In Concert: Roger Waters - The Wall

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Venue: Sprint Center; Kansas City, MO
Tour: The Wall Live

Best concert I’ve ever seen in terms of theatrics. This was on the top of my concert bucket list since I first heard about the Pink Floyd The Wall concerts in 1980-81 which only hit a handful of cities because the show was too costly and complicated. It took nearly 30 years before Waters tackled the project again, turning it into one of the most successful concert runs of all time.

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The Set List:

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1. In the Flesh?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick in the Wall Part 1
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
5. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
6. Mother
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. What Shall We Do Now?
10. Young Lust
11. One of My Turns
12. Don't Leave Me Now
13. Another Brick in the Wall Part 3
14. The Last Few Bricks
15. Goodbye Cruel World

Intermission

16. Hey You
17. Is There Anybody Out There?
18. Nobody Home
19. Vera
20. Bring the Boys Back Home
21. Comfortably Numb
22. The Show Must Go On
23. In the Flesh
24. Run Like Hell
25. Waiting for the Worms
26. Stop
27. The Trial
28. Outside the Wall

Today in Music (1960): The Drifters “Save the Last Dance for Me” hit #1

Save the Last Dance for Me The Drifters

Writer(s): Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman (see lyrics here) First Charted: August 26, 1960 Peak: 13 BB, 16 CB, 2 GR, 15 HR, 11 RB, 2 UK, 11 CN, 14 AU, 11 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 7.0 radio, 41.10 video, 83.23 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Drifters have been one of the longest-lasting and most successful R&B groups of all time, forming originally in 1953 and going through multiple incarnations into present day. The group landed eleven top-ten R&B hits in their first couple of years, but were disbanded by manager George Treadwell in 1958. He replaced them with the group the Five Crowns. The new lineup featured Ben E. King (later of “Stand by Me” success) as the lead singer. The new version of the Drifters reached #2 on the pop charts in 1959 with “There Goes My Baby.” They found even greater success a year later with “Save the Last Dance for Me,” the only #1 pop hit in the group’s long history. The song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, who’d had success a year earlier with Dion & the Belmonts’ “A Teenager in Love” (#5 BB) as well as top-ten hits by Fabian. The went on to write several top-five hits for Elvis Presley, including the #1 song “Surrender” in 1961. Pomus explained that he and Shuman wrote many of their hits after Shuman would return from periodic vacations to Mexico. Shuman would provide fragments of Latin beats and melodies and Shuman would write lyrics that sounded like they were translated into English. DM Pomus wrote the lyrics for “Dance” about remembering his wedding and, because he was in a wheelchair due to polio, watching his wife dance with other people. However, in the song he reminds her who will be going home with her. RC Pomus said, “We knew we wrote a good one, but we had no reason to think that this was much better than ten other songs.” SJ Originally Jimmy Clanton, a New Orleans singer, wanted to record the song. When Atlantic Records called to say they wanted the song for the Drifters, Pomus said they talked Clanton out of the song by adapting a song they’d written as “Go, Bobby, Go” into “Go, Jimmy, Go” and telling Clanton they’d written it for him. SJ It was a top-five hit for him. Even then, the Drifters’ version of “Save the Last Dance for Me” was relegated to the B-side of a song called “Nobody But Me.” It was Dick Clark, the host of American Bandstand, who suggesting pushing the other song instead. Resources: RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Pages 280-1. DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 300. SJ Bob Shannon and John Javna (1986). Behind the Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. Warner Brothers, Inc.: New York, NY. Page 172. SF Songfacts Related Links: First posted 1/18/2024.

