Who’s “Moving Through Kashmir?”
Well, fans of “Rock Gods” know the answer, because Led Zeppelin is just one of the iconic Artists who made music in the “key of K!”
“Music A – Z” “Kisses” The Letter “K!”
Yes, Prince also hits this key, so let’s get started with his ode to the perfect “Kiss!”
10 – “Kiss” by Prince
One of music’s true geniuses, Prince could do epic ballads like “Purple Rain”, rock classic like “Let’s Go Crazy”, and funky gems like “Kiss!”
This 1985 classic slice of funky pop went to #1 on Billboard’s charts…
Here are a few of the lyrics, which build up to a sexy kiss!
… You don’t have to be rich
To be my girl
You don’t have to be cool
To rule my world
Ain’t no particular sign
I’m more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your
… Kiss
Here is his incredible music video:
Sadly Prince was only 57 when he died in 2016 from an accidental overdose of pain medication – such a sad end to a brilliant career – I shared one example recently:
Prince brought the house down with an incredibly guitar solo at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame – see the performance here:
Next up is a great Singer / Songwriter who broke up the most popular duo of an era – because of a movie!
9 – “Kodachrome” by Paul Simon
Simon & Garfunkel were the best selling duo of the 60’s – and Simon kept his string up as a solo Artist with this terrific song:
When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school
It’s a wonder I can think at all
And though my lack of education hasn’t hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall
Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
Give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away
Enjoy!
So why did Simon & Garfunkel break up at the height of their success?
Well, the title says it all: Simon wrote “The Only Living Boy In New York” as he waited for Art Garfunkel to return from a movie set – and he was NOT happy!
Read the wild story here:
Well, the letter “K” is stuffed with classic rock bands, like Queen:
8 – “Killer Queen” by Queen
This song cemented the “Queen” sound, bombastic rock with a sense of humor and of course Freddie Mercury’s incredible vocals…take a listen:
Mercury was an incredible performer – so how did they end up in a duet with David Bowie? Read the wine-fueled story here!
Next up is a gorgeous ballad that ended up in a superhero film!
7 – “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal
This is arguably Seal’s most iconic song, so how did it end up in an action film?
Here’s the answer, courtesy of the internet!
Contrary to popular belief, “Kiss From A Rose” was not written for Batman Forever (1995). It actually appeared in The NeverEnding Story III (1994) a year earlier. Director Joel Schumacher contacted Seal and asked if he could use the song for a romance scene in the caped crusader film. The song had fallen off the charts, so Seal agreed.
Needless to say, it only became a more massive hit after that!
Here is the official music video – from the film “Batman Forever!”
While talking about songs from movies, did you know that this iconic Bob Dylan song was written for one?
6 – “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan
Director Sam Peckinpah not only used this original song in the film “Pat Garret & Billy The Kid”, he convinced Dylan to take a small role in it!
The song is played as Actor Chill Wills stumbled toward a lake – bleeding from a fatal stomach wound…the song plays as his wife races to comfort him in his last moments:
Mama put my guns in the ground
I can’t shoot them anymore
That cold black cloud is comin’ down
Feels like I’m knockin’ on Heaven’s door
Knock-knock-knockin’ on Heaven’s door
Knock-knock-knockin’ on Heaven’s door
Knock-knock-knockin’ on Heaven’s door
Knock-knock-knockin’ on Heaven’s door
Here’s a terrific live performance from Dylan alongside his friend Tom Petty!
It’s a powerful moment in the film, which is another terrific Peckinpah effort…but the volatile Director wa anything but easy to work with:
Yes, that is the Director on a stretcher as Actor James Coburn and the rest of the cast take this shot to send the very nervous movie company as a joke!
Read some of his craziest on set moments here!
Next up is a band who never quite achieved the level of success their music deserved:
5 – “King For A Day” by XTC
The catchy pop gem is from XTC’s 1989 album called “Oranges & Lemons”:
Here are the lyrics for this catchy slice of psychedelic pop:
Everyone’s creeping up to the money god,
Putting tongues where they didn’t ought to be
On stepping stones of human hearts and souls,
Into the land of “nothing for free”
Well the way that we’re living,
Is all take and no giving,
There’s nothing to believe in,
The loudest mouth will hail the new found way,
To be king for a day
Check out the video:
Up next is a timeless classic ballad, which has a sadly controversial back story:
4 – “Killing Me Softly With His Song” by Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack had a smash hit with this song when she sang it in 1972 – but she didn’t write it….and the controversy involved someone who did!
Here’s what was reported online about the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the song:
“Killing Me Softly with His Song“was composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Norman Gimbel. The lyrics were written in collaboration with Lori Lieberman after she was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971. As reported online, she was denied writing credit by Fox and Gimbel – and Lieberman released her version of the song in 1972, but it wasn’t a hit until Flack sang it.
The lyrics are timeless:
“I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style
And so I came to see him, and listen for a while
And there he was, this young boy, stranger to my eyes
Strumming my pain with his fingers (one time, one time)
Singing my life with his words (two times, two times)
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song…”
Here is Roberta Flack performing the song:
Next up is a classic slice of rock by a terrific band with a tragic end:
3 – “Kick” by INXS
A great Australian band that broke big in the 80’s INXS had a lot of big hits, like this one with the letter “K”.
