This was a must on Saturday morning. I wouldn’t find out till later but…Ted Knight did some of the dialogue such as “Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice…” I think the first year (16 episodes) was the best. Altogether the show was on and off during its 13-year run and they ended up with 109 episodes.
Super Friends was produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1973. The show brought all the DC superheroes together and it told their stories. The first season was comprised of only 16 episodes, which were re-run through August 1974. The show was then canceled. Presumably from less than anticipated ratings.
The success of the Wonder Woman TV show in 1975, and probably the early development interest in the Superman movie led ABC to reconsider Super Friends. The original 16 episodes were re-run beginning in early 1976, while production began on a new series. To help promote the new series, DC also began publishing a Super Friends comic. While the stories there were independent of the show, they followed much the same style of the original series.
Beginning in mid-1977, E. Nelson Bridwell, writer of the Super Friends comic, learned of some of the cast changes (notably, the replacement of Wendy and Marvin with Zan and Jayna) after working on the book for several months and wrote the change into his stories, so by the time the new season of the show began in September 1977, the comic had already made the transition to the new characters.
The comic only survived until mid-1981, while the show continued into 1982. However, the show was only re-runs for the 1982-83 season and was canceled outright in the fall of ’83. The show was brought back again in 1984 and ran until September 1986.
The below link will give much more history to the show.
I remember hearing this song in the mid eighties and thinking that they were different than the usual bands at the time. Many bands from that era had an inflection in their voice that was down…monotoned…The Hooters were up…actually happy sounding.
The song peaked at #26 in the Billboard 100 in 1985.
Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman are the founding members of The Hooters. They played most of the instruments on Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 debut album She’s So Unusual, and Hyman co-wrote “Time After Time.” The same year, The Hooters released their first album on an independent label and grew their following in the Philadelphia area. When Lauper’s album became a huge hit, it got the attention of Columbia Records, who signed the band.
From Songfacts
Rob Hyman told us: “Eric and I would take road trips to do writing. We would get away and especially since the band was playing so much, we would just kind of hole ourselves up. In this instance, we went into the Poconos outside the Philadelphia region and we rented a couple little cabins, brought some recording gear, set up a 4-track studio and threw around a lot of ideas. As is often the case for me, I think we did 10 or 12 tracks, and the last thing we did, probably on our last day, was write the chorus to ‘And We Danced.’ It had a slightly different feel, but materially it was there. That was the strongest bit we brought back from that writing trip. We had that flash – this is something really great, we’ll finish it another day. Had we just stayed with it that moment more, maybe we would have done it, but it ended up taking a lot more time. We threw around a lot of verses and rhythmic ideas. It was a different feel, and then it got into more of a rock and roll feel.”
The Hooters played this at Live Aid in 1985. They were the first band to perform on the Philadelphia stage, going on after an introduction ceremony that included Joan Baez singing “Amazing Grace.” Eric Bazilian told us how they got there: “That was a stroke of genius on the part of our manager, Steve Mountain. He managed to finagle that with Bill Graham and Larry Magid to get us on that stage. Our first record was just coming out, and it was the perfect time. That was our moment in destiny.”
The distinctive sound that leads off the song and plays throughout is a Melodica, a combination keyboard/harmonica instrument they played. The band called it a “Hooter,” which is where they got their name.
Regarding the images he came up with in the lyrics, Hyman told us: “The Bop Baby on a hard day’s night, the union hall – we just felt it was kind of a basic, workingman’s rock and roll record. In a sense, a bit of territory that maybe Springsteen or somebody would cover, a little of that nostalgia, a little of the no-frills kind of straight ahead lyrics. I think the ornamentation and the embellishments that the band did with the melodica and the mandolins and the sounds that we were dabbling in put a different flavor to it. But at its heart, it’s a simple rock and roll song that evokes some of those same feelings that Chuck Berry or The Beatles had. I think those images were just straight-ahead pictures for us.”
In addition to their work with The Hooters, Hyman and Bazilian have written and produced songs for many artists, including Joan Osborne, Ricky Martin, Dar Williams and Jon Bon Jovi. Bazilian wrote Osborne’s hit “One Of Us.” (Thanks to Rob and Eric for speaking with us. To learn more, check out their websites at http://www.robhyman.com and http://www.ericbazilian.com.)
