Happy New Year!

The list below has grown so much since I started doing this a few years ago. If I missed you…please forgive me. But Happy New Year 2026. I add new readers to this list every single year and like I said…I hope I got you all. This year, I didn’t add as much because I had to cut down on my blogging from every day to just weekends and Fridays mostly.

I want to thank everyone who has read my blog this year and the last few years. I ran this post last year, and I’ve added more names. It’s so much fun communicating with all of you. I’ve been told my blog is a place people come to comment, like sitting around a campfire. That is the way I hope it is. I’m not a real writer, so I just write as if I’m talking to you in a room. I hope many of you find other bloggers at my place with things in common.

In 2017, I would not have believed I would communicate with people in different states across America and the world…such as New Zealand, The UK, Hong Kong, Germany, Colombia, Australia, India, France, Sweden, Spain, and more! I’m also learning more about new music, old new music, cool old and new movies, and most of all…people. I comment way too much at times, but it’s a lot of fun learning.

I’ve commented with you all, emailed many of you, talked to some over the phone, and met one of you. Thank you all once again. These are in no particular order. I usually keep them around the same place and just add some more commentary to a few.

Clive – Thank you for stopping by and commenting about Pub Rock and turning me to music I didn’t know…it’s been great getting to know you.

Glyn at glyn40wilton…thanks for the new music you have introduced me to and all the comments!

purplegoatee2684b071ed – Thank you for finding this joint and commenting. I’ve learned a lot from you…

MY. Thank you so much for the music stories and conversations about music! You have one of the best tastes in music that I’ve ever seen, and I always love your comments…no no matter how short or long.

I really like commenting with Bruce from Swan Song Apocalypse, awesome conversations about music, movies, and everything in between.

Warren – thanks for the music conversations that you have had. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for showing me The Blue Shadows.

Carl Benson Jr... a great sports guy who has worked in it all of his life. Thank you Carl! You have taught me a lot.

Learned about Chicago and interesting music from a fan and fellow musician John

Sheila “Spiral Sister” Murrey… thank you for all of your comments and the subjects we have got into…plus a very cool name.

Nancy at The Elephant’s Trunk …she is an incredible writer with great taste in music! A fellow Beatle fan!

Learning every number 1 from the UK with Stewart. What a task you set for yourself, and I admire it! I may not like all of the songs, but your writing keeps me reading them. Thanks, Stewart! Thanks for chatting with me and all of my old school ways!

Scatterwisdom on your inspirational posts and conversations.

MobsterTiger who is kind enough to re-blog some of my posts, and some people have found me through you. I really do appreciate it, man!

quadzillabynorth ….thank you so much for your comments and the bad covers that Randy and you post at times.

Thank you, Deke, for all of your comments, music, fantasy baseball, and all of our chats dude…I really appreciate it.

Experience Film has a great site on films.

Phillip Helbig thanks for stopping by with your comments.

satyam rastogi…thanks for the comments when you stop by!

I’ve even listened to Heavy Metal and Canadian bands from Canadians Deke and Dave, and became friends with both.

A fellow Big Star and mid-60s pop/rock fan and one of the best commenters I have…I’ve learned a lot from him… Obbverse. Thanks for the music and movies you have pointed me to…and most of all the conversations we have had.

I’ve read great stories and poems for really the first time from Lisa, Obbverse, and Bruce. I still don’t know much about poems but I’m learning. Thanks to all of you…I consider all of you friends.

randydafoe who has a huge knowledge of music covers and music in general. When I have a question…I bug Randy! Thank you again, Randy for answering all of my questions, and I truly appreciate your thoughtful comments and our emails.

Lisa is the biggest George Harrison fan I know…and that is a great thing. Thanks so much for the book, music, life, and movie recommendations, and another blogger whom I call a friend. Thank you.

Dave, as always, it’s been a great year. We finally got our baseball wish in the same year, and I’m sorry someone had to lose! You have done a terrific job on TurnTable Talk as well. Thanks for being a friend.

Some of the most entertaining true and not-so-true stories I’ve ever heard from Phil Strawn. Phil is one of my favorite bloggers. You can’t get more Texan than Phil.

Bruce Goodman– Thank you for all of the stories, and it has been wonderful getting to know you all of these years…and I love the puns! Thanks again Bruce! You are one of the most talented people I know.

Off-the-radar songs and movies, and everything cool… from Cincinnati Babyhead (CB). Thanks for opening up more music and movies for me…and also talking some baseball.

Dana from Dana at Regular Girl Devos for her fun memories on songs that I hope she keeps telling. You have a wonderful site and personality…it’s been great getting to know you.

halffastcyclingclub for his insightful comments on different posts. He has taught me a lot about music and bikes! And turned me on to some different music like Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers to name just a few!

Double K …. thank you for the conversations.

Fellow power pop fan Music City Mike and fellow Nashvillian.

Learned about new music from Graham and Christian. If you want the best of new music…these are the 2 are the places to go. They don’t overlap much at all which is great…you get a good variety.

Christian … we have VERY similar tastes and it was great to talk to him the other day on the phone. Another blogger who has turned into a friend.

The Realist Juggernaut thank you for your always interesting posts!

Sheree for dropping by my site every single day.

Sophia who I just met online not long ago. 18 years old and wants to be a Baseball Writer! Her site is https://sophiakd4.wordpress.com/

Fellow Twilight Zone fan Beth

popchartfreak who I’ve had many conversations about music…and I appreciate it so much. You have a wealth of knowledge!

Learned even more about the Beatles and music from Hanspostcard

daneelyunu stopped by as well.

Learned even more about baseball from Hanspostcard, John, and Dave

Stephen V Nguyen who has dropped by this year.

Yolanda has liked some posts this year.

Jim S who I’ve seen for years and talked to off and on…this year we have talked more and I hope it continues.

Looked at sewing machines as works of art with run-sew-read and learned more about The Moody Blues, books, and movies.

Learned so much about movies from Bernie… a great movie reviewer and person.

Learned a whole lot about the Grateful Dead, music, stars, and all sorts of things from Jim

Robert Horvat who has stopped by and commented…I appreciate it.

My guide to 80’s alternative bands from Paul and Dave

Geo. Raymond or better known to me as “Tref” has stopped by and I enjoy his stories on his blog.

the press music reviews…excellent top-notch posts on music and I love the alternate album covers you present.

Katie Thank you for dropping by and commenting

firewater65 who stops by on occasion.

I’ve learned about Australia, Colombia, Bob Dylan, new artists to me, and classical music from Matt. Matt is another person who has become a friend, and I thank you for that!

satyam rastogi has stopped by and liked and commented.

Getting to know Paul and Colin at onceuponatime70s … with that title how could I not like them? Thanks to both of you!

Cee Tee Jackson I appreciate getting to know you…a true Rolling Stones fan. I’ve got your book now!

Loudhorizon where I find rare bands of the 60s and 70s.

Commenting with Under The Mask

Vinyl Connection for all the info on albums that I love and music in general.

Monday songs from Eden make my Mondays better.

One of my favorite bloggers Mojo Horizon. Thanks for all your comments and your fun posts!

Alexis Ryder thank you for coming by

theboringoldman (Jay)for commenting about the memories he has on songs…and a fellow musican

I want to thank Conesus Lake House for stopping by as well.

Cooking from Jeanne

ren thank you for dropping by and commenting

Liam...another great blogger I met through our TV Draft who leaves insightful comments.

I’ve had a good time commenting about music and movies with princecranoir….thanks for the conversations. Also one of the best movie reviewers I’ve read. I have to make time to read more this year to pick up more movies…and thank you for Casablanca!

Armann and Kaymann…thanks for liking!

Bigbadburch thank you for the comments that you have left on my blog. I really appreciate it.

Jared Harding Wilson who I don’t know yet but has liked some of my posts…thank you!

How radio really works and more about family from Keith… it’s always great talking to you and texting.

Ra Na-Ged who I have appreciated coming to the blog…who had one of the best comments of the year with: Elvis may be king, but Otis had the Voice of God.

About life and friendship from my friend Vic, it’s been great emailing, talking, and messaging.

Keith, thanks for the music comments!

Wonderful life stories from Mitch and the interesting life that he has had so far!

JoAnna for her Star Trek knowledge!

Album reviews from John at 2loud2oldmusic.

Restaurants to eat at from Blaine. I want to make it down to Louisana so I can try these wonderful restaurants that he recommends.

Detailed history from Rick

Kevin from A Different Kitchen who I’ve enjoyed his comments and his recipes.

mygenxerlife for stopping by and commenting.

Kingclover who I’ve got to know more about earlier this year talking about music.

Jim Everett Table Toss for all of the football and baseball posts…all are appreciated with the humor you give them.

Inspiring writing from Pam and one of the best writers I know.

Writing and an author who at one time was a DJ… Steve Campbell Creations

Movies from Master Mix Movies

ALWAYS cool music from Hotfox63

Great posts and one of my first followers…and fellow Monkee fan Blackwing

Nashville music history from my cousin Ricky

Comics from Harry Chamberlain

To Paul at https://thepunkpanthermusicreviews.blogspot.com/p/long-reads.html where I learned what punk was.

Learning about all the places that usfman travels

Stories and quotes from James

Awesome Cartoons from Hobo Cartoons

The writing of Jason

Stephen V Nguyen thanks for dropping by!

Eugi for commenting and coming by

I thank Chuckster for dropping by as well.

Thanks to SRIKANTH for stopping by.

Great posts from Mark

Again if I missed anyone I’m sorry…I just ran through this off the top of my head.

Thanks to everyone and have a Happy New Year to you and your family from Powerpop.blog (and it’s curator…Max). We survived 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025… let’s make this one even better!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

John Mellencamp – The Authority Song

Growing up leads to growing old and then to dying

This is the last weekend of 2025. I wanted to post some rocking songs I thought you would enjoy. I wish all of you a Happy New Year.

I always joke about how my sister has really bad taste in music, but this time she steered me right. She bought an album by him before he was a superstar. It was before Jack and Diane and his mega hits from his American Fool album. She bought Nothing Matters and What If It Did, released in 1980. The two songs from that album that really hooked me were To M.G. (Wherever She May Be) and Ain’t Even Done With The Night, which might still be my favorite song by Mellencamp. So, when he broke big with American Fool, I wasn’t too surprised, and I loved the guitar and the sound he had compared to his chart peers.

This song was my theme song (I was 16) when I heard it. Yes, I could relate perfectly to it and still can. Mellencamp told people at the time that this was his version of “I Fought The Law.” He released the album Uh-Huh in 1983. This is when I became a big fan. He had that ’60s rock and roll feel with his music, plus some good lyrics. This album contained many of my favorite songs by him, like Pink Houses, Play Guitar, Crumblin’ Down, and this song. I like it better than American Fool, which this album was the follow-up.

