1980s songs, love songs

#324 Can’t Fight This Feeling- REO Speedwagon

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What started out this friendship has grown stronger/
I only wish I had the strength to let it show.

Kevin Cronin writes about a beautiful friendship that he wants to turn into something more. With his girl: “she takes me to places alone I’d never find”.  REO Speedwagon’s “I Can’t Fight This Feeling” doesn’t tell us much about the woman, but it tells a lot about how she has changed the narrator and how she makes him feel. It has made him realize that this is the feeling that he has been searching for and he is ready to give up the chase if she’ll have him.

I Can't Fight THis Feeling
REO

This is the quintessential power ballad from the 80s and I feel it stands the test of time. The singing and the melody are both great. The intro piano which gives rise to the added guitars and guitar solo is formulaic, but it sounds better than comparable songs from this time period. Also, the subject matter is somewhat nuanced. It is a story about the discovery of the feelings he has within himself for this girl and the things he now must do to ensure he communicates his feelings to her.

Can't Fight this Feeling Meaning
REO Speedwagon

Can’t Fight This Feeling Lyrics

I can’t fight this feeling any longer,
And yet I’m still afraid to let it flow.
What started out as friendship has grown stronger,
I only wish I had the strength to let it show.

I tell myself that I can’t hold out forever,
I said there is no reason for my fear.
‘Cause I feel so secure when we’re together,
You give my life direction, you make everything so clear.

And even as I wander, I’m keeping you in sight.
You’re a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter’s night.
And I’m getting closer than I ever thought I might.

And I can’t fight this feeling anymore,
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for.
It’s time to bring this ship into the shore,
And throw away the oars, forever.

‘Cause I can’t fight this feeling anymore.
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for.
And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door,
Baby, I can’t fight this feeling anymore.

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you.
I’ve been running round in circles in my mind.
And it always seems that I’m following you, girl,
‘Cause you take me to the places that alone I’d never find.

And even as I wander, I’m keeping you sight,
You’re a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter’s night.
And I’m getting closer than I ever thought I might.

And I can’t fight this feeling anymore,
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for,
It’s time to bring this ship into the shore,
And throw away the oars, forever.

‘Cause I can’t fight this feeling anymore,
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for.
And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door
Baby, I can’t fight this feeling anymore.

Songwriters: Kevin Cronin

1970s songs, family problems

#323 The Greatest Discovery- Elton John

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A strange new sound you never heard before/
A strange new sound that makes boys explore.

Elton had so many hits.  John’s “The Greatest Discovery” was not one of his hits, it is a hidden gem that never got much attention. What is the greatest discovery? The song is about a young boy who hears strange new sounds in his home and goes exploring to see what they are. He notices an extra bed in his house…what is this? It turns out he has a new baby brother. Getting to know this strange looking new creature is a bizarre and exciting new discovery for the boy.

The Greatest Discovery Meaning
Bernie Taupin and Elton

What makes “The Greatest Discovery” unique is that it is unusual territory for a song—and that is exciting. The song is tender, and imagines the wonder of being a boy and meeting your new brother for the first time. Taupin’s lyrics help provide that feeling of wonder and foreignness that someone new coming into your house must feel like for a child. John’s melody is on point- it is sounds like a journey through the kids’ point of view and he sings it delicately.


The Greatest Discovery Lyrics

Peering out of tiny eyes
The grubby hands that gripped the rail
Wiped the window clean of frost
As the morning air laid on the latch

A whistle awakened someone there
Next door to the nursery, just down the hall
A strange new sound you never heard before
A strange new sound that makes boys explore

Tread neat so small those little feet
Amid the morning his small heart beats
So much excitement yesterday
That must be rewarded, must be displayed

Large hands lift him through the air
Excited eyes contain him there
The eyes of those he loves and knows
But what’s this extra bed just here

His puzzled head tipped to one side
Amazement swims in those bright green eyes
Glancing down upon this thing
That make strange sounds, strange sounds that sing

In those silent happy seconds
That surround the sound of this event
A parent smile is made in moments
They have made for you a friend

And all you ever learned from them
Until you grew much older
Did not compare with when they said
This is your brand new brother
This is your brand new brother
This is your brand new brother

Songwriters: Bernie Taupin / Elton John

1960s songs, community

#322 Twelve-Thirty – Mamas and Papas

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At first so strange to feel so friendly/
To say good morning and really mean it.

The Mamas and Papas’ “Twelve Thirty” explores a theme that was near and dear to Papa John Phillips: the feeling of community, specifically in northern California. We saw him write about that in “San Francisco”, recorded by Scott McKenzie. We’ll see it again later in this list.

At the beginning of the song he writes that he used to live in New York and everything there was dark and dirty. A symbol of his old life was the church steeple outside his window that was neglected…it always read 12:30. (Get it? The clock is broken.) Now, in the canyon of California he is feeling different and is happy with the community around him.

Twelve Thirty Meaning
Mamas and Papas

Like all Mamas and Papas songs, Twelve Thirty works because of the amazing harmonies. The four of them: Mama Cass, Michele Phillips, Papas John and Dennis could harmonize with the best bands of all time. If you think they are the best of all time, I wouldn’t argue with you. But they are certainly top 5. (Off the top of my head I’d say them, the Beach boys, CSNY, the Bee Gees, and Simon and Garfunkel are a league above the rest). One aspect of the Mamas & Papas music that is unique is that most of their songs are upbeat. They don’t have any real dark songs. That just wasn’t their style.

Lyrics Twelve Thirty
I used to live in New York City
Everything there was dark and dirty
Outside my window was a steeple
With a clock that always said twelve thirty

Young girls are coming to the canyon
And in the mornings I can see them walking
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
And I can’t keep myself from talking

At first so strange to feel so friendly
To say good morning and really mean it
To feel these changes happening in me
But not to notice till I feel it

Young girls are coming to the canyon
And in the mornings I can see them walking
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
And I can’t keep myself from talking

Cloudy waters cast no reflection
Images of beauty lie there stagnant
Vibrations bounce in no direction
And lie there shattered into fragments

Young girls are coming to the canyon
(Young girls are in the canyon)
And in the mornings I can see them walking
(In the mornings I can see them walking)
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
(Can no longer keep my blinds drawn)
And I can’t keep myself from talking

Songwriters: John Edmund Andrew Phillips