ONE MORE TIME

Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of some one-hit wonders. Our Top Ten appeared on the SERENDIPITY website. We thought we would celebrate One More Time.

One Hit Wonders, 1973 Edition, by Rich Paschall

It is time for another fiftieth-anniversary party and to be honest, there are not a lot of musical acts on the bill. When I looked at the list of 1973 one-hit wonders I wondered where they all were. Very few jumped off the page and asked to be invited. In fact, I had to play a lot of them just to try and remember how they went. If playing them did not bring back any memories, then we had to send them across the pond for King Charles’s coronation party. He might remember some of them. He is certainly old enough.

One is by a TV star. Another is from the soundtrack of a well-known movie. Of course, there is a novelty song. Many one-hit wonders are after all unique in some way, and many of these are too.

Photo: Garry Armstrong

We have to start with an honorable mention for “Monster Mash.” This was a one-hit wonder for the third time. It originally hit the charts in 1962. Then it was there again in 1970. In 1973 it finished at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the year.  It was not done. It hit the charts again in 2021 but did not finish in the top 100 for the year. That is really making the most of one novelty song.

When the Committee on One Hit Wonders finally convened, we did not stay in session long. It was a struggle to come up with a Top Ten, but after a few brownies and chocolate chip cookies, we settled on the following and went out for coffee:

10. Dead Skunk, Loudon Wainwright III. Loudon has been around a long time and is still performing. This was the only song that ever charted for an artist known for comedy songs. He is the father of Rufus Wainwright.
09. Dueling Banjos, Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell. If you saw the 1972 film Deliverance, you know this song. Weissberg and Mandell arranged and played the song on the soundtrack. They are not the actors you see in the film. The song was based on “Feudin’ Banjos” written in 1954. Click on the title for the Weissberg and Mandell version. For the fun of it, let’s go with these two well-known banjo players:

08. Armed and Extremely Dangerous, First Choice. Yes, disco is trying to sneak its way in the door. This was the beat that would take over the airwaves in the next few years.
07. Brother Louie, Stories. This song hit number 1 on the US charts. It was a cover of a song by Hot Chocolate released earlier in the year.
06. Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed. We know what you are thinking. Prolific recording artist Lou Reed must have had other hits. This is the only one to hit the Top 40.

05. The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia, Vicki Lawrence. A star on the Carol Brunett show, Lawrence went on to star on the spin-off Mama’s Family. Click the title for the radio version or see this 1995 performance below:

04. Hocus Pocus, Focus. This hard rock song by a Dutch rock group hit the charts in 1973 but they could not sustain the success with their odd style. Some of this music was used in a 2020 Nike ad campaign. Click the title for the single or watch this Midnight Special performance:

03. Right Place WrongTime, Dr. John. He had already been around a while when Dr. John (Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.) hit the charts with this funky New Orleans-infused R&B entry. He was still bringing it in 2012 with the following performance or you can click the title for the single version.

02. My Maria, BW Stevenson. The song was written by Daniel Moore, but Stevenson finished it with an additional verse. It hit the Top Ten. Brooks & Dunn had a number 1 hit with it in 1996 and won a Grammy for their performance.

01. Wildflower, Skylark. This was the only song to chart in the US for the short-lived Canadian group. David Foster on the piano would ultimately become a record producer and music executive.

Click on any song title to go to YouTube to hear the song.

See also: “Yesterday Once More,” My Top 20, 1973 Edition, rjptalk, April 28, 2024.
“Those Were The Days,” One Hit Wonders, 1972 Edition, rjptalk, November 26, 2023.

YESTERDAY ONCE MORE

Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of some classic rock tunes. In case you missed it, the following playlist appeared on the SERENDIPITY website.

1973 Edition, by Rich Paschall

It is time for another 50-year music reunion and we are going to “Stir It Up.” You won’t have to hop the “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Just get on the “Love Train” to the SERENDIPITY Rock and Roll dance hall, museum, and General Store. As always, it’s “The Long Train Runnin’.” If you are asking “Will It Go Round in Circles?” don’t worry. It will stop right at the front entrance so just “Keep On Truckin,” but avoid the “Dead Skunk” in the middle of the road.

The Long Train Runnin’?   (Photo: Owen Kraus)

“Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown” will be the security at the door. “Brother Louie” will be there along with “That Lady.” “My Maria” is bringing “The Cisco Kid.” “Me and Mrs. Jones” will be at the concession stand and you can count on “Little Willy” to be at the coat check. Marilyn, “Daniel” and “Gypsy Man” are the ushers. Garry will be “Reelin In The Years” as our friendly Master of Ceremonies.

