THE POSITIVE SPIN – It’s Getting Better All The Time
KamerTunesBlog proudly introduces THE POSITIVE SPIN. With so much negativity constantly swirling around us, we need to focus on the things that bring happiness & positivity into our lives. Other than my wife, my cat & my family, nothing is more important or makes me happier than music…and I love sharing my joy of music with others who feel the same way. If you’ve followed this blog over the past decade, or even if you just stopped by from time to time, you may have noticed that I always (as the old song goes) accentuate the positive & eliminate the negative in my posts. Even when I wrote about the weakest album in an artist’s discography I always sought…and found…something worthwhile. I hope this can be an ongoing conversation with my fellow music lovers, and together we can spread musical positivity. Please let me know what other musical subjects could use a positive spin. Ultimately THE POSITIVE SPIN will become a podcast (when I find the time and figure out the technical aspects) and then we can take these discussions to another level.
For the inaugural Positive Spin post I’m reminding everyone that, in spite of how bad things have been during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how frightening the future appears to be, it will get better. Here are six songs I love that embody that message. Please let me know if you like any/most/all of them, and which songs inspire you in a similar way. Whether you’re a Paul McCartney (“I’ve got to admit it’s getting better”) or a John Lennon (“It can’t get no worse”), hopefully some of these tunes will make your day a little brighter.
Artist: THE BEATLES
Song Title: “GETTING BETTER”
Album: SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
Year Of Release: 1967
Key Lyrics:
I’ve got to admit it’s getting better
A little better all the time
(It can’t get no worse)
Artist: BADFINGER
Song Title: “BETTER DAYS”
Album: NO DICE
Year Of Release: 1970
Key Lyrics:
I see no reason as for why it cannot be,
a little time, a little trouble, a better day
We can make it better, baby, so much better all the time
Artist: THE KINKS
Song Title: “BETTER THINGS”
Album: GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT
Year Of Release: 1981
Key Lyrics:
Here’s hoping all the days ahead
Won’t be as bitter as the ones behind you
Be an optimist instead
And somehow happiness will find you
Forget what happened yesterday
I know that better things are on the way
Artist: GENESIS
Song Title: “IT’S GONNA GET BETTER”
Album: GENESIS
Year Of Release: 1983
Key Lyrics:
Reach out, hands in the air, don’t care, just what they’re sayin’
Hold out, just keep on hopin’ against hope that it’s gonna get better
If it’s gonna get better, it starts with a feeling
If it’s gonna get better, it’s gonna take time
If it’s gonna get better, we’ve gotta start now
Artist: HOWARD JONES
Song Title: “THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER”
Album: DREAM INTO ACTION
Year Of Release: 1985
Key Lyrics:
And do you feel scared, I do
But I won’t stop and falter
And if we threw it all away
Things can only get better
Artist: SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE ASBURY JUKES
Song Title: “BETTER DAYS”
Album: BETTER DAYS
Year Of Release: 1991
Key Lyrics:
Better days are comin’
We’re gonna wake up and break this curse
Better days are on the way
‘Cause you know and I know
It can’t get no worse
So are you feeling better yet? I know I am.
37 comments on “THE POSITIVE SPIN – It’s Getting Better All The Time”
Leave a comment
KamerTunesBlog
- KamerTunes On the1002ndalbum Podcast Again – LED ZEPPELIN “STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN”
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – THE SINGLES (PART 2) / IN CONCLUSION
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – THE SINGLES (PART 1)
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – BIG COUNTRY “THE CROSSING”
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS “PUNCH THE CLOCK”
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – GRAHAM PARKER “THE REAL MACAW”
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – JACKSON BROWNE “LAWYERS IN LOVE”
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – MADNESS “MADNESS”
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – DIO “HOLY DIVER”
- Forty Year Friday (1983) – IRON MAIDEN “PIECE OF MIND”
KamerTunesBlog 
Terrific idea, Rich – the other tune that jumped to mind for me was Oasis, “it’s getting better (man!!)”
