Written by: Gerry Beckley & Dewey Bunnell
Released: 1982

US Charts: #8
UK Charts: N/A
Other Charts: N/A

It’s amazing how your interpretation of a song can be very different from what it really is about, yet upon discovering this, you choose to stick to your original interpretation because it what gave the song meaning and a special significance for you. The first time I heard the America song “You Can Do Magic”, it was at a seminar about personal development and as a result, I interpreted the song as being a song of encouragement that anyone can do ‘magic’ and achieve anything they want in life if you put your head to it. However, the song was not really about this at all.

Just before writing this post I looked up the exact lyrics of the song and realized how wrong my interpretation was all this time. And I ended up pretty disappointed. In reality, the song deals with the protagonist who feels lost and down, and whose life completely changes when he meets the girl of his dreams. The “you can do magic” part is actually addressed to this girl and how her presence can dramatically change the way he’s feeling. As you can see, both interpretations are very different.

Nevertheless, my original interpretation will remain with me because this is in my opinion a great encouraging. In a time where many people are in doubt about their futures and their capabilities, this song is a constant reminder that anyone can do anything if they really want it. Personal development is one of my other passions apart from music, and the role that music can play in putting people in the right state of mind should not be underestimated.

Focusing on the band America, “You Can Put Magic” was their first top 10 hit in 7 years and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Charts. America are probably more well-known for their 70s hits “The Horse With No Name” and Sister Golden Hair”, making this song one of their most forgotten classics. I hope you appreciate this great motivational song as much as I do.

You can access lyrics here.

You can access chords here.

Comment on this post below.

More from America

Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Released: 1984

US Charts: #2
UK Charts: #4
Other Charts: #1 (The Netherlands), #5 (Australia)

You can watch the music video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk8VZgJkpeg

The most surprising fact about “Dancing In The Dark” is that it was the last song to be written and recorded for Bruce Springsteen’s biggest album, Born In The U.S.A. Springsteen wrote the song after an argument with his producer and manager John Landau who insisted that while the album was great, he wanted a guaranteed hit song as the first single. Springsteen didn’t agree, nonetheless, he wrote the song afterwards and combined with his frustration with completing the album, the lyrics flowed out relatively quickly.

While “Dancing In The Dark” became the most commercially successful single of Springsteen’s career, it was also different to his previous songs and the typical Springsteen sound. The song incorporated up-tempo synthesizer riffs which were common in the 80s, and which is why I think it became such a big mainstream hit in 1984.

Unfortunately, the song could only reach number 2 on the Billboard charts due to 2 other huge hits during the summer of 1984 (Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry”). On another occasion, this song would have easily reached number 1. Apart from the United States, it was also a big hit in many other countries, reaching number 4 in the UK and number 5 in Australia.

“Dancing In The Dark” is considered to be one of the great songs of the 1980’s especially when you’re in the mood for dancing. The music video, which also became one of the most recognizable videos of the decade, features Springsteen doing a live performance who then invites a young 20-year-old fan by the name of Courteney Cox on stage to dance with him towards the end of the video.

You can watch the video via the link below. Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk8VZgJkpeg

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

Written by: Jim Steinman
Released: 1977

US Charts: #11
UK Charts: #32
Other Charts: #25 (Ireland)

My personal favourite from Meatloaf’s record-breaking Bat Out of Hell album, “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” is an enduring, classic power ballad written by one of rock’s greatest songwriters and composers, Jim Steinman. His collaboration with one of rock’s biggest voices brought them both huge success and great hits to remember for all time.

The song captures your attention from the very beginning with a beautiful, soft and memorable piano melody which leads in well to Meatloaf’s vocals in the first verse. As with many other Meatloaf/Steinman collaboration, this song deals with tragedy in love. The song deals with the protagonist telling his lover that they have reached the end of the road and cannot go on any further. The protagonist admits painfully that even though he wants her and needs her, he can never love her. He goes on to say that this shouldn’t be a cause for sadness because a two out of three success rate is not bad.

The way the lyrics are written is a testament to Jim Steinman because they are written in such a way that they extract the full emotional value from the feelings being expressed. This is further emphasised by Meatloaf’s singing which fits perfectly with the emotions needed to be expressed. His big voice is effectively used to show the despair and pain of the protagonist which makes this song so memorable.

This was the highest charting song released from the Bat Out of Hell album, peaking at number 11 in the US and number 32 in the UK. However, I suspect this low placing on the charts is because the entire album was successful meaning that individual singles are not fully supported.

Nevertheless, I hope you appreciate the beauty of this classic song from Meatloaf as much as I do.

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

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Written by: Cat Stevens
Released: 1971

US Charts: #7
UK Charts: N/A
Other Charts: N/A

“Peace Train” is one of the most well-known war-protest songs in music history and was written and composed by one of the most talented and popular musicians of the late 60s and 70s, Cat Stevens. The message of this powerful song continues to resonate today: violence in many parts of the world means that we all need to be hopeful and encourage peaceful solutions to today’s problems. The song asks all of us to jump on the “peace train” to achieve this dream of world peace.

The song was written at the height of Steven’s career and was in response to the Vietnam War at the time. However, Cat Stevens is no longer known as Cat Stevens anymore, he is known as Yusuf Islam. In 1978, he converted to Islam at the height of his popularity after a near-death experience in California in 1976. As a result of his conversion, he abandoned his career as a pop star and sold all his instruments and used his royalties to engage in philanthropic and educational causes. He only returned to composing pop songs in 2006 with his pop album in 28 years.

