“The Girl I Knew Somewhere”, The Monkees

This way: The Girl I Knew Somewhere

"The Girl I Knew Somewhere" is a song by the American pop rock band the Monkees, written by Michael Nesmith, and first released as the B-side to the "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" single on Colgems Records on 8 March 1967. It was distributed in support of the group's third album Headquarters, and later appeared on the reissued version of the LP. The song was recorded as the Monkees finally achieved the independence that enabled them to freely produce their own material, with the actual band members being featured on both vocals and instrumental arrangements. 

Upon release, "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" charted at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, while its A-side "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" propelled to number two.

[Spotify] The Girl I Knew Somewhere

“It’s Not Easy”, Ofege

This way: It’s Not Easy

Ofege the raw passion boy band was formed by teens ages 11-17yrs. in their quest to a new phase at the prestigious St. Gregory's College in Lagos, Nigeria. 

[Spotify] It’s Not Easy

“We Are the One”, Avengers

This way: We Are the One

The Avengers are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in San Francisco, California, United States. The band recorded an EP, We Are the One (1977), and after opening for the Sex Pistols worked with Steve Jones, but had not released an album before breaking up in 1979. After the breakup an EP with the Steve Jones-produced songs was released (The Avengers), and later an album, Avengers, in 1983. Their lead singer, Penelope Houston, is also a folk singer who has a solo career. Since 1999 a number of other albums were released with studio and live tracks, and the band has come together for various occasions. 

[Spotify] We Are the One

“Because I Asked You”, Eleanor Friedberger

This way: Because I Asked You

Eleanor Friedberger (born September 2, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She is best known as one half of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces, alongside her older brother Matthew Friedberger. In the band she contributes the majority of the vocals both on record and during their live performances.

In 2011, The Fiery Furnaces went on hiatus, with both Friedberger siblings embarking upon solo careers. To date, Eleanor has released four solo studio albums: Last Summer (2011), Personal Record (2013), New View (2016) and Rebound (2018). 

[Spotify] Because I Asked You

[Extra credit] Eleanor Friedberger -Live on KEXP

“Ashtray Heart”, Captain Beefheart

This way: Ashtray Heart

Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. He conducted a rotating ensemble called the Magic Band, with whom he recorded 13 studio albums between 1964 and 1982. His music blended elements of blues, free jazz, rock, and the avant-garde with idiosyncratic rhythms, absurdist wordplay, and his wide vocal range. Known for his enigmatic persona, Beefheart frequently constructed myths about his life and was known to exercise an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians. Although he achieved little commercial success, he sustained a cult following as a "highly significant" and "incalculable" influence on an array of new wave, punk, and experimental rock artists. 

An artistic prodigy in his childhood, Van Vliet developed an eclectic musical taste during his teen years in Lancaster, California, and formed "a mutually useful but volatile" friendship with musician Frank Zappa, with whom he sporadically competed and collaborated. He began performing with his Captain Beefheart persona in 1964 and joined the original Magic Band line-up, initiated by Alexis Snouffer, the same year. The group released their debut album Safe as Milk in 1967 on Buddah Records. After being dropped by two consecutive record labels they signed to Zappa's Straight Records, where they released 1969's Trout Mask Replica; the album would later rank 58th in Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. 

[Spotify] Ashtray Heart

“Fireworks”, Mitski

This way: Fireworks

Mitski Miyawaki is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter. Mitski self-released her first two albums, Lush (2012), and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013), while studying at Purchase College's Conservatory of Music. After graduating, she released her third studio album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek (2014), through Double Double Whammy. It was followed by Puberty 2 (2016) and Be the Cowboy (2018), released on Dead Oceans. 

[Spotify] Fireworks

“Joan of Arc”, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

This way: Joan of Arc

“Joan of Arc” is a 1981 song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the second single from their third studio album Architecture & Morality. It became an international hit, reaching the Top 5 in the UK and Canada and number 13 in Ireland.   

This is the first of two OMD songs written by McCluskey on the subject of the French saint Joan of Arc. The second, "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" was also issued as a single (renamed "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)" for its release). Both tracks feature on Architecture & Morality.

[Spotify] Joan of Arc

[Extra credit] Maid of Orleans

“Jools and Jim”, Pete Townsend

This way: Jools and Jim

Did you read the stuff that Julie said?/Or little Jimmy with his hair dyed red?/They don’t give a shit Keith Moon is dead/Is that exactly what I thought I read?’ Over a near-frantic beat and needling guitar, Townshend dismisses the young _NME upstarts and their ilk as little more than ‘Typewriter bangers'.

