to see 2016 off...songs about death

2016 is grinding to a close, and lots of people have been making a big deal about how the year sucked because of the number of big name celebrities that have died. In all truth, I don't quite buy the whole thing. I have been told by a demographer (to whom I am quite close) that, given the numbers of ages of celebritie, the deaths haven't really been out of line. In fact, this demographer says, 2017 is likely to be worse.

Nevertheless, it seems to me I should close out 2016 with a bunch of songs about death:

"People Who Died" by the Jim Carroll Band

Seems to me this is the song to start things off. My understanding is that these were all people who Jim Carroll actually knew.

"Five Missing One" by Bobtown

Admittedly, I'm being a bit self serving here, since this is a song I wrote. Yay me!  Just to be clear, this isn;t commercially available, as Bobtown, a really talented New York band, recorded it as a Kickstarter fulfillment. If y'all have connections to the recording industry and know a band looking for material...

"Anachnu Chamishah Pachot Echad" by Hachaverim Shel Benny

I have to include this after "Five Missing One," since it was the inspiration. This is a Western-style Israeli song about a friend lost in war. At one point I was hoping to translate it into English, but I changed my mind and just wrote an original song with an admittedly similar title.

"Marie Provost" by Nick Lowe

A classic from Nick Lowe's first album, this story of a fallen movie star is based on the true story of Marie Prevost. It's noteworthy because of the pleasant melody and jangly guitars accompanying such a morbid topic. I recall reading in an interview that the problem came afterwards when he'd be given all sorts of demos of songs about children getting killed by trains and such.

"I Don't Like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats

The hit that made the Rats' name, this was based on the true story of Brenda Spencer who shot up a school in Cleveland. Her only explanation? "I don't like Mondays."

"The Final Taxi" by Wreckless Eric

From early in Eric's career. He got reflective watching a funeral procession. I kind of like the "la la las" even if they seem out of place. The fact is I love pretty much every Wreckless Eric song from this era. Except "Personal Hygeine."

"My Darling Clementine" traditional

A folk tune about an unfortunate drowning victim. This is Johnny Hill's version, though there are plenty of others on Youtube. Tom Lehrer doe a whole dissertation on the song, examining what it would have sounded like as penned by some prominent songwriters. But I have Tom Lehrer represented below, so no go on that.

"The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" by Julie Brown

One of Julie's best tracks is a parody of the teenage death melodrama genre (which is best exemplified by "Leader of the Pack." I've loved this since I was in college and heard it on the Goddess in Pogress EP. Of course I was, for years, puzzled by the ending -- until Ifinally saw Citizen Kane.

"Killer Klowns from Outer Space" by the Dickies

The theme song from the song by the same title. I first got into the Dickies when I was in college, attracted by their penchant for high speed cover versions of pop songs. Of the non-cover recordings they did, this is my favorite. And the fact that it's the theme from a movie I love is kind of the cherry on top.

"American Pie" by Don McLean

Don McLean's Opus. I don't know if anyone has ever produced the definitive explanation of what all the imagery represents. And I don't know what everything ion the song represents. But apparently the day the music died was when the plane went down killing Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. I had heard the Brady Bunch's awful cover of this long before I heard the original. So I was really surprised when I found out that this was the original and the Bradys' version was a cover. Go figure.


"Tie Me Kangaroo Down" by Rolf Harris

For years before I actually listened to this song, I thought the title was some reference to a way of tying someone down. Tie me tightly down. Tie me loosely down. Tie me kangaroo down. That kind of thing. My friend, Tall Judy, has observed that the imagery at the end -- "keep playing 'til I shoot through" -- is very evocative. I would like the song better if not for the fact that I mentally associate it with Harris' conviction involving some kind of indecent actions and underage girls. I don't know the details of the charges and the conviction (and I don't want to know), but it does taint the song for me.

"The Death of Barry the Roofer with Vertigo" by the Toy Dolls

I recall reading in an interview that Olga (who head the Toy Dolls) can't write songs that aren't literally true. He just can't make stuff up. So is this based on real events?


