Today I’m going to start what I hope will be a regular weekly post. Rock anthem of the week. I will highlight a landmark song that is a true anthem of the rock world. This can mean that it is truly an anthem that everybody on the planet can sing along to. It can also mean that it embodies rock and roll and everything it is about.
The rock anthem of the week this week is Shapes of things by the yardbirds.
This standout song from 1966 while at the time not completely out of the norm did seem to have something special. The downbeat verses were par for the course at the time but the build to the chorus brought tension to the song that was unexpected. Then of course there is the chorus. The simple, memorable, yet powerful shouting "come tomorrow..." could be sung aloud by anyone within earshot.
The song has been covered many times in the past 33 years. From Bowie, to the Jeff Beck group, to Gary Moore. Each version bringing a little something different. The brilliance of the song is it's simplicity. It is open to interpretation and embellishment by the artist covering it.
The lyrical content is also something a little different. While the verses are quite poppy sounding musically the lyrics have a little darker feel to them. This would become more prominent in the later part of the sixties with the make love not war sentiment going on in the world.
Whichever version you personally like, the song itself embodies rock and roll.
Scott
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