TERRY HOKNES - MY FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME !  hoknes@hotmail.com   

441

ABBA

EAGLE

1977

442

PINK FLOYD

JULIA DREAM

1968

443

RINGO STARR

WHO NEEDS A HEART

1978

444

JOHN KONGOS

LIFT ME FROM THE GROUND

1972

445

JOHN LENNON

AISUMASEN (I'M SORRY)

1973

446

PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS

WILD LIFE

1971

447

PINK FLOYD

PAINT BOX

1967

448

RINGO STARR

EASY FOR ME

1974

449

ROLLING STONES

WE LOVE YOU

1967

450

SECRETIONS

MORNING LIGHT

1996

451

HENRY MANCINI

FINAL OUT AT CANDLESTICK PARK

1962

452

HARRY CHAPIN

CATS IN THE CRADLE

1974

453

SPIRIT

CLEAR

1969

454

SHANIA TWAIN

WOMAN IN ME

1995

455

DOCTOR AND THE MEDICS

I WANNA CHOKE ON YOUR LOVE

1987

456

MERCY

LOVE (CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY)

1969

457

RUSH

LIMELIGHT

1981

458

PAUL McCARTNEY

TOO MANY PEOPLE

1971

459

SHADE SMITH

LIFE OF A STORY

1972

460

CROSBY STILLS & NASH

HAVEN'T WE LOST ENOUGH

1990
    ABBA - EAGLE (1977)

Album:  Abba The Album (1977)

June 7th 1989 - my #7 favorite daily song for 1 day at age 18 the summer before entering 1st year University. 

ABBA: The Album is the fifth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 12 December 1977 through Polar Music. The album was released in conjunction with ABBA: The Movie, with several of the songs featured in the film.

The album contained the singles "Take a Chance on Me", "The Name of the Game", "Eagle" and "Thank You for the Music" which has been called ABBA's "goodbye" song even though it was released five years before the band officially broke up. It also features the song "Hole In Your Soul", which was performed as the last song at many ABBA concerts, including their final 1979 tour, and two other songs, "One Man, One Woman" and "I'm a Marionette".

The album offers three songs from ABBA's mini-musical "The Girl With The Golden Hair". These songs are "Thank You for the Music", "I Wonder (Departure)" and "I'm a Marionette".

ABBA: The Album was first released on CD in 1984. The album has been reissued in digitally remastered form by PolyGram/Universal Music four times; first in 1997, then in 2001, in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set and again in 2007 as a two disc 'Deluxe Edition'.

Due to the Cold War, Western music was actively discouraged throughout Eastern Europe at the time. Despite this ABBA: The Album sold an unprecedented one million copies in Poland in 1977, exhausting the country's entire allocation of foreign currency. In Russia, only 200,000 copies were permitted to be pressed. However, demand within the USSR indicated they could have sold 40 million copies
    PINK FLOYD - JULIA DREAM (1968)

Album: Relics (1971)

July 13th 2006 - my #9 favorite daily song for 21 days at age 35 living at Eastview now dating Valerie for 6 months and Nicholas is 7 weeks old.  Paying tribute to Syd Barrett who died at that time.  All my favorite Pink Floyd songs were featured on the compilation Relics which I had in cassette form in the 80's.

Julia Dream" is the B-side of the Pink Floyd single "It Would Be So Nice".

The song was written by Roger Waters. "Julia Dream" is characterised by the slow tempo, the airy, ambient Mellotron sounds and lush chorus vocals.

It was later issued on several compilation albums: The Best of Pink Floyd, Relics, and The Early Singles disc included in the Shine On box set.
    RINGO STARR - WHO NEEDS A HEART (1978)

Album:  Bad Boy (1978)

I bought this album likely in 1983 used at age 12.

July 29th 1988 - my #6 favorite daily song for 4 days at age 17 the summer after graduating high school and 2 weeks after Nanny died.  Celebrating Ringo's 48th birthday

July 22nd 1992 - my #7 favorite daily song for 7 days at age 21 living on my own at Cumberland with sister Leslie during our "anorexic phase".  Celebrating Ringo's 52nd birthday before entering 4th year University.

