5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #31

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1.  The Kids Are Alright, by The Who

Want something poppy and upbeat from the British Invasion? This song from the early The Who catalog should do you nicely. Oddly enough though, while the lyrics at first listen seem like typical pop lyrics from the 60's if you listen closer you can kind of tell that there is more meaning to them than what first meets the ear. This isn't surprising though considering the lyricism of guitarist Pete Townshend was more profound than most other bands of the genre at that given time.

2. One Thing On My Mind, by Montrose

This shuffle from Sammy Hagar's first big band is hard not to smile and move your feet to at least a little. It definitely shows his voice in its most youthful, happy, and energetic state. Plus, Ronnie Montrose lays down some solid pseudo-Aerosmith-esque bluesy guitar work during the verses and solos. This tune is sure to bring your mood back up if you're having one of those days where you nothing seems to be going your way.

3. Personality Crisis, by The New York Dolls

Getting back to the stuff with deeper meaning, check out this track from glam rock/proto-punk band The New York Dolls. Though the music itself is catchy, upbeat, and fun the lyrics are actually kind of dark. They are filled with adolescent/youthful frustration and rage that would inspire countless famous bands to form such as Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Kiss, The Ramones, etc. If you're young and need something to relate to while also having something cool to jam to, this should do it for you.

4. Good Time Music, by Elf

You like having a good time, right? Need some music to go along with it? You've found just the right tune right here! The title gives it away. This jangly honky-tonk piano driven tune is enough to make you feel like you're in a down home country type area, though it isn't directly a country/western song. It's kind of amusing to think that the man who would later sing songs like Holy Diver and Rainbow in the Dark sang this tune.

5. What's Up, by 4 Non-Blondes

This 90's pseudo-grunge ballad was a one hit wonder from 4 Non-Blondes. It's actually a bit bluesier than most other popular songs were at that time. However, most people in this day and age will know it better for the EDM remix titled HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA that was set over a video of random clips from the 80's cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe that somehow correlate with the song. However, I think this original version is far superior and much less stupid.