There will be no “Hocus Pocus” this year as we Focus on the hits. “Do You Wanna Dance?” OK, maybe “Your Mamma Don’t Dance” but you can “Get Down” and do the “Crocodile Rock.” We understand even “Frankenstein” will make an appearance. Of course, he will be doing the “Monster Mash.” Those with “The Rockin Pneumonia and the Boogie Woodie Flu” will be required to wear a mask to today’s event.

Now it is time for my personal Top 20 from 1973. I know I am going to make “The Cover Of The Rolling Stone” with this list.

20. Do You Wanna Dance, Bette Midler. The Divine Miss M scored twice in ’73. Her other hit was “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
19. Killing Me Softly with His Song, Roberta Flack. The song was a cover of a 1972 version by Lori Lieberman that did not chart. Oddly enough, they are almost identical.
18. Rocky Mountain High, John Denver. No one loved a move to Colorado more than singer-songwriter John Denver. This became an official state song.
17. Daniel, Elton John. The song was written by John and Bernie Taupin. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance –  Male.
16. Midnight Train to Georgia, Gladys Knight & the Pips. It was written as the Midnight Plane to Houston. Cissy Houston recorded it as Midnite Train to Georgia, which was released in 1973. Gladys Knight & the Pips covered it later in the year.

“Every sha-la-la-la
Every whoa-ooh-whoa
Still shines.” – The Carpenters

“Smoke on the water, A fire in the sky”

15. Smoke on the Water, Deep Purple. The lyrics of the international hit were based on a true event of the fire at Montreux Casino. The band saw the smoke on Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
14. Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown, Jim Croce. It was the biggest hit of Croce’s lifetime. He had other posthumous hits. He was only 30 when he died in a plane crash.
13. Your Mama Don’t Dance, Loggins and Messina. Written by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, this tune is said to be about the generation gap.
12. Superfly, Curtis Mayfield. The song was written by Mayfield for the soundtrack of a movie by the same name.
11. Love Train, The O’Jays. “People all over the world, Join hands, Start a love train, love train.” It was an era when we thought our music could change the world.

“Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they’re startin’ to sing
So fine.”  – Yesterday Once More, The Carpenters, 1973.

10. We’re An American Band, Grand Funk Railroad. This was written and sung by the band’s drummer. The tune was autobiographical in nature. It was the band’s first number 1 hit.
09. Stuck In The Middle With You, Stealers Wheel. The song was written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan with Rafferty singing lead. A few years later Rafferty would have a solo hit with “Baker Street.”
08. Reelin’ in the Years, Steely Dan. Written by the lead singer Donald Fagen and guitarist Walter Becker. It was the second single released from the debut album.
07. Ramblin’ Man, The Allman Brothers Band. Songwriter and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, Dickey Betts sang the lead vocals for the country rock hit.
06. You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Stevie Wonder. Stevie wrote and produced the song. That’s him on lead vocals, background vocals, piano, and drums.

Chicago at Park West, Chicago

05. Feelin’ Stronger Every Day, Chicago. Written by James Pankow and Peter Cetera, it is said to be about Cetera’s marriage falling apart. He was beginning to feel stronger every day. Cetera sang lead.

04. Diamond Girl, Seals & Crofts. Singers-songwriters Jim Seals and Dash Crofts had a hit the previous year with Summer Breeze.

03. Let’s Get It On, Marvin Gaye. Singer, songwriter, and producer Marvin Gaye turned up the funk for this one. This made him somewhat of a sex symbol and some songs that followed added to that legacy. You can find some YouTube videos of this song where Marvin was playing to the crowd and working up a sweat.

02. You’re So Vain, Carly Simon. The debate rages on. Just who was singer-songwriter Carly talking about in the lyrics of this song? It seems she may have been talking about three different men.

01. Crocodile Rock, Elton John. I could not hear this one enough at the time it came out. Click the title for the radio version or sing along with Elton on the concert version below:

To hear any of the top ten, click on the song title. To hear all of them, click on our 1973 Golden Oldies playlist HERE.

HEY BABY, THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG

Last year on the SERENDIPITY website, I recalled some of my favorite songs. In case you missed it, here they are again. What are yours?

Which Ones Hold Your Memories? by Rich Paschall

A lot of people have a song or two that are special. It might be their prom song. It could be the theme song from another high school or college dance. It might be the first dance from their wedding. It just might be the song that was playing when they met, or when they first realized they were in love.

That special song could be remembered from a rock concert or play. It may be the one that was on the radio when you were off on a road trip. You know the one! Everyone sang along at the top of their lungs. When you meet now and hear that song, everyone sings it again, just like 20, 30, or even 40 years ago.

Here is my top ten list. They all hold special memories, but if I was to write this tomorrow, the order might change completely. Except number one would stay the same. That’s for sure. First I have some honorable mentions from recent years.

