Music & Lyrics: Donovan -- "Catch the Wind"

I don't think I have ever seen "Catch the Wind" listed as one of the greatest songs ever but I think it is...This is Donovan at his closest to Bob Dylan in terms of singing style and it is a better love song than Dylan ever wrote. Yeah, I said it.

Lyrics:

In the chilly hours and minutes,
Of uncertainty, I want to be,
In the warm hold of your loving mind.

To feel you all around me,
And to take your hand, along the sand,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.

When sundown pales the sky,
I wanna hide a while, behind your smile,
And everywhere I'd look, your eyes I'd find.

For me to love you now,
Would be the sweetest thing, 'twould make me sing,
Ah, but I may as well, try and catch the wind.

When rain has hung the leaves with tears,
I want you near, to kill my fears
To help me to leave all my blues behind.

For standin' in your heart,
Is where I want to be, and I long to be,
Ah, but I may as well, try and catch the wind.

Donovan -- Catch the Wind
From the Very Best of the Early Years collection.

Music & Lyrics: Womp-bomp-a-loom-op-a-womp-bam-boom!

One of the best games I have ever played is called Songburst in which teams battle each other for their knowledge of music lyrics. The best version is the 50's and 60's edition and as I've played with my family when I'm home some of the questions are pretty easy while others are incredibly hard.

The most difficult question is for Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and if you get it right, you are ceremonially named "King of Songburst." The question: what are the lyrics in the opening line of "Tutti Frtti?" It sounds easy, but in Songburst the exact wording is needed and different syllables can cost you points.

The answer is: "Womp-bomp-a-loom-op-a-womp-bam-boom!"

The "Tutti Frutti" article in Wikipedia summarizes the back story about the writing of the song nicely and to show you how great Little Richard is, just listen to Pat Boone covering "Tutti Frutti!"

Pat Boone -- Tutti Frutti [Little Richard Cover]
From the Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Songs.

Little Richard -- Tutti Frutti
From pretty much every Little Richard Greatest Hits collection, such as Greatest Gold Hits.

Music & Lyrics: The Left Banke -- "Walk Away Renee"

At the same time, The Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee" is one of the most compelling 60's recordings and also one of the most unintelligible songs ever. The title helps us some and over the years I think I have pieced together Michael Brown's lyrics for the most part but the second verse is still somewhat of a mystery to me.

"Walk Away Renee" Lyrics:

And when I see the sign that
points one way
The light we used to pass by
every day

Just walk away Renee,
You won't see me follow you back home
The empty sidewalks on my
block are not the same
You're not to blame

From deep inside the tears that
I'm forced to cry
From deep inside the pain I
I chose to hide

Just walk away Renee,
You won't see me follow you back home
Now as the rain beats down
upon my weary eyes
For me it cries

(Flute Solo)

Just walk away Renee,
You won't see me follow you back home
Now that the rain beats down upon my weary eyes
For me it cries

Your name and mine inside
a heart upon a wall
Still finds a way to haunt me,
though they're so small

Just walk away Renee,
You won't see me follow you back home
The empty sidewalks on my
block are not the same
You're not to blame

The Left Banke -- Walk Away Renee
You can download the entire There's Gonna Be A Storm: The Complete Recordings 1966-1969 on Amazon.com for $8.99.