Cult songwriter Warren Zevon's 1978 single Werewolves Of London has
won a top accolade today beating songs such as Bill Haley and The Comets'
Rock Around The Clock and Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart for the Greatest
Opening Song Line in rock 'n' roll history.
The track opens with the lines: "Saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu
in his hand, walking through the streets of Soho in the rain, he was
looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's, going to get a big dish of
beef chow mein".
91热爆 Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine announced the winner
on his show today (Tuesday 4 May).
Jeremy says: "This is an amazing song from an artist who is sadly
dead now. I think it has won because it takes an image and does something
quite extraordinary with it.
"Once you've heard the first line of Werewolves Of London you'll
never forget it."
Thousands of 91热爆 Radio 2 listeners voted for the song, which was never
a chart-hit.
Bill Haley and The Comets' Rock Around The Clock came second.
For the past two weeks listeners to Jeremy's show (Monday to Friday,
noon - 2.00pm) have been voting by email, text or phone for the Greatest
Opening Song Line from a shortlist of 16.
The two songs beat Little Richard's 'A Wop Bop A Loo Bop A Lop Bam
Boom' from Tutti Frutti and Jimi Hendrix's 'Hey Joe, where you goin'
with that gun in your hand?' from Hey Joe for a place in today's final.
Singer / songwriter Warren Zevon was born in Chicago in 1947 and died
at the end of last year in Los Angeles.
Werewolves Of London was written by Zevon and Robert Wachtel and was
to be Zevon's only top 40 hit single.
The song came from his 1978 album Excitable Boy and features backing
vocals from John McVie and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac fame.
His son Jordan Zevon accepted the award explaining how the subject
matter may have been fuelled by, "A little too much vodka"
adding: "It was one of the Everly Brothers, I think it was Don,
who said, 'That's a song. You should turn that into a song' and they
did."
Music journalist Paul Morley says: "I'm pleased this song has
won as with this opening line you have no idea where the song is going.
"It just sets up a story and it just goes to show how many great
stories have been told in rock music.
"These writers are so great that every time they put out an album
that contains songs of this ilk, they are writing novels.
"Warren Zevon represents that world created by Bob Dylan, creating
great opening images that set up a whole world in which we have no idea
what is going to happen but it's all going to be inside four minutes."
On 12 April 1954 Rock Around The Clock was recorded by Bill Haley
and The Comets at the Pythian Temple in New York.
Dismissed as "the Devil's music" the song sparked off the
rise of the rebellious teenager.
Originally a B-side, it wasn't until it appeared in the film Blackboard
Jungle that the song became a massive hit and a worldwide phenomenon.
The top ten
1. Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London - "I
saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand Walking through the streets
of Soho in the rain He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get a big dish of beef chow mein."
2. Bill Haley - Rock Around The Clock - "One,
two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock."
3. Jimi Hendrix - Hey Jo - "Hey Joe, where you
goin' with that gun in your hand."
4. Little Richard - Tutti Frutti - "A Wop Bop
A Loo Bop A Lop Bam Boom!"
5. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird - "If I leave here
tomorrow, Would you still remember me?"
6. Bruce Springsteen - Hungry Heart - "Got a
wife and kids in Baltimore Jack I went out for a ride and I never went
back."
7. ELO - Telephone Line - "Hello. How are you?
Have you been alright, through all those lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely
nights That's what I'd say. I'd tell you everything If you'd pick up
that telephone."
8. Paul Simon - Kodachrome - "When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school It's a wonder I can think at
all."
9. Morrissey - Every Day Is Like Sunday - "Trudging
slowly over wet sand Back to the bench where your clothes were stolen."
10. Elvis Costello - Alison - "Oh it's so funny
to be seeing you after so long, girl. And with the way you look I understand
that you are not impressed."
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