Call Me Battle
Here we go again!
Two new contenders! Two new songs!
The Call Me Battle series is songs having to do with telephones or telephone calls.
I felt like switching things up a bit for this battle, and so today I have two new to me songs.
Listen to these two songs with an open mind… and cast your vote for the one that you enjoy the most.
Labi Siffre
Claudius Afolabi Siffre (born 25 June 1945), better known as Labi Siffre is a British singer-songwriter and poet. Siffre released six albums between 1970 and 1975, and four between 1988 and 1998. His best known compositions include "It Must Be Love", which reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart in 1971 (and was later covered by the band Madness), "Crying Laughing Loving Lying", and "(Something Inside) So Strong"—an anti-apartheid song inspired by a television documentary in which white soldiers in South Africa were filmed shooting at black civilians in the street—which hit number 4 on the UK chart. The latter song won Siffre the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and it has been used in Amnesty International campaigns.
Siffre has published essays, the stage and television play Deathwrite and three volumes of poetry: Nigger, Blood on the Page, and Monument. In 2022, his life and work was explored in the BBC series Imagine, under the title, Labi Siffre: This Is My Song.
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in pub rock, power pop and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with being a vocalist, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica.
He is best known for the songs "Cruel to Be Kind" (a US Top 40 single) and "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and others. Lowe also wrote "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", a hit for Costello and "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)", a hit for Rockpile bandmate Dave Edmunds.
Who will make it to the playoffs? Cast your votes in the comments below. If you find yourself unable to leave a comment, please visit Jingle Jangle Jungle’s facebook page to leave a comment on the post that correlates with this battle.
In the event that you are new here, or you have simply forgotten… Here’s a review of how a battle works:
Listen to each of the contenders. Try not to be persuaded by the videos. I like to close my eyes and let the music transport me. Keep an open mind and don’t be persuaded by the artist name.
Pick the contender that you prefer the most
Leave a comment with the name of the contender you have chosen. Feel free to expound upon your choice.
Visit the other bloggers that have battles taking place. Their battles are different from each other, so be sure to check them out.
Are you a blogger and want to join in the fun with your own music battles on the 1st and 15th of each month (or only one battle a month) - reach out to Mr McCarthy to get yourself added to the list!
Alright now… Cast your votes in the comments! Voting Results will be posted on the 22nd of this month.
Don’t forget to also check out today’s Song of The Day!
Labi had a pleasant sound and his song was okay, but kind of lackluster to me.
ReplyDeleteNick Lowe's tune grabbed my attention and got me rockin'. A vote for Nick.
Lee
MMQE ~
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Labi Siffre before. His song was short, sweet and to the point. I enjoyed the lilting melody of it, and wish that it had perhaps been more fleshed-out. It was nice, but felt almost like half-a-song waiting to be completed.
Now, Nick Lowe I know. (His song 'Cruel To Be Kind' is actually included on my 'Me, Lynth & The Beach Report' cassette tape recorded from L.A. radio on September 21, 1985 -- my personal Waybac Machine to the better past.) Nick knows how to rock, and 'Switchboard Susan' has that early Rock 'N' Roll sound I dig. Almost Chuck Berry-like, and I likes me some Chuck Berry!
Please chalk up my "bote" for Mr. Nick and his sexy Switchboard Susan.
~ D-FensDogG
Oh I am all for Nick. I love the energy he gives to the song. The other one was a bit boring to me.
ReplyDeleteNever heard the song or artist (Labi Siffre) before but I could l listen a few more times. Some of those lines stick in the mind (and heart) like those burrs you pick up in a cotton field cling to your sweater. Mr. Nick was always on for all those wild and crazy weekends we all worked for ;-) Time and place, I guess. My vote goes to Labi - the guy who seems to like phone calls as much as we do.
ReplyDeleteMy votes goes to Nick Lowe as well. His song and style really grabbed! :)
ReplyDeleteVOTE = NICK LOWE
ReplyDeleteNick's track got me in the rock-n-roll parts of me (which is all of me, actually). Also, his lyrics seemed to hit some groovy metaphorical spaces. Labi's song was okay; mostly meh.
~Ed.