His next album, Scarecrow, was probably his best, but with this one, his sound changed to more of a heartland sound. He shared that with Springsteen, Petty, and a few others. Those were the mainstream artists I clung to. The album peaked at #9 on the Billboard album charts, #9 in Canada, and #92 in the UK in 1984. He had 5 singles from this album. The Authority Song peaked at #15 on the Billboard 100 and #41 in Canada in 1983.

I always thought that this was Mellencamp at his most honest, turning frustration into a song. It’s rock and roll’s nature to know authority usually wins, but still believes you’ve got to push back anyway.

The Authority Song

They like to get you in a compromising position
They like to get you there and smile in your face
They think, they’re so cute when they got you in that condition
Well I think, it’s a total disgrace

I fight authority, authority always wins
I fight authority, authority always wins
I been doing it, since I was a young kid
I’ve come out grinnin’
I fight authority, authority always wins

So I call up my preacher
I say: “Gimme strength for Round 5”
He said: “You don’t need no strength, you need to grow up, son”
I said: “Growing up leads to growing old and then to dying,
And dying to me don’t sound like all that much fun”

I fight authority, authority always wins
I fight authority, authority always wins
I been doing it, since I was a young kid
I’ve come out grinnin’
I fight authority, authority always wins

I fight authority, authority always wins
I fight authority, authority always wins
I been doing it, since I was a young kid
I’ve come out grinnin’
I fight authority, authority always wins
I fight authority, authority always wins
I fight authority, authority always wins
I been doing it, since I was a young kid
I’ve come out grinnin’
I fight authority, authority always wins

Little Richard – Keep A-Knocking

Every time I post Little Richard, I think of my dad. I never heard my dad gush over a music performer besides three artists. Elvis Presley, George Jones, and Little Richard. I think Richard was his favorite voice. He would tell me, no one, absolutely no one, sounded like Little Richard. My dad was born in 1938, so he was the perfect age (17) in 1955 to enjoy the rock and roll boom that was going on.

I only knew Richard from his manic songs, but Graham talked about him singing some ballads, so I checked them out. The man could sing a great ballad as well, but I’m not posting a ballad today. I had Little Richard’s greatest hits as a youngster, after all of the buildup from my dad. Since I got into the Beatles so early, I knew enough to know Paul was emulating Little Richard with Long Tall Sally. He did a great job, but nothing beats the man himself.

From the opening crash of Charles Connor’s drums, a bolt of energy that feels like it might knock your turntable off its spindle. Richard isn’t asking anyone in; he’s telling the world to keep knocking because the party inside is already out of control. It’s controlled chaos, and I love it. I also love Samuel Parker’s breakout sax solo in the middle.

The heartbeat of this song came from drummer Charles Connor, whose opening drum break is one of the most famous in rock history. Connor later said he borrowed the feel from a New Orleans parade rhythm and stripped it down. Connor has spoken about how Little Richard wanted the drums to sound like chaos barely held together, loud and urgent. That intro became so iconic that it later inspired John Bonham’s opening on Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll, but the original blueprint belongs to Charles Connor.

Listening to this song is like taking speed for 2 minutes. The lyrics are almost childishly simple, but the delivery makes them monumental. If you want to explain why Little Richard matters, just listen to this song and stand back. This is the sound of the door being slammed on the old world and kicked open into something louder and faster. No polish or no restraint.

The song was released in 1957, and it was credited to Little Richard but he wrote it based on a blues song by James “Boodle It” Wiggins in 1928 called Keep a-Knocking An You Can’t Come In. The song peaked at #8 on the Billboard 100, #2 on the Billboard R&B Charts, and #21 in the UK in 1957.

Keep A-Knocking

Keep a knockin’, but you can’t come inKeep a knockin’, but you can’t come inKeep a knockin’, but you can’t come inCome back tomorrow night and try it again

You said you love me and you can’t come inYou said you love me and you can’t come in (woo!)You said you love me and you can’t come inCome back tomorrow night and try it again (woo!)

Keep a knockin’, but you can’t come inKeep a knockin’, but you can’t come inKeep a knockin’, but you can’t come inCome back tomorrow night and try it again

You said you love me and you can’t come inYou said you love me and you can’t come in (woo!)You said you love me and you can’t come inCome back tomorrow night and try it again (woo!)

Keep a knockin’, but you can’t come inKeep a knockin’, but you can’t come in (woo!)Keep a knockin’, but you can’t come inCome back tomorrow night and try it again

You said you love me and you can’t come inYou said you love me and you can’t come inYou said you love me and you can’t come inCome back tomorrow night and try it again (woo!)

…

Booker T and the MGs – Green Onions

I was talking about this song to someone a few years ago, and I told him what it reminded me of. It reminds me of Sandy Koufax, who retired before I was born. Ken Burns made a documentary on baseball, and he inserted this song while showing Sandy Koufax pitching against a 1960s pastel-looking background at Dodger Stadium in the early sixties. The music and that time fit so well. That was remarkably powerful at the time.