And We Danced
She was a be-bop baby on a hard day’s night. She was hangin’ on Johnny , he was holdin’ on tight I could feel her coming from a mile away. There was no use talking, there was nothing to say When the band began to play and play.
And we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced We were liars in love and we danced Swept away for a moment by chance And we danced and danced danced.
I met my be-bop baby at the Union Hall She cold dance all night and shake the paint off the walls. But when I saw her smile across a crowded room Well I knew we’d have to leave the party soon As the band began to play out of tune.
And we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced We were liars in love and we danced Swept away for a moment by chance And we danced and danced danced.
The endless beat she’s walking my way Hear the music fade when she says Are we getting too close, do we dare to get closer The room is spinning as she whispers my name
And we danced like wave on the ocean, romanced We were liars in love and we danced Swept away for a moment by chance And we danced, danced, danced.
Sometimes I just have to hear some Devo to break the monotony. This is Devo from back in 1981. This song peaked at #43 in the Billboard 100, #8 in New Zealand and #17 in Canada. The song was not on their album New Traditionalists which was out at this time but it came packaged as a single included with the album.
It was also on the soundtrack of Heavy Metal.
It was written by Allen Toussaint in the early 1960s. Toussaint, as a pianist, writer, and producer, was part of the second wave of New Orleans’ Jazz and Blues culture. He worked with many big names from the era including Fats Domino, Chris Kenner, Benny Spellman, and Diamond Joe.
The song was made famous by Lee Dorsey in 1966.
From Songfacts on Working In A Coal Mine
Although “Working in the Coal Mine” sounds just like a jazz standard that could have been handed down from generation to generation of the American Old South, it was actually
In the ’60s, Toussaint wrote and produced several hits for Lee Dorsey, including “Ride Your Pony,” “Get Out of My Life Woman,” “Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky,” and “Holy Cow.”
In 1965, Toussaint wrote a song for Dorsey called “Work, Work, Work,” which was appropriate since Dorsey loved working on cars as much as he loved making music – he worked at a body shop and was often seen covered in grease. When he wrote for a specific artist, Toussaint would craft the song to that artist’s personality, which he did on “Working in the Coal Mine.”
Mining is very unpleasant work, but the incessant background vocals (“Workin’ in a coal mine, oops, about to slip down”) and Dorsey’s enthusiastic delivery turned the song – about a guy who is so tired from work that he can’t even have fun on Saturday – into a campy romp. An artist who didn’t appreciate and enjoy real work couldn’t have pulled it off, but Dorsey was the right man for the job. When he left the music business, he went back to bending fenders full-time.
That backing band on this track is The Meters, who were mainstays of the New Orleans funk sound. The Meters went on to work with Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Robert Palmer. They were also very successful recording on their own – in 1969 they hit #23 US with “Cissy Strut.”
A popular cover of this song was recorded by Devo and included on the soundtrack to the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal. Their version made #43 in the US.
In 1985, the country duo The Judds released the song on their album Rockin’ With The Rhythm.
This was recorded at J&M Studios in New Orleans, which was where just about every hit from that city was put to tape in the ’50s and ’60s. “Coal Mine” was one of the last hits recorded there, as financial problems led to its demise a few years later.
Dorsey’s label, Amy Records, commissioned a promotional film for his song (what would later be called a “music video”). The clip shows Dorsey emerging from the listening booth of a record store covered in dirt and wearing his work clothes. The clip was used to promote the song on British television shows.
You can also hear a snatch of this song in the Blaupunkt car stereo commercial of the ’90s. While we’re on the subject, we’re reminded of the fantastically popular (even record-breaking) indie video game Minecraft which has been storming the Internet gaming forums since its alpha release in 2010. Should the developers decide to create a TV advertisement, we can think of a song to recommend.
Working In A Coal Mine
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
Five o’clock in the mornin’ I’m already up and gone Lord, I’m so tired How long can this go on?
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
‘Cause I make a little money Haulin’ coal by the ton When Saturday rolls around I’m too tired for havin’ fun
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
Lord I’m so tired How long can this go on?
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
Five o’clock in the mornin’ I’m already up and gone Lord, I’m so tired How long can this go on?
Workin’ in the coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin’ in a coal mine Goin’ on down, down Workin’ in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down
Songs can mark certain times in your life. When this one plays I remember my first car. It was a 1966 Mustang…not a good idea to give a classic car to a teenager.
I remember hearing this for the first time driving and thinking that this was not the same Robert Plant that a few years before was in Led Zeppelin. He was more subdued and you could tell he was changing his image a bit. The guitar is what stands out to me in this repetitive song. It had an elastic sound to it.
The song peaked at #39 in the Billboard 100 in 1984. I’m In The Mood was on The Principle fo Moments album which peaked at #8 in the Billboard album charts in 1983. I’m In The Mood was written by Robert Plant, Robbie Blunt, and Paul Martinez.
In The Mood
I’m in the mood for a melody I’m in the mood for a melody I’m in the mood
I’m in the mood for a melody I’m in the mood for a melody I’m in the mood
I’m in the mood for a melody I’m in the mood for a melody I’m in the mood
I can make you dance I can make you sing I can make you dance I can make you sing If you want me to
Oh I can make you dance I can make you sing I can make you dance I can make you sing If you want me to
Oh I can make you dance I can make you sing I can make you dance I can make you sing if you want me to
And your little song that you want to sing A little song that you want to sing sung in lieu
Here’s a little song that you want to sing A little song that you want to sing some of you
A little song that you want to sing A little song that you want to sing happy or blue
I’m in the mood, I’m in the mood, I’m in the mood
Why’d I end up doing it doin’ it doing it Do anything that you want me for if you want me to
Do it right gonna do it right Cause a matter of fact it’ll turn out to be strong If you want me to if you want me to Oh if you want me to if you want me to if you want me to
When I graduated high school in1985 this song was was all over the radio. It was on the Scarecrow LP and that album marked a change in Mellencamp’s songs. The change in his style started with the Uh Huh album that came out in 1983 but this one is when I became more of a fan.
This song peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100 in 1985. The Scarecrow album peaked at #2 on the Billboard album chart. Mellencamp’s Uh Huh started the transformation and this solidified his heartland Americana image.
The title and hook were lifted from dialogue in the 1963 movie Hud. When Brandon De Wilde’s character asks, “It’s a Lonesome old night, isn’t it?” Paul Newman replies, “Ain’t they all?”
From Songfacts
The lyrics, “He’s singing about standing in the shadows of love, I guess he feels awfully alone” refer to the song “Standing In The Shadows Of Love,” which was a #6 hit for the Four Tops in 1967. “Lonely Ol’ Night” reached the same plateau. >>
The Scarecrow album saw Mellencamp move to a more political direction in his songwriting, as he gave voice to American farmers, expressing their burdens in songs like “Rain on the Scarecrow” and “You’ve Got to Stand for Somethin’.” “Lonely Ol’ Night” was more typical of his earlier work, a romantic story set against a musical backdrop. Lyrically, it’s not far off from his 1980 track “Ain’t Even Done With The Night.”
Mellencamp borrowed from the movie again in his 1987 track “Paper in Fire” with the line, “We keep no check on our appetites.”
Lonely Ol’ Night
She calls me home She says baby it’s a lonely ol’ night I don’t know I’m just so scared and lonely all at the same time Nobody told me She was gonna work out this way no no no no no no I guess they knew We’d work it out in our own way
It’s a lonely ol’ night Can I put my arms around you? It’s a lonely ol nigh Custom made for two lonely people like me and you
Radio playin’ softly Some singer’s sad sad song He’s singing about Standing in the shadows of love I guess it feels awfully alone She says I know Exactly what he means yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah And it’s a sad sad sad sad feeling When you’re living on those in betweens (But it’s OK)
It’s a lonely ol’ night Can I put my arms around you? It’s a lonely ol nigh Custom made for two lonely people like me and you
She calls me baby She calls everybody baby It’s a lonely ol’ night But ain’t they all?
