Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXVII--Warren Zevon: Werewolves of London

Even though it was far back in the dark ages of 1978, I can still remember buying the LP of  Excitable Boy by Warren Zevon--it had gotten a five star review from Rolling Stone, was produced by the then critically and commercially successful Jackson Browne, and had a lineup of songs unlike any I'd ever heard.  Zevon was headed for bigger and better things.

Alas, as life all too often works out, Excitable Boy would be the pinnacle of Zevon's career--while he would remain a critical success and the darling of many fellow artists, Zevon never again had either the commercial success or what could be considered a classic album (though I've always had a fondness for Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School).  If nothing else, Zevon will never be forgotten because of this week's tune, "Werewolves of London," the catchiest song ever written about either London or werewolves.

This week's fun trivia fact that I'd completely forgotten:  John McVie and Mick Fleetwood of, surprisingly enough, Fleetwood Mac fame played, respectively, bass and drums on "Werewolves of London."  Oh, the thinks you can think!

Couple of other Warren Zevon factoids:  "Werewolves of London" was sampled by Michigander Kid Rock in his dreadful song "All Summer Long."  Mr. Rock, for those not familiar, is the Mitch Albom of rock stars--he makes you scratch your head wondering how he ever had any commercial success whatsoever due to a complete and total dearth of talent.  And speaking of Mitch Albom, Zevon once recorded a song written by Albom called "Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)" which is so horrid that if I was given a choice of listening to it or "We Are the World" on an endless loop for eternity, I wouldn't even bat an eye and choose "We Are the World."

What a good day--a rip of Kid Rock and two rips of Mitch Albom in the same paragraph!  And we now return to our regularly scheduled Friday Night Jukebox...

Zevon's career began in the 1970s.  He came out of the sometimes justly maligned Southern California rock scene, recording with and writing songs later recorded by artists such as the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Fleetwood Mac, though Zevon's writing often showed a much darker side than most SoCal songwriters.  He would have continuous success critically for the remainder of his career, and the occasional minor hit (and did win a couple of Grammys) but never again quite reached the glory of his second album.  Sadly, Zevon would battle alcoholism and obsessive compulsive disorder throughout his life, and died at the all too young age of 56 in 2003 from complications of lung cancer.

The greatest tribute to "Werewolves of London" is that a song that could quite easily have devolved into just another novelty song, didn't.  In large part this is due to Zevon's songwriting--references to Lon Chaney, Trader Vic's, and beef chow mein aren't your standard fare in most pop songs, and when you throw in Zevon's dry wit ("His hair was perfect"  or "I'd like to meet his tailor") you have a pop classic that never gets old.  Zevon plays a jaunty piano throughout, which is supported by a fine rhythm section that keeps that music lively throughout.  Zevon's vocals are in perfect sync with the subject matter--both humorous and unforgiving, and his howl during the chorus is one of those small touches that make it all the more memorable.  All in all it's one of those songs that never gets old and will always make even a bad day a little bit better when you hear it.  Guaranteed to bring a smile...

Lyric sheet:  "Well, I saw Lon Chaney walkin' with the queen/Doin' the werewolves of London..."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee