Abraham's Theme from Chariots of Fire. Whenever I listen to this song, I think of peacefully floating in the middle of a lake. Combine that with the running-through-the-waves imagery of the movie, and I think it qualifies. :)
"Empty Box" by Morphine is the first that comes to mind. It really only has one verse about being in the sea, but for some reason I identify the entire song with being in the water.
I've become obsessed with Rocky Mountain High since October 21, 2011. I just love John Denver. Has his unbelievable talent made him cool again yet or am I a dork?
You didn't specify how big the body of water and I'm real fond of "Splish Splash"
Beyond the Sea - either the Bobby Darin or the Django Reinhardt Rock Lobster - B-52's If I Had a Boat - Lyle Lovett Faster than Jesus - Matt Hudgins & His Sh*t Hot Country Band (it's about how Jesus may be able to walk on water, but you'd be able to outrun him on a jet ski)
"The River," Bruce Springsteen "Six Months on a Leaky Boat," Split Enz "Rock Lobster," B-52s "Green River," CCR "Take Me to the River," Talking Heads "Find the River," R.E.M. "Down in the River to Pray," Alison Krauss (O Brother soundtrack) "The Water Is Wide," Bob Dylan "Beneath Still Waters," Emmylou Harris "Sea of Heartbreak," Rosanne Cash (feat. B. Springsteen)
Pop/Rock Division: "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay," Otis Redding "Washing of the Water," Peter Gabriel "The Downeaster Alexa," Billy Joel
Show Tune Division: "Ol' Man River," from Show Boat "Under the Sea," from The Little Mermaid "I am the Captain of the Pinafore," from H.M.S. Pinafore ("and I'm never, never sick at sea")
Johnny Cash covered Sea of Heartbreak on one of the American Recordings albums and his version is awesome too! Just downloaded the version you suggested. Thank you, thank you. See you in 20 years unless I can find a lightning bolt.
My husband and I have an ongoing debate as to which song is more likely to bring on a sudden urge toward closing yourself up in a dark room and considering what way to kill yourself while in the middle of a perfect summer day: "The River" or Tori Amos's "Me and a Gun".
We sang that song at camp. I can't attest to its value as a drinking song (although it seems like a natural fit), but it was a fun song for a bunch of rowdy kids around a campfire.
"You and Me in a Rowboat to Rio" -- Eddie From Ohio "River in the Rain" -- from the musical Big River, which also has "Muddy Water" "If I Was a Blackbird" -- Silly Wizard (sad ballad by a young sailor) "The Skye Boat Song" -- Scottish folk song. Did anyone else sing this in elementary school music? It's supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie - quite political (though long-gone politics), which I didn't know at the time. So psyched that three people posted "If I Had a Boat"!
I wouldn't be doing my job here if I didn't mention just about the entire Sting CD "The Soul Cages." Especially "The Wild Wild Sea," "The Soul Cages," "Island of Souls," and "Why Should I Cry for You?"
The River - Robert Downey Jr. version. (Which is kind of cheating, because it's a skating river rather than a swimming/sailing river, and thus not seasonally appropriate, but there are few song covers I love more.)
Candle on the Water! Pete's Dragon!
I See a River - Urinetown (I am the river, you are the river, he is the river, she is too....)
On the funny side, the Smothers Brothers version of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" never fails to crack me up.
Also, pretty much anything by the Beach Boys.
Others: <span>"Escape (The Pina</span><span> Colada Song)" -- Rupert Holmes (that's for Matt, for talking about that song on twitter, which is why it's been stuck in my head all week.)</span> "Bea's Song (River Song Trilogy, Pt. 2) - Cowboy Junkies "Take Me to the River" - The Commitments (lots of other versions, but this is my fave) "Make Your Bed" - Neko Case "Into the Mystic" - Van Morrison
It must be that the heat has made the thought of being permanently submerged underwater irresistibly attractive, because all the songs that come to mind are morbid:
Just the Motion - Richard and Linda Thompson - "When you're rocked on the ocean, rocked up and down, don't worry . . . under the ocean, at the bottom of the sea, you can't feel the storm, it's as peaceful as can be. . ." River's Invitation - Aretha Franklin or Percy Mayfield - "<span>I spoke to the river and the river spoke back to me, it said, man you look so lonely, so full of misery. . ."</span> Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams - "I'm gonna find me a river, one that's cold as ice . . . I'm goin' down in it three times, but Lord I'm only comin up twice . . ." Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel - "Going to stand on that bridge, keep my eyes down below, whatever may come and whatever may come, that river's flowing, that river's flowing . . ." A Sailor's Life - Fairport Convention - "Oh, no fair maiden, he is not here, for he's been drowned we greatly fear, on yon green island, as we passed it by, there we lost sight of our sailor boy. . ."
Did this in elementary school music too! Had to look it up - I bet you'll find more people who did if you quote them the first words ("Sing me a song of a lad who is gone / say could that lad be I?") We also did Belafonte's "Island in the Sun" at the same time, and the songs are inextricably linked in my mind, possibly because both were somehow about inheiritances and islands.<span></span>
"The Swimming Song," Loudon Wainwright III. "This summer I went swimming/This summer I might have drowned/But I held my breath and I kicked my feet/And I moved my arms around/Moved my arms around..."
To the many, many already noted, I must add "Rock the Boat" by the Hues Corporation, a disco song from 1974, that family legend says was my first favorite song. I still love it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBwsG8ubFw
Sail On Sailor - The Beach Boys The Holy River - Prince (though I think he was referring to himself by that symbol I can't find on my keyboard at the time this song was released) Up On Cripple Creek - Creedence Clearwater Revival Sand In My Shoes - Dido (though this is more about being NEAR the water) Paradise Cove - Pete Yorn
Since I recently got spotify, here's a link to a ten song H2O playlist, picked songs that were available, and wet. The songs are as follows;
Ocean Size - Janes Addiction (not so much about water as having a massive ego, but still) Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics (rain counts, right?) We Float - PJ Harvey (This song may or may not be about floating in water, but I like it too much to leave off) I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li (Good stuff, from her recent Wounded Rhymes album) Dover Beach - Bangles (another stretch, but who goes to the beach without hitting the water?) Aguas De Marco - Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto (A beautiful song, I really like the Cibo Matto version from their Super Relax EP, but that's not on spotify yet, can't go wrong with the classic Stan Getz version, though) Dirty Water - The Standells (Can't stand the way the BoSox have co-opted this song, but I still like it anyway) Ocean - The Velvet Underground (Went with the V.U. version rather than the more 'produced' Lou Reed version from a few years later) The Anchor Song - Bjork (This song is chockful of Bjorky goodness) Wipeout - The Ventures (Can't do a soggy songs list without at least one surfing classic)
I'm using spotify to start my playlist for this theme - it's easier to rearrange the songs for a more pleasant listening experience. Then I'll go duplicate the playlist in youtube for those unlucky enough to not be using spotify yet.
So, thanks for the spotify list - I opened the link, dragged, dropped - BOOM! added.
Into the Mystic was once one of the choices for piped in music on a transatlantic flight. You cannot tell how loud you are singing at 3 am when wearing airplane headphones. apparently i was singing pretty loud. And when that foghorn whistle blows I will be coming home.
"Swim Until You Can't See Land," Frightened Rabbit
ReplyDelete"The Ocean," Dar Williams
Abraham's Theme from Chariots of Fire. Whenever I listen to this song, I think of peacefully floating in the middle of a lake. Combine that with the running-through-the-waves imagery of the movie, and I think it qualifies. :)
ReplyDeleteI offer:
ReplyDeleteChristopher Cross "Sailing."
Beach Boys "Sloop John B."
Oh, I missed the title of the post, I guess Adam already got the Christopher Cross song.
ReplyDelete"Nightswimming," R.E.M.
ReplyDeleteDo I really get to do Lonely Island?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/R7yfISlGLNU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
"Empty Box" by Morphine is the first that comes to mind. It really only has one verse about being in the sea, but for some reason I identify the entire song with being in the water.
ReplyDeleteSouthern Cross - Crosby Still and Nash
ReplyDeleteStyx "Come Sail Away" is the song that always runs through my head when I am out on a boat. Although, it is really about aliens or something, right?
ReplyDeleteIngrid Michaelson's Far Away
ReplyDeleteCalypso, John Denver
ReplyDeleteI've become obsessed with Rocky Mountain High since October 21, 2011. I just love John Denver. Has his unbelievable talent made him cool again yet or am I a dork?
ReplyDeleteYou didn't specify how big the body of water and I'm real fond of "Splish Splash"
ReplyDeleteBeyond the Sea - either the Bobby Darin or the Django Reinhardt
Rock Lobster - B-52's
If I Had a Boat - Lyle Lovett
Faster than Jesus - Matt Hudgins & His Sh*t Hot Country Band (it's about how Jesus may be able to walk on water, but you'd be able to outrun him on a jet ski)
Omigosh, how could I forget Dori's "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo? That song is my mantra sometimes.
ReplyDelete"The River," Bruce Springsteen
ReplyDelete"Six Months on a Leaky Boat," Split Enz
"Rock Lobster," B-52s
"Green River," CCR
"Take Me to the River," Talking Heads
"Find the River," R.E.M.
"Down in the River to Pray," Alison Krauss (O Brother soundtrack)
"The Water Is Wide," Bob Dylan
"Beneath Still Waters," Emmylou Harris
"Sea of Heartbreak," Rosanne Cash (feat. B. Springsteen)
Oh, and of course "Proud Mary." Hard to choose between Tina and Ike's version and CCR, but I'll go with Tina and Ike.
ReplyDeleteI used to have Tina's prologue to that song memorized. Advantage: Turners
ReplyDeleteRight. Or, about Eric Cartman's need to finish what he starts.
ReplyDeleteThis song and video are both delightful: http://bit.ly/q2lll2 Sesame Street teaches dog paddling.
ReplyDeleteJim, have you been driving very fast in a DeLorean?
ReplyDeleteHow about Lyle Lovett's "If I Had A Boat" (which I know is a favorite of Spaceman)?
ReplyDeleteAnd as for songs that evoke the feeling of much needed rain, how about "Storms In Africa?"
88 mph.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Cliff-Many Rivers to Cross
ReplyDeletePop/Rock Division:
ReplyDelete"(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay," Otis Redding
"Washing of the Water," Peter Gabriel
"The Downeaster Alexa," Billy Joel
Show Tune Division:
"Ol' Man River," from Show Boat
"Under the Sea," from The Little Mermaid
"I am the Captain of the Pinafore," from H.M.S. Pinafore ("and I'm never, never sick at sea")
Stan Rogers' "Barrett's Privateers". For a boy from Canada's east coast, there is no better drinking song.
ReplyDeleteKirsty MacColl - "He's On The Beach"
ReplyDelete"Someone Else Can Make a Work of Art"- First Rate People. My co-worker put this song on a summer mix, and it's wonderful for driving to the lake:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph1u7zNH6tQ
Debussy, la mer.
ReplyDeleteSmetana, the Moldau
Britten, sea interludes from Peter grimes
Richie valens, la bomba
Pj Harvey, down by the water
Otis redding, sitting by the dock of the bay
I prefer the full version.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/yOWK7Tam01M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
Johnny Cash covered Sea of Heartbreak on one of the American Recordings albums and his version is awesome too! Just downloaded the version you suggested. Thank you, thank you. See you in 20 years unless I can find a lightning bolt.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Cliff's Many Rivers to Cross always does it for me
ReplyDeleteAlmost every song by "Great Big Sea" qualifies. But if you lived in Newfoundland, what else could you sing about?
ReplyDeleteThe Downeaster Alexa is great, and I had never heard it until very recently. where was I?
ReplyDeleteThat whole Rosanne Cash album (The List) is great, Jim - covers from the folk-roots songbook.
ReplyDeleteI never hear this song now without thinking of Freaks & Geeks. Poor Sam, victim of the mid-song tempo change:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/KJlVirycg-0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
My husband and I have an ongoing debate as to which song is more likely to bring on a sudden urge toward closing yourself up in a dark room and considering what way to kill yourself while in the middle of a perfect summer day: "The River" or Tori Amos's "Me and a Gun".
ReplyDeleteWhich, of course, makes them both great songs.
Watts, me too! One of my favorite scenes. (Sam could also have gotten caught out by "Stairway", yeah?")
ReplyDeleteJinx, Watts! But I deleted mine to save screen space.
ReplyDelete"Fire and Water" - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
ReplyDelete"Swimming" - Florence + the Machine
"Wade in the Water" - I'm a fan of the Eva Cassidy version.
We sang that song at camp. I can't attest to its value as a drinking song (although it seems like a natural fit), but it was a fun song for a bunch of rowdy kids around a campfire.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite songs in college.