Green Onions was a very influential instrumental record that was released in 1962. The band was waiting for rockabilly Sun Recording artist Billy Lee Riley at a session. They put the time to good use. Booker T. Jones said, “That happened as something of an accident. We used the time to record a blues which we called ‘Behave Yourself,’ and I played it on a Hammond M3 organ. Jim Stewart, the owner, was the engineer, and he really liked it and wanted to put it out as a record. We all agreed on that, and Jim told us that we needed something to record as a B-side since we couldn’t have a one-sided record. One of the tunes I had been playing on piano we tried on the Hammond organ so that the record would have organ on both sides, and that turned out to be ‘Green Onions.’

Jim Stewart, who was the president of Stax Records, liked the song but the band was not impressed with it at first. He asked Booker T what he wanted to call the song. Booker T replied, “Green Onions”… when Jim asked why Green Onions? Booker T said, “Because that is the nastiest thing I can think of, and it’s something you throw away.”

The song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100 and #7 in the UK in 1962. The song was the B side to “Behave Yourself.” Steve Cropper took it to a DJ friend of his in Memphis named Rueben Washington. He played some of the A side but kept playing “Green Onions” over and over.

Steve Cropper: “He played it four or five times in a row. We were dancing around the control room, and believe it or not, the phone lines lit up. I guess we had the whole town dancing that morning.”

Green Onions

Instrumental

Flatlanders – Long Time Gone

I truly love this band, but I try to limit posting them around once a year. I try that with everyone, but it gets hard at times. The last time I posted them was back in February of this fading year, so I thought it was time for another. I respect them so much because of what they came up with. Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock were inventing a whole new kind of Texas country while nobody in Nashville was bothering to look. Their loss!

The song selections and the harmonies hooked me long ago. Their songs are simple and straight to the point, and really catchy. This song was written by Leslie York, and the York Brothers were the first to record it. It’s been covered by The Everly Brothers, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, and The Gibson Brothers. There are other songs by that name by Tex Ritter and a different one by CSN.

They were formed in 1972 by three singer-songwriters: Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock. The band was born out of the music scene in Lubbock, Texas, where all three members grew up. They recorded their debut album in Nashville. Initially, the album was released only as an 8-track tape by Plantation Records, with the title “Jimmie Dale and the Flatlanders.” This limited release received little attention at the time, and the band members soon went their separate ways to pursue solo careers, but would reunite to release a total of 10 albums of studio and live.

This song was on the 2021 album Treasure of Love. All three members were songwriters, and all had unique voices that blended so well with each other. Treasure of Love was never intended to be an album, at least not at first. So when Joe Ely started gathering the trio in his home studio in Austin during the early and mid-2000s, it was not for some grand comeback. It was more like old friends swapping songs and capturing whatever happened to be good.

Long Time Gone

You cheated me and left me lonelyI tried to be your very ownThere’ll be a day you’ll want me onlyBut when I leave, I’ll be a long time goneBe a long time goneBe a long time goneYes, when I leave, I’ll be a long time goneYou’re gonna be sad, you’re gonna be weepin’You’re gonna be blue and all aloneYou’ll regret the day you seen me weepin’‘Cause when I leave, I’ll be a long time goneBe a long time goneBe a long time goneYes, when I leave, I’ll be a long time goneYou’ll see my face through tears and sorrowYou’ll miss the love you called your ownBaby, there’ll be no tomorrow‘Cause when I leave, I’ll be a long time goneBe a long time goneBe a long time goneYes, when I leave, I’ll be a long time gone

Clarence Carter – Slip Away

Some more cool R&B that is right up my alley. I love Carter’s voice in this one. I heard this one in the 1980s on 96.3 in Nashville. It was an oldies channel where I heard many of the 1960s hits for the first time.

I love the arrangement of this song because it gives Carter space to phrase like a storyteller and to breathe. His voice in this is great. He doesn’t scream or plead, he simply tells you the story. This song went on to become one of Clarence Carter’s signature songs, and for good reason. It’s timeless, and a record that still sounds perfect on a crackling AM radio or a hifi stereo.

The song was recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and produced by the great Rick Hall. The guitar player on this cut was Duane Allman in one of his first sessions. This was the B-side to a song called Funky Fever. The single was flipped over, and this song was played the most.

Slip Away was written by William Armstrong, Marcus Daniel, and Wilbur Terrell. The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100 and #12 in Canada in 1968. The single’s B-side, “Funky Fever”, reached #49 on the U.S. R&B chart and #88 on the Billboard 100 chart.

Slip Away was featured on his 1968 album This Is Clarence Carter. The album peaked at #200 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1968. Clarence Carter will be 90 years young next month.

Here is an older Carter performing this song in 2010.

Slip Away

What would I give
For just a few moments
What would I give
Just to have you near

Tell me you will try
To slip away somehow
Oh, I need you, darling
I want to see you right now

Can you slip away
Slip away
Slip away
Oh, I need you so

Love, oh, love
How sweet it is
When you steal it, darling
Let me tell you somethin’ now how sweet it is

Now I know it’s wrong
The things I ask you to do
But please believe me, darling
I don’t mean to hurt you

But could you just slip away
Without him knowing you’re gone
Then we could meet somewhere
Somewhere where we’re both are not known

And guess can you slip away
Slip away
Slip away
I need you so

Oh, can you slip away, baby
I’d like to see you right now, darling
Can you slip away now, baby
‘Cause I got to, I got to see you
I feel a deep burning inside

Robbie Robertson – Once Were Brothers

In 2019, a documentary (Once Were Brothers) about The Band was released. It took me years, but I finally watched it not long ago. Not that I didn’t want to, but it was one of those things where I didn’t get to it. I was going to write up about the documentary, but decided just to stick to this song. Yes, it’s a great documentary, and you should watch it when you get a chance. You see footage and hear things that you have never heard before. He tells the story of the Band in this song, and it’s both beautiful and sad.

This song was the theme and the soul of the documentary. Robertson always had characters in his songs. Virgil Kane, Crazy Chester, Fanny, and a certain drunkard’s dream. In this song, though, these are not just based on real people; they are real people. You don’t have to be a Band fan to enjoy this. We all have had long friendships that faded or ended on a misunderstanding.

This is Robertson looking back on The Band, not as legends, but as brothers tied together by music. As a longtime Band fan, the song hits hard for me. Robbertson acknowledges that what they created together was bigger than the fights and the silence. The Band would always be a part of him.

It just hit me recently why Robbie’s solo material didn’t sound much like the Band. I don’t think he went out of his way to be different. It took the 5 of them to make it sound like The Band.

The trailer to the documentary.

Once Were Brothers

When the light goes outAnd you can’t go onYou miss your brothersBut now they’re gone

Mm, uh…When the light goes outWe go our own wayNothing here but darknessNo reason to stay

Oh, once we’re brothersBrothers no moreWe lost a connectionAfter the war

There’ll be no revivalThere’ll be no one coldOnce were brothersBrothers no more

When that curtain comes downWe let go of the pastTomorrows another daySome things weren’t meant to last

When that curtain comes downOn the final actAnd you know, you know deep insideTheres no goin’ back

Once were brothersBrothers no moreWe lost our wayAfter the war

Can’t even rememberWhat we’re fighting forBut once were brothersBrothers no more

We already had it outBetween the north and southWhen we heard all the laughsComin’ out of your mouth

But we stood togetherLike we were next of kinAnd when the band played dixie(Dixie, dixie, dixie)Dixie marchin’ in

Once were brothersBrothers no moreWe lost our connectionAfter the war

There’ll be no revivalThere’ll be no encoreOnce were brothersBrothers no more

Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody

This is fast becoming my favorite rock Christmas song second only to John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over). This week is going to be Christmas week. I will let up on the weekend but let’s bring in the cheer.

This is a great Christmas song that was released in 1973 and ever since it re-enters the charts every December in the UK. The song never hit in America but it went to #1 in the UK Charts. I first heard it on a Doctor Who episode in the mid-2000s and have liked it ever since.

This was based on a psychedelic song, “My Rocking Chair,” which Noddy Holder wrote in 1967. In 1973 the Slade vocalist decided to convert it into a Christmas song after a night out drinking at a local pub.

He and the band’s bass player and co-writer Jimmy Lea camped out at Noddy’s mother’s house and got down to changing the lyrics to make them more Christmassy. Jimmy Lea incorporated into the verse parts of another song which he was then writing and Noddy re-wrote the words incorporating different aspects of the Christmas holiday season as they came to mind.

This went straight in at #1 in the UK, selling over 300,000 copies on the day of its release, making it at the time the fastest ever selling record in Britain. It eventually became Slade’s best-ever selling single in the UK, selling over a million copies.

In the UK this has become a standard, and it is usually reissued in its original form each Christmas. On several occasions, the song has re-entered the Top 40.

UK copyright collection society and performance rights organization PRS For Music estimated in 2009 that 42 percent of the earth’s population has heard this tune.

The song was written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea of Slade. It was produced by Chas Chandler formerly of the Animals. The harmonium used on this is the same one that John Lennon used on his Mind Games album, which was being recorded at the studio next door.

Noddy Holder: “I wrote the original verse with the lyrics, ‘Buy me a rocking chair, I’ll watch the world go by. Bring me a mirror, I’ll look you in the eye,’ in 1967 in the aftermath of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper,” I was being psychedelic. Dave (Hill) wrote another part to the song but it didn’t work so we put it away. Then in 1973 he remembered my verse one day when we were trying to write a Christmas single. We changed the words to, ‘Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?’ and the rest fell into place.”

Noddy Holder: “As a lad we used to knock sleds with old orange boxes and go tobogganing down this big old quarry in the snow at Christmas. It was the inspiration for the line ‘are you hoping that the snow will start to fall.’”

Merry Christmas Everybody

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
It’s the time that every Santa has a ball
Does he ride a red nosed reindeer?
Does a ‘ton up’ on his sleigh
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?

Chorus:
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

Are you waiting for the family to arrive?
Are you sure you got the room to spare inside?
Does your granny always tell ya that the old are the best?
Then she’s up and rock ‘n’ rollin’ with the rest

Chorus:
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

What will your daddy do
When he sees your Mama kissin’ Santa Claus?
Ah ah

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall?
Do you ride on down the hillside in a buggy you have made?
When you land upon your head then you’ve been slayed

Chorus (4x)
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

…

Merry Christmas to You All!

Happy Christmas Eve to you all. I can’t believe we are almost to 2026.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, whichever you prefer. Since I started this blog, I have tried to post an interesting song or some pop culture fact. Most of you drop by for a view when I post, and I appreciate it so much.

I look forward to finishing this year and discovering the new year together. I can’t believe this is my eighth year doing this, and if not for the feedback I get daily, I would have stopped a long time ago. I don’t know how much I discovered about music you didn’t already know, but I have learned so much from you all.

