Music Fuels My Soul And Black Stone Cherry Is My Number 1 Band!
Hello Music Fans it is I, TFG1Mike… You Are Now reading TFG1MIKE 365! The idea here is for me to write something, anything, once a day for 365 days. From January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. In my 83rd entry of 2024, I’m here to give you my Top 23 Black Stone Cherry Songs I listened to in 2023. I meant to do this last year with the release of #BSC8 Screamin’ At The Sky, but it just didn’t happen. This is not gonna be a “countdown” in the traditional sense. These are the #1 to #23 songs I listened to in 2023 from BSC. So they are in sorta in a setlist order. And if you wanna read all about My Top 21 of 2021 Black Stone Cherry songs, you can do that right HERE! And now to the 2023 list! I’ve tried NOT to have repeats on either list, but there might be some overlap.
What I’ve tried to do is have each list… 2021 and 2023 reflect the songs I listened to the most, and BSC songs that have released currently at the time I was listening. Which means that the Royal Albert Hall Y’all LIVE versions of In My Blood/Island Jam and Cheaper To Drink Alone will be on this list, versus the 2021 list, since it came out in 2022!! Also I made this playlist in order to front load the songs that were on the 2021 list. As I’ve already written about them. Well I kinda frontloaded it, but not everything works according to plan! As I mentioned in 2023 we got #BSC8 Screamin’ At The Sky, which meant a whole new slew of songs to fill my earholes with.
1. “Built For Comfort” – Willie Dixon Cover I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE when BSC does cover songs!! I knew this was a Willie Dixon song, as well as Howlin’ Wolf did a version of it, which you can listen to right here. And the Howlin’ Wolf version is what Black Stone Cherry based their cover on ,which you can find BSC’s version here. As I said in the 2021 write up, the monster tunes and notes that BSC uses to make an awesome song their own is just so kick ass!!
2. “Be Cowboy – PBR Anthem” I was in the bathroom when I heard this song the day it debuted. It was October 25, 2019 when the news dropped about this new Professional Bull Riders theme. You can catch the BSC version here! What I love about this song is that even though I’m more of a city boy than a cowboy, everything within the message of the tune is something we should all strive to be. I’ll highlight my favorite lines from the song, but you can read the full lyrics here! And my favorite line from the song is:
“When you’re scared just carry on
Be braver, be better, be bolder”
BSC’s version of Be Cowboy will always be in my listening rotation!!!
3. “How We Roll” Rockin’ 1000 and Black Stone Cherry! My word! What an undertaking! June 1, 2023 Rockin’ 1000 a group of 1,000 musicians along with Black Stone Cherry released this song, and like every other BSC song I’ve talked about…. It grabbed my attention immediately. You can read all about the Rockin’ 1,000’s journey with this song over at Consequence Of Sound and you can watch the video here! Damn y’all, just damn!!! I have two sets of lyrics that I love from this, but firs I love the message of the song! The first set of lyrics are:
“Just trying to find a direction
We all need to feel some connection”
In 2023 I was still trying to find my direction after Karen died in 2021. By the summer of 2023 when this song released, I feel like I had finally settled into the brand new apartment I was living in, and my road to healing from the loss of her was progressing. I needed to find any and all new and or old connections I could. Karen and I had 4 and a half great years together, and being with a person that long…. you love being with them, and you are used to being their other half and all that. I’ve said before Karen and I moved at a pace of 1,000 miles a minute if not faster than that. It was just how we were. We made decisions together, and we weren’t sitting and discussing them for 4 hours (unless it was where to get food delivery from)! And this song just says so much to me. The other part of lyrics that affects me is:
“Well now that we’re here
Drums beating loud
Giving ourselves to the sound
It’s not what we take
It’s what we can give”
When it comes to music and me, I always give into the sound. I let music envelope me into it, and nothing else matters when I’ve got my headphones on full volume! Plus the message of it’s not what we take, but it’s what we can give… BSC has always been giving back every time they do anything. I often say I do the podcast thing and this writing thing for myself, but I really hope something I’ve written or said on a podcast ha an effect on people that might listen or read my stuff. So it really isn’t in how I rock, it’s all about how I roll. I’m looking forward to the next original song the Rockin’ 1,000 do!! Also MusixMatch, was my source on the lyrics here!
