Songs with excellent advice?


What are some songs that give excellent live advice or perspective? 

erik_squires

Shirley Horn "Here's to life"

The Rolling Stones "You can't always get what you want" 

R.E.M. "Everybody Hurts"

Kansas "Dust in the wind"

Journey "Don't stop believin"

Bobby McFerrin "Don't worry, be happy"

Stephen Stills "Love the one you're with"

 

 

Steely Dan - Only a Fool Would Say That

Reputedly as a diss on The Beatles Imagine.

Regards,

barts

 

" Secret to a Long Life" -Michelle Shocked

" You Better Get It While You Can" -Steve Goodman

" It's Later Then You Think" -Roomful of Blues

" Live Forever" -Highwaymen

" Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" -Bob Dylan

 

Cat Stevens-

"Father and Son"

"Maybe You’re Right"

Jethro Tull-

"Thick As A Brick"

"For A Thousand Mothers"

The Beatles-

"She’s Leaving Home"

Stephen Stills-

"It Doesn't Matter"

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Uncle John's Band - Grateful Dead

"When life looks like easy street

There is danger at your door."

------------------

New Speedway Boogie - G.D.

"Please don't dominate the rap Jack

If you got nothing new to say.

If you please, don't back up the track

This train's got to run today."

Anyone know why the YouTube URL’s aren’t automatically imbedded anymore?

Surprised that this one has not been mentioned... In 1999 filmmaker Baz Luhrmann released the song “Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen,” a 7-minute-long graduation speech set to downtempo electronic music. It was a highly unlikely hit that made its way across continents...

https://youtu.be/KdQbb3FXSEI

On a another note, chours from a GDead song 'Dupree's Diamond Blues'

'When I was just a little young boy,
Papa said son, you'll never get far,
Tell you the reason, if you wanna know,
Cause child of mine, there isn't really far to go'...
 

One of us cannot be wrong-Leonard Cohen

"and then I confess that I tortured the dress that you wore for the world to look through"

Tom Petty, “I don’t know but I’ve been told, if you never slow down, you never grow old.”

Love’s in Need of Love Today / Stevie Wonder

 

Old Folks Boogie / Little Feat

“When your mind makes a promise that your body can’t fill”

 

 

Some of these songs are confessionals, some are melancholia, some are more of a warning not to follow in the singer's footsteps.

Apologies if it was already mentioned, but since we are taking the theme of advice so liberally I definitely have to go with Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.

 

https://genius.com/Otis-redding-sittin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay-lyrics

Why Can’t We Live Together / Stevie Winwood

Why Don’t We Do It In the Road / The Beatles

Cocaine / Eric Clapton

Captain Jack / Billy Joel

When the Musics Over / The Doors

 

Looking through my playlist, here are some obvious ones:

 

A Message to You Rudy - Dandy Livingstone

Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul

Don't Marry Her - Beautiful South

Don't Worry Baby - Keith Moon

Dream Baby Dream - Bruce Springsteen

Gotta Have Me Go With You - Judy Garland

I Know There's an Answer - Beach Boys

Hang on to Your Ego - Beach Boys

Love Changes Everything - Marti Webb

Make Your Own Kind of Music - Mama Cass 

You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two - Oliver!

Remember - John Lennon

Sew a Silver Button on the Moon - Reg Dixon 

Stay Clean - Motorhead

Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders

Tell All the People - Doors

There is Power in a Union - Billy Bragg

Think for Yourself - Beatles

True to Myself - Ziggy Marley

Up to Me - Bob Dylan

You Can Get it if You Really Want It - Jimmy Cliff

You Just Haven't Earned it Yet Baby - Smiths

What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

Wholy Holy - Aretha Franklin

Don't Ask My Neighbor - The Emotions

Ease on Down the Road - From the motion picture "The Wiz"

Don't Worry, Be Happy - Pentatonix

Lean On Me - Bill Withers

Walk On By - Isaac Hayes

Count On Me - Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans motion picture "Waiting to Exhale"

Everyday People - Sly and the Family Stone

Narayan - The Prodigy

Clear as the Driven Snow - The Doobie Brothers

Under the Pressure - The War on Drugs (Live is longer....;)....)

