Category: Music

Where Were You in ’16?

Let’s wash out the bad taste of failed L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt with the ‘Happy Days’ theme song, performed by Truett Pratt and Jerry McClain.

The success of American Graffiti — “Where were you in ’62?” — motivated ABC-TV to pick up Happy Days as a series. ‘Graffiti’ celebrates a bygone era that was only ten years gone by. In between, the Sixties changed everything.

Ten years ago, Donald Trump was running for president. Today is Donald’s 80th birthday, and we’re stuck in the Trump doom loop.

This ‘n’ That

Before Denro and I attended last weekend’s Albany Comic Con, we caught a fun show with Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits.

My ‘Last Show with Stephen Colbert’ t-shirt arrived today. I shall wear it proudly.

Shall I watch the 3-hour film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles? I’ll save it for later, after watching Thor and Hercules pummel each other, Kirby-style.

Original Cast vs. Copy Cast

Multiple versions of a song competing on the record charts at the same time used to be fairly routine. Saturday’s American Top 40 with Casey Kasem on SiriusXM was from 1971. At the time, there were two versions the song ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ on the Billboard chart.

Helen Reddy’s recording peaked at #13. To me it sounds rather rote, almost like she was doing a run-through to check the mic levels.

Yvonne Elliman was an original cast member of Jesus Christ Superstar. In my opinion, this is the vastly superior performance. Yet it only reached #28 on Billboard.

Hearing those records brought to mind another example of two recordings of the same song that were competing on the charts. It’s from the time when I was starting to work as a radio DJ.

Pat Boone’s daughter Debby had a #1 smash hit with ‘You Light Up My Life’. I must have played this single a thousand times.

The original version of the song, for the movie You Light Up My Life, was sung by Kvitka “Kasey” Cisyk. It outshines Debbie’s performance, yet it topped-out at a lowly #80.

From Senior to Freshman

The two happiest years of my childhood were the 5th and 6th grades. As a young adult, the two most significant years were my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. I shall forever carry the chains I forged during that time in my life.

Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album appeared in the middle of first semester, freshman year. Kath’s roommate bought it right away, and I’d listen to it in their dorm room on the cheapie stereo they had. When Elton was good, he was great.

Another vivid memory was seeing a preview showing of The Exorcist, before its Christmas release date. I wanted Kath to go with me, but she refused, because the movie was “of Satan.”

Laura’s roommate Mary wanted to see The Exorcist, and how well I remember her clinging to me during the movie. It featured Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’, which is also indelibly associated with freshman year.