From local blogger Dan at Gone Mild. It's a pretty interesting list with lots of great supporting information.
I guess one good turn deserves another. Here are my 5 most important songs about Kansas City:
1. Goin' to Kansas City - The version by Wilbert Harrison is the "original" and I don't care what date it was recorded. People only bring up Jay McShann's take because they're posers who want everybody to think they know about Black people. Harrison is what you hear on the radio, and it's definitive.
2. Goin' to Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey - The Little Richard version. This is my favorite version of the song and is good enough to remind you where Prince stole all his moves.
3. Goin' to Kansas City - The Beatles version also sets an important precedent because it's a bunch of white guys coming in and profiting off of Black music, this is basically the course for all pop music and much of American History.
4. Even the nights are brighter - This song from Air Supply has nothing to do with Kansas City except that it was constantly played on every radio station in town during the 80's and nearly drove me insane as a kid. And no, I'm not gonna mention that ghey tune "Kansas City Lights" because I believe it was bought and paid for by the ad agency for The Plaza and I hate folk music.
5. Black Betty - Again, this song by Nazareth has no KC connection except they have now started playing it at Chiefs games as a substitute for "Start Me Up" by the Stones and I believe that the song plays inside the head of every white person in town going through a Meth fueled freak out.
I guess one good turn deserves another. Here are my 5 most important songs about Kansas City:
1. Goin' to Kansas City - The version by Wilbert Harrison is the "original" and I don't care what date it was recorded. People only bring up Jay McShann's take because they're posers who want everybody to think they know about Black people. Harrison is what you hear on the radio, and it's definitive.
2. Goin' to Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey - The Little Richard version. This is my favorite version of the song and is good enough to remind you where Prince stole all his moves.
3. Goin' to Kansas City - The Beatles version also sets an important precedent because it's a bunch of white guys coming in and profiting off of Black music, this is basically the course for all pop music and much of American History.
4. Even the nights are brighter - This song from Air Supply has nothing to do with Kansas City except that it was constantly played on every radio station in town during the 80's and nearly drove me insane as a kid. And no, I'm not gonna mention that ghey tune "Kansas City Lights" because I believe it was bought and paid for by the ad agency for The Plaza and I hate folk music.
5. Black Betty - Again, this song by Nazareth has no KC connection except they have now started playing it at Chiefs games as a substitute for "Start Me Up" by the Stones and I believe that the song plays inside the head of every white person in town going through a Meth fueled freak out.
My list pales in comparison. Great work. My only suggestion would be to add John Fogerty's "Put Me in Coach", because that thought crosses the mind of everyone out at Kauffman Stadium as the Royals blunder their way through another game.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Beatles profiting from black music. My take on it is that they were "fans" of black music first and foremost. We're talking about a song (or songs) very early in their career when they were a long way from seeing a "profit" from their music. I would like to think they loved and "promoted" black music rather than simply took advantage for profit. The songwriters that they were, they certainly didn't record the songs they did out of neediness. Like Elvis, they broadened the music base through their love of the genre.
ReplyDelete"Black Betty" is by Ram Jam. They were pretty much a one-hit-wonder.
ReplyDelete