The Audiophiles met in the club room to consider ‘songs with a boy’s name in the title’.
Members submitted their top choices in advance, which was handy because about half of them didn’t show up.
However, finding songs with a boy’s name proved to be an excellent parlour game, enthusiastically researched, as these suggestions testify:
Comrade HENOCQ’s straightforwardly top 10 in exciting reverse order:
10. David Bowie- Andy Warhol
9. The Coral- Michael’s song
8. Lighting seeds- Life of Riley
7. The Who- Happy Jack
6. Happy Mondays- Donovan
5. The Beatles- Hay Jude
4. Kasabain- Vlad the impaler
3. Gorillaz- Dirty Harry
2. Beastie Boys- Pauls Revere
1. Bat for Lashes- Daniel
Comrade WALSH’s choices (#1) – top 25 reasonably credible choices straight from the ipod:
A Message to You Rudy (Specials)
Brian Wilson (Barenaked Ladies)
Chuck E’s In Love (Rickie Lee Jones)
Sweet Baby James (James Taylor)
Joe’s Head (Kings of Leon)
Saint Swithun’s Day (Billy Bragg)
Bad Bad Leroy Brown (Jim Croce)
Song to Bobby (Cat Power)
Johnny 99 (Bruce Springsteen)
Bryn (Vampire Weekend)
Mohammed’s Radio (Warren Zevon)
Sean (Proclaimers)
Andy’s Chest (Lou Reed)
Denis Denis (Blondie)
Tom’s Diner (Suzanne Vega)
Faust Arp (Radiohead)
You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon)
Pancho and Lefty (Willie Nelson)
Tom Traubert’s Blues (Tom Waits)
Crazy Man Michael (Sandy Denny/ Fairport)
Hey Joe (Jimi Hendrix)
Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin)
Frankie’s Gun (Felice Brothers)
She Left Me For Jesus (Hayes Carll)
My Own Personal Jesus (Johnny Cash)
Comrade DELLER’s top 14 choices in anticlimactic 1 – 14 order
Billy 1 (Theme to Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid) – Bob Dylan
Song for Junior – Beastie Boys
A Message to You Rudy – The Specials
Bob’s Yer Uncle – Happy Mondays
Johnny Too Bad – The Slickers
Jesus Of The Moon -NickCave& The Bad Seeds
Geno – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Rudie Can’t Fail -The Clash
Johnnie Be Good – Chuck Berry
Tyler – UB40
A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash
Clint Eastwood – Gorillaz
Bennie and the Jets – Beastie Boys
I Love Georgie – The Devoted
Comrade MASON’s typically eclectic collection
Abraham, Martin and John – Marvin Gaye
Alfie – Cilla Black
Arthur’s Theme – Christopher Cross
Atticus – The Noisettes
Big Bad John – Jimmy Dean
Days of Pearly Spencer – Marc Almond
Jimmy Jimmy – The Undertones
Johnny the Fox – Thin Lizzy
My Brother Jake – Free
Sweet Gene Vincent – Ian Drury and the Blockheads
Tristan – Patrick Wolf
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – Gordon Lightfoot
ToZion– Lauryn Hill
Elvis Costello – Oliver’s Army
Comrade WALSH’s choices (#2) – Special Top 10 featuring the full name of a (mostly) real person
Charlie Darwin (The Low Anthem)
Elvis Presley Blues (Gillian Welch)
I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night (Billy Bragg)
Just Like Tom Thumb Blues (Bob Dylan)
Jackie (or Jocky)WilsonSaid
So Long Frank Lloyd Wright (Simon & Garfunkel)
John Lee Hooker For President (Ry Cooder)
Levi Stubbs’ Tears (Billy Bragg)
Oh My God Charlie Darwin (The Low Anthem)
Lee Harvey Was A Friend of Mine (Laura Cantrell)
The Late John Garfield Blues (John Prine)
Comrade CALLAS’s top 10 with a special comic addendum
Oliver James – Fleet Foxes
Bryn – Vampire Weekend
William, it was really nothing – The Smiths
Making Plans for Nigel – XTC
David Watts – The Jam
Hey Joe – Jimi Hendrix
Bertie – Kate Bush
John Barleycorn must die – Traffic
My Brother Jake – Free
Billy Liar – The Decemberists
Optional extra: Leopold Alcocks – Jake Thackray
Comrade CHERRY’S no-reserves-required 1st XI
1) John Taylor’s Month Away – King Creosote and Jon Hopkins
2) Pete Standing Alone – Boards ofCanada
