This is a fun mid-sixties pop song by The Tremeloes. I like the live party atmosphere they created. Here Comes My Baby was written in 1966 by Cat Stevens. It was almost released as Steven’s first single, but “I Love My Dog” was thought to be stronger.
After “I Love My Dog’s” success, “Here Comes My Baby” was shelved for several months. The Tremeloes picked it up and it became their breakthrough hit in America and their first hit in the UK since their lead singer Brian Poole left them. The song’s success helped establish Cat Stevens as a songwriter and he included it on his first album Matthew And Son.
The Tremeloes had been a backup band for Brian Poole and when they split in 1966 after 8 UK hits, they looked to be another backing band set for junk pile. They bought in Len “Chip” Hawkes as their bassist and lead singer and their career took off.
Some trivia about the Tremeloes. Decca was looking to sign a guitar group in 1962 and the Tremeloes (at the time known as Brian Poole and the Tremeloes) and The Beatles auditioned… Decca picked The Tremeloes over The Beatles mostly because they were closer, based in London…while The Beatles were far away in Liverpool (Whoops!). That decision would haunt Dick Rowe (Decca Executive) for the rest of his life…He did end up signing The Rolling Stones though after a suggestion by George Harrison.
The song peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100, #4 in the UK Charts, and #7 in Canada in 1967.
This is one of those songs that I never get tired of and it always makes me feel good. They did have some success after this song…Silence is Golden #13, Even the Bad Times Are Good #37, and several successful singles in the UK.
Cat Stevens version
Here Comes My Baby
In the midnight moonlight hour I’ll be walking a long and lonely mile, And every time I do, I keep seeing this picture of youHere comes my baby, here she comes now, And-a it becomes as no surprise to me with another guy,Well, here comes my baby, here she comes now, Walking with a love, With a love that’s oh so fine Never to be mine, no matter how I try,
You’ll never walk alone, and you’re forever talking on the phone I try to call you names, but every time it comes out the same
Here comes my baby; here she comes now, And-a it becomes as no surprise to me with another guy,
Here comes my baby; here she comes now, And-a it becomes as no surprise to me with another guy
It’s rare that I post a cover of a Beatles song but this one is worth it. This song was a groundbreaker in the world of R&B and Soul because of the song selection and Duane Allman. This is a great performance of a great song. For me, it’s up there with Joe Cockers With A Little Help from My Friends as one of the best Beatle cover versions.
Duane Allman was working at Muscle Shoals playing on records in 1968. He played on some Clarence Carter records and then in walked Wilson Pickett. The problem was they had no song for Pickett to sing at the booked sessions. Duane Allman brought up Hey Jude to cover in front of Pickett and Rick Hall the producer.
Wilson Pickett and Rick Hall said no they didn’t want to cover the song. Hall and Pickett had objections that the song was currently moving up the charts and the length of the song made getting it played on the radio almost impossible if you were not the Beatles,
Rick Hall told Allman that it didn’t make sense…the Beatles were the biggest band in the world and their version was clearly going to number 1. He told Allman it would be crazy to do it. Allman shook his head and said no it wouldn’t be crazy. Yes, he said the Beatles are the biggest band in the world and yes it will hit number 1 but that is the reason we should do it. He said just think of the attention we will get having a black artist cover this new Beatle song. Hall thought about it and soon agreed with Allman.
Rick Hall: ‘Their single’s gonna be number one. I mean, this is the biggest group in the world! And Duane said, ‘That’s exactly why we should do it — because [the Beatles single] will be Number one and they’re so big. The fact that we would cut the song with a black artist will get so much attention, it’ll be an automatic smash.’ That made all the sense in the world to me. So I said, ‘Well, okay. Let’s do it.’”
Pickett was not as easy to persuade. Allman was firm but gentle with Pickett and finally, Wilson relented and he recorded it. It turned out to be an R&B classic. The head-turner was when Pickett started to scream and in came this electric slide guitar of Allman. At that point, you didn’t hear much electric slide on records outside of the blues. After this record, R&B and soul producers started to bring in more rock guitars to compliment what they had.
This record changed Allman’s career in ways he couldn’t have known. One of Duane’s guitar heroes heard this version and called Atlantic records (Wilson’s record label) and asked who is that guitar player? I want to know now. That guitar player who asked was Eric Clapton.
Later when Clapton was recording the Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs album his producer Tom Dowd asked him if he would mind if Duane Allman dropped by and watch him play. Clapton turned and confirmed that Allman was the guitar player on Pickett’s Hey Jude and when Dowd said yes…Clapton said yes tell him to come by because I want to see HIM play. Allman would end up playing and contributing to most of the Layla album.
The song peaked at #23 in the Billboard 100 and #13 in the R&B Charts in 1969. The rhythm guitar player in Muscle Shoals Jimmy Johnson later credited Allman’s performance on Wilson Pickett’s album Hey Jude as the beginning of Southern Rock. This was recorded a few months before the Allman Brothers formed.
Eric Clapton: “I remember hearing ‘Hey Jude’ by Wilson Pickett and calling either Ahmet Ertegun or Tom Dowd and saying, ‘Who’s that guitar player? To this day, I’ve never heard better rock guitar playing on an R&B record. It’s the best.”
