Category: Songs

Music performances and song posts, excluding books and movies.

Small Town — John Mellencamp

Posted on by werock.tv
From John Mellencamp's 1985 album Scarecrow, Small Town celebrates his hometown of Seymour, Indiana. With jangling guitars and a big chorus, it's a proud, simple, honest song about where you come from and the people who shaped you. For me, Small Town brings Birmingham, Mountain Brook, and Vestavia...

Jack & Diane — John Mellencamp

Posted on by werock.tv
From John Mellencamp's 1982 album American Fool, Jack and Diane became his only number one hit. It's the story of two American kids growing up in the heartland, with acoustic guitar, hand claps, and that famous drum break. Seen through a Christian lens, Mellencamp brings back youthful dreams,...

Stayin’ Alive — Bee Gees

Posted on by werock.tv
From the 1977 Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Stayin' Alive is the Bee Gees at their peak. Barry Gibb's famous falsetto and that unstoppable beat made it a disco anthem, and its rhythm is even used to teach CPR. Seen through a Christian lens, the Bee Gees give perseverance a dance floor. Life can...

Edge of Seventeen — Stevie Nicks

Posted on by werock.tv
From Stevie Nicks's 1981 solo debut, Bella Donna, Edge of Seventeen rides one of rock's most famous chugging guitar riffs. She wrote it after losing her uncle and after the death of John Lennon, pouring grief into strength. Stevie Nicks gives grief and strength a voice. Her white-winged dove...

Scarlet Begonias — Grateful Dead

Posted on by werock.tv
Scarlet Begonias first appeared on the Grateful Dead's 1974 album From the Mars Hotel. This live performance comes from Winterland in San Francisco that same year, with Jerry Garcia's bright guitar and a loose, sunny groove. Seen through a Christian lens, the Grateful Dead turn a chance encounter...

White Rabbit — Jefferson Airplane

Posted on by werock.tv
From Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow, White Rabbit builds like a slow march into Alice in Wonderland. Grace Slick's powerful voice climbs and climbs until the final command to feed your head, and it became a sixties anthem. Seen through a Christian lens, Jefferson Airplane...

Touch of Grey — Grateful Dead

Posted on by werock.tv
Released in 1987 on the album In the Dark, Touch of Grey became the Grateful Dead's only top ten hit. After Jerry Garcia nearly died the year before, its cheerful chorus, I will get by, I will survive, felt like a testimony. Seen through a Christian lens, the Grateful Dead leave room for gratitude...

Faithfully — Journey

Posted on by werock.tv
From Journey's 1983 album Frontiers, Faithfully was written by keyboardist Jonathan Cain on a tour bus, thinking about his wife waiting back home. Steve Perry's voice turns it into one of the greatest power ballads ever recorded. Seen through a Christian lens, Journey sings the cost of chasing...

Open Arms — Journey

Posted on by werock.tv
From Journey's 1981 album Escape, Open Arms was written by Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry. It opens with those famous piano notes and builds into a soaring plea for a second chance at love. Those piano notes take me back to eighties slow dances: butterflies, nervous courage, and somebody willing to...

Aerial Boundaries — Michael Hedges

Posted on by werock.tv
The title track from Michael Hedges's 1984 album Aerial Boundaries shows why he changed acoustic guitar forever. Using two-handed tapping, harmonics, and open tunings, he made one instrument sound like a whole orchestra. Hedges is my pick for the greatest acoustic guitarist. Seen through a...