Clackers or… death on a string came out in the 1960s. They were also called Ker-Bangers, Klackers, Click-Clacks, Klik Klaks, Klappers, and Zonkers.
I remember a kid giving me his Clackers. The object I guess was swinging them up and down until they hit each other and made a “clack” sound. The sound I got the most was a thud sound with plastic hitting my skin. They were also known to shatter and the pieces fly in all different directions.
They were similar to Bolas…a weapon used by cowboys to throw at cattle or game to wrap around their legs…sometimes breaking them. Yep…lets redesign this and give it to kids.
I never minded somewhat dangerous toys but I didn’t get too much pleasure out of these.
Many young kids were duped into getting these. Yes, I was fooled and fooled badly… In the back of a comic, I tore out the ad and sent a dollar in an envelope for these awesome looking beings. I was going to watch them grow and live. I wanted that “Bowlful of Happiness.”
In a few weeks I got the package and I find out the ugly truth. They are not monkeys or little creatures with three antennas on their head. Sea-Monkeys are a hybrid breed of brine shrimp called Artemia NYOS invented in 1957 by Harold von Braunhut.
Von Braunhut, with the help of marine biologist and microcrustacean expert Anthony D’Agostino, figured out a way to treat tap water with a mix of nutrients (von Braunhut called them “magic crystals” and mixed them in a barn on his property) that would revive the shrimp in a tank at home.
When you buy a packet of Sea-Monkeys, they appear to be lifeless dust. Pour the dust (which is actually brine shrimp eggs) in a tank of purified water, and the Sea-Monkeys spring to life. They grow steadily over the next few weeks, feeding on a diet of yeast and spirulina.
Yes they are alive…but instead of the picture you see in the comic book…they are this
I am happy to say that my younger self-didn’t fall for the X-Ray Specs after the Sea-Monkey debacle.
I can’t give a personal story on this chair because it’s something I’ve always wanted but never could find. I missed a chance of buying an authentic one by being a few minutes too late. You can buy new ones now but I’ve always wanted an original one with the stereo speakers.
Arne Jacobsen designed “The Egg” in 1958 and today, it’s been trademarked as the Egg™ Chair… It’s still produced in Denmark, by the original manufacturer, Fritz Hansen.
Henrik Thor-Larsen designed his Ovalia Egg Chair ten years after Jacobsen, in 1968. OVALIA was exhibited for the first time at the Scandinavian Furniture Fair in 1968 and was an immediate success. It caught on and became an iconic piece of furniture of the 1960 and 70s.
I remember seeing one on Mork and Mindy and of course, they got popular again when the movie “Men in Black” featured several egg chairs. I’ve always liked futuristic designs from the 60s and 70s.
I could pick about any ELO song and do fine. Jeff Lynne is one of the best pop/rock songwriters. In my opinion, he can write super catchy songs without being sugary. Telephone Line peaked at #8 in the Billboard 100, #7 in the UK and #1 in Canada in 1977.
Lynne once said that ELO will “Pick up where ‘I Am the Walrus’ left off.”
Telephone Line was originally recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany during July of 1976. This recording was for the backing track only. The orchestra was recorded later at De Lane Lea Studios, Wembley, England. Just before release, other minor edits (including the muted telephone intro) were done at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, California, USA. The early working title was Bad Salad Telephone (a play on the term “sad ballad”), so it appears that the telephone theme was an early concept for the song.
Telephone Effects: The telephone intro for the song has drawn a lot of attention over the years. There are two notable things about it. First, the ringback tone heard (as one would hear when waiting for the line to pick up) is a North American ringback tone which is quite distinctive from that heard in the U.K. at the time. The band was having much greater success in America at the time and this inspired them to use the North American sound rather than the British sound. To get the sound just right, the band called to an office in America in when they knew no one would answer. It was likely to have been the Jet Records office in California because the time zones from England or Germany to America would have likely meant the offices were closed when the call was made. The band did not simply record the tone and insert that into the record as has been stated in some interviews, but rather they studied the sounds and then recreated them on synthesizer. If one listens closely, they are clearly not a match.
