Get all 6 Dave Caruso releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of In the Face 35th Anniversary Deluxe, Radiophonic Supersonic, Elizabeth Parker Revisited (2020 Reissue), Buddha Pesto Manifesto, Champion (Single), and Cardboard Vegas Roundabout.
1. |
Listen to This
01:08
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Listen To This
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
Listen to this song coming at you
As you hang on every word
Listen to this sound all around you
Forget everything you've heard
It's coming at you
It will attack you
It's gonna catch you
Listen to This
Listen to this song coming at you
Getting stuck inside your head
Listen to this sound roaring past you
It's gonna be here when you're dead
It's coming at you
It will attack you
You're like a statue
It's gonna smash you
It's coming at you
Listen to This
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2. |
Boomer, Jenna & Lennie
03:53
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Boomer, Jenna & Lennie
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
When they hurried you home from Riverside, just a baby
And delivered you down at David Street, so safely
You didn't have a care / Blissfully unaware
They kissed your head / Then off to bed / They carried you upstairs
Boomer / Before ya know / You'll be ready to go
Boomer / The days will fly / Then it's time for goodbye
With your mother's admiration
And Daddy's dedication
Whatever you do / It's all up to you
To further your education
So you scribbled your name beside the "X" like they told ya
Felt as if you had the weight of the moon on your shoulder
Your mom & dad agreed / You couldn't help but succeed
Since you were small / Their love was all / You'd ever really need
Jenna / You got the lease / They gave you the keys
Jenna / And so, alone / You'll brave the unknown
With your mother's trepidation
And Daddy's desperation
Whatever you do / It's all up to you / To advance in your occupation
No pressure / Whatsoever / No botching
Everyone's watching you now
So you blew all your cash and wagered your per diem
Seems you'll never retire until you're in a mausoleum
A bill of goods was sold / Promises didn't unfold
Been up the hill / Around the mill / You did what you were told
Lennie / Forgive mistakes / Do whatever it takes
Lennie / The future's yours / If you can open the doors
You've got your Mother's imagination
And Daddy's determination
Whatever you do / It's all up to you / What we'll make of your generation
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3. |
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The Girl Who Checks All The Boxes
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
My mind and my body are barely on the same page
My maturity keeps on forgetting to act my age
My head assured me that my heart could never change
Had I fallen out of touch?
Or maybe I just wanted too much
All my good friends were ready to knock this / They said it couldn't be done
But I've found the girl who checks all the boxes
Let me fill you in: She's the one
Experience warned me, "Forget her -- you're not her speed"
Confidence tried to convince me she's out of my league
But Persistence promised me this time I'd succeed
Because something about us clicked
And now every single box is ticked
Some of my friends were pretty obnoxious / They even bet me a ton
But I've found the girl who checks all the boxes
Let me fill you in: She's the one
My voice had fallen flat
And my two left feet weren't budging
But now I'm singing like no one's listening
And dancing like there's no one judging
All my good friends were ready to block this / Told me to pack up and run
But I've found the girl who checks all the boxes
Let me fill you in: She's the one
All my good friends were ready to stop this / They said it couldn't be done
But I've found the girl who checks all the boxes
Let me fill you in: She's the one
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4. |
Hanging With You
02:07
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Hanging With You
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
Gonna tell my friends I'm leaving
Gotta make some lame excuse
Cause when I'm feeling this way
I know what I wanna do
I'm only happy when I'm hanging with you
I could smile and feign some interest
Or pretend to be amused
I'm tired of fooling around
I'm sick of faking it too
I'm only happy when I'm hanging with you
When I'm hanging with you
And when I know you're happy
I'll be happy too
When I'm hanging with you
Cause we know sometimes the world can be so cruel
I can try my best to hide it
I just hope I make it through
While I pretend to be glad
Everyone knows that it's true
I'm only happy when I'm hanging with you
When I'm hanging with you
And when I know you're happy
I'll be happy too
When I'm hanging with you
Cause we know sometimes the world can be so cruel
So... gonna tell my friends I'm leaving
Gotta make some lame excuse
Cause at the end of the day
I know what I wanna do
I'm only happy when I'm hanging with you
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5. |
God's Green Acre
03:50
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God's Green Acre
Words and Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
Well, you can't stop thinking about her
Still you hang your head in the air
Cause you can't stand living without her