David Archuleta, Postcards in the Sky tour

I have seen Maroon 5 in concert several times, and I really like Sunday Morning for the memory it evokes. I also love David Archuleta’s Touch My Hand for the thoughts it gives of being on stage but singing to just one person. Hunter Hayes touches a chord with “Invisible.” I will add One Republic’s Apologize, as in “it’s too late to apologize.” Nanon Korapt asked “Just Friend?” in the Bad Buddy series.

Hunter Hayes, Live at Sears Centre, Illinois

10.  Ferry Cross the Mersey, Gerry and the Pacemakers. This 1965 hit seemed to play constantly on a road trip to Galena, Illinois. You had to love Top 40 radio in those days. A video of a 1965 performance that was posted in 2008 has over 7 million views.

9.  Sister Golden Hair, America. This 1975 number-one hit was a favorite of Chicago radio personality Larry Lujack. I heard it often on my America’s Greatest Hits cassette tape. Click on the title for a PBS Soundstage performance Live in Chicago.

8.  Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Chicago.  Recorded for the band’s first album, Chicago Transit Authority, 1969, it was released as a single the following year. Click on the title for a PBS Soundstage performance live from Chicago, of course.

Chicago, the band

7.  Save The Last Dance For Me, The Drifters. The 1960 hit came back around several times and by several artists. I particularly recall its use in the final episode of Season One of Queer As Folk.

6.  Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys. I could have picked several Beach Boys Songs for this spot, especially Heroes and Villains. They recall a particular era for me. Even a few years ago, Brian Wilson and his band were still performing it.

5.  Color My World, Chicago. Again off the “CTA” album. It was a popular theme for dances, proms, and weddings. The late Terry Kath did lead vocals on the hit song. These days original member and trumpet player Lee Loughnane sings it. Below is founding member Robert Lamm on vocals. There is nothing like Chicago playing for the hometown crowd.

4.  Horse With No Name, America. It is a favorite of my closest friend and it became our road trip song. This 1972 hit was written and sung by band member Dewey Bunnell. This performance is another from the excellent PBS Soundstage series. Most of the Soundstage concerts were shot at WTTW studios in Chicago near the campus of Northeastern Illinois University.

3.  That’s Life, Frank Sinatra, 1966. A friend who ran karaoke often asked me to sing it. If she had no one to start off her show, she would just announce that I would be starting and play this, even if I was not going to sing anything. I ended up singing it a lot:

2.  Cherish, The Association. A friend asked me to write a lyric for his sister’s wedding song. Someone else asked me after the wedding how I thought to rhyme cherish with perish (as in, “their love will never perish”).  Listen and discover:

1. Beginnings, Chicago. I saw them in concert at DePaul University when the first album was hot and the hits were being released one after another. This was the theme of many dances and certainly many weddings and proms. I can not adequately explain the memories that go with this song. From my seat on Chicago’s lakefront:

Add your favorites in the comments below.  Maybe we will sing along with you. To see any of the music videos for the songs above, just click on the song title.

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

Because you need a new perspective on Christmas, we took a trip around the world, virtually of course. The following ran last year on SERENDIPITY.

An International Flavor, by Rich Paschall

As you are driving around in your car or walking through the mall, you may be hearing the same holiday tunes you have heard for years, decades perhaps. While I enjoy hearing, Bing, Nat, Burl, or Andy as much as anyone, how about something a little different. We can add in some holiday spice from around the world for a new take on old favorites. We can also mix in a couple of songs you may not know at all.

Pour yourself an Egg Nog, spiked or not, your choice. Get some gingerbread cookies. Take a seat by the Yule log and listen to some favorites from singers and artists from around the world.

The Christmas Song, Ko Woo Rim, South Korea. Ko is a graduate of Seoul National University College of Music. He is currently studying for his master’s degree. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of the K-Pop group, Forestella. We recently featured him singing the French version of Autumn Leaves, Les Feuilles Mortes. The K-pop group was formed through the singing competition, Phantom Singer, and they debuted together in 2018.

What’s Christmas Anyway? Darin, Sweden.  The Swedish superstar is one of the best-selling artists in Sweden. At age 16 he was runner-up on Swedish Idol and his career took off. The pop singer records in English as well as Swedish. In 2021 he released his first Christmas song.

Christmas Songs (medley), Layers (Jay, DMK, Dae-Youn Kim), South Korea. The classical music trio has played with symphony orchestras. They also played concerts of pop music. Their popular YouTube channel has a wide selection of classical music, standards, and pop favorites. Their Autumn Leaves video that we used earlier this year has over 3 and a quarter million views at this writing. The Christmas Medley is Jingle Bells, Look Out The Window, The First Noel and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

Christmas Medley, Henrisoul, Nigeria. With a bit of soul, a little gospel, and an Afrobeat Henry Ifeanyi Orji has mashed up some lines from well-known carols to give us this soulful tune. He is a celebrated gospel singer in his part of the world.

