Entertainment For Lively Minds
Years in Rock
In the early '80s, there was a slew of songs and albums name checking the year - PIL's 1981, Quo with 1+9+8+2, Scritti Politti's Cupid and Psyche '85, Whitesnake's miserable 1987. Jimi Hendrix has got 1983 covered with his expected transformation into a Merman (has anyone checked?) and Bowie and Van Halen have 1984 covered (thankfully separately - could have been worse than Tin Machine).
How long is it possible to extend this list either way? I'm aware of a Green Day song that namechecks '86, but have no idea if it refers to the age from which there's no return or the year. The Connells' '74-75 is a bit of a double bonus, assuming the intervening years exist. Ash's 1977 of course being one and the Smashing Pumpkins glorious 1979 another.
Live albums and compilations don't count.
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1969 and 1970...
...are covered by The Stooges.
1999
by Prince.
And then (Does this count? It's one for those who can count...) the Ramones have the next year sewn up with End Of The Century.
Should count...
...but if not there's always Pulp's Disco 2000.
Both
Giant Sand and Josh Rouse have 1972
In The Year 2525
by Zager and Evans.
You'll have to go to Spain
for 1917 - a plinky, synthy masterpiece by Mecano.
1977
Ash's first album was called 1977 because it was they year of their birth and Star Wars (apprently).
Also
1977 was the B side of the Clash's first single White riot.
oh and
1913, 1938, and 197? are all covered by Bowie's Aladdin Sane - so we're well on our way. I've to actually do some work now though...
New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84)
4 (count 'em) years from the Minds.......
Also the Eurythmics - Sexcrime (1984)
Do brackets count?
And..
Paris 1919/John Cale
1921/The Who
Not strictly relevant but Peter Gabriel did
a '1984 Tour Of China' in 1979 (it wasn't in China either).
1988
Steve Hillage did a song called '1988 Activator' on the studio side of his Live Herald album.
Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris
1917
Geddy, Alex and Neil
aka Rush are waiting for us in the year 2112
Thankfully
I was born in 1957, so am unlikely to make it that far :-)
2112...
the year of velvet loons, Taurus bass pedals and tuned percussion devices.
Patrick,
you've been warned before about those bass pedals.
Don't make me neg you again :-)
Oh
and Motorhead languish back in 1916
The Byrds
One Hundred Years From Now ? And not forgetting The Stones with 2000 Man. Corking track.
Didn't Led Zeppelin cover this with..wait for it..
...1, 2 and 3?
Also Toto released 4.
Do I win a prize?
Manic Street Preachers
Have a song called 1985.
Also, on "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy, Chuck D shouts "1989" very loudly at the start. Does that count?
The Alarm
Spirit of '76
and
68 Guns
which I always assumed was about 1968 and revolution, rather than the number of guns possessed by the singer. However I've never felt the need to analyse the Alarm's lyrics in any great detail, so I may well be wrong
Peter, Bjorn and John
had 'Paris 2004' on their Writer's Block album
Swedish singer Titiyo did a song called 1989
... and very nice it is too.
1965
album by Afghan Whigs. Great band.
I have a theory
...that recent years sound rubbish when referenced in songs. Take the lines "We haven't served that spirit here since 1969" or "Well it was back in Blind River in 1962 when I last saw you alive", both written in 1976. "We haven't served that spirit here since 2002" or "It was back in Blind River in 1995" just wouldn't work if the songs were written today. Not just because they don't scan, but because those dates don't sound half as evocative now as '69 and '62 would have done in 1976.
Aside from the Peter Bjorn and John track mentioned above, I can't think of a modern song that references a relatively recent year.
1952 Vincent Black Lightning
By some bloke with a beard
How on earth
did I miss that absolute classic ? Just turning 41 might have something to do with it.
1941
Harry Nilsson
1963
New Order
Pearl Jam
Ten
1959
Sisters Of Mercy, from "Floodland".
That classic...
Summer of 69 Bryan Adams
Disney Girls (1957) Beach Boys
And I also appear to have a song on the ipod called 1967 by the Auteurs. No idea what it sounds like.
A few more
Scott Walker - Bolivia 95
Tom Robinson Band - Winter of 79
Fountains of Wayne - '92 Subaru (which of course led me to)
Billie Jo Spears - '57 Chevrolet
Eminem - 97 Bonnie and Clyde (I think it was eminem, I only have the Tori Amos version)
These need to be collated into calendar order
and put on a website somewhere :-)
20th century years
1913 Massacre - Woody Guthrie
1921 - The Who
1939 Returning - Peter Doherty
1953 - Olafur Arnalds
1963 - New Order
1969 - Boards of Canada
1970 - Sigur Ros
1974 - Ryan Adams
1980 - Estelle
1985 - Manic Street Preachers
1987 - Saul Williams
1992 - Blur
1993 - Sigur Ros
1996 - Marilyn Manson
1999 - Nirvana (UK)
1999 - The Seahorses
At the Risk of being beaten up
The Whos 1921 can be repeated as 1951 from the good/bad/awful/absolutely dire (you decide, I know which I'd vote for) soundtrack Tommy
1992
A song off Blur's album 13
Also there was an album by Carter The Unstoppable Sex MAchine called 1992: The Love Album
Track one on that album is called 1993, so two for the price of one there!
I'm on a roll!
Dr. Dre did an album called 2001
And James Blunt had a single called 1973 (which I actually enjoyed)
One
by U2
1974
Robyn Hitchcock.
Nineteen hundred and eighty five
Macca's contribution.
Spirit
1984
Does this count? We'll have to wait a bit tho'
Bowling for Soup
1985 - more chucklesome than the manics song, I'm guessing.
some other years...
1440 - Olafur Arnalds
1776 - Hope Of The States
1800s - We're Marching On
1812 Overture - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1822! - The Beatles
2000 Man - The Rolling Stones
2001 - Jamiroquai
2129 - Alabama 3
there are loads more with numbers, but they get a bit silly:
3968 by Zabrinski anyone??
and of course, we may not be here by that time - giant guinea pigs may have destroyed us all by that time
"Giant guinea pigs..."
Or, indeed, badgers.
You'll be all right, obviously...
evil
The giant guinea pigs are the only ones who could stand up against our fuzzy befuddled army.
Or Prince Charles and a shotgun. One of these is our most feared enemy.
I, for one, welcome our new giant guinea pig overlords
Has anyone else offered
The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644) by the original Electric Light Orchestra?
If so, apologies.
10538
Overture
Plus there's
1643 - Seth Lakeman
1798 - Jackie Leven
1855 - Justin Rutledge
1913 - Ox
1939 - Hayden
1968 - Richmond Fontaine
1969 - The Vines
1975 - Gene Clark
yes
90125
1901 - Phoenix
2012 - The Gossip
The year 3000 - Busted
Bugs f**king Bunny
Fatima Mansions' fluffed-eurovision-opportunity "13th Century Boy" and The Chemical Brothers' equally brilliant "14th Century Sky" manage to cover entire centuries in just two bite-sized songs. Does anybody go back earlier than these?
The Ramones again
Planet Earth 1988
There's two Jefferson Airplane/ Starship songs that mention 1975, War Movie and Ride the Tiger.
There's also
the Smashing Pumpkins with one of the only songs I like by them, 1979