...and he shoots you dead, and he eats your head...

Simply put, there was nothing that ever sounded like Blondie's "Rapture" before or since. And 25 years ago today, that song was number one.

I remember being fascinated with it; it followed on the heels of the number one, island-bright "The Tide is High," and was about as interesting as anything sounded back in 1981. A terrific bass line, chimes, a driving beat, horns and scratchy guitar...a lovely vocal line (sounding vaguely Indian)...then all of a sudden, "what?" She's talking! And what a weird story!

"Rapture" was the first time this country boy had ever heard anyone rap. And it was the introduction of rap to millions of people. For that reason alone, it's a classic, innovative 80s single that deserves credit and honor.

So I never really understood what she said in the non-rapping part of "Rapture." Here for your education and entertainment are the lyrics to this song:


"Rapture"
Toe to toe/Dancing very slow
Barely breathing/Almost comatose
Wall to wall/People hypnotised
And they're stepping lightly/Hang each night in Rapture

Back to back/Sacrailiac
Spineless movement/And a wild attack
Face to face/Sadly solitude
And it's finger popping/Twenty-four hour shopping in Rapture

Fab Five Freddie told me everybody's high
DJ's spinnin' are savin' my mind
Flash is fast, Flash is cool
Francois sez fas, Flashe' no do
And you don't stop, sure shot
Go out to the parking lot
And you get in your car and you drive real far
And you drive all night and then you see a light
And it comes right down and lands on the ground
And out comes a man from Mars
And you try to run but he's got a gun
And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
And then you're in the man from Mars
You go out at night, eatin' cars
You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too
Mercurys and Subarus
And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars
Then, when there's no more cars
You go out at night and eat up bars where the people meet
Face to face, dance cheek to cheek
One to one, man to man
Dance toe to toe
Don't move too slow, 'cause the man from Mars
Is through with cars, he's eatin' bars
Yeah, wall to wall, door to door, hall to hall
He's gonna eat 'em all
Rapture, be pure
Take a tour, through the sewer
Don't strain your brain, paint a train
You'll be singin' in the rain
I said don't stop, do punk rock

Well now you see what you wanna be
Just have your party on TV
'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars when the TV's on
And now he's gone back up to space
Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
And you hip-hop, and you don't stop
Just blast off, sure shot'
Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars
And now he only eats guitars, get up!

Note: I always thought it was 'Rapture, Leap Year! Take a tour, through the store, don't strain your brain, gravy train..."

All You Need is Cash

One of the funniest mockumentaries--indeed, one of the very first--is the brilliant Beatles sendup called The Rutles: All You Need is Cash, which I discovered, with my friend Scott Gates, in 2001. It's absolutely hilarious, and it debuted on the BBC 28 years ago today.

If you're a Beatles fan, a Monty Python fan, a Spinal Tap fan or just a weirdo who laughs at odd things, you'll love The Rutles. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the Rutles (click here for an exhaustive entry on the band):

The Rutles (aka The pre-fab four) was a parody of the Beatles, jointly created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes. The fictional group is best known for the 1978 mockumentary film about them titled All You Need Is Cash (often referred to just as The Rutles . Tagline: The Musical Legend which will last a lunchtime.). The film was written by Idle and prominently featured 20 songs written by Innes.

The cool thing about the Rutles (as Scott and I discovered) is that the songs are actually really, really good. They sound just enough like Beatles originals to make them familiar, but they're done very well, and Neil Innes' genius shows through in each track. Take a listen to the song on Wikipedia, and rent All You Need is Cash (George Harrison makes a cameo in the film, along with John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Mick Jagger, among other folks). You'll laugh. Trust me.

Trivia note that won't mean anything to any of you but here it is anyway: The Rutles' 1978 LP was the very first thing I bought on eBay.

The Best New Band I've Heard in Years

I'm completely in love with Editors. No, not actual editors (although having been one myself, I can see why that's a temptation). I'm talking about the Manchester-based new band, Editors, and the brilliance that is their debut album The Back Room.

High on the strength of their first single, "Munich," which, if you haven't heard it, you must check out, I ordered The Back Room, and it's been a complete joy. Frenzied, high-pitched guitars, amazing drum work and plaintive vocals mark the fast-tempo songs. The ballads are bleak but rich. It's just a great album.

Maybe I'm so immuned to what some call "depressing" music, but the reviews I read that this is a downer of an album don't resonate with me. I think it's an incredibly tight, great-sounding record that could have been released in 1979, 1989, or today. I'm glad it's today.

If you like Joy Division, early U2, or even early Cure, you'll love this record.

Standout tracks:
Munich
Blood
All Sparks
Bullets
Open Your Arms

Farewell, Buck Owens

Country legend Buck Owens (at the left in the photo here) died today at the age of 76. Although I don't remember much of Buck's work, I do remember him as the co-host (with Roy Clark) of Hee Haw, which was a staple of Saturday nights when I was growing up on the farm in Pennsylvania.

In 1992, Owens said: "I'd like to be remembered as a guy that came along and did his music, did his best and showed up on time, clean and ready to do the job, wrote a few songs and had a hell of a time."