What’s the ‘Coolest’ Song Ever?

 

A cool song needs a groove. Check. The singer needs to sound cool and the musicianship effortless. The lyrics tell a story with no judgement and we are encouraged to see it as we wish. This is the kind of song that works perfectly as background for a party. Not too serious, grandiose, or complicated.

Sultans of Swing

You get a shiver in the dark
It’s raining in the park, but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowin’ dixie double-four time
You feel alright when you hear that music ring

Setting the time and the mood, and the theme “you feel alright”

And now you step inside, but you don’t see too many faces  (good music but small audience?)
Comin’ in out of the rain, you hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places (question or answer?) 
Oh, but the horns, they blowin that sound (but it’s good stuff..)
Way on down south, way on down south, London town

A joke, because we are expecting New Orleans. But the fact that it’s south London makes it more interesting. Of course, a hot Creole band plays in London whether they hail from NOLA or are indigenous Brits.

The narrator is a fan of music. We can tell he’s got his own band (which is playing the song) He is reporting his observations.

You check out guitar, George
He knows all the chords
Mind he’s strictly rhythm
He doesn’t wanna make it cry or sing
Yes, and an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing

The lyrics make a fine use of the second person. “You” are experiencing these things as they happen. You can see it and feel it. ‘You’ become the narrator with the cool voice. Okay, I’m there…

And Harry doesn’t mind if he doesn’t make the scene
He’s got a daytime job, he’s doin’ alright
He can play the “Honk Tonk” like anything
Savin’ it up for friday night
With the “Sultans”
With the “Sultans of Swing”

Filling out the scene there are some who are underwhelmed…

And a crowd of young boys, they’re fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don’t give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain’t what they call rock and roll
And the “Sultans”
Yeah, the ‘Sultans’ played Creole, Creole

This is a perennial problem with playing live music. Genre. If people don’t like or accept the genre, they will not be taken with musicianship. This is even worse if the genre is considered “uncool”.

And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says, “At last”, just as the time bell rings
“Goodnight, now it’s time to go home”
And he makes it fast with one more thing
We are the “Sultans”, we are the “Sultans of Swing”

The players know they are making good music, but it’s hard to remember when you’re playing in front of a small audience, some of whom are ignoring you.

Regardless, he’s saying we are proud of our music and playing, in the humility that musicians are relentlessly guided into with public performance. The ‘man’, the singer and bandleader, is acknowledging his bandmates just by announcing the name and allowing the musicianship to play out.

Every professional musician has encountered these types: ‘Guitar George’ who’s adept at finding tasty chords (we here a couple right after that line) and he’s uninterested in being a wailing lead-player, Harry who’s got a day-job, “doin’ alright”, playing out for fun. Almost every band in the world has these types, and any seasoned musician can recognize the band dynamics instantly.

This song is timeless.

What are your “cool songs” and why?

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  1. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Justin Other Lawyer (View Comment):
    Running Down a Dream by Tom Petty

    I would pick Here Comes My Girl or Refugee “coolest” Petty song, but I guess I haven’t defined cool precisely enough here.

    • #31
  2. Vance Richards Inactive
    Vance Richards
    @VanceRichards

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Now since the adjective was “coolest,” not “creepiest,” I submit:

    The Blues brothers managed to work a pro-America message into Green Onions

     

    • #32
  3. DMak Member
    DMak
    @DMak

    A song can’t get any cooler than this, a perfect Sinatra song.

    Nice and easy does it every time

    • #33
  4. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot) Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot)
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Charlotte (View Comment):

    Lose Yourself by Eminem

    Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty

    Boys of Summer by Don Henley

    I like the second and third.

    Two out of three ain’t bad.  (Is this one cool?)

    • #34
  5. Mountie Coolidge
    Mountie
    @Mountie

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Mountie (View Comment):
    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.

    You just killed the thread. : (

    (Everyone in the PIT knows how much I loathe that song . . .)

    I’m here for ya buddy. 

    • #35
  6. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Gosh, great question.