XFM: Top 100 Songs

XFM: Top 100 Songs

XFM is an alternative-oriented radio station out of London. Their top 1000 songs of all time list was presented online on 10/14/2010 and turned into a book. The list was based on an annual listeners’ poll, most requested songs, and suggestions from radio DJs and celebrity guests. However, since the list was unranked, the DMDB has taken the liberty of ranking the list for them. To try to capture the distinct British flavor of the list (which means mostly, but not all, British-based acts), the DMDB averaged all British-based lists together, weeded out any songs not appearing on the XFM list, and then ranked the songs from most points on down. Here’s the resulting top 100 list: Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971) 2. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968) 3. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991) 4. Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995) 5. The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (1997) 6. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991) 7. Oasis “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (1996) 8. The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset” (1967) 9. Pulp “Common People” (1995) 10. U2 “One” (1992) 11. Oasis “Live Forever” (1994) 12. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965) 13. The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) 14. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970) 15. R.E.M. “Everybody Hurts” (1992) 16. Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (1980) 17. The Undertones “Teenage Kicks” (1978) 18. Radiohead “Creep” (1993) 19. David Bowie “Heroes” (1977) 20. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968) 21. U2 “With Or Without You” (1987) 22. New Order “Blue Monday” (1983) 23. The Who “My Generation” (1966) 24. David Bowie “Space Oddity” (1969) 25. The Stone Roses “Fools Gold” (1989) 26. The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?” (1985) 27. Massive Attack “Unfinished Sympathy” (1991) 28. The Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the U.K. ” (1976) 29. David Bowie “Life on Mars? ” (1973) 30. The Verve “The Drugs Don’t Work” (1997) 31. The Jam “Going Underground” (1980) 32. The Smiths “This Charming Man” (1983) 33. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988) 34. The La’s “There She Goes” (1989) 35. The Clash “London Calling” (1979) 36. Blur “Song 2” (1997) 37. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” (1968) 38. The Stone Roses “I Am the Resurrection” (1989) 39. Oasis “Champagne Supernova” (1996) 40. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Under the Bridge” (1992) 41. The Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968) 42. Coldplay “Yellow” (2000) 43. The Rolling Stones “Paint It Black” (1966) 44. The Jam “A Town Called Malice” (1982) 45. The Kinks “Lola” (1970) 46. Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” (1975) 47. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964) 48. Radiohead “Paranoid Android” (1997) 49. The Sex Pistols “God Save the Queen” (1977) 50. Radiohead “Fake Plastic Trees” (1995) 51. Manic Street Preachers “Motorcycle Emptiness” (1992) 52. Underworld “Born Slippy” (1995) 53. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967) 54. U2 “Where the Streets Have No Name” (1987) 55. Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side” (1972) 56. The Specials “Ghost Town” (1981) 57. The Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) 58. The Jam “That’s Entertainment” (1981) 59. The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women” (1969) 60. Manic Street Preachers “A Design for Life” (1996) 61. Paul Weller “Wild Wood” (1993) 62. Green Day “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” (1997) 63. Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb” (1979) 64. Oasis “Supersonic” (1994) 65. The Killers “Mr. Brightside” (2004) 66. The Buzzcocks “Ever Fallen in Love” (1978) 67. The Who “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (1971) 68. James “Sit Down” (1991) 69. The Strokes “Last Nite” (2001) 70. The Smiths “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” (1986) 71. Radiohead “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” (1996) 72. Radiohead “Karma Police” (1997) 73. The Who “Substitute” (1996) 74. The Prodigy “Firestarter” (1996) 75. Manic Street Preachers “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next” (1998) 76. The Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar” (1971) 77. The Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” (1969) 78. Depeche Mode “Enjoy the Silence” (1990) 79. U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987) 80. Oasis “Some Might Say” (1995) 81. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Hey Joe” (1966) 82. Primal Scream “Loaded” (1990) 83. Blur “Parklife” (1994) 84. The Clash “White Man in Hammersmith Palais” (1978) 85. Oasis “Whatever” (1994) 86. Green Day “Basket Case” (1994) 87. The Killers “All These Things That I’ve Done” (2004) 88. The Rolling Stones “Get Off of My Cloud” (1965) 89. Oasis “Cigarettes and Alchol” (1994) 90. David Bowie “Starman” (1972) 91. The Beatles “Day Tripper” (1965) 92. Blur “Girls and Boys” (1994) 93. Snow Patrol “Run” (2004) 94. The Beatles “Eleanor Rigby” (1966) 95. Coldplay “The Scientist” (2002) 96. Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) 97. The Jam “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” (1978) 98. New Order “True Faith” (1987) 99. Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way” (1986) 100. John Lennon “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from other publications and/or organizations” Mike Walsh (2010). The XFM Top 1000 Songs of All Time. Elliott & Thompson Limited. First posted 10/17/2010; last updated 3/31/2021.

Bruno Mars released Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Doo-Wops & Hooligans Bruno Mars

Released: October 4, 2010 Charted: October 23, 2010 Peak: 3 US, 11 UK, 12 CN, 2 AU Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.8 UK, 15.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop/R&B

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Grenade (9/28/10, 14 US, 15 RR, 11 AC, 3 A40, 12 UK, 13 CN, 13 AU, sales: 10.9 million) Just the Way You Are (Amazing) (7/20/10, 14 US, 13 RR, 120 AC, 15 A40, 11 UK, 14 CN, 11 AU, sales: 13.7 million) Our First Time Runaway Baby (10/29/11, 50 US, 19 UK) The Lazy Song (10/23/10, 4 US, 3 RR, 13 AC, 2 A40, 11 UK, 5 CN, 6 AU, sales: 7.28 million) Marry You (12/11/10, 85 US, 11 UK, 10 CN, 8 AU, sales: 3.18 million) Talking to the Moon Liquor Store Blues (w/ Damian Marley) Count on Me (11/7/11, 78 UK, 19 AU, sales: 0.41 million) The Other Side (w/ CeeLo Green & B.o.B.) Total Running Time: 35:24