"Run Joey Run" by David Geddes

Funny thing about this song. Sometime during the 1990s one of the New York newspapers (I forget if it was the Daily News or the Post) ran an article about the worst singles of all time. Since this was not on the list, I sent a letter to the editor suggesting that it should have been on the list. The next week my letter was printed along with a bunch of others, each nominating something bad. I used to write lots of letters to editors, so that was nothing new. But that night I got a call from a woman I didn't know. She sounded drunk. First she congratulated me on my letter, explaining that she agreed the song was awful. Then she told me that, years ago, she met the composer at a party, and he was really full of himself, having written a hit song and all. Finally, she asked if I wanted to meet her for sex. That wasn't her exact terminology, but it was the point, I was too weirded out to say yes. There have been about half a dozen incidents where I got phone calls as a result of a letter. That was the second-strangest.

"An Irish Ballad" by Tom Lehrer

Tom Lehrer actually wrote a bunch of songs about death. I was torn between this, "We Will All Go Together When We Go," and "So Long Mom." I have no idea why I chose this from among the three. Whatever.

"The Night Chicago Died" Paper Lace

I remember hearing this from the summer that I was at Camp Massad Gimel. It was one of the songs that frequently played on the radios that the counselors always had playing. For some reason I thought it was about the great Chicago fire. You know, the one with Mrs. O'Leary's cow. Anyway, I love that rhyme: "And he called his gang to war / Against the forces of the law."

"Billy Don't Be a Hero" by Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods

Another story song from the same era. This was also played a lot on the radio during the same summer.

"Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks

I really shouldn't say "by Terry Jacks," since this was a cover version. I'm including it because it's the recording that I think of. Anyway, I loved this song when I was a kid and didn't realize how miserable it is.

"Kentucky Graveyard" by Bobtown

I saw Bobtown live a few times, and this was my favorite song from their live set. At one show I mentioned to bassist/vocalist Fred Stesney that I'd love to hear this on an album, and I was delighted to find that they recorded it for their third. Even better, at a release party, he told me that my suggestion was instrumental in getting it onto the album. I like to think that's true.

"Strange Fruit" by Billie Holliday

There are several themes represented in this list, but "Strange Fruit" is the only song about racism and lynchings.

"Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" by Johnny Cash

Honestly? I don't know who first recorded this, but I associate it (whether rightly or wrongly) with the Carter/Cash family of country music royalty. And it always moves me.

"I Want My Baby Back" by Jimmy Cross

Years ago I had a copy of The World's Worst Records, a compilation on Rhino Records. I'd say that this was my favorite track on the album, but there was a lot to like. In an "I know it's terrible, but I love it anyway" kind of way.

"Suicide is Painless" from M*A*S*H

I can't help but love this song, since I loved M*A*S*H when I was a kid. Now? I don't think the show aged particularly well, and things that I loved now annoy me -- especially in the later years, once Alan Alda had become full of himself. My understanding is that the lyrics were written by Robert Altman's son (Altman, having directed the movie), who was a teenager at the time. So he made a buttload of money. It makes me think back to the crappy songs I wrote when I was a teenager. Too bad my dad wasn't a film director.

"My Way" by Frank Sinatra

I'll be honest -- I prefer Sid Vicious' rendition. But I'm including this because it has a bit more popular appeal. One summer, I went upstate with Angry Bob (we were friends then) to a state fair. There we ate a lot, bet on pig races, and went into a recording booth to record our vocals over the karaoke track for this. I wish I still had that recording. Actually come to think of it, we did "Say Say Say." Bob had recorded this by himself some other time. Oh well. So much for my memory.

"The Ballad of Harry Lewis" by Allan Sherman

Sherman's first album was part of the soundtrack to my childhood, and this was the first song on it. I uised to love Sherman, and would sing songs from this album for anyone who would listen (as well as anyone who wouldn't). Even though I didn't understand many of the jokes. Like "where the drapes of Roth are stored," which is one of the song's big laugh lines. Also related to that album, I remember singing "God bless you, Jerry Mendelbaum, but nothing you'll dismay" in yeshiva and having a teacher admonish me that it wasn't appropriate for a Jewish kid to be singing that. And I had no idea what she was on about.