I’ve got nothing to say, but it’s okay

Posted on by brucehhackett

What makes a hit song?  A catchy melody, of course, but also, typically, an indelible chorus with a repeated catchphrase and memorable lyrics you can sing along with.

Well, not always lyrics, as it turns out.  Back in the ’50s and ’60s especially, and well into the ’70s, you can find almost 50 entries on the Billboard singles charts of instrumental songs that made the Top Ten.  Nearly 20 of those reached the #1 position, sometimes for multiple weeks. And another 50-60 at least made the Top 40, bringing the total number of instrumental hits to well over 100.

How did that happen?  Doesn’t a hit single need lyrics to become the kind of “earworm” song that stays in your head all day long after hearing it?  Not necessarily; a compelling instrumental passage can be as addicting as a vocal hook.  Take Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein,” for example.  That monstrous main riff is arguably every bit as mesmerizing as a repeated lyric like “I’d like to hear some funky Dixieland…”

These instrumental hits came in a number of sub-categories.  Theme songs from movies and TV shows make their way into the Top 40 from time to time; surf music and disco sometimes offer irresistible instrumental riffs that don’t need words; and jazz artists who play sax or trumpet have been known to have a Top Ten hit or two without lyrics to carry the songs.

I’ve selected a baker’s dozen of Top Ten instrumental songs that should be familiar to most of you — if not by the title, then by the first 15 seconds of the song itself.  A Spotify list at the end will allow you to sample the songs as you read.  Enjoy!

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“Grazing in the Grass,” Hugh Masekela, 1968

This #1 hit from the summer of ’68 was written as an instrumental by an African composer named Philemon Hou, and made famous by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who was among the surprises at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.  His version, which was #1 for two weeks, has a reggae flavor and features a prominent cowbell (!) throughout.  A year later, a group called The Friends of Distinction recorded another version with lyrics (“Grazing in the grass is a gas, baby can you dig it…”) written by member Harry Elston, with a faster, funkier arrangement, and it reached #3 in the summer of ’69.  Both versions are on the Spotify list.  You decide which is better.

“TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia),” MFSB, 1974

As disco was just getting started, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff of Philadelphia International Records wrote an instrumental piece to be used as the theme song for “Soul Train,” the Chicago-based TV show featuring R&B/soul/disco music that was about to go national.  Their label’s house band MFSB (Mother, Father Sister, Brother) laid down the groove, the recording was bathed in strings and horns, and then, tacked on the end, the vocal group called The Three Degrees added one line of lyric (“Let’s get it on, it’s time to get down”), repeated 6-7 times.  It was officially the first TV theme song (and, unofficially, the first disco song) to reach #1 on the US singles chart.

“Green Onions,” Booker T. and the M.G.’s, 1962

Here’s another track originally issued as a B-side (this one to a forgotten song called “Behave Yourself”) that went on to become one of the most popular instrumental tracks in rock/soul history.  Written by Booker T. Jones, the track prominently features Jones’s Hammond organ on a minor-chord 12-bar blues structure, interrupted periodically by Steve Cropper’s fine guitar work.  It reached #3 in the US and #7 in the UK.  Evidently named after the cat of one of the M.G.’s, whose way of walking inspired the main riff, the track has been used in several major films over the years, including “American Graffiti,” “The Flamingo Kid,” “Happy Gilmore,” “The Sandlot” and “Get Shorty.”

“Hocus Pocus,” Focus, 1973

Hailing from The Netherlands, this progressive rock band majored in instrumental pieces with plenty of Jethro Tull-like flute by Thijs van Leer and histrionic guitar solos from Jan Akkerman.  Very few tracks on their early ’70s albums had any vocals; could be they didn’t know any English, but I’m not sure about that.  In any event, in the spring of 1973, “Hocus Pocus,” a hard rock track from their 1971 album “Focus 2:  Moving Waves,” reached #9 on the US singles chart.  It was technically an instrumental if you don’t count the incessant yodeling and high-octave vocalizing heard throughout the song.

“The Horse,” Cliff Nobles & Co., 1968

Anybody recognize this title? Didn’t think so…but I’ll bet you recognize the main riff, because it reached #2 in June 1968 and sold a couple million copies.  This track was released as the B-side of a song called “Love is All Right,” which is the same song with vocals and lyrics.  Radio stations preferred the instrumental version (called “The Horse” for no discernible reason), and the hit was attributed to singer Cliff Nobles, even though his vocals were removed.  Listen to both versions on the Spotify list below.

“Joy,” Apollo 100, 1972

It takes guts to lift a 250-year-old classic hymn by Johann Sebastian Bach (“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”) and turn it into an instrumental piece of pop confection, but a British band called Apollo 100 did exactly that, and sure enough, it went to #6 on the US charts (but made no appearance on UK charts).  Played to a straight 4/4 beat, dominated by organ, harpischord and lead guitar, “Joy” probably exposed huge sections of the US radio audience in 1972 to the music of Bach, even if it certainly was not how he intended…

“Scorpio,” Dennis Coffey, 1971

Coffey was a guitar prodigy out of Michigan who quickly became known for innovative techniques, which caught the ear of Berry Gordy and Norman Whitfield at Motown Records. Coffey became a regular in the Funk Brothers, the Motown house band, and was responsible for most of the guitar work on the latter day Temptations hits (“Cloud Nine,” “Ball of Confusion,” “Psychedelic Shack”), Edwin Starr’s “War” and Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold.” In 1971, he recorded his own guitar-laden instrumental track, “Scorpio,” which became a US hit at #6.

“Classical Gas,” Mason Williams, 1968

Williams was both a musician and a comedy writer, and was head writer for the CBS variety show “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” in the late ’60s.  He was given several opportunities to showcase his instrumental acoustic guitar number “Classical Gas” on the program, which gave it valuable exposure and helped it reach #2 on the charts in the fall of 1968.  The song, originally titled “Classical Gasoline,” won multiple Grammys.  Mason went on to write comedy for “Saturday Night Live” as well.

“Frankenstein,” The Edgar Winter Group, 1973

Once again, we have a happy accident:  This instrumental track was added as an afterthought to the group’s LP “They Only Come Out at Night” (and B-side of the since-forgotten single “Hangin’ Around”).  It was a series of spliced-tape sections pieced together in the studio, which drummer Chuck Ruff described as “it’s like a Frankenstein monster taking shape,” and the track’s name was born.  It went to #1 in the spring of ’73.  Edgar Winter, with guitarists Ronnie Montrose and Rick Derringer aboard, had a short but successful run as a live act, and Winter was the first performer to ever strap a keyboard around his neck, which allowed him to walk around the stage playing synthesizer parts as the song’s lead instrument.

“Soulful Strut,” Young-Holt Unlimited, 1969

Never heard of the song or the band, right?  Well, you’ll surely know the song when you hear it — it reached #3 in December 1968-January 1969 and was on the charts for three months.  With a strong horn riff and jazz piano solo, it did indeed have a soulful strut to it.  In fact, R&B singer Barbara Acklin recorded it as a single, with lyrics, called “Am I the Same Girl,” and “Soulful Strut” is actually the backing track to that recording embellished slightly.  Acklin’s version stalled at #79; in 1992, Swing Out Sister reached #45 with a strong cover rendition.  But the instrumental was by far the most successful version.

“A Taste of Honey,” Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass, 1964; “Rise,” Herb Alpert, 1979

Alpert is a giant in the LA recording industry.  He played trumpet in the military and the USC marching band; he formed The Tijuana Brass to play songs inspired by Mexican marachi music; had five #1 albums and 28 LPs overall, sold 70 million records and won nine Grammys; wrote numerous pop hits, including Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” and Dionne Warwick’s “Do You Know the Way to San Jose”; founded A&M Records; and is the only musician in chart history to have a #1 vocal hit (“This Guy’s in Love With You,” 1969) and a #1 instrumental hit (“Rise,” 1979).  With the Tijuana Brass, he made many memorable instrumental tracks (“Tijuana Taxi,” “Spanish Flea,” “Mae”) and had two top ten hits, 1962’s “The Lonely Bull” and 1964’s “A Taste of Honey.”

“Rock and Roll Part 2,” Gary Glitter, 1972

Born in Oxfordshire as Paul Gadd, the man whose stage name was Gary Glitter was a very popular glam rock star in England in the 1972-1975 period, scoring a dozen Top Ten singles and rivaling Marc Bolan and David Bowie in that genre.  In the US, however, he was merely a one-hit wonder…but what a hit it was.  The lyric-less “Rock and Roll Part 2” reached #7 on the charts here in 1972, but more important, it became (and still is) the noisy, obnoxious chant heard everywhere in arenas and stadiums when the home team is doing well.  By the way, there is a “Part 1,” with lyrics and everything — in fact it was the original A-side, and “Part 2” was the B-side…  Both are on the Spotify list if you’re interested.  Sad to say, Gadd was convicted in 2015 of multiple lurid sex offenses and is currently serving prison time.

