1970s songs – What's It All About?

Big Hair, Big Heart, Big Personality and A Very Big Songbook: RIP Dolly Parton

I’ve now had many days to process this one, but I still can’t quite come to terms with a world that no longer has Dolly Parton in it. We all know that many of the music stars of our youth are now on borrowed time, but when it came to, “Who might be next?” I just didn’t think it would be Dolly. Perhaps it was because she never seemed to age (she was happy to admit the minute anything sagged or drooped, she had it nipped and tucked), but also because she was such a glittering force of nature, it was inconceivable that something mortal, like cancer, could take her away from us. But no more of that, suffice to say I don’t think anyone will ever have the world lit up in pink again when they pass. She truly was one of a kind.

As for this blog, I can’t believe I haven’t yet added a category for Dolly on my sidebar as I have written about her no less than four times. Once this one is published I’ll rectify that glaring omission.

I think we all already know Dolly’s story, and if anyone didn’t they certainly will now after the news coverage her death has generated. Ironically I had just finished re-watching her documentary Here I Am on the BBC iPlayer a few days before she passed. I had the telly to myself for once and perhaps because she had recently issued a message to fans about how she’d had heath issues but was now healin’, it jumped out at me. When the news broke on social media about her death I assumed it was a fake story, used as clickbait, but once I switched on the news at 10pm it became very real.

Dolly in the 1970s and Dolly in the 2020s

What I’ve noticed from the news coverage is how much snobbery and rudeness she had to put up with in the early years of her career. The American broadcaster Barbara Walters, when interviewing her, told her she didn’t have to look like that. It’s a wonder Dolly didn’t sock her one. She was a Nashville country music star and if I’m not mistaken that was very much the look of choice for such stars back then, albeit Dolly possibly took it to extreme lengths with the big ’70s wigs. Dolly came from exceptionally humble beginnings and now was her chance to look glamorous, something she had always aspired to. If people like Barbara associated the look with being a dumb blonde, Dolly soon put them right. As she said at the time, she knew she wasn’t dumb and she also wasn’t blonde. In recent decades, although Dolly always poked fun at her appearance, I think she looked just right for the industry she was in – the make-up was a bit more subtle, the wigs a bit less flamboyant and the clothes less showy (although they still had their fair share of rhinestones). I can’t believe we’ll never see her on a chat show sofa again.

It’s hard to sum up the many talents and achievements of Dolly Parton so I’m not going to try. Instead I’m going to leave it to this lovely lady, Pink, who gave a beautiful speech when she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Pink also performed Jolene with her, along with many other stars from the world of music (and Simon Le Bon). Dolly at this point was aged 76.

Jolene by Dolly Parton:

Although Dolly enjoyed a remarkable Billboard Chart career spanning almost five decades, she didn’t ever reach the No. 1 spot on either the Official UK Singles Chart or Official UK Albums Chart. What were we thinking? She came closest with the studio album Blue Smoke which was released around the time of her celebrated 2014 Glastonbury appearance. The UK version also included a “Best Of Dolly Parton” bonus disc which probably was the draw. It made the No. 2 spot on the Album Chart. Among her most enduring songs, Jolene was the only one to reach the Top 10 although that may change as both it and 9 To 5 have re-entered the Singles Chart as of yesterday.

Talking of 9 To 5, it came from the 1980 film of the same name and how bizarre that my last post around here was about a bunch of blonde, high-heeled secretaries who turned out to be a lot smarter than their male counterparts gave them credit for. That personal story was from the mid-1980s so maybe Dolly’s character in the film, Doralee, had given us the confidence to take on the men at their own game. To think I shared that a day before the news broke that she had died. Did I have a premonition?

But before I end there will have to be some more music. Over the last few days the songs most associated with her have been shared widely, but there have also been a few I wasn’t aware of before, that have made me smile. Her first single to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country Chart was Joshua, released in 1970. The song is about an adventurous young girl who dares to visit the little rundown shack of a rural recluse, who has a reputation for being mean and hostile. As it turns out she finds that he is quite the opposite and ends up living in his shack with him. A fun story song written by Dolly.

The next song, Little Sparrow, was the title track from one of the three bluegrass albums she recorded at the turn of the millennium. Dolly had continued to reinvent herself over the years and it made total sense for her to return to the kind of music that was very much part of her upbringing in the Great Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee. It’s a gentle beauty.

So, we are now living PD – post Dolly. I still can’t quite get my head round it. She is leaving behind so much however. All those songs, the films, her theme park, her Imagination Library and the Dollywood Foundation. Managed properly, her humanitarian work will continue for decades to come. Her husband of 60 years died only last year and despite never appearing with her at public events, they sound as if they were a very close couple. Tough to get over something like that and keep your health intact.

Until next time, a fitting picture from Lucy Claire Illustration. Dolly, you will be sorely missed.

Joshua Lyrics
(Song by Dolly Parton)

Well a good ways down the railroad track
There was this little old rundown shack
And in it lived a man I’d never seen
Folks said he was a mean and a vicious man
And you better not set foot on his land
I didn’t think nobody could be that mean

So I took me out walking down the railroad track
I was a-gonna go down to that little old shack
And just find out if all them things I’d heard was true
There was a big black dog laying out in the yard
And it growled at me and I swallowed hard
And I heard somebody say well who are you

Oh and there he stood in the door of that shack
His beard and his hair was long and black
And he was the biggest man I’d ever seen
When he spoke his voice was low and deep
But he just didn’t frighten me
‘Cause somehow I just knew he wasn’t mean

He said what you doing snooping ’round my place
And I saw a smile come across his face
So I smiled back and I told him who I was
He said come on in and pull you up a chair
You might as well since you already here
And he said you can call me Joshua

Joshua Joshua
Whatcha doing living here all alone
Joshua Joshua
Ain’t you got nobody to call your own
No no no no

We talked ’til the sun was clean out of sight
And we still talking when it come daylight
And there was just so much we had to say hey
I’d spent my life in an orphan’s home
And just like him I was all alone
So I said yeah when he asked if I’d stay

Oh we grew closer as time went on
And that little old shack it was a happy home
And we just couldn’t help but fall in love
That big black dog and that little old shack
Sitting down by the railroad track
It’s plenty good enough for me and Joshua

Joshua Joshua
Why you’re just what I’ve been looking for
Joshua Joshua
You ain’t gonna be lonesome anymore
No no

Yodel-a-he-ho

Me and Joshua
Me and Joshua
Me and Joshua yeah yeah
Me and Joshua

Yet More Trips Away, “Castles In The Air” and Castles On Hills

Last time I wrote about my trip to Inverclyde, but since then I’ve had trips to Fife and Aberdeen, met up with lots of old friends, watched a World Cup Final and a Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, witnessed the appointment of the seventh PM in 10 years and finally, I am watching in disbelief, as our local Cairngorms National Park has a fire burning out of control, and villages are being evacuated.

As for a topic to write about, the less said about that World Cup Final the better (a horrible, dirty match with a ridiculous “pop concert” in the middle) and as I’ve written about trips to Fife and Aberdeen before I won’t go there either. I’ve given up on writing about politics (how long will the latest incumbent last?) and I can only hope the wind dies down and the fires south of us can be extinguished soon.

Fortunately Spain won, but it wasn’t looking good for a while!

Something new we did do when away, was make full use of our National Trust for Scotland membership cards, a thoughtful Christmas present from DD that last a whole year. This week we managed to take in three castles not far from Aberdeen, an area known as Castle Country, and last week we visited Falkland in Fife, a gorgeous little village with a whopping big 16th century “palace” at it’s centre. It was built by James V of Scotland as a hunting lodge but still has a chapel that is used every Sunday and boasts the oldest tennis court in the world. It is more like a squash court however with walls, from back in the days before lawn tennis became more popular.

But once you’ve been on one tour of a 16th century castle you’ve pretty much seen them all so at Crathes Castle we concentrated on the beautiful gardens and at Craigievar we just had a coffee in the grounds, and admired the castle’s Disneyesque pink render.

