beach Boys' 'All Summer Long'.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure why you would find Kid Rock's video disgusting. Seems kind of mild compared to some videos I've seen.

      I guess I think of the Miller and Skynyrd songs with summer because that's when they were on the charts and I was hearing them a lot.

      Sounds like a good BOTB proposal with "All Summer Long" songs.

      Next vote goes to Steve Miller Band.

      Lee

      Delete
  3. Toss up between the first and third. Normally I would go with Steve Miller, but the Kid Rock song was just as good. Plus I read he's conservative, which surprised and impressed me. So we'll go with Kid Rock.
    Have a good Fourth!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alex, I like Kid Rock better knowing where his opinions lie.

      A vote for Kid Rock.

      Lee

      Delete
  4. My hubby is here to listen and he was a teen during this time while I was 10 & 12 yrs old. I vote for the Steve Miller Band because I just always loved this song. I love Sweet Home too but the f Rest gets my vote. If hubby counts, he votes for Sweet Home and it brought back memories of his time in a small city when he used to jump from the bridge into the Welland Canal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Birgit, two votes are welcome in this one.

      Steve Miller Band
      &
      Lynyrd Skynyrd.

      Lee

      Delete
  5. If I were a bit younger (and thus, it was in my wheelhouse), I'd take Kid Rock; but I'll give Steve Miller by a nose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CW, okay old man, you wish my command.

      A vote for Steve Miller.

      Lee

      Delete
  6. I actually know all three of those songs!
    Actually, I associate the Twister soundtrack with summer. It came out in May back in the 90s, which is more Spring than Summer. But oh well.
    I guess I'll vote for Kid Rock, because the other two don't really have a summer vibe for me.
    I wrote a humorous piece for the June WEP prompt.
    And I have my favorite book world narrowed down for the IWSG July prompt.
    July 03 is Plastic Bag Free Day, which hopes to eliminate single-use plastic bags.
    Over at Operation Awesome, our Pass or Pages query contest opens Monday with July's family saga genre. Know any writers who might want to enter?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. J, I didn't know the Kid Rock song until recently, but the other two are burned into my brain.

      I don't relate Twister to any particular season, but now that you mention it summer makes sense. I took my kids to see that one in the theater and I loved that movie and liked that soundtrack so much that I actually bought it. Great music!

      In California we've been doing the reusable bag thing for a few years now. It's a hassle, but I've mostly gotten used to it. And now the bags discarded in parking lots & elsewhere have been replaced by those dumb facemasks. Don't understand why people feel the need to just throw trash on the ground. It's better than it used to be many years ago, but still...

      Can't think of any writers other than who you've already reached.

      A vote for Kid Rock.

      Lee

      Delete
  7. Here in Atlanta, we had a rock station that would play "Take The Money And Run" and "Sweet Home Alabama" at least twice a day every weekday, so I'm pretty sick and tired of those. Never heard the Kid Rock song before today, and I like it, so that gets my vote.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John H, I'm sure stations all over the country played those songs with the same frequency. They were very popular and still are on the classic channels.

      A vote for Kid Rock.

      Lee

      Delete
  8. Welp, this is a difficult one for me. While I do like all three of them, each one brings a different memory to the forefront.

    1} Steve Miller. I really associate his song with the movie "The Getaway" (the original, not the remake), even tho the song was probably written in response to the movie. It's a great sing-along as well.

    2} Lynyrd Skynyrd. This was from a band from a genre that was really popular during my high school days ('79-'83). Again, a good sing-along song.

    3} Kid Rock. This one I really enjoyed from back in the day when I used to listen to commercial radio. A very good mash-up of songs, and was so popular that it crossed-over to other formats and thus got really overkilled/overplayed.

    I have a hard time choosing one, so I would like to cast a third for each one.

    As for my favorite summer song, I'm more into a noirish kind of summer song, so The Hooters fantastic over of "The Boys Of Summer" really does it for me, because I feel that with the overall slow downer vibe of song is how it should've been done in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GB, thanks I guess for the votes, but yours is a wash in this contest. But I get it. I feel almost the same way.

      I like that Hooters version. It was new to me, but it really does have a more appropriate feel to it.

      Lee

      Delete
  9. Lee,

    I stopped by yesterday barely time enough to listen to your song picks for this battle. I like the idea to use songs with a similar melody. There are times when I think a song reminds me of another but I can't ever recall what song. I definitely hear this with these and then the familiarity of the songs entwined in London Kid Rock's popular tune is definitely recognizable. I would not have been able to put my finger on it on my own. Thanks for sharing the song history. Okay, anywho, how am I to vote in this round? You gave us three wonderfully fun, summery songs for consideration. I think I will just go with the song that stood out just a little more which is Lynyrd Skynyrd "Sweet Home Alabama". Have a bantastic summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cathy, it's amazing with all the songs ever written that there aren't more that sound similar.

      Another vote for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

      Lee

      Delete
  10. Hi, Lee!
    I like them all - including Zevon ;-) So it's all down to mood today, and that means Lynyrd Skynyrd gets my vote, Enjoyed the mash-up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diedre, this trio of songs makes for some fun listening.

      A vote for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

      Lee

      Delete

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee