Fun fact. I used to live in London, Ontario, Canada. At one time there was a minor league baseball team. The team was named the Werewolfs. The mascot was named Zevon.
I love London......Ontario! We went there on "ditch" for my Frat (OSU). It was an 11 hour drive from Columbus. 12 of us in one long van. Took a keg with us. Drank and ditched it before Winsdor. Got to London at 11pm (bar was closing at midnight?) We ordered 100 pints!(seriously) Met a cute redhead*** One of the best weekends of my life!
Before Zevon died, David Letterman devoted an entire show where Warren was the only guest. Zevon talked about many things that were important to him in his life. It was kind of like he was the guest of honor at his own wake. Dave liked Warren, who had been a guest with the band several times. After the show, as he was putting his guitar away, he gave it to Dave, telling him he wouldn’t need it anymore, & Dave burst into tears!
The bits about "his hair was perfect" and "I'd like to meet his tailor" are references to old movies with werewolves, where they would be portrayed as super buttoned-up and stylish instead of the "ugly monster" motif.
When Warren Zevon found out he had six months to live he went into the studio and recorded his masterpiece “The Wind” which won Grammys for him posthumously. That would make a great album review.
I always think of that scene when I hear this song. Tom Cruise lip synchs the lyrics while shooting pool, and smooths back his hair as he sings, "His hair was perfect."
Back in the day my best friend's sister called a radio station to request this song, she didn't remember the name but she said " Play the one that goes AaaOoooh" so of course the DJ knew which one she meant. He got a real kick out of the way she requested it and played the recording of her phone call on the air as they sometimes did back then. Good times. 😂
If you don’t appreciate Warren Zevon, we can’t be friends. Such a brilliant, warped mind. I remember seeing him on Letterman after his diagnosis. Letterman asked him if he had words of wisdom he wanted us to remember. His response- “enjoy every sandwich” - is the name of the tribute album his famous friends and collaborators recorded in his honor.
Saw him in a small bar in Georgia, just him & his keyboards. He had everybody in the house singing along at the top of their lungs, reminded me of an Irish pub singalong. RIP Warren.
When he played in Athens, Georgia, the word was that he was doing a lot of "womanizing," as if he wasn't doing that during his entire life! Loved him so much! RIP Zevon! The guys should listen to his hilarious version of his song "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me!" "I don't want to talk about it!" His visit to see Stravinsky, to introduce his piano tutor (?) (when Zevon was just a teenager) the tutor said Stravinsky took his usual break for a big glass of alcohol and some cheese and Zevon did the same, and afterwards didn't seem impaired at all--son of Stumpy, the Jewish Russian immigrant, the accountant for the Russian mob and his wife, a Mormon lady, already a ways down the road to a lifetime of problems with alcohol and other substances.
One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing the opening riff & thinking I'm going to hear Warren Zevon only to find out it's fecking Kid Rock & his rip off. "I saw a Werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand" has to be the best opening lyric of a song EVER. R.I.P. Warren.
Warren zevon is an underrated artist and has a great catalog of songs. Some others to check out. Lawyers Guns and Money, desperados under the eaves, excitable boy, Mohammed’s radio, accidentally like a martyr, Roland the headless Thompson gunner. I can go on forever really.
Good list. Warren used the best of the LA music scene for backing musicians. He wrote this with guitarist Waddy Wachtel who has played with everyone and still works with Stevie Nicks. Many artists covered Zevon songs, particularly Linda Ronstadt.
@@robland6804 WZ isn’t for everyone. In all facets of his career (writer, musician, performer) he was quite unique…one of a kind…and highly respected by his peers.
Warren's last name is pronounced Zee-Von. Never got to see him live, RIP Warren, but I did see the Grateful Dead cover this song once, it was quite eerie and fun to hear 18,000 people go "Ahooo" all together, it was LOUD. The restaurant he mentions, Lee Ho Fook, which is apparently in London, still offers Beef Chow Mein because of this song.
I saw him live three times, every one was great. I wrote him a smart a$$ fan letter (in 1980) and he called me, laughing about it, and saying he was coming to my city to play in a few weeks. I got to meet and talk with him after that show and it remains one of my fondest memories. RIP Warren. Your music is a gift.
Best line in any rock song: "If you hear him howling around your kitchen door, better not let him in. Little old lady got mutilated late last night. Werewolves of London again." It rolls off your tongue in a delightful way. Warren had such a way with words. His songs are as amazing when you simply read the lyrics as when he sings them. Very similar to John Prine - another man with a gift for writing songs. Sorely miss them both.
Well, he went down to dinner in his Sunday best Excitable boy, they all said And he rubbed the pot roast all over his chest Excitable boy, they all said Well, he's just an excitable boy That's my favorite Zevon song. Twisted, dark lyrics to rather upbeat music.
"Excitable Boy" and "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" are very worthy of reactions as well (you actually listened to "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" from him on a livestream quite awhile ago). There are several other gems on his "Excitable Boy" album-he had his best production and great musicians on that one, so advocate for a full album reaction to that sometime.
Warren Zevon was a musical genius and a treasure gone too soon. His sense of humor is unparalleled in the music community. As a writer, he can go from bizarre to sensitive on the same album with equal ease. He did have a tendency to write about death in many songs including titles like Life’ll Kill Ya, My $#it’s F’d Up (The actual title is fully spelled out), I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, and more. His final album (The Wind) was written and issued after he received his terminal cancer diagnosis and was all about facing his final days. The album is brilliant and he was helped by a virtual who’s, who of the music world.
" Lawyers, Guns and Money" is very good as well as "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" (covered by Linda Ronstadt which is also a great version.) When he was dying with lung cancer, he wrote a song called, "My Sh*t's F**ked Up" and it's absolutely, beautifully honest. The live version of that is very good.
Warren Zevon has my vote for Most Interesting Guy in Rock and Roll. He wrote songs for others, played with others, others played with him, everyone respected the hell out of him. He's got a deep catalog and everything, in my opinion, is well done and worth listening to.
