If you ever watch something I recommend…please give this short one-hour film a chance. Someone brought a DVD of this for me to watch around 7 years ago. I thought it was going to be boring. I ended up watching it twice in one sitting. It will draw you in. I watch it at least once every year or two.
A 50-year-old man named Dick Proenneke is in Twin Lakes Alaska in 1968 and films himself building a retirement cabin. He starts out by staying in a friend’s cabin. He starts gathering wood and making some of the tools he uses as he goes. This man…is a real man. if he needs a spoon…he starts carving himself out one. He builds this cabin and makes everything including wood hinges for the door. He also made hinges out of his tin containers. He gathers rocks from somewhere down the lake and brings them back… then he starts building his chimney.
He is by himself and sets up the camera everywhere he goes. He goes out fishing when he is hungry and hunting for meat for the winter only taking what he needs. He uses just what he needs and doesn’t take more from nature than he could use. He makes almost everything from scratch. He uses his tin canisters for different things. He buries one and covers for a refrigerator. The only help he receives is a pilot friend who lands every now and again to deliver supplies. He was a master craftsman, to say the least.
He also filmed all the wildlife around. Rams, wolves, bears, birds, and Caribou. He also gets some great shots of the area around Twin Lakes. The snowy mountains were breathtaking.
It doesn’t sound that special but I have watched it at least 6 more times since the night I watched it twice… sometimes showing it to other people. He makes it look so easy. He filmed enough to have a few more short documentaries which were released but nothing matches that first one. This man made me feel like a mouse, a kid, a beginner, a slouch. He is so talented and tough.
He ended up staying there until 1999 alone and then left to live with his brother at age 82. Dick passed away at 86 in 2003. The cabin is still there and is on the National Register of Historic Places. People come from all over the world to visit it.
I wish YouTube had the complete documentary but they don’t. I watch modern YouTube videos of people visiting the cabin now. They see his cache in the back, his sled, and all the cabin parts. You see him in 1968 building those items. Like I said earlier, there are more documentaries on him but start with this one. This one is great. I’ve never had someone tell me they were disappointed in it.
I first heard this song through Jason and the Scorchers giving it a high-octane slant. On my Car Songs post the other day Lisa recommended this one and instead of waiting to include it in part 3…I thought I would write a post on it.
When I think of George Jones I think of the voice. I would be lying if I didn’t also say that I think of the lawnmower story and some of the stories that I heard from some session musicians. My guitar tech had many come in his shop and they would tell stories about the country stars. They always spoke highly of George Jones, adding he was down-to-earth and a good guy. He could be a lot of fun and wild…and match his rock counterparts.
It has often been said that he had the purest country voice ever. Frank Sinatra called Jones “The second-best singer in America.” When Keith Richards (who is a huge Jones fan) heard this, he asked…who’s the first Frank?
Don Rollins, a Nashville songwriter, wrote The Race Is On with a cool twist, comparing the end of a romantic relationship to a horse race.
The song was a huge hit in Country Music. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Country Charts in 1964.
Keith Richards on recording a duet with George Jones: There was another wonderful expedition to record a duet with George Jones at the Bradley Barn sessions, “Say It’s Not You,” a song that Gram Parsons had turned me on to. George was a great guy to work with, especially when he had the hairdo going. Incredible singer. There’s a quote from Frank Sinatra, who says, “Second-best singer in this country is George Jones.” Who’s the first, Frank? We were waiting and waiting for George, for a couple of hours, I think. By then I’m behind the bar making drinks, not remembering that George is supposed to be on the wagon and not knowing why he was so late. I’ve been late many times and so no big deal. And when he turns up, the pompadour hairdo is perfect. It’s such a fascinating thing. You can’t take your eyes off it. And in a fifty-mile-an-hour wind it would still have been perfect. I found out later that he’d been driving around because he was a bit nervous about working with me. He’d been doing some reading up and was uncertain of meeting me.
George Jones on Keith Richards: “I’ll be honest with you: I love Keith Richards more than anything as a person. He’s a character – just fun to be around.”
Dolly Parton:Anyone who knows or cares anything about real country music will agree that George Jones is the voice of it.
The Race Is On
I feel tears wellin’ up Cold and deep inside Like my heart’s sprung a big break And a stab of loneliness sharp and painful That I may never shake Now, you might say that I was takin’ it hard Since you wrote me off with a call But don’t you wager that I’ll hide the sorrow When I may break right down and bawl
Now the race is on And here comes pride up the backstretch Heartaches are goin’ to the inside My tears are holdin’ back They’re tryin’ not to fall My heart’s out of the runnin’ True love’s scratched for another’s sake The race is on and it looks like heartache And the winner loses all
One day I ventured in love Never once suspectin’ What the final result would be How I lived in fear of wakin’ up each mornin’ And findin’ that you’re gone from me There’s ache and pain in my heart For today was the one I hated to face Somebody new came up to win her And I came out in second place
Now the race is on And here comes pride up the backstretch Heartaches are goin’ to the inside My tears are holdin’ back They’re tryin’ not to fall My heart’s out of the runnin’ True love’s scratched for another’s sake The race is on and it looks like heartaches And the winner loses all
This song has to have a world record attached to it… song most used in pep rallies. I heard the na na na parts from elementary to high school. It was high school before I heard the actual song.
