Technically, the French composer Marius Constant did not set out to write the theme song for The Twilight Zone. In the 50s, CBS commissioned Constant to compose a number of short pieces for CBS stock music library, basically as musical stingers that could be used for radio shows. In 1960, when The Twilight Zone needed a theme song, an enterprising CBS employee combined two of Constant’s composition to create the iconic Twilight Zone theme.
Enjoy our short but haunting song of the day.
It’s always good fun until someone gets pushed down a flight of stairs.
That’s a lesson for us all.
Enjoy!
This is the song that gave it’s title to one of the best films ever made.
My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It’s better to burn out
Than to fade away
My my, hey hey.
Out of the blue
and into the black
They give you this,
but you pay for that
And once you’re gone,
you can never come back
When you’re out of the blue
and into the black.
The king is gone
but he’s not forgotten
This is the story
of a Johnny Rotten
It’s better to burn out
than it is to rust
The king is gone
but he’s not forgotten.
Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There’s more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.
Songwriters: Neil Young and Jeff Blackburn
The above video was the second one for Mother, hence why it’s called Mother ’93. It features live footage of the band performing at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in California. At around the same time this video was in rotation on MTV, Glenn Danzig was invited to audition for the role of Wolverine in one of the early attempts to make an X-Men film. Danzig, who had the right look for the role, had to turn down the opportunity due to scheduling conflicts.
This video also inspired a classic line from Beavis and Butt-Head: “That little dance isn’t very cool.”
Enjoy!
Today’s music video of the day is for John Mellencamp’s cover of Van Morrison’s Wild Night.
In 1994, the opening of this video was the most popular 40 seconds on MTV. I have traveled in a lot of taxi cabs and Ubers. I’ve been lucky enough to have some very good drivers but none of them appeared in the 1992 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The driver, in this video, is played by Shana Zadrick, a model who was often compared to Cindy Crawford.
Back in 1994, if you enjoyed this video, you could go down to your friendly neighborhood Musicland (or Suncoast Motion Picture Company) and, for just $19.98, you could see even more of Shana in this commemorative video:
The other good thing about this video is that bassline, which was provided by Me’shell Ndegeocello. Wild Night was released at the same time that Ndegeocello had her biggest solo hit, If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night).
This video was directed by Jonathan Kaplan. A former film school classmate of Martin Scorsese’s, Kaplan got his start directing films like Night Call Nurses and The Student Teachers for Roger Corman. He eventually became a mainstream film and television director. His most highly regarded film is probably 1988’s The Accused, for which Jodie Foster won her first Oscar.
Today’s song of the day comes to us from the soundtrack of the 1983 film, Revenge of the Ninja. Composed by Robert J. Walsh, this soundtrack will definitely leave you prepared to defeat all of your enemies, ninja-style!
(Actually, don’t try to do that without getting some training once. I speak with the experience who sprained her ankle multiple times as a result of trying to duplicated Kate Beckinsale’s Underworld moves.)
In honor of Ruggero Deodato’s birthday, today’s song of the day is Riz Ortolani’s hauntingly beautiful theme music for Deodato’s infamous Cannibal Holocaust.
This was one of the first songs to define the decade that the 90s would be. Of course, within a few years of the song being released, the idea of being “connected” would have a totally different meaning for a lot of listeners.
This is another video directed by Matthew Amos. He also did yesterday’s video, I’m Free.
Enjoy!
As today is Orson Welles’s birthday, it seems appropriate that today’s song of the day should come from the score of one of his best films, Touch of Evil.
I’m Free was originally recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1965 and was the last track on the Out Of Our Heads album. To quote Rolling Stone Magazine, the original song was a “folk rocker.” The version by the Soup Dragons was much more psychedelic and featured a verse from Jamaican reggae performer, Junior Reid. I’m Free became the band’s biggest hit, reaching the number 2 spot on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart.
Director Matthew Amos has also directed videos for Stereo MCs, Jesus Jones, Slipknot, and Blur. He’s also film several awards shows and stage productions for the BBC.
Through the Shattered Lens 