Here is the band live in 1991:
Sadly, lead Singer Michael Hutchence died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in November 1997 – at the age of 37, Hutchence was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Double Bay suburb of Sydney. His cause of death was recorded as suicide by hanging. Actress Kym Wilson, who visited Hutchence in his hotel room the previous evening, was the last person to see him alive.
Speculation was that it was a accident, as he was involved in AUTOEROTIC ASPHYXIATION – a state of asphyxia intentionally induced (as by smothering or strangling oneself) so as to heighten sexual gratification.
Here is a look at some of the band’s greatest song:
Time to check in with the greatest rock’n’roll band of all time…
2 – “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin
The band’s sixth album was a double set of music – and one of the greatest rock albums ever released:
Those are NY brownstone buildings, and the letters are actually inside window cutouts!
As for the song, “Kashmir” is a slice of spiritual rock that is mesmerizing:
All I see turns to brown
As the sun burns the ground
And my eyes fill with sand
As I scan this wasted land
Try to find, try to find the way I feel
Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace
Like sorts inside a dream
Leave the path that led me to that place
Yellow desert stream
My shangri la beneath the summer moon
I will return again
As the dust that floats high in June
We’re moving through Kashmir
Here is the band in all their power and glory performing this classic rock anthem live in 1979:
The band is legendary, and only broke up after Drummer John Bonham died suddenly…I was too young to see their first visit to my home town of Seattle – where they performed at a lake!
Oh, to have seen them there! What’s cool is that decades later, Guitarist Jimmy Page went back to the scene of the concert!
See that story here!
Finally, one of the biggest hist from the best-selling duo of the 80’s!
1 – “Kiss On My List” by Daryl Hall & John Oates
They had great hits in the 1970’s like “She’s Gone” and “Sara Smile”, then a bit of a break from the top of the charts. That all changed in 1980 with this smash hit, performed live:
My friends wonder why I call you all the time
What can I say
I don’t feel the need to give such secrets away
You think maybe I need help, no, I know I’m right, alright
I’m just better off not listening to friends’ advice
When they insist on knowing my bliss
I tell them this
When they want to know what the reason is
I only smile when I lie, then I tell them why
your kiss is on my list
(Because your kiss) your kiss is on my list
Because your kiss is on my list of the best things in life
(Because your kiss) your kiss is on my list
(Because your kiss) your kiss I can’t resist
(Because your kiss) is what I miss when I turn out the lights
This launched them into super stardom, the biggest selling duo of all time…and if you haven’t seen this, Jimmy Fallon helped Daryl Hall perform their biggest hits:
See that terrific clip here:
Sadly, they broke up for good amid some wild claims…here is that sad story:
As a longtime fan of them both, this was very sad to see. I have shared stories about them before, like the time I took a look at album openers, the first cut on some of their best albums like this one:
I know that “X-Static” was one of their worst selling albums, but it’s so great – click here to see why!
And finally, I leave you with their most memorable song – which I recorded as they performed live in 2017 – the gorgeous “She’s Gone:”
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Hope you enjoyed this music with a “K”!
Categories: 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Led Zeppelin, Music, Obscure Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
wow, some major classics here! the prince performance at the hall of fame, when he slid over and took the spotlight, was one of the best live performances ever.
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Zeppelin, Flack, and Dylan…yes!
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As usual, your varied list is right in my wheelhouse. I’m not as big a fan of Paul Simon and Queen as most people, but I respect all your choices.
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A very good set, John. Not a fan of Hall and Oates or Roberta Flack but the others were great. Finding XTC in the mix was a pleasant surprise.
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Thanks for reading! As I wrote, Roberta didn’t write the song and the story of how poorly the woman who did was treated is an eye-opener, but no surprise from what I know about the music business!
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It’s a rotten story, isn’t it, but as you say there are many like it in a nasty business. I just never took to the song, whoever wrote it!
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What a blast from the past. All these songs. Loved INXS when they came out. I remember thinking every song was different, but better than the next. Loved Kick. Robert Flack too. How can you not listen to that song and get into it. Glad she eventually got credit for the writing.
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I try to include modern songs as well, but to be honest, so much is quickly forgettable that nothing popped for me! Thanks for reading!
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Ah, Led Zep, my favourite band. I’ve seen Page and Plant when they played at Wembley, but not Led Zep live.
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I saw them live twice…I approve of “swagger” when the music justifies it…far too many bands had a lot of swagger but not great music…Zep was the real deal – and a new documentary is coming that looks at their entire career!
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I look forward to seeing that!
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An interesing mix today, John. I actually have a few of these. Prince, Hall and Oates, and Killer Queen was the first Queen single I ever bought. Knocking On Heaven’s Door was just perfect when used in the film ‘Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid’. Such a sad scene.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks Pete! Yes, the song works perfectly in the movie, and I just rewatched Queen’s entire performance at Live Aid and Freddie Mercury was such an Icon!
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