Wilson Pickett: “He stood right in front of me, as though he was playing every note I was singing, and he was watching me as I sang, and as I screamed, he was screaming with his guitar.”
As a Beatle fan…the ironic thing about this song is that George and Paul got into a big disagreement with the Beatle version. George wanted to add guitar fills in between lines to echo them…that is what Duane Allman did in this version.
Hey Jude
Hey Jude, don’t make it bad Take a sad song and make it better Remember to let her into your heart, Then you can start to make it better.
Hey Jude, don’t be afraid You were made to go out and get her The minute you let her under your skin, Then you begin to make it better
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain, Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool By making his world a little colder
Hey Jude, don’t let me down You have found her, now go and get her Remember to let her into your heart, Then you can start to make it better
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin You’re waiting for someone to perform with And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey Jude, you’ll do The movement you need is on your shoulder
Hey Jude, don’t make it bad Take a sad song and make it better Remember to let her under your skin, Then you’ll begin to make it Better better better better better better, (make it Jude) ooh
When I think of Elvis …I admire him on one hand and on the other I pity him for how he ended up. When the big E was coming out of the Memphis radios on Sun Records…there was not anyone around that could touch him as a live rock and roll performer. Then came Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis became a huge star but with a steep cost.
Roy Brown first wrote and released this song in 1947. Elvis covered it and released it in 1954. His release was his second Sun Record release and the B side was a song called “I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine.” I wish Elvis could have stayed on Sun a little longer. Soon he would be gone to RCA. Great records but he had a sound on Sun that he never got back. His band was Scotty Moore on lead guitar and Bill Black on the double bass. The song didn’t chart many places but it did peak at #10 in Sweden.
His first single for Sun was “That’s Alright Mama.” On June 7, 1954, WHBQ Radio in Memphis became the first station to play this song when their disc jockey Dewey Phillips aired it on his Red, Hot and Blue show the day after Elvis recorded it. It soon built up regionally after that.
On November 20, 1955, Elvis signed with RCA and after that, his records were everywhere. RCA could give him distribution all over the world but I wish they would have kept recording the Sun Studios with Sam Phillips. Mr. Phillips owned Sun Studios since 1952 and he would have a star-studded roster of Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and more.
He was also an early investor in the Holiday Inn chain of hotels and an advocate for racial equality, helping to break down racial barriers in the music industry.
The B Side I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine
Good Rockin Tonight
Well, I heard the news, there’s good rockin’ tonight Well, I heard the news, there’s good rockin’ tonight I’m gonna hold my baby as tight as I can Tonight she’ll know I’m a mighty, mighty man I heard the news, there’s good rockin’ tonight
I said, meet me and a-hurry behind the barn Don’t you be afraid ’cause I’ll do you no harm I want you to bring along my rockin’ shoes ‘Cause tonight I’m gonna rock away all our blues I heard the news, there’s good rockin’ tonight
Well, we’re gonna rock We’re gonna rock Let’s rock Come on and rock We’re gonna rock all our blues away
Have you heard the news, everybody’s rockin’ tonight Have you heard the news, everybody’s rockin’ tonight I’m gonna hold my baby as tight as I can Well, tonight she’ll know I’m a mighty, mighty man I heard the news, there’s good rockin’ tonight
Well, we’re gonna rock, rock, rock, rock Come on and rock, rock, rock, rock Let’s rock, rock, rock, rock Well, let’s rock, rock, rock, rock We’re gonna rock all our blues away
Beautiful melody and touching lyrics…this song is a lost gem. It would later be covered by Eric Clapton but I favor the 1971 original by Cowboy. If you don’t know this one…give the Cowboy version a listen.
Cowboy was a Southern folk-rock band formed in 1969 in Jacksonville, Florida, by singer-songwriters Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton. The band also featured pianist Bill Pillmore, bassist George Clark, guitarist Pete Kowalke, and drummer Tom Wynn.
Please Be With Me was one of the last songs Duane Allman recorded before his tragic motorbike accident on October 29, 1971. He played the dobro and it made the song. This song appears on 5’ll Getcha 10, the second record by Cowboy, a band that had landed a contract thanks to their friendship with Duane.
The band opened up for the Allmans on their 1970-1971 national tour. The album came out in October 1971. They would go on to release four albums in the early seventies.
Galadrielle Allman, daughter of Duane Allman, used this song title for her book title instead of one of many Allman Brothers songs. It’s a very good book.
Butch Trucks (Drummer for ABB): ‘A few weeks after Duane died, when I still hadn’t really let loose or accepted it, I put on Please Be With Me and the dam burst and I started crying and crying, just racked with grief. I was sitting there listening to the song over and over and crying. To this day I can’t hear it without getting choked up.’
