96 Lines About 10 Songs

A numbered list about numbers with numbers in the title.

Kevin Alexander

Mar 22, 2024

108

Good morning!

It’s been a long week, so I thought I’d go with something light & fun for our Friday.

One is the loneliest number, or at least it can be when it comes to listening to music.

For something so communal, we’ve sure done a good job of making it a solitary pursuit. We listen in the car alone or public with headphones on. There isn’t a transit system alive that doesn’t have warnings posted not to listen to a boom box or other music out loud. Even if someone dared to ignore that, they’d be met with withering glares and glances askance.

A few years ago, I found that I sorely missed getting to talk about music and sharing stuff I liked with people I hoped would love it too. I also missed the “contests” that would erupt High Fidelity-style in those discussions.

Name 5 songs that…

Top 5 tracks from (insert band here), and so on.

In my circle, those would often take odd twists. Sometimes, we were bored. Sometimes, we were trolling the other person to see what would happen. Every time was fun.

I think that’s part of the allure of these challenges- they pull back the curtain on tour Airpods and let others see what’s been playing in your head. Or maybe that’s just me. Either way, I’m a sucker for these sorts of things. And today, when they show up online, I take the bait—every time.

So hear (heh) we go!

Three…two…one:

“6060 842”- The B52s (1978)

Meet the older cooler sibling of 867–5309. They’re home on break from college and brought some music back from the dorms.

The B52s have always been good at flipping things around. In this case, it's a woman trying to call a number she found on a bathroom wall. If you play it, don't be surprised to catch yourself singing the chorus a few hours later.

Honorable mention: 53 Mile west of Venus

“Seven Wonders”- Fleetwood Mac (1987)

The second single off of the band’s terribly underrated Tango In The Night record. This was the last record before the band entered their “Coy and Vance” era, replacing Lindsey Buckingham (and later Stevie Nicks) with not one but two guitarists. The regular (modern-era) lineup wouldn’t return for another ten years. Maybe Buckingham saw what was coming and wanted to go out with a bang. And he did.

“1963”- New Order (1987)

Originally released as the B-Side to the band’s “True Faith” single, “1963” also appeared on the Substance compilation disc later that year.

New Order’s Bernard Sumner has always been coy about his lyrics, preferring they stay abstract. For the New Order Music book, he took it further by writing a tongue-in-cheek explanation of the track’s lyrics.

In his account, Sumner alleges that it was about JFK hiring Lee Harvey Oswald to shoot Jackie O. so that he and Marilyn Monroe could be together, with the actress committing suicide after Harvey hit the wrong target.

Of course, Marilyn Monroe passed away in 1962, not ‘63, but who are we to get in the way of a good story? Either way, the lyrics touch on the difficult subject matter.

Producer Stephen Hague called the song “the only song about domestic violence that you can dance to.” Yikes.

On a lighter(?) note, the video stars Jane Horrocks, who you might recognize as AbFab’s utterly obnoxious Bubble.

I Would Die 4 U- Prince (1984)

Hands down the best song Prince ever recorded. I’ll take no further questions.

“88 lines about 44 women”- The Nails (1984)

A forgotten indie classic from the early 80s. It’s long held a place on countless “best of” lists.

It’s also been used to sell Mazdas, promote the show Dexter, and a few PSA campaigns. Singer Marc Campbell has previously said that the only money the band ever made from the song was from ads & lawsuits.

Also the only one on this list to have been parodied using characters from The Simpsons.

“1 2 X U” — Wire (1977)

From the seminal 1977 Pink Flag record. Is it multiplication? Is it algebra? Beats me. Learning my timetables was torturous, and I checked out of math once the numbers became letters.

“Why bother? I’ll never use this stuff,”
~Me, 1990ish

The joke’s on me; I use both every day at work.

And I listen to this record quite often while doing it.

“The One Thing”-INXS (1982)

For a song that talks about something timeless, “ The One Thing” sure came along at the right time.

MTV was changing how we consumed music, and having a sexy frontman talking about lust was the perfect combination to send this track soaring up the charts. Older readers may also remember that this was also the early era of MTV when there weren’t really any rules on how (or what) made a good video. Anything went; the quirkier, the better.

Lots of videos with washed-out lighting and lots of odd concepts. You know, like drugged cats slinking around on a banquet table.

With their photogenic frontman, INXS was a great fit for MTV. When the network started playing the video for this song, it gave them a huge boost and propelled the single onto the charts. The video was a strange one, but so was just about everything on MTV at the time, since there was no established protocol for the process and the network favored clips that were quirky and/or outrageous (beautiful people also helped). Regarding the video, INXS bass player Tim Farriss said in the book I Want My MTV: “We fed Valium to a few cats and had them running around a table while we had a feast with sexy models and Playboy centerfolds, ripping apart a turkey. Next thing we knew, we had a Top 40 hit in America.”

“3 Strange Days”- School Of Fish (1991)

Speaking of school, the opening lines pretty much sum up high school for me.

For three strange days
I had no obligations
My mind was a blur

We took lots of trips to the ocean, too, where we would stare up at the same grey skies the band sings about.

“I Can’t Drive 55”- Sammy Hagar (1984)

I didn't like 1984’s VOA as much as the 1–2 punch of 1982’s Standing Hampton and Three Lock Box, but I loved “I Can't Drive 55.”

For a few years after getting my license, I took it to heart, ignoring as many posted speed limits as possible as I ripped through the metro area (allegedly, of course!).

Today, it’s not “one foot on the brake and one on the gas” so much as it’s two hands on the wheel with my nose up against the glass. I’m not even sure my Outback will go more than 55 anymore.

Is there a statute of limitations for speeding? Asking for a friend

“3 Little Birds”- Bob Marley & The Wailers (1977)

A track more people know by the chorus than that title. I’m not taking odds, but I’d guess it’s 3-to-1 in favor of people thinking this song is actually called “Every Little Thing.”

A timeless classic from a timeless artist and a good mantra for the moment we’re living in.

Don’t worry about a thing. ’Cause every little thing gonna be alright. Hopefully.

So what’d I miss? Do you have any thoughts/memories about these tracks or suggestions on what should've made the cut? Comment below!

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