2010s songs, anthem

#207 Girl on Fire- Alicia Keys

She’s just a girl, and she’s on fire/
Hotter than a fantasy, longer like a highway.

“Girl on Fire” is a great woman’s anthem from Alicia Keys. This Girl on Fire sounds a bit like a superhero: she’s on top of the world, hottest of the hottest girls, can fly away, so bright she can burn your eyes. But during the bridge we find out that she is sometimes a lonely girl in a lonely world…so it turns out there are two sides to this superhero.

The song has a great chorus and overall, the melody is good-as is the message. Like many Keys’ songs it is mixed heavily with percussion which makes for a good dance mix. This song shows off the different styles of Keys’ singing voice: and it sounds great throughout. Some of the verses and the bridge sound softer, and contrast with her anthem-y choruses.

Keys’ is one of the best of the current diva singers. Her voice is always under control, she rarely uses superfluous runs, and the emotion always sounds genuine.

Girl on Fire Lyrics

She’s just a girl, and she’s on fire
Hotter than a fantasy, longer like a highway
She’s living in a world, and it’s on fire
Feeling the catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away
Oh, she got both feet on the ground
And she’s burning it down
Oh, she got her head in the clouds
And she’s not backing down

This girl is on fire
This girl is on fire
She’s walking on fire
This girl is on fire

Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame
So bright, she can burn your eyes
Better look the other way
You can try but you’ll never forget her name
She’s on top of the world
Hottest of the hottest girls say
Oh, we got our feet on the ground
And we’re burning it down
Oh, got our head in the clouds
And we’re not coming down

This girl is on fire
This girl is on fire
She’s walking on fire
This girl is on fire

Everybody stands, as she goes by
Cause they can see the flame that’s in her eyes
Watch her when she’s lighting up the night
Nobody knows that she’s a lonely girl
And it’s a lonely world
But she gon’ let it burn, baby, burn, baby

This girl is on fire
This girl is on fire
She’s walking on fire
This girl is on fire
Oh, oh, oh,
She’s just a girl, and she’s on fire
Songwriters: Jeff Bhasker / Alicia Augello-Cook / Salaam Remi / Billy Squire / Nicki Minaj

1970s songs, secular hymn

#206 Let It Be- The Beatles

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And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me/
Shine until tomorrow, let it be.

Listening again to The Beatles “Let it Be”, I am especially impressed with Ringo’s drum work. It is nuanced: the typical 4/4 patterns would have done just fine, but there are several unconventional sounds and beats when you listen closely. It is half good production, half good drum work. George’s guitar work is also great. His solo and guitar fills liven up what is really a piano song.

“Let it Be” has always felt larger than life—in a way—to me: similar in a way to a folk song or classical music tune that seems to have been written before time.

So which version is the best? I think the Past Masters version is the closest to the best version, but there are aspects in each that I like. In Phil Spector’s version, I think George’s solo sounds the best that it does in any version. However, the high-hat sounds a bit off. In the Naked version, the organ is mixed too high in the middle, but during the rest of the song it sounds great. The Past Masters version—produced by George Martin—seems to have the fewest glaring weaknesses.

The song does not stand out lyrically, but it captures a nice sentiment. The song borders on religious sentiment, but I think that it is mostly a mistake on our end. It is due to us thinking the “Mother Mary” in the song is the biblical Mary, when really it is his mother, and also, we associate organs with church.

Let it Be Lyrics

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

written by lennon/mccartney

1960s songs, life is hard

#205 Blues Run The Game- Jackson C Frank

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Try another city babe, another town/
Wherever I have gone the blues keep following down.

“Blues Run the Game” is a song about life on the road being a musician. We’ll encounter several songs with that theme in this list. This is the most bleak. Compare this song with “Breakfast in America” by Supertramp, or Dan Fogelburg’s comments on being on the road in “Leader of the Band”.

Frank was not nearly as financially successful as either Supertramp or Fogelburg, so perhaps that colored his perception of the road. This song doesn’t just seem to be about the road though, Jackson Frank seems depressed, or as he calls it he ‘has the blues’. That is such a cooler way to describe depression.

Blues Run The Game meaning — Jackson C Frank

He talks of crying, drinking, living his life in sin while missing his woman at home. And he doesn’t anticipate the next town will change his habits or mood all that much—it’ll bring more of the same.

“Blues Run the Game” contains all the elements of a great blues song lyrically but also musically: including Franke’s clear deep voice, solid finger-picking acoustic guitar–(an improvised style), a feeling of melancholy and lack of chorus.

Frank died in obscurity. He never really was a road musician for more than a couple years. He was in and out of mental hospitals his adult life and was homeless for some time. He was shot and blinded while homeless. The only surviving video of him performing is a 13 second clip.

There is a beautiful cover version of “Blues Run the Game” by the band Headless Heroes that is a bit more accessible for those who aren’t pure folk fans:

Blues Run The Game Lyrics

Catch a boat to England baby,
Maybe to Spain;
Wherever I have gone, wherever I’ve been and gone,
Wherever I have gone, the blues are all the same.

Send out for whisky baby, send out for gin,
Me and room service, honey,
Me and room service, babe,
Me are room service, well we’re livin’ a life of sin.

When I’m not drinking baby, you are on my mind.
When I’m not sleeping, babe,
When I ain’t sleepin’ mama,
When I’m not sleepin’,
Well you know you find me cryin’.

Find another city baby, another town,
Wherever I have gone, wherever I have gone,
The blues come followin down.

Livin’ is a gamble, baby,
Lovings much the same.
Wherever I have played,
Whenever I throw them dice,
Wherever I have played,
The blues have the run the game.

Maybe tomorrow honey, someplace down the line,
I’ll wake up older,
So much older, mama!
I’ll wake up older and I’ll just, I’ll stop all my tryin’.

Catch a boat to England baby,
Maybe to Spain.
Wherever I have gone, wherever I’ve been and gone,
Wherever I have gone, the blues are all the same.

written by Jackson C Frank

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