“Theme From ‘A Summer Place’,” Percy Faith and His Orchestra, 1960

Academy Award winner Max Steiner, an Austrian-born composer who is regarded as “the father of film music,” wrote the music for this theme song for the mildy risque 1959 romantic drama “A Summer Place,” starring Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue.  The movie was a modest success, but the theme song, in its instrumental version as recorded by the Percy Faith and His Orchestra, was the #1 song in the country for an unprecedented nine weeks in 1960, a record that wouldn’t be broken for 17 years.  The Percy Faith recording was also the first instrumental and first movie theme song to win a Record of the Year Grammy.  Steiner wrote dozens of popular film scores, most notably for “Gone With the Wind” and “Casablanca.”  The song does have some lame lyrics, written by Mack Descant, and there are a few vocal versions by the likes of The Lettermen and Andy Williams.

“Dueling Banjos,” Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell, 1972

In 1954, bluegrass artist Arthur Smith wrote and recorded this banjo instrumental piece he called “Feudin’ Banjos,” collaborating with fellow banjo player Don Reno. The piece was first featured on an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” in 1963 when a traveling musical family performed it on Sheriff Taylor’s front porch as a surprise for Aunt Bee. Most people know it from its use in an early scene in the 1972 film “Deliverance,” and Weissberg and Mandell’s recording of “Dueling Banjos” made it all the way to #2 on US pop charts in January 1973.

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Other instrumental songs that were #1 hits:

“Tequila,” The Champs, 1958; “Love is Blue,” Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, 1968; “Pick Up the Pieces,” Average White Band, 1974; “Miami Vice Theme,” Jan Hammer, 1985; “Theme From S.W.A.T.,” Rhythm Heritage, 1976; “Love’s Theme,” Love Unlimited Orchestra, 1974; “Chariots of Fire – Titles,” Vangelis, 1982; “A Fifth of Beethoven,” Walter Murphy, 1976; “The Hustle,” Van McCoy, 1975; “The Stripper,” David Rose and His Orchestra, 1962; “Telstar,” The Tornadoes, 1962; “Gonna Fly Now,” Bill Conti, 1977; “Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet,” Henry Mancini and His Orchestra, 1969; “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band,” Meco, 1977;

Other Top Ten instrumentals:

“Wipeout,” The Surfaris, #3, 1963; “Feels So Good,” Chuck Mangione, #4, 1978; “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” Hugh Montenegro, #2, 1968; “Tubular Bells,” Mike Oldfield, #7, 1974; “Last Night,” The Mar-Keys, #3, 1961; “Popcorn,” Hot Butter, #9, 1972; “Outa-Space,” Billy Preston, #2, 1972; “Hawaii Five-O,” The Ventures, #4, 1969; “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” Deodato, #2, 1973; “Jungle Fever,” The Chakachas, #8, 1972; “Tonight,” Ferrante and Teicher, #8, 1961; “No Matter What Shape,” The T-Bones, 1965; “The Entertainer,” Marvin Hamlisch, #3, 1974; “Pipeline,” The Chantays, #4, 1963; “Nadia’s Theme,” Barry DeVorzon, #8, 1976; “Songbird,” Kenny G, #4, 1987; “Born Free,” Roger Williams, 1966; “Walk Don’t Run,” The Ventures, #2, 1960; “Deulin’ Banjos,” Weissberg & Mandel, #2, 1973; “Axel F,” Harold Faltermeyer, # 3, 1985.

Beyond the Top 40 charts, the rock music landscape has hundreds and hundreds of instrumental tracks, especially in the progressive rock and jazz fusion genres.  For example, just about everything guitar great Jeff Beck ever recorded is an instrumental.  The Allman Brothers were famous for long instrumental pieces, on both studio and live albums (“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” “Jessica“).  The Alan Parsons Project had at least one instrumental track per LP throughout their 10-album run.  Santana (the band and guitarist Carlos) loved to stretch out on instrumental numbers like “Soul Sacrifice,” “Europa,” “Tales of Kilimanjaro” and “Samba Pa Ti.”  Yes and Genesis each offered the occasional instrumental track (“Clap” and “Los Endos” respectively).