I always associate "Werewolves of London" in my mind with the song "Short People" by Randy Newman: both are humorous novelty type songs that were hits at about the same time (late '77, early '78) - I really liked both songs; both artists were classically trained pianists and both songs feature piano; dark humor is instilled into each song ("Werewolves" discusses a little old lady being mutilated by a werewolf and "Short People" suggests short people have no reason to live); and both artists had second thoughts about having recorded these songs. Newman actually received death threats from people who didn't understand or appreciate the humor. Warren Zevon eventually came to terms with the fact that he was most associated with "Werewolves of London." Later in his life he stated, "I guess it's better to be remembered for a novelty song than not to be remembered at all." Rest in peace, Warren, and rest assured you are fondly remembered by many for your great contributions to music (in fact, The Rolling Stone Record Reviews called Zevon's album "Excitable Boy," on which "Werewolves" appears, one of the most significant albums of the '70s).
I associate it with a Jackson Brown song called "You Just Want Meat, You Don't Want Me (You Asshole You)" - they are both novelty songs that appeared on a 1975 Browne bootleg - Zevon was in his road band.
Best novelty song of the 70s, maybe ever -- "Convoy" by CW McCall. The whole Smokey and the Bandit craze. It's absolutely HILARIOUS that CB radios were actually a fad.
Released in 78 Excitable Boy is one of my all time favorite albums. Warren Zevon is another artist gone to soon. RIP. Saw him live, what a treat. Used great studio musicians like Waddy Watchel (guitar) when recording. His songwriting ability is legendary. Listen to Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. Thanks for your reaction gentleman.
The song was in the movie "The Color of Money." Tom Cruise lipsynched it while playing pool and showing his talent too quickly as his ego gives way. Good movie. Also check out Zevon's "My Shit's Fucked Up." It's when he found out he was sick.
Hey guys I'm still hoping you're going to cover Loggins and Messina Angry Eyes. It's a great song a variety of instruments cool transitions. Best thing Kenny Loggins ever did if you ask me. Thanks again for all the fun and insightful reactions.
Check out his interview with David Letterman late night show even after he knew he had 6 months to live he went on anyways. God bless Warron Zevon ✌🏼❤️
Great reaction! Sad that the younger generation thinks Kid Rock first with the most iconic piano riff of all time. This song was HUGE back in the day. I always took it as humorous, but literally about Werewolves of London... which is a reference to horror movie title Werewolf of London from 1935. Also, did yinz catch the hilarious mention of both Lon Cheney AND Lon Cheney Jr.! Hilarious and genius. Great pop culture reference.
Chaney Sr. was a silent film star ("The Phantom of the Opera" 1925) and Chaney Jr. was a horror star, at Universal Studios, who played "The Wolf Man" (1941) in five films.
Kid Rock's song irritated me because I was thinking I was about to hear this song. It's nice he gave a tribute to Warren Ze zon but I prefer the original.
More than just a guest on Letterman, he subbed as band leader from time to time. Letterman worshipped him and just before Zevon died… well, the TH-cam clips of Letterman and Zevon are a rabbit hole worth going down.
"Lawyers Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Desperados Under The Eaves" the 3 songs you need to hear to become Warren Zevon fans
I'd swap "Carmelita", or maybe even "Play it All Night Long" or "Mohammed's Radio" for "Lawyers, Guns and Money", but yeah, more people need to hear "Desperados Under the Eaves".
Don't know if you guys saw the movie Color of Money with Tom Cruise and Paul Newman playing pool??? At a point in the game, Tom Cruise is playing and this song comes on and Cruise does kind of a martial arts/dance thing and slicks his hair back with his hand at the line His hair was perfect. I really like Warren's song Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. Oh and his name is pronounced like you are saying the letter Z and then adding von. Zeevon.
They also made a movie called "An American Werewolf In London" - not really based on the song or anyting but just goes to the general craze at the time. Funny movie tho.
Zevon's "Keep Me In Your Heart" makes me cry when I think about people I've lost. Try singing "Werewolves of London" at karaoke -- you'll have the audience howling.
Some context to main title and verse line: "Werewolf of London" was the first major werewolf movie, released in 1935 as part of Universal's classic monster series. The more famous (and far superior) "The Wolfman", was released in 1941, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the cursed Larry Talbot/The Wolfman; it would become one of Chaney's iconic roles (which is why he's referenced in later part of song).
Love Warren Zevon! Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on original recording, produced by Jackson Browne and Waddy Watchel. Another fun fact, where he says “he’ll rip your lungs out Jim, I’d like to meet your tailor”; it’s actually a play on James Taylor’s name. So clever!
Yes, he substitutes James Taylor when he does it live, but I think the original line is in reference to the torn pants / clothing he goes around in (in the black and white movies starting Lon Cheney and Lon Cheney, Jr.).
“Little old lady got mutilated late last night”. Zevon loved alliteration. Several of his friends were in the room coming up with lines. Guitarist David Lindley walked in. “What are we working on?” He said. “Werewolves of London”. Lindley: “ Oh. Old lady got mutilated.” Zevon turned that into the line in the song. Alliteration turns up often in Zevon’s songs. He and sports journalist and writer Mitch Albom cowrote “Hit Somebody: The Hocky Song” in a hotel room in Canada. It is near certain the first line of the song was Zevon’s: “He was born in Big Beaver by the Borderline”. There’s the alliteration again.
I bought my first house in about 1975.I was in my early 20s. As I was up a ladder decorating the kitchen this came on the radio. Loved Warren Zevon since then. He wrote some great stuff. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner is a fave. RIP Warren.
Yes! Roland.... it was Dave Letterman's fave also. Here is a clip of Warren's last appearance on The Late Show. He was the only guest. In the clip you can go to 18:22 to hear Roland. th-cam.com/video/giTi8KWSZl4/w-d-xo.html
Great song! How appropriate... I am wearing my Lee Ho Fook's shirt as I type (I ordered one for my bestie and me.. not many people get the reference. I have two shirts.. love the song so much!) I think you guys will enjoy it. RIP to Warren Zevon... a real cool dude he was! Oh and... Draw Blood!
