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It’s D-Day lovers; Valentine’s Day is here. Time to get that romantic game face on; perfect night out (check), mate of your dreams (perhaps), and you can’t forget a gift for your sweetheart (get on it!). But, what about the soundtrack for your love? A (Metro)mix-tape sounds like the perfect add on to your V-Day game plan. Here are 10 tunes filled with Detroit-amour. XO!
Stevie Wonder – “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”
Ahhh, little Stevie. This song opens with our Motown hero wooing his beau with some oddly timed but apparently successful words of Latin, before opening out into one of the most beautiful, honest songs ever written. This was Wonder wallowing in genuine emotion, long before the sanitized pap of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and the song’s inclusion on a mix-tape is sure to earn points with the significant other. Really, who doesn’t like to feel safe?
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie – “Endless Love”
Back in the ‘80s, you couldn’t attend a wedding anywhere in the western world without having to see your intoxicated Uncle Paulie dancing with a blitzed-out-of-her-mind Aunt Maggie, badly, to this song. Still, time heals all wounds, and in the cold light of day, this 1981 Motown ballad is a bit of a beauty, bringing together two of the label’s best voices. Beware -- every now and again, in a karaoke bar somewhere not too far from you right now, there are two slurring beasts butchering the heartfelt classic; hanging on to each other’s shoulders for dear life.
Bob Seger – “We’ve Got Tonight”
How in the name of God did Bob Seger manage to make a song about a one-night stand sound beautiful? It’s a miracle, but it’s one that our local legend managed to pull off. “I know your plans don’t include me,” sings Seger, before following up with, “Still here we are, both of us lonely." That, right there, is the lyrical equivalent of saying “Look, I know you don’t like me, but we’re both here so let’s get it on."
The Stooges – “TV Eye”
In no way, shape or form could this Stooges classic be considered a ballad, but few vocalists could convey raw lust like our own Iggy Pop. The "TV Eye" of the title refers to the look that Iggy was regularly getting from girls at shows and in bars, that come hither expression that single men pray for around this time of year. “She got a TV eye on me,” sings Iggy, and he sounds positively delighted about the fact.
Alice Cooper – “Hell Is Living without You”
Taken from Alice’s 1989 "Trash" album, “Hell Is Living without You” saw Coop at his most overblown and polished, but this was also the album which saw him regain popularity and who would begrudge him that? This is actually a startlingly good power ballad, which is unsurprising considering that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, plus ‘80s rock writer extraordinaire Desmond Child, helped him write it. “On my lips your memory has been stained,” wails Alice, echoing the emotions of everyone who has ever loved anyone.
George Clinton – “Hey Good Lookin’”
“Girl, you’ve got me tongue-tied,” teases Clinton on this ode to the chat-up line, from 1986’s R&B-driven "Skeletons in the Closet" album. Like the Stooges’ “TV Eye”, “this song celebrates the fact that love and lust can be found in the most unexpected of places, but when you find it, it should be grabbed with both hands. Clinton, oft considered to be a bit of a loon, actually knew exactly what he was talking about back in the ‘80s.
Mitch Ryder – “I Had it Made”
Ryder really did have it made when, as he sings, there was a sweet young chick who took his breath away. He goes on to explain that, despite the fact that there was a line of guys wanting to speak to her, the lady picked homie Mitch right out of the crowd. If there is one rock ‘n’ roll singer to have come out of Detroit who has a smoother voice than Seger, it’s Ryder, and he and his Detroit Wheels wrote many a song dedicated to the fairer sex but this is one of his best.
The Paybacks – “Just You Wait”
Wendy Case and the Paybacks only play sporadically nowadays, and that’s a great shame because their 2002 album "Knock Loud" is something of a peach. This, the opening track, sees Case settling into a relationship and letting her fears fall be the wayside. It’s an amazing song – not particularly sappy but filled with the kind of sentiment that anybody would want to hear from the one he or she loves.
The White Stripes – “You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket”
To be fair, Jack White has penned plenty of beauties but this one, from 2003’s "Elephant," is certainly of his best. The song explains that, when you’ve found love, keep it safe and close, and don’t ever let it go. “I want to keep you in my pocket, where there’s no way out, put it in the safe and lock it, ‘cause it’s home sweet home”, sings Jack, sounding mildly deranged, but yet so in love that we can let it slide.
Deadstring Brothers – “It Takes Love”
Few bands do that "Exile On Main Street"-era Rolling Stones-esque blues rock as good as the Deadstring Brothers, a band that sound so worn down by life that you can practically smell the whisky and cigarettes coming out of the speakers. “It Takes Love”, from 2003’s self-titled solo album, is a beautiful, poignant and pained love song. “It takes love to break love, a cruel heart to take love” sings front man Kurt Marschke, with all of the hurt of a man that has been dumped by every woman in Detroit, but all of the hope of a man that keeps getting up for more.
What other people are saying...
glennwolven - February 13, 2010 at 2:03 AM
How about "I wanna be your dog" by the STOOGES ?????? ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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