One of my favorite radio memories – by far, was the birth of Pirate Radio, which started rather serendipitously thanks to Imran Khan…
Cut to three years later and I still find myself humming tunes I discovered on his playlist (especially David Duchovny Why Won’t You Love Me by Bree Sharp!) Which is why I am totally thrilled that he sent me the Top 10 tracks he’s loving right now for you to discover and enjoy, what a guy 🙂
PS. I noticed a pattern in Imran Khan’s love of music, a killer guitar riff seems to be quite key! #Loveit xoxo
Imran Khan: “Here’s a selection from my current most frequently played songs. In no particular order…”
End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup made up of Jeff Lynne (ELO), Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. This song contains the folksy wisdom that comes from their experiences. It has a railroad theme, as the “end of the line” represents the train’s last stop.
Roy Orbison died before the music video of this song was made, so in memory of him, when his verse comes on they show a picture of him on the train and his guitar on a rocking chair.
How I Could Just Kill a Man – Rage Against The Machine
This is RATM cover version of the debut single by hip hop group Cypress Hill. The newly christened Rage Against the Machine named themselves after a song de la Rocha had written for his former popular underground hardcore punk band, Inside Out.
Rage Against the Machine performed the song on their DVD, Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, accompanied by Cypress Hill.
Ghost of Tom Joad – Rage Against The Machine
The Ghost of Tom Joad is a song by Bruce Springsteen. It is the title track to his eleventh studio album, released in 1995. The character Tom Joad, from John Steinbeck’s classic 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath, is mentioned in the title and narrative.
Originally recorded as a quiet folk song, The Ghost of Tom Joad has also been recorded in a radically louder and harsher arrangement by Rage Against the Machine.
Baba O’Riley – The Who
The first part of the title comes from Meher Baba, who was Pete Townshend’s spiritual guru. The second part comes from Terry Riley, an experimental, minimalist composer Townshend admired. Townshend wrote it as his vision of what would happen if the spirit of Meher Baba was fed into a computer and transformed into music. The result would be Baba in the style of Terry Riley, or “Baba O’Riley.”
In an interview with Billboard magazine carried out in February 2010 Townshend discussed how he feels now that 40 years on this and other Who songs take on a deeper meaning. A song like ‘Baba O’Riley,’ with ‘we’re all wasted,’ it just meant ‘we’re all wasted’ – it didn’t have the significance that it now has. What we fear is that in actual fact we have wasted an opportunity. I think I speak for my audience when I say that, I hope I do.”
Angry Anthem – Forces of Evil
The Forces of Evil was an Orange County-based third wave ska band, formed in January 2001 with the intention of creating a skasupergroup.
As of March 2005, The Forces Of Evil were still recording their second album for Jive Records. According to their online message boards, The Forces of Evil have broken up. Supported by the fact that they released a Four Song Obituary album available freely on the web.
One Way Ticket – The Darkness
This is about being addicted to cocaine and going through rehab to overcome the addiction. Hell = cocaine. The video is a concept video, taken place in snowy scenery and then the band members are sucked up through a straw by a devilish character.
Lead singer Justin Hawkins developed a crushing cocaine habit and had to enter rehab in 2006. Speaking with Rolling Stone in 2010, Hawkins explained that the band lived the life they portrayed: “It may have seemed like we were posturing but we sold millions of records and did loads of drugs.”
It’s a Long Way to the Top – ACDC
In 2004, one of the streets in Melbourne near where this video was filmed was renamed “ACDC Lane” in honor of the band. The street was formerly known as Corporation Lane.
Some Aussies sing the chorus as “It’s a long way to the top if you want a sausage roll” or even “Chicko Roll,” which is even more Aussie – that’s a kind of snack down under.
Red Barchetta – Rush
This is a futuristic song about a farmer who keeps a Red Barchetta in his barn even after motors are outlawed. The Barchetta is a classic example of a car built for speed, a hot rod, made by Ferrari.
According to the book The Complete Ferrari by Godfrey Eaton, the name of the car is pronounced “Barketta.” Geddy Lee admitted that he had incorrectly pronounced the word after an Italian friend pointed out the correct pronunciation.
Stay – Jackson Browne
“Stay” is a doo-wop song recorded by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. The song was written by Williams in 1953 when he was 15 years old. He had been trying to convince his date not to go home at 10 o’clock as she was supposed to. He lost the argument, but as he was to relate years later, “Like a flood, the words just came to me.”
A version of the song with revised lyrics is the last track on Jackson Browne’s 1977 album Running on Empty. The song, which follows on the heels of Browne’s The Load-Out begs the audience to stay for an encore and includes an extensive playout.
Rosalinda’s Eyes – Billy Joel
Part of the song goes:
Oh Havana I’ve been searching for you everywhere
And though I’ll never be there
I know what I would see there
I can always find my Cuban skies
In Rosalinda’s eyes
Ironically, Billy Joel would actually get to visit Havana less than 6 months later. In early March 1979, he performed in Cuba at the Karl Marx Theater, along with Kris Kristofferson, Weather Report, RitaCoolidge, and Billy Swan. The three day music festival was known as Havana Jam.
Like what you heard? Check out Imran’s previous Pirate Radio playlists!
Imran Khan LIVE on 94.3 Radio One… with English Music!
Imran Khan’s Radio Playlist (tracklist & audio)
Pirate Radio 2.0 Imran Khan & Paani Puri Playlist (tracklist & audio)
And if you’re still wondering why Pirate Radio? Watch this movie.