By Loud Atlas
When you think about it, our lives and that of our ancestors before us are a string of near misses and close shaves. Somehow, we've defied the odds to exist despite numerous wars, plagues, famines and natural disasters. But thanks to many happy coincidences (and thanks to Mum and Dad for bumping into each other on the Newcastle-Truro train), twists of fate and a lot of luck, we sit here today, in 2024, reading a weekly column and listening to a host of nominated songs. We lucky few, we patrons of Song Bar.
The following lists encompass the almost-nearly moments, opportunities taken (or not), disaster dodging, affairs, the hangman's noose, escape routes, last-minute food requests and near-death experiences.
It was a lyric-heavy topic this week, so I've left some lyrical shavings to give some reasoning behind the choices.
Darrell Scott - The Man Who Could Have Played Bass for Shanana
Ya know I could have made it once / If I'd have listened to a friend / He had set up this audition / With a fifties group back when / But it was 1967 and I had dreams of moving on
The talented bassist coulda been a contender. If only he'd turned up to an audition all those years ago and listened to his friend. An opportunity missed.
Giorgio Tozzi - Some Enchanted Evening
Some enchanted evening / When you find your true love / When you feel her call you / Across a crowded room / Then fly to her side / And make her your own / For all through your life you … May dream all alone.
All you need is love, so they say. When one of those rare chances comes along – perhaps a fleeting glance from across a room – make the most of it. It worked for me. An opportunity taken.
Gil Scott-Heron - We Almost Lost Detroit
But no one stopped to think about the people / Or how we would survive, and we / Almost lost Detroit this time / How would we ever get over / Over losing our minds
A catastrophe on the widest scale imaginable, thankfully a nuclear meltdown was averted (narrowly) in Michigan, 1966. As well as being a bit of a groovy one, this song is a political and social touching stone too, that asks a lot of questions about the authorities at the time.
Whitney Houston - Didn't We Almost Have It All
Didn't we almost have it all / When love was all we had worth giving? / The ride with you was worth the fall my friend / Loving you makes life worth living
Love is a fickle thing. For reasons unknown - let your imagination run wild - Whitney and partner almost had it all. They were this [fingers an inch apart] close to having everything. A pity.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Almost Cut My Hair
Almost cut my hair / It happened just the other day / It's gettin' kinda long / I coulda said it wasn't in my way /But I didn't and I wonder why
Luscious long locks were the style of day for the hippie community, and those not going to Vietnam. Luckily for Crosby and friends that identity crisis was avoided. How close the shears were, we'll never know.
Radiohead - Airbag
In a fast German car / I'm amazed that I survived /
An airbag saved my life / In an interstellar burst / I am back to save the universe
In 1987, Thom Yorke's brush with death during a car crash was the inspiration behind this song. He returned invigorated and re-energised, all thanks to an airbag. A close one!
The Manhattan Love Suicides - Head Over Heels
He said he'd like to take a drive / I told him not to go / It's raining outside / But he didn't hear what I said / And he nearly wound up dead
Another vehicular-themed song. Poor Bobby is the unfortunate one, but he'll be ok - plenty of admirers await. If only he'd taken the advice.
Guster - Stay With Me Jesus
1985 I missed a plane / Which then disappeared, never seen again / You came to me Jesus, stood right in my way / You flew down from Heaven to save me again / Everywhere I go they run in fear
A lifetime of close shaves has left Guster grateful. For all the positivity, these lucky escapes are often at a cost to others and bring bad luck to everyone else. Satirically close!
Elton John - Someone Saved My Life Tonight
You almost had your hooks in me / Didn't you dear / You nearly had me roped and tied / Altar bound hypnotized sweet freedom / Whispered in my ear / You're a butterfly / And butterflies are free to fly
Elton was famously engaged to Linda Woodrow as a young man. Unhappy in his predicament, he sought an escape. After a drunken night out with friends, he called the engagement off. A turning point in his life and career.
The Abyssinians - Poor Jason Whyte
And saved / 'e was saved
The 14-year-old Jason and his father were stricken at sea off the coast of Jamaica for 17 days back in 1971. Unfortunately, his father died whilst stranded, but Jason was saved from disaster only by a chance encounter with a passing German ship en route to Panama.
Tammy Wynette - Almost Persuaded
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead on / Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home
Tempted by the fruit of another, Tammy wisely resists the lusty urges within. A close call thanks to the reflection of her left hand in her would-be lover's eyes. Steamily close.
The Cadets - Stranded In The Jungle
So I jumped in the ocean and started to swim / But my chance of survival was getting mighty slim
Having survived a plane crash in the wilderness of the jungle, and a brush with cannibals, the song's survivor manages to get home to the States via whale to proclaim his love.
John Murry - Little Coloured Balloons
Off 16th and Mission / I took an ambulance ride / They said I should've died
At the other end of the realism spectrum, Murry's honest and frank struggles with addiction are the crux of this ballad detailing his near fatal overdose. The closest of near misses.
The Almost Did Or Didn’t Happen A-List Playlist:
Darrell Scott - The Man Who Could Have Played Bass With Shanana (Uncleben)
Giorgio Tozzi - Some Enchanted Evening (Marconius7)
Gil Scott-Heron - We Almost Lost Detroit (pejepeine)
Whitney Houston - Didn't We Almost Have It All (Maki)
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young - Almost Cut My Hair (AltraEgo)
Radiohead - Airbag (ajostu)
The Manhattan Love Suicides - Head Over Heels (vastariner)
Guster - Stay With Me Jesus (BanazirGalbasi)
Elton John - Someone Saved My Life Tonight (SweetHomeAlabama)
The Abyssinians - Poor Jason Whyte (Nicko)
Tammy Wynette - Almost Persuaded (magicman)
The Cadets - Stranded In The Jungle (SweetHomeAlabama)
John Murry - Little Coloured Balloons (tincanman2010)
Bordering on Two Outcomes B-List Playlist:
John Kirkby Sextet - Close Shave (Nicko)
The Grateful Dead - Monkey and the Engineer (Chris7572)
Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out (Nicko)
Count Lasher with Charlie Binger & His Calypsonians - Talking Parrot (Nicko)
Warren G ft. Nate Dogg - Regulate (pejepeine)
King Crimson - Thela Hun Ginjeet (ajostu)
Tony Makem - The Irish Rover (Nicko)
Spiers & Boden - Prickle-eye Bush (EnglishOutlaw)
Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabaté - Ol' George Buck (nosuchzone)
Cowboy Troy with Big & Rich - I Play Chicken With The Train (SweetHomeAlabama)
Guru's Wildcard Picks:
Ray LaMontagne - Narrow Escape
A couple, in the Bonnie and Clyde mould, move from town to town with tragic consequences.
The Flaming Lips - The Spiderbite Song
Close encounters with a spiderbite and a car crash - both true experiences suffered by the band!
Mother Mother - Hayloft
Her daddy's got a gun (as you'll hear), and her lover's in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ralph McTell - Close Shave
A close shave whilst in, of all places, the barber's chair.
A persuasive situation: Tammy Wynette and George Jones … Cheers!
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: All the hits? Not quite: songs about close shaves and near misses. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
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