When diagnosed with terminal cancer, Warren Zevon set out to write and record as much music as possible. The result is "The Wind", his final record. It's an amazing record and needs to be listened to in its entirety. There is also a documentary covering Warren's final year.
The Kid Rock tune that samples this song also samples the Sweet home alabama riff. The piano and guitar riffs from those two songs mesh together perfectly.
You HAVE to listen to more Warren; he was a frickin genius. Everyone wanted to play with him. Yes he can do joke songs, but then he can do everything really, really well. If there is one artist you have overlooked thus far, it is Warren. He even wrote a song about Sweet Home Alabama, the song, "Play it all night Long". Just legendary, cool and a total genius. Do a poll, please?
This song is so great. Warren was a shooting star. A PERFECT banger of his: "LAWYERS, GUNS, AND MONEY"... Also worth checking out: "Detox Mansion," "Boom Boom Mancini" (both backed by R.E.M.), "Jeannie Needs A Shooter," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," and "Desperadoes Under The Eaves." R.I.P. Mr. Zevon.
Werewolves is great but it’s a shame that it’s his biggest hit. There are several songs off the Excitable boy album alone that are better. And, if I were to make a list of his best 20 songs, from a personal standpoint, Werewolves would not be on my list. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t an excellent song but rather speaks to how great a songwriter he was.
Fox TV needed to pay him to use a song of his for a theme for a show. The executive asked “And who are these guys Mills and Buck?” He said “Oh, nobody. Just fucking R E M!”
To me this song is genius. To take that simple piano riff and build a whole song around it. It doesn’t change keys, it doesn’t change at all but it totally works.
I always considered it a song about a player. Perfect hair, well dressed, frequenting restaurants in Soho, drinking at Trader Vic's. And of course, the warning; You hear him howling around your kitchen door, you better not let him in. A little old lady got mutilated late last night, werewolves of London again. Best description of players, I've heard.
Warren Zevon is the greatest songwriter in American history. It's absolutely criminal that he isn't in the R&RHOF. Carmelita alone should've done it. But the man released albums through his entire career, even when cancer was destroying his body. No bad tracks.
@@hollishamilton3943 Hmm, they said in this video that they did Lawyers Guns and Money in the livestream. I'd hate to think they heard it and didn't like it though.
As many others have said, Warren Zevon was an extremely talented artist who left us too soon. When he understood that he was not to be here for much longer, he wrote a song called ‘Keep Me in Your Heart for Awhile’. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass... the very definition of a "Fleetwood Mac" song regardless of the writer, singer or other players. I think you guys found a little "A Clockwork Orange" angle as well which I never thought about, that the tongue-in-cheek dark humor speaks of the werewolf in all of us. Check out "The Beast In Me" covered by Johnny Cash and written by Nick Lowe, I believe. Maybe another overlooked Halloween season classic.
Sweet Home Alabama is referenced in another Zevon song "Play it all night Long" The live version of Werewolves is great and goes for about 6 minutes and is fun. Zevon is a different kind of artist, when you are in the mood his stuff is S-tier.
Did you guys get the reference to Lon Cheney and Lon Cheney Jr.? They were both famous for their theatrical make-up. Thus the line "his hair was perfect"
'Roland the headless Thompson gunner was on your livestream. Trust us, you'll like "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" - both the studio and live versions are killer.
I’ve been asking for Lawyers for a long time, as have a lot of other folk. That’s probably why the name was stuck in his mind… they aren’t of the age to be familiar with Patty Hearst, so writing a brilliant history of her weapon would be too obscure for them.
Warren Zevon was well received by his piers in music. He played with a lot of people and his final song, when he knew he was dying is a really great one to leave people with "Keep me in your Heaty". According to Wiki, Zevon, upon learning he was dying, began recording his final album, The Wind, which includes performances by close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, and Dwight Yoakam. He worked with Linda Rondstadt and REM.
Please do more Warren Zevon! There are so many great songs to choose from his catalog. ‘Lawyers, Guns, and Money’ and ‘Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner’ are both worth a listen. His songs, generally, are pretty dark.
Saw Warren on many occasions throughout his career. What a musician, singer and song writer. Should definitely be in Rock Hall of Fame, joke he is not. So many great songs!! You need to hear more!!! Missing out!!
Whole album reaction to my favorite Zevon album: Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School. This album features all of the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt. LR covers 2 Zevon songs: Poor Poor Pitiful Me, and Carmelita. Both are worth checking out.
Wanted to add I really enjoy the monthly recap. It is well done and I like to hear your thoughts after giving more listens to the songs. I have not seen anyone else doing that. Make that a signature feature of your channel that separates you from the others. Further separates I should clarify.
You guys should check out a live performance Warren Zevon did on David Letterman's show, sometime in the 2000s. During the interview he told Dave that the doctors had given him, I think it was about 4-6 months left to live and he was just working to finish his last album. Then he played an absolutely amazing cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" which had more meaning than ever given how well the lyrics fit to Warren's situation. I'm pretty sure he beat the Doctor's estimates and lived another two years. He did finish his last album.
Fun fact: he references Lon Chaney who was an American film noir actor portraying dark characters in 1920’s era horror flicks. Also speaks so Long Chaney Jr also an actor and he portrayed the lead character in the movie The Wolf Man! In both references they were walking with the Queen! I need to figure that one out.
Melodically, Warren's compositions are relatively simple. The brilliance is in the lyrics - his macabre sense of humor and ability to create obscure imagery set against that music. He can also write some heart-wrenching ballads. He was a tremendously talented songwriter. Yes, the chord progression is used in Sweet Home Alabama.
Rating songs many many yrs after they had their unique impact upon their release, misses their unique impact. No true way for y'all to understand how new and cool these songs were then. Just a fact of life. This song is soooooo cool and badass. Keep up the good work boys.