One can easily conclude that he didn’t realise his ultimate potential by ending his musical career at a relatively early age. While this is probably the case, he also demonstrated strong compassion and love by leaving his successful pop career in favour of dedicating his life to others. Nevertheless, he left us with many hit songs to remember and sing along to, such as “Peace Train.”

Overall, the lyrics and rhythm of the song present both an optimistic and pessimistic outlook of the world. The song declares that there is so much hope for the future, while so much pain in the present and that the “peace train” is there for all of us to get on. All that’s left is for us to get on the train. The song has a very catchy and easy to follow rhythm which makes it extremely memorable.

The above is of a performance in 1976, and as you will see or have seen, the singer’s ability to sound as great live as on the recording shows us that Stevens (Islam) is a genuine and enormously talented artist. His songs will live with us for a long time to come even after ending his musical careers early. I truly hope you enjoy this song as much as I do and join the peace train with me.

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

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Written by: Glenn Shorrock
Released: 1977

US Charts: #14
UK Charts: N/A
Other Charts: #1 (Australia)

“Help Is On Its Way” is one of Little River Band’s first major hits in the US and which catapulted them to fame during the disco era of the late 70s and beginning part of the 80s. As a result, they became the first Australian group to achieve consistent and sustained mainstream success in the US. In total, the band scored 13 Top 40 hits in the US while selling 25 million records.

Today’s featured song, “Help Is On Its Way” is a nice and catchy rock tune from the late 70′s and in my opinion, the best song LRB has ever made. Once again, this song has been continuously playing in my head throughout the whole day and that’s why I’ve chosen to write about this song now.

Lyrics-wise, the song deals with the hustle and bustle of life and how sometimes people have problems in life simply because they are rushing instead of taking their time. In addition, it emphasises that if you do need help fixing your problems, you just need to be patient because “help is on its way.” Such feelings are as relevant today as they were when the song were composed which is probably why it enjoyed such popularity both in Australia and the US.

The highlight in the song for me is the guitar riffs at the beginning and the guitar solo at the end of the song. The opening riff puts you straight in the mood of the song and gets you comfortable with the rhythm of the rest of the song while the guitar solo right at the end leaves you asking for more. It’s a great song all round making it really difficult to point out any weaknesses. I just hope you enjoy the song as much as I do.

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

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Written by: John Fogerty
Released: 1970

US Charts: #8
UK Charts: #36
Other Charts: N/A

Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) is one of the great bands of the late 60s and early 70s and during their relatively short period of existence (5 years), they produced a string of hits, many of which are still stamples of classic rock music stations today. Today, I’ve chosen to feature my favourite song of theirs, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”, simply because I have not able to get it out of my mind today. Maybe it’s because today has been a hot summer’s day, that I’ve been wondering about whether rain will ever be seen again. I have no idea why.

CCR’s music has been described as “roots rock” and many other descriptions, but what you do notice when listening to their music is that they are vastly different to any other rock band. It is different but also very distinct making their music memorable and instantly recognizable. “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” was one of their last major hits and has been interpreted in many ways over the years.

Some have said that the statement “Have you ever seen the rain?” refers to the Vietnam War at the time and bombs falling from the sky. However, CCR was not a band that expressed their political opinions in their songs, the only exception being “Fortunate Son.” The lead singer and writer of the song, John Fogerty, himself stated the song is simply about the rising tensions in the band and the imminent departure of his brother Tom from the band. CCR would be no longer barely a year after the release of this song, so his explanation is probably fitting.

Nevertheless, you can interpret the song any way you wish. Different interpretations give different meanings to different people. For me, it was simply that it was hot sticky summer’s day and that it made me wonder whether I would see the rain. Then I thought about those people who live in arid or desert climates where the sight of rain is few and far between. This kind of meaning makes this song special to me. You may attach a different, more personal meaning. I don’t know. What I do know is that this song is a classic that will remain so for decades to come. Enjoy!

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

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Written by: Don Henley & Glenn Frey
Released: 1975

US Charts: #1 (1 week)
UK Charts: #23
Other Charts: N/A

If there was a song that epitomised procrastination in under 5 minutes, it is this song. The title itself gives a clear indication that someone is continuously putting something off in their life. In the case of this song, songwriter Glenn Frey said that it was about putting off many things in life such as romance, buying a house, making money etc.

Maybe it’s because many people could associate with the meaning of this song that it went straight to number 1 in the US in 1975. Whatever the reason, it has a nice, easy-to-follow tune throughout, which is both enticing and memorable.

The first thing that struck me when hearing this song for the first time was the somewhat unusual intro, which I didn’t expect from a rock band. However, as soon as the verse melody begins, you begin to realise that it was a perfect buildup to the rest of the song.

This was the first Eagles song I heard and as a result I dug through the entire Eagles’ catalogue and began to appreciate the Eagles for what they are: a legendary rock band. I’d heard of the Eagles years before, but I’d never researched their material. I now regret not doing it earlier.

If you have never heard an Eagles song, you will certainly enjoy this one and be inspired to dig through their other songs. Not to mention, you might play this song every time you feel that you are procrastinating. “One of the Nights” is one of the Eagles’ signature songs and truly shows their immense creative talent at the peak of their powers. Enjoy!

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my critique below.

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