Scott Boyer:“I was sitting in this motel room all by myself and just for busy work I grabbed a pad and pencil and started writing freeform. Whatever popped into my head. About 10 minutes later and I had like 10 verses and three choruses, but nothing rhymed and nothing made any sense. It was just right out of my head and onto the paper. And I started connecting things. Put the third line from the third verse with the fourth line in the eight verse. Not necessarily because they made sense but because they rhymed. And I put together like three verses and a chorus and I put the pad down and I rolled over and went to sleep. And Duane (Allman) came into town the next day and said, ‘I want to play on this record with ya’ll but I want to play something brand new.’ We started tossing things around. And I said, ‘Well I wrote this thing last night. There’s nothing much to it.” And I played the song for Duane and (producer) Johnny Sandlin was also in the room and when I finished it they both went, ‘Wow, you wrote that last night, man? That’s beautiful.’ It is? [Laughs.] But that’s how the song got recorded because Duane wanted to play something brand new and I had this thing I had tossed off the night before. And I loved what Duane played on it. That dobro he played on it just comes to life when that thing comes on, man.”
Gregg Allman:The group Cowboy was on Capricorn, and we played their album 5’ll Getcha Ten quite a bit at the Big House. Scott Boyer had been in the 31st of February with Butch, and Cowboy had a sort of southern-folk sound to them.
Please Be With Me
Upon my word what does it mean? Is it love or is it me That makes me change so suddenly From looking out to feeling free?
I sit here lying in my bed Wondering what it was I said That made me think I lost my head When I knew I lost my heart instead
So won’t you please read my signs Be a gypsy Tell me what I hope to find deep within me And because you can find my mind Please be with me
Of all the better things I’ve heard Loving you has made the words And all the rest seem so absurd ‘Cause in the end it all comes out I’m sure
So won’t you please read my signs Be a gypsy Tell me what I hope to find deep within me And because you can find my mind Please be with me
This song was leftover from my AM Radio Gold week I had a while back. It’s one of those songs that take me back to when I heard it on the radio. It’s almost impossible for me to be unhappy when this song is on. Kinda like how I Can See Clearly Now affects me. It was unlike the origin of the song.
It was written by the keyboard player/songwriter Sherman Kelly in 1969 after a trip to the Caribbean island of Saint Croix, where he was attacked by natives and left for dead. While he was recovering from his injuries, he wrote this song as an alternate reality.
The first band to record this song was Boffolongo, which was fronted by Larry Hoppen. The group recorded their debut album in 1969, and for their next album, released in 1970, Sherman Kelly joined the band on keyboards and brought them his song “Dancing In The Moonlight.” Kelly’s brother Wells also joined the band; this original version of the song featured Hoppen on guitar, Sherman on lead vocals, and Wells on drums.
In 1971, Wells Kelly paid a visit to the band King Harvest, who was working on a new album in Paris (his former Boffolongo bandmate Dave “Doc” Robinson was in the band). Wells came armed with some albums from America and also a copy of Boffolongo’s “Dancing In The Moonlight,” which King Harvest decided to record, this time with a more keyboard-driven sound and smoother production. The single, with lead vocals by Robinson, was released in Europe but stiffed; it was rescued by an American label called Perception Records that issued the song Stateside.
King Harvest released this song in 1972 and it reached #13 on the Billboard Charts, #5 in the UK charts, and #5 in Canada.
British band Toploader had a #7 hit in the UK with a cover of this after it was featured in a Sainsbury supermarket TV advert.
Dancing In The Moonlight ended up being an enduring hit for the band, and their only song to make much of an impact (“A Little Bit Like Magic” made #91 a few months later) King Harvest were never The Who, Beatles, or the Stones but they contributed to the texture of the seventies. They did end up releasing 10 albums! The latest in 2015.
Songwriter Sherman Kelly: On a trip to St. Croix in 1969, I was the first victim of a vicious St. Croix gang who eventually murdered 8 American tourists. At that time, I suffered multiple facial fractures and wounds and was left for dead. While I was recovering, I wrote “Dancin In The Moonlight” in which I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life. The song became a huge hit and was recorded by many musicians worldwide. “Dancin In The Moonlight” continues to be popular to this day.
The first band Boffalongo to record it.
Dancing In The Moonlight
We get it almost every night When that ol’ moon gets-a big and bright It’s a supernatural delight Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight
Everybody here is out of sight They don’t bark, and they don’t bite They keep things loose, they keep things light Everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight
Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight Everybody’s feelin’ warm and right It’s such a fine and natural sight Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight
We like our fun and we never fight You can’t dance and stay uptight It’s a supernatural delight Everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight
On a far distant radio a few days ago I heard It’s Raining Again and then this one. Sometimes I forget how big Supertramp was in the 70s and 80s…especially after this album.
In 1979 the album Breakfast In America was huge. The album had 4 singles in the Billboard 100. The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, #1 in Canada, #1 in New Zealand, and #3 in the UK…and won 2 Grammys.
The title song peaked at #62 in the Billboard 100 and #9 in the UK in 1979.
This album was released in 1979 and it came at the height of new wave and disco. Its domination of the single and album charts, and the airwaves, had to be unexpected by all concerned. Breakfast In America eclipsed anything they had done before and skyrocketed the band into the commercial stratosphere. Supertramp was never a typical chart band or obvious stadium touring giants. After this album, everything changed.
