Classic Tune of the Week 16

I'm posting a song from my early teen years this week. The song is "Come Dancing" by The Kinks. "Come Dancing" was released in the U.S. in 1983 as the first single from the group's album State of Confusion and reached #6 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The song marked a comeback of sorts for The Kinks and awakened a new generation to the music of Ray Davies and his band mates.

"Come Dancing" is a nostalgic look back by Ray Davies to his childhood when his sister would go to a local dance hall and dance the night away with her dates. The song transitions from these youthful days to the present where his sister now waits for her daughter to return from her dates.

I always loved this song. The horn section and the big band sound used in the song were very different than anything else being played at the time. I also enjoyed the sense of humor Davies showed in the video. It was so...English. It fit with my enjoyment of other British humorists such as Benny Hill, Monty Python, and Black Adder.

As I've gotten older I have continued to enjoy the song. Now, however, it is less the humor of the song that strikes a chord with me than the nostalgia for times gone by. Now I'm in my early forties and am waiting for my teen-aged daughter to come home from group outings. While I have no desire to be fifteen again, I do miss much about those days. The energy I had, how I felt physically, and the lack of responsibility are a few examples. This song takes me back to a time when I had all that. While I wouldn't want to go back permanently to those days I do enjoy visiting occasionally. "Come Dancing" helps me do that. I hope you enjoy it.



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Classic Tune of the Week 15

Today I am posting one of my favorite Stevie Nicks songs. “After The Glitter Fades” is a country tinged ballad that peaked at #32 on the Billboard Charts back in 1981. The song was one of four hit singles from Nicks’ debut solo album Bella Donna. The album was released in July of 1981 and reached #1 in September. The album held onto the #1 spot for only one week but achieved platinum status in October. Bella Donna is Nicks’ most successful solo album and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. Other hits from the album include “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, “Leather and Lace”, and “Edge of Seventeen”.

My crush on Stevie Nicks is well known to all who know me. While I’ve always felt Nicks was a beautiful woman it was her voice that really hooked me. You recognize Nicks’ voice from the first note no matter the song. The other thing that drew me to Stevie Nicks was that there always seemed to be something a little sad about her. Maybe it was just the effect of her doe-like brown eyes but I’ve always gotten the impression that there is a bit of melancholy within Nicks.

"After The Glitter Fades" is very different from other Stevie Nicks songs. It could easily pass for a pure country song. Maybe that is why it doesn’t get much airtime these days. In any case, it remains one of my favorites. The video below is a recording of the actual piano only demo tape of the song with Nicks playing, singing, and providing her own backing vocals. A slide show of Nicks pictures is included. I hope you enjoy it.



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Classic Tune of the Week 14

I'm cheating a little bit here in that this week's classic song is really a television series theme song. However, I felt it was an appropriate choice in that it celebrates my new nickname at school. Enjoy.



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Classic Tune of the Week 13

My latest trip down memory lane takes me back to October of 1982. That is the month when “You Got Lucky” was released by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. The song was the first single from the album Long After Dark and was an important breakout hit for Petty and his band. “You Got Lucky” peaked at #20 on Billboard’s Hot 100 but reached #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The song held the #1 position for three weeks at the end of 1982.

I first became familiar with the song through the video, which received heavy rotation on MTV in the early 1980s. The setting for the video was a very Mad Max looking post apocalyptic world. The video had nothing to do with the lyrics of the song but somehow worked. I especially liked the haunting guitar solo featured in the song. When I think back to those many summer days watching MTV in the afternoon, “You Got Lucky” is one of the videos that comes to mind. Check it out below. I hope you enjoy it.

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Classic Tune of the Week 12

Travel back with me to 1982 for this weeks classic tune, “Hurts So Good” by John Cougar. “Hurts So Good” was one of three major singles from Cougar’s “American Fool” album (“Jack and Diane” and “Hand To Hold Onto” being the others) and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was listed at #83 on Billboard’s Greatest Songs of All Time list.

The song takes me back to one of the best summers of my life. I was sixteen and made the Babe Ruth All-Star baseball team. We made it all the way to the state tournament finishing second to a group of “sixteen” year olds with full beards from Wharton. The song was all over the radio that summer and every time I hear it I think about that time in my life.

I hope you enjoy it.