    Don Henley “Sunset Grill”

    Dire Straits “Your Latest Trick”

    Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight”

    The Cars “Heartbeat City”

    Stevie Nicks “Edge of Seventeen”

    Huey Lewis & The News “Bad is Bad”

    Christopher Cross “Ride Like the Wind” (which features Christopher on one of the greatest guitar solos ever performed)

    ZZ Top “La Grange”

    There’s so many more…

    • #36
  7. Charlotte Member
    Charlotte
    @Charlotte

    I’ve never loved ZZTop but Sharp Dressed Man and La Grange (@bryangstephens and @drbastiat) are very solid nominations.

    Fun post.

    • #37
  8. Richard O'Shea Coolidge
    Richard O'Shea
    @RichardOShea

    I’m astounded nobody has the actual answer.

    Anything by Ray Charles would qualify.

    I will go with his first use of an electric piano:

    https://youtu.be/6uTDa3771HM

     

    • #38
  9. Richard O'Shea Coolidge
    Richard O'Shea
    @RichardOShea

    Runner up:

    Ring of Fire

    • #39
  10. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Charlotte (View Comment):

    Lose Yourself by Eminem

    Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty

    Boys of Summer by Don Henley

    I’m with you on the last one. A very cool song.

    I tell this story everythime Don Henley’s name comes up: I was performing as a stilt walker in Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in the public areas in the early 90’s. It was mostly meet-and-greet, joking and spreading good cheer, and sometimes I would put on impromptu juggling/comedy shows and gather a small crowd of 20-30 people.

    One day, in my audience was none other than Don Henley, watching, laughing and applauding at the end. I know it was him because he was to play there that night and it looked just like him.  It was mid-day and none of the elderly gamblers recognized him, of course.

    Even though I was a fan, I was never able to see him live for various reasons (money was one).

    But all this prelude to be able to say, “Don Henley? I never saw him perform, but he has seen me perform !”

    • #40
  11. DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic Oaf Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic Oaf
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Franco (View Comment):
    I was performing as a stilt walker in Trump’s Taj Mahal casino

    Sometimes I am hit with the sudden realization that Ricochet is too aristocratic for me.

    • #41
  12. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    I didn’t imagine this thread would get so much traction, but like Vince’s Movie  threads, some things might have to get disqualified. Casablanca and Princess Bride are invalid answers, and maybe for this thread I should have disqualified all of Jazz, and blind singers. But, carry on!

    • #42
  13. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Franco (View Comment):
    I was performing as a stilt walker in Trump’s Taj Mahal casino

    Sometimes I am hit with the sudden realization that Ricochet is too aristocratic for me.

    I’m trying not to look down on you…

    (One of the lines I used back then)

    • #43
  14. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Franco (View Comment):

    I didn’t imagine this thread would get so much traction, but like Vince’s Movie threads, some things might have to get disqualified. Casablanca and Princess Bride are invalid answers, and maybe for this thread I should have disqualified all of Jazz, and blind singers. But, carry on!

    A long while ago, we had a thread about the popular bands/performers that you just don’t care for. My two tops in that subject were Boston and Lou Reed. 

    • #44
  15. Richard O'Shea Coolidge
    Richard O'Shea
    @RichardOShea

    Richard O'Shea (View Comment):

    I’m astounded nobody has the actual answer.

    Anything by Ray Charles would qualify.

    I will go with his first use of an electric piano:

    https://youtu.be/6uTDa3771HM

     

     

    • #45
  16. Justin Other Lawyer Coolidge
    Justin Other Lawyer
    @DouglasMyers

    Franco (View Comment):

    Charlotte (View Comment):

    Lose Yourself by Eminem

    Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty

    Boys of Summer by Don Henley

    It was mostly meet-and-greet, joking and spreading good cheer, and sometimes I would put on impromptu juggling/comedy shows and gather a small crowd of 20-30 people.

    Not to derail the thread (yet, here goes), have you seen the video going around of the guy who solved three Rubik’s Cubes while juggling them?  Here’s a link to the video: https://youtu.be/njKW8t0aAF8

    Finishes in like 4.5 minutes.