The double exclamation mark in brackets just adds a certain je ne sais quoi!
LikeLiked by 2 people
SECONDED GEOFF!! I love that song.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was really into Oasis during the era of their first three albums (and related b-sides), but even though I own their whole discography I haven’t listened to them in years (other than when I got the deluxe editions of the first two). Looking forward to revisiting Be Here Now tomorrow and seeing if it’s still awesome & overblown in equal measure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Geoff. It’s been a while since I listened to Oasis, but your comment is inspiring me to break out my Be Here Now CD for the first time in years. I will play it during my workout tomorrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did listen to Be Here Now today. My original assessment still stands, that it’s a great album but way too long. Most of the songs could have been half their length and twice as good. I still like it a lot, though, and your song choice was outstanding.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like that math, Rich – 1/2 the length to make it 2x as good!
And I agree with that assessment too, D’You Know What I Mean might be my favourite opener of theirs & Don’t Go Away would be among their strongest as well
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you like the math. Sorry I didn’t include a graph or other visual representation, but I know that’s your domain. I think I agree about “D’You Know What I Mean.” It’s a killer way to open the album.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great choice, Graham. I love The Decemberists but had forgotten about this song, which perfectly fits the theme of this post. Love the video. I’ve watched so many Rockpalast concerts over the years and they captured everything that makes them so great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m feeling very positive about this idea! And about your plans to do a podcast. I think you’d be great at that. Also pleased to see a tune from the Genesis s/t here. Love that album!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you like this idea…and the Genesis track. I also love that album. Haven’t written much about them over the years but they’ve been a huge band for me since I was a teenager.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d listen to a podcast!! That would be awesome. I really like this era of Howard Jones. He had a couple albums there that were fantastic. I actually pulled them out a few weeks back and was playing them and i hadn’t done that in awhile. His music is happy music.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Happy to know you’ll be willing to check out my podcast whenever I set it up. It’s something I’ve had in mind for a while, with this Positive Spin theme, but lack of free time & other factors have kept me from pursuing it. As for Howard Jones, I only have two of his albums and a fantastic best-of CD, but I love pretty much every song on those records.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have talked about a podcast as well with some buds and time is the killer.
LikeLike
Time & technology are two major obstacles for a podcast. That was the case with blogging for me 10 years ago so hopefully I can make it happen sooner than later. And I hope you & your buddies get your off the ground too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some good tunes to come back with. Great to see you Rich.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Glad you’re a fan of some of these songs. Hope you’re doing well & rockin’ through the pandemic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely surprise to see something new from you, and as someone who has not been very positive in her blogging of late, I can see I need to change my ways. Not always easy to put a positive spin on things, and we’re only human so can falter, but you are right during these last few months one of the things that can make a dark day brighter has been music. It has to be something really special though that you either discover for the first time or rediscover after a long absence, and that doesn’t happen every week – The kind of thing that gets under your skin for quite some time.
As for these picks, they definitely fit your brief and I have surprised myself by enjoying Howard Jones’ song best. Like you I recently revisited the Live Aid boxset and was reminded of Howard’s slot on the day. He was very 1985 wasn’t he and I am fascinated by his hair in that clip – Lots of “product” and a fast hairdryer pointed upward (I should know because I had similarly big hair that year). He seems to have had a long career and had a happy life.
Also enjoyed hearing the Beatles song, again probably because I’ve not heard it in a long time.
Impressed by the podcast idea – Hopefully you’ll make it happen soon. Glad you are staying positive!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Alyson. Thanks for checking in. I hope you’ve found (or revisited) lots of music to chase away the blahs lately. Very true about Howard Jones’ hair back in the day. I think he’s a wonderful songwriter with a great voice, and he might have been more highly regarded had he not come to prominence in the ’80s with the synths, electronic drums and, of course, the hair. He’s certainly had a very successful career but most people probably just think of him as an ’80s artist.
I hope to put a podcast together, and this blog post was my way of testing the waters to see if there’s any interest out there for musical positivity. I also have a plan for another blog post soon that will return to a previous theme, but instead of multiple parts it will be condensed into a single entry. I mentioned it to you earlier this year and I’ve made progress on those plans so stay tuned.
Cheers to you & your loved ones.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha ha – Yes Howard’s most successful period coincided with an era of outrageous (and bad) fashion choices so perhaps it didn’t serve him well. Nice to revisit his back catalogue of late though and glad he’s had a long career in music.
The podcast sounds intriguing so please let us know about it. I had a slot on a BBC radio show recently. A producer found my blog and got in touch which was a pretty exciting (and positive) thing to happen during lockdown. Of course it’s embarrassing to hear yourself on air, but another lovely outcome of having a blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s awesome about the BBC covering your blog, which is well-deserved. Is it available for us Americans to listen to?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It wasn’t so much covering my blog but a particular song I has written about. I got to be one of the guest contributors. Sadly I don’t think you can get in the US but maybe best as I’ve kept quiet about it (bit embarrassing to hear yourself on radio). Good luck with the podcast!
LikeLike
Were you nervous for your radio appearance? Even if you were I’m sure it was a great experience. I know what you mean about hearing your own voice so it will be interesting to see how I feel about it once I’m doing a podcast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tried to send an mp3 of the show via email so hope you get it ok. Might be too big a file.
LikeLike
I didn’t receive anything. Thanks for trying.
LikeLike
Sent it again and it did seem to work this time at my end. I am still a tad embarrassed by my contribution but it was a good program.
LikeLike
I got your email but haven’t had a chance to listen to the file yet. Hope to do so this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing. Hope you’re having a good week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh good. Don’t judge though – I was the least professional of the bunch but glad I was able to do it.
LikeLike
Terrific idea Rich.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Joe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Keeping it positive is a great motto, Rich. While I’m not somebody who wants to minimize problems, I agree there’s so much negativity around us every day. It really gets exhausting and frankly depressing. Music is a wonderful world to escape to leave all the crap behind, at least for some time!
I also try to keep things positive on my blog. That’s why I don’t do reviews on demand, since sooner or later I would end up writing about music I don’t like. Instead, I much prefer to blog about music I dig!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Christian. Glad you agree about how music can help us escape from all the crap that surrounds us. One of the things I love about your blog is that I can tell how much you dig listening to, and talking about, everything you cover. That’s what it’s all about. For the first five years of my blog I covered the complete discographies of the lesser-played artists in my collection, which helped me to get familiar with them. I loved every minute of it, especially when it came to the so-called “worst” albums, because I was listening with fresh ears AND and I wanted to find things to like on every record. I would still be taking that approach if life hadn’t gotten in the way, which is why I’ve found (hopefully) creative ways to write about some of my favorites over the last 4-5 years.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good on you, Rich. I do you hope you get a podcast rolling — let me know if I can be on the panel!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ward. I’ll keep you posted.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Parliament – Mothership Connection (1975) | 1001albumsin10years
Rich, Good to see you back. I’ll add to the party. I don’t know if Tesla is your thing, but they were a little different from the typical “hair metal” band. In fact, I wouldn’t even classify them in the same category. Despite being from California, they definitely had a bit more southern rock and blues to some of their music. Add in a little AC/DC to that mix. Here’s a song that fits your theme:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Bill. Great to hear from you. I’m only vaguely familiar with Tesla, mostly via their cover of “Signs” and their “acoustical jam” live album, but I know that they were supposed to be much better than many of the so-called hair metal bands that were around at the time. I agree that this song totally fits the positive spin vibe and would have been an ideal inclusion in this post. I appreciate you sharing it. Hope you’re doing well.
LikeLiked by 1 person