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Classic Tune of the Week 11

Today I'm posting my favorite Christmas song/hymn. "O Holy Night" was composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847. Adam based his composition on a poem penned by Placide Cappeau. Cappeau had written the poem as a favor to a parish priest. "O Holy Night" is thought to be the first song broadcast on radio. On Christmas Eve in 1906, Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio program. Fessenden performed the song on his violin during the program.

The video below shows "O Holy Night" being performed live by Michael Crawford. Crawford is probably best known as the star of the long running Broadway musical "The Phantom of the Opera". His version is simply the most powerful I've ever heard. No other artist, in my opinion, has come close to this performance. Make sure and watch/listen to the end. The notes Crawford hits toward the end of the song will give you chill bumps.



This will likely be my last posting until 2009. Merry Christmas to each of you.

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Classic Tune of the Week 10

This week I'm posting 'Blue Christmas' by Elvis Presley. The song has been recorded many times by many different artists but this seems to be the version everybody knows and loves.

'Blue Christmas' was written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The song is a tale of unrequited love that takes place during the holidays and has long been considered a Christmas staple on popular radio. The song was first recorded by Ernest Tubb in 1948. In 1957, Presley recorded his version of the tune and cemented its status as a Christmas classic. The song was also included in my favorite children's Christmas television special, 'The Year Without a Santa Claus'.

There are several versions of the song on the video bar to choose from. My favorite is the live version. Click the picture of Elvis and his band on stage to hear this version. I hope you enjoy it.

As always, ignore the other videos that have tagged along.

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Classic Tune of the Week 9

In honor of the holiday season, I will be posting some of my favorite Christmas music over the next couple of weeks. The songs will likely range from pop tunes, to hymns, to traditional classic Christmas songs. This week I have chosen "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You" by Billy Squier.

This song, to the best of my knowledge, made it's debut on an MTV Christmas special back in 1981. Squier appeared on the show and performed the song with the MTV Chorus singing back up. This "Chorus" was made up of MTV's production crew and on air talent. If you look carefully at the video, you will catch glimpses of original VJs Martha Quinn, J.J. Jackson, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Nina Blackwood. The song and video, taken from the Christmas special, continued to get heavy air play for years to come on the radio and MTV respectfully during December.

I've always liked the song. These days, however, I think it is more than the catchy tune that keeps me coming back to this song each year at Christmas time. It takes me back to my early teens when MTV was new and the "M" actually stood for music. This was when everbody under the age of 25 spent hour upon hour watching music videos on this network. It reminds me of a one of the best time periods of my life.

Hit the one of the pictures on the video bar showing people in Santa Hats to see the video. I hope you enjoy it.

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Classic Tune of the Week 8

I have chosen “Brilliant Disguise” by Bruce Springsteen for this week’s song.

“Brilliant Disguise” was the first single from the 1987 album “Tunnel of Love”. The song reached position #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was recorded in Springsteen’s Thrill Hill East home studio. Despite the fact that several members of the E Street Band played on the recording, the song is much more understated than Springsteen’s typical sound.

The song’s lyrics tell the story of a man who suddenly discovers he has become a stranger to his wife. Springsteen covers many emotions including self-doubt, jealousy, anxiety, and confusion. Boiled down, the song is about the masks people wear as they play out their expected roles in life and how disturbing it can be to peek at the secrets that lie behind those masks.

“Brilliant Disguise” is one of my favorite Springsteen songs and, in my opinion, one of his most underrated efforts. While I think lyrically the entire song is terrific, the final line is one of my all time favorites. Springsteen finishes the tune by singing, “God have mercy on a man who doubts what he’s sure of.” Rarely do songwriters, or storytellers of any kind, manage to wrap up their efforts so well.

I really wanted to feature the original MTV video of the song. However, I can't find a version of it posted online that allows it to be embedded. I would highly recommend going to YouTube and watching it. The black and white shots of Springsteen on the video block are what to look for in order to see the original video. You can watch one of the live concert performances featured on the video block. I hope you enjoy it.

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Classic Tune of the Week 7

For this week’s classic song I have chosen “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. The song was written by Simon and released in December of 1972. The song was an instant hit and became Simon’s first #1 single. “You’re So Vain” stayed atop Billboard’s Hot 100 for three weeks in early 1973. The song is listed at #72 on Billboard’s Greatest Songs of All Time.