There are lots of songs with the word castle in the title but hardly any of them refer to actual castles and use the term as a metaphor for something else. A hauntingly beautiful song that I’ve not listened to for a long time is this one, Castles In The Air by Don McLean. Don actually wrote this song in 1970 for his first album but re-released it in 1981 as a single, this time a slower ballad version. I’m pretty sure my memory of the song is from first time around after which he went on to have many hit records such as American Pie and Vincent.

Castles In The Air by Don McLean:

In this instance the castles represent the high-rise living experienced by people in big cities. The narrator is weary of his urban lifestyle and is desperate to live a life in the country despite the fact he must say farewell to his love interest. He wants to realise his dream and look for a more like-minded country woman.

Castles In The Air Lyrics
Song by Don McLean

And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
That I’m tired of castles in the air
I’ve got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair

Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky
A dream come true, I’ll live there ’til I die
I’m asking you to say my last goodbye
The love we knew ain’t worth another try

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I’m weak, but I can’t face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can’t remain
Perhaps she’ll understand if you tell it to her plain

But how can words express the feel of sunlight in the morning?
In the hills, away from city strife
I need a country woman for my wife
I’m city born, but I love the country life

For I will not be part of her cocktail generation
Partners waltz, devoid of all romance
The music plays and everyone must dance
I’m bowing out, I need a second chance

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I’m weak but I can’t face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can’t remain
Perhaps she’ll understand if you tell it to her plain

And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
That I’m tired of castles in the air
I’ve got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair

Unusually for me I’m going to include the lyrics for two songs today as on the way home from our Aberdeen trip we had to go cross country and I passed through the village where I grew up. I got really nostalgic as we drove along streets I still know like the back of my hand despite the fact most of the shops are different and some new buildings have popped up. I had another trip planned for August when I was going to head down to the village and visit some old school friends. Sadly that is now on hold, as unbelievably, one of them has just lost her husband and another has a husband undergoing treatment for cancer. Both have parents who are still alive. I’m really starting to notice that unlike our parents generation we’re just not living as long, not a week goes by without some ex-colleague or acquaintance passing away. Don’t know if it’s the food we’ve eaten or the lifestyles we’ve led, but a sobering thought.

My childhood “castle” – a stubbier version of Glastonbury Tor?

But back to the village, we were lucky to have a castle on a hill overlooking us, so we always knew when we were nearly home. As teens it was not unusual for a group of us to climb to the summit of the hill and hangout amongst the ruins of the 13th century fortress that once stood there. Ed Sheeran wrote a song about a castle on a hill, an unlikely subject matter for a boy from Suffolk I thought, but it always reminded me of our castle and the times I spent there. Here is Castle On The Hill. The castle mentioned in Ed’s song is Framlingham Castle, and in 2017, he was invited to perform there. The song has been described as a love letter to Suffolk.

So, “What’s It All About?” – My quest to fit as much into the summer as possible is a tad exhausting, especially on top of all the other things I do in a week, but very enjoyable all the same. No more overnight stays now until September although a few day trips I’ll be writing about – first one is on Friday so watch this space, as it definitely involves music!

As for my friends in far-flung places, please stay fit and well. I don’t know what’s going on at the moment but we’re losing far too many people prematurely. I’ve just about caught up with all the friends I hadn’t seen for a long time now, but still a few to go. Will be later in the year now, but I will do it.

Until next time…

Castle On The Hill Lyrics
(Song by Ed Sheeran/Benny Blanco)

When I was six years old, I broke my leg
When I was running from my brother and his friends
And tasted the sweet perfume of the mountain grass I rolled down
Well, I was younger then, take me back to when

I found my heart and broke it here
Made friends and lost them through the years
And I’ve not seen the roaring fields in so long, I know I’ve grown
But I can’t wait to go home

I’m on my way
Driving at 90 down those country lanes
Singing to “Tiny Dancer”
And I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real
And we watched the sunset over the castle on the hill

15 years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes
Running from the law through the backfields
And getting drunk with my friends
Had my first kiss on a Friday night
I don’t reckon that I did it right
But I was younger then, take me back to when

We found weekend jobs, when we got paid
We’d buy cheap spirits and drink them straight
Me and my friends have not thrown up in so long, oh, how we’ve grown
But I can’t wait to go home