The other interesting bit about the intro is the muted, mono telephone sound, as if the listener is listening through the telephone to the song’s intro. This was a very late addition to the song. The recording was completed and Jeff was bringing the tapes from England to California when he got the idea to add the effect to the song. So it was in Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles that engineers Duane Scott and Kevin Gray were instructed to manually add the effect to the completed stereo master. The song plays normally until the very first vocal line of the first verse when the mono, listening-on-the-telephone effect cuts in. This continues, along with the ringback tone, until the “lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely nights” line when the full stereo version of the song is slowly phased in and the ringback stops. In addition, the ringback tone is again heard mid-song, in the short bridge following the first chorus and before the third verse. In the alternate vocal version heard on the 2007 A New World Record remaster, which has a non-fading end, the ringback tone is heard yet again as the last notes of the song are waning.
Telephone Line
Hello. How are you?
Have you been alright through all those lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely nights?
That’s what I’d say.
I’d tell you everything, if you’d pick up that telephone.
Hey. How you feeling?
Are you still the same?
Don’t you realize the things we did we did were all for real? Not a dream.
I just can’t believe they’ve all faded out of view.
Blue days, black nights
I look into the sky
The love you need ain’t gonna see you through.
And I wonder why
The little things you planned ain’t coming true.
Telephone line, give me some time, I’m living in twilight
Telephone line, give me some time, I’m living in twilight
O.K. So, no one’s answering,
Well can’t you just let it ring a little longer longer longer
I’ll just sit tight, through the shadows of the night
Let it ring for evermore.
Blue days, black nights
I look into the sky
The love you need ain’t gonna see you through.
And I wonder why
The little things you planned ain’t coming true.
Telephone line, give me some time, I’m living in twilight
Telephone line, give me some time, I’m living in twilight
Telephone line, give me some time, I’m living in twilight
Telephone line, give me some time, I’m living in twilight
Always loved this song. Edwards sings this song like he means every syllable. This song was written by Edwards and peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100. Sunshine was off of Jonathan’s self-titled debut album in 1971. This would be Edwards only top forty hit.
A song that fit the times and the counterculture perfectly with a Us vs Them mentality.
“I just went, ‘How much does it cost? I’ll buy it.’ I was talking about freedom and talking about authority, my constant questioning of authority. ‘How much does it cost? I’ll buy it? Time is all we’ve lost. I’ll try it. He can’t even run his own life, I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine.’ That just came out as I was playing the song for these people.”
When he performs live, Edwards usually ends the first of his two sets with this song. “I often say, and it’s true, that if I had never done another song in my life, I’ll be happy to have come and gone with that,” he told us. “It was an anthem to many people and it helped a lot of people through Vietnam. It helped a lot of people through the drug culture of the last part of the ’60s and the early ’70s. It helped a lot of people cope with a lot of things that were going on during those tumultuous years. And I feel very proud to have done that and very happy with my contribution to our culture.”
Edwards performed this song at the Mayday protests on May 2, 1971. With the slogan, “If the government will not stop the war, we will stop the government,” the demonstration was organized by a group called the Mayday Tribe, with the goal of shutting down the government by blocking off key areas in Washington, DC. When the protests started on May 1, the government had thousands of troops ready and made mass arrests, which carried into the next day when Edwards played at the Washington Monument. “The sun was coming up and the National Guard was arresting people for protesting, for being on the grounds of the Washington Monument,” he recalled. “It was my turn to play and I just started playing that song. We got to the end and my bass player and I looked at each other and we went, ‘Let’s just start it over again.’ So we just kept playing that song. Because there’s no better song for the soundtrack of that movie. It had just come out. Some people had heard it, some hadn’t, but everyone heard it that morning, including the National Guard.”
Sunshine
Sunshine go away today, I don’t feel much like dancing Some man’s come he’s trying to run my life, don’t know what he’s asking When he tells me I better get in line, can’t hear what he’s saying When I grow up, I’m gonna make him mine, these ain’t dues I been paying
How much does it cost? I’ll buy it! The time is all we’ve lost I’ll try it! He can’t even run his own life, I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine–sunshine
Sunshine, go away today, I don’t feel much like dancing Some man’s come he’s trying to run my life, don’t know what he’s asking Working starts to make me wonder where fruits of what I do are going When he says in love and war all is fair, he’s got cards he ain’t showing
How much does it cost? I’ll buy it! The time is all we’ve lost–I’ll try it! He can’t even run his own life, I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine–sunshine
Sunshine, come on back another day, I promise you I’ll be singing This old world, she’s gonna turn around, brand new bells will be ringing
I had a waterbed in the early 80s as a young teen. I always liked it and thought it was comfortable. Two things I didn’t like about it was… if there was a leak you would not know until 2:30 am and on a school night…always. If the heater was either turned down or went out…you would wake up as a human popsicle at…you guessed it… 2:30 am. Nothing ever happened to it at noon on a Saturday.
in the early 1800s. Scottish physician Dr. Neil Arnott devised a water-filled bed to prevent bedsores in invalids.
