ODE TO MY FAMILY

THE CRANBERRIES

SONGWRITERS: NOEL ANTHONY HOGAN & DOLORES MARY O’RIORDAN

COUNTRY: IRELAND

ALBUM: EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT, SO WHY

LABEL: ISLAND RECORDS

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1994

 

          The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan, and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was replaced as lead singer by Dolores O'Riordan in 1990, and they changed their name to the Cranberries. The band classified themselves as an alternative rock group, but incorporated aspects of indie rock, jangle pop, folk rock, post-punk, and pop rock into their sound.

       The Cranberries rose to international fame in the 1990s with their debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, which became a commercial success. Some of the band's hit singles include "Dreams"(1992), "Linger"(1993), "Zombie" (1994), and "Salvation" (1996). Five of the band's albums reached the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, and eight of their singles reached the Top 20 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

    In early 2009, after a six-year hiatus, the Cranberries reunited and began a North American tour followed by shows in Latin America and Europe. The band's sixth studio album, Roses, was released in February 2012, and its seventh, Something Else, followed in April 2017. On 15 January 2018, O'Riordan was found dead of drowning in a London hotel room. The Cranberries confirmed in September 2018 that they would not continue as a band; their final album, In the End, was released in April 2019 and they disbanded afterward.

          The Cranberries rank as one of the best-selling alternative acts of the 1990s, having sold nearly 50 million albums worldwide as of 2019. They have received an MTV Europe Music Award, a World Music Award, an International Group nomination at the Brit Awards, a Juno nomination, a Juno Award win, an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement, and a BMI Award with a Special Citation of Achievement. In the End earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. With the video for their song "Zombie", the Cranberries became the first Irish band to reach one billion views on YouTube.

          "Ode to My Family" is a song recorded by the Irish band the Cranberries. It was released on 21 November 1994 as the second single from their second studio album No Need to Argue. The song was a hit in Oceania and several European countries, peaking at number one in Iceland, and number four in France, and number five in Australia. In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic, stripped down version on the band's Something Else album. 

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

 

Understand the things I say

Don't turn away from me

'Cause I've spent half my life out there

You wouldn't disagree

 

Do you see me, do you see?

Do you like me

Do you like me standing there?

Do you notice, do you know

Do you see me, do you see me?

Does anyone care?

 

Unhappiness where's when I was young

And we didn't give a damn

'Cause we were raised

To see life as fun and take it if we can

My mother, my mother

She'd hold me

She'd hold me when I was out there

My father, my father

He liked me, well he liked me

Does anyone care?

 

Understand what I've become

It wasn't my design

And people everywhere think

Something better than I am

 

But I miss you, I miss

'Cause I liked it

'Cause I liked it

When I was out there

Do you know this, do you know

You did not find me

You did not find

Does anyone care?

 

Unhappiness where's when I was young

And we didn't give a damn

'Cause we were raised

To see life as fun and take it if we can

My mother, my mother

She'd hold me

She'd hold me when I was out there

My father, my father

He liked me, well he liked me

Does anyone care?

 

Does anyone care?

Does anyone care?

Does anyone care?

Does anyone care?

Does anyone care?

Does anyone care?

Does anyone care?

 

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do

Doo doo doo do, doo doo doo do.

THE PIANO HAS BEEN DRINKING

TOM WAITS

SONGWRITER: TOM WAITS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: SMALL CHANGE

LABEL: ADYLUM RECORDS

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1976

 

             Thomas Alan Waits(born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected greater influence from blues, rock, vaudeville, and experimental genres.

         Waits was born and raised in a middle-class family in Pomona, California. Inspired by the work of Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, he began singing on the San Diego folk music circuit as a teenager. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972, where he worked as a songwriter before signing a recording contract with Asylum Records. His first albums were the jazz-oriented Closing Time(1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night(1974), which reflected his lyrical interest in nightlife, poverty, and criminality. He repeatedly toured the United States, Europe, and Japan, and attracted greater critical recognition and commercial success with Small Change (1976), Blue Valentine(1978), and Heartattack and Vine(1980). He produced the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's film One from the Heart(1981), and subsequently made cameo appearances in several Coppola films.

