The Philosophy of Rock

Rick Nelson Sings "For You"

1963, Decca, Mono in NM might bring $25-40

Rock songs as instructions for life?  For posing the big questions?  As cautionary tales?  Yeah, sometimes….

I was discussing some pending life decision with a friend recently and she said “Well, you know what Ricky Nelson would say ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread.’”

Now I could have set her straight about Ricky Nelson not being the originator of this phrase (or the song either) but: 1) I enjoyed the stroll down memory lane.  I had a ginormous crush on Ricky Nelson when I was nine or ten, and 2) I couldn’t for the life of me remember the actual origin.  (I’ve looked it up since and it was Alexander Pope who first used it in his Essay on Criticism).

Today I decided to peruse my itunes library and see how many other songs I could find that might fit this category.  I hit 100 in a trice (as Alexander Pope might have put it)–perhaps due to my rather loose parameters for what fits the category. 

Please help me enlarge the list.  What songs can you think of that advise, warn or philosophize?

Some of these are the original artist and some are covers. Here's my list:

1. Keep on Chooglin’- CCR
2. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow - Frank Zappa
3. Tell It Like it Is-Aaron Neville
4. Wake Up-Arcade Fire
5. Tighten Up-Archie Bell & The Drells
6. Love the One You’re With-CSN&Y
7. Let the Mystery Be-Natalie Merchant & David Byrne
8. Can I Get a Witness-Marvin Gaye
9. Come Together-The Beatles
10. Walk On-U2
11. People Get Ready-Curtis Mayfield
12. You Can't Hurry Love - the Supremes
13. Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind? - the Lovin' Spoonful
14. Carry that Weight-The Beatles
15. Don’t Let it Bring You Down-Neil Young
16. Light On Candle-Peter, Paul and Mary
17. Be Kind of My Mistakes-Kate Bush
18. Can’t Get There From Here-R.E.M.
19. Too Late To Turn Back Now - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
20. Think of London-Tindersticks
21. How to Be Perfect Men-Songs:Ohia
22. Don't Take Your Guns To Town - Johnny Cash
23. What a Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers
24. We Can Work it Out-The Beatles
25. You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd - Roger Miller
26. You Don't Mess Around With Jim - Jim Croce
27. Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye-Leonard Cohen
28. Make Your Own Kind of Music-The Mamas and the Papas
29. One Thing Leads To Another - the Fixx
30. Bright Side of the Road-Van Morrison (cover)
31. Let It Alone-Old Crow Medicine Show
32. Gotta Serve Somebody-Bob Dylan
33. You Ain’t Going Nowhere-Bob Dylan
34. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright-Bob Dylan
35. The Time They Are A-changing-Bob Dylan
36. Respect Yourself-Aaron Nevile w/ Mavis Staples
37. Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady - Helen Reddy
38. Walk Like A Man - Four Seasons
39. A Change is Gonna Come-Aaron Neville
40. Please Remember Me-Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt
41. Let’s Live-The Neville Brothers
42. You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees
43. The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
44. Don't Sleep In The Subway - Petula Clark
45. All You Need Is Love - the Beatles
46. Get a Grip-Aerosmith
47. Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys-Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
48. Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
49. Express Yourself - Madonna
50. Shut Up and Dance-Aerosmith
51. Whatever Gets You Through The Night - John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band
52. Try and Little Tenderness-Al Green
53. Don’t Turn Around-Ace of Base
54. Practice What You Preach-Alex Taylor
55. When You Say Nothing at All-Alison Krauss
56. What The World Needs Now Is Love - Jackie DeShannom
57. Get On the Line-The Archies
58. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - Sting
59. It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be-Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston
60. Sisters are Doin’ It For Themselves-Aretha Franklin w/ the Eurythmics
61. Please Pardon Yourself-The Avett Brothers
62. Walk Like an Egyptian-the Bangles
63. It’s All Been Done-Barenaked Ladies
64. With a Little Help From My Friends-The Beatles
65. Don't Talk To Strangers - Rick Springfield
66. Just Like You-Keb Mo, Bonie Raitt, Jackson Browne
67. Stand Up (and be Strong) Keb Mo
68. You Can Love Yourself-Keb Mo
69. God Trying to Get Your Attention-Keb Mo
70. Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy-The Kinks
71. Good Times Bad Times Led Zepplin
72. Stay-Lisa Loeb
73. Talk to Me, Talk to Me-Little Willie John
74. It’s a Hard Life-Nanci Griffith
75. Smile-Lyle Lovett
76. Don’t Give Up the Fight-The Magic Numbers
77. Simple Man-Lynyrd Skynyrd
78. Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season)-The Byrds
79. Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real thing-Marvin Gaye
80. Change What You Can-Marvin Gaye
81. Life is for Learning-Marvin Gaye
82. It Takes Two-Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
83. If You’d Learn From My Mistakes-Moby Grape
84.  These Are Days-Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs
85. What a Wonderful World-James Taylor, Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel
86. Everybody Hurts-R.E.M.
87. Wake Up and Dream-Richie Havens
88. Shouldn’t We All Be Having a Good Time-Richie Havens
89. Fools Rush In-Ricky Nelson
90. Love Radiates Around-The Roches
91. Mama Said-The Shirelles
92. Get a Job-The Silhouettes
93. Don’t Let Nobody Turn you Around-Steve Miller Band
94. Play That Funky Music White Boy-Wild Cherry
95. Better World a-Coming-Woody Guthrie
96. Don’t Fight It-Wilson Pickett
97. Slap Leather-James Taylor
98. Don’t Let the World Get in Your Way-The Jayhawks
99. You Can Leave Your Hat On-Joe Cocker
100. 100. Have a Little Faith in Me-Joe Cocker