Christmas Dreaming, Cody Simpson, Australia. Not only does Cody sing, but he is also a member of the Australia Swim Team and picked up a gold and a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He began his music career at the age of 12 by recording songs in his bedroom for his YouTube channel. He also has picked up some acting assignments, playing a high school student on Cougar Town and having a role in Nickelodeon’s One Crazy Crusie. He was also the leading male character in the Broadway musical, Anastasia. This Christmas song was recorded live with Jordan Reifkind on guitar.

Hold Me, Alexander Rybak, Norway. Rybak was born in Minsk, Belarus. His father defected to Norway while on tour with a chamber orchestra. Alexander and his mother arrived in Norway while traveling on a tourist visa and refused to leave. They were eventually granted citizenship. Rybak is a classically trained musician and has performed in Russian, English, and Norwegian. His success in music competitions helped make him a pop star in Europe. Wanting to improve his skills in film music composition, he sought his Master’s Degree at Columbia College in Chicago, graduating in July 2022. This holiday tune was written and performed by Rybak last year in Chicago.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Johann Vera, Ecuador, featuring Sebastián Silva, Colombia. Johann Vera started at age nine and became a finalist on “X-Factor,” Colombian Edition. He was also a finalist in 2015 on the Univision show “La Banda.” His popular YouTube channel has over a million subscribers. Silva is an actor who has studied cinema and television at the National University of Colombia. His YouTube following is at 1.3 million. The following high-energy production was filmed in Miami.

(Because) It’s Christmastime, Chicago, USA. When we came back around, you might have guessed Chicago would be my choice. They may have been “The Last Band on Stage” when the pandemic started, but then what did they do? A band that had been on the road for over 5 decades found a way to carry on from their own homes. Modern technology allowed for this performance from 10 different homes while performance venues were shut down:

To play them all, see our Christmas playlist HERE.

See also: “What Am I Listening To?” Christmas Edition, SERENDIPITY, December 23, 2021.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

Some of my favorite one-hit wonders are from 1972. The following top ten ran last year on SERENDIPITY.

One Hit Wonders, 1972 Edition by Rich Paschall

As usual, there was a long list of one-hit wonders in 1972. Many do not hold up well over time. Some were not very good in 1972, to be honest. Here are ten of my favorites that are celebrating a golden anniversary. Before we begin, however, I have to award an honorable mention.

All In The Family hit the airwaves in 1971, and the story of Edith and Archie Bunker became a big hit for CBS. The opening theme song, “Those Were The Days,” became so popular with audiences that it has been said that Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton opted to sing it live for the studio audience before every show. The opening was recorded six different times over the run of the series, once with longer lyrics. A version with additional lyrics was released in 1972 and made it onto the charts.

Carroll O’Conner also wrote lyrics for the closing theme of All In The Family, Remembering You, and released that in 1972.

Oldies

For this list, I did not include two that were on my Top 20 for the year: Brandy and Precious and Few.

10. It Never Rains In Southern California, Albert Hammond. Ok, sometimes it does rain. This song rained royalties for the singer-songwriter. He wrote some hits for others, but this is his only recording to crack the Top Ten.

California

09. Me and Mrs. Jones, Billy Paul. They had a thing going on, and they made it to number one. That was the end of it as he never got near the top again.

08. Oh Babe, What Would You Say? Hurricane Smith. The English record producer and engineer had a hit of his own, written by his wife.

07. Day by Day, Original Cast album. In the musical Godspell, performers sing and act out parables, or biblical stories. At one point they remind each other to take things “day by day.”  This recording by the cast made it onto the charts.

06. All The Young Dudes, Mott the Hoople. The band was floundering when David Bowie offered the group this song and produced the album, their first album for Colombia. It was their highest charting single in the US.

05. Why Can’t We Live Together, Timmy Thomas. The singer-songwriter wrote his only hit single. It was his reaction to reports of the Vietnam War. Sade covered it in 1984 with some success.

04. Hold Your Head Up, Argent. Rod Argent had some success as the leader of the Zombies. “Time of the Season” became a hit for the Zombies when Argent left to form the group Argent. This was their one-hit wonder.

Sunshine

03. Sunshine, Jonathan Edwards. Released in late 1971, the song reached number 4 by January 15, 1972, It was actually released due to a mistake. An engineer had inadvertently erased a song for Edwards’ first album, and this song was used as a filler.

