A Musical A-Z: I

~ beetleypete

Nobody told me I forgot to post ‘I’ before ‘J’! Sorry about that…

Don’t forget to play along. Any artist, song, album, or group. As long as the name begins with ‘I’.

One of my favourite songs from ‘back in the day’. (1972) It is remarkable how this song never ages, and the tone of Todd Rundgren’s voice never loses its appeal. This one’s for you, John Rieber!
I Saw The Light

In 1995, Canadian singer Alanis Morissette released her album ‘Jagged Little Pill’. It was a massive success, selling over 30,000,000 copies worldwide, driven by the popularity of her MTV videos. She was acclaimed as an international star, and is still much respected in the music industry today. This track was number one in so many countries, I won’t bother to list them. And although I never did buy that album, I always liked this rather clever song.
Ironic

In 1970, I heard a powerful song on the radio. It was by a group I had never heard of, called The Ides Of March. I went straight out and bought it, but have to confess that I never listened to any of their other records. I still like this ‘blaster’ though.
Vehicle

When I heard the throaty tones of Macy Gray in the late 1990s, I thought that she was going to take the recording industry by storm. She certainly did well with her debut album, and this song, released as a single. Then she sort-of disappeared. So I looked her up. She released an album in 2016, and is still working.
I Try

When I first saw Chaka Khan, I thought she had the whole package. Cheeky, sexy, funky, and a great voice. And a huge wig, lets not forget that! She went on to great things and remains popular to this day, and I still like her just as much as I did in 1984. Written and recorded by Prince of course, but I actually prefer Chaka’s version. And she had a much curvier figure…
I Feel For You

The recordings of the Isley Brothers were a sound I grew up with, then continued to follow. I finally got to see them in concert in the UK, but not until 2001. I would be hard-pressed to choose one of their songs, but for the benefit of this post, I will go back to the Tamla-Motown glory days of the 1960s. I might just have to have another of their songs later on though.
Behind A Painted Smile

Michael McDonald first came to my attention as a vocalist in the Doobie Brothers. He later went solo, and enjoyed a successful career that continues to this day. Many of his songs have a sad theme, and his distinctive high voice suits them down to the ground. Because I like him so much, I am going to offer two of his songs today, both starting with an ‘I’.
I Keep Forgettin’

And this, the heartbreaking I Can Let Go Now. Chokes me up, every single time I hear it.

The top pick for today is a wonderful ballad from the divine talent that is Alicia Keys. When Julie and I got married in 2009, this was played as our first dance. Anyone who has ever been in love can identify with this soulful song.
If I Ain’t Got You

I will try to post in the correct order from now on!

45 thoughts on “A Musical A-Z: I”

    1. As I said in another comment, ‘Need You Tonight’ was on my original list. I own that as a CD single and used to love it, but Hutchence stopped me including it this time. I just couldn’t stand him! 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  4. “I” songs
    Inch by Inch~Elvis Costello
    I’ll be there (when it’s over) ~Giant
    I’m Ready~Bryan Adams
    In the Air Tonight ~ Phil Collins

    Hit me with your Rhythm Stick~Ian Dury & Blockheads
    Once bitten twice shy~Ian Hunter
    🙂

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  6. Jagged Little Pill remains one of the most successful albums from a female artist ever. It’s amazing that it was Alanis’ debut album. Another note here is that Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgetting” doesn’t get enough credit for being heavily responsible for the fantastic beat behind “Regulate,” one of the 90s most popular hip hop songs. Great post again, beetley!

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  8. I don’t know why we have to have the letters in the same order all the time. And anyway, that Alphabet Song is very annoying piece of music, someone should work on that. I second The Ink Spots, I like that old-time doo-wop sound, and like The Isley Brothers, too. Indigo Girls have some good folksy/Joni Mitchell kind of songs, and INXS was a cool band. There was an interesting rap pair called Insane Clown Posse, but I believe they stopped performing because they were given cabinet posts in Washington. It’s funny, I was thinking about Iggy Pop, but didn’t list him. Then I tried to look up The Iguanas, a fun rock/Latino band, to see the name of their biggest hit (“Para Donde Vas,” means “Where’re you going”) but got redirected to a ‘60’s band of the same name, and Iggy Pop was their drummer.

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    1. That’s an interesting connection with The Iguanas, Robert, and I got the joke about the Clown Posse.
      I did have an INXS song on the shortlist, ‘Need You Tonight’. But my dislike for Michael Hutchence overwhelmed me! Thanks for your other suggestions, and I am glad you enjoyed the post.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  9. I did wonder about the missing ‘ I ‘ but since I couldn’t think of any ‘ I ‘ songs, I figured I’d wait till you brought it up. Gave me more time to think of a couple after others did the heavy lifting. Lots of good ones mentioned above and now I will add these ‘I Can’t’ songs to the mix: I Can’t Stop Loving You, Ray Charles. And ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You, Elvis! 🙂

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  13. Pete, first of all, thanks for including Todd Rundgren, and for the shout out! The “I” choices are great, especially Macy Gray – I call that a holiday song because near the end it sound like she shouts out “Santa Claus!”

    There is one very obvious “I” which I won’t mention – you know, by John Lennon, so I will include an autobiographical song he wrote as a Beatle, “In My Life”:

    “There are places I remember
    In my life
    Though some have changed….”

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  16. At this hour it will be difficult….artists…Inkspots and Iggy Pop……songs….”I Heard Thru The Grapevine” by various artists…..”In The Midnite Hour” by Wilson Pickett…..”I Get Around” by Beach Boys….”It’s Alright” by Impressions….”I’m A Believer” by the Monkees…..okay time for coffee…….have a day….chuq

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