Bad Boy is the seventh album by Ringo Starr, released in 1978 during a period where his musical career was sliding into freefall after several years of solo success. Although Bad Boy was meant to reverse this trend, Starr's fortunes dwindled further.

After the critical and commercial disaster of Ringo the 4th (1977), Starr and his musical partner, Vini Poncia, decided to create a less campy album and streamline the sound to lose the disco qualities and excesses that marred the previous release. With Poncia taking the production reins, Starr mostly relies on other people's songs, with no celebrity guests to be found. The album was recorded, for tax purposes, in Vancouver, Toronto, and The Bahamas. It was completed within ten days of sessions in November 1977, with the exception of some orchestral overdubs done on 8 March 1978 under the direction of James Newton Howard

 
    JOHN KONGOS - LIFT ME FROM THE GROUND (1972)

Album: Kongos (1972)

I was given a copy of this album sealed by my best friend Zender Millar's uncle August who had about 10 copies of this album sealed in his vast record collection which was very impressive to me at the time in about spring 1984 when I was 13.   Zender was also given a copy as well the same day and I think it might be because we perhaps had helped babysit one of his kids that night at August's house.

John Kongos (born 6 August 1945, Johannesburg, South Africa) is a singer-songwriter. He is best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single, "He's Gonna Step On You Again".

After 18 months of gigging in Britain and Europe with his bands Floribunda Rose and Scrugg, and five singles later, he released his first solo album, Confusions About a Goldfish (1970), on the Dawn record label.

He then concentrated on songwriting, and began to have major success in Germany and other European countries (No 1 and Top 10 hits). He then moved to Fly Records with whom he had two hit singles – "He's Gonna Step On You Again" (UK No. 4, May 1971; U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 70) and "Tokoloshe Man" (UK No. 4, November 1971). His second album Kongos made the Top 30 of the UK Albums Chart, but subsequent singles, "Great White Lady" (1972), "Ride the Lightning" (1975) and "Higher than God's Hat" (1975), did not chart. "Tomorrow I'll Go", which appeared on Kongos, was covered by New Zealand band The Human Instinct on their 1970 album Stoned Guitar, while ("Ride The Lightning" (1975) was covered by Sylvie Vartan as "Qu'est-ce qui fait pleurer les blondes?" in France and was Number 1 on that chart for several weeks in 1976.   "He's Gonna Step On You Again" is cited in the Guinness Book of Records as being the first song to ever use a sample.
    JOHN LENNON - AISUMASEN (I'M SORRY) (1973)

Album:  Mind Games (1973)

This was the very first Beatles related album I ever owned (tied with Double Fantasy).  My mother did own Rubber Soul but when John Lennon died my mom took me to Midtown Plaza to the record shop to buy a John Lennon record.   All his classic albums were sold out except for Mind Games and Double Fantasy so those are the 2 she bought me on approximately December 11th 1980 at age 9 when I was in Grade 4 and that began my obsession with The Beatles and rock music.

Mind Games is John Lennon's fourth post-Beatles album, and was recorded and released in 1973. Like his previous album, the politically topical and somewhat abrasive Some Time in New York City, Mind Games was poorly received by music critics. It reached No. 13 in the UK and No. 9 in the US, where it went gold.  The album was recorded at the beginning of Lennon's 18-month separation from Yoko Ono.

In mid-1973, as Yoko Ono was completing her fourth album, Feeling the Space, Lennon decided he also wanted to record a new album. He liked the musicians assembled for Ono's album by their assistant and production coordinator, May Pang, and he asked Pang to book them for his sessions. Lennon then quickly wrote the songs for Mind Games.   Just as the sessions were to get under way in June at New York's Record Plant Studios, the Lennons separated. With Ono's approval, Pang would become Lennon's companion and lover in what would become an 18-month relationship known as Lennon's 'lost weekend'. Lennon's design for the Mind Games sleeve represented his symbolic walking away from Ono and her apparent mountainous influence on him.
    PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS - WILD LIFE (1971)

Album:  Wild Life (1971)

I got this album used and remember listening to it a lot in 1984 at age 13.  