02. Sauvecito, Malo. The “smooth” sound was a fusion of Latino jazz and rock. The group splintered after the release of the first album, with many original members moving on. The guitar player, Jorge Santana, has a rather famous guitar-playing brother. Jorge passed away in 2020, but not before Carlos could perform this song with his brother.

01. Dancing in the Moonlight, King Harvest The band covered the song previously recorded by Boffalongo in 1970. King Harvest disbanded before this song hit the charts.

Performance videos do not exist for some of these short-lived bands, while the quality of others is questionable. We had to fall back to the original recording for most. To hear any song, click on the title. For the entire 1972 One Hit Wonders playlist, click HERE.

See also and listen to: “Music & Memory: I’ll Take You There,” Golden Oldies, 1972 Edition (part 1), SERENDIPITY, October 2, 2022.
“More Than Memories,” Golden Oldies, 1972 Edition, part 2, SERENDIPITY, October 9, 2022.

SPOOKY IS AS SPOOKY DOES

With Halloween almost here, I thought it was time to revisit my Halloween songs list. The following appeared last year on the SERENDIPITY website.

My top 10 Halloween Songs, Rich Paschall

Halloween music is becoming popular in the same way as Christmas music. You don’t think so? Listen up. It’s all around and has been playing all week. Sirius XM Radio has a temporary station (Scream Radio) dedicated to Halloween music, almost like they do for Christmas music. We know you will need some scary sounds for Halloween night. It’s just a little something to traumatize the little ones.

With the emphasis on the ghoulish this week, it seems only right that I give you again my top ten favorite Halloween songs. When I thought of this list I soon had 20 titles, so I took out my hatchet and started trimming it down. Some of the titles sounded good, but the music was a disappointment. For example, I hunted down the theme song to the old television series, Thriller, but the music was more of a 50’s jazz sound and not scary at all.

A few were fun songs and while they were popular, they didn’t make the cut. Ghostbusters immediately came to mind. It is a slick melody, but not necessarily fitting of a fright night. Little Shop of Horrors was a fun play and the title tune is catchy, but also not scary or fun in a traditional Halloween way. Rocky Horror Picture Show gave us Time Warp. That may make a lot of lists, but not mine. Sweeny Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, has some gruesome moments, but which song would make the grade here?  A Little Priest?

Counting down from number 10, I offer the first 5 (last five?) on the list as musical themes to frighten the little trick-or-treaters. Perhaps you would like to have these playing through a speaker on your front porch to encourage little ones to make the frightful climb to your front door. Who knows what might be lurking just inside?

10. Halloween movie theme
9. Jaws movie theme
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street movie theme
7. Exorcist movie theme
6. Psycho movie theme

These five should provide plenty of creepy music for you. If that doesn’t do it, add in one of my all-time favorite television themes.

5. The Twilight Zone theme song

We can lighten the theme up for a moment “with a spooky little girl like you.”

4. Spooky, Classics IV

The classic theme song from The Addams Family goes on my list. It is not “mysterious and spooky,” but it is a lot of fun.  Go ahead, sing along. You know you want to.

3. The Addams Family theme song

If it is Halloween, then we need some Werewolves. This famous pop song was recorded in 1978 and the studio recording featured Mick Fleetwood and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac on drums and bass.

2. Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon

There is no doubt what will be number one.  It is an all-time classic that everyone knows. Despite the fact that radio stations overplay it every year at this time, its appeal never wears out. It was released in 1962 with Bobby Pickett performing the song with his Boris Karloff imitation. The week before Halloween it went to number 1 on the charts. Fittingly, it has been dragged out every year since.

1. Monster Mash, Bobby Pickett

Monster Mash, Bobby Pickett, and Leonard L. Capizzi, Garpax (US); Decca (UK) labels, 1962

AUTUMN LEAVES

Just as was stated in the following SERENDIPITY article from last year at this time, the autumn leaves have been holding off. There is still a lot of green. We await the changes and the fall colors.

Not Drifting Yet by Rich Paschall

In our part of the Midwest, the leaves are just turning colors. It seems to be coming a bit later in recent years. Climate change, perhaps?

Sugar maple tree in the Albany Park neighborhood

In years past we used to scoop up the fallen leaves and stuff them in orange plastic pumpkin face leaf bags. We could usually fill a number of them by Halloween and leave them on the lawn and maybe one on the porch. I don’t buy those bags anymore. In recent years I could not even fill one by Halloween. In fact, one year the ground was covered with snow for Halloween and the leaves were still on the trees.