When I started in 2017, it took me around six months to get one follower, one like, and a comment. I don’t take anyone for granted, and I want you to know that. Also, a huge THANK YOU. You don’t have to stop by, but you do—you must be a glutton for punishment! I hope you and your families have a happy holiday and safe travels.

Signed

Max…the owner of this run-down joint.

Band – Christmas Must Be Tonight

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas Eve. I’ll be late commenting today, but I’ll get on as soon as I can.

Christmas has always meant a lot to me. My mom and dad are gone now but as corny as it sounds… the magic of Christmas stays with me. My son is in Germany with his girlfriend this year, but we will have a good time and I will think back at all of Christmas Eve’s past. Sort of like a good ghost that tells me I have a lot to be thankful for.

Robbie Robertson’s Christmas gift to his new son, Sebastian, during the sessions for the Northern Lights-Southern Cross album… never became a seasonal favorite, but it should have been. It wasn’t released until the Islands album in 1977.

Rick Danko sings this song from a Shepherd’s point of view. It’s pure and down to earth like only the Band can be. No sleigh bells or other Christmas trappings…just pure music. Maybe that is the reason it never got picked up.

Robbie Robertson re-recorded this song after he left the group. And he did the soundtrack for Bill Murray’s Scrooged. That version is very good, but I still like The Bands version much more…it’s hard to beat Rick Danko.

Christmas Must Be Tonight

Come down to the manger, see the little stranger
Wrapped in swaddling clothes, the prince of peace
Wheels start turning, torches start burning
And the old wise men journey from the East

How a little baby boy bring the people so much joy
Son of a carpenter, Mary carried the light
This must be Christmas, must be tonight

A shepherd on a hillside, where over my flock I bide
Oh a cold winter night a band of angels sing
In a dream I heard a voice saying “fear not, come rejoice
It’s the end of the beginning, praise the new born king”

I saw it with my own eyes, written up in the skies
But why a simple herdsmen such as I
And then it came to pass, he was born at last
Right below the star that shines on high

Al Stewart – Nostradamus

I’ve always liked story songs, and this one spans a lot of time and ground. The song hits over 9 minutes, but it builds all the way. The bass doesn’t kick in until after the two-minute mark.

This 1973 song is like a book pulled from a shelf in some old library. Along with a story, you have a great melodic backing. This was Al Stewart before his radio hits, before Year of the Cat made him a star. He was still a cult artist at this point. I was really impressed by the lyrics and music alike. It’s not a song that you play at a party, but one that you listen to.

It was on the album Past, Present, and Future, and it isn’t an easily accessible album, and that is part of the charm. It’s more intellectual, with Stewart going with his passion rather than being commercial. His inspiration for this song came from British scholar Erika Cheetham, who wrote books interpreting Nostradamus’s prophecies.

Stewart sought out Cheetham, and they became friends. Stewart and Cheetham would go over prophecies that Nostradamus made. He included prophecies about historical figures like Napoleon and Hitler in the song. He said that he focused on the idea of prophecy itself, the tension between fate and free will. The sense that history moves in cycles… So yes, it is interesting. I’ve gained a whole new respect for Al Stewart, the songwriter.

All songs on this album have historical themes, each song representing a decade of the 20th century. John Anthony was the producer, and he went for more of an atmospheric sound to go with the lyrics. It worked because the lyrics get center stage, but the music is very strong. Stewart’s fans like this album, and in 2015, he performed the entire album at the Royal Albert Hall.

The album peaked at #133 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1974.

Nostradamus

In the east the wind is blowing the boats across the seaAnd their sails will fill the morning and their cries ring out to me

Oh, the more it changes, the more it stays the sameAnd the hand just re-arranges the players in the game

Oh, I had a dreamIt seemed I stood aloneAnd the veil of all the yearsGoes sinking from my eyes like a stone

A king shall fall and put to death by the English parliament shall beFire and plague to London come in the year of six and twenties threeAn emperor of France shall rise who will be born near ItalyHis rule cost his empire dear, Napoloron his name shall be

From Castile does Franco come and the Government driven out shall beAn English king seeks divorce, and from his throne cast down is heOne named Hister shall become a captain of Greater GermanieNo law does this man observe and bloody his rise and fall shall be

Man, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the seaI am the eyes of Nostradamus, all your ways are known to meMan, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the seaI am the eyes of Nostradamus, all your ways are known to me

In the new lands of America three brothers now shall come to powerTwo alone are born to rule but all must die before their hourTwo great men yet brothers not make the north united standIts power be seen to grow, and fear possess the eastern lands

Three leagues from the gates of Rome a Pope named Pol is doomed to dieA great wall that divides a city at this time is cast asideThese are the signs I bring to youto show you when the time is nigh

Man, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the seaI am the eyes of Nostradamus, all your ways are known to me

Paul Kelly – How To Make Gravy

Here is a Christmas post I wanted to get in this year since the day fits!

Happy Gravy Day in Australia! It happens every December 21st in Australia because of the first verse of the song.

Here is a Christmas song that is good on any day of the year but one we don’t hear much in America. I looked up “Gravy Day” in Australia and this is what I found: Gravy Day is an unofficial Australian holiday as marked by Kelly in his song, How to Make Gravy. The song is written from the perspective of a recently incarcerated man, Joe, as he writes to his relative, Dan, from prison.

