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Songs That Influenced Me – Part 01

This is the first of my (hopefully) monthly playlists where I highlight some of the songs that have influenced my writing style of the decades.

Having lived through, what some might call, the greatest decade of music ever, (the 80’s in case it’s not obvious), it comes as no surprise that a large part of musical influences comes from 80’s songs.

So for this post I wanted to share some of my favourites. Every one of these songs taught me, or inspired me in some way. In some it might be just a single melody line, whereas others might be the whole song. I’ll go into detail below, but if you’re not interested in the reasons, just listen to the playlist – it’s rocking good.

Song by song:

Don’t Answer Me – The Alan Parsons Project
I can’t remember exactly, but I think the music video for this was animated and really quite beautiful – something to do with a moon. What I’ve always loved about this song is both the driving rhythm that gives the whole song motion, and the exquisite melodies and harmonies. The one that always stood out for me is the lower harmony on the line “Run away and hide from everyone. Can you change the things we’ve said and done?” It’s just perfect.

Commercial Breakup – Thomas Dolby
This one’s easy, it’s that insane synth solo – I fooking love it.
I’ve also loved Dolby’s penchant for changing a single word or two from one chorus to the next, while still keeping the rhyme and metre intact. In this song it’s the first line of 1st chorus;
“Oh man – they’re waving from the street again…” vs the first line of the second chorus,
“Something has dropped me in the heat again…”.
Dolby does this time and time again, and it’s great little quirk that I’ve taken on board in my own lyrics…

Twilight of a Champion – The The
The second-last track from The The’s 1986 album, Infected. This is a powerhouse of percussive 80’s breakbeats layered over some of the best lyrics of the decade. It’s basically a beat poem spoken under a driving drum and bass. Matt Johnson’s lyrics have always inspired me, they’re raw, they’re rude and they’re right on the money. When I lived in London in the early 2000’s, listening to Infected and the follow-up album, Mind Bomb, felt like he’d written those lyrics the day before instead of 15 years prior. Johnson always seems to have his pulse on the current state of affairs.

In The Name of Love – Thompson Twins
What can one say about this song. If you need a single song, single riff, single bar of music to epitomise the 80’s synth pop sound, then the opening riff of In The Name of Love would be it. It’s bouncy, it’s cool, it’s catchy as all hell. There are key changes, astounding harmonies and vocal arrangements, and one of the best choruses ever.

…to be continued…

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Favourite Albums – George Michael/LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE Vol. 1

Some time in September of 1990, on my last day of high school before finals began, our maths teacher gave us the day off. Maths was the last two hours of school on Fridays, and on this particular one, she invited the entire class to her house for a farewell braai.

Come midday we all piled into any available cars and went off to party as a class for the last time before final exams.

Once school was out, our English and Science teachers pitched up. Yea, that science teacher.

Some time in the late afternoon, with the rest of the class dive-bombing the swimming pool and partying, I found myself sat in the lounge, chilling. My Science teacher was perusing the albums on the shelf and pulled out Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1. He put the needle on the record and he and I sat in silence and awe for 48 minutes, while outside the squeals and laughter of twenty 18-year-olds filtered through.

There’s something extraordinary about sharing an experience in silence with someone. And at the end of the album we both just shook our heads in wonder and disbelief at the beauty and grandeur of this album.

I kinda of fell in love with this album, I mean like proper in love. Like, when you can’t stop thinking about someone twenty-four hours a day, and you only ever feel happy and fulfilled when you’re in their company. I just listened to it again, again, and again, for months on end. When I think of Cowboys and Angels, or They Won’t Go Where I Go, or Mother’s Pride, I’m back in my childhood bedroom in the dark, earphones blasting, night after night, listening to George’s incredible voice, instead of sleeping.

Despite how brilliant the whole album is, the song I keep coming back to is Praying for Time.

For me, at the time, it was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. It breaks the rules of pop, (verse, verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus), and instead stays on this almost monotonous drone that carries through the whole song, broken only by two choruses before coming to, I would argue, a too-soon end. if ever there ever was a song that’s too short, Praying for Time is it. It is just magnificent, and epic, and sad, and uplifting and, and, and…

And like the song, George Michael’s life was ended too soon.