the 80s' top ten saddest songs by the replacements

You may not be aware of it, but there is a pretty entertaining podcast and blog called Stuck in the 80s. As the title suggests, they pretty much cover everything in the 1980s. Well, except television and politics. The hosts are Steve Spears and Sean Daly and they are very fun. There have been other co-hosts with them over the years, but Steve and Sean are the main duo.

Sometime back, Stuck in the 80s treated us to Sean Daly’s top ten saddest songs of our favorite decade. At least, that’s what I remember the list as being.

I won’t go into my assessment of Sean’s list, but I will say that almost half of the list consisted of songs by or featuring Phil Collins. (Seriously, sometimes it seems these guys think that Phil Collins was the only musical artist of that decade. Well, him and Asia.) Sean’s list inspired me to do a list of my own. My list will feature very emotionally charged songs by just one artist; 80s critics’ darlings, The Replacements.

And you thought I was going to say The Smiths.

The Replacements were lead by one of the 80s’ (and all time, for that matter) finest songwriters, Paul Westerberg. Paul’s lyrics could funny, irreverent, and gut-wrenching. He certainly wore his heart on his sleeve. A fact he acknowledges on his first official solo album, 14 Songs, in the song ‘First Glimmer’.

Maybe these songs aren’t all sad, per se, but they are powerful, poignant works of musical art.

And none of them feature Phil Collins.

10) Johnny’s Gonna Die (Sorry, Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash)

A song about knowing your hero is a flawed human being destined for disaster. In this case, it’s about Paul’s hero, Johnny Thunders. Johnny died of a drug overdose in 1991.

“Johnny wants something what he ain’t got”

9) Answering Machine (Let It Be)

This is a song of the frustrations of attempting to achieve true connections to another person.

“How do I say ‘I’m lonely’ to/ An answering machine?”

8) Sixteen Blue (Let It Be)

I think every high school age boy should thank Paul for understanding and getting it right. This song can be considered the boys’ version of Janis Ian’s ‘At Seventeen’.

“I don’t understand/ Tell my friends I’m doin’ fine”

7) The Ledge (Pleased to Meet Me)

I love the sound of the guitars on this song. A song about a young man, standing on the ledge of a tall building, finally getting the attention he’s craved all his life only when he’s decided to kill himself. And, at the end of the song… he jumps.

“I’m the boy they can’t ignore/ For the first time in my life, I’m sure”

6) Skyway (Pleased to Meet Me)

A song about a love that seems as though it will never be fulfilled, fate keeps him away from the object of his desire.

“There wasn't a damn thing I could do or say/ Up in the skyway”

5) Sadly Beautiful (All Shook Down)

Technically, this isn’t a 80s song (All Shook Down was released in 1990) and All Shook Down could be considered Westerberg’s unofficial first solo album, had the label not insisted on releasing it as a Replacements’ album. The song is just too damn good to leave off the list, so I’m grandfathering it in.

For me, the song voices the deeply felt regret that life goes by so fast and the joy of having lived at all. In every way, this song lives up to its title.

“Had no chance at all to let you know/ You left me sadly, beautiful”

4) Within Your Reach (Hootenanny)

The line I site says it better than anything I could write here.

“Live without your touch/ If I die within your reach”

3) Achin’ To Be (Don’t Tell a Soul)

Here we have the frustration of wanting to be loved and truly understood, and trying so hard, but still failing.

“If no one’s on your canvas/ Well, I’m achin’ to be”

2) Here Comes A Regular (Tim)

Anyone who has spent an appreciable amount of time drowning their sorrows at the local watering hole will feel a chord struck with this song.

“All I know is I’m sick of everything that my money can buy/ A fool will waste his life, God rest his guts”

1) Unsatisfied (Let It Be)

This is an anthem for anyone who has ever been mad as hell, and I guess that would be everyone.

“Look me in the eye/ Then tell me/ That I’m satisfied/ Are you satisfied?”

You can check out the Stuck in the 80s blog and find out how to download their podcast at http://blogs.tampabay.com/80s You may find a comment or two from me, I go by Dr. Dim.

concert memoirs pt. 42 - babes in toyland & johnny thunders

Babes In Toyland (Minneapolis band)

At first, I wasn't sure of my memories of this band, but I was able to get a hold of John and he confirmed what I remember. When we saw them, Babes In Toyland had four members. They had a lead singer. Kat Bjelland played guitar and did backing vocals.

While John and I were hanging out at First Avenue every Tuesday for the Club Degenerate dance nights, we got to know a woman named Cindy Russell. Cindy was also a regular of Club Degenerate. She would be out on the dance floor before the night really got going, dancing to whatever Kevin Cole was playing. She was very theatrical in her dancing as she made use of the nearly empty dance floor. She twirled and jumped and threw her scarves in the air for dramatic effect. She even did a couple on stage dance cameos for Club Degenerate.

This is Cindy Russell. She gave me this picture way back in the late 80s.

John and I became familiar faces to her and she began to come over to talk to us. She'd bum a cigarette from John and, soon, John and I became her ride home. Not every Tuesday, but many of them, John would see her move from group to group, looking for a ride. She'd end up with us.

One night, she told us that she was in a band. She introduced us to the bass player. I'm not absolutely sure, but I think it was Michelle Leon. And I think I bummed a cigarette from her.

Cindy told us that her band would be doing a cameo during an upcoming Club Degenerate. So, John and I were right up front to check them out. They were introduced as Babes In Toyland and Cindy was their lead singer.

They were pretty rough and Cindy didn't have the best voice. One song was called 'X Means Danger', I think. Another song dealt with a father molesting his daughter. Pretty cheery stuff, eh?

Cindy's involvement in the band didn't last long. The Babes as a quartet had produced a demo tape that they sent on to Steve Albini. Albini was in the bands Big Black and, later, Shellac. He also produced records, most notably Pixies' 'Surfer Rosa' and Nirvana's 'In Utero'. So, he was kind of a big deal.

Cindy told us that he listened to the demo and advised them to get rid of the singer. He said her voice was "too husky". So it was goodbye to Cindy. She got the boot.

Babes In Toyland soon became big stars as a three piece band. I guess Albini was right.

There you have it. Babes In Toyland was once, however briefly, a four piece band. And you won't find this info anywhere else.

Johnny Thunders (Glam/punk rock legend)

This was probably one of those special Club Degenerate concert nights. But, since I don't have a ticket stub, I can't be certain.

I didn't know much about Johnny Thunders at the time. I think I knew about his involvement with the New York Dolls and his big solo tune 'Chinese Rock'. I did know he was pretty important to the punk scene.

He wore what looked like silk pajamas, as he playfully engaged in insulting the audience. He'd make some disparaging comment about the audience. We would give him the finger or yell, "F@$k you!" It was so punk rock.

John and I also had the honor of standing next to one very big Johnny Thunders fan. It was Paul Westerberg (of The Replacements, as if you didn't know). It was Paul who wrote the prophetic song 'Johnny's Gonna Die' about Thunders. It wasn't long after this show when Johnny did, in fact, die.

concert memoirs pt. 10 - the replacements

The Replacements w/Laughing Stock
7/1/85 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: Unknown

“Someone put ice in his tea.” That’s the reason Paul Westerberg gave for why The Replacements were there that night and not Robyn Hitchcock. Robyn Hitchcock was scheduled, but he didn’t play. We weren’t too upset, though, because it gave us another chance to see the legends.

You will recall the first time John and I saw The Replacements (First Avenue 9/5/84) John had some minor panic issues. This time John and I stood up front and caught the entire show. No panic attacks.

Allow me to digress for a moment, the opening act, Laughing Stock, was a fairly decent local band. They had a little of the REM influence, but a lot of bands did in those days. Laughing Stock was lead by a fellow named Jim Walsh. Jim Walsh has gone on to be a music (among other things) journalist.

He has recently published ‘The Replacements: All over but the shouting - an oral history’. Jim put together various people’s recollections about one of the most important bands in rock history. It’s a good read, especially for fans and those interested in that era of the Minneapolis music scene.

One point made over and over in the book was that the band could be phenomenal in concert. However, they could just as likely be shit. Bob Mould (Husker Du, Sugar) said that if you saw them ten times, you might see one good show and nine lousy ones.

Well, I can’t say this was a great show, but it wasn’t awful. They weren’t falling down drunk or anything, but they took their time between songs. They appeared to not have a playlist, so they would pause after each song and look at each other trying to figure out what to play next. This didn’t help build any momentum through the show.

It also lead to another problem. Several members of the audience took those pauses as their cue to call out for their favorite ‘Mats tune. One doofus standing right next to me kept calling out, “Go!” It’s possible that he was admonishing the band for their lackadaisical pacing, but I’m fairly certain he meant the song from their second release, ‘Stink’.

One humorous moment that I recall from that show occurred when some audience member called out, “Tommy’s got a boner!” (As you know, the actual song title is ‘Gary’s Got A Boner’ from their album ‘Let It Be’.) Paul heard the shout, gave us a “He does?” look, and walked over to Tommy Stinson. He moved Tommy’s bass away to get a better look. I couldn’t tell if Tommy had a boner or not and Paul didn’t say.

So, John and I saw The Replacements twice. We didn’t get stellar shows, but they weren’t awful. I think the reason we didn’t go see them after the second time was that we weren’t as impressed with their shows as we were with their albums. They were an important band and I’m glad I saw them.

YouTube has a concert they did in the 7th Street Entry on 9/5/81. That’s exactly three years before John and I first saw them play. That concert shows them at their best. They go a little out of tune, but that was their style. Here’s the link to the first part of the 16 part series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImUwS4IoZhc Check it out. It’s great.