It’s a lonely ol’ night Can I put my arms around you? It’s a lonely ol nigh Custom made for two lonely people like me and you
It doesn’t get much better than this. This song was off his self-titled debut album Marshall Crenshaw that peaked at #50 on the Billboard album charts in 1982. Marshall only had one chart hit and that was with Someday, Someway off of this same album…it just shows that life isn’t fair at times. Every song is good on this album…you cannot say that about most albums.
Songs like this… is the reason I do this on Fridays.
Marshall Crenshaw on the song: ‘Cynical Girl’ sounds like it just came off the top of my head in one pass; that’s probably what happened. Quite a few of my songs are like that: I just start singing and playing without any advance thought. But then, with ‘Cynical Girl’ and so many others, the words take time to arrive. I asked another person to take a crack at it first but the guy wrote something that had no cohesion. My idea for the lyrics came to me one day when I was walking out of traffic court, just out of the blue. The lyrics have an oddness to them, and humor too; they said some things that I wanted to say. People have sometimes asked me, ‘Who’s it about?’ ‘Did you find her yet?’, etc. It’s really not about a girl—that’s just off-the-shelf rock-and-roll language. To me, what the song says in a funny way is ‘I hate brain-dead mass-culture [stuff] and I want to hang around with people who feel the same.’ People have always really loved that song and identified with it and of course I love that!”
Cynical Girl
Well I’m goin’ out I’m goin’ out lookin’ for a cynical girl Who’s got no use for the real world I’m lookin’ for a cynical girl Well I hate TV
There’s gotta be somebody other than me Who’s ready to write it off immediately I’m lookin’ for a cynical girl
Well I’ll know right away by the look in her eye She harbors no illusions and she’s worldly-wise And I’ll know when I give her a listen that she She’s what I’ve been missin’ What I’ve been missin’ I’ll be lost in love
And havin’ some fun with my cynical girl Who’ll have no use for the real world I’m lookin’ for a cynical girl Well I’m goin’ out
I’m goin’ out lookin’ for a cynical girl Who’s got no use for the real world I’m lookin’ for a cynical girl
Yeah I’ll know right away by the look in her eye She harbors no illusions and she’s worldly-wise And I’ll know when I give her a listen that she She’s what I’ve been missin’ What I’ve been missin’ I’ll be lost in love
And havin’ some fun with my cynical girl Who’ll have no use for the real world I’m lookin’ for a cynical girl
What strong song by Chrissie Hynde after two of her band members die and leaving Ray Davies.
She wrote this song, which finds her coping with transition and approaching middle age. Following the 1981 Pretenders album Pretenders II, two of the four band members – Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott – died of drug overdoses, leaving just Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers, who remained the mainstays in the band amongst a rotating cast of guitarists and bass players.
This song peaked at #19 in the Billboard 100 in 1984.
From Songfacts
“Middle of the Road” is Chrissie Hynde’s credo. She told the Austin American-Statesman: “My personal discipline has been to try to stay in the middle, always, no matter what I’m doing. If I buy a jacket and it comes in three sizes, I want a medium. You have to learn how to temper yourself and hold back till you get to the end.”
Toward the end of the song, Hynde sings about the media hounding her. She has always tried to keep her private life to herself.
On this track, Hynde sings, “I got a kid, I’m 33.”
She was actually 32 when the song was released as a single in late 1983. In January that year, she had a daughter, Natalie, who she was raising as a single mother after leaving the father, Ray Davies from the Kinks.
A little after the 3-minute mark, Hynde lets loose one of the most famous yowls in rock. The feline inflection plays to the line, “I’m not the cat I used to be.”
Middle of the Road
The middle of the road is trying to find me I’m standing in the middle of life with my plans behind me Well I got a smile for everyone I meet As long as you don’t try dragging my bay Or dropping the bomb on my street
Now come on baby Get in the road Oh come on now In the middle of the road, yeah
In the middle of the road you see the darnedest things Like fat guys driving ’round in jeeps through the city Wearing big diamond rings and silk suits Past corrugated tin shacks full up with kids Oh man I don’t mean a Hampstead nursery When you own a big chunk of the bloody third world The babies just come with the scenery
Oh come on baby Get in the road Oh come on now In the middle of the road, yeah
The middle of the road is no private cul-de-sac I can’t get from the cab to the curb Without some little jerk on my back Don’t harass me, can’t you tell I’m going home, I’m tired as hell I’m not the cat I used to be I got a kid, I’m thirty-three
Baby, get in the road Come on now In the middle of the road Yeah
This song is a great little rocker off of The River. This is one of many early Springsteen songs featuring cars. Some others were “Thunder Road,” “Backstreets,” and “Racing In The Street.” Bruce used the Cadillac image again in 1984 on “Pink Cadillac.”
The album The River peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100 in 1980.
Springsteen used Cadillac Ranch as a metaphor for the coming of death.
There is a real Cadillac Ranch.
In 1974 along Route 66 west of Amarillo, Texas, Cadillac Ranch was invented and built by a group of art-hippies from San Francisco. They called themselves The Ant Farm, and their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh 3. He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals, and the hippies came up with a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. Ten Caddies were driven into one of Stanley Marsh 3’s fields, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt
From Songfacts
The Cadillac Ranch is a collection of 10 Cadillacs buried hood-first in a wheat field near Amarillo, Texas. Visitors are allowed to add graffiti to the cars, which are considered works of art.
Springsteen wrote this to energize his live shows and balance off the ballads on The River.
A live favorite, it is included on the box set Live 1975-1985.
Junior Johnson is mentioned in the second verse. He was a NASCAR racer in the ’50s and early ’60s before becoming a championship car owner. He won the second Daytona 500 in 1960 and was one of the first people to discover the drafting method of racing at the super speedways.
Cars were very important growing up in New Jersey. Springsteen’s first car was a ’57 Chevy with orange flames painted on the hood.
A photo in the program for the Born In The U.S.A. tour shows Springsteen at the Cadillac Ranch.
Cadillac Ranch
Well there she sits buddy just a-gleaming in the sun There to greet a working man when his day is done I’m gonna pack my pa and I’m gonna pack my aunt I’m gonna take them down to the Cadillac ranch
Eldorado fins, whitewalls and skirts Rides just like a little bit of heaven here on earth Well buddy when I die throw my body in the back And drive me to the junkyard in my Cadillac
Cadillac, Cadillac Long and dark shiny and black Open up your engines let ’em roar Tearing up the highway like a big old dinosaur
James Dean in that mercury forty-nine Junior Johnson runnin’ through the woods of Carolina Even Burt Reynolds in that black Trans Am All gonna meet down at the Cadillac ranch
Cadillac, Cadillac Long and dark shiny and black Open up your engines let ’em roar Tearing up the highway like a big old dinosaur
Hey little girlie in the blue jeans so tight Drivin’ alone through the Wisconsin night You’re my last love, baby you’re my last chance Don’t let ’em take me to the Cadillac ranch
Cadillac, Cadillac Long and dark shiny and black Pulled up to my house today Came and took my little girl away
I thought this song charted higher than it did in America…because I heard it constantly back in the 80s. The song peaked at #36 in the Billboard 100 in 1980. It did peak at #3 in the UK, #6 in Canada, #9 in New Zealand and #1 in Australia.
When asked about this song the Vapors explained that it is a love song about someone who lost their girlfriend and was going slowly crazy. Lead singer Dave Fenton said: “Turning Japanese is all the clichés about angst and youth and turning into something you didn’t expect to.”
The Vapors would be a true one-hit-wonder…this was their only song in the Billboard 100.
From Songfacts
One of the more misinterpreted songs of all time, one rumor was that “Turning Japanese” refers to the Asian facial features people get at the moment of climax during masturbation.
That recognizable opening riff repeated a few places in the song is actually called “the oriental riff” (example here). It is often used when a Western song wants to invoke the Far East; other popular examples are Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting” and Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Hong Kong Garden.”
The Vapors were a British pub-rock group formed by David Fenton (vocals), Edward Bazalgette (guitar), Steve Smith (bass) and Howard Smith (drums). They were discovered and managed by Bruce Foxton of the Jam. Ironically The Vapors enjoyed a bigger hit in America with this song than The Jam would ever have. The Vapors’ did not chart again in the US, however they had a couple of other minor hits in the UK. After releasing another album in 1981 they called it quits. After the band disbanded Fenton retired from creating music and went to work in the music industry as a lawyer. Bazalgette became a television producer at the BBC.
This song turns up in the weirdest places, like in an episode of Bill Nye: The Science Guy where it was Weird-Al’d into a song about electricity. A Dr. Pepper commercial uses the tune, as does a commercial for KFC restaurants where it’s sung on karaoke. The song also featured in the films Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) and Charlie’s Angels (2000).
This song topped the Australian charts for two weeks. It was also a minor hit in Japan.
A commonly misheard lyric is at the end of the bridge, “Everyone avoids me like a psyched lone ranger.” It is not “Everyone avoids me like a psycho ranger.”
Kirsten Dunst recorded this song for a video that was shown at a 2009 exhibition in London called Pop Life: Art In A Material World. The video was directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation) and shot in Tokyo, where Dunst performs as a Japanese schoolgirl.
Turning Japanese
I’ve got your picture Of me and you You wrote “I love you” I wrote “me too” I sit there staring and there’s nothing else to do
Oh it’s in color Your hair is brown Your eyes are hazel And soft as clouds I often kiss you when there’s no one else around
I’ve got your picture, I’ve got your picture I’d like a million of you all ’round my cell I want the doctor to take your picture So I can look at you from inside as well You’ve got me turning up and turning down, I’m turning in, I’m turning ’round
I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
I’ve got your picture, I’ve got your picture I’d like a million of them all ’round my cell I want a doctor to take your picture So I can look at you from inside as well You’ve got me turning up and turning down, I’m turning in, I’m turning ’round
I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it’s dark Everyone around me is a total stranger Everyone avoids me like a cyclone ranger Everyone
That’s why I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so (Think so think, so think so, think so) Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
I always liked Yogi Bear and would watch it when I got a chance…if only for the way he said pic-a-nic baskets.
Yogi first started out as a sidekick in a Hanna-Barbera show called The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958. He was the first Hanna-Barbera character to break out.
In 1961 he was given his own show called The Yogi Bear Show. His show included other segments like Yakky Doodle and Snagglepuss. The show also featured episodes with Yogi Bear breaking away from the unadventurous life of other bears in Yellowstone Park.
The plot was basically Yogi raiding picnic baskets, dodging hibernation, being chased by Ranger Smith, and making money together with his more honest sidekick Boo-Boo Bear. The show also featured episodes of Ranger Smith trying to tame Yogi and Boo-Boo Bear.
Around this time the great baseball player Yogi Berra sued Hanna-Barbera for defamation. But Hanna-Barbera claimed that the similarity of the names was just purely coincidental. Eventually, Yogi Berra withdrew his suit. When Yogi Berra died the AP’s wire service mistakenly announced the death of Yogi Bear instead…that is sad.
Yogi starred in a feature film, Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear, in 1964.
Yogi’s personality was based on Art Carney’s character from The Honeymooners.
The Yogi Bear Show lasted only 2 season but other shows featuring Yogi continued on. Yogi Bear and Friends, Yogi’s Gang, Yogi’s Space Race, Galaxy Goof-Ups, Yogi’s Treasure Hunt, The New Yogi Bear Show, and Yo Yogi! Yogi was on the air from 1958 to the 1990s.
Daws Butler originated the voice of Yogi and did it from 1958 to 1988 when he passed away. He was replaced by Greg Burson who was personally taught by Butler on how to do Yogi’s voice and other characters.
I watched this tonight…oh how I miss Rodney Dangerfield. This movie was released in 1986 and while it’s not in the class of Caddyshack or Animal House…it’s a fun movie to pass the time.
Rodney plays a very rich owner (Thorton Melon) of Tall and Fat shops and has a son (Jason Melon) going to college played by Keith Gordon. Thorton catches his wife cheating…many times and they get a divorce. Jason lies to his dad about being on the swim team and in reality, is about to quit college. Thorton decides to be the oldest freshman on campus and joins his son in college.
