09/24/2007
Mix Disc Monday Home / Music Home / Bullz-Eye Home
Numbers seem to be everywhere. They help us connect with people or find out where they live, and they are also frequently the inspiration for musical artists when writing songs. Here are some great songs with a number as the title, or as part of the title.
"#7," Six Going On Seven (American't
(Or Won't))
This emo/indie rock band split up in
2001, but before that they released three albums
of some really cool songs. This may be somewhat
of a contradiction, but on iTunes this
song is known as "#7," but on Allmusic.com is
known as "Readying." I'm selfishly sticking to
the former for my purposes here.
"10-9-8," Face To Face (Face To Face)
There was another, much heavier band with
the same name that came out in the nineties, but
this Boston based eighties pop/rock band led by
singer Laurie Sargent was phenomenal and never
really got the props they deserved.
"1000 Julys," Third Eye Blind (Blue)
Before lead singer Stephan Jenkins gave
a testicle or two to girlfriend Vanessa Carlton,
this band fucking rocked.
"12 Steps," The Kicks (Hello Hong
Kong)
Another amazing rock band that broke up
prematurely, before they could do something rad like
take over the world. Or get really drunk, make great
music, and then vomit (not necessarily in that order).
"14th and
Euclid," The Samples (No Room)
This jam rock band is still making music
after 20 years, and their early stuff is still melodic,
timeless, and incredibly easy to listen to.
"1972," Josh Rouse (1972)
If you grew up on 70s pop like I did, you
can't not love this record.
"1979," Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon
Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
From the breakthrough album of Smashing
Pumpkins, one of the most successful alt-rock outfits
of the nineties, comes this track that was about
as pop as the band got.
"24," Jem (Finally Woken)
A really dark song in which the main character
sings about being dead 24 hours from now, it's
a powerful track from this Welsh electronica songstress.
We could, however, do without the cheesy synthesizer
riffs.
"3 Libras," A Perfect Circle (Mer
de Noms)
A Perfect Circle was an extension of the
metal band Tool, with former lead vocalist Maynard
James Keenan leading the way. And even if you're
not into heavy music, the band's debut was about
as beautifully dark and haunting as it gets.
"305," The Southland (Influence of
Geography)
This band has released one album, in 2005,
and somehow the ridiculous climate of today's music
industry has kept them from becoming huge. Or
maybe it's just not their time yet. Either way,
this is one of the best albums you probably haven't
yet heard.
"32 Flavors," Alana Davis (Blame It
On Me)
I think the hip terminology for someone
like Alana Davis these days is "neo soul." I call
it "really fucking cool."
"5:19," Matt Wertz (Everything In
Between)
There are so many good male singer/songwriters,
but Matt Wertz delivered this soulful gem on Nettwerk
Music earlier this year, and it stands out from
the pack.
"50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," Paul Simon
(Still Crazy After All These Years)
What am I supposed to say here? That this
song is brilliant even by Paul Simon's standards?
Okay, I just said it.
"867-5309 (Jenny)," Tommy Tutone (Tommy
Tutone 2)
All I can say is I feel sorry for whoever
had this phone number at the time the song, one of
the more definitive of the 80s, blew up. In fact,
find me the person who kept that phone number and
I'll show you a huge pair of balls.
"99," Toto (Hydra)
Toto could have patented that prog rock meets
soft rock sound, because they did it as well as
anyone and paved the way for acts like Ambrosia
and the 80s version of Chicago.