When they came to record the album, all five members had relocated full-time to the West Coast and bought apartments or houses there, and it was decided that the Colorado (Caribou Ranch) studio had been too sterile and so a new headquarters was found for Supertramp and co in Burbank, a home-from-home that was promptly given the name Southcombe. There, throughout 1978, they rehearsed the material and prepared the demos that would eventually be recorded at the Village Recorder studio in Los Angeles.
Roger Hodgson and Davies wrote most of the songs. They sometimes shared credit on songs… but Roger Hodgson wrote this song 8 years earlier. Davies and Rogerson had a disagreement over the first line in the song. Rick Davies didn’t like “Take a look at my girlfriend, she’s the only one I got.” Roger won the battle.
Roger Hodgson:“He never liked the lyric to ‘Breakfast.’ It’s so trite: ‘Take a look at my girlfriend.’ He’s much more into crafting a song. He would have been happier if I’d changed the lyric to either something funnier or more relevant. I tried, but it didn’t work out, so I was stuck with the original.”
Roger Hodgson:“The line ‘playing my jokes upon you,’ I think that kind of sums up the song. It was just mind chatter. Just writing down ideas as they came – fun thoughts all strung together. And I do remember the Beatles had just gone to America, and I was pretty impressed with that. That definitely stimulated my dream of wanting to go to America. And obviously seeing all those gorgeous California girls on the TV and thinking, Wow. That’s the place I want to go.”
Roger Hodgson:“I think I was 17 when I found this wonderful pump organ – a harmonium that you pump with your feet. I found it in this old lady’s house in the countryside near where I lived in England. I bought it for £26, and when I brought it back I proceeded to write all these songs on it: ‘Breakfast In America,’ ‘Two Of Us,’ ‘Soapbox Opera,’ even the beginning of ‘Fool’s Overture’ and ‘Logical Song.’ It’s amazing what this instrument pulled out of me.”
Here is a good live version…you are bloody well right!
Breakfast In America
Take a look at my girlfriend She’s the only one I got Not much of a girlfriend Never seem to get a lot
Take a jumbo across the water Like to see America See the girls in California I’m hoping it’s going to come true But there’s not a lot I can do
Could we have kippers for breakfast Mummy dear, mummy dear They got to have ’em in Texas ‘Cause everyone’s a millionaire
I’m a winner, I’m a sinner Do you want my autograph I’m a loser, what a joker I’m playing my jokes upon you While there’s nothing better to do
Ba-ba-ba-dow, ba-bow-dum-doo-de-dow-de-dow, de Ba-ba-ba-dow, ba-bow-dum-de-doo-de-dow Na na na, nana na na na na
Don’t you look at my girlfriend (girlfriend) She’s the only one I got Not much of a girlfriend (girlfriend) Never seem to get a lot (what’s she got, not a lot)
Take a jumbo cross the water Like to see America See the girls in California I’m hoping it’s going to come true But there’s not a lot I can do
Ba-ba-ba-dow, ba-bow-dum-doo-de-dow-de-dow, de Ba-ba-ba-dow, ba-bow-dum-de-doo-de-dow
Love this song and movie. Back in 2018 my son and I caught the movie in an Art House movie theatre that is located in Nashville. It was cool seeing this 1972 movie on the big screen. On top of a great movie, we got to hear the Curtis Mayfield soundtrack with surround sound in the theater.
Quinten Tarantino was strongly influenced by this movie for Jackie Brown. The endings are very similar. This song popularized the word “fly,” which means unusual and exceptional, particularly when it comes to fashion.
Curtis Mayfield was working on the songs for the movie while it was shooting, and would often visit the set, bringing in demos so the cast and crew could hear how they would integrate into the film. He even appears in the movie, performing the song “Pusherman” in a bar scene.
After seeing the screenplay, Mayfield jumped into the project and was given complete creative freedom. He wrote the songs to suit the scenes, but he made sure they could stand on their own, telling the stories even without the visuals. “Superfly” works very well outside of the film, as the character Mayfield describes could relate to anyone trying to survive and thrive under difficult situations.
The song peaked at #8 in the Billboard 100 and #5 in the R&B Charts in 1972.
Curtis Mayfield:“It was a glorious moment for our people as blacks, Priest had a mind, he wanted to get out. For once, in spite of what he was doing, he got away. So there came ‘Superfly’ the song. He was trying to get over. We couldn’t be so proud of him dealing coke or using coke, but at least the man had a mind and he wasn’t just some ugly dead something in the streets after it was all over. He got out.”
