Weird Al Yankovic

White & Nerdy

October 23, 2018

This artist likely could have been a ‘one hit wonder’ – after all who could possibly make it big in American pop culture with their chosen instrument being the accordion?

With his strange sense of humor and incredible work ethic, he has instead become a mainstay in the world of novelty songs for more than 30 years. The artist: Al Yankovic or, professionally, Weird Al. weirdal1

An only child who grew up in Lynwood, California, Al celebrates his 59^th birthday on October 23.

He credits his father, Nick, for constantly reminding him of the philosophy that “the key to success” was “doing for a living whatever makes you happy.”

It was also his parents who bought him an accordion for his sixth birthday – rather than a guitar – setting the young Al on the road to nerdiness.

It all began in 1976 thanks to the radio DJ known as Dr. Demento. According to the Infallible Wikipedia:

“Yankovic received his first exposure via Southern California and syndicated comedy radio personality Dr. Demento’s radio show, saying ‘If there hadn’t been a Dr. Demento, I’d probably have a real job now.’ In 1976, Dr. Demento spoke at Yankovic’s school where the then-16-year-old Yankovic gave him a homemade tape of original and parody songs performed on the accordion in Yankovic’s bedroom into a ‘cheesy little tape recorder’. The tape’s first song, ‘Belvedere Cruisin’’ – about his family’s Plymouth Belvedere – was played on Demento’s comedy radio show, launching Yankovic’s career. Demento said, ‘’Belvedere Cruising’ might not have been the very best song I ever heard, but it had some clever lines […] I put the tape on the air immediately.’ Yankovic also played at local coffeehouses, accompanied by fellow dorm resident Joel Miller on bongos. Yankovic said:

‘It was sort of like amateur music night, and a lot of people were like wannabe Dan Fogelberg’s. They’d get up on stage with their acoustic guitar and do these lovely ballads. And I would get up with my accordion and play the theme from 2001. And people were kind of shocked that I would be disrupting their mellow Thursday night folk fest.’

During Yankovic’s sophomore year as an architecture student at Cal Poly, he became a disc jockey at KCPR, the university’s radio station. Yankovic said he had originally been nicknamed ‘Weird Al’ by fellow students and ‘took it on professionally’ as his persona for the station. In 1978, he released his first recording (as Alfred Yankovic), ‘Take Me Down’, on the LP, Slo Grown, as a benefit for the Economic Opportunity Commission of San Luis Obispo County. The song mocked famous nearby landmarks such as Bubblegum Alley and the fountain toilets at the Madonna Inn.”

weird al with accordion With the release of his 2014 album, Mandatory Fun, his published song list stood at 194. A truly huge number which speaks to his endurance as an artist. In fact, Weird Al’s career has outlasted most of the musicians whose song’s he’s parodied.

One fact about Weird Al is that he always gets permission from the original artist’s to include their songs in his work. The most notable artist to refuse was Prince. Another whose songs were refused – not by the artist but by the recording label – was Lady Gaga. Weird Al ended up doing two Lady Gaga parodies which were never included on an album but released for free on the internet. Also from the Infallible Wikipedia:

“Yankovic had reported an interest in parodying Lady Gaga’s material, and on April 20 (2011) announced that he had written and recorded a parody of ‘Born This Way’ titled ‘Perform This Way’ , to be the lead single for his new album. However, upon first submitting it to Lady Gaga’s manager for approval (which Yankovic does as a courtesy), he was not given permission to release it commercially. As he had previously done under similar circumstances (with his parody of James Blunt’s ‘You’re Beautiful’ , which was titled ‘You’re Pitiful’), Yankovic then released the song for free on the internet. Soon afterwards, Gaga’s manager admitted that he had denied the parody of his own accord without forwarding the song to his client, and upon seeing it online, Lady Gaga granted permission for the parody. Yankovic has stated that all of his proceeds from the parody and its music video will be donated to the Human Rights Campaign, to support the human rights themes of the original song.”

Wierd Al, Yankovic, sings, Born This Way, Lady Gaga, ugly, face,

Weird Al dressed up for his Lady Gaga spoof.

While I cannot recall exactly when I first heard Weird Al’s songs, I do know what solidified me as a fan: the song White & Nerdy released in 2006. I’d never heard the song by the original artists (Ridin’ by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone) but White and Nerdy captured the imagination of our whole family. My daughter would sing it around the house, complete with hand motions and facial expressions; my son was amused by the lyrics which included a reference to the game “Dungeons & Dragons” – something he played with his white and nerdy friends. And the video… well, if you see nothing else of Weird Al’s be sure to watch this because it’s hilarious!

