Our March issue contains five—count 'em, five—song-title references.
Steve Davison, social media manager for forklift dealer Liftec Inc., won the March prize by noticing that the headline "Only so many hours in the dray" (about the ramifications for dray drivers of using electronic logging devices) repeated a lyric in Billy Joel's song "Vienna," from his seminal album The Stranger: "So much to do but only so many hours in a day." In case you're unfamiliar with Joel, here's a good summary from the All Music Guide:
Joel's music consistently demonstrates an affection for Beatlesque hooks and a flair for Tin Pan Alley and Broadway melodies. His fusion of two distinct eras made him a superstar in the late '70s and '80s, as he racked an impressive string of multi-platinum albums and hit singles.
Even people familiar with Joel's music might not realize that he played piano on many 1960s pop records, including the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack." Our executive news editor Mark Solomon, who wrote the story, is a big Billy Joel fan from way back, having seen him many times at small venues in the mid- to late 1970s. According to Mark, "There were people in college who thought he wouldn't amount to much. Right."
"Street fighting man" is the title of an "Inbound" item about a boxing match fought by Manhattan Associates president and CEO Eddie Capel. Capel participated in the match to raise money for charity. Mark Solomon was at the match and wrote about it for our print issue and for our website. "Street Fighting Man" is also the title of a Rolling Stones song that appeared on the 1968 album Beggars Banquet. It's an uncharacteristically political song, inspired by the unrest of that year. In fact, some disc jockeys found the lyrics too controversial and refused to play it on the air, which probably kept the song out of the top 40, according to Mark Paytress' book The Rolling Stones: Off the Record. Mick Jagger talks about the inspiration for that song—and many others—in this Rolling Stone magazine interview.
The second song reference is in the title of our March infographic, which presented the results of our 15th annual salary survey. "Logistics careers are driving satisfaction" was written by associate editor Diane Rand, with art by director of creative services Keisha Capitola. Jamaican-born model/singer/actress Grace Jones had a song called "Driving Satisfaction" on her 1989 album Bulletproof Heart. Jones got her start in the 1970s, hanging out and performing at New York City clubs like Studio 54. She got a record deal and became a star with disco hits like "Pull up to the Bumper," "Nightclubbing," and her cover of Roxy Music's "Love Is the Drug." She also appeared in movies, co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1984's blockbuster Conan the Destroyer and with Roger Moore in the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. A biopic about Jones called "Bloodlight and Bami" came out last year. (You can watch the trailer below.)
"Keep it simple" is Toby Gooley's feature on how to tell whether you you really need a high-tech lift truck. Blues artist Keb' Mo', Irish icon Van Morrison, and Swedish pop/dance-music artist Tove Lo are among those who've written songs by that name. For Mo' and Morrison, their songs were the title tracks on albums released in 2004 and 2008, respectively. Lo included the song on her 2016 album Lady Wood.
Mitch Mac Donald's "Outbound" column about L.L. Bean, maker of the famous duck boot, and its decision to end its famous lifetime-returns policy was called "Rubber soul"—also the title of a Beatles album from 1965. The album was an advancement for the group in a few ways. The lyrics, influenced by Bob Dylan, were a bit more sophisticated than those on previous records. On the musical front, the record included Greek and French musical influences, a piano manipulated to sound like a harpsichord (on "In my Life"), and, for the first—but not the last—time, a sitar ("Norwegian Wood").
Get your April-issue responses in by May 20
Our April issue contains at least two possible answers. If you think you know one or both, submit your answer to dcvrocks@dcvelocity.com by midnight Pacific time on Sunday, May 20.
For a hint, look at the table of contents in that issue or in our mobile version. If you guess correctly, you'll be entered into our drawing for a three-pack sampler of Joey Kramer's Rockin' & Roastin' Organic Coffee.