Superfly
Darkest of night With the moon shining bright There’s a set goin’ strong Lotta things goin’ on The man of the hour Has an air of great power The dudes have envied him for so long
[Chorus] Superfly You’re gonna make your fortune by and by But if you lose, don’t ask no questions why The only game you know is Do or Die Ah-ha-ha
Hard to understand What a hell of a man This cat of the slum Had a mind, wasn’t dumb But a weakness was shown Cause his hustle was wrong His mind was his own But the man lived alone
[Chorus]
The game he plays he plays for keeps Hustlin’ times and ghetto streets Tryin’ to get over (That’s what he tryin’ to do, why’all) Taking all that he can take Gambling with the odds of fate Tryin’ ta get over [Repeat: x4] Woo, Superfly
The aim of his role Was to move a lot of blow Ask him his dream What does it mean? He wouldn’t know “Can’t be like the rest” Is the most he’ll confess But the time’s running out And there’s no happiness
I love listening to Phil Lynott sing. Thin Lizzy could give you a lot of different-sounding songs. In this song, it sounds like Phil was listening to the Moondance album by Van Morrison.
The record company added the (It’s Caught Me In It’s Spotlight) so people would not confuse this with the old AM hit Dancing In The Moonlight by King Harvest that I’ll be going over this week!
It’s the way Lynott phrased his lyrics that added to the experience. Thin Lizzy also had some great twin harmony lead guitar parts that made their sound. They were unique, to say the least. You had a black Irish bass player fronting a rock band and singing like a cross between fellow Irishman Van Morrison and American Bruce Springsteen. They were not just a hard blues band. They mixed rock, country, blues, Celtic, and a little jazz in the mix.
The band’s name is a play on Tin Lizzie (“Thin” being pronounced “Tin” in an Irish accent). Tin Lizzie is either a reference to a robot character from TheDandy Comic or a nickname for the Model T Ford…
This song was on the Bad Reputation album released in 1977 and was written by Phil Lynott. It peaked #14 in the UK, #84 in Canada, and #4 in Ireland.
The album peaked at #39 in the Billboard Album Charts, #44 in Canada, and #4 in the UK in 1977.
Phil Lynott was the principal songwriter, but he encouraged the rest of the band to contribute their own material.
Scott Gorham (lead guitarist…one of them):“He taught us how to do this thing called ‘song writing.’ And until we got better and better at it and we could actually bring our own songs in, we brought in songs that were either partly finished or just ideas to put on one of his songs. We might bring in a song that was half finished, or a whole song minus the lyrics. And it was always minus the lyrics, because that was Phil Lynott’s domain. We knew that we weren’t ever going to touch or top his lyrics. So you just let him get on with it.”
Later on The Smashing Pumpkins covered “Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight)” for various live performances.
Phil Lynott’s short life has been memorialized by a life-size bronze statue erected in central Dublin, just outside one of the famed bass player’s favorite pubs.
Thin Lizzy – Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight)
When I passed you in the doorway You took me with a glance I should have took that last bus home But I asked you for a dance
Now we go steady to the pictures I always get chocolate stains on my pants My father he’s going crazy Say’s I’m living in a trance
But I’m dancing in the moonlight It’s caught me in its spotlight It’s alright, alright Dancing in the moonlight On the long hot summer night
It’s three o’clock in the morning And I’m on the streets again I disobeyed another warning I should have been in by ten
Now I won’t get out until Sunday I’ll have to say I stayed with friends But it’s a habit worth forming If it means to justify the end
Young Man Blues was written by jazz artist Mose Allison in 1957. Mose’s version is jazzy and smooth. The Who took the song and set it afire with an explosive charge. Mose Allison called The Who’s version The “Command Performance” of his song. That’s a great compliment from the author. Pete was a big fan of Mose Allison. He has said that if he never heard this song he would not have written My Generation.
The Who version has great dynamics. The bass and drums are all over the place and yet perfect. The Who sound like they are driving near a cliff and you know the song is going to fall off but they save it at the last moment time after time. The song was on the Live At Leeds album released in 1970.
The key to this song and most Who songs was the rhythm section. Keith Moon and John Entwistle pushed each other to greatness. The frenetic chaotic bass and drums made it exciting. You had the lead guitar player punching in licks between the lead bass and drums. Later on, when Keith passed away and Kenney Jones took his place…they were not the same. That is nothing against Jones…he was one of the best British drummers at that time but that touch of insanity was gone permanently.
A year or so before John Entwistle died, Roger Daltrey was complaining about John’s volume on stage to Pete. Pete replied that without that volume and John’s style…they are not the Who. That was a true statement. I saw the Who with John and later on without him. It wasn’t the same. Was it a great show without him? Yes, the songs were great but that element of danger was gone. That is what both Keith and John added to the Who.
So I’ll take this note for myself… February 14, 1970… I’ll buy a ticket for Leeds University when I get my time machine working…I’ll take some cotton balls though.
Young Man Blues
Oh well a young man ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days I said a young man ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days
You know in the old days When a young man was a strong man All the people they’d step back When a young man walked by
But you know nowadays It’s the old man, He’s got all the money And a young man ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days I said nothing
Everybody knows that a young man ain’t got nothin’ Everybody! Everybody knows that a young man ain’t got nothin’ He got nothin’ Nothin’
Take it easy on the young man They ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days I said they ain’t got nothin’! They got sweet fuck-all!
The Moody Blues hit big in the early 80s. I first got into them in the late 70s and I had all of their albums up to Seventh Sojourn. When Long Distance Voyager came out in 1981 a new generation of fans was made.