Three interesting appearances in this movie…A young Robert Downey Jr…. he plays the eccentric best friend of Jason, Sam Kinison who plays a very loud Professor…and Kurt Vonnegut who plays himself.
This movie is a fun little comedy and Dangerfield gets off some really good one-liners:
With the shape my body is in, I could donate it to science fiction.
Bring a pitcher of beer every seven minutes until someone passes out, then bring one every ten minutes.
No kids? Well, get yourself some. Take it all. [hands officer more cash] And just remember, the best thing about kids… is making them!
I don’t know. I can’t figure women out. Today, they’re… independent. They only think about themselves. Why, during sex, Vanessa – she used to scream out her own name!
The Nashville Ramblers was a band from San Diego. The song “The Trains” was recorded in 1985 for a compilation album American Heart and Soul. they also recorded 2 other songs for the album… an original called “Nashville Rambling” and a cover of a Golliwog (pre-Creedence Clearwater Revival) song called “Fragile Child.”
Steven Van Zandt called the song “one of the examples most indescribably beautiful romantic nostalgia, disguised in a pop song.”
Personally, I’ve grown to really like this song. I wish I would have known about it in the 80s.
There is not much out there on this group. Youtube does have some performances. This song did not chart because it was hardly known about. The band wasn’t known until 20 years after this was recorded and their song was released on another compilation album. The song has a cult following.
I found this bit of info…It’s really interesting and a very good song. The song would have worked in 65 as well. It’s a shame that a wider audience never knew about them. I’ve been playing it to anyone that would listen.
Recorded in 1985, “The Trains” by THE NASHVILLE RAMBLERS is one of the greatest pop songs of the entire era. Aided and abetted by ace producer MARK NEILL (Black Keys), the band expertly channeled their key influences—Beatles, Remains, Hollies, Everly Brothers, and others—and shaped them into something fresh, urgent and breathtakingly original. A heart-stopping melody, evocative lyrics, a driving beat, soaring harmonies, a dynamic, reverb-soaked production—to hear “The Trains” was to fall in love with it. And every time you heard it, you fell in love again. However, outside a small circle of fans, though, very few people ever heard it. In an era when do-it-yourself was how-it-was-done, the Ramblers waited for somebody else to do it for them. Nobody did—not really anyway. In 1986 “The Trains” and one other Ramblers song appeared on an obscure UK-only compilation, but few people noticed. The moment was lost—if it was ever there at all—and “The Trains” slipped quietly back underground to become a whispered secret passed through the years between a growing coterie of admirers. Many discovered the song for the first time in 2005 when it was included on Rhino’s Children of Nuggets box set—by then it was almost 20 years old. Fully remastered by Mark Neill directly from the original vaccum tube analog 3-track master tape, this shiny black 45rpm single and packaged in a deluxe hard cover picture sleeve, it’s paired with a terrific, previously unreleased version of the Golliwogs’ “Fragile Child” recorded at the same session. Edition of 1,000 copies.
If you know any more info please comment.
I just found this wiki page…just translate to English
She acts unaware of her smile or the scent of her hair When she leaves a room she takes everyone’s eyes out their heads But I hurt too much to let her bring me down But when she’s not around I can hear the trains underground When I’m alone I can feel the sun going down How can I explain all the reasons she frightens me so When she has the power to burn me right down to my soul But then every night I see her in my dreams But the days in between She tears me apart at the seams Once I was strong She’s taught me what loneliness means
No, nobody else could understand her like I do So I gotta make her realize she loves me too And I do I really do
But then every night I see her in my dreams But the days in between She tears me apart at the seams Once I was strong She’s taught me what loneliness means She acts unaware of her smile or the scent of her hair When she leaves a room she takes everyone’s eyes out their heads But I hurt too much to let her bring me down But when she’s not around I can hear the trains underground Once I was strong I can feel the sun going down I can hear the trains underground I can feel the sun going down I can hear the trains underground
I owned East Side Story the fourth album by Squeeze and this song caught my attention right off. This album drew comparisons to the Beatles especially in Rolling Stone Magazine at the time.
The album peaked at #44 on the Billboard 100 in 1981. Elvis Costello and Roger Bechirian produced this album.