In 1873, Sir James Paget, of St. Bartholomew Hospital in London, presented the waterbed designed by Dr. Arnott as a treatment and prevention of ulcers, a common condition at this time. Paget found that waterbeds allowed for even pressure distribution over the entire body. The only problem was that you could not regulate the water temperature.
In 1968 Charles Hall presented the waterbed as his Master’s Thesis project to his San Francisco State University design class. While showcasing their work, students rotated through workshops to see each other’s inventions. Once they reached Hall’s project – a vinyl mattress filled with heated water – the class never left. “Everybody just ended up frolicking on the waterbed,” Hall recalls.
Hall’s first waterbed mattress was called ‘the Pleasure Pit’ and it quickly gained popularity with the hippie culture of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Time Magazine in 1971 about waterbeds. “Playboy Tycoon Hugh Hefner has one–king-size, of course, and covered with Tasmanian opossum. The growing number of manufacturers and distributors, with such appropriate names as Aquarius Products, the Water Works, Innerspace Environments, Joyapeutic Aqua Beds and the Wet Dream, can hardly meet the demand. They have sold more than 15,000 since August.”
Sex always sells… one ad stated. “Two things are better on a waterbed. One of them is sleep.” and “She’ll admire you for your car, she’ll respect you for your position, but she’ll love you for your waterbed.”
By the 80s waterbeds were in the suburbs and gaining in popularity. In 1987, waterbeds had achieved their peak, representing 22 percent of all U.S. mattress sales.
At the end of the 1980s waterbed sales fell off. Some say it was because they were too connected to the 70s that had fallen out of favor (the horror!)… but most think it was because of the maintenance and pain in setting them up and moving them. Also, you had to make sure your floor was braced enough to have one depending on the size and weight of it.
Today you can still buy them but most are designed thinner to hold less water in rolls instead of sleeping on a lake beneath you.
I had mine until I was 20 with plenty of patches but it still held water and me… but I left it behind when I moved.
This egg-shaped one below I would gladly take home now
In July of 1979, the Sony Walkman was released to the public. You had portable music anywhere you went. It cost $150 ($546.21 in today’s money).
The 1980s was the Walkman’s decade. Cassettes started to outsell albums and this device was one of the reasons. By 1986 the word “Walkman” had entered the Oxford English Dictionary. Its launch coincided with the birth of the aerobics craze, and millions used the Walkman to make their workouts more entertaining.
Between 1987 and 1997 — the height of the Walkman’s popularity — the number of people who said they walked for exercise increased by 30 percent.
Sony continued to roll out variations on its theme, adding such features as AM/FM receivers, bass boost, and auto-reverse. Sony even made a solar-powered Walkman, water-resistant Sport Walkmans and even devices with two cassette drives. With the introduction of compact discs in 1982, the cassette format began to go the way of the dinosaur.
Sony was fairly quick to jump to new formats: it introduced the D-50 portable CD player a year after the first compact discs were sold, and later rolled out MiniDisc and MP3 players under the Walkman brand.
It caught on with the public in a big way. Today with iPods, iPhones and other devices we take it for granted are descendants from the 1979 Walkman.
It’s a catchy song with a country slant that was a big hit in 1973. The song was written by Stevenson and Daniel Moore. Daniel Moore wrote the song “Shambala” that Stevenson recorded but it wasn’t a hit until Three Dog Night covered it. This song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100 and #7 in Canada.
The country duo Brooks and Dunn took the My Maria to #1 in the Country Charts in 1996.
In February 1973, Stevenson released the song “Shambala,” which was written by the composer Daniel Moore. Two weeks later, Three Dog Night released their version of the song, which became the much bigger hit, charting at US #3 while Stevenson’s version stalled at #66. Stevenson and Moore then got together and re-wrote “Shambala” as “My Maria,” changing the lyrics so the song became an ode to a beautiful woman. The ploy worked, and Stevenson had by far his biggest hit – his next closest chart entry was “The River Of Love” at #53, also written by Moore.