While this song is a timeless classic... Andy and Alex really need to give a listen to one of the other tracks on the same poll this song won... Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo is killer
Warren Zevon was a one off, he could write songs about anything, from Boxers to clapped out Studebaker cars. I still miss him.. I'm so happy that you played the whole thing before commenting. thanks.
Great analysis, thanks guys! Here’s an interesting fact: WZ studied classical piano before taking up songwriting. In the 1960s he wrote songs that were recorded by the Turtles, among other acts, while he performed in a folk rock duo. Another interesting fact: When his diagnosis became public, Zevon told the media that he just hoped to live long enough to see the next James Bond movie, a goal he accomplished. Coincidentally, the film was titled Die Another Day. R.I.P. WZ
So a cover band my dad was in a few years back used to do this song and their guitar player would break into Sweet Home Alabama halfway through. They called their quasi medley “Werewolves Of Alabama”
Fun fact. I used to live in London, Ontario, Canada. At one time there was a minor league baseball team. The team was named the Werewolfs. The mascot was named Zevon.
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like Warren drew blood.
Cool, very cool
I bought one of their sweatshirts, which I still have.
I love London......Ontario! We went there on "ditch" for my Frat (OSU). It was an 11 hour drive from Columbus. 12 of us in one long van. Took a keg with us. Drank and ditched it before Winsdor. Got to London at 11pm (bar was closing at midnight?) We ordered 100 pints!(seriously) Met a cute redhead*** One of the best weekends of my life!
Hilarious 😂
Before Zevon died, David Letterman devoted an entire show where Warren was the only guest. Zevon talked about many things that were important to him in his life. It was kind of like he was the guest of honor at his own wake. Dave liked Warren, who had been a guest with the band several times. After the show, as he was putting his guitar away, he gave it to Dave, telling him he wouldn’t need it anymore, & Dave burst into tears!
th-cam.com/video/7hl9Tw2GzvA/w-d-xo.html
It was a poignant moment knowing that Warren's days were numbered.
Dave asked Warren if he had any regrets or advice for people, knowing that his days were numbered. His response was "Enjoy every sandwich."
I saw that episode when I was a teenager and it has never left me. He played the song, "Keep Me in Your Heart For a While" and I cried...😥
I remember watching that episode it's very sad. Warren Zevon is one of my favorite male singers/musicians.
This song may be humorous, but Warren Zevon is no joke. A real talent that left us too soon.
CRIMINALLY underrated
Agreed!
Keep me in your heart for a while.
@@nikirick very good song. makes me cry
“Enjoy every sandwich” - Warren Zevon
"His hair was perfect".
One of the funniest lines ever written.
The bits about "his hair was perfect" and "I'd like to meet his tailor" are references to old movies with werewolves, where they would be portrayed as super buttoned-up and stylish instead of the "ugly monster" motif.
Must watch Lon Chaney in the classic Werewolf movie!
yep, so is the beef chow mien line, werewolf jokes, its full of them. that's why he like laughs after the hair line
It’s not actual werewolves! He talking about young men preying on rich old ladies! I have it in my rolling stone encyclopedia of rock and roll!
On his live album, Zevon sang, "He's looking for James Taylor."
You’re all wrong. He is singing about the punk rock scene, lamely trying to be trendy.
Warren Zevon had a twisted sense of humor. His track Excitable Boy is an extremely snappy cheery tune with dark twisted lyrics.
When Warren Zevon found out he had six months to live he went into the studio and recorded his masterpiece “The Wind” which won Grammys for him posthumously. That would make a great album review.
Would be really interested if A&A would review "Keep Me in Your Heart" from that album. Eddie Vedder does a nice cover, as well.
@@davidt7482 , yes, all of this. I love Keep Me In Your Heart & Eddie Vedder did a wonderful tribute in his cover of this.
I wholeheartedly agree. That whole piece of work is masterful and very emotional. And talk about a ton of guest artists. He was so well loved.
You guys need to do Roland the Thompson Gunner. Warren Zevon had his best.
Keep Me In Your Heart
Because I am a great parent my 15 yr old daughter loves this song. And her hair is perfect.
My favorite song lyric of all time, "Saw a werewolf drinking a Pina colada at Trader Vic's, and his hair was perfect."
Then there's the follow-up couplet from his live performances: I saw Jackson Browne walkin' down the avenue//and his heart was perfect!
@@WRRHalum ” Stand in the Fire “ is absolutely one of my favorite recordings.
Tied with, "Is there gas in the car?/Yes, there’s gas in the car"
This is also my favorite song lyric of all time. I thought I was the only one.
On my first visit to NYC one of the places I had to go to was trader vics so I can order a pina colada.
This was featured in an iconic scene from the movie "The Color of Money" with Tom Cruise and Paul Newman as pool hustlers.
I always think of that scene when I hear this song. Tom Cruise lip synchs the lyrics while shooting pool, and smooths back his hair as he sings, "His hair was perfect."
What you got in there? In here, doom
Back in the day my best friend's sister called a radio station to request this song, she didn't remember the name but she said " Play the one that goes AaaOoooh" so of course the DJ knew which one she meant. He got a real kick out of the way she requested it and played the recording of her phone call on the air as they sometimes did back then. Good times. 😂
If you don’t appreciate Warren Zevon, we can’t be friends. Such a brilliant, warped mind. I remember seeing him on Letterman after his diagnosis. Letterman asked him if he had words of wisdom he wanted us to remember. His response- “enjoy every sandwich” - is the name of the tribute album his famous friends and collaborators recorded in his honor.
Saw him in a small bar in Georgia, just him & his keyboards. He had everybody in the house singing along at the top of their lungs, reminded me of an Irish pub singalong. RIP Warren.
When he played in Athens, Georgia, the word was that he was doing a lot of "womanizing," as if he wasn't doing that during his entire life! Loved him so much! RIP Zevon! The guys should listen to his hilarious version of his song "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me!" "I don't want to talk about it!" His visit to see Stravinsky, to introduce his piano tutor (?) (when Zevon was just a teenager) the tutor said Stravinsky took his usual break for a big glass of alcohol and some cheese and Zevon did the same, and afterwards didn't seem impaired at all--son of Stumpy, the Jewish Russian immigrant, the accountant for the Russian mob and his wife, a Mormon lady, already a ways down the road to a lifetime of problems with alcohol and other substances.
One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing the opening riff & thinking I'm going to hear Warren Zevon only to find out it's fecking Kid Rock & his rip off.
"I saw a Werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand" has to be the best opening lyric of a song EVER.
R.I.P. Warren.
Warren zevon is an underrated artist and has a great catalog of songs. Some others to check out. Lawyers Guns and Money, desperados under the eaves, excitable boy, Mohammed’s radio, accidentally like a martyr, Roland the headless Thompson gunner. I can go on forever really.
Good list. Warren used the best of the LA music scene for backing musicians. He wrote this with guitarist Waddy Wachtel who has played with everyone and still works with Stevie Nicks. Many artists covered Zevon songs, particularly Linda Ronstadt.
Underrated, really? I listened to his "Genius Best of" album and wasn't blown away. Seemed underwhelming to me, despite the famous friends playing.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
'Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)'
@@robland6804 WZ isn’t for everyone. In all facets of his career (writer, musician, performer) he was quite unique…one of a kind…and highly respected by his peers.
Tom Cruise playing pool, dancing to this song, slicking his hair back as Warren sings, "his hair was perfect"...CLASSIC!
Warren's last name is pronounced Zee-Von. Never got to see him live, RIP Warren, but I did see the Grateful Dead cover this song once, it was quite eerie and fun to hear 18,000 people go "Ahooo" all together, it was LOUD. The restaurant he mentions, Lee Ho Fook, which is apparently in London, still offers Beef Chow Mein because of this song.
It’d have a job, it closed in 2008.
Warren opened for the Dead when i saw their 15th anniversary concert in Boulder, CO, in June 1980.
@@claireboddey3273 Sorry, I didn't know.
@@mtzoar Very cool. Did he play Werewolves?
I saw him live three times, every one was great. I wrote him a smart a$$ fan letter (in 1980) and he called me, laughing about it, and saying he was coming to my city to play in a few weeks. I got to meet and talk with him after that show and it remains one of my fondest memories. RIP Warren. Your music is a gift.
My wife saw him in concert in LA
club and Fleetwood Mac was sitting right behind her and up in the balcony was Jerry Brown and Linda Ronstadt
Best line in any rock song:
"If you hear him howling around your kitchen door, better not let him in.
Little old lady got mutilated late last night. Werewolves of London again."
It rolls off your tongue in a delightful way. Warren had such a way with words. His songs are as amazing when you simply read the lyrics as when he sings them.
Very similar to John Prine - another man with a gift for writing songs. Sorely miss them both.
Very similar to John Prine...yes.
Well, he went down to dinner in his Sunday best
Excitable boy, they all said
And he rubbed the pot roast all over his chest
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an excitable boy
That's my favorite Zevon song. Twisted, dark lyrics to rather upbeat music.
"Little old lady got mutilated late last night." is a wonderful bit of alliteration.
@@gregsteele806 and nifty bit of workout for the tongue, as well
Absolutely..! Love to sing along with that line...!
"Excitable Boy" and "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" are very worthy of reactions as well (you actually listened to "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" from him on a livestream quite awhile ago). There are several other gems on his "Excitable Boy" album-he had his best production and great musicians on that one, so advocate for a full album reaction to that sometime.
Warren Zevon was David Letterman's favorite musical guest. He appeared on Letterman's show more than any other artist.
Him, and Tom Waits. Both favourites of Letterman.
Such an awesome relationship
And Warren sat in for Paul on a few occasions and did a bunch of skits with Dave..all hilarious!!
It was part of the soundtrack of the movie " American Werewolf in London"
Great tune with Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass.
Never knew that!
@@loosilu me neither.
and legendary Waddy Wachtel on guitar
One of the best opening lines ever....I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand.
Never knew that but that certainly makes sense considering how catchy that backbeat is.
Warren Zevon was a musical genius and a treasure gone too soon. His sense of humor is unparalleled in the music community. As a writer, he can go from bizarre to sensitive on the same album with equal ease. He did have a tendency to write about death in many songs including titles like Life’ll Kill Ya, My $#it’s F’d Up (The actual title is fully spelled out), I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, and more. His final album (The Wind) was written and issued after he received his terminal cancer diagnosis and was all about facing his final days. The album is brilliant and he was helped by a virtual who’s, who of the music world.
Knocking on Heaven’s Door on The Wind was gorgeous.
Keep Me in Your Heart has some of the best lyrics to ever grace rock and roll.
Preach
He was the musical version of Monty Python. He could make serious sound silly and silly sound serious.
@@grievousangelic Beautiful song. His vocal just breaks my heart.
" Lawyers, Guns and Money" is very good as well as "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" (covered by Linda Ronstadt which is also a great version.) When he was dying with lung cancer, he wrote a song called, "My Sh*t's F**ked Up" and it's absolutely, beautifully honest. The live version of that is very good.
“Sentimental Hygiene” with Neil Young on guitar is my favorite. Yep. Warren seems like he was one of the good guys.
Fun Fact: Warren Zevon was substitute band leader on Letterman when Paul Schaffer was out.
I am so excited, you played my request ❤️thank you.
Warren Zevon is a genius songwriter. Extremely underrated. Love "My Shit's Fucked Up".
Warren Zevon has my vote for Most Interesting Guy in Rock and Roll. He wrote songs for others, played with others, others played with him, everyone respected the hell out of him. He's got a deep catalog and everything, in my opinion, is well done and worth listening to.
Check out more from Warren Zevon, especially "Desperadoes Under the Eaves."
I love "Desperadoes Under the Eaves" it's definitely one of his best compositions.
This song, joke or not, just bangs hard every damn day. I smile every time I hear it. It lives on multiple playlists of mine. Happy Friday all! 😎
*~ This was Warren's biggest hit as it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978 (#8 in Australia) ~ Used to hear this on the radio frequently ~*
I always associate "Werewolves of London" in my mind with the song "Short People" by Randy Newman: both are humorous novelty type songs that were hits at about the same time (late '77, early '78) - I really liked both songs; both artists were classically trained pianists and both songs feature piano; dark humor is instilled into each song ("Werewolves" discusses a little old lady being mutilated by a werewolf and "Short People" suggests short people have no reason to live); and both artists had second thoughts about having recorded these songs. Newman actually received death threats from people who didn't understand or appreciate the humor. Warren Zevon eventually came to terms with the fact that he was most associated with "Werewolves of London." Later in his life he stated, "I guess it's better to be remembered for a novelty song than not to be remembered at all." Rest in peace, Warren, and rest assured you are fondly remembered by many for your great contributions to music (in fact, The Rolling Stone Record Reviews called Zevon's album "Excitable Boy," on which "Werewolves" appears, one of the most significant albums of the '70s).
I associate it with a Jackson Brown song called "You Just Want Meat, You Don't Want Me (You Asshole You)" - they are both novelty songs that appeared on a 1975 Browne bootleg - Zevon was in his road band.
Best novelty song of the 70s, maybe ever -- "Convoy" by CW McCall.
The whole Smokey and the Bandit craze. It's absolutely HILARIOUS that CB radios were actually a fad.
Exactly
Kid Rock ripped it off for a song as well
The werewolves are guys preying on rich old ladies not actual werewolves!🇨🇦✌🏻🇨🇦
FYI, the bass player is John McVie and the drummer is Mick Fleetwood. Fleetwood Mac !!! Guitar is Waddy Wachtell
it is one dimensional all the way through but so good after THOUSANDS of listening it NEVER gets old
Released in 78 Excitable Boy is one of my all time favorite albums. Warren Zevon is another artist gone to soon. RIP. Saw him live, what a treat. Used great studio musicians like Waddy Watchel (guitar) when recording. His songwriting ability is legendary. Listen to Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. Thanks for your reaction gentleman.
Waddy Wachtel's played on so many great records; check out Linda Ronstadt's live Tumbling Dice from the movie FM.
One of my faves as well. I was in the Army at the time. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, a big favorite
The song was in the movie "The Color of Money." Tom Cruise lipsynched it while playing pool and showing his talent too quickly as his ego gives way. Good movie.
Also check out Zevon's "My Shit's Fucked Up." It's when he found out he was sick.
Another classic tune from the 70s!!
This album was my college soundtrack. Discovered Warren Zevon my freshman year and have been a fan for over 40 years since!
Another song of his worth checking out is Mr. Bad Example.
Hey guys I'm still hoping you're going to cover Loggins and Messina Angry Eyes. It's a great song a variety of instruments cool transitions. Best thing Kenny Loggins ever did if you ask me. Thanks again for all the fun and insightful reactions.
Warren Zevon is without a doubt one of the greats. Lyrical genius. Poor Poor Pitiful me a favourite, Lawyers Guns & Money worth a revisit!
Alex,This sounds familiar to you because the same riff was used in Kid Rock's "All Summer Long".
Check out his interview with David Letterman late night show even after he knew he had 6 months to live he went on anyways. God bless Warron Zevon ✌🏼❤️
Great reaction! Sad that the younger generation thinks Kid Rock first with the most iconic piano riff of all time. This song was HUGE back in the day. I always took it as humorous, but literally about Werewolves of London... which is a reference to horror movie title Werewolf of London from 1935. Also, did yinz catch the hilarious mention of both Lon Cheney AND Lon Cheney Jr.! Hilarious and genius. Great pop culture reference.
Chaney Sr. was a silent film star ("The Phantom of the Opera" 1925) and Chaney Jr. was a horror star, at Universal Studios, who played "The Wolf Man" (1941) in five films.
@@creech54 Yep, supposed to be an ! not a ?. Big classic movie fan.
Kid Rock's song irritated me because I was thinking I was about to hear this song. It's nice he gave a tribute to Warren Ze
zon but I prefer the original.
Kid Rock sucks such a WS.
@@scottmorschhauser4421 The single album is the picture of famous actor Kerwin Matthews in 1973's The Boy Who Cried Werewolf.
Warren Zevon was big time in the late 70s and the 80s. He was David Letterman’s favorite musical guest for years.
More than just a guest on Letterman, he subbed as band leader from time to time. Letterman worshipped him and just before Zevon died… well, the TH-cam clips of Letterman and Zevon are a rabbit hole worth going down.
I remember seeing Letterman getting choked up about his passing 💔
Ya that / those clips are friggin timeless, rip WZ
"Lawyers Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Desperados Under The Eaves" the 3 songs you need to hear to become Warren Zevon fans
I'd swap "Carmelita", or maybe even "Play it All Night Long" or "Mohammed's Radio" for "Lawyers, Guns and Money", but yeah, more people need to hear "Desperados Under the Eaves".
I'd swap Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me for Desperadoes.
They heard Lawyers Guns and Money. They didnt care for it.
@@ozarkhillibilly9584 I thought they listened to Roland in a love stream. Not Lawyers, but I could be wrong (been wrong before).
Thanks for mentioning “Roland” - one of my favorites
Don't know if you guys saw the movie Color of Money with Tom Cruise and Paul Newman playing pool??? At a point in the game, Tom Cruise is playing and this song comes on and Cruise does kind of a martial arts/dance thing and slicks his hair back with his hand at the line His hair was perfect. I really like Warren's song Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. Oh and his name is pronounced like you are saying the letter Z and then adding von. Zeevon.
In the 70's there was a renewed craze in 1930-50 monster movies.
Lon Chaney- The Wolfman circa 1941
They also made a movie called "An American Werewolf In London" - not really based on the song or anyting but just goes to the general craze at the time. Funny movie tho.
I saw Warren Zevon a couple times in concert... One-time was in a small venue in Alexandria Virginia called The Birchmere. He was amazing.
Zevon's "Keep Me In Your Heart" makes me cry when I think about people I've lost. Try singing "Werewolves of London" at karaoke -- you'll have the audience howling.
even though I am Catholic, I have talked to my Priest to have "Keep M..." at my funeral. I think is dope.