Piccadilly
She’s not a picture above somebody’s fire She sits in a towel with a purple hair dryer, She waits to get even with me. She hooks up her cupcakes and puts on her jumper Explains that she’ll be late to a worrying mother, She meets me in Piccadilly. A begging folk singer stands tall by the entrance His song relays worlds of most good intentions, A fiver a ten p in his hat for collection.
She talks about office she talks about dresses She’s seen one she fancies her smile is impressing, So maybe I’ll treat her someday. We queue among strangers and strange conversation Love’s on the lips of all forms of engagements, All queuing to see tonight’s play.
A man behind me talks to his young lady He’s happy that she is expecting his baby, His wife won’t be pleased but she’s not been round lately.
The play was so dreadful we left in a hurry We escaped in the rain for an Indian curry, At the candle lit Taj Mahal. My lips to a napkin I called for a taxi The invite of eyes made it tense but relaxed me, My mind took a devious role.
The cab took us home through a night I’d not noticed The neon club lights of adult films and Trini Lopez, My arm around love but my acting was hopeless.
We crept like two thieves from the kettle to the fire We kissed to the sound of the silence that we’d hired, Now captured, your love in my arms. A door opened slightly a voice spoke in worry Mum went to bed without wind of the curry, Our secret love made its advance.
Like Adam and Eve we took bite on the apple Loose change in my pocket it started to rattle, Heart like a gun was just half of the battle.
I’ve been doing this for a while now and I cannot believe I haven’t posted about Crowded House. It was love at first listen with this song. The lyric “bring life to frozen ground” still stands out to me and I cannot hear this song enough. As far as pop songs go it’s hard to beat this.
The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard 100, #3 in New Zealand, and #10 in Canada in 1987. The song was written by Neil Finn and Mitchell Froom.
I’ve played music for a long time and it fascinates me how songs develop. They can come at once or they can take time to build from pieces and parts. Below is a short home demo version of this song…below that… the finished product.
Love the Smoke on the Water tease in the video.
Crowded House
Love can make you weep, it can make you run for cover Roots that spread so deep, bring life to frozen ground
(Something so strong) could carry us away (Something so strong) could carry us today
Turning in my sleep, love can leave you cold The taste of jealousy, is like a lust for gold
(Something so strong) could carry us away (Something so strong) could carry us today
(I’ve been) feeling so much older (Frame me) and hang me on the wall (I’ve seen) you fall into the same trap (This thing) is happening to us all
(Something so strong) could carry us away (Something so strong) could carry us today
(Something so strong) (Something so strong) (Something so strong) Something something so strong
The video for this song is really sad. Roy Orbison died before the making of it and when his verse comes on they show a picture of him on the train and his guitar on a rocking chair.
This song and Handle with Care were the two biggest hits. This one made it to #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Song Charts.
End of the Line
Well it’s all right, riding around in the breeze Well it’s all right, if you live the life you please Well it’s all right, doing the best you can Well it’s all right, as long as you lend a hand
You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring (end of the line) Waiting for someone to tell you everything (end of the line) Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring (end of the line) Maybe a diamond ring
Well it’s all right, even if they say you’re wrong Well it’s all right, sometimes you gotta be strong Well it’s all right, as long as you got somewhere to lay Well it’s all right, everyday is judgment day
Maybe somewhere down the road aways (end of the line) You’ll think of me, wonder where I am these days (end of the line) Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (end of the line) Purple haze
Well it’s all right, even when push comes to shove Well it’s all right, if you got someone to love Well it’s all right, everything’ll work out fine Well it’s all right, we’re going to the end of the line
Don’t have to be ashamed of the car I drive (end of the line) I’m just glad to be here, happy to be alive (end of the line) It don’t matter if you’re by my side (end of the line) I’m satisfied
Well it’s all right, even if you’re old and grey Well it’s all right, you still got something to say Well it’s all right, remember to live and let live Well it’s all right, the best you can do is forgive
Well it’s all right, riding around in the breeze Well it’s all right, if you live the life you please Well it’s all right, even if the sun don’t shine Well it’s all right, we’re going to the end of the line
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