A few hot tips:  A personal favorite instrumental deep track is “Fire on High,” the opening song on Electric Light Orchestra’s 1975 album “Face the Music.”  There’s some ferocious acoustic guitar work within an intricate ELO quasi-classical arrangement that’ll blow your socks off.  Another favorite is Jethro Tull’s instrumental flute piece “Bouree,” a jazzy take on an old Bach lute composition (“Boureé in E Minor”) that features Ian Anderson doing some of his best work.

And lastly, don’t miss the aptly titled instrumental track “Song With No Words” from David Crosby’s 1971 album, “If I Could Only Remember My Name”…

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Are you ready, boots? Start walking

Posted on by brucehhackett

The medical profession has been telling us for decades, even centuries, that daily walking is an excellent way to maintain our good health, particularly as we grow older and lead more sedentary lifestyles. It helps pretty much all of our internal systems — muscles, bones, lungs, cardiovascular — and does wonders for our soul and emotional well being too.

Some people jog, or go cycling, or even rollerblading. But more and more people these days are taking morning walks, or afternoon walks, or evening walks, or perhaps all three. Sometimes it’s just a quick stroll around the block to let the dog do his business, and other times it’s a five-mile power walk with a like-minded human companion. Some folks even participate in fundraising walkathons.

Popular songwriters have found walking to be a fertile subject. Below, I’ve selected 20 songs from the classic rock era that mention walking in the title, with another 17 “honorable mentions” as well, bringing the Spotify playlist to more than two hours, which should be a fine soundtrack for a nice long walk!

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“Walk Away,” The James Gang, 1971

Joe Walsh wrote this rock/funk tune for “Thirds,” his final studio album with The James Gang before going solo. The lyrics describe a relationship that’s on its last legs, in which the man doesn’t want it to end but the woman no longer appears interested: “Seems to me you don’t want to talk about it, /Seems to me you just turn your pretty head and walk away…” Although it stalled at #51 when released as a single, “Walk Away” has endured as a hard rock classic, and has been a mainstay in The Eagles’ concert setlist after Walsh joined that band.

“Walking on Broken Glass,” Annie Lennox, 1992

Like many of the songs she sang and co-wrote as part of The Eurythmics, this hit single from Lennox’s 1992 debut LP “Diva” takes a depressing topic like romantic abandonment and attaches it onto an irresistibly danceable beat. Critics called it “a gloriously intoxicating pop song that focuses on the emotional upheaval of a shattered relationship” that makes the narrator feel as if she’s walking on broken glass. It peaked at #14 in the US, #8 in her native UK and #1 in Canada.

“Walk of Life,” Dire Straits, 1985

Mark Knopfler had originally planned for this whimsical rocker to be merely a B-side for one of the intended singles from the Dire Straits LP “Brothers in Arms,” but the band’s manager persuaded Knopfler to include it on the album, and it ended up a popular single in its own right. It peaked at #7 in the US and at #2 in the UK, the group’s highest charting single there. The lyrics refer to a busker in the London subway, playing old rock and roll songs like “Be-Bop-a-Lula,” “What I’d Say” and “I Gotta Woman” in order to make a few bucks “and do the walk of life.”

“Walk Like an Egyptian,” The Bangles, 1986

In 1985, songwriter Liam Sternberg was on a ferry crossing the English Channel in choppy waters, and watched as passengers stepped carefully and moved their arms awkwardly while struggling to maintain their balance. He compared their movements to the depiction of human figures in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings and was inspired to write an uptempo tune with lyrics that mentioned more modern scenes in which people walked in similar fashion. David Kahne, who was producing The Bangles’ second LP “Different Light,” urged the group to record it, and it ended up an international #1 hit in 1986-1987.

“Walkin’ My Baby Back Home,” Nat King Cole, 1952

More than 100 artists have covered this charming ditty since the songwriting team of Fred Ahlert and Roy Turk wrote it way back in 1930, when four different singers put it on the “Hit Parade” the same year. Nat King Cole reached #8 on the US pop charts with his definitive rendition in 1952, and it became the title song of a 1953 film of the same name. Since then, everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby to Judy Garland and Dean Martin wrapped their voices around it, as have rock-era artists like James Taylor, George Benson, Willie Nelson and Van Morrison.

“Walking on the Moon,” The Police, 1979

Sting recalled this song came into being when he was drunk one night in a Munich hotel room. “I was feeling nauseous, but I had a riff in my head, and got up to walk around the room, singing the nonsense words ‘Walking ’round the room,'” he said. “In the morning, I changed it to ‘Walking on the moon,’ which was how I remember feeling years earlier, walking home from my girlfriend’s house.” The reggae-based tune became The Police’s second #1 single in their native England, but it failed to chart in the US, although the album it came from, 1979’s “Regatta de Blanc,” reached #25 on US album charts.

“Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn, 1991

Cohn was a struggling Ohio songwriter in 1985 when he went to Memphis in search of inspiration. He visited the church where Al Green preached, and Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion, and walked the streets and visited the blues and gospel nightspots of the downtown area. The song “Walking in Memphis” came pouring out upon his return home, and attracted enough attention to gain a record deal, and the song turned into not only his debut single, reaching #13 on US charts and #3 in Canada, but also garnered a Song of the Year Grammy nomination that earned Cohn the Best New Artist Grammy in 1991.

“Walk Away Renée,” The Left Banke, 1966

Keyboardist Michael Brown has said he was inspired to write this piece of baroque pop about a girl he had fallen for named Renée Fladen. He said it was an unrealized relationship because he was too timid to approach her, so he mythologized her instead. Brown’s band, The Left Banke, had a big #5 hit with “Walk Away Renée” in the summer of 1966, and a #15 follow-up single (also about the same girl) called “Pretty Ballerina” in early 1967 rescued the group from being “one-hit wonders.”

“I’m Walkin’,” Fats Domino, 1957

Domino, one of the original rock and roll pioneers out of New Orleans, had 20 hits on the R&B charts between 1949 and 1955 before he finally broke through on the pop charts with the iconic “Ain’t That a Shame.” He followed that with three more consecutive Top Ten hits — “Blueberry Hill,” “Blue Monday” and “I’m Walkin'” — in 1956 and early 1957. The latter, co-written by Domino and jazz great Dave Bartholomew, was covered by Ricky Nelson later the same year, reaching #17.

“Walk This Way,” Aerosmith, 1975

Guitarist Joe Perry and vocalist Steven Tyler, struggling for lyrics as they recorded this track for their “Toys in the Attic” LP, took a break and went to see the Mel Brooks comedy “Young Frankenstein,” in which Marty Feldman’s Igor character told Gene Wilder’s Dr. Frankenstein character to follow him as he limped off, saying “Walk this way.” They decided it would make a great title and lyric for the chorus, and the song ended up a Top Ten hit in 1977. Then in 1986, “Walk This Way” returned to the Top Ten in a collaboration with the rap group Run-D.M.C.

“Walk the Dinosaur,” Was (Not Was), 1989

In 1981, Don Fagenson and David Weiss formed a group they called Was (Not Was) based on Fagenson’s toddler son’s propensity to talk in contradictions. They struggled through the 1980s until their 1988 LP “What Up, Dog?” spawned the quirky #7 tune “Walk the Dinosaur,” which became a big music-video hit in 1989, utilizing scenes from the cartoon “Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur.” Randy Jacobs, one of the song’s cowriters, said that although the lyrics were about nuclear Armageddon, “it became a singalong dance anthem because of the Flintstones-like video that probably got played too much.”

“Walking the Dog,” Rufus Thomas, 1963

Thomas was a singer/songwriter/DJ/comedian in the 1940s and 1950s who made his first chart appearance on the US pop charts at age 46 when his bluesy tune “Walking the Dog” peaked at #10 in December 1963. The Rolling Stones recorded a cover version for their debut LP three months later. Soon enough, another dozen artists took their turns at it, including Johnny Rivers, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, the Everly Brothers, Aerosmith, Spirit and Roger Daltrey.

“Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” Joe South, 1968

South was a ubiquitous session guitarist in the 1960s, appearing on albums by Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and Aretha Franklin. He was also a successful songwriter, writing hits like “Down in the Boondocks” for Billy Joe Royal, “Hush” for Deep Purple and “Rose Garden” for Lynn Anderson. When he penned more socially provocative songs, he became a recording artist in his own right, enjoying chart success with “Games People Play” as well as “Walk A Mile in My Shoes,” a plea for compassion and tolerance between those of different backgrounds.

“Walk on the Wild Side,” Lou Reed, 1973

Inspired by the 1956 Nelson Algren novel of the same name, Reed wrote “Walk on the Wild Side” for his second solo LP “Transformer,” and it became a surprise hit in the spring of 1973, reaching #16. Its lyrics pushed against boundaries for its time, touching on formerly taboo topics like male prostitution, transgender people and oral sex. “I always thought it would be kinda fun to introduce people to characters they maybe hadn’t met before, or hadn’t wanted to meet,” said Reed.

“Walk on By,” Dionne Warwick, 1964

The legendary songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David came up with this tearjerker classic for song stylist Dionne Warwick, one of many the duo wrote for her in the 1960s. It peaked at #6 on US pop charts. The lyrics urge the narrator’s former lover to just keep walking by if they’re about to encounter each other: “Make believe that you don’t see the tears, just let me grieve in private, /’Cause each time I see you, I break down and cry, so walk on by…” A few dozen artists have recorded the song since then, including Isaac Hayes, Gloria Gaynor, The Stranglers, Average White Band, Melissa Manchester and Cyndi Lauper.

“Walking Man,” James Taylor, 1974

Bruce Springsteen may have been “born to run,” but it seems as if Taylor was more the “born to walk” type. His catalog has a few delightfully uptempo tunes, but most of his songs, especially from his first four or five albums, are mellow, tuneful reflections on a more chill lifestyle. The title track from his 1974 LP “Walking Man” is a case in point, celebrating the man who strolls through life in contemplation: “The walking man walks, doesn’t know nothing at all, /Any other man stops and talks, but not the walking man, /Born to walk, walk on, walking man…”

“I Walk the Line,” Johnny Cash, 1957

Cash had approached Sam Phillips at Sun Records in the hopes of recording gospel songs, only to be told Phillips was more interested in “rockabilly” artists at that point, including Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. Cash adapted the songs he was writing, speeding up the tempo of his ballads, and in 1957 he scored his first #1 hit on the country charts, “I Walk the Line,” which was also a #17 crossover hit on the pop charts. The song’s lyrics discuss resisting temptation, being accountable, and remaining faithful to his wife, though they would later divorce and he married June Carter in 1968, to whom he remained married until both died with five months of each other in 2003.

“Walking on Sunshine,” Katrina and The Waves, 1985

British guitarist/songwriter Kimberley New came up with this effervescent tune in the early ’80s as he was joining the band Katrina and the Waves. “I’d love to say ‘Walking on Sunshine’ relates to a significant event in my life, like walking out of my front door and seeing a comet or something,” he said, but it’s just a piece of simple fun, an optimistic song,” The group recorded it themselves in 1983, but after getting a record deal in 1985, they re-recorded it with a horn section for their Capitol Records debut, and it became a Top Ten hit in the US, the UK and Australia.

“Walk Between Raindrops,” Donald Fagen, 1982

Following Steely Dan’s decision to take a break after their seventh LP “Gaucho” in 1980, Fagen recorded the polished jazzy solo effort, “The Night Fly,” in 1982. Fagen had been inspired by jazz music of the ’40s and ’50s when he was growing up, and the songs he wrote for the album reflect that, none more so than the album’s closing track, “Walk Between Raindrops.” The lyrics describe a memorable romantic encounter in Miami during which a couple take an evening walk and dodge a rainstorm as they return to her apartment.

“These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” Nancy Sinatra, 1966

Appearing in a 1963 comedy western, Frank Sinatra uttered the line, “They tell me them boots ain’t built for walkin’.”  Country singer-songwriter Lee Hazlewood composed this song around a modified version of the phrase, and intended to sing the song himself, but Sinatra, a friend of his, persuaded him to give it to his daughter Nancy to record.  “Coming from a guy, the words sound harsh and abusive, but it’s perfect for a young girl to sing,” he reasoned.  The song, interpreted as a girl serving notice to her boyfriend that she refused to be pushed around, struck a nerve, reaching #1 on US pop charts in the spring of 1966.

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Honorable mentions:

“The Walk,” Mayer Hawthorne, 2011; “Walking on the Sun,” Smashmouth, 1996; “Walk Like a Man,” The Four Seasons, 1963; “Walk on the Ocean,” Toad the Wet Sprocket, 1991; “Walking on a Thin Line,” Huey Lewis and The News, 1983; “Walk on the Water,” Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1968; “Walking Through Fire,” Mary Chapin Carpenter, 1992; “Walk in My Shadow,” Free, 1970; “Walk Right In,” Dr. Hook, 1977; “When You Walk in the Room,” Jackie DeShannon, 1963; “Walking in the Wind,” Traffic, 1974; “Walkin All Night,” Little Feat, 1973; “Walking Slow,” Jackson Browne, 1974; “Walkin’ and Talkin’,” The Marshall Tucker Band, 1975; “Walk Into Light,” Ian Anderson, 1983; “Walking in the Rain,” The Ronettes, 1963; “Walking On Air,” Stephen Bishop, 1989.

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