Old Guy Radio - Anywhere But Here
A couple weeks ago, I was out on my walk. It was one of those really cold, gloomy January days. Ugh. I was shuffling my “Liked” songs on Spotify (roughly 9,000) and this came up:
Last night it snowed for the first time
Everything's covered in white
How many months till the springtime
It's a long winter's night
The song, of course, is “Mexico” by Firefall, which leads off the playlist. But I thought, what a great theme for a February playlist: other places, most of which would be nicer than here right now. Especially with the Indy weather this past week.
The Spotify link follows the write-up.
Mexico - Firefall. Mexico is the country just south of the United States and north of Belize and Guatemala. Mexico is one of the cradles of civilization, with the Olmec culture dating as far back as 1500 BC. Since the country basically straddles the Tropic of Cancer, the southern half is by definition tropical, and the weather is usually quite nice.
Firefall were a country-tinged soft rock band from Colorado. Their biggest hit was “You Are the Woman” in 1976. I actually saw them at the height of their popularity as the opening act for Leon Russell. Surprisingly, to me at least, about a third of the crowd left after they finished their set, apparently only coming to the show to see them.
Montana - Zappa. OK, so maybe you wouldn’t want to go to Montana right now. Actually, it really depends which side of the Continental Divide you are on. East of the Divide, it’s a deep freeze. West of it, not so much.
This is from Zappa’s most rock-accessible (although occasionally puerile) album “Over-Nite Sensation”. By the way, the female backup singers are actually Tina Turner and the Ikettes. They are uncredited, because Ike didn’t like the music.
Alta Mira - Edgar Winter Group. Altamira is a cave complex in northern Spain, famous for the many prehistoric paintings found there. The weather in the region right now is in the high 50’s, low 60’s. It is possible that the song actually refers to Altamira in Mexico, which is a port city on the Gulf of Mexico. But let’s go with the world famous site of prehistoric cave paintings, shall we.
The Edgar Winter Group has appeared in OGR before, with their No. 1 instrumental single “Frankenstein”. This is from the same album “They Only Come Out at Night”, most of which doesn’t hold up that well.
Kansas City - Wilbert Harrison. Confusing schoolchildren for generations, Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri. I probably wouldn’t want to be there now, either, since their weather is just as bad as ours. Maybe worse.
There are a gazillion versions of this song (OK, maybe 200), but here’s Wilbert Harrison’s 1959 version which topped the Hot 100.
Chung Kuo - Vangelis. Chung Kuo (literally “Middle Kingdom”) is another expression for China. Depending on where you choose to go in China, the weather is OK. I mean, it’s a BIG country. It's cold in Beijing right now, but mild in Guangzhou.
Vangelis is best known for his soundtrack work, having scored both “Bladerunner” (possibly my favorite soundtrack) and “Chariots of Fire”. As an electronic artist, he is distinguished from other practitioners in that I would consider his music “romantic” (in musical terms) rather than “ambient”. Of course, I don’t know anything about musical theory, so that’s probably just BS.
Viva Las Vegas - Elvis. Vegas is actually pretty nice in the winter. As I write this, it’s forecast to be 60 today in Vegas. Although, with sports gambling now legal in Indiana, there’s really no other reason to go. Unless you want to see a Cirque du Soleil show, or Britney.
I’m not going to tell you about Elvis, except for this grisly little tidbit of trivia. Elvis died because he had a condition called “megacolon”. Google it if you dare.
Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison. Elvis was born in Tupelo in northeast Mississippi. In 1936, when Elvis was a baby, most of the town was destroyed by a tornado. The weather there in the winter is mild-ish, with lows in the 30’s and highs in the 50’s. Please note, the song title refers to honey made from the flowers of the tupelo tree. As far as I can tell, there was never a honey industry in Tupelo, although they do make furniture there.
Morrison has been in OGR before, most recently in the Irish list last March. Sad to say, but the noted Belfast-born curmudgeon is something of a covidiot.
Indianola - Robben Ford. While we are on the subject of musical towns in northern Mississippi, Indianola is where B.B. King was from. He wasn’t born there, but he considered it his home. The B.B. King Museum is in Indianola, and the great bluesman is buried there. Its weather would be similar to Tupelo’s.
