On my drive home the other day, I heard Eddie Money's "Two Tickets to Paradise." I considered writing about that song today, because it certainly is rocking and makes me smile every time I hear it. What could be better than two tickets to paradise? I'm not exactly sure, but I can say that Eddie's "Take Me Home Tonight" is my all-time favorite of his songs. As a song, without the video, it is a champion - a die-hard, rock classic. The song opens with a steady drumbeat sounding very much (in my opinion) like a heartbeat. We also hear a sort of mysterious, enticing synthesizer line, which is then joined by guitar. Eddie's deep and subdued vocals build in intensity as he approaches the chorus - which basically explodes with power guitar chords of the most solid chord progression in Western music. Take a look at the lyrics, too. I could only really understand the word "hunger" in the first verse for the longest time. I think I could hear something about "it isn't safe to walk the city streets alone," but I always wondered what he said right before the chorus. Alas, I discovered it is "let's find the key and turn this engine on." EXCELLENT! That is pretty awesome, I must say.
The video is what I remember the most about this song. When it came out, it was so cool and intriguing with the whole black and white thing going on. Eddie's wearing shades, singing a dark stadium. We see a woman in the shadows - kind of petite with long hair, dancing mysteriously. She even smokes a cigarette and puts it out in the carpet with her foot. Why? Because she can. She is quiet yet powerful. We want to see the mystery woman revealed. Low and behold, it is Ronnie Spector. We hear "just like Ronnie sang" answered by Ms. Spector with "be my little baby." What an excellent sonic juxtaposition. It's kind of a fusion of time periods and musical styles. Her voice is amazing and really ads a spark to the song.
I can't help but laugh a bit about the saxophone, though. It seems to be suspended somehow on the ladder in the beginning of the video. Eddie picks it up and does some "sax syncing" (kind of like lip syncing) when the sax solo comes in. Not exactly convincing, but hey - it's a big sax solo! He takes that saxophone, "plays" it, lets it suspend on the neck strap as he sings, and then triumphantly raises it high above his head like a rock trophy. Now that is "totally awesome." Rock on, Mr. Money!!!! Cheesy or not, whenever a wind instrument gets the limelight in a rock video, I couldn't be happier. I also enjoy the percussion in this piece. Listen carefully and you will hear tambourine and I think maybe some castinets (can't quite tell) around 2:23. All in all, this is a terrific song and a truly well-conceptualized video. Enjoy!
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