Paul Kelly: “I started thinking… maybe I’ll write it from the point of view of somebody who is missing Christmas, who can’t get to Christmas, why can’t they get there? Maybe they’re overseas and they can’t get home. Then I thought, ‘Oh, he’s in prison’. The song wrote itself from there.”

The song is written in the form of a letter from a prisoner named Joe, addressed to his brother Dan, shortly before Christmas. Joe expresses regret about missing Christmas with his family, gives instructions on how to make gravy (a key part of their holiday meal), and reflects on family members, relationships, and the pain of separation.

I like great storytellers…and Paul Kelly is one of them. His music touches on many styles. Country, rock, folk, reggae, bluegrass, and touches of many more styles. He has been described as the poet laureate of Australian music. He writes about everyday life that many people can relate to. I’ve seen this stated about him… Paul Kelly’s songs dig deep into Australia’s culture.

As for who will make the gravy in the song, the question has been debated over the years, although most believe it to be Dan as Joe is sharing the recipe with him.

And yes the recipe in the song is real for gravy.

Paul Kelly: “It was a song that doesn’t have a chorus, it’s set in prison, so I never thought it would be a hit song or anything.”

How To Make The Gravy

Hello Dan, it’s Joe here
I hope you’re keeping well
It’s the 21st of December
And now they’re ringing the last bells
If I get good behaviour
I’ll be out of here by July
Won’t you kiss my kids on Christmas Day?
Please don’t let ’em cry for me

I guess the brothers are driving down from Queensland
And Stella’s flying in from the coast
They say it’s gonna be a hundred degrees, even more maybe
But that won’t stop the roast
Who’s gonna make the gravy now?
I bet it won’t taste the same
Just add flour, salt, a little red wine
And don’t forget a dollop of tomato sauce
For sweetness and that extra tang

And give my love to Angus, and to Frank and Dolly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, I screwed up this time
And look after Rita, I’ll be thinking of her
Early Christmas morning when I’m standing in line

I hear Mary’s got a new boyfriend
I hope he can hold his own
Do you remember the last one? What was his name again?
Ahh, just a little too much cologne
And Roger, you know I’m even gonna miss Roger
‘Cause there’s sure as hell no one in here I want to fight

Oh, praise the Baby Jesus, have a Merry Christmas
I’m really gonna miss it, all the treasure and the trash
And later in the evening, I can just imagine
You’ll put on Junior Murvin and push the tables back

And you’ll dance with Rita, I know you really like her
Just don’t hold her too close
Oh, brother, please don’t stab me in the back
I didn’t mean to say that, it’s just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter, turns imagination into fact

You know I love her badly, she’s the one to save me
I’m gonna make some gravy, I’m gonna taste the fat
Ahh, tell her that I’m sorry, yeah, I love her badly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, and kiss the sleepy children for me
You know one of these days, I’ll be making gravy
I’ll be making plenty, I’m gonna pay ’em all back

Yeah, do-do-do-do, do-do
Do-do-do-do, do-do

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Vince Guaraldi Trio – Linus and Lucy

Nothing like Vince Guaraldi for this time of the year. It’s hard to resist this song. It automatically makes me happy when I hear it. I see the Peanuts gang doing their thing.

This song I can hear anytime of the year and be happy. It’s associated with Christmas also…whichever… I never get tired of it.

Ironically, just about everyone would call this “the Charlie Brown song” even though it’s actually titled after Linus and Lucy Van Pelt, brother and sister in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip universe.

The song is most famous for its use in the yearly favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired in 1965, but it was written two years earlier for a documentary about Schulz and the Peanuts gang called A Boy Named Charlie Brown, which never aired.

Producer Lee Mendelson was in charge of the documentary and asked Vince Guaraldi to compose music for it

Guaraldi was huge in the jazz world and won the 1962 Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition for “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” for his group, the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Mendelson was searching for what kind of music to play for the documentary when he took a taxi cab, and “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” was playing as he crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. He loved it and his decision was made.

Guaraldi wrote a series of songs for the project, including “Linus and Lucy,” that he recorded with his group, the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Even though A Boy Named Charlie Brown was shelved, the soundtrack was released in 1964, which is where “Linus and Lucy” first appeared.

In 1965, Mendelson put together the first Peanuts TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, using many of the same people who worked on the documentary. “Linus and Lucy” formed the score, and a song he wrote with Guaraldi called “Christmas Time Is Here” was included in a key scene.

When A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted in 1965, it quickly turned the Peanuts franchise into a television institution. That first special also shot Guaraldi to greater fame, and he became connected to all subsequent Peanuts shows.

Guaraldi would continue to work on Peanuts films until his death in 1976.

No words…just enjoy

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Jayhawks – Blue

After I found out about this band in 2000, I had to know more. This song would rank high on the list of my favorite songs of all time. When Olson and Louris lock in on “Why don’t you stay behind? So blue.” they hit that sweet spot that gives me chills. This is the kind of sadness you can hum along to. To me, they are a modern version of Big Star in many ways. They never could buy a hit, but released some excellent music.

The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul music scene in the mid-80s. Minneapolis had a strong scene for bands in the 1980s. Gary Louris and Mark Olson built the early band around harmony singing, country roots, and the spirit of the Flying Burrito Brothers, which was not exactly the fashionable choice in a town dominated by Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, and Prince. The Jayhawks went more for warmth and melody instead of loudness. They have a little of The Flying Burrito Brothers mixed with Big Star in them.