The original version was by Chris Kenner, a New Orleans R&B singer and songwriter, first recorded and released “Land of 1000 Dances” in 1962 and it only made it to #77 on the Billboard 100. Kenner wrote the song as well. He promised Fats Domino a writing credit if he recorded it…Fats did but it didn’t go anywhere. On some copies, he is listed as a co-writer.
This song has been covered a lot. Secondhandsongs says it has 150 cover versions which is very good. Cannibal and The Headhunters covered it in 1965 and they peaked at #30 on the Billboard 100 but Wilson Pickett had the highest charting position for the song. It’s no telling how many times it’s been played live by famous and nonfamous artists.
Land of 1000 Dances peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, and #22 in the UK in 1966 for Pickett. The sound of this record is great…it has a raw edge that only Stax had at the time.
Land of 1000 Dances
One, two, three
One, two, three
Ow! Uh! Alright! Uh!
Got to know how to Pony
Like Bony Moronie
Mash Potato
Do The Alligator
Put your hand on your hips, yeah
Let your backbone slip
Do the Watusi
Like my little Lucy
Ow! Uh!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Need somebody help me say it one time!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Wow!
Ow!
Uh!
You know I feel alright?
Hah!
Feel pretty good, y’all
Uh-hah!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
C’mon y’all, let’s say it one mo’ time!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Ohh!
Dancin’ in the alley
With Long Tall Sally
Twistin’ with Lucy
Doin’ the Watusi
Roll over on your back
I like it like that
Do that Jerk, oh
Watch me work, y’all
Ow! Do it!
Wow! Do it!
Watch me do it
Ohh, help me!
Ohh, help me!
Ohh, help me!
Ohh, help me!
When I started this blog…I had no idea that I would concentrate on single songs. I was going to cover pop culture and I did at the beginning more. I would like to get one in every now and then.
Today… everything seems to be bigger, stronger, and faster. That isn’t true though with a certain passenger airplane. A flight from New York to London now will take around 7 hours and 35 minutes to 8 hours and 10 minutes long. How fast would that flight be in the 1970s on the Concorde? That would take you a cozy three-and-a-half hours. The fastest flight was two hours and fifty-two minutes. It would travel at 1,354 mph. It was more than twice the speed of sound.
I’m not a huge airplane guy but this aircraft fascinated me and I always wanted to ride on one. The nose cone would come down so the pilots could see the runway…it looked like something from a Scifi movie. It would reach Mach 2 between London and New York. I would see pictures of it as a kid or on the news and I thought it was the coolest plane I’d seen. I probably still do. I do remember complaints about the sonic boom.
In November 1962, the British and French governments signed a treaty to jointly develop the Concorde. The Concorde prototype made its maiden flight on March 2, 1969. After some more prototypes, they tested and made modifications, including addressing issues with noise, fuel efficiency, and environmental impact. received its airworthiness certificate in 1975, with the first commercial flights beginning on January 21, 1976, by British Airways and Air France.
There was a plan for a Concorde-type supersonic plane in the US called a Boeing 2707. It would have gone 3 times the speed of sound and held 277 passengers compared to the 100 passengers the Concorde held. It was too expensive to build and was called “the most expensive aircraft never built.” Here is a picture of a 1966 mock-up of the 2707.
Boeing 2707
In 1977, it cost £431 to fly one way onboard Concorde between London and Washington. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about £2,200 ($2,800) in today’s money. However, fare prices gradually went up, and by 1996, a roundtrip across the Atlantic would generally be priced at around $12,500 in today’s money. So it was very expensive. The meals and service were great but it was cramped inside compared to other airplanes at the time. It was also noisy…
All together… two prototypes, two pre-production aircraft, two development aircraft, and 14 production aircraft for commercial service. All of them except the two pre-production builds are preserved in museums.
This all leads us to why the Concorde is in museums now and not in the sky. The price, noise, and it was so expensive to operate. Every hour in the sky had to have 22 hours of maintenance. Also on July 25, 2000, the Concorde crashed. It was shortly after takeoff and 109 people died onboard plus 4 on the ground. That was its only crash. They did go on until 2003 but officially retired the plane that year.
A New York Times writer wrote this about the food served. “What followed the coffee was a breakfast of fresh papaya, guava, pineapple, strawberries and mangoes, croissants and brioche that might have come from a Paris bakery, a pretty good approximation of eggs benedict and a soufflé Gruyère, all washed down with Piper‐Heidsieck Cuvée Diplomatique. The china, of course, was Limoges.”
This video shows the take-off from inside the plane by a passenger.
I have so many songs I want to have on here. I read the original post I did and re-read the comments and took some songs from your suggestions and used them. I haven’t got to all of them…so the others probably will be on the next one. I picked one song and you all picked the rest. Some will be in the next edition that I couldn’t fit in this one.
