169: You're a Rabbit On the Run

169. "Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day)" by Jethro Tull [iTunes? Yes]
Ah, what would the HondoJoe Top 200 be without a tune from Jethro Tull? Actually, it would have been just fine. We're getting by without Elton John, John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Duran Duran and Chilliwack. And yet, here is Jethro Tull.

I did some quick research on Jethro Tull. So here is the "Things I Learned From the Internets" true/false quiz about Jethro Tull:

A. The band is named after a British dude who is credited with inventing the seed drill.
B. Lead singer/flautist Ian Anderson once wrote a book titled "How to Play the Flute for Fame and Fortune." It was a best seller in Great Britain.
C. Ian Anderson didn't know how to play the flute until after the band was formed. He picked up the flute because he couldn't play the guitar as well as Eric Clapton, and he didn't want to be just another "third-rate guitarist."
D. Jethro Tull beat out heavily-favored Metallica for the inaugural Grammy in the category of "Heavy Metal."
E. Due to a typo, their first single was released under the name of "Jethro Toe."
F. During a performance at Wembley Stadium, the band attempted to play "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and were booed off the stage.

As surprising as it is to find Jethro Tull on this list, it's even more surprising that this is the song that made it. Most people would think "Aqualung" might make the list, based on its lyrics of "snot is running down his nose," and panties. Or perhaps "Locomotive Breath," with its driving guitars and "shuffling madness."

Nope. "Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day)" gets the nod. I hear this song, and I feel like I want to skip. There aren't many songs that make me want to skip. And, it also gets bonus points for featuring one of the two best vocals-that-sound-like-someone-trying-to-start-a-car. (In this song, he sings "A-way-uh-ay-uh-ay-uh-ay-uh-ay-uh-ay-uh-ay" to the point that it sounds like someone is trying to start a car.) (The other vocal-that-sounds-like-someone-trying-to-start-a-car? Michael Stipe in REM's "Man On the Moon" singing, "If you belie-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ve they put a man on the moon.")

(Just for the record, I made up answers "B" and "F." Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are false, just probably so.)

COMING UP NEXT: Leonid Brezhnev!