A stately tree

The giant tree behind the house is just starting to show some yellow on the leaves. The tree in front of the house is equally as big. There will be plenty of leaves drifting by the window soon, but apparently not soon enough. Maybe we need turkey-shaped leaf bags for Thanksgiving. No matter when they start falling, it will provide a lot of work that I am no longer excited to do. Decades ago, it seemed like such fun to rake them into giant piles and jump in. Now, not so much.

Since you went away
The days grow long
And soon I’ll hear
Old Winter’s song

But I miss you most of all
My darling
When autumn leaves
Start to fall

For those who prefer, we can offer the original French version.

Song Writer(s): Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prevert, Joseph Kosma

MORE THAN MEMORIES

Last week we gave you part one of our top tunes of 1972. This week we have the rest of these golden memories. The following article appeared a year ago on SERENDIPITY.

Golden Oldies, 1972 Edition, part 2, by Rich Paschall

Road to SERENDIPITY

This week’s sock hop will begin soon in the SERENDIPITY Gymnasium and Auditorium so it is time to hurry over. If you can not take your “Hot Rod Lincoln,” don’t be a “Motorcycle Mama.” Take a “Taxi” instead. And don’t stop off en route, just tell the driver to please “Go All The Way.” There’s no need to ring the bell when you arrive, just “Bang a Gong.”

Our security guard this weekend will be Jim and you all know “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim.” He will keep us from “Hurting Each Other,” but don’t worry. He has a “Heart of Gold.” We know the boys and girls this week will not act like a “Troglodyte” or “The Witch Queen of New Orleans.” Our chaperones are “Vincent” and “Sylvia’s Mother,” so you better “Get On The Good Foot.”

We were going to have a “Garden Party” due to an early forecast of “Sunshine,” but now it looks like we could get caught “In The Rain.” No matter what the weather, it will be a “Beautiful Sunday.”

Before we begin with the countdown, we will start with an honorable mention. Any song that makes the Billboard Hot 100 for the year by two different groups deserves a special mention. The jingle “True Love and Apple Pie” was rewritten as “Buy The World A Coke.” The ad agency wanted The New Seekers, but there was a scheduling conflict so the agency created “The Hillside Singers” for their Coke ad on top of a hillside. The song was so popular, that they changed the lyrics a bit and released it as a single “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” and the rest is music history, almost. The New Seekers later released it as well to even greater success.

It’s “Too Late To Turn Back Now,” so let’s go ahead with my personal Top 10 for 1972.

10. Long Cool Woman In a Black Dress, The Hollies. I always liked The Hollies, although this has a much different sound than their earlier hits. They tried to sound more like Creedence Clearwater Revival on this. John Fogerty thought it sounded too much like the CCR hit “Green River” and sued. It was settled out of court.
09. Rocket Man, Elton John. The hit recording was written by the songwriting duo of John and Bernie Taupin. Rolling Stone magazine considers “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time) one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
08. Anticipation, Carly Simon. The story goes that Simon wrote the song on guitar in 15 minutes while she waited for Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date! It was released in late 1971 and charted in early 1972.
07. Day After Day, Badfinger. The song was the rock band’s biggest hit. George Harrison produced and played guitar on the recording.
06. Nights In White Satin, The Moody Blues. “Breathe deep the gathering gloom, Watch lights fade from every room.” The song was part of the 1967 concept album, Days of Future Passed. It did not chart very high when released as a single in ’67 but did much better when released again in 1972. The lush sounds of the album were achieved by working with the London Festival Orchestra.

Chicago at Park West

05. Where Is The Love, Roberta Flack, and Donny Hathaway. The soulful tune was part of a duet album by the pair.

04. Vincent, Don McLean “Starry, Starry Night.” This was McLean’s tribute to artist Vincent Van Gogh. He wrote the song after reading a biography of the artist.

03. Roundabout, Yes. Written by singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe. The single was released at 3:27, but the album version was at 8:30.  If you were lucky, you may have heard the longer version on an FM station. I heard it in concert at the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena). I am not sure how long the concert version was. I guess I was dazzled by the laser light show.

02. Saturday In The Park, Chicago. I saw Chicago the band many times, including on a Saturday in the Park. OK, it was Soldier Field but it was a Saturday in the 1970s and the weather was perfect. They opened with this hit tune.

01. A Horse With No Name, America. This was a favorite road tune. A road trip would include a copy of America’s Greatest Hits to play several times along the highway. I liked the song 50 years ago and I still like it today. I guess in part because it goes along with certain memories. Isn’t that what your favorite tunes are all about?

Click on any song title above to play the music video or go to our Goldens Oldies, 1972 playlist HERE.

MUSIC and MEMORY: I’LL TAKE YOU THERE

It is always fun to look back at our favorite oldies. Last year we jumped back 50 years to look at memorable songs from 1972. Part one of my Top 20 list (below) originally appeared on SERENDIPITY.

