#170 Last Worthless Evening- Don Henley

Just gimme a chance/
To show you how to love again.

In “Last Worthless Evening” Don Henley sees a woman on the street and sees that she is struggling finding love. Hey, he is struggling too. It is been nearly two years for him since he found a real connection with someone. But he sees something in this girl. He is going to take her under his wing—if she’ll give him a chance to show her how to love again.

Don Henley’s “Last Worthless Evening” essentially offers the woman a choice: take a chance on him and it might be your last worthless evening ever, or continue on as you are with your heartbreak and pain. When you put it that way it seems like Henley’s at least worth a shot.

Last Worthless Evening Meaning
Don Henley

Henley plays a bit of a hero/savior character in the song. He is going to rescue her and take her and treat her well till her heart is on the mend. It is a romantic thought. However, Henley appears to just know this woman from afar. Guys get notions in their heads like this sometimes, though. We think we can fix things.  “Just be with me and you won’t have anymore worthless nights”. It is a fairy-tale he is selling, but perhaps it has a chance of being a life that is better than the one she currently has. Who knows?

Last Worthless Evening Lyrics

I know you broke up with him,
And your heart’s still on the shelf.
It’s been over two years for me,
And I’m still not quite myself.

You can’t be with someone new,
And you can’t go back to him.
You’re beginning to realize
That it’s sink-or-swim.

I see you around sometimes,
And my heart just melts.
You’re lookin’ like if you had your wish
You’d be somewhere else.

And it just breaks my heart
To see you here this way.
Someday I’ll get the nerve,
To walk up to you and say,

“This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
Just gimme a chance,
To show you how to love again.”

“This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
‘Cause I’ll be there,
When your broken heart is on the mend.”

Every night it’s the same old crowd
Smoky rooms.
You catch a faint glimpse of love sometimes,
But it never blooms.

I’ve been around this block a time or two.
And I’ve made some big mistakes,
But girl I promise you, I promise you,
This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
Just gimme a chance
To show you how to love again.

This is the last worthless evening,
That you’ll have to spend.
‘Cause it won’t be long,
‘Til your little heart is on the mend.

Hey, hey, hey, hey,
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’ away).
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’),
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’ away),
(Time, time, tickin’, tickin’, tickin’).

People inside their houses
With the shades pulled down.
God knows, we could use some romance
In this sleepy bedroom town.
I know you’re still afraid to rush into anything…

But there’re just so many summers,
And just so many springs.
And this is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.

Just gimme a chance, gimme a chance,
To show you how love again.
This is the last worthless evening
That you’ll have to spend.
‘Cause it won’t be long,
‘Til your little heart is on the mend.

That you’ll have to spend,
Just gimme a chance, darling,
To show you how to love again.
This is the last worthless evening,
That you’ll have to spend.
’cause it won’t be long,
‘Til your broken heart is on the mend.

written by Don Henley

#169 Superfreak- Rick James

She’s a very kinky girl,
The kind you don’t take home to mother.

“Superfreak” is Rick James’ ode to groupies. “Superfreaks” love the bands, but you would never take them home to meet your mother. They love to meet you in the limousine after the show. Three is NOT a crowd for these girls. They are very easy to please. They’re freaky. James is saying this with the utmost admiration. He loves his Super Freaks.

Superfreak greatest song alltime Meaning
Rick James

The bass line of “Superfreak” is one of the most recognizable in rock. When it was sampled by MC Hammer it probably became the most recognized bass-line in rap too. I’m not one to bust a move, but this song at least gets my head bopping.

Rick James sings “Superfreak” with the right amount of balance between tongue in cheek and earnestness. He realizes the lyrics are outrageous, but he completely embraces the sentiment of “Superfreak”, and he is unapologetic. That really makes it work. The bridge is super recognizable as well: the background singers singing oh, woah, oh, oh, oh, oh oh.

This might sound odd, but compare this song to The Carpenters’ Superstar.

Superfreak Lyrics

She’s a very kinky girl,
The kind you don’t take home to mother
She will never let your spirits down,
Once you get her off the street.

She likes the boys in the band,
She says that I’m her all time favorite
When I make my move to her room,
It’s the right time, she’s never hard to please.

That girl is pretty wild now
The girl’s a super freak
The kind of girl you read about
In the new wave magazines.
That girl is pretty kinky
The girl’s a super freak
I’d really like to taste her
Every time we meet.
She’s all right, she’s all right
That girl’s all right with me yeah.
She’s a super freak, super freak,
She’s super freaky, super freak, super freak.

She’s a very special girl,
From her head down to her toenails
Yet she’ll wait for me at backstage with her girlfriends,
In a limousine.

Three’s not a crowd to her, she said
“Room 714, I’ll be waiting.”
When I get there she’s got incense, wine and candles
It’s such a freaky scene.
That girl is pretty wild now
The girl’s a super freak
The kind of girl you read about
In the new wave magazines.
That girl is pretty kinky
The girl’s a super freak
I’d really like to taste her
Every time we meet.
She’s all right, she’s all right
That girl’s all right with me yeah.
She’s a super freak, super freak,
She’s super freaky, super freak, super freak.
Temptations sing, oh, super freak,
Super freak, the girl’s a super freak, oh.

She’s a very kinky girl,
The kind you don’t take home to mother
She will never let your spirits down,
Once you get her off the street.

written by James and Alonzo Miller

#168 Break On Through- The Doors

Arms that chain/
Eyes that lie…

The Doors “Break on Through” has great lyrics. Some of the best, this side of Dylan. Morrison is telling us that there is a reality that is just beyond our grasp and we have to break through to reach it. What exactly that entails he is not clear about. Does he mean we should do drugs? Probably. Is he advocating spirituality over materialism? Probably.

There are a lot of mores that he is suggesting that we disregard if we want to break on  through to the other side. On this side there are chains and lies, on the other side is freedom. Which side would you choose? Unfortunately living this lifestyle has its consequences.

Break On Through Meaning
The Doors

Morrison has one of the best male voices in rock. Very manly. Each of the instruments really shines in this song. The guitar has some great riffs that are iconic, as does the organ. The percussion is solid. There are a couple things you should notice. Most people only know the edited version of this song. If you’ve only heard it on the radio, you’ve never heard the regular version.

I think “Break On Through” was released on The Doors greatest hits edited as well. Why? Because it had the word “high” in it. Another cool thing to notice is the good use of stereo. At the beginning of the song each instrument is added one at a time into each side of your headphones. It is a cool effect.

Break On Through Lyrics

Every time when I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
It went by, like dusk to dawn
You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Tried to run
Tried to hide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side, yeah

We chased our pleasures here
Dug our treasures there
But can you still recall
The time we cried
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side

Yeah!
C’mon, yeah

Everybody loves my baby
Everybody loves my baby
She get(s high)
She get(s high)
She get(s high)
She get(s high)

I found an island in your arms
Country in your eyes
Arms that chained us
Eyes that lied
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through, oww!
Oh, yeah!

Made the scene
Week to week
Day to day
Hour to hour
The gate is straight
Deep and wide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through
Break on through
Break on through
Break on through
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

written by Jim Morrison