Weird Al mania peaked for our family on August 26, 2008 when the four of us (me, hubby, son & daughter) trekked to the Evergreen Fair in Monroe, Washington to see the artist in concert. As it turned out, that August was a rainy, awful mess and the concert was played in a downpour.

But it was all good for us as we had NOT purchased the most expensive seats in the outdoor arena but were up just high enough to have a roof over our seats. There was something ironic – and very appropriate for Weird Al – that we were high and dry while the folks who had forked out the bigger bucks endured the deluge.

The concert was worth it all. Al and his band danced and sang for at least two hours, entertaining the crowd with his manic energy, costume changes, multimedia presentation, and sense of fun.

For me, the best part was the hubby and I getting to cross generational lines with our kids. We all walked away from the concert that night with big smiles and a shared experience. Thanks Weird Al. You’re the best!

As always, a few links. On every album he’s released (except his first) he does a medley of popular songs in Polka style utilizing the accordion. Hilarious. This is the first such release:

https://youtu.be/oS5Dc6u1j8o Polkas on 45

Although this video was not from the ESF in 2008, it does show the energy he brings to a live performance. This was in New Hampshire in 2010.

Of course, no Tuesday Newsday would be complete without a link to the Infallible Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic#Polka_medleys

Disco Duck

Oct16

October 16, 2018

In the world of one hit wonders this ‘song’ has quite the interesting history. It was written and recorded in the summer of 1976 by a Memphis disc jockey. And it was the impetus for him being fired from his job. Regardless, the satirical novelty piece went on to become the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 16 of that year. It’s name: Disco Duck.

Rick Dees was working at a Memphis radio station when he conceived the concept for the song. At the time, Disco music was just starting to emerge into the mainstream. Prior to then it had been primarily a sound associated with the Disco clubs popular in the northeast United States. By the time the movie ‘Saturday Night Fever’ was released, it was nearly impossible to not at least have heard the term ‘Disco.’

But back to Disco Duck. Dees was motivated to write it based on another novelty song from the 1960’s. According to the Infallible Wikipedia:

dees duck

‘Written by Dees, ‘Disco Duck’ was inspired by a 1960s novelty dance song called ‘The Duck,’ recorded by Jackie Lee (Earl Lee Nelson) in 1965. According to Dees, it took one day to write the song, but three months to convince anyone to perform it.

Combining orchestral disco styles with a Donald Duck–esque voice as the main plot point, the story within ‘Disco Duck’ centers around a man at a dance party who is overcome by the urge to get up and ‘get down’ in a duck-like manner. When the music stops, he sits down, but when he decides to get up and dance again, he finds that everyone in the room is now doing his dance.”

Radio being radio, Dees soon found himself unemployed due to management forbidding him to play the song on their station. Also from the Infallible Wikipedia:

” For all its success, ‘Disco Duck’ was shunned by radio stations where Dees was living in Memphis, including WMPS-AM, the station Dees worked for at the time. Station management forbade Dees from playing the song on his own show and rival stations in the city refused to play it for fear of promoting the competition. When Dees talked about (but did not play) the song on his show one morning, his boss fired him citing conflict of interest. After a brief mandatory hiatus, Dees was hired by station WHBQ-AM, WMPS’s primary competition in Memphis.”

Dees went on tour to promote the song, eventually gathered a group to play it live, and the song was featured in the 1977 hit movie ‘Saturday Night Fever.’

My own memory of this song dates to January of 1978 during the peak of the Disco craze. Disco was THE music of the year. Saturday Night Fever had been released in December 1977 and we were all learning how to dance Disco.

But it was during an annual event for the Greek system at the University of Puget Sound when Disco Duck was forever burned into my brain.

Each January the fraternities and sororities would have a weeklong event which culminated in the initiation of new members to their ranks. The sororities called this “Inspiration Week.” For the guys it was “Hell Week.”

I belonged to one of two sororities which, when the Greek system at UPS saw a decrease in numbers a few years earlier, moved into former fraternity houses smack dab in the middle of ALL the remaining frat’s. This turned out to be a mixed blessing. Unlike the other sororities on campus, we had an actual freestanding house rather than having to live in the dorms. The down side was that we had four frat’s which flanked our house and the boys were, one might say, creative.