4. “In My Blood/Island Jam” – LIVE At The Royal Albert Hall Y’all! So you can watch BSC do the live version that I’ll be talkin about right here. However before you watch that… I remember when the original video for IN MY BLOOD came out along with the behind the scenes video back in 2011. Fast forward to 2022 when BSC releases LIVE At The Royal Albert Hall Y’all, and we have THE BEST live version of this song, and Chris Roberson kicks it off by askin’ and responding, “Y’all gonna sing with us tonight right? …. ohhhh mannnn!!!” The Best part of this for me is the ISLAND JAM!!! Starting at around 4:05 or 4:06 ark in the video and song… these southern rockers just jam out and it’s amazing! It ends right around th 6:20 mark, and then Chris Robertson gets the crowd into singing back to the band. Having seen Black Stone Cherry live in 2018, I know the show they put on, and it might just be the best rock concert ever in my personal opinion.
Tracks 5, 6, and 7 were all on the 2021 list, so I’ve tried to condense them here a bit. I have however talked about different lyrics in the songs being my favorites.
5. “Again” This was the lead off single from #BSC7 “The Human Condition” And these lyrics are how I felt after the loss of Karen in 2021:
“You’re lost and so confused
From a choice you couldn’t choose
I know just how it feels
‘Cause I felt the same way too”
I had forgotten that THC was released in 2020, so I’m pretty sure Karen and I had listened to these songs from this album.
6. “Ain’t Nobody” You can watch/listen to this song on Black Stone Cherry’s YouTube Channel right here! The one line I love from this one is:
“I been lost in you and that’s a natural fact”
Still hoping I can see BSC play this live one day!
7. “When Angels Learn To Fly” This song was everything for me in 2020, because I equated it to the loss of my mom 5 years earlier in 2015. Little did I know that this song would carry me through the loss of my lovely amazing then wife Karen. You can watch the track on their YouTube Channel right here! And… OH GAWD! I have felt these lyrics in my bones ever since:
“I’ve cried till my tears ran out, just at the thought of you
I swear to God I’d rather drown, than swim in this sea of truth”
You can watch the track by track commentary right here! Those lines still make my bones shake. However 2023 is here now and we have #BSC8! So let’s kick things off by Screamin’ At The Sky!
8. “Screamin’ At The Sky” Every new Black Stone Cherry album surprises me, and I love that they do that. I love that this band can give me things I didn’t know I needed. I’ve had anger issues all my life, I dunno why, and I’m not here to explore all that. I’m telling you the reader this, because Screamin’ At The Sky is the feeling I have whenever I’m stressed out. I’ve never been much of a gamblin’ man, but in the last few years these lines really speak to how I’ve been dealing with life:
“We roll the dice once or twice
In a lifetime”
Grief shouldn’t last a lifetime, but sometimes it can. My Mom passed in 2015, I went through a crappy relationship or two in 2016, and then in 2017… my entire life changed for the better. If you have read my blogs or listened to my podcasts in the last 6 years you’ll know the entire story of how Karen and I connected online and then met in person. So I won’t rehash that here. The point is I rolled the dice and won. And in late 2023 after it’d been 2 and a half years since Karen passed, I rolled the dice again…. So that’s why my favorite line from Screamin’ At The Sky is.
9. “Out Of Pocket” I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE when I get to hear BRAND NEW BLACK STONE CHERRY!! I latch onto it like a person drowning needing a life preserver. Once again it’s almost like a whole new BSC has awakened in this album. The riffs, drumbeats, percussions, and more are instrumentally rocking the house down every time. Out Of Pocket is no exception here, it’s more of this is the new beginning of the badassery Black Stone Cherry will be giving us! Favorite lines from this song are the opening:
“I need a minute to get over myself
My system seems to be overloading
I need a minute to breathe if nothing else
And let go of this pain I keep holding
Sometimes I just want to run
Just need a chance to let go of the past
And start to live here in this moment”
We all felt outta pocket the last few years! And this song sums up those feelings very well. I also wanna say that living in the moment has been something I’ve always struggled with, but I’m tryin’!
10. “Won’t Let Go” A little back in time song to 2011 with this one. I thought the rest of this playlist was gonna be more newer stuff, but here we are. This song just hits me in all the feels. Now I’ve read that Lzzy Hale does backing vocals on this track, and I’ve had it on repeat to see if I can hear her… I think only in the “we won’t let go” parts of the song do I hear her voice. Either way I still love the song. You can find it here on BSC’s YouTube Channel! The lines I love from this are:
“When the distance hurts and it all gets worse
These are the times that we will remember
When the darkness fades we will still remain
Inseparable, unstoppable, invincible
“Down by the river every summer we had nothing but time
Talkin’ about forever how we’d always be together.”
When I’m “all in” I’ll never let go.
11. “In Love With The Pain” I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I don’t often see bands and artists going there for music videos, however when Black Stone Cherry did it for this song. I was all in! You can watch the awesome video right here, and mannnnn do I have a lot to say about this one. And honestly I LOVE all the lyrics, but I’ll try to condense my choice to this part of the song:
“I love the way you lay on me like I’m your pillow
The way your skin feels when it touches mine
No matter what I want, I’ll always be your hero
Even when it feels like love is a crime”
That’s love right there, dunno why it would feel like a crime. Just watching the video to the song, it makes me miss “home” more and more every time. And yes I used quotation marks around home, because even though I haven’t actively lived in Massachusetts since 2001, it will always be HOME! I did get a brief moment to be home in Massachusetts when my Nana Malone passed away in 2007, and in 2012 when I went up there to bring my Mom back to Kentucky… But I haven’t actually lived in Massachusetts in the last 23 years… From 2003-2017 I called Louisville, KY my “home” and then from 2017 to 2021 wherever Karen and I were… that was home. I always tell people that to me Massachusetts is a whole other way of life and living. It’s a feeling the New England area gives off, that nowhere else makes me feel like it does and has and will forever be HOME to me.
From the closing lines:
“I’m in love with the pain
Addicted to your flame
Yeah, I can’t get enough
I wanna feel your burn
Turn me upside down
Turn me inside out
Leave me cold as rain
I’m in love with the pain
I’m in love with it
I’m in love with it (the pain)
I’m in love with it
I’m in love with the pain”
Just everything about the song, the video…. makes me miss Massachusetts sooooo damn much. And that line of being addicted to your flame… ohhh boy, yeah I’ve felt that before.
12. “Born Under A Bad Sign – Albert King Cover” The one version I remember of this song besides the original was Homer Simpson on The Simpsons Sing The Blues album! That’s right HOMER J. SIMPSON sang Born Under a Bad Sign! You can listen to that right here! Black Stone Cherry just makes me love music more and more. Not only with their original songs, but when they give covers that BSC Style! Their version of the song can be heard here! WOWZERS! Chills every time! I don’t really have a favorite line or set of lines from this one. I just love the Black Stone Chery version overall.
13. “Show Me What It Feels Like” I love the opening riffs and beat to this song. The whole damn thing just mesmerized me. I dunno if it’s one of my most listened to songs from the album, but damn it has to be up there. The musical talent of this fearsome foursome is amazing. As I have staed a lot, it sometimes is the music, and sometimes it’s the lyrics. Then there are times that it is both. I do like the lyrics and the story the song tells, but the instrumentals here, are what I love the most.