I’m on my way (hoo-hoo)
Driving at 90 down those country lanes (hoo-hoo)
Singing to “Tiny Dancer”
And I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real
And we watched the sunset (hoo-hoo), over the castle on the hill

Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill
Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill

One friend left to sell clothes, one works down by the coast
One had two kids but lives alone, one’s brother overdosed
One’s already on his second wife, one’s just barely getting by
But these people raised me and I can’t wait to go home

And I’m on my way
I still remember these old country lanes
When we did not know the answers
And I miss the way (hoo-hoo) you make me feel, it’s real
When we watched the sunset (hoo-hoo) over the castle on the hill

Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill
Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill

A Busy Week: Trips To Leeds, Birthday Celebrations and “No Scotland No Party”

It’s been a busy week so I think it’s going to have to be a web diary type post from me today as lots to download from my overloaded brain.

First of all, I spent three days in the city of Leeds this last week, as it was time for BlogCon26 where six like-minded bloggers and their partners have a get-together in the “real world” as opposed to in the comments boxes of our online offerings. I mentioned it last time and despite my fears that rain would spoil proceedings we were very lucky in the end with only one downpour causing us a bit of bother.

As for Leeds, I had never been to the city before and my idea of the place must have been clouded by watching too many period dramas about cotton mills, and factory owners called Cartwright. Leeds has really reinvented itself in the 21st century and is now the largest financial centre outside London. The glass towers in the city centre make it look like Canary Wharf. Alongside all this development, the old Victorian buildings have been lovingly restored and the civic buildings and shopping arcades look beautiful. As for the bars and restaurants there were plenty to choose from and all bustling, even on a weekday night. Definitely a city on the up and one I plan to visit again.

Luckily for a bunch of music bloggers, an exhibition was taking place in the city’s museum when we were there called: Music Leeds Us: Celebrating 60 Years of Music in Leeds. It was really interesting and I discovered a lot about bands/artists I had hitherto not realised came from Leeds. I knew about the Kaiser Chiefs and Mel B of course, but didn’t know about Christie, Scritti Politti, The Wedding Present, The Sisters Of Mercy or Corrine Bailey Rae. Also, Marc Almond and Dave Ball from Soft Cell went to art school in Leeds. Here is Scritti with probably their most memorable song, from 1984, Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin).

But also this week I had a birthday, which is always a cause for celebration in our house. DD had been round when we were away and pinned up a personal birthday banner she had made herself – most impressive. As for the number this year, it should have been a significant one but in their wisdom the government decided a few years ago that the state pension age should increase, again, so it will be another few months until I get my remuneration. The weird thing is that you can’t believe you’ve got to that age, as in your head you’re still a young thing of 20-something (albeit with a lot more life experience under your belt).

Anyway I had a lovely day of opening cards and presents (a lot of them gardening related this year – an OAP activity?), and receiving messages from friends and family. We had birthday cake with DD and Mr DD, also known as The Grass Whisperer. In three weeks he has turned our patch at the front from this (left photo), to this (right photo) so well done him.

When I met up with my old schoolfriend last summer I reminded her that for my birthday in 1975 she gave me the single, Whispering Grass, by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle from the popular sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. That show hasn’t aged very well but in its heyday it attracted up to seventeen million viewers – different times. My friend denied giving me this very uncool record but I know the truth and I still have it in my collection. The song was written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The notion of “whispering grass”, which reveals a person’s secrets, apparently extends back to Greek mythology, notably the myth of Midas. Many people recorded it, notably The Ink Spots in 1940 but Windsor and Don’s version was the only one that made it to the No. 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart.

In other news, it’s only four days now until the start of the 2026 World Cup and things are really ramping up. Scotland qualified for the tournament for the first time in 28 years so there is much excitement in the country. We seem to have a fairly decent team this time around and we watched their friendly against Bolivia last night, which they won decisively (in the first half really). There are high hopes that they will be the first Scotland team to progress from the Group Stage.

