Little Richard - Lucille

When Little Richard sang about "Lucille" back in 1957 it was a primal affair. Rock'n'roll was new, it was exciting, it was sexy, and it genuinely upset the grown-ups of the world and at the same time turned scores of teenagers into a lot cooler people than their parents were - at least for a little while. So there you go for another Fabulous Friday entry, the awesome spectacle of seeing and hearing Little Richard and his band perform the hell out of this truly brilliant song. It was written by Little Richard himself (or Richard Wayne Penniman as he was known to his parents) and Albert Collins, not to be confused with the legendary bluesman of the same name. And as long as it's Friday, be sure to check out my previous Fabulous Friday entries here. I'll promise you it's a diverse set of songs.

Watch and listen

Jason Derulo - Trumpets

And once more we have a potentially Fabulous Friday, and thus it's time to play an upbeat song that sets the tone for the weekend. One that never fails to get me in a good mood is Jason Derulo's 2013 single "Trumpets", perfectly catchy and amazingly celebratory in nature. The video adds scores to the fun, being as tongue in cheek as they come in the world of mainstream pop music. You can't help but smile. I hope. Also, check out previous Fabulous Friday entries here.

Watch and listen

Lady Gaga - So Happy Could Die

It's another Fabulous Friday, and I've just woken up to blue skies, sun and a beautiful view from my room in a hotel outside Pafos on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Unfortunately I will have to leave that behind today, but on the other hand I'm going back home to my beautiful wife, so I guess it evens out. Anyway, it being Friday and all, I have chosen a great song that mysteriously was never released as a single. "So Happy I Could Die" was featured on the Lady Gaga EP The Fame Monster (2009), that was released on its own as well as being bundled with her debut album The Fame as a deluxe edition. I think it's one of her very best songs, described by Wikipedia as Europop-influenced which I guess is pretty much spot on. It makes me want to dance, and so does the rest of my Fabulous Friday choices. Check them out here.

Listen

Bryan Ferry - Let's Stick Together

Well, it's another Fabulous Friday, and it's also the International Workers' Day around the world. My Fab Friday tracks are intended to celebrate the fact that it signals time off from work, and what better way to mark the day than playing a song that can be seen to both celebrate work and at the same time's got a brilliant party vibe? Wilbert Harrison first wrote and recorded "Let's Stick Together" in 1962 as a mid-tempo 12 bar blues with it going nowhere fast. When he re-recorded it as "Let's Work Together" in 1969 though it reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year. Just a few months later it was a hit again, this time with Canned Heat who's got the most well-known version of the song. Bryan Ferry reached back to the original's title however when he recorded it as the title track for his third solo album, released in 1976, and that's the version we play today. The lyrics are slightly different of course, celebrating love instead of work. Also, be sure to check out my previous Fabulous Friday entries here.

Watch and listen

Billy Idol - Rebel Yell

OK, so it's Fabulous Friday once more, and I guess it's about time we play this one. Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" - not to be confused by the Confederate soldiers yell during the American Civil War - is one of the coolest, toughest and, let's face it, silliest, rock songs to ever be recorded. Released in 1983, it's the title track off the former Generation X singer's second solo album, and it's been a party staple ever since. I can still recall how I was totally awed by it, almost 32 years ago, and it's still got a hold on me. When you're done with Billy, there's a bunch of other Fabulous Friday songs here.

Watch and listen

Hamilton Leithauser - 11 O'Clock Friday Night

Hamilton Leithauser, former lead singer in American rock band The Walkmen, released his first solo album last year called Black Hours. A somewhat uneven affair, the album nevertheless sported one really great single, "11 O'Clock Friday Night", a sing-a-long anthem that is perfect for this week's Fabulous Friday entry. It's a true indie-pop anthem that somehow manages to sound entirely timeless and really, really cool at the same time. Also, check out my previous Fabulous Friday entries here. Good vibes all around.

Watch and listen

Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding - Outside

It's another Fabulous Friday and another song that feels like some well-deserved (?) time off. Today we're going for Scottish DJ/producer/songwriter Calvin Harris and his awesome 2014 single "Outside" with Ellie Goulding doing vocal duties. Simply put, this is just a dead catchy song. 'Nuff said! Also, check out previous Fabulous Friday entries here.

Watch and listen

Bryan Adams - Summer Of '69

Last Friday was indeed a Fabulous Friday for me as I saw Bryan Adams live on his current Reckless tour, in which he's celebrating his landmark album of 1984. You can read my impressions from the show here. One of the key tracks from Reckless and indeed my all time favourite Bryan Adams song is "Summer Of '69", a hit single that I've always loved as opposed to quite a few other songs of his - read my review for the explanation as to why I didn't care for so many of the others. Well, "Summer Of '69" was and is and always will be a fantastic song, and if you're curious about its theme I can tell you that, no, it's not about the summer of the year 1969. So, here's my pick for this week's Fabulous Friday track to celebrate the onslaught of another weekend. Be sure to check out the previous picks here.

Watch and listen

Alan Jackson feat. Jimmy Buffett - It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

It's always five o'clock somewhere, and today it's even Fabulous Friday. Country singer Alan Jackson enlisted Jimmy Buffett to help him out towards the end of this incredible party song and you'll soon know why, as Jackson's blending him perfectly into the song. It's already a good party but when we enter Buffett's fictional paradise Margaritaville it gets even better. If this doesn't get you in a good mood, nothing will. But remember - play it loud!