The fallout from Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons’s book The Boy Looked At Johnny whee Keith Moon was written off. This song is Petes visceral response. 
From Empty Glass of 1980.

[Spotify] Jools and Jim

“Rocket Machine”, Opal

This way: Rocket Machine

Opal was an American rock band in the 1980s. They were part of the Paisley Underground musical style. The band's name is derived from "Opel", a song by Syd Barrett. 

The group formed in the mid-1980s under the name Clay Allison, featuring guitarist David Roback (previously of Rain Parade), bassist Kendra Smith (from Dream Syndicate) and drummer Keith Mitchell. After one single, they released the remaining Clay Allison tracks under the band's new name, Opal, on the 1984 Fell from the Sun EP. Another EP, Northern Line, followed in 1985. These EPs were later compiled and released as Early Recordings. From 1987.

[Spotify] not likely

“Thirteen”, Johnny Cash

This way: Thirteen

It’s hard to beat the records of the great Cash come-back put together by Rick Rubin. Mostly covering other artists songs he capped off a great career with a walk off grand slam. Cash was approached by producer Rick Rubin and offered a contract with Rubin's American Recordings label, better known for rap and heavy metal than for country music. Rubin had seen Cash perform at Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary concert in late 1992, and felt Cash was still a vital artist who had been unfairly written off by the music industry. Suffering from health problems and recovering from a relapse of his drug addiction, Cash was initially skeptical. The two men soon bonded, however, particularly when Rubin promised Cash a high level of creative control. Rubin told the singer: "I would like you to do whatever feels right for you", and Cash decided to record the first solo album of his career without any accompanying musicians. This composition by Glenn Danzig, whose heavy metal band had earlier worked with Rubin; Danzig wrote the song specifically for Cash in less than twenty minutes. 

[Spotify] Thirteen

“Fade Into You”, Mazzy Star

This way: Fade into You

Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback’s friend Hope Sandoval became the group’s vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.

Mazzy Star is best known for the song “Fade into You” which brought the band some success in the mid-1990s and was the group's biggest mainstream hit, earning extensive exposure on MTV, VH1, and radio airplay. Roback and Sandoval are the creative center of the band, with Sandoval as lyricist and Roback as composer of the majority of the band’s material.

The band’s most recent studio album, Seasons of Your Day, was released in 2013, followed by the EP Still in 2018. 

[Spotify] Fade into You

“Blue Yodel No. 3”, Jimmie Rodger

This way: Blue Yodel No. 3

Jimmie Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmic yodeling. Unusual for a music star of his era, Rodgers rose to prominence based upon his recordings, among country music's earliest, rather than concert performances – which followed to similar public acclaim.

He has been cited as an inspiration by many artists and inductees into various halls of fame across both country music and the blues, in which he was also a pioneer. Among his other popular nicknames are "The Singing Brakeman" and "The Blue Yodeler". 

The Blue Yodels go all the way up thru 12.

[Spotify] Blue Yodel No. 3

“Tower of Song”, Leonard Cohen

This way: Tower of Song

"Tower of Song" is a song written by Leonard Cohen that appears on his 1988 album I'm Your Man. In a 2014 reader's poll, Rolling Stone listed it as the 8th favorite Cohen song. 

The genesis of "Tower of Song" is described in Ira Nadel's 1996 Cohen memoir Various Positions:

"Tower of Song" is the keynote work of I'm Your Man. With it, Cohen wanted to "make a definitive statement about the heroic enterprise of the craft" of songwriting. In the early eighties, he called the work "Raise My Voice in Song." His concern was with the aging songwriter, and the "necessity to transcend one's own failure by manifesting as the singer, as the songwriter." He had abandoned the song, but one night in Montreal he finished the lyrics and called an engineer and recorded it in one take with a toy synthesizer.
Cohen revised the song, which contains the rumination, "I was born like this, I had no choice/I was born with the gift of a golden voice." Ever mindful of his reputation as a "flat singer" among critics, audiences often reacted when Cohen sang these lines live. Cohen also cited Hank Williams, a songwriter he had professed great admiration for, in the song ("...a hundred floors above me...").

[Spotify] Tower of Song

“When It’s Over”, Wipers

This way: When It’s Over

I love this early punk music that was testing the metal, way out ahead of everyone else. Wipers was a punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1977 by guitarist Greg Sage, along with drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. The group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion were hailed as extremely influential by numerous critics and musicians. The band is considered the first Pacific Northwest punk band.