August 30th 2011 - my #1 favorite daily song for 37 days at age 40 while living at Ave M South with Valerie now married 4 years and Nicholas is 5.

Wild Life is the debut album by Wings. Paul and Linda McCartney had worked with drummer Denny Seiwell on their prior album, Ram, and they added Denny Laine, the former leader of the Moody Blues, to that trio to become Wings.

With a fresh set of McCartney/McCartney tunes, in August 1971 the newly formed Wings recorded their debut in slightly more than a week, with the mindset that it had to be instant and raw in order to capture the freshness and vitality of a live studio recording. Five of the eight songs were recorded in one take. Paul McCartney would later cite the quick recording schedule of Bob Dylan as an inspiration for this.

The album was rehearsed at McCartney's recording studio in Scotland dubbed Rude Studio, which Paul and Linda had used to make demos of songs that would be used in albums from Wild Life to Driving Rain, and recorded at Abbey Road Studios with Tony Clarke engineering. Paul can be heard saying "Take it, Tony" at the beginning of "Mumbo".

On the promotional album, "The Complete Audio Guide To The Alan Parsons Project", Alan Parsons discusses how he did a rough mix of "I Am Your Singer" that Paul liked so much, he used it for the final mix on the album. Paul can be seen at Rude Studio in the 2001 documentary 'Wingspan'.

Paul handled all of the lead vocals, sharing those duties with Linda on "I Am Your Singer" and "Some People Never Know
    PINK FLOYD - PAINT BOX (1967)

Album: Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967)

July 13th 2006 - my #2 favorite daily song for 21 days at age 35 living at Eastview now dating Valerie for 6 months and Nicholas is 7 weeks old.  Paying tribute to Syd Barrett who died at that time.

Paint Box" is a song by the psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, written and sung by keyboardist Richard Wright. It was first released in 1967 as the B-side to the single "Apples and Oranges".

Musical features of the song include its long drum fills by Nick Mason, and a piano solo by Wright, which is panned around the stereo spectrum.

The song's lyrics reflect an anti-social sentiment, with the opener, "Last night I had too much to drink / Sitting in a club with so many fools", and an ambivalent chorus: "I open the door to an empty room / Then I forget".

The song is the first of many Pink Floyd songs to prominently feature an E minor added ninth chord. This chord would become a signature aspect of their better-known material: It opens The Dark Side of the Moon with "Breathe". It alternates repeatedly with a C Major seventh chord in "Welcome to the Machine" from Wish You Were Here. "Dogs" from Animals centers around the chord as played on down-tuned guitars, resulting in a concert pitch of D minor ninth. It appeared again in "Hey You" and "Vera" from The Wall. It would appear in no less than four songs from The Final Cut: "Your Possible Pasts"; "The Hero's Return"; "The Gunner's Dream"; and "The Fletcher Memorial Home

 
    RINGO STARR - EASY FOR ME (1974)

Album: Goodnight Vienna (1974)

I bought this album at a garage sale on 11th Street west of Victoria in 1982 at age 11.

Easy For Me" written by Harry Nilsson – 2:20 Featuring Lincoln Mayorga on piano

November 1st 2005 - my #10 favorite daily song for 24 days at age 34 living at Eastview dating Cheryl

July 7th 2010 - my #8 favorite daily song for 33 days at age 39 living at Ave M South with Valerie married almost 3 years celebrating Ringo's 70th birthday

Goodnight Vienna is the fourth album by Ringo Starr. It was recorded in the summer of 1974 in Los Angeles, and released later that year. Goodnight Vienna followed the commercially successful predecessor Ringo, and Starr used many of the same players, including Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, Robbie Robertson, Harry Nilsson, and producer Richard Perry. The title comes from an English slang phrase meaning roughly, "It's all over".