“Shambala” was often credited as being written by Stevenson. Moore told us: “My co-writer on ‘My Maria,’ B.W. Stevenson and I got together in 1987 and I busted him for taking credit for writing ‘Shambala.’ He had this big grin on his face and said, ‘I never said that I wrote it.’ Then his grin got bigger and he said, ‘But I also never said that I didn’t write it.’ Poor guy died the next year from a staph infection after a heart valve operation in Nashville. The operation went fine, but 3 days later he got the staph infection and it killed him. So much for the hospitals in Nashville.
I probably would never have finished ‘My Maria’ without B.W.’s assistance. I had been working on the song for two years at the point I showed it to him. Of course, he wrote the rest of the lyrics in about 15 minutes. Bless his heart.”
B.W. Stevenson (B.W. = “Buck Wheat”) was a singer/songwriter from Dallas, Texas who died in 1988 at age 38. “My Maria,” featuring Larry Carlton on guitar, was by far his best-known song. It was a #1 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart.
A 1996 cover version by Brooks & Dunn was a huge Country hit, going to #1 and being named by Billboard as the Country Song of the Year. Their version also made #79 on the Hot 100.
My Maria
My Maria don’t you know I’ve come a long, long way I been longin’ to see her When she’s around she takes my blues away Sweet Maria the sunlight surely hurts my eyes I’m a lonely dreamer on a highway in the skies
Maria, Maria I love you
My Maria there were some blue and sorrow times Just my thoughts about you bring back my piece of mind Gypsy lady you’re a miracle work for me You set my soul free like a ship sailing on the sea She is the sunlight when skies are grey She treats me so right lady take me away
My Maria Maria I love you My Maria Maria I love you
One of the best feel-good songs of all time. The reggae-influenced I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash. The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada and #5 in the UK in 1972. The song was written by Johnny Nash and a hit again for Jimmy Cliff in 1993.
Johnny Nash is a Texas singer/songwriter who recorded reggae-influenced music. In 1967 he went to Jamaica and recorded his song “Hold Me Tight” and a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” with a local rhythm section. Both songs became hits in Jamaica, and over the next two years also charted in England and the United States. By 1972, “Cecilia” and “Mother And Child Reunion” found some success in the States incorporating reggae rhythms, and Nash followed that trend with “I Can See Clearly Now.”
Nash had legitimate reggae credentials: Bob Marley (before he became crazy famous) was an assistant producer and session player on the album, and also wrote three of the songs, including “Stir It Up,” which became Nash’s next – and final – hit.
A cover version by Jimmy Cliff (for a time, a bigger reggae star than Bob Marley) went to #18 in the US in 1994. His version was used in the John Candy movie Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican bobsled team.
I Can See Clearly Now
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone All of the bad feelings have disappeared Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin’ for It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there’s nothin’ but blue skies Look straight ahead, nothin’ but blue skies
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
Bob Keeshan played Clarabell on the Howdy Doody Show. In 1955 CBS offered Keeshan his own children’s show, which became Captain Kangaroo. Captain Kangaroo ran from 1955 to 1984. The show spanned many generations of kids during that time.
Keeshan was Captain Kangaroo and every morning I would look forward to seeing The Captain, Mr. Green Jeans, Bunny Rabbit, Dancing Bear, and Mr. Moose. I knew that Mr. Moose was setting the Captain up for the ritual ping-pong drop on the Captain’s head that never got old.
Mr. Green Jeans (Hugh Brannum) would have different animals at times to show. He also portrayed the Professor, Greeno the Clown, the New Old Folk Singer, and Mr. Bainter on the show.
The Painter was played by Gus “Cosmo” Allegretti who also handled the puppets and Dancing Bear.
One one of my favorite sections was the cartoon “Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings” that would appear on some shows. Simon had a magic blackboard and anything he drew became real.
Mr. Moose could be a slight smart aleck so I did like him. He also hung out with Bunny Rabbit and the Dancing Bear.
Captain Kangaroo’s place with his cast of characters was a nice place to visit as a kid.
Baby Blue never gets old to me…it is the perfect powerpop song. It has the right combination of crunch and pop with an irresistible guitar riff. I love the way they used the song in Breaking Bad that fit the scene perfectly. The song peaked at #14 in the Billboard 100 in 1972. The “Dixie” in the song was Pete Ham’s ex-girlfriend, Dixie Armstrong.
The song came off of the album “Straight Up” that also contained the hit “Day After Day” and it is considered by many their best album. I’m happy that Breaking Bad showcased this song so that another generation knows the song and hopefully that will lead more to learn about Badfinger.
Baby Blue
Guess I got what I deserved Kept you waiting there too long, my love All that time without a word Didn’t know you’d think that I’d forget or I’d regret The special love I had for you, my baby blue
All the days became so long Did you really think, I’d do you wrong? Dixie, when I let you go Thought you’d realize that I would know I would show the special love I have for you, my baby blue
What can I do, what can I say Except I want you by my side How can I show you, show me the way Don’t you know the times I’ve tried?
guitar solo
Guess that’s all I have to say Except the feeling just grows stronger every day Just one thing before I go Take good care, baby, let me know, let it grow The special love you have for me, my Dixie, dear.
I felt bad after the story below happened. I’ve never been an angel but this was one time I didn’t know what was going on.
In 1990 our band was playing in a club called Ronnies every weekend. It was the best time we ever had playing at any place. They had a patio out back and the place was packed on weekends. I was single and was working three jobs, a full time and part time job trying to get ahead and playing music.
The weekends at Ronnie’s was from 8pm – 3am with 15 minute breaks Friday and Saturday. That took more out of me than my full-time job. After my part-time job every day I would go to the park and jog for 2-3 miles…it was the only way I could make it through Friday and Saturday nights. I’m not complaining because it was a great time in my life.
There was a bartender working there and she was really nice and cute and her name was Chrissy. She started to talk to me and we went out on a date after I had known her for a while. We had a good time and I was going to ask her out again the next weekend…This is where it gets interesting.
A week went by and the management of the club thought it would be a good idea to have two bands alternate sets over the weekend so we did that. The other band was good and played similar music. Both bands went over well but it was a pain changing up after sets. When they got off the stage I went up and shook hands with three of them but the drummer didn’t offer his hand back and just ignored me.
I was wondering why this guy ignored me. He shook hands and talked with the rest of us but me. Then I found out that he didn’t like me and I didn’t blame him. I discovered late that night that Chrissy was his girlfriend and he had heard I went out with her…which I had no clue that she had a boyfriend. I’m glad that double band arrangement only lasted one weekend. After that, we were the only band to play…and no I never asked her out again.
After a few more months the owner lost everything and that was the end of Ronnies…but not the end of the story.
A year or so later Chrissy called me up out of the blue and asked me how I’d been. I thought for a second that she missed my charming self (just kidding) and maybe she wanted to go out again…I was wrong. No, she called because she had a friend for me to go out with that I would be “perfect” for… She said her name was Dana and she was attractive, nice, but very quiet. I met Dana at a restaurant a few days later and she was everything Chrissy described her as…in fact I liked her better…so Dana and I started to go out regularly.
I met Dana’s parents after about a month of dating…They liked me and everything was fine until a familiar looking guy walked in the door with a shocked look. He ignored me…yes he was Chrissy’s boyfriend, the drummer from a year before… and the worst part was…he was Dana’s brother!
To tell you the truth it’s a wonder the guy didn’t pick up something and hit me over the head. Not only did I go out with his girlfriend (unknowingly but still)…now I was dating the poor guy’s sister. After that, he and I stayed clear of each other. Not a bad word was shared between us…not a word at all. Dana and I broke up after a couple of months but not because of that. We just didn’t click. I never understood why Chrissy didn’t clue me in on the brother situation.
I never met Dana, Chrissy, or her boyfriend (I don’t remember his name) again after that and I’m sure he was glad to be rid of the likes of me. I was like a bad penny to the guy.
We needed a drummer (good ones are hard to find) later on and part of me thought about calling the guy because he was a good drummer…but I wisely thought better of it.
The song made it to #3 in the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in 2000. I liked the song the first time I heard it. The video for the song features Sarah Michelle Gellar who was a big fan of the band.
The song was written by Scott Weiland and Dean DeLeo. Weiland was a gifted lead singer who also sang for Velvet Revolver until 2008. He passed away in 2015 from substance abuse.
Scott Weiland wrote the lyric about his first wife, Janina Castaneda. They got married in 1994, just as Stone Temple Pilots were becoming one of the biggest bands in America. Weiland admitted that he put her through hell with his capricious behavior that stemmed from his addictions.
When he wrote the song, the couple in the midst of a divorce, which was finalized in 2000. In this song, Weiland sings about how she will soon be free of him, “a happy girl the day that she left me.” In his memoir, Weiland wrote, “She had finally rid her life of a man who had never been faithful.”
In the line, “I pay the ransom note to stop it from steaming,” the ransom note is Weiland’s divorce settlement, which he said “took forever and cost me a fortune.”
Sour Girl
She turned away, what was she looking at? She was a sour girl the day that she met me Hey, what are you looking at? She was a happy girl the day that she left me
What would you do? What would you do if I follow you? What would you do? I follow
Don’t turn away, what are you looking at? He was so happy on the day that he met her Say, what are you looking at? I was a superman, the looks are deceiving
The rollercoaster ride’s a lonely one I pay the ransom note to stop it from steaming Hey, what are you looking at? She was a teenage girl when she met me
What would you do? What would you do if I follow you? What would you do? I follow
What would you do?….
The girl got reasons They all got reasons
What would you do?….
Hey, what are you looking at? She was a happy girl the day that she left me The day that she left me The day that she left me She was a happy girl the day that she left me The day that she left me The day that she left me She was a happy girl the day that she left me
The first ever video played on MTV was appropriately Video Killed the Radio Star. The song peaked at #40 in the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK and #6 in Canada in 1979. I’ve always liked this song but it took a few listens. It was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley.
The Presidents of the United States of America also did a version of this song in 1998 that I like.
Here is a quote from Trevor Horn… “It came from this idea that technology was on the verge of changing everything. Video recorders had just come along, which changed people’s lives. We’d seem people starting to make videos as well, and we were excited by that. It felt like radio was the past and video was the future. The was a shift coming.”
Trevor Horn wrote this after reading a science fiction story about an opera singer in a world without sound (she was rendered obsolete). Said Horn: “Before I started Buggles I was a sort of loser record producer, I spent four years producing records for various people without ever making any money out of it or having any success at all. Mainly I just produced unsuccessful records because I couldn’t seem to lay my hands on a good song. Eventually, I got so fed up doing things that weren’t successful I decided that if I couldn’t find a good artist and a good song then I’d write it myself and become the artist, so I wrote this song called ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ with Bruce Wooley. I know the name’s awful, but at the time it was the era of the great punk thing. I’d got fed up of producing people who were generally idiots but called themselves all sorts of clever names like The Unwanted, The Unwashed, The Unheard… when it came to choosing our name I thought I’d pick the most disgusting name possible. In retrospect, I have frequently regretted calling myself Buggles, but in those days I never really thought much about packaging or selling myself, all that really concerned me was the record.”
This was the first video to air on MTV. The network launched August 1, 1981, and this provided the first evidence that MTV was going to make it.
The song was a big hit in England in 1979, but pretty much unknown in America, where it peaked at #40 in December 1979. When MTV went on the air, it was on only a few cable systems, but record stores in those areas started selling lots of Buggles albums. Radio stations weren’t playing the song and almost no one in the US had heard of the Buggles, so it was clear that MTV was selling records – an early indication of the network’s influence.
Video Killed The Radio Star
I heard you on the wireless back in ’52 Lying awake intently tuning in on you If I was young it didn’t stop you coming through Oh-a-oh
They took the credit for your second symphony Rewritten by machine on new technology And now I understand the problems you can see
Oh-a-oh I met your children Oh-a-oh What did you tell them?
Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star Pictures came and broke your heart Oh-a-a-a oh
And now we meet in an abandoned studio We hear the playback and it seems so long ago And you remember the jingles used to go:
Oh-a-oh You were the first one Oh-a-oh You were the last one
Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star In my mind and in my car We can’t rewind, we’ve gone too far Oh-a-a-a oh Oh-a-a-a oh
Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star In my mind and in my car We can’t rewind, we’ve gone too far Pictures came and broke your heart Put the blame on VTR…
You are the radio star You are the radio star Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star You are the radio star Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star You are the radio star Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star You are the radio star Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star You are the radio star
I just rediscovered this song from watching Breaking Bad recently.
The Monkees “Goin’ Down” was released as the B side to Daydream Believer and reached only #104 in the Billboard 100. It was written by all four members of the Monkees and Diane Hildebrand. Micky Dolenz has a good pop/rock voice.
