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What song can you listen to for an hour?
Several years ago a college radio DJ friend started playing Nelson Riddle's instrumental title theme to the television show Route 66 over and over and over again. On the third or fourth repetition the phone line started blinking, and after a few more repeats he answered the phone. The listener said "I was calling to complain, but while I was waiting for you to answer the phone I noticed my foot was tapping, so never mind."
A couple of years later I found The Exotic Trilogy, a CD on which three pillars of Exotica, "Quiet Village," "Taboo" and "Caravan," are repeated in seven cycles of three. I subsequently found a second volume with seven more versions of each song, and discovered that the CDs sprang from an 18-hour live performance given under the KB Zed banner, and tagged as "irritainment."
More recently I've taken to setting my car's CD player on repeat and listening to a single song for an hour's drive. I first did this as a way to learn all the lyrics to Spike Priggen's "Every Broken Heart," and a few months later got stuck on The Rockin' Berries' cover of the Tokens' "The Water is Over My Head." A few other songs have managed to entertain me for the better part of an hour, but not many really stand up to 15 or 20 repetitions.
So the question to you: what song can you listen to on repeat for an hour or longer?
A couple of years later I found The Exotic Trilogy, a CD on which three pillars of Exotica, "Quiet Village," "Taboo" and "Caravan," are repeated in seven cycles of three. I subsequently found a second volume with seven more versions of each song, and discovered that the CDs sprang from an 18-hour live performance given under the KB Zed banner, and tagged as "irritainment."
More recently I've taken to setting my car's CD player on repeat and listening to a single song for an hour's drive. I first did this as a way to learn all the lyrics to Spike Priggen's "Every Broken Heart," and a few months later got stuck on The Rockin' Berries' cover of the Tokens' "The Water is Over My Head." A few other songs have managed to entertain me for the better part of an hour, but not many really stand up to 15 or 20 repetitions.
So the question to you: what song can you listen to on repeat for an hour or longer?
Tags: Exotica, Irritainment, Nelson Riddle
Views: 66
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dave Laurice on -
Unfortunately for my wife, there are a LOT of songs for me that stand up to the repetition of 14 or 15 plays in a row. Some she likes as well- I think "Let It Ride" by Ryan Adams was one of them that I did that with, but this topic made me chuckle as I am a rabid reggae collector.
I am going to assume most who read this will not know that Reggae is more about a "riddim" (Instrumental track) and a producer than it is a group. Because the producer often owns the rights to the riddim (or the riddim gets sold to more than one producer) we often see a single tune in many incarnations.
The king of the recycled riddims was recorded at Studio One, Kingston Jamaica, and goes by the name of Satta. It was the first tune recorded by the now super-group the Abyssinians, and it was shelved when first recorded (1968-1969). It was later purchased by the group (and released more on time with the roots offerings coming out), and has subsequently been re-recorded hundreds of times. I personally own about 100 versions of the tune, and can play them all back to back without flinching.
No wonder my wife wants to throw my records away huh?
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Permalink Reply by Rudyjeep on -
I don't know what song I can listen to for an hour, but I know what song I can't listen to - Highway Star by Deep Purple. When I was in college, the guy that moved in next door put on Highway Star and blasted it four times in a row. When it got to the 5th time, I had to go next door and tell him to knock it off. We later became great friends and I still think of him when I hear Blackmore's solo!
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Permalink Reply by T Hanssen on -
Last night I saw The Tripwires play live. I knew nothing about them. I actually went to see Spanish For 1oo play. Anyway, I liked The Tripwires enough, and was entertained to find out that Mark Pickerel from The Screaming Tress was in the band, but their power pop was not hitting on all cylinders for me until they played a tune that I have since discovered is called "Another Planet Now"
This song, "Another Planet Now" is a fucking masterpiece. It is soooooo good. Fucking genius.
Dear Tripwires - I was not bowled over by your set last night, but you have written a song called "Another Planet Now" which I have listened to several dozen times today, and I think it is one of those songs that makes a person feel 15 years old again. This song is bliss and brilliant. Kudos to you, Tripwires for writing and performing this fucking brilliant song which I have been playing on repeat all day.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Petty on -
How about Bob Dylan's Sad Eyed lady of the Lowlands!
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Permalink Reply by Amadeo L. Gauthier on -
Any early Leonard Cohen (the acoustic stuff)... the emotion packed behind his deep voice and carefully strung together phrases - combined with his painfully selective musical structure - are invaluable to me.
The man is not only a singer/songwriter, he is a poet above all else.
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Permalink Reply by Matt Little on
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Some that I have listened to repeatedly, over and over again:
Lilly, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts - Bob Dylan
Tear Stained Eye, or Windfall - Son Volt
Birches - Bill Morressey
Time - Tom Waits
Myrna Lee - Blue Mountain
Alleluia - Rufus Wainright
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Permalink Reply by Stina on -
LOL - you've got me. I'm so bad for doing that.
On the way to college it used to be Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" - most specifically "No Surrender" or "Bobbie Jean". John Lennon's "Imagine" or Bon Jovi's "Lie To Me"
That was 5 years ago. These days... it's dangerous to play Ryan Adams' "Come Pick Me Up". It can inevitably end up on repeat. "Games", "Desire", "Peaceful Valley" - all by Ryan Adams .
"Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. "Joanne" by Mike Nesmith.
Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", "Moanin the Blues".
Hank Williams III - "5 Shots of Whiskey", "Mississippi Mud", "Thunderstorms & Neon Signs", "You're the Reason"
Any combination of Hank Sr, Jr, and III singing together. "Moanin the Blues" being a favourite.
I could go on and on... :P U2's "Red Hill Mining Town" is up there.
These days there's a lot of variations on country. Gram Parsons is on repeat in my car right now (on a mixed CD - homemade) as is prior mentioned Mike Nesmith's "Joanne". Also on there is some Jayhawks - "Angelyne" gets me everytime.
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Permalink Reply by S.P. Gass on -
I think I can probably "wear out" any song in an hour... but lately I've been listening a lot to a bluegrass version of Thanks A Lot by Ronnie and Rob McCoury and I'm still enjoying it.
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Permalink Reply by RobinPiney on -
Just now closing in on an hour on it , but it was just put out this morning: Annie Robinette's "As Needed For Pain", tribute to Judy Garland. Bang-up job for a first-time homemade video, too - way to go Annie!
And Megan Elizabeth, I wholeheartedly agree with Gil & Dave's "Revelator", been there & done that! Seems to go especially well with gray, stormy days for me.
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Permalink Reply by RobinPiney on
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Permalink Reply by Hal Bogerd on -
A little off topic because this wasn't exactly voluntary listening. Back in the time of vinyl 45s and turntables that would replay and replay if you pulled the arm out to the side, a housemate went away for the weekend with his room locked and a 45 of America's "Horse With No Name" playing the entire time.
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Permalink Reply by SaraLu on -
lately it's "love and happiness" by kimmie rhodes & emmylou harris
http://www.pbs.org/wttw/soundstage/video/3gatb_video1.html <--- sung beautifully as a duet here by shawn colvin/emmylou harris
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