While all three other Beatles had contributed to Ringo, only John Lennon contributed to Goodnight Vienna. Besides writing and playing piano on the title track, Lennon also suggested Starr cover The Platters' hit "Only You (And You Alone)" and provided the acoustic guitar. Lennon's friend Elton John also contributed a track.
    THE ROLLING STONES - WE LOVE YOU (1967)  hit #14

Album: More Hot Rocks (1972)

I received Tattoo You for Xmas 1981 at age 10 and then quickly followed up with Big Hits for my 11th birthday on January 15th 1982 and then sometime afterwards got More Hot Rocks and Aftermath.  At age 11 these was the only songs I knew of the Stones but to this date would say More Hot Rocks is my favorite Stones album.

We Love You" is a rock song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, first released as a single in the United Kingdom by The Rolling Stones on 18 August 1967, with "Dandelion" as the B-side. It reached the top ten in Britain, peaking at #8, but only made it to #50 in the United States, where "Dandelion" (which reached #14) was promoted as the A-side. The song features uncredited backing vocals by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

This single's two tracks would be the final Stones recordings receiving a production credit for band manager Andrew Loog Oldham.

Recorded on 12 June, during the sessions for Their Satanic Majesties Request, the song is a droning Moroccan influenced anthem of defiance. Outwardly, it was a message from the band to its fans, expressing appreciation for support in the wake of their recent drug busts. It was also an ironic, tongue in cheek slap in the faces of the police harassing them and the Stones' true feelings about it, putting on a cooperative and friendly face while inside they were seething with anger and indignation (as is represented by Brian Jones' surreal Mellotron in the background). "We Love You" is a psychedelic collage of jail sounds, Nicky Hopkins' foreboding piano riff, and otherworldly tape-delayed vocal effects, featuring a visiting Lennon and McCartney on high harmonies.

 
    THE SECRETIONS - MORNING LIGHT (1996)

Album: Naked (1996)

February 25th 1997 - my #6 favorite daily song for 62 days at age 26 while on the road with Marilyn now for 3.5 years.

January 9th 2005 - my #7 favorite daily song for 35 days including my 34th birthday while living on Eastview with Michelle/Brianna. 

The Secretions was comprised of 3 singer/songwriters:  Dale Enns (vocals,guitar), Dan Hicks (vocals,guitar,harp) and Curtis Cooper (vocals,harp,guitar).  These three had jammed together for over a decade but the band under this name began with adding Keith Read (drums,vocals) and Terry Hoknes (bass,vocals).  This original lineup performed a few shows around 1995/1996. 

I talked them into recording an album in 1996 using my 8-track tascam and recorded an album of the three front men.  With their lineup it came across as an acoustic blues/folk album.  They wanted a bigger better recording and with new sidemen George Tennant (bass) and Ron Clemens (guitar) they recorded a full length studio album with Ron's Pink Floyd David Gilmour style rock guitar brought a new element to this folk/progressive rock band.   Dan Hicks son is the guitarist for One Bad Son, a hard rock group from Saskatoon, SK signed to 604 Records run by Chad Kroeger of Nickelback.    I was an original member of the group but I did not play on this album.   I have played these songs with them before and after the album was recorded.
    HENRY MANCINI - FINAL OUT AT CANDLESTICK PARK (1962)

Album:  Experiment In Terror (Soundtrack) (1962)

One of my all time favorite instrumental / soundtrack albums.  I knew this album for years before I actually watched the movie for the first time which is worth seeing.

December 5th 1987 - my #6 favorite daily song for 6 days at age 16 first learning this record at grandma's house in Grade 12.

December 29th 1988 - my #10 favorite daily song for 4 days at age 17 the fall after graduating high school.

Enrico Nicola "Henry" Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. His best-known works include the jazz-idiom theme to The Pink Panther film series ("The Pink Panther Theme") and the theme to the Peter Gunn television series. Mancini had a long collaboration with the film director Blake Edwards and won numerous Academy Awards for the songs in Edwards films including "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's, "Days of Wine and Roses" and for the score to Victor Victoria.

Experiment in Terror is a 1962 suspense-thriller released by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Blake Edwards and written by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon based on their 1961 novel Operation Terror. The film stars Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin.
 
    HARRY CHAPIN - CATS IN THE CRADLE (1974) hit #1
Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album Verities & Balderdash. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only #1 hit song, it became the best known of his work and a staple for folk rock music.  This song has made me cry many times as I related it to not having a dad in my childhood.

The song was based upon a poem written by Harry's wife Sandy; the poem itself was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband, James Cashmore, and his father, a New York City politician. She was also inspired by a country music song she had heard on the radio. Harry has also said that the song was about his father-son relationship with his son, Josh, saying that "Frankly, this song scares me to death."    The song is in chromatic-minor with a tonic major chord.

The song is told in first-person by a father who is too busy to spend time with his son. Though the son asks him to join in childhood activities, the father always responds with little more than vague promises of spending time together in the future. While wishing to spend time with his father, the son starts to model himself on his father's behaviour, hence the verse wishing to be "just like him." The final two verses are a reverse of the roles, where the father asks his grown-up son to visit, but the son responds that he is now too busy to find the time for his father. The father then reflects that they are both alike, saying "my boy was just like me." The song's chorus uses imagery related to childhood Cat's in the Cradle, Silver Spoon, Little Boy Blue, Man in the Moon.

This song appears in the Season 4 episode of How I Met Your Mother "Not a Father's Day" sung by Neil Patrick Harris, in the first season of 'Til Death sung by Brad Garrett, and also appears in the Season 6 episode of The Office "St. Patrick's Day" sung by Rainn Wilson and Ed Helms. It was also featured in the first-season episode of Family Guy, "The Son Also Draws," sung by the talking trees that Peter and Chris encounter on their vision quest in the forest. The song also appeared in episode 20 of the first series of Cougar Town
    SPIRIT - CLEAR (1969)

Album:  Clear (1969)

February 17th 1993 - my #3 favorite daily song for 23 days at age 22 in 4th year University playing in two bands Whats His Name And The Other Guys and in The Shade (whom we covered this song live).  I was also working at the newly opened Collectors Edge comic book store on 22nd St & 2nd Avenue and also hosting my radio show History Lesson on CFCR FM where I taught the history of pop music each week.  One of my best friends was Ross Martin whom I met at St Peters College and he dug this album too.

Clear was the third Spirit album, written largely in the wake of their work on the soundtrack to the 1968 film Model Shop. Several of the band members have said that they felt there wasn't enough time for developing the album after releasing two albums in 1968, recording a soundtrack and constantly touring, but a growing number of fans feel that it is one of their finest, if not the finest, album the group would ever make. Possibly because of the rushed work on the album, there is a larger reliance upon instrumental work and the jazz backgrounds of several members than any of their other albums, perhaps most exemplified by the three instrumental pieces penned by John Locke. It also features their sound gaining depth and sprawling out even more than it previously had, as they even attempt everything from the bluesy "So Little Time To Fly" to tightly constructed multi-part songs like "Dark Eyed Woman" and "New Dope In Town". Stylistically, "Clear" is a precursor to the band's next album, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus   
    SHANIA TWAIN - THE WOMAN IN ME (1995)

Album:  The Woman In Me (1995)

I became a fan of Shania from the day she released her first country single in Canada in Summer 1993 when I was 22.    When she hit superstardom in 1995 I became a Shania fanatic for the next 10 years.  Eventually I had 10 T-shirts and a poster shrine in my office at Eastview and had 3 copies each of all her CD's.    I have seen her live in concert 5 times including:  Canadian Country Music Awards Calgary 1998 and all 4 shows she did in Saskatoon, SK at SaskPlace on June 4th 1998 (her 3rd live show ever!), March 29th 1999, June 9th 2004 and June 11th 2004 (I had front row seat).   She released her 4th CD Up on November 18th 2002 and I bought 62 copies at A&B Warehouse the day it came out as pre-sells that I sold on ebay.  Performing on the road with Marilyn we listened to the Up CD everyday on the road for 10 months.  We performed all 4 major singles from The Woman In Me album for almost a decade.

June 24th 2004 - my #9 favorite daily song for 18 days at age 33 living at Eastview with Michelle/Brianna after seeing Shania live for the 5th time.

The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You)" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released in August 1995 as the third single and title track from her 1995 album The Woman in Me. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. The song became Twain's third top-twenty hit at country radio. It was released to radio in August 1995, following the success of her previous single "Any Man of Mine". Despite not being able to crack the top-ten "The Woman in Me" was still included in Twain's 2004 Greatest Hits package.
    DOCTOR AND THE MEDICS - I WANNA CHOKE ON YOUR LOVE (1987)

Album:  I Keep Thinking Its Tuesday (1987)

April 10th 1989 - my #1 favorite daily song for 9 days at age 18 taking classes after graduating high school.   I was on a kick for this band for a year or so as they had recorded a song with Roy Wood.

I Keep Thinking It's Tuesday is the 1987 album by Doctor and the Medics.

Doctor and the Medics are a London based psychedelic rock band which enjoyed greatest success in the 1980s and are best known for their UK No. 1 song, "Spirit in the Sky". The band currently perform, with a different line-up, as a tribute act to various artists.

The Doctor (Clive Jackson, born 7 July 1961 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool), a former London-based DJ, formed the group with guitarist Steve McGuire, drummer Vom (aka Steve Ritchie), and bassist Richard Searle and female dancers and singers The Anadin Brothers in 1981 The group adopted a look inspired by both 1960s psychedelia and kabuki make-up similar to that of Kiss.

The band's unique female backing singers were known collectively as The Anadin Brothers. Originally there were 3 Anadin Brothers but this was soon whittled down to Wendi West and Colette Appleby. Their unique performances were extremely well synchronised and featured highly characteristic moves, these were influenced by the fact that the duo had previously competed together as synchronised swimmers.

They scored an international hit in 1986 with their next single, a cover of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky". The single reached number one in the UK among others. They fared less well with subsequent singles; "Burn" and "Waterloo" (the latter of which was a cover of the ABBA hit, with Roy Wood on saxophone, backing vocals and in the video). "Burn" reached No 29 in the UK Singles Chart and "Waterloo", No 45.
    MERCY - LOVE (CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY) (1969) hit #2
Mercy is an American pop group from Florida. Mercy released a hit single "Love (Can Make You Happy)," which soared to #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and also peaked at #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Love (Can Make You Happy)" was written by Jack Sigler, Jr., and this single, which was released in April 1969, reached over one million sales on July 15, and was awarded a gold record by the R.I.A.A., but was not given the actual award until October 2009.

"Love (Can Make You Happy)" was originally recorded on the small Tampa, Florida based Sundi record label, at which time it was also featured in the movie, Fireball Jungle. The B-side of the Sundi single was entitled "Fireball".

During the single's fast fame, an album was also released (album cover showing three girls) by a group calling themselves "The Mercy" that included the Sundi recording and several other songs that were not recorded by any of the original Mercy members. Litigation quickly ensued and this album was banned from distribution.

The song was again (re-recorded) on the Warner Brothers label (with the addition of new band members). The Warner Brothers album entitled: Love (Can Make You Happy) peaked at #38 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Mercy had one other Billboard Hot 100 hit, the song "Forever", which reached #79 in June 1969.Sigler earned BMI's award recognizing over two million airplays.  The band is still touring, with Sigler (the original lead vocalist and founder of the group). Mercy released their latest EP on iTunes in 2009
    RUSH - LIMELIGHT (1981)

Album:  Moving Pictures (1981)

This was the first album I ever heard by Rush when I turned 11 as I ordered this record as one of my 11 records for 1 cent through Columbia House Record Club because it had ranked as one of the biggest albums of 1981.  My best friend Nels Krauss loved Rush more than any other band and Geddy Lee was a big influence on his singing and songwriting styles.  Nels and I recorded 2 albums of originals in 1989.  I saw Rush live in an outdoor concert setting in Nashville TN in 2002.   I have had many people over the years say I either look like Geddy Lee or sing like him.

Limelight" is a song by the Canadian progressive rock band Rush. It first appeared on the 1981 album Moving Pictures. The song's lyrics were written by Neil Peart with music written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. "Limelight" expresses Peart's discomfort with Rush's success and the resulting attention from the public. The song paraphrases the opening lines of the "All the world's a stage" speech from William Shakespeare's play As You Like It; the band had previously used the title for its 1976 live album.

The single charted #4 on the U.S mainstream and #55 on the U.S Hot 100, and is one of Rush's most popular singles. "Limelight" was one of five Rush songs inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010.
    PAUL McCARTNEY - TOO MANY PEOPLE (1971)

Album: Ram (1971)

I bought this album brand new possibly at Sears or Eatons in about 1983 at age 12.  Unfortunately no chart data pre-1987 for learning any of Paul's albums when I originally bought them.

Too Many People" is a song by Paul McCartney from his and his wife Linda McCartney's 1971 album Ram as well as the B-side of the "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" single.

McCartney sang falsetto during parts of the bridge. Hugh McCracken's guitar solo between the second bridge and third chorus is played in one piece. The second solo after the final bridge is accompanied by a drum stick on the side of a floor tom.

The song is an instance of musical sniping among the four Beatles after the band broke up, the target in this case presumed to be McCartney's former bandmate and songwriting partner John Lennon. "[John had] been doing a lot of preaching, and it got up my nose a little bit," said McCartney in a 1984 interview with Playboy. "I wrote, 'Too many people preaching practices,' I think is the line. I mean, that was a little dig at John and Yoko...there was 'You took your lucky break and broke it in two.'"

 
    SHADE SMITH - LIFE OF A STORY (1972)

Album:  20 Studio One Hits (1972)

September 1988 - age 17 the fall after graduating high school however I chose to take another full year of classes at Nutana just for something to do and landed up having way more credits than I needed for University.    I was very busy writing songs everyday at this time and also publishing my monthly fanzine called Yesterday and Today about the history of rock music which I sold in local record shops in tribute to my great grandmother "Nanny" (Marie Brown) who had passed away on July 14th 1988.

September 17th 2010 - my #3 favorite daily song for 32 days at age 39 living at Ave M South married to Valerie for 3 years and Nicholas was now 4 and performing a full year now at the Dueling Pianos show with Mark Zielke.

This was a unique album from New Zealand showing many up and coming music stars in various genres.  My grandma had this record but not sure if she brought it back from New Zealand as a souvenir OR if she just had bought it at a local garage sale but I eventually took it and loved some of the songs on this rare album.   
    CROSBY STILLS & NASH - HAVEN'T WE LOST ENOUGH (1990)

Album:  Live It Up (1990)

August 25th 1990 - my #2 favorite daily song for 1 day at age 19.   I went and stayed with my best friend at that time, Liem Nguyen, for two weeks with his vietnamese family in Balgonie SK who owned the local restaurant.    I was very active during that time at songwriting creating new music to the lyrics of famous poets from books that I borrowed from Liem.   I played this cassette tape continously.

Live It Up is an album released in 1990 by Crosby, Stills & Nash, produced by the band with Joe Vitale and J. Stanley Johnson

Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young. They are noted for their intricate vocal harmonies (similar to Simon & Garfunkel), often tumultuous interpersonal relationships, political activism, and lasting influence on American music and culture. All four members of CSNY have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, though Young's multiple inductions were for work not involving the group

CSN recorded two more studio albums in the 1990s, Live It Up and After the Storm, both low-sellers by previous standards. A box set arrived in 1991, four discs of expected group highlights amidst unexpected better tracks from various solo projects. Owing to certain difficulties, manager Roberts, no longer with the trio but still representing Young, pulled most of Neil’s material earmarked for the box; only seven CSNY songs in total remained to be included