    • #46
  17. thelonious Member
    thelonious
    @thelonious

    Justin Other Lawyer (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Mountie (View Comment):
    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.

    You just killed the thread. : (

    (Everyone in the PIT knows how much I loathe that song . . .)

    I bet you hate Cat’s in the Cradle too, you Philistine! ;-)

    Not a bad song. Ignoring your kids and then later lamenting they don’t have time for you isn’t cool.

    • #47
  18. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):
    A cool song that I like a lot is ZZ Tops’ Sharp Dressed Man.

    A great song! Absolute self-confident swagger, and not because the singer’s vain. He just knows what’s what.

    That song, even if you believe it or whatever, was always ruined for me by the thought of how those guys looked while performing it.

     

    • #48
  19. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Meanwhile, I’ll throw my wrench into the “songs that tell a story” thread with this:

     

    Better version:

    • #49
  20. Justin Other Lawyer Coolidge
    Justin Other Lawyer
    @DouglasMyers

    thelonious (View Comment):

    Justin Other Lawyer (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Mountie (View Comment):
    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.

    You just killed the thread. : (

    (Everyone in the PIT knows how much I loathe that song . . .)

    I bet you hate Cat’s in the Cradle too, you Philistine! ;-)

    Not a bad song. Ignoring your kids and then later lamenting they don’t have time for you isn’t cool.

    I think because I first heard it at an impressionable time of my life, I’m somewhat fond of it.  But I also know that (much like The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald) it has a fair number of haters, so I was kind of trolling Drew to see if he was in that camp.

    • #50
  21. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    And let’s not forget…

     

    • #51
  22. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    And…

     

    • #52
  23. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Plus…

     

    • #53
  24. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Meanwhile, I’ll throw my wrench into the “songs that tell a story” thread with this

    I never heard that song! I definitely like it!

     

     

    • #54
  25. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Chrissy Hynde, arguably the coolest chick in rock. Not my favorite of hers but it’s got the cool vibe more than the others.

    • #55
  26. DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic Oaf Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic Oaf
    @DrewInWisconsin

    thelonious (View Comment):

    Justin Other Lawyer (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Mountie (View Comment):
    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.

    You just killed the thread. : (

    (Everyone in the PIT knows how much I loathe that song . . .)

    I bet you hate Cat’s in the Cradle too, you Philistine! ;-)

    Not a bad song. Ignoring your kids and then later lamenting they don’t have time for you isn’t cool.

    The problem now is my kids ignore me.

    • #56
  27. Hang On Member
    Hang On
    @HangOn

    Franco (View Comment):

    I didn’t imagine this thread would get so much traction, but like Vince’s Movie threads, some things might have to get disqualified. Casablanca and Princess Bride are invalid answers, and maybe for this thread I should have disqualified all of Jazz, and blind singers. But, carry on!

    Well, this is the coolest.

    • #57
  28. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Franco (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Meanwhile, I’ll throw my wrench into the “songs that tell a story” thread with this

    I never heard that song! I definitely like it!

    Juliana Hatfield was an early favorite of mine.  (Saw her live shows a few times in Phoenix, too.) Maybe try out a couple of her albums.

    This appears to be the complete playlist for the album “Become What You Are,” which that song is from.

     

     

     

    • #58
  29. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Not entirely sure what he’s singing about, but it seems to fit the spirit of the times, especially the second verse: 

     

    • #59
  30. Hang On Member
    Hang On
    @HangOn

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Sisyphus (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Unapologetic … (View Comment):

    Mountie (View Comment):
    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.

    You just killed the thread. : (

    (Everyone in the PIT knows how much I loathe that song . . .)

    The PIT is not only not required reading, but verboten for all pure, right-thinking paragons of virtue and merit. So, yeah, I knew that, but…

    So it’s leaked beyond the PIT, then.

    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is only slightly less creepy than The Sounds of Silence.

    Now since the adjective was “coolest,” not “creepiest,” I submit:

    Green Onions

    8th grade lunch sock hop in the gym. Memories.

    • #60
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