[Spotify] When It’s Over

“Frontwards”, Pavement

This way: Frontwards

Something about the humor in these lyrics slays me. Pavement was an American indie rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. For most of their career, the group consisted of Stephen Malkmus (vocals and guitar), Scott Kannberg (guitar and vocals), Mark Ibold (bass), Steve West (drums) and Bob Nastanovich (percussion and vocals). Initially conceived as a recording project, the band at first avoided press or live performances, while attracting considerable underground attention with their early releases. Gradually evolving into a more polished band, Pavement recorded five full-length albums and nine EPs over the course of their decade-long career, though they disbanded with some acrimony in 1999 as the members moved on to other projects.

This from the 1992 EP, Watery, Domestic.

[Spotify] Frontwards

“Border Town”, Tex and the Horseheads

This way: Border Town

Tex & the Horseheads is an American punk rock band, which emerged in the Los Angeles punk subculture of the early-1980s.[1] Their original run was from 1980 to 1986, and during this time they enjoyed a sizeable cult following. The band has since reunited, as of 2007, and tours the Los Angeles area sporadically. 

Tex & the Horseheads are often cited as among the first bands to play "cowpunk." The sound of Tex & the Horseheads, and correspondingly the sound of cowpunk, is characterized by a fusion of classic-styled country-and-Western music and street-tough LA punk bands.

Tex & the Horseheads set themselves apart by appropriating aesthetical and fashion elements from deathrock bands like Burning Image, 45 Grave, and Christian Death. Tex & the Horseheads' members include: Texacala Jones, Mike Martt, Gregory "Smog" Boaz and David "Rock" Thum. Jeffrey Lee Pierce, of The Gun Club, was an original member of the group and was highly influential in both supporting the formation of the group and promoting the band.


Tex and the Horseheads released two records, a self-titled record in 1984 and Life's So Cool, produced in 1985 by John Doe, member of X and of the Flesh Eaters. A live album, titled Tot Ziens; Live in Holland, was released by Enigma Records in 1986.

[Spotify] Not Likely

“Hit the City”, Mark Lanegan (with PJ Harvey)

This way: Hit the City

Mark Lanegan (born November 25, 1964) is an American alternative rock musician and singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, Lanegan began his musical career in 1984, forming the psychedelic grunge band Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band, Lanegan also started a low-key solo career and released his first solo studio album, The Winding Sheet, in 1990. Since 1990, he has released a ton of (solo) studio albums, as well as several collaborative efforts, and has received critical recognition and moderate commercial success. 

Lanegan has also collaborated with various artists and bands throughout his career, including with Kurt Cobain of Nirvana prior to the group’s breakout success with their album, Nevermind, recording an unreleased album of songs by the folk singer Lead Belly. Lanegan also performed with Layne Staley and Mike McCready in the side band, Mad Season. It was intended that Lanegan was to take over vocals in Mad Season full-time after Staley declined to make a second album. Following the dissolution of Trees in 2000, he became a member of Queens of the Stone Age and is featured on five of the band's albums—Rated R (2000), Songs for the Deaf (2002), Lullabies to Paralyze (2005), Era Vulgaris (2007) and ...Like Clockwork (2013). 

This track from 2004's "Bubblegum"

[Spotify] Hit the City

“Never Gonna Sleep”, Free Kitten

This way: Never Gonna Sleep

Free Kitten is a supergroup composed of Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Pussy Galore's Julie Cafritz. Originally performing under the name Kitten, they changed their name after receiving threats of legal action by a heavy metal singer performing under the same name. Boredoms member Yoshimi P-We eventually took up the task of drumming, and Pavement's Mark Ibold joined later on as bassist. They have released a handful of albums and singles, mainly on label Kill Rock Stars, including a remix 12" featuring DJ Spooky. They toured on 1993's Lollapalooza. A studio album, 2008's Inherit, on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label, is the group's most recently available. 

[Spotify] Never Gonna Sleep

“Lucille”, Little Richard - Dead at 87

This way: Lucille

“Lucille”, Little Richard -  (1957)

Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), better known as Little Richard, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Penniman's most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his charismatic showmanship and dynamic music, characterized by frenetic piano playing, pounding back beat and raspy shouted vocals, laid the foundation for rock and roll, leading him to be given the nickname "The Innovator, The Originator, and The Architect of Rock and Roll". Penniman's innovative emotive vocalizations and uptempo rhythmic music also played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk, respectively. He influenced numerous singers and musicians across musical genres from rock to hip hop; his music helped shape rhythm and blues for generations to come

[Spotify] Lucille