The frat which impacted us the most were the Phi Delta Theta’s – aka Phi Delt’s (their house pictured above) – whose members included most of the UPS football team as well as a fair number of the wild boys. And during Hell Week they did interesting things.

I cannot say from firsthand experience what exactly went on within their walls that week but we did hear gossip as to the activities. It was reported at the time that the soon to be initiated members all lived downstairs in their basement chapter room, sleeping on mattresses on the floor and being subjected to one particular song played over and over and over, night and day. Kind of a sleep deprivation torture.

That song in January 1978 was… Disco Duck.

This part I know to be true as we could hear it thumping through the walls of our sorority at all hours. We were subjected to Disco Duck for the entire week until, I’m certain, not only were THEY sick of the song, but so were all the women in my sorority.

Now all of you may be wondering, ‘Didn’t anyone have to go to classes?” And the answer is ‘no.’ UPS at the time had a month long program known as ‘Winterim’ where every student on campus did an immersion study of one single subject. When January was over there was a week off before the next semester started. It was during this week when the Greek’s had their activities prior to initiations… so the shenanigans were in high supply.

To the best of my knowledge everyone survived Hell week. As far as Disco Duck is concerned I will forever associate it with that place and time… and I will turn it off as soon as the first chords are played. But for all of you I will sacrifice my finer sensibilities. Because YOU need to hear Disco Duck to understand the song and, sort of, the genre which swept the country for a year and half back in the late 1970’s.

A couple of Wikipedia links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Duck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco

The original “Duck” song from 1966:

https://youtu.be/Zu4lb6rXhnw

Afternoon Delight

Jul17

July 17, 2018

Starland Vocal Band

There was, perhaps, no other song from the 1970’s which could sum up the true shlockiness of that era of music than the record which was number one on the Billboard 100 for two weeks in mid-July 1976. That song: Afternoon Delight.

bubble gum pop By the middle of the decade, the Beatles were in the rear-view mirror and the hard rock of the late sixties and early seventies had given way to bubblegum and pop. And could there be any better symbols than two sugary treats to describe this song by a group called The Starland Vocal Band?

For those unfamiliar with the tune, here are a part of the lyrics:

Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
Gonna grab some Afternoon Delight
My motto’s always been “When it’s right, it’s right.”
Why wait until the middle of a cold, dark night?

When everything’s a little clearer in the light of day?
And we know the night is always gonna be here anyway?

Thinkin ’bout you’s working up my appetite
Lookin’ forward to a little Afternoon Delight
Rubbin’ sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite
And the thought of rubbin’ you is getting so exciting

Skyrockets in flight!
Afternoon Delight!
Afternoon Delight!
Afternoon Delight!

Actually, I’ll stop there. Truly, how many clichés can be stuffed into one song?

In the world of music, Afternoon Delight is what’s known as a ‘One Hit Wonder.’ Although the musicians who made up the group had some success before and after their big song, it was Afternoon Delight which catapulted them to a brief moment of fame.

From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert.

Danoff and Nivert co-wrote the song ‘I Guess He’d Rather Be in Colorado’ and then, with John Denver, ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads‘ which became a hit single in 1971. The duo recorded two albums as Fat City, and two more as Bill & Taffy, all released from 1969-1974. In the mid 1970s, Starland Vocal Band was formed and subsequently signed to Denver’s label Windsong Records.

Starland Vocal Band was also composed of Jon Carroll (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Margot Chapman (vocals). Carroll and Chapman married after meeting as members of the group, but later divorced. Their son Ben Carroll is also a musician.

The group’s debut album was the self-titled Starland Vocal Band and included ‘Afternoon Delight’. The song was a US #1 hit and the album also charted. They were nominated for four Grammy Awards and won two: Best Arrangement for Voices and Best New Artist. The song also reached #18 in the UK. The follow-up album, Rear View Mirror, did not fare as well, with 13 weeks on the Billboard 200 and a peak of #104.

The band hosted a variety show, The Starland Vocal Band Show, that ran on CBS for six weeks in the summer of 1977. David Letterman was a writer and regular on the show, which also featured Mark Russell, Jeff Altman, and Proctor and Bergman. April Kelly was a writer for the series.

The band broke up in 1981, unable to match their previous success. Danoff and Nivert divorced shortly afterward. Each of the band members went on to a solo career.

In 1998 the Starland Vocal Band reunited for a few concerts, often featuring the children of the four original members as vocalists. In 2007, they appeared on a 1970s special on the New Jersey Network (NJN), singing ‘Afternoon Delight’.

In 2010 Billboard named ‘Afternoon Delight’ the 20th sexiest song of all time.”

Ice cream afternoon delight At the time, the lyrics were a little bit shocking, especially to the parents of younger Baby Boomers who had pretty much lost control of their children by then. We, thinking we were hip and edgy, embraced the song with a wink and knowing nod because, well, our generation invented it, after all. What could our parents possibly know?

Recently a high school friend of mine posted something about singing the song Muskrat Love at a Karoake bar. This prompted a brief Facebook discussion as to which song from the 1970’s was the worst. As you all know (and if you don’t, go back and read my post about the Cap’n and Tennile. ) I’ve already called out a couple of schlocky songs from the 1970’s.

This song is on my list of the worst of worst. Be sure to nominate yours but only after listening to Afternoon Delight for a few moments of sugary guilt. Insulin may be needed when you are done.

Carole King

Jun19

June 19, 2018

It’s Too Late

This prolific song writer wrote or co-wrote 118 songs beginning at age 15 in 1955 and continued churning out Top 100 pop hits through the end of the 20^th Century. No doubt you still cannot turn on a radio without hearing one of her songs. The songwriter/artist: Carole King.

carole-king-tapestry.1972-copy.-lp.-611-p It was on June 19, 1971 when her double sided single It’s Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move hit number one on the Billboard charts and remained there for five weeks.

The two songs were from King’s Tapestry album which was released in February 1971.

From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“Tapestry was an instant success. With numerous hit singles – including a Billboard No.1 with ‘It’s Too Late‘ – Tapestry held the No.1 spot for 15 consecutive weeks, remained on the charts for nearly six years, and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. The album garnered four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Record of the Year (‘It’s Too Late,’ lyrics by Toni Stern); and Song of the Year, with King becoming the first woman to win the award (‘You’ve Got a Friend‘). The album appeared on Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time’ list at number 36. In addition, ‘It’s Too Late’ was number 469 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

carole King In the summer of 1971, Tapestry was one of three albums which I wore out. The angst of King’s songs spoke – not only to me – but to a whole generation of teenagers experiencing love and heartbreak for the first time. Although I couldn’t directly relate to the lyrics of It’s Too Late, there was a sadness and loneliness which emanated loud and clear. It was a perfect breakup song.

To this day I can sing the majority of the lyrics of every song on that album. (Not well, mind you!) I’d say my favorite song from the album is Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow followed by the title song, Tapestry. So for anyone wanting to wallow in heartache, this is the perfect album. In other words, exactly right for a thirteen year old just starting out in the world of romance.

Indulge yourselves a little and enjoy this blast from the past of that summer’s most popular song.

Cap’n & Tenille

May8

May 8, 2018

Muskrat Love

There was, perhaps, a no more musically sappy era than the 1970’s. Well, the late 50’s and early 60’s come close saved only, perhaps, by the emergence of the Beatles. But we’ve covered them.

No, today, you’re going to be subjected to what is, in my opinion, one of the worst songs ever but I have a story which – for those who understand the link to May 8^th – is oddly appropriate.

First of all the event for May 8^th which prompts this week’s musings: Happy Birthday to Toni Tenille who is 78 today! She was, for those who have been trying to forget, one half of the duo Captain and Tenille, famous for such 70’s dreck as Love Will Keep Us Together and Do That To Me One More Time.

captain-and-tennille-muskrat-love-am-3 It was a different song, however, which was just downright weird and creepy and which no one can figure out why the duo recorded it (or the band America for that matter). That song: Muskrat Love.

According to the Infallible Wikipedia:

“Captain & Tennille recorded ‘Muskrat Love’ for their 1976 album release Song of Joy. According to Toni Tennille, who comprised Captain & Tennille with her husband Daryl Dragon, the duo had added the song to their nightclub set list a few years earlier after hearing the America single on their car radio: ‘I said to Daryl: ‘Did you hear that? I swear they’re singing about muskrats.’ I had to know what the lyrics were so the next day we went out and found the sheet music. I said to Daryl: ‘This song is hysterical; why don’t we add it to our club-act?’ And [the audience] went nuts for it.’ Being short one track for Song of Joy, Captain & Tennille made an impromptu decision to record ‘Muskrat Love’, including the synthesizer generated sound effects that Dragon had created for the song’s performance in their nightclub act, these sound effects meant to evoke the imagined sound of muskrats mating: the eventual 7″ single version of Captain & Tennille’s ‘Muskrat Love’ would feature an ‘endless loop’ of these sound effects created captain-and-tennille-muskrat-love-am-5-s by having the song’s end run into the locked groove of the 45.”

To appreciate the creepiness of the song, I strongly encourage EVERYONE to watch the video linked below. By today’s standards for videos it’s a bit like watching a fourth graders class project.

Now on to the story of how this song re-emerged into my personal world a few years back. It was a Sunday in late January and I had gotten up around 7 a.m. just as the sun was starting to rise. My kitchen window looked out to our backyard and a trio of bird feeders. I noticed movement under one of the feeders and determined that a pair of raccoons were eating breakfast, courtesy of me. I watched for a minute then decided to chase them off. They trundled away, headed towards the neighbor’s yard to the east.

I didn’t think much more about it and the day proceeded in the usual manner; a short time later both teenagers were up as was the hubby and we were doing weekend things. I was working on a sewing project most of the day and, because it was a dry day, my son (who was about 18 at the time) was out working in the yard and garden.

Raccoon asleep in tree Around noon he waved at me from outside (my sewing room at the time was our dining room and the windows looked to the east) and pointed to a large maple tree which straddled the property line between us and the neighbor. I looked up to where he was pointing and there were the two raccoons asleep on separate branches some 30 to 40 feet above the ground. The presence of the nocturnal omnivores was observed by all in the house and then everyone continued on with their activities.

Every once in awhile I would look out the window to check and see if the raccoons were still there. Late in the afternoon, as the daylight began to fade, I looked again and burst out laughing. The raccoons were no longer asleep. Instead they were sharing a single branch, engaging in their own Muskrat Love moment, 40 feet above the ground. Raccoon love

Of course I pointed this out to the members of the household and began singing the song for my kids. I was rewarded with the half dumbfounded, half disgusted look which only teenagers seem to be able to master. Then I asked if either of them were familiar with the song. They were not.

It was then I realized I had failed in providing them with an important cultural reference and made a beeline for the internet. A few moments later we gathered round and watched the video. I don’t think my daughter (Age 15 at the time) – who declared it was ‘just wrong’ – has ever forgiven me. After all, that video is NOT something you can ‘unsee.’

Well, I certainly cannot ‘unsee’ what those two raccoons were doing that day either…

So in honor of Toni Tenille’s birthday AND the Eighth of May, enjoy a little Muskrat Love:

And, of course, a link on how the song came to exist:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat_Love

Tony Orlando

Apr3

April 3, 2018

…Now The Whole Damn Bus Is Cheering

He is, perhaps, best known for the April 1973 hit “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” Happy 74^th birthday to Tony Orlando who was born April 3, 1944.

No doubt Tony Orlando and this song are intertwined for all time. ‘Yellow Ribbon’ was his and the group Dawn’s biggest hit ever, reaching number one on both the US and UK charts for four weeks in April 1973.

The song has become an ingrained part of the American culture with the symbol of the ribbons representing enduring love and devotion to those who, for whatever reasons, must be separated from their loved ones for a period of time.

Unlike popular thought, however, according to one of the song’s writers, L. Russell Brown, it was not about an ex-con coming home. From the infallible Wikipedia:

tie_yellow_ribbon_on_the_oak “This is NOT the story of a convict who had told his love to tie a ribbon book to a tree outside of town. I know because I wrote the song one morning in 15 minutes with the late lyrical genius Irwin Levine. The genesis of this idea came from the age old folk tale about a Union prisoner of war – who sent a letter to his girl that he was coming home from a confederate POW camp in Georgia… Anything about a criminal is pure fantasy…”

Tie a Yellow Ribbon 45 record.jpg Billboard has ranked “Yellow Ribbon” as the number one song for 1973, selling 3 million records in the United States in just three weeks. In fact, BMI (Broadcast Music Inc) which tracks songs for artists claims the song as been played over 3 million times in 17 years of continuous airplay. That’s true staying power.

I have a particularly strong memory of this song as it was played at every dance I attended in the mid-1970’s. In May of 1975 I became President (called the Worthy Advisor) of my local Rainbow Girl’s Assembly. One of our traditions was to have a dance afterwards, often hiring a (bad) local band to play music. I, however, took it a different direction and got my Dad to agree to be the DJ and spin records. He was a good sport and, as a Junior High School teacher, understood kids and also knew what was popular.

At one point the very recognizable introduction to this song filled the room and all the kids swarmed to the dance floor. Everything was normal until right at the very end of the song when Tony sings “Now the whole damn bus is cheering and I can’t believe I see…” I was dancing with my boyfriend but my attention was directed to two of my guy friends – Ben and Brad – who had sung a couple songs earlier for entertainment at my installation. I turned just in time to see them each down on one knee, one arm extended towards me, and belting out the final lines of the song. For a 17 year old it was an epic moment. And one that probably belongs in a novel.

A couple of links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tie_a_Yellow_Ribbon_Round_the_Ole_Oak_Tree

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Orlando

I’ve now listened to this song a dozen times to find a good quality version which best shows the cool epic-ness of 1973.

Elton John

Jan30

January 30, 2018

Crocodile Rock

crocodile-rock_lg In the past 50 years there has not been an artist, more than this one, who has provided the soundtrack for our lives. He embodies the concept of be ‘an original’ and has, since the beginning of his long career, gone his own way. In addition to his commercial success, he’s been recognized by his own country and was knighted on January 30, 1998.

The musician: the one, only and never imitated Elton John.

Although he was born Reginald Dwight, he changed his name to Elton John in 1967, after several years in the music industry. From the infallible Wikipedia:

“In 1967, Dwight answered an advertisement in the British magazine New Musical Express, placed by Ray Williams, then the A&R manager for Liberty Records. At their first meeting, Williams gave Dwight an unopened envelope of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had answered the same ad. Dwight wrote music for the lyrics, and then mailed it to Taupin, beginning a partnership that still continues. When the two first met in 1967, they recorded what would become the first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song: “Scarecrow”. Six months later Dwight was going by the name “Elton John” in homage to two members of Bluesology: saxophonist Elton Dean and vocalist Long John Baldry.”

The list of memorable songs written by the duo – and performed by Elton John – is amazing. From his very first top 40 hit – Your Song – and continuing on with hit after hit through the 1970’s and 1980’s, the songs are memorable and often poignant.

Ironically, Elton did not win a solo Grammy Award until 1995… 24 years after his first nomination. The 1995 award was for Best Male Performance for the Song Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from the Disney hit movie The Lion King. He has been nominated for Grammy’s 33 times and won five times.

He was honored with the Grammy Legend Award in 1999, an honor given to the select few whose lifetime achievements are notable.

Elton John crazy outfit As a teenager in the 1970’s you could not turn on the radio without hearing many of Elton John’s songs. One song in particular stands out for me. It was late fall of 1972 and I was a sophomore in high school. And there was this guy – Ron – who I had a thing for. He, however, was pretty clueless when it came to the whole dating thing, so our relationship never went beyond ‘friends.’ Mostly we’d sit with each other at the Eisenhower High School basketball games and talk to each other in the one class we shared.

And for some reason whenever I hear Crocodile Rock I am immediately transported back to the winter of 1972-73 and think of ‘Ron.’

Crocodile Rock was Elton John’s first number one hit in the US, staying atop the charts from February 3^rd through the 17^th in 1973.

Elton John announced last week that he is doing one ‘last’ tour dubbed ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’. Although he has not yet announced dates in the greater Puget Sound region, a peek at the website does hint that more dates in 2019 will be added. From the website:

“These dates mark Elton’s last-ever tour, the end of a half a century on the road for one of pop culture’s most enduring performers. The new stage production will take his fans on a musical and highly visual journey spanning a 50-year career of hits like no one has ever seen before.”

I signed up to get updates and hope to make it to one of his performances!

For more information about Sir Elton, be sure to check out these links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John

https://www.eltonjohn.com/stories/farewell-yellow-brick-road

And, of course, a video of Crocodile Rock featuring Elton John in one of his crazy outfits from 1972:

B.J. Thomas

Jan23

January 22, 2018

Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head

The powerhouse team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David churned out hit after hit in the late 1960’s and into the 1970’s. They achieved chart gold the week of January 23, 1970, when BJ Thomas’ dulcet voice brought Raindrop’s Keep Falling On My Head to life. The single, introduced in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was number one on the American Top 40 charts for one week and spent 7 weeks at the top of the Adult Contemporary charts.

From the infallible Wikipedia:

ButchC “It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. David and Bacharach also won Best Original Score. The song was recorded by B. J. Thomas in seven takes, after Bacharach expressed dissatisfaction with the first six. In the film version of the song, Thomas had been recovering from laryngitis, which made his voice sound hoarser than in the 7-inch release. The film version featured a separate vaudeville-style instrumental break in double time while Paul Newman performed bicycle stunts.”

To this day, I’m not exactly sure what these lyrics mean:

“Raindrops keep falling on my head and just like the guys, whose feet are too big for his bed, nothing seems to fit. Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling…

So I just did me some talking to the sun and I said, I didn’t like the way, he got things done… Sleeping on the job… Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling…

But there’s one thing, I know: The blues, they send to meet me won’t defeat me, it won’t be long till happiness steps up to greet me.

raindrops 45.jpeg Raindrops keep falling on my head but that doesn’t mean, my eyes will soon be turning red- crying’s not for me. And I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining, because I’m free- nothing’s worrying me!”

As an angsty pre-teen (I was 12 in January 1970) there was something about this song and BJ Thomas’ voice which resonated. So much so that this 45 single was one of the first two records I ever bought. The other was Freda Payne’s Band of Gold.

I actually recall the day I purchased both records. It was at the ValuMart store in Yakima and my Dad had driven me there. Sometime between the previous fall and the spring of 1970 I quit spending my allowance money on Barbie Doll clothes and, ultimately, switched to 45’s and then albums. I played this record over and over and over. No doubt if I were to spin that record today it would be a mess of static and skips. But to a budding teenager in 1970 it was everything and, really, which of us females DIDN’T have a crush on BJ Thomas?

Even today, when I hear this song (only the BJ Thomas version!) I am transported back to the living room of the house where I grew up, playing the record on the behemoth stereo, a giant cabinet which looked like a buffet. My mother insisted I wear earphones. Guess the music of ‘us kids’ was just too much.

Funny thing, when I pulled up the various videos I knew EVERY word and had to sing along.

cabinet stereo.jpg Ultimately, the BJ Thomas version has been given the nod as a significant song. Also from the infallible Wikipedia:

“In 2004, it finished at number 23 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In 2008, the single was ranked 85th on Billboard’s Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs and placed 95th in the 55th Anniversary edition of the All-Time Hot 100 list in 2013. Billboard Magazine also ranked the song 15th on its Top 50 Movie Songs of All Time list in 2014.”

Please take a few minutes and enjoy this blast from the past and celebrate the magic of Hal David and Burt Bacharach’s song brought to life by BJ Thomas.

And, of course, more information from the infallible Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raindrops_Keep_Fallin%27_on_My_Head

January 23, 2021 – In watching the video I wonder why the dancers in 1970 were in cages. I’ve seen that in other old videos also. What’s up with that? So weird.

Taylor Swift

Nov14

November 14, 2017

Teardrops On My Guitar

One could say that she is the most successful female recording artist of all times. As such, it was on November 14, 2009 when six songs from her album, Fearless, were all in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40.

TS Fearless That artist: Taylor Swift.

She has inspired a generation of young women, capturing the angst and emotion of the teenage years through her catchy country tunes, and has since grown up to become a bona-fide pop diva.

Amazing to think, that at the ripe old age of 20, the Fearless album spawned 12 songs which reached the top 40, the most ever for any album.

During her career, she has (thus far) had 52 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100, the most of any female performer ever. According to the infallible Wikipedia, she comes in fifth place as follows:

Most top 40 singles

114 – Elvis Presley(Pre–Hot 100 charts included)
69 – Lil Wayne
57 – Elton John
56 – Drake
52 – Taylor Swift
51 – GleeCast
50 – The Beatles
49 – Madonna
47 – Rihanna
46 – Stevie Wonder
45 – Jay Z

No doubt that number will increase this week as her latest album, Reputation, was released on November 10th and sold over 717,000 copies on the first day alone. It is expected that by the end of the first week it will have been purchased over one million times.

A search through the first linked Infallible Wikipedia article shows an impressive career. By holding down the CTRL plus “F” key (to do a search) and then typing in Taylor Swift produces 22 references to her accomplishments. One other notable ‘first’ in the article is that she possesses the all-time record for most top ten debuts on the Hot 100, with 14.

My daughter has been a huge fan of the artist since about age 12 and, as an advisor for the Rainbow Girls during those years, my car was often filled with Taylor Swift’s music with the girls – and their chaperone – singing along.

