I’m not familiar with the Milwaukees, a band that Ryan Penagos chats with over at Marvel.com about their music and comics, but anyone who puts together an iMix dedicated to Captain America is ok by me:
MARVEL.COM: You’ve constructed an American/Captain America-themed playlist on iTunes. What were you thinking when putting these songs together? Break down the songs you guys chose and why.
1. “My Hero” the Foo Fighters – I think this one is pretty obvious.
2. “Fortunate Son” Creedence Clearwater Revival – When we were thinking about it, we decided that Captain America would be a proud American hero without necessarily being a flag-waving, rah-rah, patriot blindly supporting the government. That is a position we sympathize with, and I think that Creedence is the ultimate in proud American bands that aren’t afraid to be critical.
3. “Highway to the Sun” the Milwaukees – This is our take on the great American road song. Its kind of about this very American notion of Manifest Destiny.
4. “Born to Run” Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – You can’t find a more anthemic American rock song. This really is the ultimate. Lots of driving and regional references. Its a classic.
5. “I Can Help” Elvis Presley – It would be very difficult to put together a list of music for the ultimate American super hero without including the King. This song seemed fitting. Though it was a coin toss between this and Elvis’ cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
6. “Pink Houses” John Mellencamp – Mellencamp is like the Midwest’s Springsteen. Pink Houses has that real good-time Americana feel. Not our favorite Mellencamp tune. We love American rock, but sometimes Mellencamp can be a little much. Still, we think that Cap would go in for it. I imagine super heroes are a little partial to some corny music.
7. “Hotel Arizona” Wilco – I imagine Captain America’s taste in newer music tended toward alt-country. Wilco’s “Being There” double disc from some years back is one of the best (and underrated) American rock records of the last 20 years. Newer Wilco is probably (understandably) a little too artsy for Captain America, but this is in his homerun zone. Also, there’s a little bit of loneliness in this song. I imagine that being a super hero can be a bit lonely. Kind of like touring.
8. “Jet Pilot” Son Volt – This is kind of like an update of “Fortunate Son.” A damn good one too. That’s why it makes the cut.
9. “Chicago” Sufjan Stevens – This would be the hippest thing on Cap’s iPod. Hipster or not, it is a damn good tune.
10. “Louisiana Rain” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – This is probably the most beautiful song on one of the most perfect records (“Damn the Torpedes”) by one of the best American bands ever.
11. “American Girl” the Milwaukees – We were really stretching our boundaries with this rootsy ballad. WWII era lyrics about love and innocence in pre-Nixon America. If Captain America got married, this would be his first dance.
12. “This Ship’s Going Down” Val Emmich – Val is a friend of ours and he has that epic, chest thumping quality in his voice that I think super heroes would really get off on.
13. “Stuck Between Stations” The Hold Steady – This is another band that is kind of updating classic American rock sounds. The band rocks a real Springsteen feel. The lyrics are pretty clever and the whole album seems to be about American youth. It’s a little jaded, and I think that Captain America would cast a similarly suspicious view of American youth and Myspace culture.
14. “Barrio Superstario” Pilot to Gunner – This is for when Captain America has to kick some ass. Pilot to Gunner really knows how to clobber you. Great band.
15. “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” ZZ Top – This is just such a killer song. We couldn’t leave it off. Who doesn’t like this?
16. “Don’t Stop Believing” Journey – We figure you’ve got to be pretty optimistic to fight crime and the powers of evil. This tune is very optimistic and pretty corny, but still it is pretty American and I think that when this would come on the radio when Captain America was driving, he’d check to see that no one was looking, then he’d rock out to it.
January 17th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
I thought this was a fantastic blog, not only great writing but it has a great layout, well done.
January 17th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
You guys really seem to know your stuff this blog of information was very useful.:)