The Song Remains The Same

Introduction

I once did a Runaway Train playlist. I intended it to be ten songs about trains, but I found ten songs with the same title.

When Queen released "A Night At The Opera" and "A Day At The Races in the mid-seventies, two of the songs therein shared the same title and two Jefferson Airplane songs, as well as one by Don Williams, so I thought why not collect a few of these together.

Of course, as usual, I will miss lots out. These are different songs with the same titles, not covers of the same song.

Don Williams - "You're My Best Friend"

For sentimental country and western, this is more than listenable and only starts this playlist because it shares the same title with the first Queen/Jefferson Airplane pairing that I am going to share with you.

Jefferson Airplane - "You're My Best Friend" from "Surrealistic Pillow"

This was originally going to be the first song, but this is OK, but hardly memorable, so it only here because of the words in the title.

Queen - "You're My Best Friend" from "A Night At The Opera"

Now this is a truly great song. My mum bought me the album for Christmas, and I still play it a lot. This is not the only great song on that album.

Jefferson Airplane - "Somebody To Love" from "Surrealistic Pillow"

Now this is one of Airplane's best, just three minutes of relentless brilliance. One of my favourites.

Queen - "Somebody To Love" from "A Day At The Races"

While "A Day At The Races" amybe didn't reach the heights of "A Night At The Opera" it came damned close and this is one of the many brilliant songs that made up that album.

The Carpenters - "Happy" from "Horizon"

This was a favourite of my mum's, I think it was the "B" side of a single she had, but I still love it every time I hear it. Love these lines:

Happy is the way I'm feelin',

And I know it comes from being with you.

All at once my life is changin',

And I know it's 'cause I'm fallin' in love with you.

Rolling Stones - "Happy" from "Exile On Main Street"

Written, sung and played by Keef Richards and and possibly my favourite Stones song, the lyrics and the riff are just brilliant, and I even tried it myself, and if you want to hear me, it's here, just me and my guitar and voice.

Me covering Keef Richards' "Happy"

The Monotones - "The Book Of Love"

A brilliant slice of Doo-Wop that I loved as a pre-teen kid and still do now. This is so full of joy, almost no need for any other instruments that the drums and voices.

The Magnetic Fields - "The Book Of Love" from "69 Love Songs"

This is just so simple and gorgeous, a love song approaching perfection. I may have heard it first by Peter Gabriel, whose cover is also gorgeous. I also tried it as well, so you get a second slice of me in this playlist.

Me Attempt At The Magnetic Fields "The Book Of Love"

Randy Newman - "Suzanne" from "12 Songs"

A perfect Randy Newman song, and one for two by iconic North American landmass songwriters. You may only know him by "You Gotta Friend In Me" from "Toy Story", but he has a lot more in his locker than that. I love that there is a strange discordant resonance behind the piano in this song.

Leonard Cohen - "Suzanne" from "Songs Of Leonard Cohen"

We finish with beautiful poetry in a song from one of the greatest Canadians of all time.

Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you found something that you enjoyed.