A Musical A-Z: F

~ beetleypete

Thanks to everyone who has joined in with this so far. Don’t forget, any song, album, group, or singer is allowed, as long as the name starts with an ‘F’.

I am starting this post with something very unusual for me. A Heavy Rock track. Yes! On here…
Something about the driving beat, and the repetitive guitar riffs really got to me on this 1989 song from Faith No More. Mind you, it was the only record of theirs that I ever bought.
It’s a double ‘F’ too!
From Out Of Nowhere

British pop/rock band Free brought us some wonderful songs during a long collaboration. They still tour to this day, albeit with a different vocalist. Their signature track, ‘Alright Now’ was an immediate purchase for me, back in 1970, though I later preferred some of their other songs. Including this one.

My Brother Jake

This could well be described as a ‘guilty pleasure’. I surprised myself at the time, to be honest. Liking a song from the sugary Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion wasn’t something I was expecting, I can tell you. However, I always try to be honest and truthful with these picks, so there it is.
Falling Into You.

Fine Young Cannibals were a short-lived British group from the 1980s. Fronted by the excellent vocalist and occasional actor, Roland Gift, they nonetheless left behind a legacy of some unusual and very accomplished songs. This just happens to be one of my all-time favourites. (I had great fun listening to it again, for this post)
Johnny Come Home

As a twelve year-old boy in 1964, I was lucky that my Dad then worked for one of the leading record companies of the time. It was probably this, as much as anything, that cemented my life-long love of music. He used to bring home ‘sample’ records for me to listen to, (and keep) with the view to judging the teenage reaction to a potential new release. I told him this one by Fontella Bass would be a big hit. And it was.
Rescue Me

The Four Seasons sound is something of an acquired taste. Frankie Valli’s varied range has given us some enduring classics over the years though, and their singles are much-loved for use on film soundtracks too. A recent musical, ‘The Jersey Boys’, celebrates their formation, and their large body of work. I have seen it in London, and it is very good. So, I have acquired the taste, and hope that you like them too.
Beggin’

I could quite literally go on all day. I have had to leave out so many great songs from ‘F’, as well as countless bands and singers. But it would all be too long, so here’s my top pick for ‘F’.
Cover versions are rarely as good as the original, especially when they take on a classic track loved by millions. However, the beguiling British singer Florence Welch (who performs as Florence and the Machine, hence this inclusion in ‘F’) showed us just how it should be done, on her album ‘Lungs’, from 2009. She not only covered Candi Staton’s 1986 song, but in my opinion, she produced a much better version, with an unforgettable vocal performance.
You’ve Got The Love

See you soon, with ‘G’.

57 thoughts on “A Musical A-Z: F”

  2. Fleetwood Mack, my collection would not be complete without them, one of the few bands I collected the vinyl for, from second hand music shops when CD’s started to take over.
    Fun Lovin’ Criminals are well worth a listen, many fine tunes to get you going with a nice touch of humour.
    I have to mention Pink Floyd again with The Final Cut and it would be remiss of me not to mention A Funk Odyssey by, oh what’s his name? its on the tip of my tongue 🙂
    And from Final Cut then then track Final Cut stands out, but my first F choice would have to be Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen)

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    1. Thanks for all your suggestions, Eddy. You are a real Floyd fan, for sure. I am one of a very small group of people who cannot stand to hear Leonard Cohen’s voice. Though I think his lyrics make great poetry.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  3. Nice to see FNM man! My fave F band would have to be The Fall so here’s Mr Pharmacist

    Skipping to just the songs with Fun Loving Me by Dropbears

    PJ Harvey’s 50 Ft Queenie

    Fast As You Can by Fiona Apple

    I have wrote a whole very long blog post about the Dropbears, if you wanna check it out or not? let me know and i’ll find the link, OK?