Line I love from this song:
“Show me what it feels like to be the one for you“
Everything comes together so well. At the 0:46 mark in the song after Chris Robertson sings the line, “I breathe you in” The instrumental break/slow down of the tune just gives me all kinds of feelings. It’s a musical note that tells me to breathe as I’m listening to the song. Then after that it picks right back up into the next chorus part. Black Stone Cherry always show me what it feels like to be a fan of their work!
14. “Let It Hurt” Sophie Lloyd Featuring Black Stone Cherry I had never heard of Sophie Lloyd…
You can see the lyrics to the song here, and you can watch the track on their YouTube Channel right here! But damn y’all!!! This whole track feels like everyone in Black Stone Cherry is playing it, but only Chris Robertson is there from the band. According to the video I linked from Sophie Lloyd’s YT channel, the credits are as follows:
Vocals & additional Guitar: Chris Robertson appears courtesy of Mascot Music Publishing & Production B.V
Drums: @ThePainter1989
Performing Bass: @ColeRolland
Young Sophie actor: Dawson Lamb
Father actor: Dustin Luttrell
Produced by Romesh Dodangoda
Engineered by Romesh Dodangoda
Recorded at Long Wave Recording Studios
Additional Programming – Romesh Dodangoda
Mixed by Romesh Dodangoda at Long Wave Recording Studios.
Music Video filmed and edited by KAL Visuals
Photography by: Moise Nicolas
Performed in Nashville TN
Vehicle Hire: Picture Car Company
And even though it’s just Chris from BSC on vocals and lyrics, holy hell y’all, it sooooo sounds like a BSC track! My favorite lines of the song are:
“I’m faking it, I’m holding on
I’ve seen some things I’ll never told
Letting go has gotten me down
It’s gonna be what it’ll be
There’s ain’t no sense in losing sleep
Daddy I so hope you’re proud“
Such a great story through this song, and the video makes it even more powerful. I love when that happens.
15. “R.O.A.R.” Sad Songs Say So Much! Seriously I was not sure what this song was gonna be, and then I found out. Holy moley!!!! Raindrops On A Rose!!! (R.O.A.R.) BSC has out done themselves once again! This song was written in the memory of Chris Robertson and Jordan Westfall’s dads as they both had recently lost them. You can see the behind the scenes here where Chris talks about it. Lyrics that immediately punched me in the gut are:
“Raindrops on a rose
They’re easy on the eyes
But heavy on the soul
Teardrops on a grave
They hurt like hell
But at least there’s no more pain
If heaven only knows
Raindrops on a rose”
I’m gonna use this term spelled the same was a before: OH GAWD! This track makes me think of all of the family members I’ve lost, especially my mom and Karen. That line at least there’s no more pain, that’s how I went through losing both of them. Grateful that they weren’t in any pain anymore.
16. “Dance Girl” This is track 11 from 2014’s Magic Mountain album. I’ve always loved this track, for the beats, the back beat, the riffs, and the lyrics. Such a fun track that at the time in 2014 I was not expecting.
17. “All Your Love (I Miss Lovin’)” – Otis Rush Cover The Black To Blues Volume 2 EP was an amazing selection of songs, and this one I gravitated to the most! Here’s the original Otis Rush song that you can listen to right here! You can also check out the Stevie Ray Vaughn version here. After listening to both of the versions I just mentioned, I feel like the BSC cover is more in line with the Stevie Ray Vaughn version, but I have not confirmed that. I love the groove that BSC infused into it, the first minute and forty foutr seconds it feels like a very slow chill groove, and then they kick the instruments into high gear! Absolutely love it!
18. “Cheaper To Drink Alone” – LIVE At The Royal Albert Hall Y’all! I’ve always loved this tune, and the Royal Albert Hall Y’all version just makes me love it more. Black Stone Cherry really puts on a show, and I love that they used this track to introduce the band at the event! You can watch that here. It’s just sooooo damn good!! My favorite part of the live version is all the band intros and the way Chris Robertson interacts with the crows! It’s soooo fun!!!