Olson eventually left the band to focus on family and a quieter life, leaving Louris to carry on with the Jayhawks. Still, whenever the two reunited, even briefly, the chemistry returned. Their 2008 duo album (Ready For The Flood) and subsequent tours proved the bond still worked.

The song was on the album Tomorrow the Green Grass, an album many fans still consider their masterpiece. They recorded the album between Los Angeles and Nashville, a setup that gave it an open feel. Producer George Drakoulias understood that the Jayhawks’ feel wasn’t in piling on big sounds, it was in letting the songs breathe…and breathe they did. This song was written by Mark Olson and Gary Louris.

The album peaked at #92 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1995. The song peaked at #33 in Canada. They recently backed Ray Davies on his albums Americana and Our Country – Americana Act II. Their 2016 album, Paging Mr. Proust, was produced by Peter Buck of REM.

They combine country, folk, rock, and pop with good harmonies.

Gary Lourist: Mark was tired of the grind of playing the game, going to the radio stations and being a low- to mid-level success. I think it just wore him out. He was always frustrated by all the waiting. The Jayhawks made just seven records in 20 years, so there was a lot of it. The Creekdippers did it very organically and made lots of records. But the main thing was that he wanted to be with his wife.

Gary Lourist: What brought Mark and me back together? It started way back with The Rookie, a mediocre Dennis Quaid movie about an older pitcher who makes the big leagues. The producer or the director was a Jayhawks fan, and they wanted a new Olson/Louris song. Olson’s manager called my manager, and the next thing you know, I’m driving out to Joshua Tree. We talked through our old issues. We wrote a couple of songs that day. They didn’t make it in the movie, but it got us thinking that we still really had something when we got together. So we started doing some tours, but we didn’t have any new material, so that lead us to Ready For The Flood, and that led us to the new Jayhawks record.

Blue

Where have all my friends gone?
They’ve all disappeared.
Turned around maybe one day, you’re all that was there.
Stood by on believing, stood by on my own.
Always thought I was someone, turned out I was wrong.
And you brought me through and you made me feel so blue,
Why don’t you stay behind?
So blue. Why don’t you stop, and look at what’s going down.

If I had an old woman she’d never sell me a lie
It’s hard to sing with someone who won’t sing with you.
Give all of my mercy, give all of my heart.
Never thought that I’d miss you, that I’d miss you so much.
And you brought me through and you made me feel so blue.
Why don’t you stay behind?
So blue.
Why don’t you stop and look at what’s going down.

All my life (staying while) I’m waiting for (staying while)
Someone I could (waiting around) show the door
(now that I’m blue) but nothing seems to change (that I’m blue from now on)
You come back that month so blue.
Why don’t you stay behind?
So blue.
Why don’t you, why don’t you stay behind?
So blue.
Why don’t you, why don’t you stay behind?
So blue
Why don’t you stop and look at what’s down

Big Country – Fields Of Fire

I first found out about this band in the 1980s with a dose of a bagpipes sound with the song Big Country. The first thing I thought of was BIG…not because of the name. The song came out of the radio like an elephant. The drums and the sound were so huge. This one has the same effect on me, a large sound, but it isn’t sanitized and polished to death.

It was released in 1983 on the album The Crossing. This was their debut album, and it made them known throughout the world. Steve Lillywhite produced this album and track. This came at a time when he was emerging as one of the top producers in the business, known for his work with Peter Gabriel and U2.

As I mentioned earlier, they incorporated a bagpipe sound into their songs, and they utilized the E-bow effect on their guitars. E-bows (Electronic Bows) are handheld, battery-powered devices that create infinite sustain and harmonics on stringed instruments, especially electric guitars, by generating a magnetic field that vibrates the strings, mimicking the effect of a violin bow. They enable guitarists to produce synth-like sounds, bowing effects without the use of a traditional pick. Now I want one!

Here is an example of one:

I did it again…drifted too far into guitar effects, but I just cannot help myself.

Stuart Adamson formed this band in 1981 in Scotland. Adamson was their main songwriter and the lead singer. He was joined by guitarist Bruce Watson, bassist Tony Butler, and drummer Mark Brzezicki. They would go on to release 9 studio albums and 18 live albums. They would release 29 singles, and 16 ended up in the top 40 in the UK.

Fields of Fire peaked at #10 in the UK, #26 in New Zealand, and #52 on the Billboard 100. This album peaked at #18 on the Billboard Album Charts, #4 in Canada, #3 in the UK, and #8 in New Zealand in 1983.

In 1999, they released their last album with lead singer Stuart Adamson, called Driving to Damascus but without much success. Adamson moved to Nashville in the mid-1990s, where he met country music singer/songwriter Marcus Hummon, and together they released an alternative country studio album as The Raphaels in 2001.

Fields of Fire

Between a father and a sonBetween the city and the oneBefore the teacher and the testBefore the journey and the rest

The shining eye will never cryThe beating heart will never dieThe house on fire holds no shameI will be coming home again400 miles without a word until you smile400 miles on fields of fireBetween a woman and a boyBetween a child and his toyBetween a woman and a boyBetween a child and a toyBefore the following of the westBefore the journey and the rest400 miles without a word until you smile400 miles without a word until you smile400 miles on fields of fire

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