I hope you are all having a great Sunday.
Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats – Rocket 88
CB mentioned this one and it should have been on the first one…since this is often said to be the first rock and roll song. It’s only fitting that it was about a car. The recording session happened on March 3, 1951, at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee, which would later become the legendary Sun Studio.
The song was written by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston. The Delta Cats were actually Ike Turner’s band Turner’s King of Rhythm.
A review from Time Magazine in 1951
Rocket 88 was brash and it was sexy; it took elements of the blues, hammered them with rhythm and attitude and electric guitar, and reimagined black music into something new. If the blues seemed to give voice to old wisdom, this new music seemed full of youthful notions. If the blues was about squeezing cathartic joy out of the bad times, this new music was about letting the good times roll. If the blues was about earthly troubles, the rock that Turner’s crew created seemed to shout that the sky was now the limit.
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen – Hot Rod Lincoln
The main thing I like about the song is the guitar. It has a slight Chuck Berry feel to it and I like the fills the guitar player throws in. Of course, I like Commander Cody’s (George Frayne) vocal sound as well.
The band signed with Warner Brothers and the label wanted a soft country sound but the band refused to change its raw style.
Hot Rod Lincoln was originally written by Charlie Ryan. It was first recorded and released by Charlie Ryan and The Livingston Brothers in 1955. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were a County-Rock group formed at the University of Michigan. Commander Cody is the lead singer and piano player George Frayne. This would be their only top-ten hit. Another song that is well-known by them is Smoke Smoke Smoke.
The Renegades – Cadillac
Fellow blogger HotFox63 mentioned this song when I did a Clash post on Brand New Cadillac so I thought it would be perfect for this. Very cool song that I knew nothing about.
The Renegades were a British rock band formed in Birmingham in 1960. The original lineup consisted of Kim Brown (vocals, guitar), Denys Gibson (guitar), Ian Mallet (bass), and Graham Johnson (drums). Cadillac was released as a single in 1964. The song quickly became a hit in Finland, reaching #1 on the charts. Its success in Finland helped the band gain a substantial following in Scandinavia, and the song’s popularity also spread to other parts of Europe, including Italy.
Rosanne Cash – Black Cadillac
Obbverse mentioned this one. It’s a song from 2005 from an album with the same name. The black Cadillac in the song symbolizes both a funeral car and a connection to her father, who owned a black Cadillac…and about loss, memory, and mourning.
She wrote the album about dealing with the death of her father.
“It certainly crossed my mind that I was opening myself to questions about how much [of the album] was documentary and how much was poetry, I certainly did think about it. But, at the same time, I think that the themes are so universal that it almost doesn’t matter what’s particular to my life. … People can bring their own lives to this subject very easily.”
Beach Boys – 409
Christiansmusicmusings and Halffastcyclingclub both mentioned this one by the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys would be an endless supply of cars and endless summers. This song was written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Gary Usher and was released in 1962.
I’m a fan of Marty Stuart and the guitarist to this song is dedicated. As you see in the title…it was written by Stuart in tribute to Byrds member Clarence White. The song is an instrumental from his 2010 album Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions. It was recorded at the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville. The song reminds me a little of the Buck Owens song Buckaroo.
Marty Stuart is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever seen live. He showed up before Bob Dylan went on stage and Bob asked him to play with him. Not to play for a song or two…but for the complete show…that is how good this man is. He has been around since the 70s playing music. One of his big influences was Clarence White of The Byrds and Kentucky Colonels. This song managed to win a Grammy. He has been nominated 15 times and won 5 altogether.
Clarence White
He played with artists such as The Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Ricky Nelson, the Monkees, Randy Newman, Gene Clark, Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, Jackson Browne, and many more.
He is perhaps best known for developing and using the B-Bender guitar, which he co-invented with fellow musician Gene Parsons. This device allowed him to bend the B-string up a whole tone, enabling pedal steel-like sounds on the guitar. This innovation became a hallmark of his playing style and significantly influenced country rock guitarists. To make it bend…you gently push the guitar down on the strap and it will bend the string. When Marty Stuart first listened to Sweetheart of the Rodeo he wanted to know who played the steel guitar on some of the songs…it ended up being White playing the B-Bender.
Marty Stuart bought this guitar from White’s family. He gave them a blank check and told them to fill in the amount within reason. He then told them if it wasn’t within reason he would get a loan. They filled it in with $1495.00 which was way below price…even in 1980. The guitar had the first B-Bender so it was historical just for that. Marty played the guitar on this album with and uses it regularly.
Tragically, Clarence White’s life was cut short when he was killed by a drunk driver on July 15, 1973, at the age of 29. He and his brother Roland White were loading equipment in their car and a drunk driver killed Clarence but Roland survived. Roland just passed away in 2022 at the age of 83. Marty met Clarence once and played with his brother a lot.
I was talking to obbverse the other day about including more technical guitar talk. I hope it doesn’t bore you reading but I won’t have that much…but in this post, I thought it was necessary.