ReplyDeleteThe Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerrald - Gordon Lightfoot
ReplyDeleteWhy La Bamba? Because he's not a sailor, he's the captain?
ReplyDeleteFirst song to come to mind:
ReplyDeleteMermaids by Flight of the Conchords
"You and Me in a Rowboat to Rio" -- Eddie From Ohio
ReplyDelete"River in the Rain" -- from the musical Big River, which also has "Muddy Water"
"If I Was a Blackbird" -- Silly Wizard (sad ballad by a young sailor)
"The Skye Boat Song" -- Scottish folk song. Did anyone else sing this in elementary school music? It's supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie - quite political (though long-gone politics), which I didn't know at the time.
So psyched that three people posted "If I Had a Boat"!
The Mariner's Revenge Song:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/5Sw61oITuts" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
I love the Eva Cassidy version, and am also quite fond of Mary Chapin Carpenter's.
ReplyDelete"Drowned" - The Who
ReplyDelete"A Pirate Looks at Forty" – Jimmy Buffett
ReplyDelete"Black River" -- Amos Lee
ReplyDeleteJim: In the Navy?<span> </span>
ReplyDelete"Black Water" -- the Doobie Brothers
ReplyDeleteAlso, Kate & Anna McGarrigle's "Swmimming Song"
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be doing my job here if I didn't mention just about the entire Sting CD "The Soul Cages." Especially "The Wild Wild Sea," "The Soul Cages," "Island of Souls," and "Why Should I Cry for You?"
ReplyDeleteAlso, Toad the Wet Sprocket's "Walk on the Ocean."
ReplyDeleteCan we also count Northwest Passage? It's technically about being on the water (and so much more).
ReplyDeleteOther than those listed above,
ReplyDelete"Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple
"The River's Edge" by Seven Mary Three
"My Blue Sailboat" by Laurie Berkner
"Message in a Bottle" by The Police
Exactly.
ReplyDeleteAlso, "Das Rheingold" prelude by Richard Wagner. It's a musical depiction of the Rhine river, built entirely around a single major chord.
The River - Robert Downey Jr. version. (Which is kind of cheating, because it's a skating river rather than a swimming/sailing river, and thus not seasonally appropriate, but there are few song covers I love more.)
ReplyDeleteCandle on the Water! Pete's Dragon!
I See a River - Urinetown (I am the river, you are the river, he is the river, she is too....)
Sea Cruise - Frankie Ford
Octopus's Garden
Message in a Bottle
Ditto on Nightswimming
Another one that came to mind--"The Wood Song" by Indigo Girls
ReplyDeleteGreat theme, great choices above.
ReplyDeleteOn the funny side, the Smothers Brothers version of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" never fails to crack me up.
Also, pretty much anything by the Beach Boys.
Others:
<span>"Escape (The Pina</span><span> Colada Song)" -- Rupert Holmes (that's for Matt, for talking about that song on twitter, which is why it's been stuck in my head all week.)</span>
"Bea's Song (River Song Trilogy, Pt. 2) - Cowboy Junkies
"Take Me to the River" - The Commitments (lots of other versions, but this is my fave)
"Make Your Bed" - Neko Case
"Into the Mystic" - Van Morrison
One that hasn't been mentioned that I just love is Brandy by Looking Glass.
ReplyDeleteAlways loved this line: "Your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea"
I am an unrepentant fan of 70's soft rock and refuse to feel guilty about it!
ReplyDeleteIt must be that the heat has made the thought of being permanently submerged underwater irresistibly attractive, because all the songs that come to mind are morbid:
ReplyDeleteJust the Motion - Richard and Linda Thompson - "When you're rocked on the ocean, rocked up and down, don't worry . . . under the ocean, at the bottom of the sea, you can't feel the storm, it's as peaceful as can be. . ."
River's Invitation - Aretha Franklin or Percy Mayfield - "<span>I spoke to the river and the river spoke back to me, it said, man you look so lonely, so full of misery. . ."</span>
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams - "I'm gonna find me a river, one that's cold as ice . . . I'm goin' down in it three times, but Lord I'm only comin up twice . . ."
Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel - "Going to stand on that bridge, keep my eyes down below, whatever may come and whatever may come, that river's flowing, that river's flowing . . ."