After I graduated in 85 I heard the single “Your Wildest Dreams” the following year and loved it. I remember the video on MTV and then a few years later in 1988 I heard this song. I could tell by the video alone it was essentially a sequel to Your Wildest Dreams. Guitarist/singer/songwriter Justin Hayward wrote both songs.
Sometimes we kick ourselves over missed opportunities and I do regret not seeing the Moodies live. I never looked at them as prog rock…they were just The Moody Blues…somewhat in a genre by themselves in some ways.
The song peaked at #30 in the Billboard 100, #52 in the UK, #15 in Canada in 1988. This was the band’s last top 40 single in the United States.
Justin Hayward: “I did the keyboard and the guitar and the LinnDrum for ‘Wildest Dreams,’ which was finished first, and for ‘I Know You’re Out There Somewhere’ I decided to use the same keyboard sound and bass sound that I’d got on a Yamaha DX7 and continue that theme. It’s identical tempo and everything.”
Justin Hayward:“I love performing it. Wherever we go, people like it. It wasn’t a massive hit, but people know it. It wasn’t a massive hit because it’s about 6 minutes long and no one did a successful edit on it. That’s probably the one that gives me the most pleasure.”
Since the two songs were connected…here they are.
I Know You’re Out There Somewhere
I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere, somewhere I know I’ll find you somehow Somehow, somehow And somehow I’ll return again to you
The mist is lifting slowly I can see the way ahead And I’ve left behind the empty streets That once inspired my life And the strength of the emotion Is like thunder in the air ‘Cos the promise that we made each other Haunts me to the end
I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere, somewhere I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere you can hear my voice I know I’ll find you somehow Somehow, somehow I know I’ll find you somehow And somehow I’ll return again to you
The secret of your beauty And the mystery of your soul I’ve been searching for in everyone I meet And the times I’ve been mistaken It’s impossible to say And the grass is growing Underneath our feet
I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere, somewhere I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere you can hear my voice I know I’ll find you somehow Somehow, somehow I know I’ll find you somehow And somehow I’ll return again to you
[Interlude:] You see I know you’re out there somewhere O yes I know you’re out there somewhere You see I know I’ll find you somehow O yes I know I’ll find you somehow
the words that I remember From my childhood still are true That there’s none so blind As those who will not see And to those who lack the courage And say it’s dangerous to try Well they just don’t know That love eternal will not be denied
I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere, somewhere I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere you can hear my voice I know I’ll find you somehow Somehow, somehow I know I’ll find you somehow And somehow I’ll return again to you
Yes I know it’s going to happen I can feel you getting near And soon we’ll be returning To the fountain of our youth And if you wake up wondering In the darkness I’ll be there My arms will close around you And protect you with the truth
I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere, somewhere I know you’re out there somewhere Somewhere you can hear my voice I know I’ll find you somehow Somehow, somehow I know I’ll find you somehow And somehow I’ll return again to you
A wonderful song from the band’s sixth album Don’t Tell A Soul. It was the first album with new guitarist Bob “Slim” Dunlap after Bob Stinson quit. They recorded their previous album Please To Meet Me as a trio with Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars.
Westerberg has claimed the song’s protagonist was a composite of several people, though one inspiration was his younger sister Mary. She was a Minneapolis budding rock radio deejay, Mary was experiencing the same uncertainties Paul had gone through prior to the Replacements. (In the video showed Mary as both Paul’s shadow and reflection.)
The sound of this album turned some of the older fans off. In order to get more radio play the record company brought in Chris Lord-Alge to mix the album. The album had a lot of those eighties effects used to enhance the music. The result was more of a polished Replacements album.
They would release one more album after this one called All Shook Down in 1990. Chris Mars left the band in 1989 and was replaced in 1990 by Steve Foley. The band toured with Elvis Costello in 1991 and would play their farewell gig in Chicago on July 4, 1991.
In 2012 they would regroup with a different drummer and tour until 2015. They sold out some arenas that held around 14,000 people in 10 minutes in some areas. After they broke up their legend grew and they were heard more than they were when they were together originally. For my money…they were the best pure rock band in the 80s for these ears.
Achin’ To Be
Well she’s kind of like an artist Sittin’ on the floor Never finishes, she abandons Never shows a soul
And she’s kind of like a movie Everyone rushes to see And no one understands it Sittin’ in their seats
She opens her mouth to speak and What comes out’s a mystery Thought about, not understood She’s achin’ to be
Well she dances alone in nightclubs Every other day of the week People look right through her Baby doll, check your cheek
And she’s kind of like a poet Who finds it hard to speak Poems come so slowly Like the colors down a sheet
She opens her mouth to speak and What comes out’s a mystery Thought about, not understood She’s achin’ to be
I’ve been achin’ for a while now, friend I’ve been achin’ hard for years
Well she’s kind of like an artist Who uses paints no more You never show me what you’re doing Never show a soul
Well, I saw one of your pictures There was nothin’ that I could see If no one’s on your canvas Well, I’m achin’ to be
She closes her mouth to speak and Closes her eyes to see Thought about an’ only loved She’s achin’ to be Just like me
Ok…we are veering WAYOFF the power-pop/rock path today! I was reading a biography of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll, and it mentioned he would sing this song occasionally. So reading a bio of an American football coach led to this post…you just never know! To paraphrase Bugs Bunny…we are taking that proverbial left turn at Albuquerque.
I got really curious and looked the song up. It’s great…I’ve always liked these old folk songs and bluegrass music because I respect them so much. I’ve played bluegrass with a professional before, and it is some of the hardest music I’ve tried to play. The time signatures are all over the place, and if you haven’t played the music a lot… it can be tricky. It made me a better musician.
I like the music because it’s so rootsy and earthy. I don’t listen to it a lot, but sometimes I will enjoy an hour or so of it. It reminds me of when my dad would go to work in the morning, and sometimes he would have this music on.
Good Ole’Mountain Dew!
This song is an Appalachian folk song that Bascom Lamar Lunsford first wrote in 1928. Lunsford was an attorney; however, he is very fond of folk songs. He once represented a man in court because he was illegally making whiskey called Moonshine. This experience led him to write the song. He ended up selling the song to Scotty Wiseman, and Wiseman changed a few lyrics but remembered Lunsford…he kept the songwriting credit Wiseman-Lunsford.
These songs are special. They were not trying to write hits…they just wanted to tell stories through songs. Instead of newspapers in the backwoods of the Appalachians, you had these songs.
Many artists have covered the song through the years, like Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Mother Maybelle Carter, Grandpa Jones, and more.
Willie Nelson released a version in 1981 that peaked at #23 in the Billboard Country Charts and #39 in Canada.
The lyrics never stay completely the same through the versions, but it still works. We will return to our normal programming in the next post!
Mountain Dew
Down the road here from me there’s an old holler tree Where you lay down a dollar or two Go on round the bend come back again There’s a jug full of that good ole mountain dew
Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew And them that refuse it are few I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug With that good ole mountain dew
Now Mr. Roosevelt told ’em just how he felt When he heard that the dry law ‘d gone through If your liquors too red it’ll swell up your head You better stick to that good ole mountain dew
Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew And them that refuse it are few I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug With that good ole mountain dew
The preacher rode by with his head hasted high Said his wife had been down with the flu He thought that I o’rt to sell him a quart Of my good ole mountain dew
Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew And them that refuse it are few I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug With that good ole mountain dew
Well my uncle Snort he’s sawed off and short He measures four feet two But feels like a giant when you give him a pint Of that good old mountain dew
Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew And them that refuse it are few I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug With that good ole mountain dew
When I became a Beatles fan way back when I was 8 years old…and up to my teenage years I hardly ever heard this one mentioned by people. I’ve seen its popularity grow through the years. My biggest problem with it is they should have spent more time on it. Lennon accused McCartney of subconsciously trying to destroy it. You could see Paul let out a big yawn while rehearsing in the Let It Be film but that probably had more to do with him being tired after hours of playing in a studio…but maybe Lennon had a point.
One of the reasons John got upset with Paul was because instead of getting professional backup singers or a choir…Paul went out the Abbey Road door and grabbed two “Apple Scruffs” to sing backup on the song. That version did not go on the Let It Be album, however. That version was on a charity album.
This first appeared on No One’s Gonna Change Our World, a 1969 charity album for the World Wildlife Fund. Bird noises were dubbed into this version to create a nature theme. It didn’t sound too bad.
When I bought the Let It Be album it took a few listens but soon this one intrigued me. The lyrics alone are enthralling because of the imagery. Since I first heard it, the song has taken on huge popularity.
It even had a movie that was made around its title and worked around Beatle lyrics in 2007. That alone boosted its popularity.
I always wondered about the Jai guru deva om phrase. “Jai guru deva, om” translates to “hail to the Heavenly Teacher” or “I give thanks to Guru Dev.” That was a mantra was invented by the Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – the late protégé of Guru Dev.
On February 4, 2008 “Across The Universe” became the first track to be beamed directly into space. It was transmitted through NASA’s antenna in the DSN’s Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex, towards the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth. The broadcasting of the Beatles song was done to mark both NASA’s 50th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Across The Universe. Paul McCartney described the transmission as an “amazing feat” adding, “Well done, NASA. Send my love to the aliens!”
David Bowie also did a good version of this song. Liam Gallagher has cited this song as a huge influence on him starting to write songs.
John Lennon: “I was lying next to me first wife in bed, and I was irritated. She must have been going on and on about something and she’d gone to sleep and I kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. I went downstairs and it turned into sort of a cosmic song rather than an irritated song… it drove me out of bed. I didn’t want to write it, but I was slightly irritable and I went downstairs and I couldn’t get to sleep until I’d put it on paper.”
John Lennon: “It’s one of the best lyrics I’ve written. In fact, it could be the best.” He added: “It’s good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin’ it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don’t have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them.”
John Lennon:“The Beatles didn’t make a good record of it. I think subconsciously sometimes we – I say ‘we’ although I think Paul did it more than the rest of us – Paul would, sort of subconsciously, try and destroy a great song… meaning we’d play experimental games with my great pieces, like ‘Strawberry Fields,’ which I always thought was badly recorded.”