One short story about what Marty Stuart found in Clarence’s guitar. Once he got it he started to clean it and took it apart. He found something that he thought he knew what it was…but he sent it to a lab…and it was an acid blotter that Clarence had tucked away.
The story of how Stuart bought Clarence White’s guitar…it’s very interesting and shows the kind of person Marty Stuart is. It’s only six minutes and thirty five seconds long.
I included this video to show you what a B-Bender does. I’ve thought about adding one to my telecaster. They also have one called a “hip shooter” as it’s not as invasive on the telecaster as this version.
CB mentioned a song on this list and this list came to life…so thanks CB. Some songs about sports or sports figures. I managed to get in baseball, boxing, and even Cricket. I can see a part II in the future.
The songs I know the most about are Baseball theme songs because that is the sport I follow the most.
John Fogerty – Centerfield
Along with “Talkin’ Baseball” and “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” this quickly became one of the most popular baseball songs ever. It’s a fixture at ballparks between innings of games and plays at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Fogerty mentions 3 huge baseball stars…”So say, Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio.” He was influenced by Chuck Berry’s Brown Eyed Handsome Man with the lyrics “Rounding third he was heading for home, it was a brown eyed handsome man,” which is lifted from Berry’s song “Brown Eyed Handsome Man.”
John Fogerty:“I’d hear about Ruth and DiMaggio, and as my dad and older brothers talked about the Babe’s exploits, their eyes would get so big. When I was a little kid, there were no teams on the West Coast, so the idea of a Major League team was really mythical to me. The players were heroes to me as long as I can remember.”
Paul Kelly – Bradman
I’ll be the first to admit I know little nothing about Cricket but the song is great. It’s about Sir Donald Bradman, arguably…. the greatest ever cricketer (and definitely the greatest ever Australian cricketer). This one peaked at #51 in Australia in 1987 and was part of a double A-sided single along with the song Leaps and Bounds.
Chris Gaffney – Eyes of Roberto Duran
This song was written by Tim Russell and it’s covered here by Chris Gaffney. Gaffney had a terrific voice and I discovered him when I covered The Hacienda Brothers last week. This song was on the 1995 album Loser’s Paradise.
Roberto Durán, a Panamanian boxer, is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Known as “Manos de Piedra” (Hands of Stone) for his punching power, Durán’s career lasted from 1968 to 2001. That is a long long career for a boxer.
Durán has talked about an incident from his childhood that left him with a unique trait. As a young boy, he was hit in the eye with a rock, resulting in a permanent droop in his left eyelid. This injury gave Durán a distinctive look, contributing to his fierce ring presence. Despite this, his vision was not significantly impaired.
Bob Dylan – Hurricane
Hurricane is a protest song by Bob Dylan co-written with Jacques Levy, released in 1976 on Dylan’s album Desire. The song tells the story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1966. Dylan’s song played a huge role in bringing Carter’s case to public attention.
Warren Zevon – The Ballad of Bill Lee
This song is about one of the most colorful baseball players ever. Bill Lee was called Spaceman because of his views on the world. He was from the 1960s counterculture when most baseball players were straight-laced. When asked about mandatory drug testing, Lee said “I’ve tried just about all of them, but I wouldn’t want to make it mandatory.”
This is from Warren Zevon’s 1980 album “Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School.” The song is a tribute to Bill “Spaceman” Lee.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I’ve told people that I love blogging on the weekends because I use this time to explore more than I do during the week. I’ve posted about The Blasters before and this time it’s the brothers…Dave and Phil Alvin. I like stories about making deals with the Devil and this song falls right into that. It’s been explored in movies and books…this theme is always interesting.
I think the Devil is playing guitar on this one…because it is wicked sounding. No, that is Dave Alvin and his playing and tone are perfect. You cannot get a better tone than what he has on this. When I first heard it… that guitar stood out so much.
Dave and Phil Alvin are the brothers who founded The Blasters. This 2015 album was the duo’s second album called, Lost Time. When Dave left The Blasters in 1986 it created a riff but in 2012…a near-death experience for Phil..reunited the brothers to record a new album of Big Bill Broonzy songs called Common Ground.
The song was written by Oscar Brown Jr. an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, and civil rights activist. This song came from Brown’s musical called KICKS & CO. in 1961. They opened it up in Chicago but it closed early. It made it to Broadway 35 years later.
It’s a well-written song thanks to Brown and it works today.
Mr. Kicks
Permit me to introduce myself, the name is Mr. Kicks I dwell in a dark dominion way down by the river Styx The devil has sent me here because I’m full of wicked tricks And I’m such a popular fellow among all you lunatics I teach a course in ruination from the Devil’s text For fools who can’t withstand temptation, Step right up you’re next I hail from a hollow hell hole down around the river Styx Allow me to introduce myself the name is Mister Kicks When a old wolf starts a prowlin’ Out among the young lambs howling Don’t you know he’s looking for kicks? When a young cat full of sly tricks Spends his evenings chasing fly chicks Ten to one he’s looking for kicks Kicks is always in demand Cause kicks is full of fun and laughter Lots of folks get out of hand Because it’s only kicks they’re after Shady lady and her lover operating undercover She knows sin and virtue don’t mix Her momma raised her prim and proper But now wild horses couldn’t stop her When she’s on a manhunt for kicks Oh kicks, looking for kicks Just kicks, nothing but kicks I’m satan’s simple servant sent to get in a fix So look me up just anytime The name is mr., name is mr., Name is Mister Kicks
Good times and riches and son-of-a-bitches I’ve seen more than I can recall
When I got Jimmy Buffett’s greatest hits in the 80s this is one song that stood out to me. The greatest hits was called “Songs You Know By Heart.” I didn’t know much about the guy before then but he was intriguing. This song grew on me more through the years because I could start relating to the song more and more.
Of course, I knew Margaritaville well and I remembered Come Monday but the rest were new to me. He had some serious songs like A Pirate Looks At Forty and then he had Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw and Cheeseburger in Paradise.
In my past posts about Buffett I told people if they had a chance to see him…do it. His concerts were the perfect place to take a date to. I’ve never been to a concert that was such a party atmosphere. I saw him twice and remember Beach Balls being up in the air the entire concert…swatted by the audience.
The song is the title track of Buffett’s 1977 album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. This album marked a turning point in Buffett’s career, contributing to his growing popularity and being known as “Gulf and Western,” a blend of country, folk, rock, and Caribbean influences.
This was also the name of his seventh studio album which included the song he was forever known for, Margaritaville. The album peaked at #12 on the Billboard Album Charts, #2 on the Billboard Country Charts, and #43 in Canada in 1977.
The song peaked at #37 on the Billboard 100, #24 on the Billboard Country Charts, #34 in Canada, and #21 on the Canadian Country Charts in 1977.
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
I took off for a weekend last month just to try and recall the whole year All of the faces and all of the places wonderin’ where they all disappeared I didn’t ponder the question too long, I was hungry and went out for a bite Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum and we wound up drinkin’ all night
It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes Nothing remains quite the same With all of our running and all of our cunning If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane
Reading departure signs in some big airport reminds me of the places I’ve been Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure makes me want to go back again If it suddenly ended tomorrow I could somehow adjust to the fall Good times and riches and son-of-a-bitches I’ve seen more than I can recall
These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes Nothing remains quite the same Through all of the islands and all of the highlands If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane
I think about Paris when I’m high on red wine I wish I could jump on a plane So many nights I just dream of the ocean, god I wish I was sailin’ again Oh, yesterday’s over my shoulder, so I can’t look back for too long There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me and I know that I just can’t go wrong
With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes Nothing remains quite the same With all of my running and all of my cunning If I couldn’t laugh I just would go insane If we couldn’t laugh we just would go insane If we weren’t all crazy we would go insane
Thanks to Dave for posting this on his site. Below is the request that we got to write about. “There are many great songs about music, so let’s highlight them. Pick a song you like either about music itself (eg, ‘I love Music’ and so on) or about the life of a musician making music . Or anything else you can think of about music… about music! “
I sometimes go for the B sides or ones that aren’t heard as much. Not this time!
I remember when I was 5-6 years old and listening to this song. The verses I ignored at the time and enjoyed the chorus immensely going around singing it and being told to shut up already by my sister. I guess a six-year-old singing Bye, bye Miss American Pie, Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye, Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die, This’ll be the day that I die… would get old but hey…I had good taste anyway (better than my sister).
It’s a song that I don’t get tired of…ever. When I think of it I think of my childhood and also a big dose of pop culture. We all know that the day the music died was pointing to the Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper plane crash. The rest builds up and between the lines, he sings about a lot of events and artists.
Where do I begin with this one? The song has so many references that it acts as a pop culture index by itself. I have read about college classes just on this song. It has been inspected and dissected since its release. Long after Don McLean leaves this earth…the song will be inspected and dissected again and again.
We do know the song was inspired by Buddy Holly… What does it all mean? While being interviewed in 1991, McLean was asked for probably the 1000th time “What does the song ‘American Pie’ mean to you?,” to which he answered, “It means never having to work again for the rest of my life.” Now that is a great and honest answer by Mclean.
In 2015 he opened up about the song and sold the original lyrics for 1.2 million dollars. This time he answered the question seriously. “It was an indescribable photograph of America that I tried to capture in words and music.” He also said that American Pie was Buddy Holly’s airplane that crashed…it was a made-up name by McLean because the company that owned the plane didn’t name any of them. “People ask me if I left the lyrics open to ambiguity, of course, I did. I wanted to make a whole series of complex statements. The lyrics had to do with the state of society at the time.”
In later years I would buy the single and try to figure out who he was talking about. Some of the lyrics include references to Karl Marx (or Groucho Marx), Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (or John Lennon), the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, The Byrds; James Dean; Charles Manson; the Rolling Stones; the “widowed bride,” Jackie Kennedy, Jimi Hendrix, the Vietnam War, The Fillmore East, and more.
This song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #1 in New Zealand, and #2 in the UK in 1972. If you want more… here is a website PDF that breaks down the song line by line of their interpretation.
I’ll let Don McLean talk about the song: “For some reason, I wanted to write a big song about America and about politics, but I wanted to do it in a different way. As I was fiddling around, I started singing this thing about the Buddy Holly crash, the thing that came out (singing), ‘Long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile.’
I thought, Whoa, what’s that? And then the day the music died, it just came out. And I said, Oh, that is such a great idea. And so that’s all I had. And then I thought, I can’t have another slow song on this record. I’ve got to speed this up. I came up with this chorus, crazy chorus. And then one time about a month later I just woke up and wrote the other five verses. Because I realized what it was, I knew what I had. And basically, all I had to do was speed up the slow verse with the chorus and then slow down the last verse so it was like the first verse, and then tell the story, which was a dream. It is from all these fantasies, all these memories that I made personal. Buddy Holly’s death to me was a personal tragedy. As a child, a 15-year-old, I had no idea that nobody else felt that way much. I mean, I went to school and mentioned it and they said, ‘So what?’ So I carried this yearning and longing, if you will, this weird sadness that would overtake me when I would look at this album, The Buddy Holly Story because that was my last Buddy record before he passed away.”
American Pie
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn’t take one more step
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
So
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now, do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you’re in love with him
‘Cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Now, for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that’s not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lennon read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
‘Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan’s spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
They were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
I was reading an article by Dave about Jay Ferguson and he mentioned this band. I thought the band’s name sounded familiar. When I heard it I remembered this song on A.M. radio as a kid.
They formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by Jay Ferguson and Mark Andes after they left the band Spirit. They were known for their hits like I Got A Line On You, Nature’s Way, and the song “Taurus” which Spirit claims resembles Stairway To Heaven a little too much.
In the early seventies, David Geffen tried to get someone to sign Jackson Browne. He was turned down by almost all of the record companies. What is that old saying? “If the Mountain won’t go to Mohammed, then Mohammed must come to the Mountain.” So Geffen made his own record company to sign Jackson Browne. He called this record company Asylum.
His first signing was, of course, Jackson Browne. His second signing was Jo Jo Gunne. After Jo Jo Gunne came The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, Bob Dylan (for two albums), Linda Ronstadt, Tom Waits, and Warren Zevon. That is a hell of a roster. The band included Jay Ferguson (vocals, keyboards) and Mark Andes (bass), the original lineup of Jo Jo Gunne included Matt Andes (guitar) and William “Curly” Smith (drums).
This song peaked at #27 on the Billboard 100, #30 in Canada, and #6 in the UK in 1972. The song was on their self-titled debut album. They released 5 albums altogether and the last one was in 2005 called Big Chain.
Despite the initial success of this song… Jo Jo Gunne did not achieve lasting mainstream popularity and they are often considered a one-hit wonder. Jay Ferguson went on to have hits on his own hit, Thunder Island peaked at #9 in America in 1978, and Shakedown Cruise #31 in 1979.
Run Run Run
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo Run Run Run Run Run Run
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo Run Run Run Run Run Run
You’d better ride on baby, You was born outside of the law Run Run
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo Run Run Run Run Run Run
Oh load up your mama, W’ll ride on out to the line Run Run
Run Oh Run
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo Run Run Run Run Run Run
Oh welcome to the party, We’re all just papers in the wind Run Run
A fun song that has a bit more of a kick than a regular Elton John song.
The song was written by Elton, who wrote the music, and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin who wrote the lyrics. He said it was his first attempt at writing a rock song that was totally English. Up until then, he focused on American Culture.
This song is about Taupin’s teen years going to British dance clubs, where fights were common. Many of Taupin’s songs are written to relate to Elton’s life, but not this one…it’s very unlikely that Elton would be fighting in a bar. Elton recorded this song while leaping around and standing up to get a certain feel.
The song was on the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and parts of it were recorded in Jamaica. This could very well be Elton John’s best album. It contained the title song, Bennie and the Jets, Candle in the Wind, and more. It was during a period when John and Taupin could do no wrong…they had the Midas touch. Everything they touched turned to gold and more times platinum. Between 1969 to 1976 the pair released 11 albums. Six of those were #1 in the Billboard 100 and all of them made it to the top ten.
The album was released in 1973 and it peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #1 in the UK, and #5 in New Zealand in 1973.
The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard 100, #20 in Canada, #7 in the UK, and #12 in New Zealand in 1973.
As with other Elton songs…I was surprised when I saw the lyrics. He is one of the hardest singers to nail down the words I’ve ever heard…for me anyway. The line about getting drunk is brilliant…”Get about as oiled as a diesel train” but for the longest, I would just mumble… blah blah blah blah DIESEL TRAIN. This song though is clearer than some of his others.
Bernie Taupin on recording some of the album in Jamaica: “The climate was hospitable, but the natives weren’t. To use the terminology of the time, it was not a ‘good vibe.’ I remember a lot of barbed wire around the studio and armed guards. We spent a lot of time congregating around the pool area of the hotel, feeling there was safety in numbers. The Stones did manage to record there, but in retrospect, I think they had a mobile unit with them. The only thing I remember trying to record was ‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.’ It was an aborted attempt, just atrocious.”
Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
It’s getting late, have you seen my mates?
Ma tell me when the boys get here
It’s seven o’clock and I want to rock
Want to get a belly full of beer
My old man’s drunker than a barrel full of monkeys
And my old lady she don’t care
My sister looks cute in her braces and boots
A handful of grease in her hair
Don’t give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night’s alright for fighting
Get a little action in
Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like
Saturday night’s alright alright alright
Well they’re packed pretty tight in here tonight
I’m looking for a dolly who’ll see me right
I may use a little muscle to get what I need
I may sink a little drink and shout out “She’s with me!”
A couple of the sounds that I really like
Are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike
I’m a juvenile product of the working class
Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass
Don’t give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night’s alright for fighting
Get a little action in
Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like
Saturday night’s alright alright alright
Don’t give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night’s alright for fighting
Get a little action in
Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like
Saturday night’s alright alright alright
I saw the Kinks on this tour. This remains one…if not the best concert I’ve ever attended. They were in their early forties and all over the stage. In 1983 this song peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, and #12 in the UK.
When I was watching them, Ray kept drinking from a Heineken green bottle. He ended up tossing that bottle to a person in the audience. During intermission, I went to the lobby and I talked to the guy that had the bottle. He said he would keep that forever…he was an intense Kinks fan. I bet that guy still has that bottle somewhere…and I would have done the same thing.
This song got heavy play on MTV at a time when I would watch the channel. I’ve always liked the Kinks. They get forgotten but deserve their place beside the Beatles, Who, and Stones…I used to say those three bands are the holy trinity of rock…but I have to add the Kinks…making it the 4 walls that hold the building up.
It was on their State of Confusion album. I bought it as it came out without hearing a song because I loved Give The People What They Want so much. It’s par for the course that Davies met resistance from record company head Clive Davis on this single. Davis didn’t want this song released as a single…he thought it was too British and vaudevillian.
He wrote it as a reflection on his childhood and the dance halls of his youth. The song is particularly personal to him, as it was inspired by his older sister, Rene, who had a profound impact on his early life. Rene had given Ray his first guitar that he had tried to talk his parents into. On that same night, Rene passed away from a heart attack on her way to the Lyceum Ballroom…a dance hall on Ray’s 13th birthday.
Ray Davies: Clive Davis didn’t want to put it out, because he thought it was too vaudevillian, too English. It was only the video that convinced him. It went on MTV when it first started, and they couldn’t stop rotating it.
Ray Davies: “I wanted to regain some of the warmth I thought we’d lost, doing those stadium tours. ‘Come Dancing’ was an attempt to get back to roots, about my sisters’ memories of dancing in the ’50s.”
Come Dancing
They put a parking lot on a piece of land
When the supermarket used to stand
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local pally
That’s where the big bands used to come and play
My sister went there on a Saturday
Come dancing
All her boyfriends used to come and call
Why not come dancing, it’s only natural
Another Saturday, another date
She would be ready but she’s always make him wait
In the hallway, in anticipation
He didn’t know the night would end up in frustration
He’d end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek
Come dancing
That’s how they did it when I was just a kid
And when they said come dancing
My sister always did
My sister should have come in a midnight
And my mom would always sit up and wait
It always ended up in a big row
When my sister used to get home late
Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight
Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate
The day they knocked down the pally
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the pally
Part of my childhood died, just died
Now I’m grown up and playing in a band
And there’s a car park where the pally used to stand
My sister’s married and she lives on an estate
Her daughters go out, now it’s her turn to wait
She knows they get away with things she never could
But if I asked her I wonder if she would
Come dancing
Come on sister, have yourself a ball
Don’t be afraid to come dancing
It’s only natural
Come dancing
Just like the pally on a Saturday
And all her friends will come dancing
Where the big bands used to play
It’s no secret…Springsteen loves cars and what they represent. In this one, I think of the Pink Cadillac that Elvis gave his mom in the 1950s. I always liked this song and it was one of the first songs I did the lead vocals on in front of people. To sing it you have to stay monotone and not get too excited but it’s a fun one to do. I think I was around 17 and playing in a bar in 1984.
My favorite line to sing in it was But my love is bigger than a Honda yeah, it’s bigger than a Subaru hey man there’s only one thing and one car that will do. I mean how many times do you get to sing a song with the word “Subaru” in it? Plus we tacked on “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” at the end of Pink Cadillac and they blended perfectly into each other.
It’s a rockabilly type song that stood out on the radio in 1984…even from Born in the USA. It has been covered 39 times by artists including Natalie Cole and Jerry Lee Lewis. What makes this song so good is Bruce’s storytelling with lines like They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple, But man I ain’t going for that I know it was her pink Cadillac.
The production on this one was low-keyed and flat sounding…and I don’t mean that badly. Compare this to the tracks on Born in the USA…those tracks have a sonic quality from the mix by Bob Clearmountain…this one keeps a 50s-style rockabilly sound.
Bruce Springsteen first recorded an acoustic version of this song for his Nebraska album but it didn’t make the cut. I think it would have fit Nebraska perfectly. He recorded this version during the sessions for his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A., though it didn’t make the cut on that album either. Instead, it was released as the B-side to the hit single Dancing in the Dark in 1984. It would not be featured on an album until Tracks, released in 1998.
The song peaked at #27 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts in 1984.
Natalie Cole recorded it in 1987 and it peaked at #5 on the Billboard 100.
Here is a version that Jerry Lee Lewis did with Bruce.
Pink Cadillac
Well now you may think I’m foolish For the foolish things I do You may wonder how come I love you When you get on my nerves like you do Well baby you know you bug me There ain’t no secret ’bout that Well come on over here and hug me Baby I’ll spill the facts Well honey it ain’t your money ‘Cause baby I got plenty of that I love you for your pink Cadillac Crushed velvet seats Riding in the back Cruising down the street Waving to the girls Feeling out of sight Spending all my money On a Saturday night Honey I just wonder what you do there in back Of your pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac
Well now way back in the Bible Temptations always come along There’s always somebody tempting Somebody into doing something they know is wrong Well they tempt you, man, with silver And they tempt you, sir, with gold And they tempt you with the pleasures That the flesh does surely hold They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple But man I ain’t going for that I know it was her pink Cadillac Crushed velvet seats Riding in the back Oozing down the street Waving to the girls Feeling out of sight Spending all my money On a Saturday night Honey I just wonder what it feels like in the back Of your pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac
Now some folks say it’s too big And uses too much gas Some folks say it’s too old And that it goes too fast But my love is bigger than a Honda Yeah, it’s bigger than a Subaru Hey man there’s only one thing And one car that will do Anyway we don’t have to drive it Honey we can park it out in the back And have a party in your pink Cadillac Crushed velvet seats Riding in the back Cruising down the street Waving to the girls Feeling out of sight Spending all my money On a Saturday night Honey I just wonder what you do there in back Of your pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac
I was talking to a friend of mine who is reading a Gram Parsons book and I learned something from him that I didn’t know about this song. This song is a tragic song about three friends. Linda Ronstadt also appears on this one. The song is credited to Parsons and Harris.
The song is structured as a series of verses recounting the stories of three real individuals, each meeting a tragic end. The first verse of this song is about actor/musician Brandon deWilde. Parsons was friends with deWilde in the sixties and early seventies. He was in films and TV shows such as Shane, The Virginian TV Series, Hawaii Five-O, and many others. He started a music career and Gram Parsons helped him out in the sixties. Some have said no one could sing harmony better with Gram than deWilde excluding Harris.
In 1972 he was in Denver doing a stage production of Butterflies Are Free and he was killed in a camper van that hit a guardrail, truck, and then rolled. He was 30 years old.
The second verse was about Byrds’ extremely gifted guitar player Clarence White. An incredible country guitar player who co-invented with Gene Parsons the B-Bender that Telecasters use. He joined the Byrds around the time that Gram was leaving. He and his brother Roland White were loading equipment in their car and a drunk driver killed Clarence but Roland survived.
The third person was Sid Kaiser, a talent agent and producer in Los Angeles. He died of a heart attack a few days after Clarence White. Gram would pass on a few months after Keiser.
The sessions for “Grievous Angel” took place in 1973, primarily at Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles. Parsons worked with renowned musicians, including members of Elvis Presley’s TCB Band: James Burton (guitar), Glen D. Hardin (piano), and Ronnie Tutt (drums), among others.
Rock critic Ben Fong-Torres: “Because Gram never lived to see through the details of the album including the order of songs…’Darkness’ was placed at the end of the second side, partly because it made sense, and partly because it could easily be read as a song about Gram himself, in particular, the lines he wrote for Clarence:”
In My Hour of Darkness
In my hour of darkness In my time of need Oh Lord, grant me vision Oh Lord, grant me speed
Once I knew a young man Went driving through the night Miles and miles without a word With just his high beam lights Who’d have ever thought they’d build Such a deadly Denver bend To be so strong, to take so long As it would ’til the end
In my hour of darkness In my time of need Oh Lord, grant me vision Oh Lord, grant me speed
Another young man safely strummed His silver string guitar And he played to people everywhere Some say he was a star But he was just a country boy His simple songs confess And the music he had in him So very few possess
In my hour of darkness In my time of need Oh Lord, grant me vision Oh Lord, grant me speed
Then there was an old man Kind and wise with age And he read me just like a book And he never missed a page And I loved him like my father And I loved him like my friend And I knew his time would shortly come But I did not know just when
In my hour of darkness In my time of need Oh Lord, grant me vision Oh Lord, grant me speed
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