*Local Scotland player Ryan Christie in a shop window*

As for the famous Tartan Army of Scottish Football Supporters, I fear there will be no repeat of the show they put on in Germany two years ago for the Euros. The cost of going to a tournament, in the United States especially, is beyond the realms of possibility for most supporters, and this will be the most expensive one to attend yet, by far. Money has really taken over the beautiful game, so the keenest supporters are left out of the party. The bulk of the supporters there will have to be well-heeled indeed and I’m not confident that they’ll be bringing their kilts, bagpipes, drums and “See You Jimmy” hats stateside.

On the plus side, Nick Morgan, who penned a fantastic song for the Euros has updated it for the World Cup. The lyrics don’t scan quite as well as he has had to substitute Boston for Berlin amongst other changes, but it’s a lot more palatable than the song brought out by the Irn Bru people starring Susan Boyle and John McGinn amongst others (link here).

Before I finish up, a bit of an antidote to what I was writing about last time – the ugly emergence of The Manosphere. I don’t know if you watched it, but one of our favourite programmes on telly is Race Across The World. Yes, it’s a reality show, but it’s also a travel show where you learn so much about the countries the teams pass through. The latest series took them from Palermo in Sicily to Hatgal in Mongolia. The route covered the old Silk Road, a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BC until the mid-15th century, so we got to see countries like Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. It was fascinating and of course places not easy to travel to unless planned out in advance by the BBC.

One of the pairs taking part this time was made up of a couple of teenage lads from Liverpool. At first I didn’t hold out much hope for them as they had little travel experience under their belts, and of course, I’ve been brainwashed by the media’s portrayal of modern day young men. Like most of us who watched the show, by the end of it I was a little in love with Jo and Kush (in a motherly way).

*Jo and Kush winners of Race Across The World*

I don’t think I’ll be giving out many spoilers by saying they won the race as it aired a few weeks ago now, but since then there has been an outpouring of admiration and respect for the lads, who are being seen as role models for young people. Their head teacher said he felt a gush of pride at seeing them triumph and his school assemblies are now all about the notion that these boys had courage, ambition and took risks. He described the former students as “magnificent, young gentlemen”, adding that “for both boys, behind the scenes there’s a mum who has sweated blood and given tears to make sure that they get everything they and other children in their families need. I think those mums deserve an enormous amount of credit and there’s a lot for us all to learn from that kind of family unit.”

The pair have been widely praised for their openness, including by politicians promoting healthy masculinity, with former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips telling the Guardian, “There are nasty influencers we need to worry about, but men and boys need to see this. Being kind and looking after each other – that’s real masculinity.” Amen to that.

Until next time…

No Scotland No Party Lyrics
(Song by Nick Morgan)

In the land where thistles sway, and the sound of bagpipes play in every social club and bar
From Hampden Park to towns afar
Tales of football have been told, of triumph and dismay
They talk of tournaments we’ve played and all the memories that were made, we never seem to do too well
I guess that time will tell if we will finally gonna make it through the group stage

Nobody’s saying we’re gonna win it
We know we ain’t no Argentina

But we’ve got John McGinn (John McGinn, John McGinn)
And Robbo out on the wing (On the wing, on the wing)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army
And even if we don’t win (We will win, we will win)
We’ll boogie on in Boston (In Boston, in Boston)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

They talk of France in ’98 and all the years we’ve had to wait
To make another World Cup, things are finally looking up
It’s always been a dream a generation’s never seen
That’s how long it has been
But now we’ve made it and we’re here, there should be nobody that we fear
Beating the Danes along the way, it doesn’t matter who we play
‘Cause nobody else has got themselves a Dykes or McTominay

Nobody’s saying we’re gonna win it
We know we ain’t no Argentina

But we’ve got John McGinn (John McGinn, John McGinn)
And Robbo out on the wing (On the wing, on the wing)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army
And even if we don’t win (We will win, we will win)
We’ll boogie on in Boston (In Boston, in Boston)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

We’re on our way to USA
Here we go, here we go
We’re on our way to USA
Here we go, we go
We’re on our way to USA (Our way to USA)
Here we go, here we go (To watch the Scotland play)
We’re on our way to USA (We’re off to USA)
Here we go, we go

And we’ve got John McGinn (John McGinn, John McGinn)
And Robbo out on the wing (On the wing, on the wing)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army
And even if we don’t win (We will win, we will win)
We’ll boogie on in Boston (In Boston, in Boston)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

That Long Hot Summer, “Sylvia’s Mother” and RIP Dennis Locorriere

I was saddened to hear that the primary vocalist from the band Dr Hook, Dennis Locorriere, passed away last weekend at the age of 76. Although he was an American, born in New Jersey, he had been living in East Sussex with his third wife for some time.

