Celebrating The Best Music – With An “E”!
I am going through the “A – Z of music”, and we have reached the letter E!
These ten songs all have one common element – “E” is the first letter in the title of the song.
This is a letter rich in musical history, while also offering up some fresh new music as well!
You know the drill, so let’s begin with a song from my hometown of Seattle…and one of the most iconic bands in rock:
10 – “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam
The 90’s “grunge” sound was defined by several bands: Soundgarden and their “superunknown”, Nirvana and their “teen spirit” and of course Pearl Jam, who sang about “Jeremy”:
“At home drawin’ pictures of mountain tops
With him on top, lemon yellow sun
Arms raised in a “v”
And the dead lay in pools of maroon below”
This was definitely music about disaffected youth, which leads us to “Even Flow”:
“Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don’t know, so he chases them away
Someday yet, he’ll begin his life again, yeah
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead him away
Him away, him away…
Yeah!”
Here is the powerful performance by the band:
The band still records and tours, and their music remains as powerful as ever…and yes, this is me rocking out in The Edgewater Inn’s Pearl Jam Suite:
OK, I admit my wife looks much more like the. rock star than I do…Alex and I stayed in the Pearl Jam Suite, where the walls are covered with handwritten lyrics and tour posters! There’s also a Guitar to play loud as well!
Yes, this is also the Hotel where The Beatles fished! Click here to see what a night in the room is like!
Speaking of The Beatles, how about this classic from the Fab Four:
9 – “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
The Beatles went from “She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah” to telling stories in their songs, like this brilliant effort from Paul McCartney ey:
Paul told the story of a lonely woman…check out some of the lyrics:
“Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?”
Here is the video:
“Eleanor Rigby” is just one of the brilliant songs from the album “Revolver” – a masterpiece!
Click here for more songs from this revolutionary album!
The Beatles are one of those bands who transcend time, and here is one from the 70’s that is still recording and touring as well:
8 – “Evil Woman” by The Electric Light Orchestra
Some of the biggest mainstream pop hits of the 70’s and 80’s came from “ELO” and mastermind Jeff Lynne.
Well, Lynne has been taking ELO out on the road again – and here is a recent live version of the classic pop song “Evil Woman”, with a lush orchestral sound:
Jeff Lynne and the band were finally recognized by The Grammys – you can see that tribute by clicking on my story here:
Here is another one of my favorite bands of all time:
7 – Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears
Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith have had a terrific career making music, which continues today…how do I know? Because I saw them live!
They rocked the stage with nonstop hits and superlative showmanship – need proof?
Well, here is the song live!
I love the band and their new album is terrific! They are iconic!
Speaking of iconic, here’s one of the greatest English singer/songwriters of all time, with one of his catchiest hits:
6 – “Everyday I Write The Book” – Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello has had a long career making music, but this 1983 music video shows him off to his most joyous:
Elvis got his start in the 70’s with such power pop/punk songs as “Watching The Detectives” and “Alison”, and he still releases great music.
Next up, one of the most popular female Artists of a generation:
5 – “Easy On Me” by Adele
Adele burst onto the scene and immediately became an Icon, an incredible voice and hauntingly beautiful lyrics like this song:
Check out these beautiful lyrics:
“There ain’t no gold in this river
That I’ve been washin’ my hands in forever
I know there is hope in these waters
But I can’t bring myself to swim
When I am drowning in this silence
Baby, let me in
Go easy on me, baby
I was still a child
Didn’t get the chance to
Feel the world around me
I had no time to choose
What I chose to do
So go easy on me”
Here is the music video:
Adele’s music will be listened to forever, just as this band’s music is:
4 – “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police
Another song that is destined to be heard in every bar, restaurant, shopping mall and grocery store – even elevators!
The Police had such an incredible body of work, but this song is just a festive, uplifting 3 minutes of joy – check out the video:
Next up in a song from an album that was worth a billion dollars!
3 – “Elected” by Alice Cooper
That’s right, I own the original “Billion Dollar Babies” album from Alice Cooper, which came with a billion dollar bill!
They wrote a raucous song about presidential elections and Alice’s campaign for the highest office in the land!
“We’re gonna win this one, take the country by storm,
We’re gonna be elected,
You and me together, young and strong,
We’re gonna be elected, elected, elected,
Respected, selected, call collected,
I wanna be elected, elected.
“And if I am elected
I promise the formation of a new party
A third party, the Wild Party!
I know we have problems,
We got problems right here in Central City,
We have problems on the North, South, East and West,
New York City, Saint Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago,
Everybody has problems,
And personally, I don’t care.””
Love it! Enjoy the song!
Next up is a band that never wrote a song, but still topped the charts for years!
2 - ”Eli’s Coming” by Three Dog Night
This smash hit was written by the brilliant Singer/Songwroter Laura Nero, and the three part harmonies of this group put them atop the charts with songs like “Celebrate” and “Joy To The World!”
Here they are, performing the song on TV:
I have written about this band, specifically the lead singer who lived a “Three Dog Nightmare!”
Click here to read his memoir and be stunned the his life of excess!
Finally, one of the greatest “supergroups” in music history:
1 – “End Of The Line” by The Traveling Wilburys
Look at that lineup! Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynn from Electric Light Orchestra, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Roy Orbison!
They loved performing together, and their two albums are pure joy. One of the greatest songs is “End Of The Line.”
Here is the great video:
Want to know more about them? Of course you do!
See more videos and the story of how they got together here!
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So there you have it, music and musical Artists with an “E” – you can go to my main page to see what I shared for letters “A” through “D”…let me know what you think!
Categories: 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, The Beatles
johnrieber 
Great post – most of my favorites!
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I hadn’t heard of that Three Dog Night song, but I like the others, especially The Beatles and The Travelling Wilburys.
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Some of my favourites today, John. ELO, TFF, Elvis Costello, and Adele. Great stuff!
Best wishes, Pete.
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This was terrific, John!
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I’ve said this before, but you and I have very similar tastes. I listen to almost all of these. I haven’t listened to Eli’s Coming in probably ten years, but that brought back a lot of good memories.
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A great selection, though you saved the best till last! I love that Wilburys song and their little tribute to Roy in the video.
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Clive, I think it’s been reported that the supergroup came together as a way to help Roy out, and it is indeed sad that he died so soon…thanks for the comment and glad you liked it!
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I’d not heard that. I’ve always believed it was an idea thought up by George and Jeff, and they invited the others to join. He was a sad loss, as were two of the other members.
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I loved elo. Especially evil woman
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