...enough. 

Easy.

James Taylor - Secret of Life

The secret of life is enjoying the passing of time.

@curiousjim 

Anyone know why the YouTube URL’s aren’t automatically imbedded anymore?

 

I was wondering the same thing. It's a pretty handy feature for a audio forum.

Anyway, the title of this thread brought back to my mind this remarkable outing by someone once labelled as "the most  dangerous man in America".


Timothy Leary - You Can Be Anyone This Time Around

https://youtu.be/6mE7lAQryJY

 

I hate 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' because it's a hypocritical, didactic lecture from a group who are collectively worth over $200,000,000.00 and who have always gotten everything they've ever wanted and more. Don't be fooled into thinking that Mick Jagger can offer sage advice to anyone.

Holiday in Cambodia Dead Kenedys.

sailing on a sea of cheese, Primus.

Don't Bogart That Joint. Little Feat.

Apolitical Blues Little Feat.

 

Steely Dan, "Reelin in the years"

Crosby, Stills And Nash, "The Southern Cross"

Little River Band, "Another Runway"

Red Rider, "Avenue A"

@goofyfoot 

I hate 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' because it's a hypocritical, didactic lecture from a group who are collectively worth over $200,000,000.00 and who have always gotten everything they've ever wanted and more. Don't be fooled into thinking that Mick Jagger can offer sage advice to anyone.

 

Well, I guess you could argue that Mick didn't attend the London School of Economics for nothing.

I recall reading that even in the early days he continued with his studies and it was only once the Stones became huge that he became a full time member.

On the other hand he did get screwed over by Allen Klein and unfortunately so did the Beatles after Lennon took need of Jagger's advice.

Years of litigation were to follow.

At least one third of the music industry is permanently devoted to litigation. So perhaps we should be a little careful of taking anything they might have to say too seriously.

Lennon's 'Imagine' is possibly the finest example of that hypocrisy of which you speak.

JIM STAFFORD WILDWOOD WEED STEVE GOODMAN CHICKEN CORDON BLUES  JOHN PRINE  first album

It's an easier question to ask; Which songs don't give advise? People try to find meaning in songs where there is NONE. I remember an interview with Paul Simon where he was asked the meaning of "You can call me Al". He shrugged his shoulders after thinking about it and said he didn't have an answer. So many songs were written under the influence of God knows what drug. There's a book I have that a guy wrote explaining the meaning of "American Pie". I asked Don's manager what he thought of it. "Interesting" was his only answer. I can't think of the exact phrase but someone did say "When you completely decipher a song it loses some of its luster" Just a couple of thoughts. Joe 

ad·vice

/ədˈvīs/

noun

guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent future action.

“Just because you've become a young man now
There's still somethings that you don't understand now
Before you ask some girl for her hand now
Keep your freedom for as long as you can now  
My mama told me, you better shop around 
Try to get yourself a bargain, son
Don't be sold on the very first one
Now pretty girls come a dime a dozen
Try to find one who's gonna give you true loving 
Before you take a girl and say "I do" now
Make sure she's in love with you now
My mama told me, you better shop around” 
- Smokey Robinson 

I read this thread, had the perfect song but couldn't remember the title so I left. Now I remember and am back. Here's the song

Tom MacDonald - "Brainwashed"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCBNwGHPZ2M&ab_channel=TomMacDonald

@cd318 Stop Your Sobbing is by the Kinks and covered by the Pretenders.

But speaking of the Kinks, they have a few songs with good advice:

Have A Cuppa Tea

Skin and Bones

Come Dancing

Better Things

Jukebox Music

Animal Farm

Alcohol

Are the ones I can think of now. 

A couple more:

Nilsson: Lime in the Coconut

Lowe:  Cruel to be Kind

Dury: Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

 Mann: Wise Up

Alvvays: Ones Who Love You

Camper Van Beethoven: Take the Skinheads Bowling

Dead Kennedys: Holiday in Cambodia

CSN&Y: Teach Your Children

Dandy Warhols: Plan A

Only People by John Lennon (Mind Games 1973)

And we can't be denied with woman and man side by side
Make no mistake it's our future we're making
Bake the cake and eat it too
We don't want no big brother scene