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    1. I know The Fall, they have a huge following over here. Also PJ Harvey, who is a little ‘manic’ for me. I have never heard of The Dropbears, but the Fiona Apple song is very good indeed.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  7. I have to add my 90s two cents here on Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You.” The song was not only a hit but the album itself is one of the best selling albums ever at 32 million copies and counting. What’s amazing is that this is BEFORE her smash single “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic. Dion is certainly a juggernaut in terms of sales. In addition, my two “F” songs are “Free Your Mind” by En Vogue and “Freedom! ’90” by George Michael.

    Great list, by the way. Definitely a lot of songs here I never heard of.

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  8. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, and Florence& the Machine would definitely be on my list of artists Pete. I’d also have: Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, The Fray, Fergie, and Freddie Mercury. For songs I’d go with:
    F—in Perfect – Pink
    F.I.N.E. – Aerosmith
    Facade – Disturbed
    Fade Into Me – David Cook
    Fade To Black – Metallica
    Faint – Linkin Park
    Fairytale – Alexander Rybak
    Faith/ Father Figure – George Michael
    Faithfully – Journey
    Fake Your Death – My Chemical Romance
    Fall Like Rain – Eric Clapton
    Fallen – 30.Seconds To Mars
    Fallin’ – Alicia Keys
    Fame/ Fantastic Voyage/ Five Years – David Bowie
    Fanfare For the Common Man – Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
    Fat Bottomed Girls/Flash – Queen
    Fat Old Sun – Pink Floyd
    Fault Lines – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
    Fearless Love – Melissa Etheridge
    Feed Me – Little Shop of Horror
    Feel Again – One Republic
    Fernando – ABBA
    Fire – U2
    Firework – Katy Perry
    First Things First – Pentatonix
    Flamethrower/Freeze Frame – J. Geils Band
    Flashdance…What A Feeling – Irene Cara
    Flaws – Bastille
    Follow Me – Muse
    Foolish Games – Jewel
    Footloose – Kenny Loggins

    Oh Dear! I’ve gone overboard again. I’m stopping now.
    😕

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  10. I’m glad to see Fine Young Cannibals. And Fleetwood Mac is an amazing band, with so many lineups over the years, they could be Mac Versions I – XII. I really like some of their ‘70’s pre-Stevie Nicks stuff, like the “Future Games” album. Fleet Foxes is light, folksy stuff from Seattle, but definitely have their own, recognizable sound and can actually harmonize – – Father John Misty is the Foxes’ drummer, and actually pretty cool sound of his own. Flogging Molly is kind of imitation Irish/punk band, like Pogues-Lite, but fun for the hyperactive among us – if you like to drink vodka & Red Bull, this could be the band for you. Not my top Motown band, but The Four Tops were very likeable, and my younger sister loves them (!) Fats Waller, definitely. Any votes for Florence Foster Jenkins?

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    1. Hi, Robert. My favourite Fleetwood Mac tracks are ‘Oh Well’, and ‘Big Love’, spanning both incarnations of that band. I had to leave out a lot of stuff, so Foster-Jenkins didn’t make the cut! I loved the Four Tops at the time, but they were overwhelmed by better Motown bands.
      Thanks for you other suggestions.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  18. As Lobotero said, Fleetwood Mac has so many to choose from but I’d pick the wacky “Tusk”, and “Freeze Frame” is terrific 80’s power pop.

    I will only add the one song, and it’s an obscure one: the country rock band known as Firefall – who had a smattering of hits in the states, including “So Long”, which included these lyrics:

    “You can say you know what happened
    You can say that I was wrong
    You can say
    Most anything you want to
    You can say it
    I’ll just say
    So Long…”

    On that note…

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    1. Thanks, John. I had a Fleetwood Mac song on the list, the wonderful ‘Looking Out For Love’, but felt sure someone would mention them. I don’t know ‘Firefall’, so thanks for that addition.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  19. Artists……Fleetwood Mac, Funkadelic, Freda Payne……songs…Faith by Limp Biskit…”Father Figure by George Micheal…..”freedom”…George again……”freeze Frame”…..J. Geils Band and finally “Free Bird” not a fave of mine but what can you do…..okay I have shot my wad…..coffee time….chuq

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