13 Wonderful Will Songs: The Next Generation - Vol. 19

Featuring songs by Bryan Ferry, Adam and the Ants, Susanna Hoffs, the Tories, Chumbawamba, House of Freaks, and many more

That’s right, it’s time for another installment of 13 Wonderful Will Songs: The Next Generation, a series of playlists which are, in fact, in no way distinguishable from the original incarnation of 13 Wonderful Will Songs playlists. So don’t feel as though you need to have listened to those in order to appreciate these, because that’s not the case at all.

Hit “play,” and here’s hoping you enjoy what you hear!

1. Bryan Ferry, “Kiss and Tell”

As a writer, of course I’m going to love a song that kicks off with the sounds of someone typing on a typewriter. (Kids, that’s the device that we used to use before we had computers.) But this is also the song that got me into Bryan Ferry and, by extension, Roxy Music, so it’s an understandable favorite and a nice way to kick things off this time around.

2. Adam and the Ants, “Stand and Deliver”

I was thinking about my friend Corine a lot when I was putting together this list, for reasons that are clarified in the entry for the final song, and when I think of Corine, I think of this song. Well, actually, I think of a lot of songs, because a great deal of our friendship was forged either in the musical tastes we shared or in the music she or her husband have introduced to me over the years. Weirdly, this is not a song that I was particularly familiar with when she and I first became friends, and I’m not sure why, since it’s clearly one of Adam Ant’s biggest hits. I guess because I didn’t really get into Adam Ant beyond the stuff that was played on MTV, and by the time we got MTV, he was in his “Goody Two Shoes” era, so that’s the stuff that made the biggest impact on me. Now, however, this is probably my favorite of his songs, so thanks, Corine.

3. The Bangles, “I’ll Set You Free”

I found myself thinking about Susanna Hoffs this week, and while I generally find myself thinking about Susanna Hoffs just about every week at some point or other, this was for a very specific reason, one that’ll become clear in the write-up about the next song…or at least when you see the bonus video included for that song. Anyway, because of this, I thought it’d be nice to include a bit of Susanna in the playlist proper as well, so I went with this Bangles song from their Everything album. I actually went with the version from their best-of collection, however, because I prefer the intro to that version over the album version.

4. Bad Company, “Feel Like Makin’ Love”

With the passing of Bad Company guitarist Mick Ralphs last week, I felt like I needed to include a song by the band that he had a hand in writing, as a tribute to someone who provided so much material to album rock radio over the decades. I must admit, however, that whenever I think of this song, I do not think of Bad Company’s version, so I feel obliged to also include the version that I do think of, for…reasons.

5. The Tories, “Gladys Kravitz”

This is another one of those bands that arrived when I was deep in the throes of my initial discovery of the wonders of power pop music, and I couldn’t get enough of the Tories. They helped me endure the realization that we were never going to get another Jellyfish album, which went a long way, and I was sure that they were destined to be the next big thing when they ended up getting to do the theme song for Christina Applegate’s NBC sitcom Jesse. They were not, in fact, the next big thing - the series was only fair to middling on its best day, and it took forever for them to actually release an album with the theme song (“Time for You”) on it - but they were still pretty great. This track, by the way, is on their debut album, but both of their albums are well worth seeking out.

6. Chumbawamba, “Jacob’s Ladder”

Most Americans think of Chumbawamba as a one-hit wonder, and to be fair, that’s precisely what they are in the US, thanks to “Tubthumping,” but I’ve never been one to ignore a band’s subsequent output just because they were pigeonholed by radio as seemingly having only one song worth hearing. I think I probably picked this up in a used bin, but having done so, I fell in love with this song, as did my wife. It was originally released on the band’s 2002 album Readymades, and that’s the version you’re hearing here, but they subsequently re-recorded it and gave a parenthetical addition to the title: “Not in My Name.” (You can hear it here.)

7. Billy Sullivan, “Overcome”

I have zero recollection of how I came to discover either the Spitfires or their lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist Billy Sullivan, but as far as the Spitfires go, it was probably just a case of going down one of my favorite Spotify rabbit holes to find out what bands are new on the UK scene. As such, when Sullivan embarked on a solo career, I presume that I either stumbled upon it the same way or perhaps received a press release for it. Whatever the case, I really dig this song, and perhaps you will as well.

8. Self, “What a Fool Believes”

Obligatory cover alert! I was already at least a little bit of a Self fan when I heard that they were going to be releasing a new album that was recorded solely with toy instruments. That novelty alone was enough to inspire me to order a copy, but when it arrived and I discovered that they’d also done a cover of the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes,” I knew that I’d made a worthy investment even before I’d hit “play.”

9. Yelawolf and Shooter Jennings, “Jump Out the Window”

I’m always intrigued by second-generation artists, but particularly those who opt not to follow the same path as their parents. Yes, Shooter Jennings has some decidedly country material in his back catalog, but this is also a man who did a Giorgio Moroder tribute album, so you really never know what to expect from the guy. That’s why I always like to keep an ear out for what he’s gonna do next…like, say, this collaboration with rapper Yelawolf.

10. Scorpio Rising, “Saturnalia”

My first introduction to Scorpio Rising came in 1992, when I was attending In the Park ‘92 in London’s Finsbury Park, an event headlined by the Cult but which featured a few dozen other bands spread out across a few other stages. I was absolutely mesmerized by their performance, and I immediately wanted to secure a copy of the song “Saturnalia,” which is the one that really grabbed me. Alas, I would have to wait for a bit, but later that year it was released in the US as part of a singles compilation called Zodiac Killers. Sadly, Scorpio Rising broke up only a few years after that, but at least I’ve got that live performance and this song (among others in their relatively small catalog) to remember them by.

11. Duran Duran, “New Moon (Dark Phase)”

I still remember how annoyed I was when Duran Duran released their first best-of collection, Decade, and left off one of my favorite singles: “New Moon on Monday.” Thankfully, they rectified the error when they got around to releasing their next greatest-hits collection, because it’s still a fave. This version, however, is one that was newly recorded and released as a single in 2024, and by God, I might actually like this version better than the original!

12. Robyn Hitchcock ‘n’ the Egyptians, “Veins of the Queen”

To this day, this is the only album ever released by Robyn Hitchcock ‘n’ the Egyptians. Having interviewed Robyn several times over the years, you’d think I would’ve gotten around to asking him why they decided to go with that version of “and” and if they’ve ever regretted it since. Probably not. It’s not like it matters one whit when it comes down to the content of the album. Having discovered Robyn during his A&M era, I will admit to probably being more partial to this record than some folks might be, but this song in particular has always been a particular favorite, thanks to that trumpet solo by Dave Woodhead.

13. House of Freaks, “Remember Me Well”

While I was in the middle of putting this playlist together, I discovered that the father of one of my best friends had passed away, and I decided I wanted to close things out with a song that felt right to honor him. So this one’s for you, Norman…