             In 1980, Waits married Kathleen Brennan, split from his manager and record label, and moved to New York City. With Brennan's encouragement and frequent collaboration, he pursued a more experimental and eclectic musical aesthetic influenced by the work of Harry Partch and Captain Beefheart. This was reflected in a series of albums released by Island Records, including Swordfishtrombones(1983), Rain Dogs(1985), and Franks Wild Years(1987). He continued appearing in films, notably starring in Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law(1986), and also made theatrical appearances. With theatre diretor Robert Wilson, he produced the musicals The Black Rider(1990) and Alice (1992), first performed in Hamburg. Having returned to California in the 1990s, his albums Bone Machine(1992), The Black Rider(1993), and Mule Variations(1999) earned him increasing critical acclaim and multiple Grammy Awards. In the late 1990s, he switched to the record label ANTI-, which released Blood Money(2002), Alice(2002), Real Gone(2004), and Bad as Me(2011).

      Despite a lack of mainstream commercial success, Waits has influenced many musicians and gained an international cult following, and several biographies have been written about him. In 2015, he was ranked at Nº 55 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

          Small Change is the fourth studio album by singer and songwriter Tom Waits, released on September 21, 1976 on Asylum Records. It was recorded in July at the Wally Heider Recording Studio, in Hollywood. It was successful commercially and outsold his previous albums. This resulted in Waits putting together a touring band - The Nocturnal Emissions, which consisted of Frank Vicari on tenor saxophone, FitzGerald Jenkins on bass guitar and Chip White on drums and vibraphone. The Nocturnal Emissions toured Europe and the United States extensively from October 1976 till May 1977.

The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep

And the combo went back to new york, the jukebox has to take a leak

And the carpet needs a haircut, and the spotlight looks like a prison break

And the telephone's out of cigarettes, and the balcony is on the make

And the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking

 

And the menus are all freezing, and the light man's blind in one eye

And he can't see out of the other

And the piano-tuner's got a hearing aid, and he showed up with his mother

And the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking

As the bouncer is a sumo wrestler cream-puff Casper milktoast

And the owner is a mental midget with the i.q. of a fence post

Cause the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking

 

And you can't find your waitress with a Geiger conter

And she hates you and your friends and you just can't get served without her

And the box-office is drooling, and the bar stools are on fire

And the newspapers were fooling, and the ash-trays have retired

Cause the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking

The piano has been drinking, not me, not me, not me, not me, not me.

LITTLE SAINT NICK

THE BEACH BOYS

SONGWRITERS: BRIAN WILSON & MIKE LOVE

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: LITTLE SAINT NICK

LABEL: CAPITOL RECORDS

GENRE: CHRISTMAS

YEAR: 1963

 

           The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmonies, adolescent-oriented themes, and musical ingenuity, they became one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound, and under Brian's direction, often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways.

           One of the first self-contained rock groups, the Beach Boys began as a garage band, managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, and with Brian as composer, arranger, producer, and de facto leader. In 1963, they had their first national hit with "Surfin' U.S.A.", beginning a string of top-ten singles that reflected a southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance, dubbed the "California sound". They were one of the few American rock bands to sustain their commercial standing during the British Invasion. Starting with 1965's The Beach Boys Today!, they abandoned beachgoing themes for more personal lyrics and ambitious orchestrations. In 1966, the Pet Sounds album and "Good Vibrations" single raised the group's prestige as rock innovators. After scrapping the Smile album in 1967, Brian gradually ceded control of the group to his bandmates.

       In the late 1960s, the group's commercial momentum faltered in the US, and despite efforts to maintain na experimental sound, they were widely dismissed by the early rock music press. Carl took over as the band's musical leader; records from this period later enjoyed a cult following among fans. In the mid-1970s, as their concerts drew larger audiences, the band transitioned into na oldies act. Dennis drowned in 1983 and Brian soon became estranged from the group. Following Carl's death from lung cancer in 1998, the band granted Love legal rights to tour under the group's name. In the early 2010s, the original members briefly reunited for the band's 50th anniversary. As of 2021, Wilson and Jardine do not perform with Love's edition of the Beach Boys, but remain official members of the band.

              The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide. They helped legitimize popular music as a recognized art form and influenced the development of music genres and movements such as psychedelia, power pop, progressive rock, punk, alternative, and lo-fi. Between the 1960s and 2010s, the group had 36 songs reach the US Top 40(the most by an American band), with four topping the Billboard Hot 100. In 2004, they were ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest artists of all time. The founding members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

           "Little Saint Nick" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys first released as a single on December 9, 1963. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the Christmas song applies hot-rod themes to Santa Claus and his sleigh.

         The single peaked at number 3 on Billboard magazine's special seasonal weekly Christmas Singles chart. Its B-side was an a cappella version of "The Lord's Prayer". In November 1964, an alternate mix of "Little Saint Nick" appeared as the opening track on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album.

