Ten Favorite Zevon Songs

Cafe Society
1

In light of the fact that my personal music hero Warren Zevon has been announced to have terminal lung cancer, http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=795&ncid=689&e=11&u=/eo/20020912/en_music_eo/10523 , I thought it appropriate to post my favorites of his work, and invite others to do the same.

  1. Lawyers, Guns and Money
  2. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
  3. The Indifference of Heaven (which title I have stolen/bastardized for the novel I’ve yet to write because doing so will drive me fully insane)
  4. Desperados Under the Eaves
  5. Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School
  6. Ourselves to Know
  7. If You Won’t Leave Me, I’ll Find Somebody Who Will
  8. Splendid Isolation
  9. Play It All Night Long (The only known song to reference the cattle disease brucellosis)
  10. Mr. Bad Example

Questions, comments, newsworthy items? I think Warren might like to see some of this kind of stuff floating around while he’s waiting for the next Bond flick.

2

“Werewolves of London”

3

I heard somebody singing sweet and soulful
On the radio, Mohammed’s radio
and still keith lives. i think he’ll outlive us all.

4
  1. Splendid Isolation
  2. The Factory
  3. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
  4. Poor Poor Pitiful Me
  5. Excitable Boy
  6. Seminole Bingo
  7. Mr. Bad Example
  8. Werewolves of London
  9. Mohammed’s Radio
  10. Boom Boom Mancini
5
  1. Mohammed’s Radio
  2. Mr. Bad Example
  3. Lawyers Guns and Money
  4. The Indifference of Heaven
  5. Frank and Jesse James
  6. The Envoy
  7. Excitable Boy
  8. I’ll sleep when I’m dead
  9. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
  10. Accidentally like a martyr
6

When I heard Zevon was terminally ill, my heart just sank. He’s been the main part of the musical soundtrack of my life since I was 16 years old. The world will be a much duller place for me without him in it.

I’ll just pick everyone else’s songs, since his ‘Top 10’ for me would be about 40 songs.

7
  1. Werewolves of London

and the other 9 in no particular order:

  1. Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead
  2. Poor Poor Pitiful Me
  3. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
  4. The French Inhaler
  5. Lawyers, Guns, and Money
  6. Jeannie Needs a Shooter
  7. Mohammed’s Radio
  8. The Envoy
  9. Frank and Jesse James
8
  1. Werewolves of london
  2. Hasten down the wind
  3. Carmelita
  4. things to do in Denver when you’re dead
  5. The Hula hula boys
  6. Suzie Lightning
  7. The French inhaler
  8. monkey wash donkey rinse
  9. Gorilla, you’re a desperado
  10. Mutineer
9

I’ll throw in a vote for “They Moved the Moon”, a very haunting tune that I never get tired of.

10

  1. Desperados Under The Eaves

  2. The French Inhaler

  3. Mohammed’s Radio

  4. Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner

  5. Poor Poor Pitiful Me

11

In no particular order.

Mohammed’s Radio
The Heartache
The French Inhaler
The Indifference of Heaven
Play It All Night Long
They Moved the Moon
Carmelita
Even a Dog Can Shake Hands
Poor Poor Pitiful Me
Accidentally like a Martyr

12

I’m not familiar with his work, I’ll have to check more out, but this is one of my favorite lines:
I saw a werewolf
Drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s
Man, his hair was PERFECT!
That was when I knew I wanted to be a werewolf and snag all the babes.

13

Reading through all these so far, I was stricken by something really weird: Every song on a list that wasn’t on mine was one that I considered and had to pass over. How many artists could really expect to have someone say that?

14

Poor Warren.

Nobody’s mentioned “My shit’s fucked up”. A classic.

15

  1. Wild Age. Quintessential Warren.

  2. Join Me in L.A.

16

Carmelita
Excitable Boy
Like the Seasons
Traveling in the Lightning
Hasten Down the Wind
Lawyers Gunsa and Money
Desperados Under the Eaves
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Tule’s Blues

17

Add Veracruz for me.

18

Veracruz eh? I’m a track before that right now, in my Zevon marathon tonight. Mmm, Night time in the Switching Yard.

So long, Norman.

19

In no particular order:

Excitable Boy
Lawyers, Guns, and Money
Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner
Werewolves of London
Play It All Night Long
Even A Dog Can Shake Hands
Carmelita
Mohammed’s Radio
Mr. Bad Example
The Envoy

Damn, it’s gonna hurt to lose him.

20

What FallenAngel said! Just an amazing body of work spanning a quarter-century. They broke the mold when they made Mr. Z. We won’t see his kind again soon.