If like me you turned 16 during that long hot summer of 1976, you will no doubt remember the song Love You A Little Bit More by Dr Hook. It got stuck at the No. 2 spot on the UK Singles Chart throughout the whole school holidays, being kept off the top spot by Elton and Kiki’s song, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. I was cross, as I thought the Dr Hook song was the better one and impossibly romantic to the teenage me. And, Dennis’ husky voice, just so… mmm.

A Little Bit More by Dr Hook:

The joke is of course that this is obviously a song about makin’ love, but at 16 I knew little about all that malarkey let alone staying up to greet the sun. In fact until I was a teenager I had thought “making love” was finding someone really special and then launching into a dance with them. I blame this couple, Fred and Ginger, who ruined me for the real life teenage fumbles that came along down the line. They were forever “making love” to each other, but both were always fully clad (impeccably so) and the prelude to running off to get married was a beautiful song, a dance and a peck on the cheek. All down to the Hays Code of course, a rigid set of industry guidelines applied to most films released by major studios from 1934. The code spelled out unacceptable content such as drugs, profanity, and sex. Thus my confusion.

Fred and Ginger “Making Love”

But the next song is one we all probably remember, Sylvia’s Mother, from 1972. At this point the band were still known as Dr Hook & the Medicine Show, the name originally inspired by Ray Sawyer’s eyepatch, a reference to Captain Hook of Peter Pan fame. The multi-talented Shel Silverstein wrote all the songs for the band’s self-titled debut album, released in May 1972, where Dennis performed lead vocals, guitar, bass and harmonica. The album was awarded a gold disc. The single from the album, Sylvia’s Mother, based on a real life conversation the songwriter had with the mother of an ex-girlfriend, became the band’s first million-seller and reached the No. 2 spot on the UK Singles Chart. Dennis said he loved story songs as when you’re singing you have to be a bit of an actor, and “be that guy in the phone booth”. He even met up with the real life Sylvia many years later who had become a museum curator in Mexico City!

Sylvia’s Mother by Dr Hook:

Dr Hook (they shortened their name in 1975) continued to have great success throughout the rest of the 1970s with soft-rock hits such as Sharing The Night Together, When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman and Better Luck Next Time, all featuring Dennis’ sexy vocals. In 1983, Ray Sawyer left the band and after a Farewell Tour in 1985, the remaining line-up split up. Dennis retained ownership of the band’s name after the split and continued to tour, despite having health issues, until 2025. At the end of last year he released a statement saying that although he was as healthy as a guy his age had the audacity to be, he was growing weary of touring and sought to enjoy retirement. Sadly he only got six months.

Until next time, RIP Dennis.

Sylvia’s Mother Lyrics
(Song by Shel Silverstein)

Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s busy
Too busy to come to the phone’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s tryin’
To start a new life of her own’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s happy
So why don’t you leave her alone?’

And the operator says, ’40 cents more for the next 3 minutes’
Please Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I’ll only keep her a while
Please Mrs. Avery, I just wanna tell ‘er goodbye

Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s packin’
She’s gonna be leavin’ today’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s marryin’
A fella down Galveston way’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Please don’t say nothin’
To make her start cryin’ and stay’

And the operator says, ’40 cents more for the next 3 minutes’
Please Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I’ll only keep her a while
Please Mrs. Avery, I just wanna tell ‘er goodbye

Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s hurryin’
She’s catchin’ the nine o’clock train’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Take your umbrella
Cause Sylvie, it’s startin’ to rain’
And Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Thank you for callin’
And, sir, won’t you call back again?’

And the operator says, ’40 cents more for the next 3 minutes’
Please Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I’ll only keep her a while
Please Mrs. Avery, I just wanna tell ‘er goodbye

Tell her goodbye

Please
Tell her goodbye

Postscript:

I didn’t even know it existed but this week I was presented with one of these by the WordPress people.