From Wiki
In 2012, the composition met with controversy for its unexpected use in the television show, Breaking Bad. Dolenz, who was unaware an abridged version of “Goin’ Down” was to be featured on the show, commented, “‘Goin’ Down’ has nothing to do with drugs, obviously. And I certainly don’t condone meth — that is nasty stuff that kills a lot of people and ruins a lot of lives. … On the other hand, I like the TV show, it’s very well-made. … And no, I didn’t make a penny”.
Peter Tork says this was based on Mose Allison’s “Parchment Farm.” It’s about a drunken guy who “ends it all” by jumping into the river, and immediately regrets it as he’s “Goin’ Down.”
Drummer Micky Dolenz sang lead.
All the Monkees got writer’s credit on this song.
This was released as the B-side of “Daydream Believer.”
Goin’ Down
Sock it to me…
Floatin’ down the river, With a saturated liver, And I wish I could forgive her, But I do believe she meant it, When she told me to forget it, And I bet she will regret it, When they find me in the morning wet and drowned. And the word gets ’round. I’m goin’ down I’m goin’ down
A-comin’ up for air, It’s pretty stuffy under there, I’d like to say I didn’t care, But I forgot to leave a note, And it’s so hard to stay afloat, I’m soakin’ wet without a boat, And I knew I should have taken off my shoes. Ah, it’s front-page news. Goin’ down Goin’ down
Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep Hep
I wish I had another drink, It wouldn’t be so hard to sink, I should have taken time to think, Besides I got the picture straight, She must have had another date, I didn’t need this extra weight, I wish that I could see the way to shore. I don’t want no more. Goin’ down I’m goin’ down
And now I see the life I led, I slept it all away in bed, I shoulda learned to swim instead, And now it’s really got me stumped, I can’t remember why I jumped, I’d like to get my tummy pumped, I can’t believe they drink this stuff in town. This dirty brown. Goin’ down Goin’ down
I’m goin’ down, hep Goin’ down Hep Hep Goin’ down Dga Goin’ down goin’ down Goin’ down goin’ down Goin’ down
I wish I’d looked before I leaped, I didn’t know it was so deep. Been down so far I don’t get wet, I haven’t touched the bottom yet. This river scene is gettin’ old, I’m hungry, sleepy, wet and cold. She told me to forget it nice, I should’ve taken her advice. I only want to go on home, I’d gladly leave that girl alone. Wha-what a way to spend the night, If I don’t drown, I’ll die of fright. My pappy taught me how to float, But I can’t swim a single note. He threw me in to teach me how, I stayed there floatin’ like a mama cow. And now I’ve floated way down stream, I know this has to be a dream. If I could find my way to shore, I’d never, never do this anymore. I’ll give you three; I’ve been down nine, I’m goin’ down just one more time. Goin’ down Ah dga, goin’ down Dga goin’ down Gah gah, goin’ down I’m goin’ down Go-go-go-goin’ down Back back back back home Back back back home Back back back back home Goin’ down Goin’ down I’m goin’ down I’m goin’ back home Back to my friends Back to the one Back to the truth I’m goin’ home Aahh
Now the sky is gettin’ light, And everything will be all right. Think I’ve finally got the knack, Just floatin’ here lazy on my back. I never really liked that town, I think I’ll ride the river down. Just movin’ slow and floatin’ free, There’s a river swingin’ under me. Waving back to the folks on shore, I should have thought of this before. I’m floatin’ on down to New Orleans, Gonna pick up on some swingin’ scenes. I’m gonna know me a better day, I’ll go down groovin’ all the way. Goin’ down A-ahh Go-go-goin’ down
I’m goin’ down Back back back to New Orleans Back back back back home I’m go-goin’ down A-hep hep hep, hep I’m goin’ on down Hep, hep, hep, hep I’m go-go-go-goin’ down I’m goin’ down Goin’ down Go go Auhh Hep, hep hep, hep Hep, hep hep Dga, dga dga, dga Dga, dga dga, dga Dga, dga dga, dga Dga, dga dga Got ta go Got ta go Got ta go back home I’m goin’ down-down-down-down-down-down the river Down-da-down-down-down the river, yeah Gotta go gotta go Gotta go gotta go Down-nh-nh-nh Hep, auh, hep, hep (Fade out)
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