Where we keep an eye on the goings-on in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation: what is, what isn't, what could be, what should be, what oughtn't be, etc.
I was working on the Songs Of Proof list for the Class Of 2024 when cohost of the now defunct podcast "Playlist Wars," one Brian Colburn by name, announced that he would be returning to the microphone to start up a new "season" of his current podcast "My Weekly Mixtape." This is relevant to this post for two reasons: one, "Playlist Wars" was the podcast that these fanfic entries are patterned after: making a ten-song playlist to compete against other people's ten-song playlists to see who put together the best one, celebrating music in a competitive manner; two, Brian is modifying the format of "My Weekly Mixtape" to accommodate the changes he is making in his personal life after life threw a few kitchen sinks at him. Instead of twenty-song playlists built collaboratively with a guest, he will randomly be selecting an idea from a pool that others have submitted, and putting together a ten-song playlist on the fly for that topic, by himself. That's an oversimplification, which will eventually include guests, interviews, and many of the things from the first season; but it's the basic blueprint going forward as well as I understand it. No new episodes have emerged, as currently, playlist topics are being solicited, to have a big enough pool to make it fun and diverse. So, since the new episodes will be ten-song lists, much like the individual efforts of "Playlist Wars," it is with that spirit that I wish to encourage Brian and wish him luck for this new season by dedicating this fanfic entry to be a tribute to what he'll be bringing us.
And I've chosen to use this new crop of inductees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to support Brian and help baptize this new season of "My Weekly Mixtape." However, similar to the previous fanfic lists that I've shared here, the Performer inductees are the prerequisites, and the other categories are the electives. So, no spinning the wheel, we have our topic, and in keeping with the spirit of the new approach, I thought of this list this morning while sorting my mail load, somewhat on the spot. Time to playlist.
Track 01: "Werewolves Of London" by Warren Zevon
We're kicking things off with a song guaranteed to get the party started. A familiar song to perk up people's ears. It's a goofy and fun song that everybody loves. It's an upbeat track, the subject matter really isn't all that serious, and everybody loves to do the howl during the chorus. It's not brash or loud in any real sense that most playlist starters are, nor does it really build up to that point. This is purely about recognizability to kick off the playlist and grab the listeners, bringing them along on this musical journey.
Track 02: "Maybe He'll Know" by Cyndi Lauper
Keeping the bouncy vibe going, we're getting to our first prerequisite, an inductee who got in via the ballot. This is one of my absolute favorite tracks from Cyndi, and one that isn't as well-known as the Zevon track, but this does sound vaguely familiar, or at the very least has the bones of Cyndi's overall gestalt of the '80s in it. This song evokes the mental image of Cyndi kind of skipping or flitting down the road, thinking of the boy she has a major crush on, hoping that he'll be able to intuit her feelings for him. The bounciness is the way he makes her feel, nearly walking on air. It keeps the party going, and c'mon, it's Cyndi Lauper!
Track 03: "Shoop" by Salt-N-Pepa
There's another fanfic playlist that uses this song, but it's more of a "play along at home" playlist of an episode of "Playlist Wars" that actually exists. On that one, it's track four, but that's really neither here nor there. This is still a bouncy song, but it's not as spritely as the other two songs thus far. This will open the door to go elsewhere in this playlist. One of the better known songs by this rap outfit, it saw a slight resurgence due to its use in the first "Deadpool" movie. While less bouncy, this is still every bit of fun, keeping the party going.
Track 04: "Shout It Out" by Nicky Hopkins
Finding a way to weasel in ten different artists even in this situation, we're going to the album Nicky Hopkins released as a solo artist, The Tin Man Was A Dreamer. I was originally thinking of using "Banana Anna" for the second slot, because the piano stylings are somewhat similar and it just seemed to fit. However, I didn't think it was all that wise to have a super deep cut so early in the playlist. Putting something deeper in the fourth position seems to be more logical, and coming out of "Shoop," and knowing which song I wanted to use to close out Side A of the mixtape, this is a pretty good transition. The piano line still has a bit of movement to it, but the overall feel of the song is softer, less frenetic. It does get a little lathered in parts, but the fade out at the end helps it lead into the closer for Side A. Either way, I'm pretty proud to include this curveball to keep this playlist interesting and not get repetitive.
Track 05: "In The Cold, Cold Night" by the White Stripes
Since Performer inductees are prerequisites, the rest of this playlist consists of artists that got in through the ballot. And since this is "My Weekly Mixtape" and not "Playlist Wars," the idea of finishing Side A is much more a thing to take into account when forging these playlists. Even though a playlist is a continuous play, "My Weekly Mixtape" likes to take the idea of ending a side and starting fresh on the flip side, like a Memorex blank tape that we spent money on at the grocery stores, or at least I certainly did. But I knew I wanted to end Side A with this song because I think it's highly underrated in the White Stripes' catalog. Meg's voice is sultry, sexy, and seductive. She's a siren on this cut, and Jack plays his guitar to fit the song and her voice perfectly. And the ethereal mist that surrounds this song lingers even as the tape hits a hard stop, when it needs to be flipped. I love this song as much, if not more, than the usual suspects like "Seven Nation Army," "Doorbell," and "We're Going To Be Friends."
Track 06: "She Wants T'Swim" by Chubby Checker
Getting to the first song on the second side, we once again want to grab the listeners' collective attention, but because it's the second side, it doesn't have to be as bombastic or recognizable as the first song of Side A. From 1964, this song only reached #50 on the Hot 100, but this is one of my two all-time favorites from Chubby Checker. Part of this is because of the background singers, and once more, I'm going to remind the Hall of the importance of background singers. They should be inducted under Award For Musical Excellence, and that should begin with the Jordanaires, but I digress. This song also has a lot of the same arrangement style of Bobby Freeman's "C'mon And Swim," which first introduced that particular dance to the world. But this is a really fun track, and Chubby's vocals suit it really well, going with the surf-ish style that accompanies the dance that mimics the motion of swimming. And going from underrated song to another underrated song, just on the other side, is still fitting, even though everything else is a radical shift following the White Stripes. Enjoy.
Track 07: "Hey Ya!" by Outkast
We go from a few relatively obscure and underrated tracks to one of the premiere examples of monoculture in the United States during the twenty-first century. And let's face it, if you got sick of this song in its heyday, no you didn't, and you definitely don't object to hearing this song again, now that it's off the charts. And coming out of the Chubby Checker track, this is an upbeat track that is all about wanting to dance, from the lyric of "Y'all don't wanna hear me; you just wanna dance," to the music video that is a pastiche of "American Bandstand" or the "Ed Sullivan Show." But essentially, this can't be all deep cuts. This is fun song, and it was enough to get Bob Merliss to vote for them. And it's the best song from the remaining inductees to serve as the lynchpin for this whole mixtape in the seventh slot. It's no secret weapon, but sometimes subtlety isn't necessary when hitting with the big guns. And who didn't love the overdubs with the footage from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, too? Please don't sue us.
Track 08: "Outshined" by Soundgarden
Of the three remaining prerequisite, Performer inductees, Soundgarden probably seems like the oddest choice to follow Outkast, but this song still has a high voltage amount of energy. And grunge in general would be a bit of downer, vibe-wise, to end the mixtape on, so we gotta fit it in prior to that. This track definitely has a bit of the groove of the track prior, and that's why I feel it follows up the Outkast selection surprisingly well. It's not as fast or joyful, but I feel it's a song that could keep the kids out on the dance floor, even if they had to switch up their moves a bit, to gyrations that are slower, more sludgy and intentional. And being a little slower, it gives permission to do a stylistic left turn later on, which we don't really have yet on this side of the mixtape. Slowing it down, but still grooving. I'm not a huge Soundgarden fan, but I love how well this one fits into the pocket with this mixtape.
Track 09: "Love Me Somebody" by Bad Company
If this were still a "Playlist Wars" fanfic entry, I would argue that this is a song that is probably pretty well-known to the diehard fans of Paul Rodgers, but not as well-known to the general masses, but in both cases, this is a rare flex of versatility in a band whose songs rarely deviated from the axiom of "Sex, drugs, and rock and roll." A surprisingly beautiful song that borders on soulful, this isn't a plea to get laid, but an entreaty for actual intimacy, for genuine connection on a level that runs deeper than Mammoth Cave. And we needed a stylistic hard left turn from what we've had so far. It's not completely a hard left turn, as the Soundgarden selection has a certain plodding pathos to it that carries through into this song. Additionally, we need something soft and heartfelt on this side of the playlist just to mix it up a little bit. This isn't a "leg day" playlist or something that requires a relative sameness across the board. We're celebrating excellence in rock and roll, and it can reveal itself in even the most heartfelt moments. Let's savor that here, shall we?
Track 10: "Cry Me A River" by Joe Cocker
I'm gonna level with you: the reason that Joe Cocker is closing out this playlist is because he's the last Performer inductee that I remembered. I told you I formulated this playlist over the course of the morning's office time, before I hit the road to start delivering. But coming out of the Bad Company selection, it's a bit of a left turn. That said, I don't care. I feel that the rest of the "mixtape" hangs together relatively coherently, and I feel we need to end the playlist on a party vibe once again. That requires a hard turn out of the soulful versatility of the track above. And the album Mad Dogs And Englishmen, being a live album, gives us the greatest opportunity to close with a party (even though it's early on the actual album). Between the call and response between Joe and the background singers, this is a great selection to usher the audience out of the building and out of the mixtape, telling everyone goodnight, and that it's time to go home, but we've really enjoyed your company. And so have I. I've enjoyed sharing this playlist with you, celebrating the Class of 2025 in this format.
And there we have it. Our "Weekly Mixtape" celebrating the Class Of 2025. No hidden bonus tracks this time, and no honorable mentions, as there's no one really leftover who had a recording career as a credited artist. Finding the Nicky Hopkins album felt like a shoestring catch, in a way, just to make sure I had ten. As I said at the top, I'm currently working on typing up my explanations for the Class Of 2024's Songs Of Proof. I do apologize if this feels out of turn, doing a list for 2025 before putting the final bow on 2024's Class. But I really wanted to get this typed up quickly, at least as a rough draft. This whole entry is dedicated to Brian Colburn as he once again finds his motivation to share his love of music with all of us. This is my tribute to what is yet to come. Godspeed to you, Brian, and if you feel you need to step away from the mic to deal with real life, we understand and we're there for you, and hopefully this playlist/mixtape will remind you of that. For everyone else, I hope you enjoyed the ride. I made this list in a couple hours' time of cogitating while working on Tuesday (minus one song change I made on Wednesday) . And I've typed up this rough draft the same night. I wanted to get it done quickly. Let's hope it's an entertaining read. And as always, enjoy the tunes.
