Jeff Tweedy, of the band Wilco, writes about his favorite (and unfavorite songs) and what music has meant to him over his 53 years.
I’m impressed that Tweedy admits his dislike (bordering on hatred) of some songs…but in later years he changed his mind and found he actually loved those songs. Two examples: Abba’s “Dancing Queen” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Tweedy identifies Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” as the first song that really resonated with him. And that song influenced Tweedy to pursue a musical career.
Other key songs in Tweedy’s life are Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.”
What songs influenced your Life? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Look… — xi
A Note on Rememories — xv
Smoke on the Water — 1
Long Tall Glasses — 4
Spitting on the Bar Mirror — 7
Takin’ Care of Business — 8
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right — 11
Is There a Merit Badge for Shame? — 14
Mull of Kintyre — 18
Loud, Loud, Loud — 22
Oliver Gothic — 28
Both Sides Now — 32
Lucky Number — 34
Hat-Wearing Kind of Guy — 38
Gloria — 39
As If It Always Happens — 43
Terry — 47
Somewhere over the Rainbow — 48
Death or Glory — 50
Schadenfreude Buffet — 54
My Sharona — 57
In Germany Before the War — 62
The Un-copied Copy — 66
Dancing Queen — 68
The Message — 72
Overdubs — 75
Balancing Act — 76
Frankie Teardrop — 79
Seventies Caprice Classic — 82
I’m Not in Love — 85
Connection — 88
Traumatizing Toilet — 91
Forever Paradise — 92
Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down — 96
Brown Recluse Spider Bite — 101
God Damn Job — 103
Ramblin’ Man — 109
Blue Note — 114
History Lesson-Part II — 118
Little Johnny Jewel — 122
Scottish Alarm — 126
4ʹ33ʺ — 130
Anchorage — 132
Reno, Nevada — 136
(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay — 137
You Are My Sunshine –139
Raunch Hands — 142
I Will Always Love You — 143
Wanted Dead or Alive — 146
Spin Shoot — 147
Before Tonight — 149
Shotgun — 153
Rock Club Ghost Ship — 155
The Weight — 157
Will You Love Me Tomorrow — 160
German Burger King — 162
Free Bird — 163
The Star-Spangled Banner — 165
The Mary F***ing Celeste — 167
Radio Free Europe –169
I’m Against It — 171
Coachella — 174
Bizcochito — 175
The Beatles — 180
Abbey Road — 184
Close My Eyes — 186
Happy Birthday — 190
Banana Pancake Recipe — 192
Love Like a Wire — 193
I Love You — 196
Portland Story — 200
Who Loves the Sun — 203
I’m into Something Good — 207
Heart of Glass — 210
I’m Beginning to See the Light — 213
I’ll Take You There — 215
Acknowledgements — 219
Song Credits — 221
Permissions — 231
I’m a big fan of Wilco. I have seen them several times in concert. Some odd choices here. Have always disliked Smoke On the Water and anything by ABBA.
My favorite songs that resonate with me the most (this is just off the top of my head).
Like A Rolling StoneBob Dylan
Waterloo Sunset-The Kinks
God Only Knows-Beach Boys
You Set the Scene-Love
Darkness On the Edge of Town-Springsteen
My Generation-The Who
Waiting For the Clampdown-The Clash
Alison-Elvis Costello
Heroin, I’m Waiting for the Man, Sweet Jane, Rock and Roll-Lou Reed
Satisfaction-Rolling Stones
Into My Arms-Nick Cave
I Wanna Be Your Dog-The Stooges
Helpless-Neil Young
Steve, as a big Wilco fan, you’ll love WWORLD WITHIN A SONG. Tweety really nails it! That is a wonderful list of songs! Several of them–“Allison” and “Like a Rolling Stone” would be on my list, too. I’d swap “Satisfaction” for “Tumbling Dice.”