That song is a somber masterpiece. Heartbreaking last statement from Zevon to his loved ones, and to the fans.
@@fredpahlker9620 I had them play it at my mother's funeral.
Tenderness On The Block always makes me cry
Some context to main title and verse line: "Werewolf of London" was the first major werewolf movie, released in 1935 as part of Universal's classic monster series. The more famous (and far superior) "The Wolfman", was released in 1941, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the cursed Larry Talbot/The Wolfman; it would become one of Chaney's iconic roles (which is why he's referenced in later part of song).
Andy & Alex, you would like his "Excitable Boy" and "A Certain Girl"!
I remember playing his "A Certain Girl" on the radio station.
Love Warren Zevon!
Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on original recording, produced by Jackson Browne and Waddy Watchel. Another fun fact, where he says “he’ll rip your lungs out Jim, I’d like to meet your tailor”; it’s actually a play on James Taylor’s name. So clever!
I remember hearing a live version once where Warren changed the line "I'd like to meet his tailor" to "...and he's looking for JAMES TAYLOR!"
Yes, he substitutes James Taylor when he does it live, but I think the original line is in reference to the torn pants / clothing he goes around in (in the black and white movies starting Lon Cheney and Lon Cheney, Jr.).
"Are you 11% less satisfied with life right now..?"
That was good...!
Quite possibly the best opening lines in the history of Rock and Roll.
I like the opening to All along the Watchtower by Dylan. “ There must be some kinda way out of here, said the joker to the thief “
Don't forget another WZ song: 'Play it All Night Long'. It opens: "Grampa pissed his pants today, he don't give a damn . . ."
This song was immortalized in Tom Cruise & Paul Newman's movie "The Color of Money"
A great scene.
I only listen to this song while I’m playing pool in my Vince t shirt
“Little old lady got mutilated late last night”.
Zevon loved alliteration. Several of his friends were in the room coming up with lines. Guitarist David Lindley walked in.
“What are we working on?” He said.
“Werewolves of London”. Lindley: “ Oh. Old lady got mutilated.”
Zevon turned that into the line in the song.
Alliteration turns up often in Zevon’s songs.
He and sports journalist and writer Mitch Albom cowrote “Hit Somebody: The Hocky Song” in a hotel room in Canada.
It is near certain the first line of the song was Zevon’s: “He was born in Big Beaver by the Borderline”.
There’s the alliteration again.
"Are you 11% less satisfied with life"?
Dude that's a classic line.
I bought my first house in about 1975.I was in my early 20s. As I was up a ladder decorating the kitchen this came on the radio. Loved Warren Zevon since then. He wrote some great stuff. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner is a fave. RIP Warren.
Yes! Roland.... it was Dave Letterman's fave also. Here is a clip of Warren's last appearance on The Late Show. He was the only guest. In the clip you can go to 18:22 to hear Roland. th-cam.com/video/giTi8KWSZl4/w-d-xo.html
My fave Warren Zevon song is 'My Sh*t's F*cked Up" XD
Great song. Some great lines like "I'd like to meet his tailor" and "his hair was perfect"
Great song! How appropriate... I am wearing my Lee Ho Fook's shirt as I type (I ordered one for my bestie and me.. not many people get the reference. I have two shirts.. love the song so much!) I think you guys will enjoy it. RIP to Warren Zevon... a real cool dude he was! Oh and... Draw Blood!
When diagnosed with terminal cancer, Warren Zevon set out to write and record as much music as possible. The result is "The Wind", his final record. It's an amazing record and needs to be listened to in its entirety. There is also a documentary covering Warren's final year.
The Kid Rock tune that samples this song also samples the Sweet home alabama riff. The piano and guitar riffs from those two songs mesh together perfectly.
Too bad that’s an awful song. Just my personal opinion…dislike Kid Rock and dislike sampling…it’s lazy writing
That song is so epically bad. The dumb guitar solo is in the wrong key.
For reference: th-cam.com/video/u8FAbjjB48A/w-d-xo.html
What makes this song stink episode 2
One of the worse songs EVER!
You HAVE to listen to more Warren; he was a frickin genius. Everyone wanted to play with him.
Yes he can do joke songs, but then he can do everything really, really well. If there is one artist you have overlooked thus far, it is Warren. He even wrote a song about Sweet Home Alabama, the song, "Play it all night Long". Just legendary, cool and a total genius. Do a poll, please?
This song is so great. Warren was a shooting star. A PERFECT banger of his: "LAWYERS, GUNS, AND MONEY"... Also worth checking out: "Detox Mansion," "Boom Boom Mancini" (both backed by R.E.M.), "Jeannie Needs A Shooter," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," and "Desperadoes Under The Eaves." R.I.P. Mr. Zevon.
Werewolves is great but it’s a shame that it’s his biggest hit. There are several songs off the Excitable boy album alone that are better. And, if I were to make a list of his best 20 songs, from a personal standpoint, Werewolves would not be on my list. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t an excellent song but rather speaks to how great a songwriter he was.
I love Lawyers Guns and Money.
Fox TV needed to pay him to use a song of his for a theme for a show. The executive asked “And who are these guys Mills and Buck?” He said “Oh, nobody. Just fucking R E M!”
desperadoes under the eves
@@fan123casual8 I hope Fox had to pay double... lol.
Warren. God bless his soul. Please play more from his his great catalogue
To me this song is genius. To take that simple piano riff and build a whole song around it. It doesn’t change keys, it doesn’t change at all but it totally works.
Don't remember you guys doing Lawyers, Guns and Money, but that's a great song as is this one
His last appearance on David Latterman got me tearing up. He was an entertaining gentleman.
I always considered it a song about a player.
Perfect hair, well dressed, frequenting restaurants in Soho, drinking at Trader Vic's. And of course, the warning; You hear him howling around your kitchen door, you better not let him in. A little old lady got mutilated late last night, werewolves of London again.