Golden Oldies, 1972 Edition, by Rich Paschall

It was a great year for cover versions of songs. Some of the earlier versions were also big hits, and some did not chart too high. Arlo Guthrie did well with the Steve Goodman song, “City of New Orleans.” He sounds remarkably like his father, Woody Guthrie.

Those of us who got on the Illinois Central railroad headed south from Chicago in the 1960s and 70s find this a particularly moving piece of nostalgia. I recall getting to Union Station early in the morning to catch the train. I was only going as far as Tennessee.

The number one song of the year, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” by Roberta Flack was a cover of a 1957 folk song with a decidedly different feel to it. Robert John had a hit with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” but I recall the earlier version by The Tokens. The song was based on the 1939 Zulu song, “Mbube” (lion), and was recorded many times by 1972.

Chuck Berry

Young Michael Jackson had a hit with “Rockin’ Robin” originally recorded by Bobby Day in 1958. Cher covered “The Way of Love,” a French tune “J’ai le mal de toi” originally recorded in English in 1965. Donny Osmond covered Paul Anka’s “Puppy Love.” The 1962 Bryan Hyland hit, “Sealed With A Kiss,” was covered by Bobby Vinton. All of these made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.

Before we count down my favorite Top 20 for 1972, we have an Honorable Mention. Chuck Berry’s highest charting single of his career is the cover version of a 1952 novelty tune by David Bartholomew, My Ding-a-Ling. This was even though many radio stations refused to play it due to its rather obvious innuendo.

Now with a steady hand, we will set the needle in the right grove and start out with another cover song:

20. The Candy Man, Sammy Davis. OK, admit it. You love this joyful tune originally written for the 1971 movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Lyricist Anthony Newley recorded it in 1971, not having liked the movie version.

19. Morning Has Broken, Cat Stevens. The hit recording was based on a traditional hymn first published in 1931. Piano accompaniment is by Rick Wakeman, keyboard player for the rock group, “Yes.”

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Many people don’t recognize this as a hymn, a beautiful one that doesn’t get sung nearly often enough:

Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day

18. A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done, Sonny and Cher. Sonny wrote the hit song for the pair. It was their last hit together.

17. Family Affair, Sly & the Family Stone. This was the biggest hit for the group.

16. Freddie’s Dead, Curtis Mayfield. The music was used only as an instrumental in the movie “Superfly.” The lyrics were definitely anti-drug. The song was nominated for a Grammy but was not eligible for an Oscar as the lyrics were not used in the movie.

Now we will take a break to make you some popcorn. We hope you like it with Hot Butter.

15. Without You, Harry Nilsson. The Badfinger tune was covered by Nilsson late in 1971. By February of 1972, it hit number one and stayed there for 4 weeks.

14. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl), Looking Glass. The song was a karaoke favorite, perhaps because it was relatively easy to sing. The song made it all the way to number one and got a lot of radio air time in 1972.

13. Song Sung Blue, Neil Diamond. It was the second number-one song of Diamond’s career and one of many Top 40 tunes. Apparently, this one was a bit of a surprise to the popular singer-songwriter. “I never expected anyone to react to “Song Sung Blue” the way they did,” Diamond wrote in 1996.

12. Precious and Few, Climax. This song was the biggest hit by far for the California rock band.

11. Lean on Me, Bill Withers. The popular tune by the singer-songwriter made it number 1 in July of 1972. It has been covered by many artists over the years and the Club Nouveau version also made it to number 1 in 1987. The following video of Withers’ live performance was filmed at Operation Push exposition in Chicago in 1972

The sock hop is over for this week and Marilyn is turning on the lights. There is a lot of “Anticipation” for my top ten but we will just have to take it “Day by Day” until next weekend. There will be a lot of “Joy” when we put the list down in “Black and White.” Until then, “Hold Your Head Up.”

Click on any title above for the music video or hit up our 1972 playlist HERE.

WHO WE ARE NOW

Last year Thailand’s superstars Ohm Pawat and Nanon Korapat became international sensations following their hit series Bad Buddy. Fans followed their every move and analyzed everything they did. This year social media is still buzzing with news of the two, although they have not appeared together often. Their 4 episode reprise of the same Bad Buddy characters on the anthology series, Our Skyy2 was again a big hit. For good or bad, their lives and interactions are on constant display. The following appeared a year ago on SERENDIPITY.

And Who We Were Not, by Rich Paschall

Perhaps it is different now or different in some places at least, but when I was growing up some decades ago, we were expected to be a certain type of person. I guess it did not matter to our parents and elders what we wanted to be. We were to be who they expected us to be. Many communities are still like that.