Check out previous Fabulous Friday entries here.

Charmed - My Heart Goes Boom

It's Fabulous Friday and as we'll find out tomorrow which song will represent Norway in this year's Eurovision Song Contest we're looking back to the year 2000 and the girl trio Charmed that entered the contest with a dead catchy Motown pastiche called "My Heart Goes Boom". It was not a great success, but not that bad either as it got to number 11 out of 24 participants. Charmed was, unsurprisingly, a short-lived act. They recorded one album in the wake of "My Heart Goes Boom" and then they went boom too. Still, this is a great song.

Also, you should listen to previous Fabulous Friday entries. They are gathered here.

Watch and listen

The Mavericks - Dance The Night Away

Wehey! It's Fabulous Friday again and I so wanted to hear a Mavericks song. The reformed Florida country band has just released an awesome new album titled Mono which is SO much better than the 2013 comeback album In Time, but for the Fab Friday entry we really want to head for classic territory, going for the party classic "Dance The Night Away" from the 1998 album Trampolene. The video is of course great fun too. Have a look at this, then head over to my previous Fabulous Friday pickings.

Watch and listen

The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)

It's Fabulous Friday and today we're going for the American punk rockers The Offspring and their awesome 1998 single "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" off their Americana album released the same year. It's juvenile and fun, in every way fitting for a Friday. Also, be sure to check out the previous Fab Friday posts here.

Watch and listen

Daniel Kvammen - Du fortenar ein som meg

Yey! Det er Fabulous Friday igjen, og denne fredagen spiller vi norsk. Fremdeles har ingen artister gitt ut en bedre låt enn Daniel Kvammens "Du fortenar ein som meg" i 2015, så vi kjører på. Denne enestående flotte feelgoodlåta går stadig på repeat hos meg, og den gir meg en kjempegod fredagsfølelse. Jeg kan for øvrig røpe at Daniels kommende debutalbum Fremad i alle retninga som kommer 13. mars er ordentlig flotte saker. Gled dere, folkens! Sjekk også tidligere Fabulous Fridays-låter her.

Se og hør

Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)

It's yet another Fabulous Friday, and today we're going for one of the coolest singles of 2014, namely American synth pop trio Future Islands and their awesome "Seasons (Waiting On You)". When they performed it on The Late Show With David Letterman on March 3, they unsurprisingly gained more than a little attention. Have a look at the clip below where singer Samuel T. Herring gives it his all, and you'll understand why. Some people find his antics to be ridiculous, I find them curious and deeply fascinating and can't wait to see Future Islands perform on Øyafestivalen in Oslo this summer. It could very probably become one to remember. Also check out previous Fabulous Friday entries here. Good times are, indeed, guaranteed.

Watch and listen

David Guetta feat. Sia - Titanium

Woohoo! It's another Fabulous Friday, and today we're opting for modern dance music. David Guetta and singer Sia's awesome 2011 track "Titanium" holds a special significance for me, reminding me as it does of a press trip to Ibiza two years ago. We were on a boat trip outside Sant Antoni de Portmany, home to the famous Café del Mar and other legendary Ibiza clubs, to see the coastline, and on the boat the music was blasting out of the speakers. When "Titanium" came on, things really took off, and the small group of Norwegian journalists I was part of, took to sudden dancing and screaming. Good times indeed. The girls on the picture below were conveniently present to pose as models, and they did a great job.

Also, be sure to check out the former Fabulous Friday tracks here.

Watch and listen

John Mellencamp - R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock)

Woohoo! It's Fabulous Friday again, and today we're celebrating the approaching weekend with John Mellencamp's fabulous tribute to 60's pop and rock music, "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.". Lifted from the decidedly political Scarecrow album, released in 1985 when American farming communities all over the country died slow painful deaths, Mellencamp also found time to celebrate the music he grew up with. This is the kind of songs that screams to be played loud at a party as soon as possible. Have a good one, y'all!

Watch and listen

The B-52's - Love Shack

So, it's Fabulous Friday, and even though I've got a slight cold at the moment, that won't stop me from posting a classic party song to celebrate the onslaught of the weekend. Today we're going for one of the best ever, Athens, Georgia legends The B-52's and their super happy, dead intoxicating party anthem "Love Shack". Lifted off the 1989 album Cosmic Thing this is about as good as any dance song gets. No wonder it was their biggest hit. Especially when accompanied by the awesome music video, "Love Shack" simply screams "good times" - forever and ever!

Watch and listen

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

Inspired by my favourite radio show P3 Morgen at the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, I hereby launch a new feature - Fabulous Friday. That means that (hopefully) each Friday I will publish a song that specifically feels like something that signals the upcoming weekend. Silje Nordnes and Ronny Brede Aase in P3 Morgen play the Eurovision classic "Opa Opa" by Greek/Swedish act Antique each and every Friday, and also do a bingo where each of them has picked one song they feel like listening to, with one lucky winner of course. But here at Erik's Musical Diary, there will be one specific song each Friday and what better way to start than with The Cure's awesome 1992 single "Friday I'm In Love" off their less than great album Wish. So, from me to you, good Friday, everyone!

Watch and listen