Bob Dylan: Positively 4th Street [purchase]
No survey of footwear in song could be complete without a nod to the greatest lines ever written featuring shoes. Now, this song doesn't actually include footwear in the title nor highlights footwear in any other respect, so I've excerpted the brief, shoe-centric bit of genius.
On a totally self-indulgent note, when I was a senior in high school I was a delivery guy for Lino's Pizzeria in Huntington Beach, and my co-worker, Steve, quoted this exact verse as an example of Dylan's brilliance. So, upon his hearty recommendation, I went to Licorice Pizza the next day, bought the Greatest Hits, and was summarily hooked on the Bobster. So, here it is ... the verse that turned me into a Dylan fan and showed every songwriter how to properly say, "Fuck You!"
I thought about 'Venus In Furs' for a similar reason..."Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather"!
ReplyDeleteLD - Very nicely done. I agree. Once you properly discover the genius of Dylan, there is no substitute and no equal.
ReplyDeleteAnother great musical F.U. from Bob is "Idiot Wind."
ReplyDeleteIdiot wind,
Blowing every time you move your mouth,
Blowing down the backroads headin' south.
Idiot wind,
Blowing every time you move your teeth.
You're an idiot, babe.
Its a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
Sorry to go off-topic, but since this theme is almost over, what about these if you're running dry?
ReplyDeleteWalkin' Blues (Robert Johnson or countless others)
Billy The Kid's Dream of the Magic Shoes (Mountain Goats)
Dancing Shoes (Arctic Monkeys)
Debut of the Tambourine Shoe (Drakkansasauna)
Goody Two-Shoes (Adam Ant)
I Saw Your Shoes (Cowboy Junkies)
Eleanor, Put Your Boots On (Franz Ferdinand)
Leather Made Shoes (Marissa Nadler)
Little Girl Shoes (Smog)
2 Dollar Shoes (Rosie Thomas)
You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve (Johnny Boy)
Worried Shoes (Daniel Johnston)
These Old Shoes (Dear Tick)
Buffalo Boots (Luna)
Teeth Like God's Shoeshine (Modest Mouse)
Standing in My Shoes (Leo Kottke)
Prison Shoe Romp (Sixteen Horsepower)
Old Brown Shoe (Beatles)
Long Boots Johnson (The Devil Makes Three)
The Denver Boot Redux (Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots)
No More Shoes (Steven Malkmus)
My Little Suede Shoes (Charlie Parker)
Hi-Heel Sneakers (Tommy Tucker and everyone else)
Ruby Slipper (Simon Joyner)
In my eyes, at least, the Mountain Goats, Franz, and Arctic Monkeys are still too new and "cool" to fit here, though others will surely have other opinions. But about a third of those that remain are my "leftover list", anon! Love the Rosie Thomas and Leo Kottke, especially.
ReplyDeleteThat said: there's ALWAYS more than we can fit. On my own blog, I do a (Re)Covered entry every few months which looks back at songs that "slipped through the cracks" for one reason or another; perhaps someday here at SMM we'll do a "looking back: songs we should have posted for other themes" theme.
Or we could have a theme week of "missed songs"
ReplyDelete