To this day some toddlers and young children are told to “Be a man,” or “Act like a young lady,” It is as if many adults do not want children to be children. I heard it a lot. So did my brother, I am sure. He may have heard it a little less since he was more serious and studious than I, but I digress. We knew we lived with a certain set of expectations and it certainly influenced the paths we followed.

Many are afraid to be themselves or to be themselves around family and certain community members. Most do not want to “embarrass” family and friends by not being the man or woman their parents expected them to be. Men were to be stoic and unemotional. Women were to be “ladylike,” whatever that meant. I saw how my parents, aunt and uncles, and grandparents acted. We knew what they said about our behavior, so we instinctively knew what to say and how to act in front of family. Even as young adults we understood there were times when we were just expected to sit quietly, the same as when we were children.

Should we be who our parents want us to be?

Outside the home, as young adults, we were reluctant to share feelings with members of the same sex. I had some close friends who I would never think to tell how I felt about our friendship. One day my best friend surprised me by telling me that he loved me, but would never feel exactly the same way about me as I felt about him. We spent so much time together for perhaps a decade at that point, that we likely knew very well how the other felt, but I could not think to ever say it, even in private.

Imagine saying in front of a large crowd “I am sorry” to your friend of the same sex for a moment of immaturity. Or express your feelings of love and friendship. What if thousands or millions were watching? Could you do it??

We have mentioned the international television hit drama series, Bad Buddy, a few times this year. If you add up the number of times each of the twelve episodes has been streamed, the number would be over 200 million (total, not per episode). Add to that the television broadcast, syndication, and worldwide DVD sales, and you would find that the series achieved success beyond anything the creators could have imagined. They clearly had the right young actors for the lead characters, Ohm Pawat and Nanon Korapat. Their fierce friendship in real life no doubt added to the performances.

Pat (Ohm) left, and Pran (Nanon) in Bad Buddy. The actors are real-life buddies.

With the popularity continuing for many months after the series ended, GMM TV decided to mount a live show depicting scenes from Bad Buddy through song and dance. That would be followed by additional musical numbers. This was billed as OhmNanon 1st Fan Meeting in Thailand. Instead of a theater, GMM TV, acquired the convention center in Bangkok to build a massive, multi-media spectacle featuring Ohm, Nanon, and many of the Bad Buddy actors. Unlike Nanon, Ohm was not a singer or dancer. He worked very hard to perfect his parts. He had a reason hidden in his heart for that.

The show played to many thousands of fans in the convention hall and to a rather large worldwide audience streaming it live. By all accounts, it was a huge success. The show was a three-and-a-half-hour production. It was captioned in English since all but the ending was scripted.

Nanon (L) and Ohm recreate a moment from Bad Buddy.   (GMM TV)

There was a tribute video before the final number was to take place featuring interaction between Ohm and Nanon over the past year. How would you like to have your friendship, public and private, presented to the world? If Nanon was not crying hard enough when that was done, the tears were just beginning, After sitting at the edge of the stage for the video, the boys turned around to face the audience.  Ohm began by thanking everyone as expected, but then he went off script, so to speak, providing a moment only live television can offer.

Ohm looked at Nanon and said, “I’m sorry.” He was apologizing for an immature moment that came after the Maya Awards. Everyone in the audience knew about the episode. Ohm had publicly apologized to fans and Nanon previously. He told Nanon he loved him and said, “I worked hard on this as a way to apologize to you.” It was not a secret that Ohm had been working hard for months, taking dance lessons, and practicing singing and various instruments so that he could hold up his own in a long, live show. It was his gift to Nanon.

Through a steady stream of tears, Nanon also thanked everyone. He told Ohm he was never mad at him, just concerned. “I felt like friends can fight, but we’re stuck together.” He reminded Ohm that they achieved this successful day together and told him that he loved him too.

The live-stream translator was running behind and may have been cleaning up some of the comments as he went along. What Nanon may have really said in response to Ohm was “I love you so damn much, dumbass.”

Ohm Nanon emotional ending

So there it was for thousands on hand to see and millions more later. Two young men had an intensely personal (and usually private) and vulnerable moment at the edge of the stage on live television. They bared their souls and said, “I love you” to the other. Does this mean they are gay? Are they Lovers? Does it matter?

There will be plenty of social media speculation, but that would be missing the point. Two men could express their feelings to one another even though they knew the world would be watching. That would never have happened when I was young.

See also:
“So How Does It End?” Bad Buddy Series, rjptalk, SUNDAY NIGHT BLOG, February 3, 2022.
“Top LGBT Series and Mini-Series,” rjptalk, SUNDAY NIGHT BLOG, June 26, 2022.
“Five for Pride,” SERENDIPITY, June 27, 2022.