“You’re So Vain” is a great song but part of it’s staying power is the ongoing mystery as to just who it is about. It is one of the great musical mysteries of its era and Carly Simon has been very coy as to the identity of the subject. This could be due to her very private nature, a desire to keep the mystery alive and, thus, keep interest in the song high, or a combination of both. While she has dropped cryptic hints from time to time, to my knowledge, she has never come out and acknowledged the name of this narcissistic gentleman. Popular guesses include Mick Jagger (who sings uncredited background vocals on the song), Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, William Donaldson (Simon’s unfaithful ex-fiance), ex-husband James Taylor, and, most famously, Warren Beatty.

I have always liked “You’re So Vain”. Even as a kid I enjoyed listening to it though I never did understand the “clouds in my coffee” line. I get a chuckle these days whenever I hear the song played. You see, “You're So Vain” is one of two songs I had, very publicly, dedicated to me on a radio program while I was in college. I will save the title of the other song for another time. There are some pretty good stories behind each of these “loving” dedications. Needless to say, those two relationships didn’t work out. I just can’t imagine why anyone would dedicate “You’re So Vain” to me ☺.

Hit the video showing Simon at her piano leaning into her microphone at an outdoor concert (filmed at Martha's Vineyard, I believe) to hear the song. While there are several videos to choose from, this is my favorite as it is a very strong live performance. Who knows, maybe you will figure out who the song is about.

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Classic Tune of the Week 6

And now for something completely different…

I have chosen a country /pop tune called “You Don’t Know Me” for this week’s classic song. The song has been recorded dozens of times by many different artists. The version I like best was recorded in the early 1980s by country star Mickey Gilley.

Gilley is best known as the owner of the world famous, for a time anyway, “Gilley’s” night club / honkytonk in Pasadena, Texas (just outside Houston). Gilley had long been a second tier country star when the film “Urban Cowboy” came out in 1980. “Gilley’s” was immortalized in the movie and mechanical bulls, boots, cowboy hats, and western shirts with pearled snaps became all the rage. The movie also gave a huge bump to the careers of Charlie Daniels, Johnny Lee, and, most notably, Mickey Gilley.

Gilley took advantage of his good fortune by recording numerous songs that cracked the Billboard Top 100 Country Chart. Several of these songs, including “You Don’t Know Me”, crossed over and made their mark on the Billboard Pop Chart as well.

Mickey Gilley has sometimes been dismissed as a light weight due to the fact that most of his biggest hits were covers of songs written and made well known by other artists. However, for a time during the early 1980s he was as big a star as there was in country music.

Hit the video bar (close up photo of Mickey Gilley in his cowboy hat) to hear the song. You may want to hold the cursor over the photo to make sure you get the right video as several songs are represented by the same photo. If this photo does not appear immediately just be patient as the videos will cycle through. The video consists of a photo of Mickey Gilley behind an old record player spinning a 33 rpm album. Not too high tech to be sure but this is about the song and not the production value, after all. As usual, ignore any extra videos that have tagged along.

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Classic Tune of the Week 5

I've decided to post one of my favorite songs from my college years this week. The song is "18 and Life" by the rock band Skid Row.

Back in the late eighties and early nineties, glam/hair metal was at it's peak. While I must admit to a weakness for this genre, Skid Row, along with Guns n Roses, generally were considered outside the "hair band" mainstream. They were thought of by hard core rock fans to be the real deal.

"18 and Life" was the second single released from the band's self titled 1989 album. It would become the band's biggest hit reaching #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Many have called the song a power ballad but I would disagree. It has a decidedly raw and heavy edge that made it just as popular with guys as it was with the girls. It is a guitar driven song about a youth who leads a troubled life and ends up in prison for shooting and killing another young man. He is only 18 when he is imprisoned for life, hence the title.

A happy song it is not. However, it takes me back to a time when I had few responsibilities and guitar rock was king. It remains one of my favorites. Hit the video showing the young man in the leather jacket for the original video and radio version of the song. I hope you enjoy it.



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Classic Tune of the Week 4

The classic songs I’ve posted the past few weeks have been decidedly mellow. This week I decided to liven it up a bit. I have chosen the song “I Want You To Want Me” by Cheap Trick as my song of the week.

Cheap Trick first came to prominence in the U.S. in the late 1970s. They combined a hard- edged yet melodic pop sound with a speed and energy of a punk rock band. Their 1979 album “Live at Budokan” launched them in the realm of arena rock and made them super stars. Their hits include the singles “Surrender”, “Dream Police”, “Stop This Game”, “Don’t Be Cruel”, and “The Flame”. To date, the band has sold more than 20 million albums and was voted #25 on VH1’s list of Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

The live version of “I Want You To Want Me” from the Budokan album is the version everyone remembers. I can recall hearing it played repeatedly on the jukebox at Ken’s Pizza after Friday football games back in my early junior high days. It is one of those songs that everybody seems to know the words to even today.



