Music & More

Best Baseball Songs challenge

I'm watching the NY Yankees play the Boston Red Sox on a Saturday afternoon in April of 2022. The Yanks just took the lead on a  Stanton 2 run HR in the bottom of the 6th inning. It inspired me to play Centerfield - the song. 13 years ago I gave my opinion as to the best songs about baseball. I wonder if I missed any great baseball songs back then. I also wonder if there have been any great baseball songs recorded since 2009 began.

 

April 05, 2009

Best Baseball Songs

The excitement is building. Tonight the season opens with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow afternoon my New York Yankees take the field. Have I been watching the exhibition games or following the box scores in the paper? No. I never could get into exhibition games. Oh, I might watch for an inning. But the problem is - they don't count. I'll read a bit here and there about the progress of the team, more so as the days get closer. But now it's here. "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today!" (Actually, just to watch).

As any serious baseball fan or John Fogerty fan knows, that quote begins the chorus to the greatest baseball song ever written. "Centerfield", penned and first performed in 1985 by Fogerty, gets the blood pumping, the adrenalin flowing with its infectious beat and perfect lyrics.  No song captures the excitement of opening day like "Centerfield"! In the first stanza he talks of the sun coming out and new grass on the field. In the second, he pays tribute to past greats Mays, Cobb and DiMaggio. The last stanza's conclusion is every little leaguer's fantasy, "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all, a moment in the sun; (pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!". I don't know if Fogerty ever played any baseball or even likes the game but he sure captures the excitement of a new season like no one ever has. Check out the lyrics to Centerfield as well as the history and lyrics of the baseball songs to follow on www.baseball-almanac.com.

Obviously many will stick with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as the best baseball song ever. According to the baseball almanac just noted, the lyrics were written by Jack Norworth in 1908 with the music composed by Albert Von Tizler. Norworth changed some of the lyrics in 1927 but the famous chorus, the only part of the song I ever knew, remained the same.

Another fine song is Alabama's the "Cheap Seats" written by Marcus Hummon and Randy Sharp. The song describes a typical minor league ball town with lines like "Our ball club may be minor league but at least it's Triple-A" (like the Nashville Sounds which replaced the Long Island Ducks as my minor league team), and "We got a great pitcher, what's his name, Well, we can't even spell it" and a universal lament, "Hang ump, a blind man could have made that call".

Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" songs are familiar to many. The first in 1981 was originally called "Willie, Mickey and the Duke". Growing up in Queens, NY, in the 1950's, I recall those arguments about who was the best, Mantle, Mays or Snider. I didn't realize that Cashman wrote other versions of the song for other teams - Mets, Tigers, Cardinals, etc.

Another song on the baseball almanac list is "Catfish" written and performed by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy. It's about former Kansas City A's, Oakland A's and Yankee pitcher, the late Hall of Famer, Jim "Catfish" Hunter. He was a favorite of mine even before he became a Yankee since I discovered in my Street and Smith's Baseball Yearbook that we were born on the same day in 1946. The song was written in 1975 and I love the lyrics. Unfortunately, I can't bear to listen to Bob Dylan attempt to sing. Hope somebody else records it some day.

"The Greatest", a Kenny Rogers song written by Don Schlitz, is about a little boy throwing up a ball and trying to hit it. It has a cute and clever twist at the end.

A song that does not appear on the baseball almanac list is "The Show" written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry in 1994. I have it sung by Vezner on his '94 cd "Who's Gonna Know". It tells of a young man's journey to "The Show" which many know from the movie "Bull Durham" is the major leagues. Like "The Greatest", it has a twist at the end.

What is your favorite baseball song? Are you ready to play?

The excitement is building. Tonight the season opens with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow afternoon my New York Yankees take the field. Have I been watching the exhibition games or following the box scores in the paper? No. I never could get into exhibition games. Oh, I might watch for an inning. But the problem is - they don't count. I'll read a bit here and there about the progress of the team, more so as the days get closer. But now it's here. "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today!" (Actually, just to watch).

As any serious baseball fan or John Fogerty fan knows, that quote begins the chorus to the greatest baseball song ever written. "Centerfield", penned and first performed in 1985 by Fogerty, gets the blood pumping, the adrenalin flowing with its infectious beat and perfect lyrics.  No song captures the excitement of opening day like "Centerfield"! In the first stanza he talks of the sun coming out and new grass on the field. In the second, he pays tribute to past greats Mays, Cobb and DiMaggio. The last stanza's conclusion is every little leaguer's fantasy, "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all, a moment in the sun; (pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!". I don't know if Fogerty ever played any baseball or even likes the game but he sure captures the excitement of a new season like no one ever has. Check out the lyrics to Centerfield as well as the history and lyrics of the baseball songs to follow on www.baseball-almanac.com.

Obviously many will stick with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as the best baseball song ever. According to the baseball almanac just noted, the lyrics were written by Jack Norworth in 1908 with the music composed by Albert Von Tizler. Norworth changed some of the lyrics in 1927 but the famous chorus, the only part of the song I ever knew, remained the same.

Another fine song is Alabama's the "Cheap Seats" written by Marcus Hummon and Randy Sharp. The song describes a typical minor league ball town with lines like "Our ball club may be minor league but at least it's Triple-A" (like the Nashville Sounds which replaced the Long Island Ducks as my minor league team), and "We got a great pitcher, what's his name, Well, we can't even spell it" and a universal lament, "Hang ump, a blind man could have made that call".

Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" songs are familiar to many. The first in 1981 was originally called "Willie, Mickey and the Duke". Growing up in Queens, NY, in the 1950's, I recall those arguments about who was the best, Mantle, Mays or Snider. I didn't realize that Cashman wrote other versions of the song for other teams - Mets, Tigers, Cardinals, etc.

Another song on the baseball almanac list is "Catfish" written and performed by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy. It's about former Kansas City A's, Oakland A's and Yankee pitcher, the late Hall of Famer, Jim "Catfish" Hunter. He was a favorite of mine even before he became a Yankee since I discovered in my Street and Smith's Baseball Yearbook that we were born on the same day in 1946. The song was written in 1975 and I love the lyrics. Unfortunately, I can't bear to listen to Bob Dylan attempt to sing. Hope somebody else records it some day.

"The Greatest", a Kenny Rogers song written by Don Schlitz, is about a little boy throwing up a ball and trying to hit it. It has a cute and clever twist at the end.

A song that does not appear on the baseball almanac list is "The Show" written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry in 1994. I have it sung by Vezner on his '94 cd "Who's Gonna Know". It tells of a young man's journey to "The Show" which many know from the movie "Bull Durham" is the major leagues. Like "The Greatest", it has a twist at the end.

What is your favorite baseball song? Are you ready to play?

Best Baseball Songs

The excitement is building. Tonight the season opens with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow afternoon my New York Yankees take the field. Have I been watching the exhibition games or following the box scores in the paper? No. I never could get into exhibition games. Oh, I might watch for an inning. But the problem is - they don't count. I'll read a bit here and there about the progress of the team, more so as the days get closer. But now it's here. "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today!" (Actually, just to watch).

As any serious baseball fan or John Fogerty fan knows, that quote begins the chorus to the greatest baseball song ever written. "Centerfield", penned and first performed in 1985 by Fogerty, gets the blood pumping, the adrenalin flowing with its infectious beat and perfect lyrics.  No song captures the excitement of opening day like "Centerfield"! In the first stanza he talks of the sun coming out and new grass on the field. In the second, he pays tribute to past greats Mays, Cobb and DiMaggio. The last stanza's conclusion is every little leaguer's fantasy, "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all, a moment in the sun; (pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!". I don't know if Fogerty ever played any baseball or even likes the game but he sure captures the excitement of a new season like no one ever has. Check out the lyrics to Centerfield as well as the history and lyrics of the baseball songs to follow on www.baseball-almanac.com.

Obviously many will stick with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as the best baseball song ever. According to the baseball almanac just noted, the lyrics were written by Jack Norworth in 1908 with the music composed by Albert Von Tizler. Norworth changed some of the lyrics in 1927 but the famous chorus, the only part of the song I ever knew, remained the same.

Another fine song is Alabama's the "Cheap Seats" written by Marcus Hummon and Randy Sharp. The song describes a typical minor league ball town with lines like "Our ball club may be minor league but at least it's Triple-A" (like the Nashville Sounds which replaced the Long Island Ducks as my minor league team), and "We got a great pitcher, what's his name, Well, we can't even spell it" and a universal lament, "Hang ump, a blind man could have made that call".

Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" songs are familiar to many. The first in 1981 was originally called "Willie, Mickey and the Duke". Growing up in Queens, NY, in the 1950's, I recall those arguments about who was the best, Mantle, Mays or Snider. I didn't realize that Cashman wrote other versions of the song for other teams - Mets, Tigers, Cardinals, etc.

Another song on the baseball almanac list is "Catfish" written and performed by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy. It's about former Kansas City A's, Oakland A's and Yankee pitcher, the late Hall of Famer, Jim "Catfish" Hunter. He was a favorite of mine even before he became a Yankee since I discovered in my Street and Smith's Baseball Yearbook that we were born on the same day in 1946. The song was written in 1975 and I love the lyrics. Unfortunately, I can't bear to listen to Bob Dylan attempt to sing. Hope somebody else records it some day.

"The Greatest", a Kenny Rogers song written by Don Schlitz, is about a little boy throwing up a ball and trying to hit it. It has a cute and clever twist at the end.

A song that does not appear on the baseball almanac list is "The Show" written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry in 1994. I have it sung by Vezner on his '94 cd "Who's Gonna Know". It tells of a young man's journey to "The Show" which many know from the movie "Bull Durham" is the major leagues. Like "The Greatest", it has a twist at the end.

What is your favorite baseball song? Are you ready to play?

I Can't Dance

13 years ago today I posted:

January 21, 2009

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

13 years ago today I posted:

January 21, 2009

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

13 years ago today I posted:

January 21, 2009

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

The Western Swing Authority, Live, in Full Swing

Just played a great new live concert DVD that I bought from the Western Swing Authority (WSA), "Live, In Full Swing". Since I'm probably never going to see this Canadian group perform live and in person, this DVD is especially worth having.

the songs include:

Sweet Harriet,

Faded Love/Maiden's Prayer/I Fall to Pieces

I've Got a Feelin'

Miss Molly

Dance with Who Brung Ya

One of Us is Lying

Big Ball's in Cowtown

Rocket to the Moon

You Don't Know Me

Swingin' from the Rafters

This Old Bar

Barnyard Boogie

 

Can't beat the vocals of Stacy Lee and hubby Shane Guse

Even songs i wasn't crazy about (Barnyard Boogie & Big Ball's in Cowtown) sounded great when seeing a live performance from this extremely talented group of musicians and singers. (They could substitute "All Dolled Up" and "In the Middle of the Song" for the Boogie & Ball songs) For the career accomplishments of the WSA members see the "Sessions" section on the WSA website.

 

past posts about the WSA:

3/12/15   The Western Swing Authority

11/16/16  The WSA's Christmas Single

12/28/18 The Western Swing Authority is a Big Deal

12/2/19 A Christmas Bonus from the Western Swing Authority

 

March 12, 2015

The Western Swing Authority

I am not an authority on Western Swing music but I do like some of it - even though it's usually associated with dancing and I don't dance. Suzy Bogguss had an album called "Swing" that I really liked and some Gene Watson songs are western swing like "All Hat No Cattle", "Memories to Burn", etc. When I think of western swing I also think of that tall dude from Philly who made his fortune in Texas, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. He sang a duet with Suzy B on Swing, "Cupid Shot Us Both with One Arrow."

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the Western Swing Authority. I stumbled upon a fairly new country music blog (began in 2014 I think) called Country Perspective and found a review of WSA's 3rd and latest album, "Now Playing". I checked out the songs on you-tube and i-Tunes and bought "Now Playing"  plus some songs from their first two albums.

The WSA is a seven-piece Canadian band made up of Shane Guse, wife - Stacey Lee Guse, Dan Howlett, Matthew Lima, Ed "Pee Wee Charles" Ringwald, Jim Boudreau and Paul Chapman. Some one called them a Canadian version of the Time Jumpers. Stacey is the primary lead vocalist with Shane taking the lead occasionally. The musicians have all won awards. Check the band's website for details.

The song titles will be followed by the names of the songwriters in parenthesis, the lead singer, maybe a comment, and for my favorites, a partial lyric.

The first single from "Now Playing", "Sweet Harriet", was released on January 27, 2015 according to i-Tunes. Was it released only on Canadian country radio? I don't know.

"Sweet Harriet" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) tells the story about Harriet LeBeau and what her daddy didn't know. How can you not like a swingin' fun song with fiddles that mentions freckles in the first verse? Stacey Lee Duce sings lead. Wow. Is she great!

"Her name is Harriet LeBeau, she is the preacher's daughter

She's got three freckles on her nose, and she sips on holy water

In a Sunday morning cotton dress, you'd swear she's good as gold

But as the weekly hours progress, a darker tale unfolds,

She lets her long hair down, and shimmies into town."

chorus:

"Swing Hot, Sweet Harriet, walking down the lane

when you swing that thing with all you've got, the boys all go insane

No you won't hear them complain".

This song won't have you complaining either.

"One of Us is Lying" (John Bohlinger) Stacey Lee on lead. I thought that this gorgeous sultry ballad with a sense of humor would be a great follow-up to Harriet. I didn't know that it had already been released as a single from their previous album "All Dolled Up". Great song that doesn't chart well? No surprise these days.

"You say your heart is always true, and I say my love is undying

but I know me and I know you, one of us is lying."

and later:

"Honesty is overrated, your kind words are appreciated

I rather make my bed with a warm soft lie, than have a hard cold truth make me cry all night."

"Old Dance Floor" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) a Shane and Stacey uptempo duet.

Shane begins the duet: "Monday through Friday the boss is on my back

when that whistle blows I hit the road with a pocket full of cash".

Stacey joins the party with: "I'm gonna shine up my buckle, I'm gonna polish up my boots

we're gonna find a little trouble, something we can get in to".

Other songs I like from "Now Playing":

"Slow Boat to China" (Frank Loesser) Stacey sings this 1948 pop standard.

"Swingtime Lullabye" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) another Stacey and Shane duet, this time a ballad.

"The Last Waltz" (Joe Hash) Stacey

"Swing Thing" (Shane Guse & Jason McCoy) Shane

"Livin' a Dream" (Stacey Lee Guse & Matthew Lima) Stacey

"Miss Molly" (Cindy Walker) Shane sings this 1942 song.

"Rocket to the Moon" (Colin James) Stacey

"Cowtown Queen" (Dan Howlett & Shane Guse) Shane

 

from the "All Dolled Up" album:

"I've Got a Feeling" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) Stacey sings this bluesy ballad that sounds like it came from the 1940's. It begins:

"I've got a feelin' that you don't love me any more

It's got me to thinkin', I should just walk out the door."

the song concludes:

"I've got a feeling, there's nothing I can do

so why make a fuss, soon there'll be no more us

cause I've got a feelin' we're through."

"All Dolled Up" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) Shane on lead vocals for this uptempo tune:

"hold on to your hearts boys, look but you can't touch

my baby when she's all dolled up"

"Any Old Time" (Jimmie Rodgers) from 1929, Stacey on lead

 

A few favorites from their debut cd, "Western Swing Authority":

"Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye" (Jeannie Seely) Stacey

"All of Me" (Words - Gerald Marks, Music - Seymour Simons) from 1931, Stacey

Western Swing music lovers may find more to like than I did on the WSA's first two albums. This new "Now Playing" cd has me won over. Love the album and Stacey Lee is already one of my favorite female vocalists. I would add the WSA to my list of favorite Canadian country artists that includes Anne Murray, Terri Clark and Lisa Brokop.

Thanks again to Country Perspective for bringing this great band to my attention. CP is one of the country blogs that does not praise every song it reviews. They rate on a scale of zero to ten and have handed out zeros. Country Universe, My Kind of Country and For the Country Record are a few others I'm aware of that rate objectively.

I am not an authority on Western Swing music but I do like some of it - even though it's usually associated with dancing and I don't dance. Suzy Bogguss had an album called "Swing" that I really liked and some Gene Watson songs are western swing like "All Hat No Cattle", "Memories to Burn", etc. When I think of western swing I also think of that tall dude from Philly who made his fortune in Texas, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. He sang a duet with Suzy B on Swing, "Cupid Shot Us Both with One Arrow."

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the Western Swing Authority. I stumbled upon a fairly new country music blog (began in 2014 I think) called Country Perspective and found a review of WSA's 3rd and latest album, "Now Playing". I checked out the songs on you-tube and i-Tunes and bought "Now Playing"  plus some songs from their first two albums.

The WSA is a seven-piece Canadian band made up of Shane Guse, wife - Stacey Lee Guse, Dan Howlett, Matthew Lima, Ed "Pee Wee Charles" Ringwald, Jim Boudreau and Paul Chapman. Some one called them a Canadian version of the Time Jumpers. Stacey is the primary lead vocalist with Shane taking the lead occasionally. The musicians have all won awards. Check the band's website for details.

The song titles will be followed by the names of the songwriters in parenthesis, the lead singer, maybe a comment, and for my favorites, a partial lyric.

The first single from "Now Playing", "Sweet Harriet", was released on January 27, 2015 according to i-Tunes. Was it released only on Canadian country radio? I don't know.

"Sweet Harriet" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) tells the story about Harriet LeBeau and what her daddy didn't know. How can you not like a swingin' fun song with fiddles that mentions freckles in the first verse? Stacey Lee Duce sings lead. Wow. Is she great!

"Her name is Harriet LeBeau, she is the preacher's daughter

She's got three freckles on her nose, and she sips on holy water

In a Sunday morning cotton dress, you'd swear she's good as gold

But as the weekly hours progress, a darker tale unfolds,

She lets her long hair down, and shimmies into town."

chorus:

"Swing Hot, Sweet Harriet, walking down the lane

when you swing that thing with all you've got, the boys all go insane

No you won't hear them complain".

This song won't have you complaining either.

"One of Us is Lying" (John Bohlinger) Stacey Lee on lead. I thought that this gorgeous sultry ballad with a sense of humor would be a great follow-up to Harriet. I didn't know that it had already been released as a single from their previous album "All Dolled Up". Great song that doesn't chart well? No surprise these days.

"You say your heart is always true, and I say my love is undying

but I know me and I know you, one of us is lying."

and later:

"Honesty is overrated, your kind words are appreciated

I rather make my bed with a warm soft lie, than have a hard cold truth make me cry all night."

"Old Dance Floor" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) a Shane and Stacey uptempo duet.

Shane begins the duet: "Monday through Friday the boss is on my back

when that whistle blows I hit the road with a pocket full of cash".

Stacey joins the party with: "I'm gonna shine up my buckle, I'm gonna polish up my boots

we're gonna find a little trouble, something we can get in to".

Other songs I like from "Now Playing":

"Slow Boat to China" (Frank Loesser) Stacey sings this 1948 pop standard.

"Swingtime Lullabye" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) another Stacey and Shane duet, this time a ballad.

"The Last Waltz" (Joe Hash) Stacey

"Swing Thing" (Shane Guse & Jason McCoy) Shane

"Livin' a Dream" (Stacey Lee Guse & Matthew Lima) Stacey

"Miss Molly" (Cindy Walker) Shane sings this 1942 song.

"Rocket to the Moon" (Colin James) Stacey

"Cowtown Queen" (Dan Howlett & Shane Guse) Shane

 

from the "All Dolled Up" album:

"I've Got a Feeling" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) Stacey sings this bluesy ballad that sounds like it came from the 1940's. It begins:

"I've got a feelin' that you don't love me any more

It's got me to thinkin', I should just walk out the door."

the song concludes:

"I've got a feeling, there's nothing I can do

so why make a fuss, soon there'll be no more us

cause I've got a feelin' we're through."

"All Dolled Up" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) Shane on lead vocals for this uptempo tune:

"hold on to your hearts boys, look but you can't touch

my baby when she's all dolled up"

"Any Old Time" (Jimmie Rodgers) from 1929, Stacey on lead

 

A few favorites from their debut cd, "Western Swing Authority":

"Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye" (Jeannie Seely) Stacey

"All of Me" (Words - Gerald Marks, Music - Seymour Simons) from 1931, Stacey

Western Swing music lovers may find more to like than I did on the WSA's first two albums. This new "Now Playing" cd has me won over. Love the album and Stacey Lee is already one of my favorite female vocalists. I would add the WSA to my list of favorite Canadian country artists that includes Anne Murray, Terri Clark and Lisa Brokop.

Thanks again to Country Perspective for bringing this great band to my attention. CP is one of the country blogs that does not praise every song it reviews. They rate on a scale of zero to ten and have handed out zeros. Country Universe, My Kind of Country and For the Country Record are a few others I'm aware of that rate objectively.

The Western Swing Authority

I am not an authority on Western Swing music but I do like some of it - even though it's usually associated with dancing and I don't dance. Suzy Bogguss had an album called "Swing" that I really liked and some Gene Watson songs are western swing like "All Hat No Cattle", "Memories to Burn", etc. When I think of western swing I also think of that tall dude from Philly who made his fortune in Texas, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. He sang a duet with Suzy B on Swing, "Cupid Shot Us Both with One Arrow."

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the Western Swing Authority. I stumbled upon a fairly new country music blog (began in 2014 I think) called Country Perspective and found a review of WSA's 3rd and latest album, "Now Playing". I checked out the songs on you-tube and i-Tunes and bought "Now Playing"  plus some songs from their first two albums.

The WSA is a seven-piece Canadian band made up of Shane Guse, wife - Stacey Lee Guse, Dan Howlett, Matthew Lima, Ed "Pee Wee Charles" Ringwald, Jim Boudreau and Paul Chapman. Some one called them a Canadian version of the Time Jumpers. Stacey is the primary lead vocalist with Shane taking the lead occasionally. The musicians have all won awards. Check the band's website for details.

The song titles will be followed by the names of the songwriters in parenthesis, the lead singer, maybe a comment, and for my favorites, a partial lyric.

The first single from "Now Playing", "Sweet Harriet", was released on January 27, 2015 according to i-Tunes. Was it released only on Canadian country radio? I don't know.

"Sweet Harriet" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) tells the story about Harriet LeBeau and what her daddy didn't know. How can you not like a swingin' fun song with fiddles that mentions freckles in the first verse? Stacey Lee Duce sings lead. Wow. Is she great!

"Her name is Harriet LeBeau, she is the preacher's daughter

She's got three freckles on her nose, and she sips on holy water

In a Sunday morning cotton dress, you'd swear she's good as gold

But as the weekly hours progress, a darker tale unfolds,

She lets her long hair down, and shimmies into town."

chorus:

"Swing Hot, Sweet Harriet, walking down the lane

when you swing that thing with all you've got, the boys all go insane

No you won't hear them complain".

This song won't have you complaining either.

"One of Us is Lying" (John Bohlinger) Stacey Lee on lead. I thought that this gorgeous sultry ballad with a sense of humor would be a great follow-up to Harriet. I didn't know that it had already been released as a single from their previous album "All Dolled Up". Great song that doesn't chart well? No surprise these days.

"You say your heart is always true, and I say my love is undying

but I know me and I know you, one of us is lying."

and later:

"Honesty is overrated, your kind words are appreciated

I rather make my bed with a warm soft lie, than have a hard cold truth make me cry all night."

"Old Dance Floor" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) a Shane and Stacey uptempo duet.

Shane begins the duet: "Monday through Friday the boss is on my back

when that whistle blows I hit the road with a pocket full of cash".

Stacey joins the party with: "I'm gonna shine up my buckle, I'm gonna polish up my boots

we're gonna find a little trouble, something we can get in to".

Other songs I like from "Now Playing":

"Slow Boat to China" (Frank Loesser) Stacey sings this 1948 pop standard.

"Swingtime Lullabye" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) another Stacey and Shane duet, this time a ballad.

"The Last Waltz" (Joe Hash) Stacey

"Swing Thing" (Shane Guse & Jason McCoy) Shane

"Livin' a Dream" (Stacey Lee Guse & Matthew Lima) Stacey

"Miss Molly" (Cindy Walker) Shane sings this 1942 song.

"Rocket to the Moon" (Colin James) Stacey

"Cowtown Queen" (Dan Howlett & Shane Guse) Shane

 

from the "All Dolled Up" album:

"I've Got a Feeling" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) Stacey sings this bluesy ballad that sounds like it came from the 1940's. It begins:

"I've got a feelin' that you don't love me any more

It's got me to thinkin', I should just walk out the door."

the song concludes:

"I've got a feeling, there's nothing I can do

so why make a fuss, soon there'll be no more us

cause I've got a feelin' we're through."

"All Dolled Up" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) Shane on lead vocals for this uptempo tune:

"hold on to your hearts boys, look but you can't touch

my baby when she's all dolled up"

"Any Old Time" (Jimmie Rodgers) from 1929, Stacey on lead

 

A few favorites from their debut cd, "Western Swing Authority":

"Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye" (Jeannie Seely) Stacey

"All of Me" (Words - Gerald Marks, Music - Seymour Simons) from 1931, Stacey

Western Swing music lovers may find more to like than I did on the WSA's first two albums. This new "Now Playing" cd has me won over. Love the album and Stacey Lee is already one of my favorite female vocalists. I would add the WSA to my list of favorite Canadian country artists that includes Anne Murray, Terri Clark and Lisa Brokop.

Thanks again to Country Perspective for bringing this great band to my attention. CP is one of the country blogs that does not praise every song it reviews. They rate on a scale of zero to ten and have handed out zeros. Country Universe, My Kind of Country and For the Country Record are a few others I'm aware of that rate objectively.

So Sad Again - for the last of the Everly Brothers

Margaret Everly, the 102 year old mother of the Everly Brothers is still with us. God Bless her. Son Don just died on August 21, 2021. The internet is full of tributes. Here's what I wrote over 7 years ago when brother Phil passed.

January 07, 2014

The Everly Brothers - So Sad

Phil Everly died on January 3rd, about 2 weeks shy of his 75th birthday. You can read the obits from Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the L.A. Times and many other on-line sources. Artists like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel have acknowledged the influence of the Everly Brothers on their music.  Older brother and lead singer Don will turn 77 on February 1st. The Everly Brothers were one of the first singers I liked as a kid. I was 11 in 1957 when first I heard them sing Bye Bye Love on one of the rock radio stations in NYC. Their harmonies were incredible.  For 5 years, 1957 - 1962, the brothers were one of the top hitmakers with songs like Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream, Til I Kissed You, Cathy's Clown, When Will I Be Loved, Let It Be Me, Walk Right Back and Crying in the Rain.

The brothers also did some songwriting. A check of BMI shows that Phil had 154 "work titles" and Don had 69. Phil was the sole writer for When Will I Be Loved. Together they wrote Gone Gone Gone and Phil co-wrote Up In Mabel's Room and God Bless Older Ladies with Terry Slater. Don was the sole writer for Cathy's Clown, Til I Kissed You, So Sad, Born Yesterday, I Wonder If I Care As Much, Maybe Tomorrow, Oh What a Feeling and Since You Broke My Heart. (BMI is a PRO - Performing Rights Organization, along with ASCAP & SESAC.  See my post of 4/14/10, Searching the PRO's.)

Here are some of my favorite Everly songs among their album tracks and lesser known singles. The names of the writers appear in parenthesis after the song title followed by a lyric reminder and maybe a comment: 

Mention My Name in Sheboygan (Bob Hilliard, Sammy Mysels & Dick Sandford) "but please don't tell them where I am". Written in 1947, it sounds like it could be from the Roaring 20's or the Gay Nineties (the 1890's). A frantic pace for 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Up in Mabel's Room (Phil & Terry Slater) - "winner or dud you feel like a stud, up in Mabel's room".

The Bryants, Felice and Boudleaux, wrote a ballad in which the guy winds up in jail and an uptempo song in which the girl winds up in jail. The songs were released on the same 45 rpm record. The "A" side was "Take a Message to Mary" and the "B" or flip side was "Poor Jenny". I have the Cadence 45. It was rare that the flip side of a 45 was any good but Everly 45's flip sides were better than most.

the Mary song:

"Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her I had to see the world or tell that my ship set sail
You can say she better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail"

the Jenny song:

"Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny"

Two more ladies (we've already dealt with Susie, Cathy, Mary & Jenny):

Claudette (Roy Orbison) the flip side of All I Have to Do Is Dream.

"She's the greatest little girl that I've ever met
I get the best lovin that I'll ever get
From Claudette, pretty little pet Claudette
Oh oh Claudette".

Lucille (Albert Collins & Richard Penniman)

"Lucille,
Please come back where you belong
I've been good to you baby,
Please don't leave me alone".

a few more Everly songs:

Like Strangers (Boudleaux Bryant)

"Let's forget that we've been angry.
Let's be lovers like before.
And swear not to be like strangers anymore".

Don't Say Goodnight (Jim Photoglo & Brian Neary)

"One more hour, if we could;
You make me feel so good
Say it's all right
Darlin', don't say goodnight".

Don't Blame Me (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields) "for falling in love with you", a standard from 1932, covered over 100 times but I can't imagine a better version.

That's Old Fashioned (Bill Giant, Berbie Baum & Florence Kaye) mid-tempo ode to old fashioned love.

"I'm the kind who loves only one
So the boys say I'm old fashioned
Let them laugh, honey I don't mind
I've made plans for a wedding day for you and me
That's old fashioned, that's the way love should be".

Torture (John D. Loudermilk) the flip side of Gone, Gone, Gone (which was most recently covered by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.)

"You know that I'm crazy about you
Yet you make me do without you
Do you mean to hurt, or don't you see
You're torturing me, torturing me"

How Can I Meet Her (Gerry Goffin & Jack Keller)

"I hate that stuck-up so-&-so
But there's one thing I gotta know
Where 's she live, what's her number & how can I meet her?"

Stories We Could Tell (John Sebastian - of Lovin' Spoonful fame)

"So if you're on the road a-trackin' down your every night

And singin' for a livin' 'neath the brightly colored light

And if you ever wonder why you ride this carousel

You did it for the stories you could tell".

The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Jesse Winchester)

"At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
You're literally waltzing on air
At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
There's no telling who will be there".

and finally,

Bowling Green (Terry Slater)   

"Way down in Bowling Green
Prettiest girls I've ever seen
A man in Kentucky
Sure is lucky
To live down in Bowling Green".

What are your favorite Everly songs besides their big hits?

Phil Everly died on January 3rd, about 2 weeks shy of his 75th birthday. You can read the obits from Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the L.A. Times and many other on-line sources. Artists like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel have acknowledged the influence of the Everly Brothers on their music.  Older brother and lead singer Don will turn 77 on February 1st. The Everly Brothers were one of the first singers I liked as a kid. I was 11 in 1957 when first I heard them sing Bye Bye Love on one of the rock radio stations in NYC. Their harmonies were incredible.  For 5 years, 1957 - 1962, the brothers were one of the top hitmakers with songs like Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream, Til I Kissed You, Cathy's Clown, When Will I Be Loved, Let It Be Me, Walk Right Back and Crying in the Rain.

The brothers also did some songwriting. A check of BMI shows that Phil had 154 "work titles" and Don had 69. Phil was the sole writer for When Will I Be Loved. Together they wrote Gone Gone Gone and Phil co-wrote Up In Mabel's Room and God Bless Older Ladies with Terry Slater. Don was the sole writer for Cathy's Clown, Til I Kissed You, So Sad, Born Yesterday, I Wonder If I Care As Much, Maybe Tomorrow, Oh What a Feeling and Since You Broke My Heart. (BMI is a PRO - Performing Rights Organization, along with ASCAP & SESAC.  See my post of 4/14/10, Searching the PRO's.)

Here are some of my favorite Everly songs among their album tracks and lesser known singles. The names of the writers appear in parenthesis after the song title followed by a lyric reminder and maybe a comment: 

Mention My Name in Sheboygan (Bob Hilliard, Sammy Mysels & Dick Sandford) "but please don't tell them where I am". Written in 1947, it sounds like it could be from the Roaring 20's or the Gay Nineties (the 1890's). A frantic pace for 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Up in Mabel's Room (Phil & Terry Slater) - "winner or dud you feel like a stud, up in Mabel's room".

The Bryants, Felice and Boudleaux, wrote a ballad in which the guy winds up in jail and an uptempo song in which the girl winds up in jail. The songs were released on the same 45 rpm record. The "A" side was "Take a Message to Mary" and the "B" or flip side was "Poor Jenny". I have the Cadence 45. It was rare that the flip side of a 45 was any good but Everly 45's flip sides were better than most.

the Mary song:

"Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her I had to see the world or tell that my ship set sail
You can say she better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail"

the Jenny song:

"Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny"

Two more ladies (we've already dealt with Susie, Cathy, Mary & Jenny):

Claudette (Roy Orbison) the flip side of All I Have to Do Is Dream.

"She's the greatest little girl that I've ever met
I get the best lovin that I'll ever get
From Claudette, pretty little pet Claudette
Oh oh Claudette".

Lucille (Albert Collins & Richard Penniman)

"Lucille,
Please come back where you belong
I've been good to you baby,
Please don't leave me alone".

a few more Everly songs:

Like Strangers (Boudleaux Bryant)

"Let's forget that we've been angry.
Let's be lovers like before.
And swear not to be like strangers anymore".

Don't Say Goodnight (Jim Photoglo & Brian Neary)

"One more hour, if we could;
You make me feel so good
Say it's all right
Darlin', don't say goodnight".

Don't Blame Me (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields) "for falling in love with you", a standard from 1932, covered over 100 times but I can't imagine a better version.

That's Old Fashioned (Bill Giant, Berbie Baum & Florence Kaye) mid-tempo ode to old fashioned love.

"I'm the kind who loves only one
So the boys say I'm old fashioned
Let them laugh, honey I don't mind
I've made plans for a wedding day for you and me
That's old fashioned, that's the way love should be".

Torture (John D. Loudermilk) the flip side of Gone, Gone, Gone (which was most recently covered by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.)

"You know that I'm crazy about you
Yet you make me do without you
Do you mean to hurt, or don't you see
You're torturing me, torturing me"

How Can I Meet Her (Gerry Goffin & Jack Keller)

"I hate that stuck-up so-&-so
But there's one thing I gotta know
Where 's she live, what's her number & how can I meet her?"

Stories We Could Tell (John Sebastian - of Lovin' Spoonful fame)

"So if you're on the road a-trackin' down your every night

And singin' for a livin' 'neath the brightly colored light

And if you ever wonder why you ride this carousel

You did it for the stories you could tell".

The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Jesse Winchester)

"At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
You're literally waltzing on air
At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
There's no telling who will be there".

and finally,

Bowling Green (Terry Slater)   

"Way down in Bowling Green
Prettiest girls I've ever seen
A man in Kentucky
Sure is lucky
To live down in Bowling Green".

What are your favorite Everly songs besides their big hits?

The Everly Brothers - So Sad

Phil Everly died on January 3rd, about 2 weeks shy of his 75th birthday. You can read the obits from Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the L.A. Times and many other on-line sources. Artists like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel have acknowledged the influence of the Everly Brothers on their music.  Older brother and lead singer Don will turn 77 on February 1st. The Everly Brothers were one of the first singers I liked as a kid. I was 11 in 1957 when first I heard them sing Bye Bye Love on one of the rock radio stations in NYC. Their harmonies were incredible.  For 5 years, 1957 - 1962, the brothers were one of the top hitmakers with songs like Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream, Til I Kissed You, Cathy's Clown, When Will I Be Loved, Let It Be Me, Walk Right Back and Crying in the Rain.

The brothers also did some songwriting. A check of BMI shows that Phil had 154 "work titles" and Don had 69. Phil was the sole writer for When Will I Be Loved. Together they wrote Gone Gone Gone and Phil co-wrote Up In Mabel's Room and God Bless Older Ladies with Terry Slater. Don was the sole writer for Cathy's Clown, Til I Kissed You, So Sad, Born Yesterday, I Wonder If I Care As Much, Maybe Tomorrow, Oh What a Feeling and Since You Broke My Heart. (BMI is a PRO - Performing Rights Organization, along with ASCAP & SESAC.  See my post of 4/14/10, Searching the PRO's.)

Here are some of my favorite Everly songs among their album tracks and lesser known singles. The names of the writers appear in parenthesis after the song title followed by a lyric reminder and maybe a comment: 

Mention My Name in Sheboygan (Bob Hilliard, Sammy Mysels & Dick Sandford) "but please don't tell them where I am". Written in 1947, it sounds like it could be from the Roaring 20's or the Gay Nineties (the 1890's). A frantic pace for 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Up in Mabel's Room (Phil & Terry Slater) - "winner or dud you feel like a stud, up in Mabel's room".

The Bryants, Felice and Boudleaux, wrote a ballad in which the guy winds up in jail and an uptempo song in which the girl winds up in jail. The songs were released on the same 45 rpm record. The "A" side was "Take a Message to Mary" and the "B" or flip side was "Poor Jenny". I have the Cadence 45. It was rare that the flip side of a 45 was any good but Everly 45's flip sides were better than most.

the Mary song:

"Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her I had to see the world or tell that my ship set sail
You can say she better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail"

the Jenny song:

"Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny"

Two more ladies (we've already dealt with Susie, Cathy, Mary & Jenny):

Claudette (Roy Orbison) the flip side of All I Have to Do Is Dream.

"She's the greatest little girl that I've ever met
I get the best lovin that I'll ever get
From Claudette, pretty little pet Claudette
Oh oh Claudette".

Lucille (Albert Collins & Richard Penniman)

"Lucille,
Please come back where you belong
I've been good to you baby,
Please don't leave me alone".

a few more Everly songs:

Like Strangers (Boudleaux Bryant)

"Let's forget that we've been angry.
Let's be lovers like before.
And swear not to be like strangers anymore".

Don't Say Goodnight (Jim Photoglo & Brian Neary)

"One more hour, if we could;
You make me feel so good
Say it's all right
Darlin', don't say goodnight".

Don't Blame Me (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields) "for falling in love with you", a standard from 1932, covered over 100 times but I can't imagine a better version.

That's Old Fashioned (Bill Giant, Berbie Baum & Florence Kaye) mid-tempo ode to old fashioned love.

"I'm the kind who loves only one
So the boys say I'm old fashioned
Let them laugh, honey I don't mind
I've made plans for a wedding day for you and me
That's old fashioned, that's the way love should be".

Torture (John D. Loudermilk) the flip side of Gone, Gone, Gone (which was most recently covered by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.)

"You know that I'm crazy about you
Yet you make me do without you
Do you mean to hurt, or don't you see
You're torturing me, torturing me"

How Can I Meet Her (Gerry Goffin & Jack Keller)

"I hate that stuck-up so-&-so
But there's one thing I gotta know
Where 's she live, what's her number & how can I meet her?"

Stories We Could Tell (John Sebastian - of Lovin' Spoonful fame)

"So if you're on the road a-trackin' down your every night

And singin' for a livin' 'neath the brightly colored light

And if you ever wonder why you ride this carousel

You did it for the stories you could tell".

The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Jesse Winchester)

"At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
You're literally waltzing on air
At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
There's no telling who will be there".

and finally,

Bowling Green (Terry Slater)   

"Way down in Bowling Green
Prettiest girls I've ever seen
A man in Kentucky
Sure is lucky
To live down in Bowling Green".

What are your favorite Everly songs besides their big hits?

Sunday Drive and a Drive for a Sundae

One of my favorite songs these days is the title track of Brett Eldredge's latest album, Sunday Drive, which was released July 10, 2020. The Sunday Drive song was written by Barry Dean, Steve Robson and Don Mescall about a dozen years ago. From the reviews I've read it has received almost universal praise - yet it wasn't chosen for release as a single. "Gabrielle" the first single  has been followed by "Good Day", both good songs but nowhere near as good as "Sunday Drive". Could it's length of 4:54 be a factor?

Rolling Stone called it:

"a stages-of-life ballad about being driven around by your parents as a vulnerable tyke, but, in a hallmark of great country songwriting, it flips the script for a weeper of a final verse. All grown up, the narrator is now helping his aging mom and dad into the car’s back seat for their weekly ride."

 

Part of the lyrics:

They didn't ever say where we were going
We just climbed into the backseat
Eyes wide open to the picture show outside
I guess we really didn't understand it all
Remember looking up at them in the front row
Hands touched together, almost out of sight
It's been a long, hard week, but now the slow release
Of a Sunday afternoon

 

And we were only young
But they were trying hard to reach us
How was I to know
That there was something so worth keepin'?

 

Chorus:

'Cause we were
Watching the world through an open window
Trees lined up like dominoes
This old car could find its own way home
It's the ordinary things that mean so much
That's where I learned it all from them
To fight, to love, to laugh again
Man, I thought we were only wasting time
Out on a Sunday drive

 

Bridge:

The sun warms your soul just like an old friend
Singing songs along that ribbon of a road
And everyone you love is sitting there so close
You're never thinking that you'd ever get old
No, you'll never get old

 

Repeat Chorus:

 

I never said where we were going
I just helped them to the backseat
Dad just laughed and said, "Son, don't drive too far
Your momma gets pretty tired these days"
After a few miles I guess they recognized some places
And I listened as they reminisced
About a world that they had always known
And how it's changin'
Probably never gonna be the same again

 

I caught 'em in the mirror
They were holding hands and smiling
Looking younger than they'd been in years
Oh, through all the years

 

 

I remember a drive on Long Island probably in the mid-1950's that may or may not have been on a Sunday but it included a stop for a Sundae.

August 30, 2008

Davy Crockett Sundaes In Front of the Alamo

If you combine a love of American history with a love of music, you've got to love Gary Burr's great song "In Front of the Alamo". Allusions to one of the most famous battles in American history are combined with the story of a woman's love gone bad because of her husband's infidelity, a type of behavior unfortunately not limited to arrogant, duplicitous politicians. The couple met as tourists in front of the Alamo. The second verse ends "she wanted trust, she wanted truth, the two things he found hard to do. So forever was shorter than she planned". (The lives of the defenders of the Alamo were shorter than they planned.) She returns to the Alamo so that she can move on. The bridge begins "she didn't come for inspiration or to breathe the mighty dust of heroes lost". The third verse ends "maybe something in the air makes the timid braver there, to cross the line that they've drawn in the sand". The tag chorus completes the analogy "they held on she lets go" (they were brave by holding on she by letting go) and concludes "in front of the Alamo, that's a pretty good place to make a stand".

In addition to the brilliant lyrics and melody, the song had the advantage of being performed by the great Hal Ketchum with perfectly blending harmonies provided by LeAnn Rimes. Yet the song was not a hit. Maybe it didn't get enough airplay. I did hear it a few times on the radio. If George Strait attempted to sing it, it would have been song of the year. I guess that many of us who are really moved by a song want the world to hear it and love it to validate our opinion. None of us are entirely devoid of ego.

The song made me recall watching the Disney Davy Crockett series of the 1950's featuring Fess Parker and Buddy Epsen. I was 8 when the first episode aired and I loved it, couldn't wait to see the next Sunday night episode. The theme song, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" often ran through my mind  - "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, ... killed him a bear when he was only three", etc. I was glad when they added 2 extra episodes after the first three. I liked the Mike Fink riverboat episode.

I recall my mother and maybe it was my "aunt" Ruth (a close friend of my mother's from Alabama originally) taking my two brothers, Rick and Chris, and I on a drive somewhere on Long Island where they bought us each a Davy Crockett sundae. I think it was made in the shape of a coonskin cap. Both brothers remember the event and Chris says it had coconut on it and tasted awful. Although I haven't found anything on the internet about a Davy Crockett sundae, it's not surprising that some ice cream vendor would try to capitalize on the Crockett craze since they were marketing everything Davy Crockett those days, from games and lunchboxes (I took a metal lunchbox to school but I don't remember if it bore the image of Mr. Crockett.) to, yes, coonskin caps. If somehow Davy could have been given a small piece of the action he probably never would have gone to the Alamo. I grew up in the borough of Queens on Long Island but the place where we bought those sundaes may have been further out on the island in Nassau or Suffolk county. Kids don't pay attention to what roads are taken to get anywhere, not until they themselves scare their parents by getting behind the wheel.

For those who would like to read about Davy Crockett and the Alamo I would recommend "Three Roads to the Alamo, the Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barrett Travis" by William C. Davis and "The Frontiersman, The Life and Legend of Davy Crockett" by Mark Derr. The former has the advantage of delving into the interesting lives of Jim Bowie and Travis. Before reading the Davis book all I knew of Mr. Bowie was that he was at the Alamo and was famous for the Bowie knife. Of Mr. Travis I knew less.

(I just discovered that the Alamo legend as described in these books and the Disney TV shows may be more myth than an accurate history. I will be reading a book published a few months ago titled "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth", written by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson & Jason Stanford. Further comment will be provided after my reading and further research is completed.)

Mr. Burr has written or co-written many fine songs in addition to "In Front of the Alamo" which was a solo effort. I'm sure that many country music fans are familiar with Hal Ketchum's "Sure Love", Juice Newton's "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless, Lisa Brokop's "West of Crazy", Wynonna's "To Be Loved By You", Diamond Rio's "In a Week or Two", Collin Raye's "Man of my Word", Doug Stone's "Too Busy Being in Love", Terri Clark's "Empty" and Ty Herndon's "Heart Half Empty", a duet with Stephanie Bentley, and also Ty's hit "What Mattered Most".

If you combine a love of American history with a love of music, you've got to love Gary Burr's great song "In Front of the Alamo". Allusions to one of the most famous battles in American history are combined with the story of a woman's love gone bad because of her husband's infidelity, a type of behavior unfortunately not limited to arrogant, duplicitous politicians. The couple met as tourists in front of the Alamo. The second verse ends "she wanted trust, she wanted truth, the two things he found hard to do. So forever was shorter than she planned". (The lives of the defenders of the Alamo were shorter than they planned.) She returns to the Alamo so that she can move on. The bridge begins "she didn't come for inspiration or to breathe the mighty dust of heroes lost". The third verse ends "maybe something in the air makes the timid braver there, to cross the line that they've drawn in the sand". The tag chorus completes the analogy "they held on she lets go" (they were brave by holding on she by letting go) and concludes "in front of the Alamo, that's a pretty good place to make a stand".

In addition to the brilliant lyrics and melody, the song had the advantage of being performed by the great Hal Ketchum with perfectly blending harmonies provided by LeAnn Rimes. Yet the song was not a hit. Maybe it didn't get enough airplay. I did hear it a few times on the radio. If George Strait attempted to sing it, it would have been song of the year. I guess that many of us who are really moved by a song want the world to hear it and love it to validate our opinion. None of us are entirely devoid of ego.

The song made me recall watching the Disney Davy Crockett series of the 1950's featuring Fess Parker and Buddy Epsen. I was 8 when the first episode aired and I loved it, couldn't wait to see the next Sunday night episode. The theme song, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" often ran through my mind  - "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, ... killed him a bear when he was only three", etc. I was glad when they added 2 extra episodes after the first three. I liked the Mike Fink riverboat episode.

I recall my mother and maybe it was my "aunt" Ruth (a close friend of my mother's from Alabama originally) taking my two brothers, Rick and Chris, and I on a drive somewhere on Long Island where they bought us each a Davy Crockett sundae. I think it was made in the shape of a coonskin cap. Both brothers remember the event and Chris says it had coconut on it and tasted awful. Although I haven't found anything on the internet about a Davy Crockett sundae, it's not surprising that some ice cream vendor would try to capitalize on the Crockett craze since they were marketing everything Davy Crockett those days, from games and lunchboxes (I took a metal lunchbox to school but I don't remember if it bore the image of Mr. Crockett.) to, yes, coonskin caps. If somehow Davy could have been given a small piece of the action he probably never would have gone to the Alamo. I grew up in the borough of Queens on Long Island but the place where we bought those sundaes may have been further out on the island in Nassau or Suffolk county. Kids don't pay attention to what roads are taken to get anywhere, not until they themselves scare their parents by getting behind the wheel.

For those who would like to read about Davy Crockett and the Alamo I would recommend "Three Roads to the Alamo, the Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barrett Travis" by William C. Davis and "The Frontiersman, The Life and Legend of Davy Crockett" by Mark Derr. The former has the advantage of delving into the interesting lives of Jim Bowie and Travis. Before reading the Davis book all I knew of Mr. Bowie was that he was at the Alamo and was famous for the Bowie knife. Of Mr. Travis I knew less.

(I just discovered that the Alamo legend as described in these books and the Disney TV shows may be more myth than an accurate history. I will be reading a book published a few months ago titled "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth", written by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson & Jason Stanford. Further comment will be provided after my reading and further research is completed.)

Mr. Burr has written or co-written many fine songs in addition to "In Front of the Alamo" which was a solo effort. I'm sure that many country music fans are familiar with Hal Ketchum's "Sure Love", Juice Newton's "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless, Lisa Brokop's "West of Crazy", Wynonna's "To Be Loved By You", Diamond Rio's "In a Week or Two", Collin Raye's "Man of my Word", Doug Stone's "Too Busy Being in Love", Terri Clark's "Empty" and Ty Herndon's "Heart Half Empty", a duet with Stephanie Bentley, and also Ty's hit "What Mattered Most".

Davy Crockett Sundaes In Front of the Alamo

If you combine a love of American history with a love of music, you've got to love Gary Burr's great song "In Front of the Alamo". Allusions to one of the most famous battles in American history are combined with the story of a woman's love gone bad because of her husband's infidelity, a type of behavior unfortunately not limited to arrogant, duplicitous politicians. The couple met as tourists in front of the Alamo. The second verse ends "she wanted trust, she wanted truth, the two things he found hard to do. So forever was shorter than she planned". (The lives of the defenders of the Alamo were shorter than they planned.) She returns to the Alamo so that she can move on. The bridge begins "she didn't come for inspiration or to breathe the mighty dust of heroes lost". The third verse ends "maybe something in the air makes the timid braver there, to cross the line that they've drawn in the sand". The tag chorus completes the analogy "they held on she lets go" (they were brave by holding on she by letting go) and concludes "in front of the Alamo, that's a pretty good place to make a stand".

In addition to the brilliant lyrics and melody, the song had the advantage of being performed by the great Hal Ketchum with perfectly blending harmonies provided by LeAnn Rimes. Yet the song was not a hit. Maybe it didn't get enough airplay. I did hear it a few times on the radio. If George Strait attempted to sing it, it would have been song of the year. I guess that many of us who are really moved by a song want the world to hear it and love it to validate our opinion. None of us are entirely devoid of ego.

The song made me recall watching the Disney Davy Crockett series of the 1950's featuring Fess Parker and Buddy Epsen. I was 8 when the first episode aired and I loved it, couldn't wait to see the next Sunday night episode. The theme song, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" often ran through my mind  - "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, ... killed him a bear when he was only three", etc. I was glad when they added 2 extra episodes after the first three. I liked the Mike Fink riverboat episode.

I recall my mother and maybe it was my "aunt" Ruth (a close friend of my mother's from Alabama originally) taking my two brothers, Rick and Chris, and I on a drive somewhere on Long Island where they bought us each a Davy Crockett sundae. I think it was made in the shape of a coonskin cap. Both brothers remember the event and Chris says it had coconut on it and tasted awful. Although I haven't found anything on the internet about a Davy Crockett sundae, it's not surprising that some ice cream vendor would try to capitalize on the Crockett craze since they were marketing everything Davy Crockett those days, from games and lunchboxes (I took a metal lunchbox to school but I don't remember if it bore the image of Mr. Crockett.) to, yes, coonskin caps. If somehow Davy could have been given a small piece of the action he probably never would have gone to the Alamo. I grew up in the borough of Queens on Long Island but the place where we bought those sundaes may have been further out on the island in Nassau or Suffolk county. Kids don't pay attention to what roads are taken to get anywhere, not until they themselves scare their parents by getting behind the wheel.

For those who would like to read about Davy Crockett and the Alamo I would recommend "Three Roads to the Alamo, the Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barrett Travis" by William C. Davis and "The Frontiersman, The Life and Legend of Davy Crockett" by Mark Derr. The former has the advantage of delving into the interesting lives of Jim Bowie and Travis. Before reading the Davis book all I knew of Mr. Bowie was that he was at the Alamo and was famous for the Bowie knife. Of Mr. Travis I knew less.

(I just discovered that the Alamo legend as described in these books and the Disney TV shows may be more myth than an accurate history. I will be reading a book published a few months ago titled "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth", written by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson & Jason Stanford. Further comment will be provided after my reading and further research is completed.)

Mr. Burr has written or co-written many fine songs in addition to "In Front of the Alamo" which was a solo effort. I'm sure that many country music fans are familiar with Hal Ketchum's "Sure Love", Juice Newton's "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless, Lisa Brokop's "West of Crazy", Wynonna's "To Be Loved By You", Diamond Rio's "In a Week or Two", Collin Raye's "Man of my Word", Doug Stone's "Too Busy Being in Love", Terri Clark's "Empty" and Ty Herndon's "Heart Half Empty", a duet with Stephanie Bentley, and also Ty's hit "What Mattered Most".

Favorite Country Album Tracks, Part 5

After a prolonged pause, it's time for another 10 pack of favorite country songs that were never released as singles. In each post, I have provided the song title followed by the recording artist, the songwriters (in parenthesis), part of the lyric, the album title, year of release and maybe a comment.

A Room Without a View - Doug Stone (Gary Burr & Doug Stone)

The 9th of 10 tracks on Doug Stone's 8th album, released in 1999, "Make Up in Love". The only singles released from the album were the title track and a cover of "Take a Letter Maria" which was originally written and recorded by R.B. Greaves in 1969.

 

"I need a room without a view
So nothing I see will remind me of you
Just four grey walls
To keep out the light of day

 

Must be a place that I can go   (requirements)
Where I can't look outside and know
That I'm the fool
That let you slip away

 

Closing my eyes won't do
I need a room without a view"

 

Stone - Ashley McBryde ( Nicolette Hayford & Ashley McBryde) from her sophomore album "Never Will", released in 2020. (about the death of her older brother by suicide)

"You sat as still as one at the dinner table
With nothin' to say after grace
You were hard as one 'cause you had to be
Yeah, the oldest ones turn out that way

 

And if I had me one for every time you let me down
I'd build a wall
I guess I did
Yeah, you taught me all about
Which ones sank, and which ones skipped"

Pawn Shop - Brandy Clark (Brandy Clark & Troy Verges), from her 3rd album  "Your Life Is a Record", released in 2020

[Chorus]
"But it ain't stolen, it ain't hot
Someone told me it cost a lot
Man, ain't that the truth
I thought I'd wear it my whole life
It never even crossed my mind
Back when it was new
It'd end up in a pawn shop on Charlotte Avenue"

Matthew -  John Denver (John Denver) (love the banjo beginning at a little past the minute mark of the song) from "An Evening with John Denver" released in 1975.

"So, I wrote this down for Matthew
And it's for him the song is sung
Ridin' on his Daddy's shoulders
Behind a view beneath the sun

 

Yes, and joy was just the thing that he was raised on
Love is just the way to live and die
Gold is just a windy Kansas wheat field
And blue is just a Kansas summer sky"

33, 45, 78   Kathy Mattea (Steve Keys) from her "Lonesome Standard Time" album from 1992.

"I'm spinning like an old turn table
Three speeds going nowhere fast
I hesitate at the door to the future
Holding on to my bitter-sweet past

Me and all of the percolators
Me and all of the rotary phones
Me and all of my vinyl records
Warped and scratched and out of date
33,45,78 goodbye"

 

Something Up My Sleeve - Suzy Bogguss & Billy Dean (Suzi Ragsdale & Verlon Thompson) perfect true duet from her "Something Up My Sleeve" album in 1993.

(Suzy)

"I can't go on, the feelin's gone, I don't know where

I reach down deep inside of my heart, there's nothing there

I know I can't stay with him, still I don't want to leave

I wish I had something up my sleeve.

 

(Billy)

I can't give in, and I can't win 'cause she won't fight

She tells me there's nothing wrong but nothing's right

No matter what I offer, it's never what she needs

I wish I had something up my sleeve.

 

(Both - Suzy & Billy alternate lines)

I can't pretend  (SB)

(She's sorry, I can tell)  (BD)

I wish I could

(I know the feeling well)

It's just no good

It looks like the spell is broken.

 

My magic words

(It's not working anymore)

My slight of hand

(We've been through it all before)

My song and dance

If I can make it through the door, it's over."

 

Faster Than Angels Fly - Big & Rich (Dobo Phillips & Billy Henderson) from their 2007 album "Between Raising  Hell and Amazing Grace".

"A modern day Romeo and Juliet
American Tragedy
Low rent, high-rise lovers who met at the end of
Coronado Street
Crucifixes made in California gold
Two worlds bought to collide
Heaven can't help you if you go
Faster than angels fly

[Chorus:]
Well they burn the candle at both ends
As they danced into the flame
Making love and making plans
Driving Mother Mary insane
Strong as the beads of a rosary
Never too young to die
Some souls only know one speed
Faster than angels fly"

 

Drinking for Two - Kree Harrison (Kree Harrison, Benjy Davis & Mike Walker ) from her debut 2016 "This Old Thing" cd.

"Bartender please don't mind me
Here take my keys, I ain't driving
Just keep this drink full for a fool
Cause I feel about as empty as that stool
So I'm drinking for two

This seat here, I've been saving
Two hours now I've been waiting
Starting to think you changed your mind"

 

The Only Explanation - Cleve Francis  (David Malloy & Randy Sharp) from his 1994 album "You've Got Me Now". (Couldn't find any lyrics on-line so I listened and wrote, again and again. hope i got it right.)

"Officer, Officer, Help me if you would

I'm afraid that someone has been up to no good

When I got home tonight I noticed all her things were gone

But for some odd reason they left all mine alone

 

one thing i can't understand is just what kind of fools

would empty out her closets and leave all my power tools

strange as it may sound it must have been a gang of fools

liked to go out on the town dressed up in women's clothes

 

that's the only explanation what else could it be

i hope you're not thinking that she ran out on me

cause that's not the way it happened if it was i wouldn't have called

that's the only explanation that makes no sense at all,

 

officer officer why do you hesitate,

you better send somebody out here to investigate

now on top of everything she's long over due

so while i've got you on the phone give me missing persons too

 

that's the only explanation ....

 

where a family bible used to sit i found a note

i could tell she did not mean a word of what she wrote

it said she never loved me but i know she loves me still

someone must have made her say those things against her will

 

that's the only explanation ...."

 

Who Am I Foolin' - Cheryl Wheeler (Cheryl Wheeler) from her 1999 Sylvia Hotel cd

"I can go through the motions, sometimes I swear I'm ok
Sure I miss you, but I've been really movin', really turnin' away
But just when I thought the heartache was gone
It's tapping me on the shoulder
Saying who are you foolin'?
Some things you just don't get over

I could write you a letter, and I always do in my head
Just to tell you I'm better and this lonely didn't kill me I guess
But just when I know I've finally let go
I dream you are so much closer
Oh who am I foolin?
Some things you just don't get over

I'm wearin' a new face, a little insane
And here in the old place nothin's the same

I'm waiting for winter, it always seems warmer somehow
It's the sun on the snowfall and the silence I am longing for now
But with one backward glance, I won't stand a chance
So I'll wave goodbye over my shoulder
Yeah who am I foolin?
Somethings you just don't get over"

 

Related posts:

Favorite Country Album Tracks:

Part 4 - 5/18/20

Part 3 - 3/26/20

Part 2 - 2/28/20

Part 1 - 1/3/20

The Ink Spots

Among the 78 rpm records in my family's record collection when I was a kid were some by the Ink Spots. They were one of the great black singing groups popular in the 1930's and 40's and into the 50's. Equally famous during that time were the Mills Brothers. I remember hearing that the Ink Spots got their name when a fountain pen they were using accidentally sprayed a few ink spots on the paper on which they were writing possible names for the group. The tale may be apocryphal but it makes for a good story. My brothers and I loved their music but the 78's are long gone, probably all broken since they were extremely fragile.

About twenty years ago I bought a cd called "We Four - The Best of the Ink Spots". There are many other Ink Spots cd collections available plus individual songs and albums on i-tunes. "We Four" contained 24 songs, most of them familiar to me but some I hadn't heard. The cd was made in the Czech Republic for Jasmine Records (London, England) in 1998. According to the liner notes, their first big hit was "If I Didn't Care" in 1939 although the group was formed in 1934. Many of the songs were sentimental ballads which featured what became their signature guitar intro plus a "talking chorus". The lead singer was tenor Bill Kenny and the talking chorus was performed by bass vocalist Orville "Hoppy" Jones. The love interest in the talking chorus was often referred to as "Honey" or "Honey Child". Charles Fuqua and Ivory "Deek" Watson completed the group providing harmony for most of their big hits but there were changes in the group over the years, most notably when Hoppy Jones died in October 1944. What a mellow sound they had.

The songs I remembered besides "If I Didn't Care" include "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)", "Maybe", "Do I Worry" (dated with the line "Do I worry, when the iceman calls"), "The Gypsy", "Whispering Grass", "To Each His Own", "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "Until the Real Thing Comes Along", "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat", "Prisoner of Love", "Thoughtless" "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Address Unknown". ("My Prayer" I first heard by the Platters probably in the late 50's.)  There are two songs in which they are joined by Ella Fitzgerald, "Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall" and "I'm Beginning to See the Light". Check out The Ink Spots Home Page and The Ink Spots (Original Group) and other sites online for their history and complete discography.

Among the 78 rpm records in my family's record collection when I was a kid were some by the Ink Spots. They were one of the great black singing groups popular in the 1930's and 40's and into the 50's. Equally famous during that time were the Mills Brothers. I remember hearing that the Ink Spots got their name when a fountain pen they were using accidentally sprayed a few ink spots on the paper on which they were writing possible names for the group. The tale may be apocryphal but it makes for a good story. My brothers and I loved their music but the 78's are long gone, probably all broken since they were extremely fragile.

About twenty years ago I bought a cd called "We Four - The Best of the Ink Spots". There are many other Ink Spots cd collections available plus individual songs and albums on i-tunes. "We Four" contained 24 songs, most of them familiar to me but some I hadn't heard. The cd was made in the Czech Republic for Jasmine Records (London, England) in 1998. According to the liner notes, their first big hit was "If I Didn't Care" in 1939 although the group was formed in 1934. Many of the songs were sentimental ballads which featured what became their signature guitar intro plus a "talking chorus". The lead singer was tenor Bill Kenny and the talking chorus was performed by bass vocalist Orville "Hoppy" Jones. The love interest in the talking chorus was often referred to as "Honey" or "Honey Child". Charles Fuqua and Ivory "Deek" Watson completed the group providing harmony for most of their big hits but there were changes in the group over the years, most notably when Hoppy Jones died in October 1944. What a mellow sound they had.

The songs I remembered besides "If I Didn't Care" include "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)", "Maybe", "Do I Worry" (dated with the line "Do I worry, when the iceman calls"), "The Gypsy", "Whispering Grass", "To Each His Own", "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "Until the Real Thing Comes Along", "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat", "Prisoner of Love", "Thoughtless" "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Address Unknown". ("My Prayer" I first heard by the Platters probably in the late 50's.)  There are two songs in which they are joined by Ella Fitzgerald, "Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall" and "I'm Beginning to See the Light". Check out The Ink Spots Home Page and The Ink Spots (Original Group) and other sites online for their history and complete discography.

Among the 78 rpm records in my family's record collection when I was a kid were some by the Ink Spots. They were one of the great black singing groups popular in the 1930's and 40's and into the 50's. Equally famous during that time were the Mills Brothers. I remember hearing that the Ink Spots got their name when a fountain pen they were using accidentally sprayed a few ink spots on the paper on which they were writing possible names for the group. The tale may be apocryphal but it makes for a good story. My brothers and I loved their music but the 78's are long gone, probably all broken since they were extremely fragile.

About twenty years ago I bought a cd called "We Four - The Best of the Ink Spots". There are many other Ink Spots cd collections available plus individual songs and albums on i-tunes. "We Four" contained 24 songs, most of them familiar to me but some I hadn't heard. The cd was made in the Czech Republic for Jasmine Records (London, England) in 1998. According to the liner notes, their first big hit was "If I Didn't Care" in 1939 although the group was formed in 1934. Many of the songs were sentimental ballads which featured what became their signature guitar intro plus a "talking chorus". The lead singer was tenor Bill Kenny and the talking chorus was performed by bass vocalist Orville "Hoppy" Jones. The love interest in the talking chorus was often referred to as "Honey" or "Honey Child". Charles Fuqua and Ivory "Deek" Watson completed the group providing harmony for most of their big hits but there were changes in the group over the years, most notably when Hoppy Jones died in October 1944. What a mellow sound they had.

The songs I remembered besides "If I Didn't Care" include "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)", "Maybe", "Do I Worry" (dated with the line "Do I worry, when the iceman calls"), "The Gypsy", "Whispering Grass", "To Each His Own", "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "Until the Real Thing Comes Along", "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat", "Prisoner of Love", "Thoughtless" "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Address Unknown". ("My Prayer" I first heard by the Platters probably in the late 50's.)  There are two songs in which they are joined by Ella Fitzgerald, "Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall" and "I'm Beginning to See the Light". Check out The Ink Spots Home Page and The Ink Spots (Original Group) and other sites online for their history and complete discography.

Rissi Palmer Re-Run

July 26, 2009

Rissi Palmer - Country Girl

Rissi Palmer's self-titled debut cd was released in October of 2007 and one of my Christmas presents two months later. Since I'm retired and don't need much in the way of new clothes any more, when asked what I want on gift giving occasions I usually opt for cds and books. Singles "Country Girl" and "Hold Onto Me" fell short of the top 40, reaching #54 and #59 respectively according to Wikipedia. The cd also included great songs such as "Anybody Out There", "All This Woman Needs", "Butterflies", a cover of Patsy Cline's "Leavin' On Your Mind", "Love You Like a Woman" and uptempo songs like "Mr. Ooh La La" and "Sweet Contradictions". Risssi co-wrote 9 of the 12 songs and already has 20 writing credits on BMI.

 

Her vocals on the cd were outstanding however most singers sound good on recordings thanks to pro-tools, etc. A fair amount of these "singers" can't come close to duplicating the sound in a live performance. At the Bluebird Cafe on July 22nd I got to hear Rissi for the first time. Wow can she sing - and she said that she's been on vocal rest. She performed three songs from her cd - "Country Girl", "Butterflies" and "Mr. Ooh La La" - and two new songs, "I Can Take It" (?) and "Beautifully Human". Both sound like potential hits, especially the latter,  but I'm not good at predicting what country music fans will like. If country fans don't embrace her music, I'm sure she can be successful as a pop or R&B artist. Rissi seemed very comfortable performing and talking about how each song came about, joking about herself on occasion. I look forward to her next cd and to seeing her someday in a full length concert. Check out her website and MySpace.

 

(The question mark after the song title "I Can Take It" is obviously because I'm not sure I heard it correctly. My short term memory is not that great. I hear something, repeat it to myself a few times and figure that I don't have to write it down. I can remember. Two minutes later I'm unsure and questioning myself.)

 

 

 

Home By Another Way

Ten years ago I wrote about one of my favorite James Taylor songs.

Happy New Year

January 02, 2011

The gospel for today's Mass, Sunday, January 2nd was the Epiphany of the Lord, Matthew, Chapter 2: verses 1-12. It is probably better known to most as the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. I seem to remember as a kid in grade school in the 50's that the feast of the Epiphany was celebrated on January 6th. Now it's celebrated on the first Sunday after New Year's Day. The Magi or Kings or Wisemen followed the star to Bethlehem after visiting King Herod. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 

You may be wondering at this point what does this have to do with music since that's the category for this post. I'm not talking about gospel music. Some may be thinking of the traditional Christmas carol "We Three Kings". According to www.carols.org.uk, it was written in 1857 by Rev. John Henry Hopkins, an American minister. The lyrics mention the kings following yonder star and the gifts noted in the gospel reading each get themselves a separate verse. Maybe this gospel should have reminded me of "We Three Kings", but it didn't.

 

The song that immediately came to mind is "Home By Another Way" by James Taylor from his "Never Die Young" album in 1988. I think it's a fairly well known song even though it was never released as a single. JT wrote the music, but the lyrics were penned by playwright and theater director Timothy S. Mayer. Sadly, Mr. Mayer died of cancer in 1988 at the age of 44. I guess he must have been aware of Matthew's gospel. The first verse of the song mentions the visit of the magi, concluding "Then warned in a dream of King Herod's scheme, they went home by another way". Matthew, Verse 12 goes "and being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another way."

 

While not part of today's gospel, Matthew, Chapter 2 goes on in verses 16 - 18 to describe the slaughter of the innocents. For verse two of his song, Mr. Mayer wrote "Steer clear of royal welcomes, avoid a big to-do, a king who would slaughter the innocents, will not cut a deal for you," and continues, "he really, really wants those presents, he'll comb your camel's fur, til his boys announce they found trace amounts of your frankincense, gold and myrrh." Wish I had written that. I wonder what he was thinking of when he wrote the lyrics. I don't think of it in any way as sacrilegious. Maybe he was just having some fun. But to me it would be interesting to know.

 

Safe home, as they used to say.

 

 

Danny O'Keefe - not just a Good Time Charlie

Danny O'Keefe's "Breezy Stories" album is famous for one song, "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues". Here are the lyrics for this 1972 song solely written by Danny:

 

Everybody's goin' away
Said they're movin' to LA
There's not a soul I know around
Everybody's leavin' town

Some caught a freight, some caught a plane
Find the sunshine, leave the rain
They said this town's a waste of time
I guess they're right, it's wastin' mine

Some gotta win, some gotta lose
Good time Charlie's got the blues
Good time Charlie's got the blues

Ya know my heart keeps tellin' me
You're not a kid at thirty-three
Ya play around, ya lose your wife
Ya play too long, you lose your life

I got my pills to ease the pain
Can't find a thing to ease the rain
I'd love to try and settle down
But everybody's leavin' town

Some gotta win, some gotta lose
Good time Charlie's got the blues
Good time Charlie's got the blues
Good time Charlie's got the blues

 

It's not the only good song on the album. Danny (born in Spokane, WA in 1943)  wrote all of the album's 13 tracks except "Farewell to Storyville", a 1925 song penned by Spencer Williams (1889 - 1965). My wife and I saw Danny with Wendy Waldman at the Bluebird Cafe in 2007. Wendy opened with a full set of her songs and Danny followed with his. Maybe they flipped a coin to see who would open or close. Great show.

 

What follows is not a review - just lyrics. A few of these songs from the early 1970's you may find are very relevant today.

 

The lyrics:

 

 

One of my favorite songs on Breezy Stories is

 

Drive On, Driver. Here are the lyrics:

Heard a woman screamin' in the alley
Cryin', Lord, won't your come and rescue me
Seems that I have got myself in trouble
Looks like murder in the third degree

When he picked me up he was a sailor
But when he got me here he was a cop
He said, I think it's time you learned a lesson
I said, Man, ain't it time your learned to stop

Drive on, Driver
We're goin' for a ride
We're runnin' into trouble
And we're goin' to collide

In his pants he had a deadly weapon
But his silver bullet would not shoot
He slugged me till he'd gotten what he wanted
Ain't it strange the way you find a substitute

He said, That's all there is, it's over
I said, You're wrong, Man, it's just about to start
I keep a blade for sentimental reasons
And in a rage I drove it through his heart

Someone run and find a straight policeman
Tell him I have killed a crooked one
I won't wait you may be gone forever
Leave me with the bullets and the gun

When you give a hungry man a license
To do most ever that he please
He'll lead you the point of desperation
And then he'll want to drive you to your knees

 

If I had never heard Drive On Driver before and I heard the song today, I could easily assume that it was written within the last year or two. Could you?

 

other favorite songs from Breezy Stories:

 

Angel Spread Your Wings (was it ever a single?)

Prisoners of the heart in search of love and peace
Hung in desperation, longing for release
I'm just a traveler, angel, you're my ride
Take me past the place I've passed the last time that I died

Angel spread your wings, I want to fly away with you
Take me in your arms, I know you're dying to
Fly away forever, fly away forever, fly away forever
Angel spread your wings

Angel comes into my room, it's dark and so is she
Wants to know if she can take me soaring out to sea
Lying in her darkness like a child awaiting birth
Angel comes and takes me for everything I'm worth

Angel spread your wings, I want to fly away with you
Take me in your arms, I know you're dying to
Fly away forever, fly away forever, fly away forever
Angel spread your wings

Angel spread your wings, I want to fly away with you
Spread your wings and take me
Spread your wings and make me
I know, I know, I know, I know you're dying to
Fly away forever, fly away forever, fly away forever
Angel spread your wings

 

Mad Ruth/The Babe

One day I was thinkin' 'bout the Babe
And the memories he left behind of the Old Ball Game
Shame of it is, they're almost gone
But there're still a few pieces
I can recall

The catcher says to Ruth
You know it's just a game
You win you lose
But it's all the same
The Babe would turn and say
You know, you're right
But I still love to play

And Ruth she turns to me
And wonders where I am
And where I'd be if she didn't care
I return to Ruth to say
I'd be all right, baby
But I'd still love to play

The pitcher throws at Ruth
He can't afford to miss
He held the ball
Like a stolen kiss
And the Babe just let it fly
And apologized like he'd hurt the guy

Mad Ruth just loves to bitch
You can't afford the miss
You make your deal
As you steal a kiss
And she never said goodbye
She really loved the game
Hardly knew the guy

Mad Ruth, you should have known the Babe
He loved the things he'd never had
And he made you happy
As he made you sad

The Babe here in my head
Seems like he never left
I heard the news like someone deaf
It was nineteen-forty-eight
He'd played a game
But he'd made it great
Mad Ruth sits on the couch
In someone else's room
"I win, you lose
It's just a game", she'll say
You know, she's right
But I'd still love to play

 

Track Listing:

 

1 Angel Spread Your Wings

2 Magdalena

3 Junk Man

4 Portrait in Black Velvet

5 Drive On Driver

6 Steppin Out Tonight

7 If You Can't Boogie Woogie (You Sure Can't Rock n Roll)

8 Mad Ruth/The Babe

9 Catfish

10 The Edge

11 Farewell to Storyville (written by Spencer Williams)

12 The Road

13 Good Time Charley's Got the Blues

 

Some of the above Breezy Stories songs can also be found on his Danny O'Keefe Classics cd. They include :

So Long Harry Truman:

 

I can't stand to read the papers
seems like all the news is bad
and an empty anger keeps me
from being really sad.

These are strange times we live in  
and hard games we play
wager very carefully and play 'em as they lay.

Don't play no cards ain't in your hand
Don't play no cards ain't in your hand
So long Harry Truman
goddamn it's hard to find an honest man

No longer sure of waking
No longer sure of sleep
A prisoner bound by promises
He knew he could not keep

And someone said 'let's hang him
For he is a fool'
Ah but tell me just how was it
That he came to rule?

Don't play no cards ain't in your hand
Don't play no cards ain't in your hand
So long Harry Truman goddamn it's hard to find an honest man
So long, Harry Truman, goddamn it's hard to find an honest man

So long Harry Truman
So long Harry Truman
Goddamn it's hard to find an honest man

Never trust an enemy
and never cheat a friend
Just doing what you think is right
Usually works out in the end

And the president thought of Truman
When he knew the end was near
You can pass it on for quite a while
But it's true the buck stops here

Don't play no cards ain't in your hand
Don't play no cards ain't in your hand
So long Harry Truman goddamn it's hard to find an honest man
So long, Harry Truman, goddamn it's hard to find an honest man 

The Jimmy Hoffa Memorial Building Blues

They're putting up a building down on Main Street
Paid for with all those truckers' dues
But the man who laid the first stone on the corner
Had the Jimmy Hoffa Memorial Building Blues

Now some say Jimmy's down in Argentina
Others tell you that he simply changed his name
And a surgeon made him look a bit like Nixon
But aside from that he's still pretty much the same

Where's Jimmy? Where's Jimmy?
That's a question I know we all would love to know
Where's Jimmy? Where's Jimmy?
He's gone to where those good ol' boys all go

Now the gang that runs the union said to Jimmy
Here's what we're all prepared to do
We're gonna build the Boys a brand new union building
And we want you to dedicate it, too

But I heard a rumor down at the dedication
From the kinda guy who has a nose for news
He said Jimmy died of terminal cement poisoning
And the Jimmy Hoffa Memorial Building Blues

They said, Here's a thing you men can all be proud of
They laid a horseshoe wreath upon the cornerstone
They said, Here's to freight and the Great American Freeway
And the man who helped us make it all our own

Where's Jimmy? Where's Jimmy?
That's a question I know we all would love to know
Where's Jimmy? Where's Jimmy?
He's gone to where those good ol' boys all go

 

Shooting Star

She passes through the door it falls behind her
A fly’s wings curl burning in the air
A rainbow rises from a frozen cup of coffee
The elephant is sitting in the chair

The Bookworm is eating his way through the funnies
The Dumplings sit giggling in delight
The morning is waiting for Elektra
But Elektra is mourning for the knight

And I’m falling
As I usually do
When recalling
All that’s left of you

The lady’s lover is chattering in the corner
Chewing on the holey sole of his shoe
The Dancer’s still singing from his poster
But he’s slowly fading from black to blue

Urantia is rising in the distance
The Adjuster is waiting in the dawn
Another shooting star has fallen
And when they don’t come back, they’re gone
When they don’t come back they’re gone

 

I never read Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence