1001 Songs Challenge #818: The Fever (1995)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenging of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post everyday (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

 

Garth Brooks – The Fever (1995)

 

 

We’re leaving the UK, dear reader, and making our way back to the US and to Oklahoma. Garth Brooks began his career in 1985 and has released dozens of records, selling many millions of copies in a long and prestigious country music career. We join him in 1995 with the release of his seventh album, Fresh Horses, and from there 1001 Songs have gone with the track – The Fever. 

Originally written as just Fever, the song began life as a composition by Aerosmith and was a testament to their leaving drugs behind and instead enjoying other luxuries on the road, especially sex. Brooks reworked the track as The Fever and altered the lyrics to redefine the song’s message as that of a country music star out on the road and how he is hopelessly addicted to his profession. Such is his desire for music that the pursuit may ultimately kill him but what is one to do when faced with an addiction such as this? 

I wasn’t familiar with either version of Fever but found the gestation of the track to be very interesting. I am not an expert on country music but it seems a strange choice for one of its stars to want to cover a song by Aerosmith. Garth Brooks does a good job though in making the track his own. Despite winning countless awards and selling millions, Brooks retired from music from 2001 – 2005 due to the painful pendulum swing between career and family. He later returned to music and earlier this year sang Amazing Grace at the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Ultravox – Vienna (1980)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)

U2 – One (1991)

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (1994)