Oo oo oo

Merry Christmas Saint Nick

Christmas comes this time each year

Oo-oo

 

Well a way up north where the air gets cold

There's a tale about Christmas that you've all been told

There's a real famous cat all dressed up in red

And he spends the whole year working out on his sled

 

It's the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)

It's the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)

 

Just a little bob sleighed we call it old Saint Nick

But she'll walk a toboggan with a four speed stick

She's candy apple red with a ski for a wheel

And when Santa hits the gas man just watch her peel

 

It's the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)

It's the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)

Run run reindeer

Run run reindeer (oh-oh-oh-oh)

Run run reindeer

Run run reindeer

He don't miss no-one

 

And haulin' through the snow at a frightenin' speed

With a half a dozen deer with the a-rudy to lead

He's gotta wear his goggles 'cause the snow really flies

And he's cruisin' every pad with a little surprise

 

It's the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)

It's the little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)

Oo oo oo

Merry Christmas Saint Nick

Christmas comes this time each year, oo

Merry Christmas Saint Nick

Christmas comes this time each year, oo.

NOTHING TO LOSE

MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK

SONGWRITERS: JASCHA RICHTER; KARE WANSCHER; MIKE LENTZ & SOREN MADSEN

COUNTRY: DENMARK

ALBUM: NOTHING TO LOSE

LABEL: MLTR MUSIC

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1997

 

           Michael Learns to Rock(also known as MLTR) is a Danish soft rock and pop rock band formed in 1988. The band currently consists of Jascha Richter, Mikkel Lentz and Kåre Wanscher. Søren Madsen was an original member of the group since its formation but left in 2000. The band has sold over 11 million records over the course of their career, with the majority sold in Scandinavia and Asia. Despite being Danish, the band performs songs in English. The band has attributed its success in Asia to their drug-free, clean-living image and to singing in English as a second language.

            MLTR has earned gold and platinum status for records in many countries and won many awards, including the Gold Preis Award from RSH, Germany and "The Best Performing Act of the Year" at the SEA Grammy Awards in Singapore. In addition, their song "Take Me to Your Heart" was awarded "most downloaded single of the year 2006" with 6 million or more paid downloads. The band has recorded nine studio albums as well as a number of live and greatest hits albums. Their latest studio album, Still, was released on 21 March 2018.

           During the peak of their popularity in the mid and late 1990s, MLTR was described by critics as being "as good (if not better) a band as any current big name group out of America or the UK or the Australia." According to the band's record label releases, their sound is "the perfect balance of a Scandinavian glow and the international pop song that has been instrumental in forming the compelling sound of the band", although the lead singer and songwriter, Jascha Richter, disagrees with this, maintaining that the music defies geographical categorization.

            Nothing to Lose is the fourth studio album of the Danish soft rock band Michael Learns to Rock. It was released on September 12, 1997 by Medley Records in Denmark. Like the previous album, Played on Pepper(1995), it was mainly produced by the band itself. Guitar player Mikkel Lentz said the band programmed new beats during the mixing process as they wanted to experiment a bit more with this album. While the band's previous albums relied heavily on soft rock ballads, Nothing to Lose also contains a rockier sound intended to suit the European market. Bass guitar player Søren Madsen debuts as songwriter on the track "Magic".

           In Denmark, Nothing to Lose sold 25.000 copies on the day of release. In May 1998, the album had sold 500.000 copies worldwide, with 70.000 copies being sold in Denmark.

          The fourth single, "I'm Gonna Be Around" was re-produced by Per Magnusson and David Kreuger for its single release. The song was "written especially for the United States" according to lead singer Jascha Richter. It was later included on the compilation álbum MLTR(1999).

There are times

When you make me laugh

There are moments when you drive me mad

There are seconds when

I see the light

Though many times you made me cry

 

There's something

You don't understand

I want to be your man

 

Nothing to lose

Your love to win

Hoping so bad

That you'll love me in

I'm at your feet

Waiting for you

I've got time

And nothing to lose

 

There are times

When I believe in you

These moments when I feel close to you

There are times I think

That I am yours

Though many times I feel unsure

 

There's something

You don't understand

I want to be your man

 

Nothing to lose

Your love to win

Hoping so bad

That you'll let me in

I'm on your feet

Waiting for you

I've got time

And nothing to lose

 

I'll always be around you

Keep an eye on you

And I won't let you run

'Cause you are the only one

 

Nothing to lose

Your love to win

Hoping so bad

That you'll let me in

I'm at your feet

Waiting for you

I've got time

And nothing to lose.