A Sailor's Life - Fairport Convention - "Oh, no fair maiden, he is not here, for he's been drowned we greatly fear, on yon green island, as we passed it by, there we lost sight of our sailor boy. . ."
Also by The Decemberists - "Down by the Water" and "Summersong"
ReplyDeleteDid this in elementary school music too! Had to look it up - I bet you'll find more people who did if you quote them the first words ("Sing me a song of a lad who is gone / say could that lad be I?") We also did Belafonte's "Island in the Sun" at the same time, and the songs are inextricably linked in my mind, possibly because both were somehow about inheiritances and islands.<span></span>
ReplyDeleteI was just realizing that I hadn't seen "Into the Mystic."
ReplyDelete"The Swimming Song," Loudon Wainwright III. "This summer I went swimming/This summer I might have drowned/But I held my breath and I kicked my feet/And I moved my arms around/Moved my arms around..."
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look for those, Adam!
ReplyDeleteI second the Candle on the Water comment. I haven't thought of that song in years!!
ReplyDeleteApropos of the heat, I just went out to move my car, and the dash thermo read 113 degrees.
ReplyDeleteTo the many, many already noted, I must add "Rock the Boat" by the Hues Corporation, a disco song from 1974, that family legend says was my first favorite song. I still love it!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBwsG8ubFw
Since way up above Benner broached the instrumental catalog, I have to add John Williams' wonderful score to Jaws.
ReplyDeleteSail On Sailor - The Beach Boys
ReplyDeleteThe Holy River - Prince (though I think he was referring to himself by that symbol I can't find on my keyboard at the time this song was released)
Up On Cripple Creek - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Sand In My Shoes - Dido (though this is more about being NEAR the water)
Paradise Cove - Pete Yorn
I used to love "Find the River" and had forgotten about it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSail Away - Sister Hazel
ReplyDeleteBig Red Boat - Grey Eye Glances
Is Storms in Africa the song used during that one scene in LA Story?
ReplyDeleteWell if we're doing NEAR the water, I add Ivy's "Edge of the Ocean"
ReplyDeleteSince I recently got spotify, here's a link to a ten song H2O playlist, picked songs that were available, and wet. The songs are as follows;
ReplyDeleteOcean Size - Janes Addiction (not so much about water as having a massive ego, but still)
Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics (rain counts, right?)
We Float - PJ Harvey (This song may or may not be about floating in water, but I like it too much to leave off)
I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li (Good stuff, from her recent Wounded Rhymes album)
Dover Beach - Bangles (another stretch, but who goes to the beach without hitting the water?)
Aguas De Marco - Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto (A beautiful song, I really like the Cibo Matto version from their Super Relax EP, but that's not on spotify yet, can't go wrong with the classic Stan Getz version, though)
Dirty Water - The Standells (Can't stand the way the BoSox have co-opted this song, but I still like it anyway)
Ocean - The Velvet Underground (Went with the V.U. version rather than the more 'produced' Lou Reed version from a few years later)
The Anchor Song - Bjork (This song is chockful of Bjorky goodness)
Wipeout - The Ventures (Can't do a soggy songs list without at least one surfing classic)
The Drifters "Under the Boardwalk"
ReplyDeleteAlan Jackson "Chattahoochie"
Everclear "Santa Monica" (don't focus on the lyrics too much!)
The Drums "Let's Go Surfing"
ReplyDeleteLove all of the above and would like to add "let the river run" by Carly simon from working girl.
ReplyDeleteBen Folds Five "Brick."
ReplyDeleteIf we can include metaphorical drowning/swimming/sailing, then I'll definitely include "Sail This Ship Alone," by The Beautiful South.
ReplyDeleteI'm using spotify to start my playlist for this theme - it's easier to rearrange the songs for a more pleasant listening experience. Then I'll go duplicate the playlist in youtube for those unlucky enough to not be using spotify yet.
ReplyDeleteSo, thanks for the spotify list - I opened the link, dragged, dropped - BOOM! added.
Which could also be a song for the list... (kidding sort of, do love me some disco though).
ReplyDeleteInto the Mystic was once one of the choices for piped in music on a transatlantic flight. You cannot tell how loud you are singing at 3 am when wearing airplane headphones. apparently i was singing pretty loud. And when that foghorn whistle blows I will be coming home.
ReplyDelete