ABC - Acquiesce

Well here are the first four songs on my iPod.

"ABC"
The Jackson 5. From 1970's "ABC".
The title track from the Jackson 5's second album, “ABC” is a great song to start this my iPod and this blog on. Recorded when Michael Jackson was just 12 years old, the song would knock “Let It Be” off the top of the singles charts. The classic Jackson 5 harmonizing will have you singing along immediately, and with lyrics this simple, that seems to be the point. Composed by “The Corporation”, Motown’s in-house songwriting team just for the J5, the song would last two weeks at the top of the charts. This song is a recipe for a smile every time it is on.
Credit for first listen: The radio, I presume.
What this song is probably not about: Teacher-student love. Michael clearly fancies himself the teacher in this scenario, which makes the lyrics less creepy, if you notice them at all. In this way it is like The Police’s “Don’t Stand so Close to Me”.
What this song is probably about: The simplicity of love. Pretty straightforward, but that’s not really shocking coming from this group, or Motown in general by this time.
Essential lyric: “Without the roots of love girl/your education ain’t complete”
Arbitrary Rating: 58 out of 100.

"Absinthe Party at The Fly Honey Warehouse"
Minus the Bear. From 2002's "Highly Refined Pirates".
Minus the Bear is an often overlooked indie band from that indie mecca of Washington state, which has produced darlings such as Death Cab for Cutie and Band of Horses. Though often overlooked, once given a listen they are always appreciated. This 5-piece makes great music, and has a great sense of humour as well. For example, many of the titles of their songs from their debut album came from lines in the classic movie “Starship Troopers”, and their name is a reference to the ‘80s show “B.J. and the Bear”.
“Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse” is my favourite MTB track, so I am happy it appeared so early alphabetically on my iPod. The song brilliantly captures the “trip to Europe” experience: “We've got to plan our day/Rodin and d’Orsay/and find a way to cram it all in/before we drink hard again”. If you’ve ever been on one of these trips, the lyrics will resonate. For me the song will always remind me of the week I spent in Scotland in February 2009, and the people there with me, where the sites inevitably played second fiddle to nights. And I’ll never regret it.
Credit for first listen: I believe my sister Kate made me listen to this song soon after the album was released.
What this song is probably not about: It is essentially a story about a guy who wants to cross the ocean just to drink in Europe, so it might be about North American alcoholism, and all the “ugly American” connotations that go with it.
What this song is probably about: Capturing the beautiful experience of experiencing Europe.
Essential lyric: “Sitting on a park bench/that’s older than my country”
Arbitrary rating: 84 out of 100.

"Accidents"
Alexisonfire. From 2004's "Watch Out".
“Accidents” was the first single from AOF’s second album “Watch Out”. The local boys had made some serious headway into the North American music scene with their eponymous debut album, which was certified Gold. This was primarily a result of their extensive touring and energy, as well as frequent requests on MuchMusic for their debut video for the song “Pulmonary Archery”. “Watch Out” came out in 2004, and was decidedly more structured than their frenetic debut album, which was described by the band as two catholic school girls in a knife fight. Along with the added emphasis on structure, Dallas Green’s vocals were featured more frequently on this album.
Green sings the chorus on “Accidents”, which are the best parts of this song. Though it is hard to argue that the instrumentation and George Pettit’s raw vocals don’t offer a bit of a rush. The contrast between these and Green’s vocals is what makes the song so enjoyable, even though I am not much of an AOF fan. In fact I just discovered this is their only song on my iPod. “Accidents” played a huge role in helping this album eventually becoming certified platinum, as the music video was played extensively on MuchMusic. Green’s talent would become obvious when he began releasing solo albums under the “City and Colour” moniker the next year.
Credit for first listen: Probably one of the numerous diehard AOF fans in St. Catharines made me listen to it.
What this song is probably not about: How terrible Doctors’ waiting rooms are.
What this song is probably about: The lyrics give a paranoid look at the current state of medicine, amplified by Green’s crooning of “Do they even cure you?”.
Essential lyric: “If only we could heal ourselves/we wouldn’t need to be hooked up to these machines”.
Arbitrary rating: 60 out of 100.

"Acquiesce"
Oasis. From 1998's "The Masterplan".
This song was originally released as b-side to the 1995 single “Some Might Say”. This is my favourite Oasis song for a myriad of reasons, all of which I will now list: 1) The song is essentially about friendship, which is perfect because Oasis will always remind me of my best friend John, who is Canada’s biggest Oasis fan; 2) The song is comparable to Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We are the Champions” because it is a sing-along to be sung at a pub, while enjoying a footballing triumph, which is sweet cause I love football/soccer and Queen; 3) It is one of only three Oasis songs to feature both the Gallaghers on lead vocals, and it sounds ruddy brilliant; 4) The song riffs on their own song “Morning Glory” at the very beginning, which is a great song itself and I just like when bands do this.
The song was so popular as a b-side that it eventually was released as a single itself in 1998. Though my favourite Oasis song, its reputation in my mind has been sullied by the band’s split, as its lyrics offer a stiff contrast to the real relationship between the Gallaghers which was at the root of their break up.
Credit for first listen: John Barr, who seemed to make it his goal that I hear every Oasis song ever, even the b-sides.
What this song is probably not about: Latent incestuous homosexual relationship between Liam and Noel. As was aforementioned this is one of the few songs both are featured on lead vocals, and thus it seems like they are singing to each other.
What this song is probably about: The power of friendship, and the role of friends in our lives.
Essential lyric: “We need eachother/we believe in one another”
Arbitrary rating: 85 out of 100.