Tag Archives: my ipod

My iPod #431: The Darkness – Givin’ Up

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“Givin’ Up” is the sixth track from The Darkness’ first album “Permission to Land“. Despite its cheery, upbeat, 70s karaoke night feel to it, the song is about lead singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins’ (former?) heroin addiction. The drug abuse continued until he was forced to quit the band years later in 2006. He makes the effects of the drug clear in the pre-chorus: “Well, I’ve ruined nearly all of my veins/Sticking that fucking shit into my arms” and there is definitely something tragic about the whole thing. Hawkins wants to stop the addiction but when it comes to the stuff entering his stuff he gives up giving a fuck about it and carries on doing it anyway. Quite sad. But you can’t tell just because of how damn happy the track sounds.

When I was sitting on my mum’s bed listening to “Permission to Land” on my Playstation 2 at the young age of eight, none of this came to mind when I was singing along to it. Did I know what ‘shit’ he was referring to when looking through the liner notes? Of course not. All I knew was that the song sounded good. Still does today. Even if age as made me realise how very serious the song actually is.

Another notable thing that I didn’t really realise until listening to the album years later, this track flows perfectly into “Stuck in a Rut”. Both have the same tempo, and the snare drum which starts that song seems the two tracks together very well. Production at its finest right there.

My iPod #430: George Harrison – Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)

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The first time I heard “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”, or at least bits and pieces of it, was in the song “I’m Just Sitting Here”. That track is from the mash-up album “Everyday Chemistry” which was created by some person who tried to pass it off as an actual album that somehow made it to Earth from a parallel universe where The Beatles didn’t split up. No joke. But the actual product isn’t bad. “I’m Just Sitting Here” is a mix of “Watching the Wheels” by John Lennon with the slide guitars and George Harrison vocal, “Ooooooh my lord” and another Ringo tune. It starts at 29:40 in the link above.

But just those little parts made me want to hear the whole track. Decision well made. “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” starts off what was Harrison’s fourth album (or second if you don’t count the experimental ones before it) with a sole acoustic guitar which then makes way for Harrison’s trademark slide guitar work. After a verse or two of George’s pleas for the Lord to give him love/peace on Earth, the track fully gets under way when the backing piano, and rhythm section come in together adding a bustling groove to the music.

A good song with a positive message, pleasant and lovely track to listen to, made for some easy listening.

My iPod #429: D12 – Git Up

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“Git Up” is a song by Detroit rap group D12. Although it wasn’t a single it did receive its own music video, a portion of which was visible nearing the end of the music video for “How Come” before being drawn out to its full length. “Git Up” begins D12’s second album and what is still their ‘most recent’ one after more than ten years “D12 World“. Back in 2004 this was the group’s first album after a long awaited three years from “Devil’s Night“, and they needed a track to announce their return. “Git Up” is this track.

The track is four minutes of tongue-twisting lyrical onslaughts by Eminem, Swifty and Kuniva, with Bizarre taking a role has the hype man as the track nears its end. Eminem does take up about half of the duration. But his ability to spit out the verse and then lead straight into the chorus without seemingly taking a breath for a second makes it one of his best performances on record yet. In the lyrics a lot of guns and various arms are mentioned. Just what the three members what to do with them is clear. But whatever is stated in the verses don’t really mean anything. The thing that mattered the most was that D12 was back with a new album, and the group are intent on making you ‘motherfuckers listen’.

I’ll be fine if D12 never made an album again. I know they are still together. But if they were to I don’t think it could ever be the same. You know why.

My iPod #428: Maxïmo Park – Girls Who Play Guitars

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“Girls Who Play Guitars” is the opening song on “Our Earthly Pleasures“, Maxïmo Park’s second album, released in 2007. Despite its title, the track does not specifically mention female guitarists at any point. It is actually about a relationship of a man and a lady who are very good friends; the former wants something more, but the latter prefers to go out, get drunk and the ‘friends with benefits’ business.

I’ve always enjoyed this song. Like many of the songs I’ve written about before (and the many that are to come) it’s one of those where its music video was played continuously on MTV2 that I could never really forget the melody. But just like all the other Maxïmo Park singles, this didn’t let me down either. Overall it is a very exciting track to listen to.

My iPod #427: Good Charlotte – Girls & Boys

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I tell you now, there won’t be another Good Charlotte song in this whole “My iPod” thing. Never really liked them. They got big over in the UK in about 2002 and I knew their stuff then, but I didn’t care about them. Fast forward four years later when I’m starting secondary school and I make a friend who really likes their music, I try to listen to their stuff again. That’s when they released “Keep Your Hands off My Girl”. “No” I thought to myself. No speak/rap please. Whatever I ‘felt’ about Good Charlotte was gone. It is alright thinking about it now, but I can’t take it seriously.

“Girls & Boys” is the only song by them that I actually really enjoy. The song’s lyrics, to crudely put it, state that girls and boys are just as stupid as each other when it comes to the money and being materialistic or whatever. But the music isn’t half bad either. And although like the other singles the chorus has words in which a syllable is elongated and makes up about a third of it in the process (“LIFESTYYYYYYYLES OFTHERICHANDTHE FAY-MOOUUS“) (“YOOOUU, DON’TWANNABEJUSTLIKEYOOU“), it steers away from being too grating and whiny. “Girls & Boys” has great melodies from the vocals to the guitars, particularly during the instrumental break.

Is this a guilty pleasure? Maybe. Actually, no! This song is great, I don’t care. Good Charlotte on the other hand not so much.