There are several versions of "I Want You To Want Me" on the video bar to the right. Avoid the other stuff that, as usual, has tagged along. I hope you enjoy it.

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Classic Tune of the Week 3

This weeks’ song is the hit “Lyin’ Eyes” by the Eagles. The song first appeared on the bands’ 1975 album “One of These Nights”. The song achieved a rare double by reaching #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and # 9 on the U.S. Country charts. The song won a Grammy Award in the “Best Pop Performance by a Group” category. This was the first of five Grammy’s won by the band.

The song is a fairly straightforward story about a woman trapped in a loveless marriage to a wealthy older man. She finds herself in a miserable situation where she tells lie after lie to both her husband and a boyfriend. The song wraps up with her wondering how she ended up in this situation and thinking about a boy from back in her school days. She feels foolish for the choices she’s made and realizes that she doesn’t like the person she’s become.

“Lyin’ Eyes” comes in as my second favorite Eagles song, trailing only the monstrously successful “Hotel California”. Despite the success of the song back in the 1970s and the continued popularity of the Eagles, the song doesn’t get much airplay these days. I felt that it was deserving of being highlighted here. I hope you enjoy it.

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P.S. - There are several versions of “Lyin’ Eyes” to choose from on the right in the video bar. I recommend one of the live concert versions. Some of the other videos, once again, just tagged along. I strongly advise ignoring them.

Classic Tune of the Week 2

Long as I remember, the rain’s been comin’ down,
Clouds of mystery pouring confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, trying to find the sun
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?

From: "Who'll Stop The Rain" by John Fogerty

The classic tune of the week is John Fogerty’s “Who’ll Stop The Rain”. The song originally appeared on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1970 album “Cosmo’s Factory”. It achieved a high of #2 on the American charts and, in 2004, Rolling Stone voted the song #188 on its’ “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.

John Fogerty has long been one of my favorite artists. His unique style and distinctive voice make him unlike anyone who has come before him or since. I actually “discovered” Fogerty during his comeback in the mid 1980s. I liked his songs “The Old Man Is Down The Road” and “Centerfield” from the album of the same name. I got even more into Fogerty and his old CCR work after seeing “An American Werewolf In London” which featured the song “Bad Moon Rising”.

“Who’ll Stop The Rain” seems to break neatly into three parts. The first verse seems to be a thinly veiled lament over the ongoing Vietnam War. The second verse, with its’ line about "five-year plans and new deals wrapped in golden chains" seems to express a sense of resignation and frustration regarding politicians in general. The third verse is clearly a reference to what Fogerty saw and experienced at Woodstock in 1969.

Hit the clip to the right showing Fogerty on stage with his guitar to hear this classic song. This video is taken from a concert filmed in front of a live audience at Warner Bros. Studios on December 12th, 1997 for what became a PBS special. Several other classic Fogerty/CCR song performances from the same concert can be seen as well.

The lyrics of “Who’ll Stop The Rain” seem as relevant today as they did in 1970. Who will stop the rain? It is a shame the question still must be asked 38 years after the song was written.

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P.S. - I don't know what the deal is with the "digital piano" videos that tagged along with these others. One of these days I'll figure out how to pull just the one video I want. In the meantime, just hold your cursor over the pictures and after a second or two the name of the video will pop up. If "Who'll Stop The Rain" doesn't appear at first just hang on and let the videos cycle through. It will pop up shortly.

Classic Tune of the Week 1

I've decided to post video and/or audio once a week, or so, of some classic and nearly forgotten old songs. Be warned that my taste in music is very eclectic. You will likely see everything from heavy metal to Barry Manilow at one time or another.

I've chosen an old Linda Ronstadt song called "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" for this first week. My Dad was a huge Ronstadt fan and that is how I first became familiar with her music. So, this one is for you Dad. I hope you enjoy it.

Click the video of Linda holding her guitar to the right. That is the video I wanted to show. The others just kind of came with it against my will. Some are other great classic Ronstadt songs. Others....well, you be the judge. Anyway, if the box with Linda holding her guitar doesnt show at first just hang on a second or two and it should cycle through. You can also refresh the page as well. I hope to figure out how to zero it in to just one video later.




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