19. “All I’m Dreamin’ Of” This has been one of my several #1 BSC songs for years! There’s just so much emotion in this, as there is in all their songs. But All I’m Dreamin’ Of keeps me going when I really need to keep going!! If I was gonna pick a different line from this here’s what it would be:
“If I could have one wish tonight
I would beg of us to forget our pride
If we could do just one thing right
We could help each other to love our lives.”
A song that will live forever in my heart!
20. “Keep On Keepin’ On” What a message! We all have to keep on keepin’ on…. No matter what brings us down, we have to rise above our obstacles in life, and power on through. This time around in 2023 these lines hit the hardest for me, as the whole song does, but I wanna highlight these again:
“Every day I fight another battle
I got the scars to prove that I can heal
And as the world starts to unravel
I hang on tight to anything that’s real”
Another sentiment I share and believe in! So that was pretty much a copy and paste from the 2021 list, but dammit I still stand by it!
21. “Smile, World” You can watch the video right here! What a message! BSC really hit me hard with this one, just as I’ve said with all of my favorite BSC tracks. But once again, as always they bring the positive message to their fans and the world! Plus just like My Last Breath from the Family Tree album, they took to their fans to make the Smile, World video!!! These are lyrics I wanna highlight here:
“It’s your world, start livin’
One life is all we’re given”
GAWD again, these guys just give us exactly what we need, when we need it. I love the guitar trail off as it goes back into the chorus around the 1:47 mark or it might be 1:48… It’s amazing the musicality of it all that comes from a Black Stone Cherry tune! And then there’s this:
“Everybody dies, what will you leave behind?“
Once again Black Stone Cherry bring us that heart pounding, fist pumping positibity that they have for the past 23 years! Smile, World is amazing!!
22. “Here’s To The Hopless” An anthem for me! I’m an ironic kinda guy, I always say I hold out hope, and I always have hope for the best… However most of my life I’ve felt hopeless about myself, and where life may take me. It’s been a part of my depression for years. The line below of “I’d take it all on somehow” is how I feel a lot of the time with anything in my life. I love this song, and it’s message, it is a salute to the hopeless, but the bottom line is that it’s an uplifting song.
Those opening lyrics:
“This battle that you’re fightin’
I’ve been there once or twice and
I promise it gets better
To tell the truth I’d rather
Be in your shoes right now
I’d take it all on somehow
To see you smile again
See you alive again
And I want you to hear me”
Damn. The way that Chris Robertson almost whispers that last line there, I had to have the song on repeat multiple times, just to make sure I heard him right.
23. “You Can Have It All” Yes, yes we can! Another anthem for me! And like so many of the previous Black Stone Cherry albums they end the record on a positive note. Between #BSC7 The Human Condition and here with #BSC8 Screamin’ At The Sky we have Keep On Keepin’ On and this final track respectively. This is another reason why Black Stone Chery always leave me wanting, waiting, and ready for whatever album they create next. That being said this album will be on repeat for me for a long time. Out of the 12 tracks probably 9 or 10 are always in my listening rotation. The other 2 or 3 are as well, but not as much as some of my most favorites from this.
The lyrics in the chorus are my favorite part of the song:
“You can have it all, anything you want
Remember the leap of faith is bigger than the fall
Keep your dreams your own
Live a life that’s bold
Sometimes first steps are much bigger than we know”
Damn. Just DAMN! Thank You Black Stone Cherry for the inspiration, for everything you do, and for giving us such great rock music!
So there ya have it. And you can check out ALL THE OTHER BLACK STONE CHERRY stuff I’ve done here on The GCRN right HERE! Sound off in the comments. No matter what music you listen to, ENJOY IT!!!!
Join me next time as I’ll be writing about something!