Rating: 3.814 out of 5.00 (average of 29 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Bruno Mars was already a star when he released Doo-Wops & Hooligans, his first album, in 2010. He’d had hits with Travie McCoy (“Billionaire,” #4) and B.o.B. (“Nothin’ on You,” #1) and was writing and producing songs (such as Cee-Lo Green’s #2 hit “Fuck You”) with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine as the Smeezingtons. As such, it wasn’t a big surprise when “the lushly romantic” AMG Just the Way You Are and Grenade, “a darker song with a masochistic message,” WK topped the Billboard Hot 100. Mars pulled off “a record that sounds like it was written and recorded on a warm, sleepy summer Sunday afternoon.” AMG “Lyrically, the album visualizes carefree optimism along with failed relationships, pain and loneliness.” WK He plays all the instruments and “his voice is the kind of smooth instrument that slips into your ear like honey.” AMG Most of the tracks on Doo-Wops capture this laid-back groove, especially The Lazy Song and the reggaefied midnight love jam Our First Time. Mars barely raises a sweat on these tracks, cruising in low gear but with a very likeable style. It’s not very deep and it’s not poetry, but sweetly played and sung songs like Count on Me,” AMG which has been compared to Boyz II Men, WK “or ‘Just the Way You Are’ project a cuddly image and will melt hearts from tweens to old folks.” AMG The biggest criticism may be that “the album tried too hard to appeal to all groups” WK as it integrates pop, soul, reggae, R&B, and rock. Mars himself confirmed an effort to reach as wide an audience as possible, explaining “I have records that women are going to relate to and men are going to relate to. So doo-wops are for the girls, and hooligans are for the guys.” WK “When he turns up the volume and boosts the tempo, however, the album suffers a little. Runaway Baby is a pretty cheesy rocker, suffering from clichéd lyrics and production. Faring better thanks to some dynamics and nuanced production is the pleasantly silly Marry You.” AMG The latter was used for a fantastic viral video proposal. In the comments section, Emily said, “Honestly a total stranger could propose to me like this and I would say yes.” “The only glimpse of Mars as something more than an innocuous charmer is…The Other Side.” AMG The song, which features Cee-Lo Green and B.o.B., “has been called the album’s highlight, with its most experimental and complex production.” WK It “has the most complicated melody, and the best production and singing; it sounds like the only song that Mars truly invested with some soul and grit. It was also recorded way before the rest of the album, and featured on the EP that came out earlier in 2010. It points to a direction Mars could have taken with the album but didn’t. As it is, Doo-Wops & Hooligans is an uneven debut that shows why Mars is likeable and popular, but doesn’t tap into his full potential as a writer or producer.” AMG Notes: The European version added the song “Somewhere in Brooklyn” and an acoustic piano version of “Talking to the Moon.” Both of those songs are also featured on the deluxe/tour version as well as a remix of “Just the Way You Are” featuring Lupe Fiasco, and live versions of “Just the Way You Are,” “Grenade,” and “The Other Side.” The Japanese platinum edition included those songs and three remixes of “Grenade.” The iTunes deluxe version of the album also included “Somewhere in Brooklyn” as well as music videos for “Just the Way You Are” and “The Other Side” and the remix of “Just the Way You Are.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Bruno Mars AMG All Music Guide review by Tim Sendra WK Wikipedia First posted 12/12/2020; last updated 3/3/2024.

Bruno Mars landed his first #1 as a solo artist with “Just the Way You Are”

Just the Way You Are (Amazing) Bruno Mars

Writer(s): Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Khalil Walton, Khari Cain (see lyrics here) Released: July 20, 2010 First Charted: August 1, 2010 Peak: 14 US, 13 RR, 17 BA, 12 DG, 120 AC, 15 A40, 11 UK, 14 CN, 11 AU, 9 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 13.0 US, 1.8 UK, 15.77 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.5 radio, 1636.9 video, 1631.53 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Just the Way You Are” was Bruno Mars’ debut single as a solo artist, but it wasn’t his first time on the charts. He’d already been a guest artist on B.o.B.’s “Nothin’ on You” (#1 on the Hot 100) and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” (#4) and was a member of the production trio The Smeezingtons, who produced hits such as Flo Rida’s “Right Round” (#1). SF The song was, at different times, intended for Lupe Fiasco and Cee-Lo Green. Green thought the song was better for Mars, but did record Mars’ song “Fuck You,” with which he had a #2 hit. SF When Mars’ topped the charts with the song, it became the first #1 hit for Elektra Rcords in 17 years, the last being “Freak Me” by Silk in 1993. SF Its 20 weeks atop the adult contemporary chart gave it the record for longest-reigning debut on that chart. WK It was also the best-selling digital single of 2011 with 12.2 million in sales WK and named ASCAP’s Most Performed Song of the year at their Pop Music Awards. WK Mars has said, “I’m a big fan of just classic love songs,” SF citing songs like Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful” and Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” which he said “go straight to the point…They just come directly from the heart.” WK He continues that, “I wasn’t thinking of anything deep or poetic. I was telling a story. Get ready to fall in love!” SF He also said, “There’s nothing really lyrically mind-blowing in the song” SF and that “I’m just telling a woman she looks beautiful the way she IS.” WK The song was an inspiration for Meghan Trainor’s debut single “All About That Bass.” WK Billboard’s Megan Vick said the lyrics “aim to make femal listeners feel nothing short of perfect in their own skin.” WK The song served as an inspiration for the #1 hit “All About That Bass,” the body-empowerment debut single from Megan Trainor. WK Digital Spy’s Nick Levin described the song as “a huge-hearted urbany piano ballad with a similar instant classic feel to ‘Empire State of Mind.’” WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 7/21/2023.