Taylor Swift mania reached its peak in our household, though, in 2013 when it was announced the artist would be coming to the Tacoma Dome at the end of August. My daughter sprang into action and put out the all points bulletin to her network of friends and found others who wanted to attend the concert with her. I bought the 6 tickets (all that were allowed any one purchaser) and then Michelle collected the funds from her friends. At some point prior to the concert, Michelle was entered into a ‘drawing’ for the opportunity to purchase two additional tickets. But these were not just ANY tickets. These were tickets to the Pit, that coveted area just in front of the stage. And she was chosen so now two additional lucky girls were added to the mix.

The day of the concert, we held a going away party for Michelle, as she was literally leaving to move to Nashville the next day. I drove some of the girls to the Tacoma Dome and the rest rode with her. No doubt that concert was a highlight for all of them.

These two photos of Taylor were snapped by Michelle with her phone from the “pit.” Taylor Swift Red Tour 2

Then, on September 1 as we made our way east on Interstate 90 the most amazing thing occurred. We came up behind and subsequently passed truck after truck which all bore huge photos of Taylor Swift and were carrying the staging, lights, sound, and other equipment. It became a game of sorts, to see how many Taylor Swift trucks were on the road. We saw the biggest number in Post Falls, Idaho, late in the afternoon as a six pack of them were parked in a trucker’s parking lot just to the north of the freeway.

We spent the night near Coeur d’Alene and the next day stopped at a rest area just east of the Continental Divide on I-90. There in the parking lot was an unmarked tour bus, its darkened windows a detriment to prying eyes. Was Taylor Swift on that bus? I like to think so. It is highly possible as the next stop on her tour was just five days away, September 6th, in Fargo, ND.

The tour bus was the last thing we saw that might possibly be related to Taylor Swift before we dropped south to go to Lewis and Clark caverns and Yellowstone National Park. From there Michelle and I traveled on through Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky and, finally, Tennessee.

It was a magical week and a memory worth keeping. And in the two years Michelle was in Nashville not once did she ever see Taylor Swift.

And my favorite Taylor Swift song… has to be Teardrops on My Guitar.

As always, a couple links for your further education:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_chart_achievements_and_milestones

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift

John Cougar

Oct24

October 24, 2017

Jack & Diane

Perhaps the most powerful medium a person experiences is music. After all, I imagine each of us has at least one song we associate with a specific time, event and person. And then there are songs which, although they may not inspire a specific memory, become so much an ingrained part of our culture, they transcend place and time.

Jack and Diane One such song spent four weeks at number one in October 1982 and, in 2012, made the Recording Industry of America’s list of top songs of the century.

The song starts with the words ” A little diddy about Jack and Diane…”

And it continues on to tell the story of two American teenagers trying to figure out life. I think the song resonates because the experience is universal. It matters not if you were a teenager in 1962, 1982 or in 2012, a part of you yearns to break free of that place where you grew up; and a part of you longs to be loved and find that one other person who you can share your life and your love.

Jack and Diane – by John “Cougar” Mellencamp – effectively captures the ambivalence of first love. From the song:

Oh yeah, life goes on

Long after the thrill of livin’ is gone

Oh yeah, I say, life goes on

Long after the thrill of livin’ is gone

Gonna let it rock

Let it roll

Let the Bible Belt come

And save my soul

Hold on to sixteen as long as you can

Changes come around real soon

Make us women and men

jack and diane music The song was almost never recorded. According to Mellencamp, he struggled with how to perform the song to achieve the sound he desired. From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“ Jack & Diane was based on the 1962 Tennessee Williams film Sweet Bird of Youth. He said of recording the song: ‘Jack & Diane was a terrible record to make. When I play it on guitar by myself, it sounds great; but I could never get the band to play along with me. That’s why the arrangement’s so weird. Stopping and starting, it’s not very musical.’ Mellencamp has also stated that the clapping wasn’t supposed to be included in the finished song. It was recorded with the clapping in order to help keep tempo and then it was to be removed. However, he realized the song did not work without it.”

For me, the song does not inspire specific memories but, instead, evokes the emotion of loss. At 16, 17 and 18 years old, there’s nothing quite like that first love. It’s a heady time in life when one’s first real love takes control and you think it will always be like that. And yet there’s a melancholy to a warm summer’s night, or a blustery fall day, spent with that person when you try to cling to that moment, only to have it slip away. It’s this quality which makes the song so enduring.

I know you would all be disappointed if there’s not a Wikipedia link, so here it is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_%26_Diane

The video is worth four minutes of your time: