Author: Kim Simpson

“Beautiful Stranger” (1999) – Madonna * Written and produced by Madonna and William Orbit * CD single: “Beautiful Stranger”/ (Victor Calderone remixes) * LP: Austin Powers: The Spy Who  Shagged Me (single) * Label: Maverick

Anyone familiar with Love’s “She Comes in Colors” (1967) heard its twisty hook (IIIb – VIIb – IV – VIb) in Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger” right away. Rhino Records’ Gary Stewart took note of it in Entertainment Weekly, with a sky-is-blue response from a spokesperson that Madonna had never heard of Love. It was likely co-writer William Orbit, though, who drew from the psych-rock cult record to juice the sixties genetics of this particular Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me assignment. The single’s movie tie-in odor, though, was out of Orbit’s hands.

“After the Roses” (1980) – Kenny Rankin * Written by Kenny Rankin and Teddy Costa * LP: After the Roses * Produced by Don Costa * Label: Atlantic

The jazzy Manhattan singer-songwriter Kenny Rankin took the candlelight dinner route on his After the Roses LP, with its Don Costa string arrangements and tuxedo photo on the back. Its spare title track, though, is the one that lingers, thanks to the suspended-chord musical uncertainty that fits his insecure words like a wrinkled tailored shirt. “I’ve been talking to myself again,” he sings at the 39-second mark, immediately after an endearing guitar flub.

“Ajetaan Tandemilla” (1976) – Freeman * Written by Leo Friman (aka Freeman) * 45: “Ajetaan Tandemilla” / “Mystilliset Kyyneleet” * LP: Freeman * Produced by Hector * Label: Love

Deceptively complex Finnish hit single. The synthesizers and falsetto vocal hooks suggest spaceships on the go, but the title translates to “We Ride a Tandem Bicycle.” Accordions join in at the end of each chorus to reinforce this odd future vs. tradition juxtaposition, of old world culture slowly warming up to new world sounds. So colorful are the lyrics—about a traveling man who’s back home and ready to marry his lady—that they’re almost untranslatable, but they do offer up rewards like this: “In the summertime goddamns ring through the trees.”

“Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” (1972) – The Allman Brothers Band * Written by Gregg Allman * 45: “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” / “Melissa” * LP: Eat a Peach * Produced by Tom Dowd * Label: Capricorn

This contemplative Allman Brothers anthem written by Gregg Allman is loaded with contextual poignancy in that it’s the leadoff track to Eat a Peach, the band’s first album after heroin rehab (for some of the members) and after losing guitarist Duane Allman to a motorcycle accident. In Alan Paul’s One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band (2015), Gregg declares that writing this song was, in fact, his first response to losing his brother, which explains its unique balance of resignation and resolution.

“What Do I Get” (1977) – Buzzcocks * Written by Pete Shelley * 45: “What Do I Get” / “Oh Shit” * Produced by Martin Rushent * Label: United Artists * Charts: UK (#37)

Self-pitying shrapnel flung out from the British punk maelstrom of 1977. Inward woes come off as outward blows. Pete Shelley’s resigned vocal atop his band’s roar can strike a listener as mockery, true pain, or anger, all three of which make for therapeutic listening if you’re feeling shafted. Here were the early stirrings of Gen-X “get” consciousness, which were what the Buzzcocks were all about, and made them seem more of a band of the future than, say, the Clash, whose bigger-picture social concerns were the last gasps of a passé school of thought.  

“Racist Friend” (1983) – The Special AKA * Written by Dick Cuthell, Jerry Dammers, and John Bradbury * 45: “Racist Friend” / “Bright Lights” * LP: In the Studio (1984) * Produced by Dick Cuthell and Jerry Dammers * Label: Two-Tone

With its loping reggae stride and crystal clear message (“If you have a racist friend, now is the time for your friendship to end”), this 1983 single by the Specials’ post-Terry Hall incarnation was built for mnemonic efficiency. Contrary to songs like Wilbert Harrison’s oft-covered “Let’s Work Together,” “Racist Friend” presents an approach to social synergy that speaks to those of us who know certain levels of futility when we see them.

“The Letter” (1958) – Don and Dewey * Written by Don Harris and Dewey Taylor * 45: “Koko Joe” / “The Letter” * Label: Specialty

Little Richard label mates Don and Dewey, from Pasadena, California, were apparently too cool for mass appeal, but they inspired successful admirers such as the Righteous Brothers and introduced material that became better known when sung by others (“I’m Leaving It Up to You,” “Big Boy Pete,” and “Farmer John,” to name a few.) The B-side of their Sonny Bono-penned “Koko Joe” is a Johnny Ace-flavored Dear Jane weeper they wrote themselves called “The Letter,” and it features one of the worst apologies on record: “Throw away my picture/ Darling, forgive me/ I wrecked your life/ But, then, you let me.” In return for the “Koko Joe” favor, Sonny covered “The Letter” with Cher in 1965.

“Acknowledgment” (1964) – John Coltrane * Written by John Coltrane * LP: A Love Supreme * Producer: Bob Thiele * Label: Impulse

All seven-plus minutes of the opening track on John Coltrane’s heady jazz touchstone A Love Supreme sound like the prelude to something big. The album is a four-part suite, like an Indian raga. When “Acknowledgment” begins with Coltrane’s sax sounding like the calls of some mythological bird, one envisions temple gates swinging open, audiences kneeling, and presentations of floral offerings. Then Jimmy Garrison’s bass groove floats in, after which the improv gushes forth like expressions of devotion, and the “love supreme” chant brings it all to a mystical fade. It’s only the intro, but you’ll remember it as the album’s heart. (McCoy Tyner: piano; Elvin Jones: drums.)

“Farther Along” (1973) – Ellen McIlwaine * Traditional * LP: We the People * Produced by Peter K. Siegel * Label: Polydor

The widely-covered “Farther Along” has the sturdy simplicity of a traditional spiritual, but its roots go back no earlier than 1911, apparently. Wikipedia tells a tidy, unsourced story about its origins and copyrighted status, but a post at David’s Hymn Blog gives a more thorough overview. Although Ellen McIlwaine’s albums all showcase her formidable slide guitar chops, this version of “Farther Along,” from her early seventies We the People album, relies on her a cappella lead vocal bolstered up by the mighty Persuasions.