1960s songs, contentment

#146 Here Comes The Sun- The Beatles

Here comes the sun and I say/
It’s alright.

“Here Comes the Sun” is Beatles song written by George Harrison for the Abbey Road record. By this time, Harrison was beginning to establish himself as a peer with Lennon and McCartney. The origin of this song came about through his friendship with Eric Clapton.

He was hanging out with Clapton after dealing with The Beatles nonsense, and he felt a special camaraderie and new sense of excitement about music. That led him to write this simple but elegant song about the exciting days that are yet to come, and that the cold days of winter will soon be melting.

Though “Here Comes The Sun” sounds quite simple, there are a lot of moving pieces going on in the production. You have hand-clapping, electric keyboards, strings, flutes, percussion and of course guitars. This song foreshadows the work that Harrison would later do during his solo years: Songs like My Sweet Lord have a similar vibe to them. The feel is upbeat and spiritual, and the instrumentation is experimental.

Here Comes The Sun Lyrics

Here comes the sun, doo-dun-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right

Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here

Here comes the sun, doo-dun-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right

Little darling, the smile’s returning to their faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here

Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

written by George Harrison

1980s songs, new love

#145 Eternal Flame- The Bangles

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Am I only dreaming, or
Is this burning an eternal flame?

The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame” is a sexy song about new love. Does he feel the same strong feelings that she does? Can’t he feel her heart pounding when she holds his hand to her chest? Certainly, this must be the beginning of a love eternal. That is what she hopes for.

The bridge of “Eternal Flame” is strong and unexpected: (“Say my name..). It is what really takes the song from just another love song to a journey we take with Susanna Hoffs as she embarks on this roller coaster of emotion. Her voice offers a unique sound in rock history, like a cross between early Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush.

The Bangles’ instrumentation in Eternal Flame is fantastic. Note the intro. It is very unusual. It sounds almost like an atonal clock beat ticking to the entrance of the strings. It is very memorable. Hearing the strings along with Hoffs voice is an amazing combination that the Bangles did not use that often in their recordings.

I think The Bangles had the vibe that they were all the lead singer, but it is clear that Hoffs was the superstar.

Note the lack of drums. The beat is held with a tambourine or bells on a drum kit. Of course, during the final chorus we get a more typical drum sound, but it is still every two measures or so. The rest of the band singing backup vocals really did a great job. They add a depth to the sound that contrasts great with Hoff’s high voice.

Eternal Flame Lyrics

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling,
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming,
Is this burning an eternal flame?

I believe it’s meant to be, darling,
I watch you when you are sleeping,
You belong with me.
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming,
Or is this burning an eternal flame?

Say my name
Sun shines through the rain,
A whole life so lonely,
And then come and ease the pain.
I don’t want to lose this feeling, oh.

Close your eyes, give me your hand,
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming,
Or is this burning an eternal flame?

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling,
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming,
Is this burning an eternal flame?

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling,
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming, ah
An eternal flame?

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling,
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming, ah,
Is this burning an eternal flame?
Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling…

written by Susanna Hoffs

1970s songs, death

#144 Dust in the Wind- Kansas

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All the money won’t another minute buy.
Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.

Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” is a departure from the rest of Kansas’ catalog, but this is easily their best song. “Dust in the Wind” has to be the leading candidate for most depressing song of all time: if there were such an award. The acoustic guitar riff along with the vocals and powerful message combine to create one of the most powerful songs of the seventies.

The guitar picking is a standard Travis-style finger-picking pattern, but this combination of chord progressions accentuates the guitar work and the music from the guitar. We hear how sad the song sounds—apart from the lyrics. Once the lyrics come in…boom. This song is not subtle in its message. People are really nothing in the greater scheme of the universe, they’re really only dust in the wind.

Everything that seems so important to you; from the perspective of eternity it really is nothing. This can be both very depressing, but this realization can have the opposite effect as well. Understanding that I am a small piece of a large, infinite world can make my everyday problems seem not worth worrying about. It sounds Taoist or Buddhist.

“Dust in the Wind’s” melody combined with the chord progressions really makes for a beautiful—though haunting—song. Not many songs ask us to consider our own mortality. It is a bit experimental and a bit of a risk for a mainstream band like Kansas to put it out, but it remains their most well-known song. It is also a great song to learn on guitar when you are first starting.

Dust in the Wind Lyrics

I close my eyes,
Only for a moment, and the moment’s gone.
All my dreams,
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity.

Dust in the wind.
All they are is dust in the wind.

Same old song,
Just a drop of water in an endless sea.
All we do-
Crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see.

Dust in the wind.
All we are is dust in the wind.
Oh, ho, ho

Now, don’t hang on,
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.
It slips away,
And all your money won’t another minute buy.

Dust in the wind,
All we are is dust in the wind.
All we are is dust in the wind.

Dust in the wind,
Everything is dust in the wind.
Everything is dust in the wind.
The wind.

written by Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Top 500 Greatest Rock Songs of All-time