MUSIC MONDAY

MUSIC MONDAY #6

POST #6 "Lovesick for Mina" by Cradle of Filth

The first time we meet the character of Dustin in The Boys of Summer is when his band, The Good Guys, drive him down to the farmhouse and drop him off. In the current novel, they show up in a van that's playing Cradle of Filth's Thornography. In the original rough draft, the guys were rocking out to "Lovesick for Mina," which is a track off of Thornography.

Thornography was released on October 17, 2006. It debuted at number 66 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and reached number 46 in the UK Albums Chart. Dani Filth, the band's lead singer, provided the following explanation for "Lovesick for Mina" in a press release:

"Another song whose essence is undoubtedly in the title. Mina Harker is the intended bride of Bram Stoker's infamous Count Dracula. The lyrics in this case are set in a time when Mina is irrevocably lost to him and he is pining for his immortal beloved. This song is a blend of gothic romance and balls-to-the-wall thrash."

Cradle of Filth is one of those bands that you either love or hate. They play extreme metal (though their subgenre would inarguably be gothic death or doom metal) and it's not for everybody. I've always admired Dani Filth's showmanship and his willingness to push boundaries with his artwork, stage shows, and lyrics.

Unsurprisingly, there are no covers of "Lovesick for Mina," and that's as it should be. Cradle of Filth isn't a band that's easily copied. This song and the album it came from are a good introduction to Dustin, and how different he is from the rest of the guys in the Boys of Summer.

MUSIC MONDAY #5

POST #5 Songs by The Doors

In chapter four of The Boys of Summer, titled "Hello, I Love You," which is a Doors song, Ash meets Dustin for the first time and compares his voice to Jim Morrison's. He references two specific Doors' tunes: "Break On Through" and "Love Her Madly." This week for Music Monday, I'm showcasing all three songs by The Doors.

"Break On Through (To the Other Side)" was the first single released by The Doors from their debut album, The Doors. It wasn't very successful on the charts, only reaching #126 in the United States. Regardless, the song became popular and is one of their most well-known singles. A ton of people have covered the song. Here are some notable versions: Night Shift (2002), the Vitamin String Quartet (2005), and a seriously kickass version by the late Scott Weiland & Stone Temple Pilots(2000).

"Hello, I Love You" was actually written pre-Doors in 1965, and then released in 1968 on Waiting for the Sun. It was a huge hit, reaching number one in the USA and selling over a million copies in the USA alone. It hit number one in Canada, and became the band's first hit single in the UK, where it hit number 15 on the charts. Like "Break On Through," everybody and their brother has covered the song, but here are some really good versions: The Eurythmics, Adam Ant, SimpleMinds, and my favorite by The Cure.

"Love Her Madly" came out in 1971 and was the lead single off the last album from The Doors, L.A. Woman. It peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Hot 100 in the USA, and went all the way to number 3 in Canada. "Love Her Madly" wasn't as popular as the other two songs as far as covers are concerned, but there are two I really like. George Winston did an instrumental piano version that's excellent, and the Long Beach Dub All-Stars did an amazing reggae version.

Regardless of the multitude of bands who've covered one Doors song or another, all the covers pale in comparison to the originals, mostly because of Morrison's voice. It's incredibly distinct, deep, and rich – and it's always how I've heard Dustin in my head. 

MUSIC MONDAY #4

POST #4 "You Don't Know How It Feels" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

It's Music Monday once again, and this week I'm indulging my fangirl side a bit. Chapter 3 of The Boys of Summer is titled for Tom Petty's last top 40 hit: "You Don't Know How It Feels."

Tom Petty is one of my all-time favorite artists. He had an amazing gift not just for playing music, but for writing it too. He was honest and straightforward. If you were a Gen-Xer and you grew up in Middle America, then you grew up listening to Tom Petty, and you understood everything he was singing about.

"You Don't Know How It Feels" was the lead single from Petty's 1994 album Wildflowers. It reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and #13 on Billboard's Hot 100. In 1995, the video for the song won the MTV Music Video Award for Best Male Video. The original B-side of this song is another that was mentioned in the Dust & Ash Saga, though the reference to it has since been removed. That would be "Girl on LSD," which was considered too controversial by Warner Bros. to be included on Wildflowers.

Over the last few years, we’ve lost a staggering number of music and film icons. As most of you already know, I wrote a short story inspired by David Bowie for the Stardust,Always anthology. Other notable losses were George Michael and Prince. But it was Tom Petty's unexpected death on October 2, 2017 that really floored me. Like Prince, he died from mixed drug toxicity, specifically fentanyl, oxycodone, Restoril, Xanax, and Celexa. Petty had fractured his hip on his last tour, and it hadn't healed. Rather, the break worsened, and the drugs were prescribed for the intractable pain. His death was a tragic accident; we lost a great talent far too soon.