The World Wildlife Fund
Across The Universe
Words are flowing out Like endless rain into a paper cup They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe Pools of sorrow waves of joy Are drifting through my opened mind Possessing and caressing me
Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world
Images of broken light Which dance before me like a million eyes They call me on and on across the universe Thoughts meander like a Restless wind inside a letter box They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter, shades of life Are ringing through my opened ears Inciting and inviting me Limitless undying love Which shines around me like a million suns It calls me on and on across the universe
Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world
Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva Jai Guru Deva
When I graduated in 1985, The Beach Boys were on my tape deck in my car. Although the music was 20 years old I could identify with them more than the music I was hearing on top 40 radio.
This was the leadoff track to The Beach Boys’ legendary Pet Sounds album. While the “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows” singles sold very well, the album had very disappointing sales when it was first released in America. The UK appreciated it much more along with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. America wanted more surf songs but Brian Wilson had moved into a different place.
I was very surprised to read that as of 2021, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is the Beach Boys’ most streamed song on Spotify. I would have thought Good Vibrations or one of their early surf songs.
Brian Wilson wrote the song with contributions from vocalist Mike Love and lyricist Tony Asher. Asher wrote all of the lyrics except for the “Good night, my baby, sleep tight, my baby” lines at the end of the song, which was Love’s contribution.
Pet Sounds peaked at #10 in the Billboard Album Charts, #2 in the UK. Wouldn’t It Be Nice peaked at #8 in the Billboard 100, #4 in Canada, #12 in New Zealand, and #58 in the UK in 1966.
Mike Love has said that Brian Wilson made him do his part over 30 times. He started to call Wilson “Dog Ears” because he could hear something that no one else could.
Mike Love: “Brian must have been part canine because he was reaching for something intangible, imperceptible to most, and all but impossible to execute,”
Nick Kent journalist: “This time [he] was out to eclipse these previous sonic soap operas, to transform the subject’s sappy sentiments with a God-like grace so that the song would become a veritable pocket symphony.”
Tony Asher (Lyricist) “It was a great joy making music with him but that any other relationship with Brian was a great chore. I found Brian’s lifestyle so damn repugnant. I mean, for say, every four hours we’d spend writing songs, there’d be about 48 hours of these dopey conversations about some dumb book he’d just read. Or else he’d just go on and on about girls… his feelings about this girl or that girl… it was just embarrassing.”
Wouldn’t It Be Nice
Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long? And wouldn’t it be nice to live together In the kind of world where we belong?
You know it’s gonna make it that much better When we can say goodnight and stay together
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up In the morning when the day is new? And after having spent the day together Hold each other close the whole night through?
Happy times together we’ve been spending I wish that every kiss was never ending Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray It might come true (run run ooo) Baby, then there wouldn’t be a single thing we couldn’t do We could be married (we could be married) And then we’d be happy (and then we’d be happy) Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?
You know it seems the more we talk about it It only makes it worse to live without it But let’s talk about it Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?
Good night, oh baby Sleep tight, oh baby Good night, oh baby Sleep tight, oh baby
Steppenwolf…they all look like badasses…all of them especially the ring leader John Kay. They had some danger in their rock and roll and Kay’s voice is just killer. I saw a version of Steppenwolf once in the 80s and John Kay demanded and commanded the stage swinging his mic stand like a weapon.
I met Mr. Kay one time very briefly…just shook his hand…a very nice guy so he wasn’t a badass that day. This song was written by Don Covay who wrote a lot of early rock songs about dancing. Don Covay was recording for Atlantic Records at this time. As they did with many of their artists, they sent Covay to Memphis to record at Stax Records, where the house band was top-notch. Covay wrote Sookie Sookie there with Stax guitarist Steve Cropper.
Steppenwolf had this song on their 1968 debut album Steppenwolf. It was released as the first single that year but didn’t do too well. The song did peak at #92 in Canada and that was it. The next single did a little better…it was a song called Born To Be Wild.
The third single was“Magic Carpet Ride,” ABC-Dunhill saw the wisdom of re-releasing the “Sookie Sookie”….however, this time it was a “B” side. Like the “Born to be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride,” “Sookie Sookie” not only featured the extraordinary guitar work of Michael Monarch and vocals by John Kay, it had that Steppenwolf signature organ sound
The song also ended up being used by some radio stations as background music for promos and commercials.
Sookie Sookie
Let it hang out baby, let it hang out now, now na-na now Let it hang out baby, everybody work out Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue
Let it hang out baby, do the Baltimore jig Let it hang out baby, boomerang with me Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue
Really got it bad child, drink a bottle of turpentine When you wake up in the morning, feelin’ kinda fine Let it hang out baby, let it hang out now, now na-na now
You better watch your step girl, don’t step on that banana peel If your foot should ever hit it, you’ll go up to the ceiling Hang it in baby, hang it in baby Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue
Let it hang out baby, let it hang out now, now na-na now Let it hang out baby, everybody work out Hang it in baby, hang it in baby, hang it in baby Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue
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