khaosworks | 10 Lines #14 answers

And the answers for 10 Lines #14...

1. Coo, coo, I just want you
Really love the things that you do
Come on and love-a me too
Oh won't you be my coo-ca-choo
Sweetness — I like your dress
I love the way you know you're the best
I'm in love and I'm in a mess
I really want you coo-ca-choo...
- "My Coo-Ca-Choo", by Alvin Stardust

2. When are you gonna come down?
When are you going to land?
I should have stayed on the farm
Should have listened to my old man
You know you can't hold me forever
I didn't sign up with you
I'm not a present for your friends to open
This boy's too young to be singing the blues
So goodbye yellow brick road...
- "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", by Elton John

3. Hey baby, what you gonna do
When the lights go up on you?
What's your name — can I drive you home ?
Sweet woman, are you all alone ?
You're the one for me
I'm gonna keep you busy as a bee could be, could be
Rat bat bat bat blue...
- "Rat Bat Blue", by Deep Purple

4. Take off your hat, kick out your shoes
I know you ain't going anywhere
Run round the town, singing your blues
I know you ain't going anywhere
You've always been a good friend of mine
But you're always saying "Farewell"
And the only time that you're satisfied
Is with your feet in the wishing well...
- "Wishing Well", by Free

5. A small jean genie snuck off to the city
Strung out on lasers and slash back blazers
And ate all your razors while pulling the waiters
Talking about Monroe and walking on Snow White
New York's a go-go and everything tastes nice
Poor little greenie — woo hoo
Get back home
The jean genie lives on his back
The jean genie loves chimney stacks
He's outrageous, he screams and he bawls
The jean genie — let yourself go...
- "The Jean Genie", by David Bowie

6. I am your main man if you're looking for trouble
I take no lip, no one's tougher than me
I kick your face you'll soon be seeing double
Hey little girl keep your hands off-a me
I'm a Rocker...
- "The Rocker", by Thin Lizzy

7. When you were young
And your heart was an open book
You used to say live and let live
(You know you did you know you did you know you did)
But in this ever-changing world in which we live in
Makes you give in and cry
Say live and let die
Live and let die...
"Live and Let Die", by Paul McCartney & Wings

8. Look out, look out, your Mama will shout
You might as well go home
She said my bed gets into your hair
So give me back my comb
But you — you make things that get along
Turn out so wrong
Doo-don, doo-don, you’d better rock on
The band might play our song
See my baby jive
See my baby jive
She hangs on to me and she really goes
Woah-oh woah-oh whoa-oh...
- "See My Baby Jive", by Wizzard

9. I won't laugh at you when you boo-hoo-hoo
Coz I luv you
I can turn my back on the things you lack
Coz I luv you
I just like the things you do — ooo
Don't you change the things you do — ooo
You get me in a spot then smile the smile you got
And I luv you
You make me out a clown and you put me down
I still luv you...
- "Coz I Luv You", by Slade

10. Look out!
Mama let me out on a Saturday night
She said go out and get her
Go and hold her tight
I said now Mama, you don't understand
Every time I touch her hand
It's like I'm burning in the fires of hell
And if I hold her too long
You never can tell
What'll happen to me
I wouldn't want you to see
Look out
She's a hell raiser, star chaser, trail blazer
Natural born raver, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah...
- "Hell Raiser", by Sweet

The two really obvious ones were "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "The Jean Genie", naturally. One of the greatest lines ever written, from a literary SF fan point of view: "Strung out on lasers and slash back blazers." Jerry Cornelius would be proud.

What do all these songs have in common? I said at least two, but actually at least three things.

fleetfootmike got it closest when he said they were all 70s tunes — to be accurate, all these songs were on albums released in 1973. Secondly, all of them are UK bands or artistes, and thirdly, all these songs were used in the most excellent BBC television series Life on Mars, which is set in... 1973.

Not just being a crackingly good show and inspiring my first new filk song in four years, I have to thank Life on Mars for reminding me how amazing early 1970s British progressive rock was and giving me an excuse to start tracking these songs down.