"You Don't Know How It Feels" isn't a song that's covered much. One really decent cover, though, was done by Walk Off the Earth shortly after Petty's death in 2017. Regardless, the original will always be my favorite, as well as Jared's unofficial theme song. 

MUSIC MONDAY #3

POST #3 "What I Like About You" The Romantics

Since I first posted Dust & Ash on Literotica (a million years ago), I've used popular song titles as chapter names. As I went through the editing and rewriting phases, I ended up chopping the original manuscript into smaller and smaller pieces. The Boys of Summer has a total of 24 chapters, so it contains 24 song titles. Chapter two is "What I Like AboutYou" by the Romantics.

If you're an 80s kid, then you know this song really well, because MTV played the video all the time. The song came out in 1980, but surprisingly, it didn't do all that well on the charts. It peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song actually didn't get really popular until Budweiser used it for a 1989 beer commercial.

A few notable covers of the tune: Disney included a version on the soundtrack for the remake of FreakyFriday. Poison covered it on their 2007 disc Poison'd. Neither of these variants is all that special; I'd venture to say both are inferior to the original. But in 2014, the song was covered by 5 Seconds of Summer, and their version kicks some serious ass. Incidentally, if you haven't checked out 5 Seconds of Summer, you totally should. Serious quality musicianship in that band. Excellent stuff. And that's probably why their version of "What I Like About You" is my favorite.

MUSIC MONDAY  #2

The Boys of Summer opens with Ash's phone going off and "Whole Lotta Love" blaring as the ringtone. Now, given the lyrics, it's pretty interesting that Ash chose that specific song as Jason's ringtone (little obscure foreshadowing there). Regardless, "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin is an awesome classic tune, and the second song being featured on Music Mondays!

Originally based on a blues number by Willie Dixon, the song was the opening track on Led Zeppelin II, the second album released by Led Zeppelin. Though it wasn't ever released as a single in the UK, in the US the song became the group's first hit single and was certified gold in April of 1970.

From Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga by Stephen Davis:

"But in America, late in 1969 and through 1970, 'Whole Lotta Love' was an emergency telegram to a new generation. In its frenzy of sex, chaos, and destruction, it seemed to conjure all the chilling anxieties of the dying decade. The lyrics reduced the struggle of the sixties generation to its most base element, its unbridled craving for love. Ironically the song (and Led Zeppelin) didn't much appeal to the kids of the sixties, who had grown up with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan. Tired, jaded, disillusioned, they were turning toward softer sounds, country rock. But their younger siblings, the high school kids, were determined to have more fun. Led Zeppelin was really their band. For the next decade Led Zeppelin would be the unchallenged monarchs of high school parking lots all over America. In forsaking England Led Zeppelin became an American band for all practical purposes, and America would embrace them in strange ways. In Vietnam that year, 'Whole Lotta Love' was an actual battle cry. American soldiers and marines bolted eight-track stereos onto their tanks and armored personnel carriers and rode into battle playing the song at top volume. The irony was murderous."

Forty-one different bands have covered "Whole LottaLove," spanning five decades and every single music genre. Some of the standouts (and please remember this is my subjective opinion) are Alyssa Zezza's jazz version, the Hollywood Vampires tribute, Santana's version that featured Chris Cornell, and the amazing Mary J. Blige's R&B version. Enjoy!

MUSIC MONDAY  #1

Welcome to Music Mondays! My intent is to feature a new song from the Dust & Ash Saga every week. 

For the inaugural post, the song is "The Boys of Summer." Originally recorded by Don Henley (of Eagles fame), this tune came out in 1984, which was an amazing year for music. Wham!, Duran Duran, Prince, Tina Turner, Van Halen, Madonna, Michael Jackson - they all had huge hits in 1984. 

Interesting sidenote: Don Henley wasn't just the co-lead singer of the Eagles, he was also the drummer. And when the Eagles got back together (I saw the Hell Freezes Over tour), they performed "The Boys of Summer." 

The song reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock charts. In a Rolling Stone interview, Henley said the song was about aging and questioning the past. 

Those are the themes I wrote Dust & Ash around.

The Ataris did a version of the song in 2003 that became their most successful single. 

Both versions are outstanding, though I favor Henley's original, mostly because it makes me nostalgic for my own youth.

Enjoy!