Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

 

Tom Petty was mostly famous for his works as a member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, but some of his biggest songs, such as this one, were done as solo acts. 

Temperament that it hits on: Choleric 

This is what any choleric wants to hear and profess. There are so many things that are going on in this world right now that are completely unjust and excessively cruel for no apparent reason. This song helps me to remember never to let up in the fight against the evils going on right now. 

Let us get back on the fun side, shall we? I like this song because I haven't heard any others like it, and that he brings up the fact that we have only one life is to my liking. Overall, it's a catchy song from one of my favorite musicians and one that reminds me to stay strong when unjustly opposed. 

Ben Rector - Brand New

 

Ben Rector, born in Nashville, Tennessee, has been active since 2006. This song, a 2015 release, peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 (whatever that is; most of these charts are unbeknownst to me). 

Temperament that it hits on: Sanguine 

This is definitely a sanguine's all time anthem. Sanguines are adventuresome, fun loving, impulsive, and daring. This song, I believe, recognizes everything about this temperament. 

When I hear others complain about airplanes, I can't help but think that it sounds more than a little ridiculous. They are just so fun to ride on. Seeing the clouds, baseball fields, and bodies of water from such heights are amazing experiences. The song, of course, is not just about airplanes, but that is probably the only part of the song that really needs to be cleared up. 

Matt Maher - Lord, I Need You

 

Matt Maher has been active since 2000 and is one of the more famous Christian singers of the day. Most if not all others are Protestants, but he is a practicing Catholic. One of my utter favorite singers, several of his songs will be featured on this blog at some point or another. 

Temperament that it hits on: Phlegmatic 

The message of Lord, I Need You is our total dependence on God, and humble phlegmatics will be the first to admit that they truly do need God in order to do anything. Without Him, we wouldn't even exist. The part that says, "When I cannot stand I fall on You" is also something about this song that I believe hits on this temperament. Phlegmatics love to rest in Christ with no worries or troubles whatsoever. 

Lord, I Need You helps us realize the virtue of religion. The virtue calls for us realizing that we need God and that we worship Him with fervor. On top of the great message of this song, I also simply think that it is catchy. A lot of these songs are hard to categorize by temperament, so I would like to just put that out there as a little aside. 

Coming up - 

The next four songs that I will publish will almost be like anthems for the four temperaments. I can't wait to get started. 

Peter, Paul, and Mary - Right Field

 

Peter, Paul, and Mary, active from 1961 through 1970 and again from 1981 through 2009, were basically a band of hippies. They were actually remarkably popular, however, and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. 

Temperaments that it hits on: Sanguine and Melancholic 

Right Field hits on opposite temperaments for different reasons. It hits on my sanguine because it is pretty funny, very cleverly written, and based around the game that I am so enthusiastic about and have so much fun playing and researching. It hits on my melancholic because the rightfielder stinks, and finally has a shot at ultimate victory (in his eyes) and has a lone moment of glory. That part is so satisfying to me. 

Right Field is from 1986, so it is one of their newer songs. Other than that I simply believe it to be a very entertaining song. 

Journey - Faithfully

 

Journey, formed in San Francisco in 1973, has been extremely popular ever since. The main singer, Steve Perry, also worked on his own. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Temperament that it hits on: Melancholic 

Faithfully hit on my melancholic because melancholics are almost always faithful to the end. The song is also slower than a lot of other Journey songs, which also may appeal to a melancholic, since their reactions are very slow. 

Faithfully is one of my favorite songs because I am really opposed to the media's portrayal of romance, especially with and couples struggling with marital infidelity and how divorce is "normal". Although I am not really into romance, Holy Matrimony is sacred, one of God's great gifts to men and the foundation of the human family, and this song is one of the few that seems to respect it. 

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

 

Whitesnake, formed in England in 1978, is a hard rock band that has received pretty good success in the United States as well. In 1982 the band released this song as a single and in 1987 they released an album also called Whitesnake, which featured this song. 

Temperament that it hits on: Choleric 

Here I Go Again hits on my choleric because cholerics are the ones who don't like wasting time if they need to do something important. This song professes exactly that. It is also great how he literally asks The Lord to give him strength to carry on through hardships and to grow in fortitude. 

Here I Go Again was one of Whitesnake's biggest hits, reaching popularity in America, England, and even Canada. It plays fairly often on the radio and is a favorite among my family. 

Billy Joel - Piano Man

 

Billy Joel, one of the best selling music artists of all time, has been active since 1964. In 1973, he released Piano Man, one of the most iconic songs of all time, and in 1983 he released Uptown Girl, which also reached amazing fame. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. 

Temperament that it hits on: Melancholic 

The slow rhythms and sad theme of this song hit on my melancholic temperament because melancholics take things slow and enjoy stopping to smell the flowers. This song is pretty nice to me, to be able to escape life and its stressors. A lot of melancholics, I'm sure, appreciate this song for the same reason. 

Piano Man is enjoyable because it reminds me of the great times I have relaxing and hanging out with friends. Although I don't drink, it seems just appropriate to set the scene in a bar. 

Johnny Horton - The Battle Of New Orleans

 

Johnny Horton started his career in 1950 and became one of the most famous singers in America in 1958. In 1959, he released The Battle Of New Orleans, which sold more than 2,000,000 (two million) records. At the peak of his success in 1960, he died in an automobile accident at the age of 35. 

Temperament that it hits on: Sanguine 

The Battle Of New Orleans hits on my sanguine because it is really funny to me. The fourth verse cracks me up some two years after I first heard it. I also enjoy battle songs, much like many sanguines. This is the first Johnny Horton song that I have ever heard, and now he is one of my all time favorite singers. 

The real Battle Of New Orleans actually took place in 1815, not 1814. Other than that, I also really enjoy this song because it's historically correct. Johnny Horton's Greatest Hits album, with this song featured eighth, is constantly playing in my house. 

Memory Trick For The Temperaments

     Yesterday my brother was trying to figure out what his secondary temperament was. He is an extraverted melancholic-choleric, but he thought that he was secondarily a sanguine. This is impossible, because melancholics and sanguines are polar opposites. While it is possible to have an extraverted melancholic (or an introverted sanguine), it is much more likely to be either an introverted choleric (like myself) or an extraverted phlegmatic. Here is a trick to remember opposite temperaments, why they cannot be primary and secondary in the same person, and how to remember which temperaments are usually introverts and extraverts. 

Cholerics usually react quickly and powerfully. Generally speaking, the quicker the reaction, the more extraverted a person is. 

Melancholics produce powerful reactions but take longer to do so. 

On the other hand, sanguines react quickly but their reactions are generally weak. 

Finally, phlegmatics react slowly and their reactions are also weak. 

Jason Gray - Good To Be Alive

 

Jason Gray has been active since 1997 as a Christian singer. Among Christian artists, he is very popular, winning a few awards here and there, mostly for performance. Since 2006 he has also released music under his real name, Jason Gay. 

Temperaments that it hits on: Sanguine / Phlegmatic 

Good To Be Alive hits on my sanguine because the sanguine is the one who loves life and wants to have a good time. This song basically epitomizes this. It hits on my phlegmatic because they are the ones who always take it slow and look at life's meaning. The part that goes, "All I want is to give You a life well lived to say thank You" is a favorite of mine because, even though Jason Gray is not a Catholic, he understands life's purpose reasonably well. He probably knows that we must live to praise God, get ourselves to Heaven, and try to get as many others as possible there too. 

Good To Be Alive is one of Jason Gray's most popular songs. I like Jason Gray, but other than this song, he is only "pretty good" among Christian artists. I do like a lot of Christian singers, however, and would not mind if I listened to the radio for an hour and only heard Jason Gray.  

L.A. Guns - The Ballad of Jayne

 

The L.A. Guns have been active since 1983. Their 1989 album, Cocked & Loaded, featured this power ballad, and ever since the band has been relatively popular. Even so, this song made the band a one hit wonder for the most part. 

Temperament that it hits on: Melancholic 

There are two types of sickness that I can enjoy: roller coaster sickness and The Ballad of Jayne sickness. The song makes me a little sad because there probably was a Jayne who suffered a tragic death at a young age. He sings about "childlike summer days in the sun", which gives me the feeling when something so good so abruptly goes away, never to be seen again. The song is full of slow, powerful emotions, which are the general melancholic characteristics. Melancholics also tend to be more entertained by sad songs, and although this song has never made me cry, I bet many melancholics have and feel the same way that I do about this song. 

The Ballad of Jayne was actually pretty popular in England, reaching number 53 in 1991. This is kind of interesting to me, I guess. I just enjoy the song because there are not many like it (at least as far as I have heard) and the slow nature of any ballad slows me down a bit. 

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Refugee

 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers were formed in 1976 and have been famous since 1979. They have sold more than 80,000,000 (eighty million) records, making them one of the bestselling bands of all time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and Tom Petty himself died in 2017. 

Temperament that it hits on: Choleric 

Refugee hits on my choleric because I interpret this song as saying, "I know that you have had a hard past. I want you to be able to live a good future." Cholerics don't worry too much about the past - if it already happened, you can't change it. I don't think that Tom Petty goes about this in the wrong way; he sounds a little rude and unapologetic. At any rate, let's live a good future and not worry about what we can't affect. 

Refugee, released in 1980, was probably the second of Tom Petty's biggest songs, the first being 1979's Don't Do Me Like That. In 1993, he released his greatest hits album, which included Refugee and a couple others that will be featured on this blog. 

Bob McFadden and DOR - The Mummy

 

Bob McFadden was a singer, impressionist, and famous cartoon voice actor who worked from 1945 through 1989. The Mummy is one of the funniest songs that I have ever heard. 

Temperament that it hits on: Sanguine 

The Mummy hits on my sanguine because it makes me laugh. That's kind of it. 

The Mummy is commonly known as one of the strangest records ever and a popular All Hallows' Eve tune. This song was famous, but not huge, but it remains one of my all time favorites and is probably my favorite 1959 song. 

U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

 

U2 was formed in 1976 in Dublin, Ireland. Their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, made them international superstars and one of the most famous bands of all time. U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. 

Temperament that it hits on: Melancholic 

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For hits on my melancholic because the main character is driving himself crazy for perfection, much like a typical melancholic. The guy goes to all sorts of highs and lows, speaks with angelic ecstasy, falls into deep sin (I usually mute those two or three lines), realizes Jesus's saving grace, yet hasn't satisfied himself nor attained the spiritual perfection that he believes can be attained on Earth. The truth is, the only way to attain absolute perfection is in Heaven, and you must first believe in Christ's saving power if you want to get there. 

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and With Or Without You were the only two songs that prompted Americans to have the album circulated in the United States. I found it very interesting how two songs could make an album and eventually a Hall of Fame career. A number of U2's songs will be featured on this blog, and many of them might not have been written if not for The Joshua Tree's success.