Prior to compiling this list, Robben Ford was completely off my radar. When I looked him up, I was amazed. He has played with acts as diverse as Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Barbra Streisand, and KISS! Wow. The list goes on and on. Anyway, this is from his 2002 album “Blue Moon”. I’m not sure if the song is about the Indianola in Iowa or the one in Mississippi, but we’re going to claim it’s the latter.
Goodnight Vienna - Sir Richard Starkey. Vienna is the capital of Austria. Located on the Danube River in eastern Austria, it has been home to an incredible contingent of composing giants, including Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, and Brahms. The weather there in February isn’t great, but it’s freaking Vienna!
The song was written by John Lennon for Ringo, and you can hear Lennon count the song in. He also plays the piano on the track and adds backing vocals. The big hit from the album; however, was Ringo’s cover of the Platters’ “Only You”.
Rio - Duran Duran. Rio de Janeiro is the largest city in Brazil, where it’s currently summer. So yeah, it’s probably pretty nice there.
John Taylor of Duran Duran said the song was about the city, although Simon Le Bon’s lyrics refer to a woman named Rio.
Budapest - Jethro Tull. Budapest is the capital and largest city in Hungary. Like Vienna, Budapest also lies on the Danube. And shockingly enough, it’s winter weather is quite similar to Vienna’s.
This song is from the Grammy-winning “Crest of the Knave”, which beat out Metallica’s “... And Justice For All”, much to the consternation of Metallica fans worldwide.
Riding Into Jaipur - Sir Paul McCartney. Jaipur is a city in the north Indian state of Rajasthan. Also known as The Pink City (for its architecture), Jaipur is a popular tourist destination. If you’re going to go, now would be the time. Highs in the high 70’s, and generally dry. But by April, it gets uncomfortably hot.
The song is from Macca’s 2001 album “Driving Rain”. I was previously unfamiliar with this album, as I pretty much gave up on McCartney after “Venus and Mars”.
One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head. Bangkok (or Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit, which is its full Thai name) is the capital and largest city in Thailand. It sits astride the Chao Phraya River delta at the northern end of the Gulf of Thailand. It is hot there all year long, with highs in the 90s. But at least in February, it is mostly dry.
Believe it or not, but this was a big hit in 1985, reaching No. 1 in many countries, and peaking at No. 3 in the U.S. Because of the lyrics’ dismissive attitude to the city, it was banned in Thailand. Head is probably best known as Judas from the original recording of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. For Buffy fans out there, Murray Head is Anthony Stewart Head’s brother.
Kokomo - The Beach Boys. Kokomo is the county seat of Howard County, Indiana. Known for manufacturing, the city was hit hard by the recession of 2008. It has bounced back significantly since. The Kokomo that the Beach Boys are singing about doesn’t actually exist, although the other places they name check do, and almost any of them would be great to visit right now.
This song was written expressly for the movie “Cocktail”, which is an absolutely dire story of feuding bartenders, starring Tom Cruise.
San Tropez - Pink Floyd. San Tropez is a town on the southern coast of France, also known as the French Riviera. The winter there is mild, with February temperatures in the mid 50’s.
The song is from the grossly underrated album, “Meddle”, which frankly everyone should listen to. I know the 23 minute long space rock epic of “Echoes” might be a bridge too far for some.
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants. I know it says it’s nobody’s business but the Turks, but the name “Istanbul” is a conflation of Greek words basically meaning “The City”. So there. Istanbul straddles the Bosporus, a natural strait connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, so the city is in both Europe and Asia at the same time. The weather in February is moderate, but not exactly warm. Watch out for lake effect snow, though.
This song was originally recorded by the Four Lads in 1953, eventually climbing into the Top Ten. Because OG likes TMBG, that’s the version you get.
Up the ‘Pool - Roy Harper (yes, LZ fans, that Roy Harper). Blackpool is a resort town on the west coast of England. The weather there is nicer than it is here, but it’s still winter. Fun note, it is across the Irish Sea from Dublin, which happens to be Gaelic for “Black Pool”.
This song is actually a cover of a Jethro Tull original, first appearing on the compilation album “Living in the Past” in 1972. I just kind of like the Roy Harper version from the 1996 Tull tribute album “To Cry You a Song”.
Bonus Track - Double Agent - Rush. Not a place, but the opening lyric is the whole point of this playlist, so I had to include it.