I’m not sure any one song has influenced my life, but certain genres and the way I related to them certainly has. I think my love of Disco in the 1970s and alternative music in the 1980s tended to make me more open-minded and inclusive because that was part of the music’s appeal (and I feel that way about EDM today); or perhaps I gravitated to music that reinforced my own feelings. Who can tell? If I could only take one 45-rpm to a desert island, it was be “Black Is Black”, a mid-sixties hit by the Spanish group Los Bravos. I could listen to that song endlessly without tiring of it!
Deb, as far as musical genres go, I grew up listening to Motown music and loved all the groups and singers who sang Soul. In the 1970s I bought albums by singers and groups that I loved: Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Jackson Brown, Neil Young, etc. And, I too loved Disco! The 1980s were all about Big Hair Heavy Metal groups. The 1990s had me listening to Bay Bands, and the 21st Century has been a musical hodgepodge for me.
So, not even some parallels between ballads and prose narratives nor lyrics and vignettes, George?
It’d be difficult to begin to list all the songs that have moved me in one sense or another over the decades, and so many for the better (even given I have mentioned at least as readily those that have annoyed the hell our of me, on this blog and elsewhere). Fairly relentless eclecticism hasn’t hurt me at all.
I would like to read how “My Sharona” might’ve Changed Tweety’s life.
Todd, I’m sure your local public Library has a copy of Jeff Tweedy’s WORLD WITHIN A SONG. “My Sharona” is on p. 57.
I hope “Mull of Kintyre” is n the “hate” list, because… blech.
I wouldn’t say any songs have “influenced my life” in the way he implies. It does sound interesting, though I doubt our tastes coincide much. We did see Wilco once, opening for someone or other before they were as popular as they are now. Can’t remember who.
Songs that affected me at the time?
Eh, Cumpari! – Julius La Rosa – the first record I remember as a child. I made my mother play it endlessly. So much better than “Shrimp boats are coming” or other songs from the early ’50s.
The Ballad of Davy Crockett – Bill Hayes (still going strong at 98!) – I loved all things Disney then.
Let’s Twist Again/Peppermint Twist – at 13, I was easily affected
I Want to Hold Your Hand – no explanation needed. I saw The Beatles at Carnegie Hall in February 1964.
Eve of Destruction – Barry McGuire. Again, just at the right age to be affected.
Ohio – CSN&Y/Neil Young. Again, in college, already protesting at the time of Kent State.
Jeff, my parents loved Broadway show music so I grew up listening to ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, OKLAHOMA, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, CAMELOT, and MY FAIR LADY. But when I got a transistor radio for my Birthday in the early 1960s, my musical tastes changed radically. Motown, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles took up a lot of my listening time. But when I first heard Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” my hair was on fire!
An interesting list, George.
I imagine everyone would have a different roster of favorites. Mine is VERY long.
And, Jeff, I love Mull of Kintyre.
Beth, like you, I have a very long list of songs I love. Sometimes, it depends on the mood I’m in as to which Playlist I prefer.
George, at first I thought I would not be interested in this book, but the more I looked at it the more it looked appealing. The pieces are short and most I am familiar with. It is good to see You Are My Sunshine and (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bayon there, and I like Dancing Queen.
“You Are My Sunshine” from the George Russell Sextet featuring Sheila Jordan on THE OUTER VIEW (1962):
Don Ellis (tp); Garnett Brown (tb); Paul Plummer (ts); George Russell (p); Steve Swallow (b) Pete LaRoca (d); Sheila Jordan (voc)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIokpD6lqp8
Tracy, I found WORLD WITHIN A SONG a fun book as Jeff Tweedy’s stories illuminate how the songs he grew up loving affected his Life and career. Plus, the book is short and moving!
No one song made a difference in my life but the Beatles were a huge influence! Once disco came along I gave up on new music, although I admit there’re some good records in the mix!
Bob, my sisters loved the Beatles while I loved The Rolling Stones.