“106 miles to Chicago”: Dan Aykroyd’s favourite songs of all time
Comedy and music have always gone hand in hand, whether it’s the slightly haunting wartime ukulele tunes of George Formby or the fever dream parodies of Frank Sidebottom. One of the greatest unifying forces between comedy and music, however, is Saturday Night Live, and The Blues Brothers reflected the pinnacle of that relationship.
First appearing all the way back in 1976, The Blues Brothers were a vehicle by which John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd could exercise their undying love for the sound and history of soul, blues, and R&B music. By the time that the recurring sketch developed into a fully-fledged John Landis-directed film in 1980, the black-suited brothers had become something of a cultural phenomenon, undertaking sell-out tours and sharing their appreciation for the blues all across the nation, rubbing shoulders with everybody from James Brown to Aretha Franklin along the way.
Not every sketch character on SNL is rooted in truth; in fact, the majority of them are the exact opposite. However, The Blues Brothers were a special case in that Belushi and Aykroyd both seemed to have a genuine, impassioned love of the music they were playing – it wasn’t just a means of gaining cheap laughs from a few throwaway gags. Belushi famously lived the lifestyle of a rock and roll star, before, during and after his time with The Blues Brothers, but Dan Aykroyd wasn’t far behind when it came to the breadth and passion of his own musical taste.
Back in 2014, the veteran actor, comedian, and, more recently, vodka salesman, spoke to Shortlist to expose a slice of that expansive musical taste, selecting some of his favourite songs of all time. Inevitably, the results paint a picture of a man whose entire existence has been painstakingly soundtracked and surrounded by musical excellence, and he wasn’t afraid to reflect upon his own musical exploits either, with two Blues Brothers tracks making the final list of favourites.
When selecting his favourite lyrics of all time, for instance, Aykroyd cited, “‘I bet you a rhinestone on time and as I was putting down the deposit, you split with all my furniture, and left me with the hangers in the closet,’” from the Westside Andy and Mel Ford Band track ‘I Underestimated You’. However, he also noted, “Some of the greatest lyrics are in the blues,” promptly moving on to ‘Who’s Making Love’, from his 1980 album Made In America as being a highlight.
‘Going Back To Miami’ was another old favourite from his days alongside the furry sideburns of John Belushi. “It just has everything that a song will have,” the comedian declared. “It’s got drive, it’s got rhythm, it’s got boldness, it’s got just a relentless kind of groove. However, not every track on his list was recorded by The Blues Brothers, somewhat thankfully.
Still, soul icon Otis Redding – without whom the music adored by The Blues Brothers might never have existed – makes an appearance, in the form of his Carla Thomas duet ‘When Something is Wrong with My Baby’. “I’m a big Otis Redding fan, I love Stax and Volt, in fact, I think my favourite movement in American music is Stax and Volt,” he revealed. “It was all of those records that they did in the ‘60s.”
In something of a full-circle moment, Stax lent a lot of their house musicians to the Blues Brothers for the 1980 film production, including the likes of Steve Cropper and Donald Dunn, who had worked directly with Redding before his tragic demise in 1967. On the topic of film music, Aykroyd parried another chance to hark back to his own material, instead heaping praise onto the iconic guitar riff which formed the James Bond theme.
“It’s just spectacular,” he explained. “The original version of it, from Dr. No, is still the best one for me.”
Although Dan Aykroyd’s list of favourite tracks is hardly exhaustive, it does paint a vivid picture of his musical taste, rooted largely in a deep appreciation for American blues and R&B, with fond memories of his musical brother in John Belushi, and with a few curveballs thrown in there, too.
Dan Aykroyd’s favourite songs:
- Westside Andy and the Mel Ford Band – ‘I Underestimated You’
- The Blues Brothers – ‘Who’s Making Love’
- Al Bowlly – ‘Hang Out the Stars in Indiana’
- John Barry Orchestra – ‘James Bond Theme’
- Otis Redding – ‘When Something is Wrong with My Baby’
- ? and the Mysterians – ‘96 Tears’
- Perry Como – ‘Catch a Falling Star’
- The James Hunter Six – ‘Chicken Switch’
- Al Jonson – ‘The Anniversary Song’
- The Blues Brothers – ‘Going Back to Miami’