And if pain was money you could be a millionaire
Don't look under the mattress
Better look for somewhere to run
Cause she's one hell of an actress
And you can't help but see the good in everyone
She won't strike you down
But she'll knock you good when ever you're not around
Butcher, baker, troublemaker
You believe her, I can't take her
For all the honey in God's green acre
You think you've got her attention
And you wanna hold it so bad
So you pray for some intervention
And you grieve for losses you know you never had
She won't strike you down
But she knocks you good whenever you're not around
Butcher, baker, troublemaker
You believe her, I can't take her
For all the honey in God's green acre
For all the tea in China Beach
For all the deals you make her
For all the time you stand in line
For a scheming little faker
Just when you think you've got it made
Prepare to meet your maker
Butcher, baker, troublemaker
You believe her, I can't take her
For all the honey in God's green acre
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6. |
Go Ahead (Don't Listen)
01:53
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Go Ahead--Don't Listen
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
Go ahead--don't listen to me, go ahead--don't listen to me
Cause I've got nothing to say
And it won't change anything anyway
So go ahead--don't listen to me
Go and see someone other than me
But if you see your way clear to give me half an ear
We might make something out of this time spent together
And turn it into something better for you and me
And while I've got your attention
There's a chance we'll break some new ground
And as long as you're willing to stick around
I'm willing to see it through
Oh yeah, for whatever we can do
Or you can go ahead--don't listen to me
Go ahead--don't listen to me
Cause I've got nothing to say and it won't change anything anyway
So go ahead--don't listen to me
Go and see someone other than me
But if the feeling's right, why don't you stay the night
And if you wanna go, I don't wanna know
But if you change your mind, come on anytime
Or go ahead--don't listen to me
Go ahead--don't listen
Go ahead--don't listen to me
Go ahead--don't listen
Go ahead--don't listen to me
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7. |
Allendale
03:16
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Allendale
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
Allendale
All I ever wanted is in Allendale
Saved up the fare to make it there, on holiday
Maybe it's my ticket back to yesterday
The only place I miss when I'm away
Can't wait for the time
To share a drink friends of mine
Feels great to know that I'm
Gonna leave this mess behind
So get ready!
And I'll meet you down in...
Allendale
The sun is shining all the time in Allendale
Don't unpack - just take me back
I know the way
I'll show you where or see you there
We'll leave today
It's the only town I miss when I'm away
Can't wait to arrive
Never worry, no concern
Feels great to be alive
So many reasons to return
So get ready!
And I'll meet you down in...
Allendale
The clearest skies you'll ever find are Allendale's
A million stars at night to shine
It never fails
I've never known a place that's greater
Hate to bail
I've got to go, I'll see you later
It's like a fairytale in Allendale
So let's hit the trail to Allendale
It's like a fairytale in Allendale
So let's hit the trail to Allendale
I've got to go, I'll see you later
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8. |
Getting Involved
04:56
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Getting Involved
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
We test the waters and we test our wings
We leave the safety of our precious things
And on the way we face our fears
Our insecurity and lack of years
And here, deep within our minds
Is strength we never thought we'd find
This is getting involved -- in step but out of touch
This is getting involved -- and could you care that much
Now, turning loose upon a sleeping land
A new maturity is in our hands
And each decision is a blessing or curse
To change our destiny for better or worse
And so, buried in the snow
Are days of easy choices and the life we used to know
This is getting involved -- in step but out of touch
This is getting involved -- and could you care that much
This is getting involved – with someone you can trust
This is getting involved -- and I need you that much
And here, deep within our minds
Is strength we never thought we'd find
This is getting involved -- in step but out of touch
This is getting involved -- and could you care that much
This is getting involved – with someone you can trust
This is getting involved -- and I need you that much
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9. |
Punctuating Shatner
03:19
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Punctuating Shatner
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
Egg shells & coffee grounds / Sizzling & percolating sounds / Quintessential
Orange peels & toasted crumbs / Breakfast hurtles swiftly out of bounds
Right on schedule
Skillets, cups and dirty plates / Gathered up and ready to be scraped
Monumental
Harmony flits, flirts & flutters / Conversation b-b-backfires & sp-sp-sputters
Consequential
Cut the crap and quit the clowning
This might be fun if we weren't busy drowning
Why can't we speak the words like an ordinary actor?