3) Lord Anthony – Belle and Sebastian
4) Song for Clay – Bloc Party
5)Tristan – Patrick Wolf
6) Poor Leno – Royksopp
7) Freddie Freeloader – Miles Davis
8) Michael – Franz Ferdinand
9) Song for Bobby – Cat Power
10) Wayne Rooney – Johnny Flynn
11)The Boy looked at Johnny – The Libertines
Comrade WALSH’s choices (#3): Top 15 Cheat List of Names That Are Not Really Names
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band)
Duke of Earl (Darts)
Valentine’s Day Is Over (Billy Bragg)
(and Blue Valentine (Tom Waits))
Lily, Rosemary and The Jack of Hearts (Bob Dylan)
Paris,Texas
Red Morning Light (Kings ofLeon)
Maybe We Were Born Blue (Richmond Fontaine)
God Will (But I Won’t) (Lyle Lovett)
(He Must’ve Been) Quite A Guy (The Colorblind James Experience)
Ten Miles to Go On ANine Mile Road (Jim White)
Coles Corner (Richard Hawley)
I Want to Be A Christian (Proclaimers)
Plus any song with Rock in the title
Comrade PHILLIPS’ top 22 all from his vintage vinyl collection
(Hey)Eugeneby Pink Martini
Simon by Joan Armatrading
Amar (Caballero) by Babe Ruth
Gunga (Din) by The Byrds
Willie (and The Hand Jive) by Eric Clapton
Johnny (Porter) by Ry Cooder
Lenny (Bruce) by Bob Dylan
Joey by Bob Dylan
(My Brother) Jake by Free
Leonby Philip Goodhand-Tait
Ike(‘s Mood) by Isaac Hayes
(Prince) Rupert (Awakes) by King Crimson
Brian(‘s Song) by Michel Legrand
Sonny Boy (Blow) by John Mayall
Orlandoby John Renbourn
Big Nick by Tony Williams
Big Ben by Billie Holliday
Billie and Harrie (Billie Holliday)
Bernard(’s Song) by Veronique Sanson
(Me and ) Julio (Down by the Schoolyard) by Simon & Garfunkel
Johnny(99) by Bruce Springsteen
(Mud Slide) Slim by James Taylor
Soon-to-be-Comrade McCULLOCH’s pre-induction collection
The Jean Genie – David Bowie
Spencer the Rover – John Martyn
Making plans for Nigel – XTC
Sloop John B – The Beach Boys
Uncle Walter – The Ben Folds Five
Elvis’s Rolls Royce – Was Not Was
Mr E’s Beautiful Blues – Eels
Levon – Elton John
Pack my Jack – JJ Cale
Sweet Baby James – James Taylor
From Hank to Hendrix – Neil Young
The Ballad of Hollis Brown – Neville Brothers
Simon Smith and the amazing Dancing Bear – Randy Newman
Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder
Tom Traubert’s Blues – Tom Waits
Mack The Knife – Bobby Darin
Mohammed’s Radio – Warren Zevon
Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead – XTC
Comrade WALSH’s choices (#4): Top 10 ‘Name in a Crazy Long Title’ List in ascending order ranked by number of characters
What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (REM)
Aloysius TheBluegrassDrummer (Silver Jews)
One (Blake’s Got A New Face) (Vampire Weekend)
Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Paul Simon)
The Ballad of Lou The Welterweight (Felice Brothers)
Roland The Headless Thomson Gunner (Warren Zevon)
Ballad ofLawrenceOrangeand Eugene Green (Peter Nardini)
Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear (Randy Newman)
Rene and Georgette Magritte With His Dog After The War (Paul Simon)
There’s A Guy Works Down The Chipshop (Swears He’s Elvis) (Kirsty McColl)
After all that, the actual contenders from the four members who showed up were:
The Low Anthem, Charlie Darwin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKUo1HHfpUY
Bob Dylan, Billy 1 (Theme From Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kexKFYX44lw
No clip available, but here’s the film trailer
Elvis Costello, Oliver’s Army
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JGYKCvWnQc
Fleet Foxes, Oliver James
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpq1kw3MXcE
by a landslide, the Audiophiles’ selection of the best song with a boy’s name in the title: CHARLIE DARWIN by The Low Anthem
Next category SONGS ABOUT REJECTION