Best description of players, I've heard.
Lawyers, guns, and money is another S tier banger from Warren zevon!!!
Warren Zevon is the greatest songwriter in American history. It's absolutely criminal that he isn't in the R&RHOF. Carmelita alone should've done it. But the man released albums through his entire career, even when cancer was destroying his body. No bad tracks.
Lawyers, Guns, and Money has to be the next one from Zevon.
Peace from Pennsylvania ✌
They already did it.
@Michael Scott They did Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner on a live stream, not Lawyers, Guns and Money.
@@hollishamilton3943 Hmm, they said in this video that they did Lawyers Guns and Money in the livestream. I'd hate to think they heard it and didn't like it though.
@@hollishamilton3943 I was just going by what Andy said in this video at 0:30
As many others have said, Warren Zevon was an extremely talented artist who left us too soon. When he understood that he was not to be here for much longer, he wrote a song called ‘Keep Me in Your Heart for Awhile’. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Zevon was a genius. He was literally a musical prodigy. He wrote some great songs.
Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass... the very definition of a "Fleetwood Mac" song regardless of the writer, singer or other players. I think you guys found a little "A Clockwork Orange" angle as well which I never thought about, that the tongue-in-cheek dark humor speaks of the werewolf in all of us. Check out "The Beast In Me" covered by Johnny Cash and written by Nick Lowe, I believe. Maybe another overlooked Halloween season classic.
Sweet Home Alabama is referenced in another Zevon song "Play it all night Long" The live version of Werewolves is great and goes for about 6 minutes and is fun. Zevon is a different kind of artist, when you are in the mood his stuff is S-tier.
Did you guys get the reference to Lon Cheney and Lon Cheney Jr.? They were both famous for their theatrical make-up. Thus the line "his hair was perfect"
'Roland the headless Thompson gunner was on your livestream. Trust us, you'll like "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" - both the studio and live versions are killer.
Ah phew. I thought they didn't like Lawyers and I was beside myself!
I’ve been asking for Lawyers for a long time, as have a lot of other folk. That’s probably why the name was stuck in his mind… they aren’t of the age to be familiar with Patty Hearst, so writing a brilliant history of her weapon would be too obscure for them.
Warren Zevon was well received by his piers in music. He played with a lot of people and his final song, when he knew he was dying is a really great one to leave people with "Keep me in your Heaty". According to Wiki, Zevon, upon learning he was dying, began recording his final album, The Wind, which includes performances by close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, and Dwight Yoakam. He worked with Linda Rondstadt and REM.
Please do more Warren Zevon! There are so many great songs to choose from his catalog. ‘Lawyers, Guns, and Money’ and ‘Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner’ are both worth a listen. His songs, generally, are pretty dark.
Saw Warren on many occasions throughout his career. What a musician, singer and song writer. Should definitely be in Rock Hall of Fame, joke he is not. So many great songs!! You need to hear more!!! Missing out!!
Whole album reaction to my favorite Zevon album: Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School. This album features all of the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt. LR covers 2 Zevon songs: Poor Poor Pitiful Me, and Carmelita. Both are worth checking out.
I saw Warren Zevon in concert in San Diego in the early 80s. X was the opening band.
Wanted to add I really enjoy the monthly recap. It is well done and I like to hear your thoughts after giving more listens to the songs. I have not seen anyone else doing that. Make that a signature feature of your channel that separates you from the others. Further separates I should clarify.
You guys should check out a live performance Warren Zevon did on David Letterman's show, sometime in the 2000s. During the interview he told Dave that the doctors had given him, I think it was about 4-6 months left to live and he was just working to finish his last album. Then he played an absolutely amazing cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" which had more meaning than ever given how well the lyrics fit to Warren's situation.
I'm pretty sure he beat the Doctor's estimates and lived another two years. He did finish his last album.
Fun fact: he references Lon Chaney who was an American film noir actor portraying dark characters in 1920’s era horror flicks. Also speaks so Long Chaney Jr also an actor and he portrayed the lead character in the movie The Wolf Man! In both references they were walking with the Queen! I need to figure that one out.
Lon Chaney and Lon Chaney Jr. played werewolves in the early movies.
Melodically, Warren's compositions are relatively simple. The brilliance is in the lyrics - his macabre sense of humor and ability to create obscure imagery set against that music. He can also write some heart-wrenching ballads. He was a tremendously talented songwriter. Yes, the chord progression is used in Sweet Home Alabama.
Rating songs many many yrs after they had their unique impact upon their release, misses their unique impact. No true way for y'all to understand how new and cool these songs were then. Just a fact of life. This song is soooooo cool and badass. Keep up the good work boys.
While this song is a timeless classic... Andy and Alex really need to give a listen to one of the other tracks on the same poll this song won... Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo is killer
Five sure!
The live Dead Man's Party is just phenomenal. IMO, better than the recorded version.
th-cam.com/video/-I63_mjMJFI/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=RainbowSalad
Yes definitely!
Yes!
My absolutely favorite artist of all time. Miss him.
This is just a fun song. Sometimes you just gotta smile and go with it. 😁❤️
Warren Zevon was a one off, he could write songs about anything, from Boxers to clapped out Studebaker cars. I still miss him.. I'm so happy that you played the whole thing before commenting. thanks.
Great analysis, thanks guys! Here’s an interesting fact: WZ studied classical piano before taking up songwriting. In the 1960s he wrote songs that were recorded by the Turtles, among other acts, while he performed in a folk rock duo. Another interesting fact: When his diagnosis became public, Zevon told the media that he just hoped to live long enough to see the next James Bond movie, a goal he accomplished. Coincidentally, the film was titled Die Another Day. R.I.P. WZ
His last appearance on Letterman was the saddest.
@@alloralou4722 Yes it was. When he said, “enjoy every sandwich,“ I thought what a great way of putting it.
More zevon please! That man was a goldmine of good songs!
So a cover band my dad was in a few years back used to do this song and their guitar player would break into Sweet Home Alabama halfway through. They called their quasi medley “Werewolves Of Alabama”