We're diagramming Goldblum and punctuating Shatner
Hammering & clamoring / We babble on until we're blabbering / Masochistic
Yammering & stammering & mumbo jumbo jibber-jabbering / Cataclysmic
What's with all this useless tripe?
We were never good at playing against type
So disregard the fallout and disconnect the timer
We're factoring for Einstein & dismantling Oppenheimer
What are we going on about? (Awkward drama)
We can't resist it
There went another lovely moment (Oxford comma)
Too bad we missed it
Cut the carbs & quit the caffeine
Small wonder we're the only ones not laughing
Forget our codependent & stubborn complicity
We're paraphrasing Passion & parsing Serendipity
Oh, never mind the backchat and brush aside the banter
We're diagramming Goldblum and punctuating Shatner
Punctuating Shatner . Punctuating Shatner
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10. |
I Get To Make You Laugh
04:17
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I Get to Make You Laugh
Words & Music © 2017 by Dave Caruso
I should wash my mind with soap whenever you go walking by
It's always been the same
I help you with your game
You never look as happy going home as when you came
That's part of what I'd say
I'd tell you straight away
But I know he's spoken for you, so it wouldn't be okay
You flash a dutiful smile in his photograph
He gets to hold you but I get to make you laugh
It's hard for me to focus while I concentrate on your back swing
I notice it begin
The moment you lean in
A million new vibrations buzzing underneath my skin
If I could follow through
I'd say these things to you
But since you're taken with him, there is nothing I can do
So who's to say which of us gets the better half?
He gets to hold you, but I get to make you laugh
Some guys don't recognize a good thing
He sees how you make him look
But I see you when no one is looking
All this is nothing new
I know a thing or two
But you're beholden to him, so I won't be holdin' you
So tell me: who is the "have not" and who's the "have?"
He gets to hold you, but I get to make you laugh
Yeah, I'm a winner at losing -- I've done the math
He gets to hold you, but I get to make you laugh
And while I might've lost sight of who's laughing last
He gets to hold you, but I get to make you laugh
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Dave Caruso Detroit, Michigan
Dave Caruso is a melodic pop songwriter, indie recording artist & music educator from Detroit, MI.
Dave offers a series of livestream songwriting courses at his website.
He's also the creator and host of SongwriterStories.com, a songwriting and music discovery podcast, featuring fascinating interviews with songwriters like Matthew Sweet, Marshall Crenshaw, Vicki Peterson and Tony Macaulay.
... more
Dave Caruso recommends:
Kits and Cats and Saxon Wives
by The Hangabouts
The Hangabouts are a trio of pop songwriters & self-producers who really know their way around a pop tune. Kits and Kats and Saxon Wives is an amazing album, filled with hooky tunes & smart writing
go to albumIf you like Dave Caruso, you may also like:
Garden of Earthly Delights - An XTC Celebration
by Various Artists
supported by 5 fans who also own “Buddha Pesto Manifesto”
XTC had their moment in time...this recording extends it...Full of small, tight , quirky songs it juz rolls along. Recommended but maybe only for XTC fans..
go to album
Lisa Mychols & SUPER 8 [album]
by SUPER 8
supported by 4 fans who also own “Buddha Pesto Manifesto”
go to album
Sunday Carvery
by emperor penguin
supported by 4 fans who also own “Buddha Pesto Manifesto”
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Gentle chamber pop with rich, rococo arrangements driven by winsome vocal melodies.
go to album
International Beautiful
by Minmo Music
A head-turning debut effort from the rising indie duo, who temper power pop's streamlined ferocity with surf rock's effortless cool.
go to album