It’s apparently a Perfectionist Badge which means I return to my posts often to edit, edit, edit after I’ve published them. Sounds fair but not something that’s held me in good stead throughout my life. I come from a long line of perfectionists but it’s become obvious that the people who do best in life are those who commit to being, just good enough. There is no time in the world of work nowadays for perfectionism and it frustrated my dad, my mum and myself. Oh well, at least I can be a perfectionist around here.

Eurovision, Cocktails and A Beach Boys Anniversary: 60 Years Of “Pet Sounds”

Well, it’s a busy old Saturday for me as a lot of things are going on at the same time. This afternoon I am meeting up with DD and the friend I went to Eurovision with for cocktails, an early birthday celebration for me and a belated celebration for her. Ironically tonight is also Eurovision night which we didn’t know when we set the date. As I am a lightweight nowadays, I may fall asleep before the actual show begins which for many of my followers would be a blessing, but for me it would be a great shame. It’s back in Vienna again where we were 11 years ago for the contest, so of course I’ve had to get my trusty mug out of storage this week. Happy memories of a great few days but can it really be 11 years ago – how the years are flying by.

But back to the busy Saturday. I’ve already dived into Rol’s Snapshots challenge along with the rest of the gang, but didn’t get the link this week. No matter, there’s always next week unless Rol calls time on this bit of weekend fun as he has been hosting it for many, many years so must be running out of steam by now. Note to self – put together a guest Snapshots soon, to give Rol a week off.

As for the cocktails, this is the Capital of the Highlands, not the Island of Kokomo or Margaritaville so not quite as sun-drenched and exotic but I’m sure we’ll be ok if we don our padded coats (it’s a bit parky out there today). Cue Jimmy Buffet with his song from 1977.

Ok, so not many of my followers are fans of Eurovision and I’m pretty sure not many of them are followers of football, but this afternoon is a big date in the season’s calendar as in Scotland we have the match to decide who will win the Scottish Premier League title. It’s gone down to the wire as only one point separates the two teams who will play each other today. The team who has been at the top of the table all season (Hearts) hasn’t won the title since 1960, so anyone who isn’t a fan of the other team (Celtic) will be rooting for them. A stressful watch which I will miss but I’ll keep tabs on things on my phone as the afternoon progresses. For the record, here is their football song, Heart of Midlothian Anthem.

The last team to win the SPL title other than Celtic or Rangers was Aberdeen in 1985 under the auspices of their legendary manager Alex Ferguson. I lived in Aberdeen during the glory years and thought it was normal that our local team won titles and cups regularly. Turns out it was mainly due to the manager and as the players have admitted since, it wasn’t so much that they had an impressive will to win, it was more that they were terrified of what would happen to them if they lost! Yes, we’ve all heard the stories of Sir Alex’s locker room rants and it’s safe to say he wouldn’t be able to operate like that nowadays, but none of the players ever held it against him as they just wanted to win cups and trophies.

I’m going to have to head off and get ready for my afternoon out soon, but before I do I heard on the radio this morning that today is the 60th anniversary of the release of the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds. I have written about it many times around here as it’s up there as being one of the finest albums ever made. It has a rubbish, very literal cover but of course the pet sounds Brian Wilson included on this album were just that, Brian’s favourite, or pet sounds. The famous Wrecking Crew that worked with him on the album acknowledged his genius above all others they collaborated with. At this point in 1966, Brian was still aged only 24.

It wasn’t until I watched the film Love & Mercy about the life of Brian Wilson, that I understood what he went through as the Beach Boys became a phenomenon. He eventually had to step down from touring, and concentrated on songwriting and producing which is how Pet Sounds came about. When the rest of the band heard what he had come up with they were sceptical, but Brian proved them wrong (in the long-term anyway). Here is a song from the album that I haven’t shared around here before. Sloop John B was a traditional Bahamian folk song suggested by Al Jardine. Brian wasn’t very keen for a start but after changing some of the lyrics and giving it the distinctive Beach Boys sound it went on the Pet Sounds album and became one of their best-loved songs.

Sloop John B by the Beach Boys

So, “What’s It All About?” – It’s annoying when too many things come along at the same time but I’m sure my jam-packed Saturday will pan out ok. I won’t be able to host a Eurovision party tonight as I won’t be around to get the food, drinks and scoresheets prepared. I will watch the show however and cross fingers for our entry by Look Mum No Computer, Eins, Zwei, Drei. Sam Battle is an electronics enthusiast who builds unusual musical equipment and has a museum where he shares it. A bit of a different pick for the UK and Sam doesn’t seem to have got the memo about everyone dressing in black or red this year. His song definitely stands out though and got good audience feedback in the semi-finals, but who knows what will happen tonight. I wish him luck.

Good luck also to Hearts in their match against Celtic. I just hope you can hold on to that one point lead in this, the last game of the season.

Congratulations to the remaining Beach Boys who celebrate the 60th anniversary of the release of Pet Sounds. Sadly Brian didn’t live long enough to see it, but he did have a long life considering the mental health issues he experienced throughout his life. An album that will go down in history.

Until next time…

Sloop John B Lyrics
(Song by Traditional/Brian Wilson)

We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The first mate, he got drunk
And broke in the captain’s trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don’t you leave me alone? Yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail (Hoist up the John B’s sail)
See how the mainsail sets (See how the mainsail sets)
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home, I wanna go home
Let me go home (Hoist up the John B’s sail)
Hoist up the John B (Hoist up the John B)
I feel so broke up
I wanna go home, let me go home

The poor cook, he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don’t they let me go home?
This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on

Postscript:

As it turned out, Hearts didn’t win their match against Celtic, so on the last day of the season they lost their point lead in the SPL and thus the title. Devastating for all their fans.

As for Eurovision, our UK entry came last out of 25 songs with only 1 point. We’ve been there before so not unexpected but still a bit embarrassing. We really don’t take it as seriously as the rest of Europe. The winner was this song representing Bulgaria performed by a very perky teenager called Dara. I give you Bangaranga. Sofia here we come!

Not So Clandestine Affairs, David Cassidy and “The Puppy Song”

WIAA: Alyson…, oh Alyson.

ALYSON: Hi WIAA, I’m sorry I missed adding to your pages last weekend but I was away from home, having a wonderful couple of days with another man.

WIAA: Oh. Didn’t expect that to be the reason! What did your other half say about that or did you not tell him?

ALYSON: No, he knew and was ok with it. In fact he joined us during the day for long walks and trips to coffee shops but went home at night to leave us to it.

WIAA: This is getting weirder and weirder Alyson, and I thought I knew you.

ALYSON: It was magical WIAA. We snuggled up in bed at night and I stroked his gorgeous brown curls. In the morning his head was lying next to me on the pillow and his paw was on my shoulder.

WIAA: Paw, paw – what kind of half-man/half-beast is he?!?

ALYSON: Oh sorry, did I not make it clear? I was spending the weekend with Alfie the puppy whilst his mum and dad were away.

WIAA: Grrr… I think you were messing with me there Alyson.

ALYSON: Maybe I was, a bit, but I fooled you didn’t I? Anyway that’s why I wasn’t able to write a new blog post last weekend but now that I’m a regular blogger again I’m sure I’ll make up for it down the line.

WIAA: Ok, you’re excused. Any appropriate songs for me?

ALYSON: Well I have been looking for songs about dogs but they’re either overly sentimental, novelty songs or just plain bad. I did find this one though written by Harry Nilsson called The Puppy Song. I didn’t even realise it was his song as the only version I knew was the one by David Cassidy from 1973, when it was released as a double A-side along with the song Daydreamer.

The Puppy Song by David Cassidy:

I remember being gifted a flexi disc with Jackie magazine in 1973. It had a few words from David Cassidy in conversational style then he shared snippets of both the songs on the upcoming double A-side. It got to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart so that little bit of promotion obviously did the trick, although at that time he was selling out stadiums all over the world, so he perhaps didn’t need any help in achieving sales.

We first got to know about David Cassidy from his role playing Keith Partridge in the kid’s television show The Partridge Family. It first aired in the UK in 1971 when I was still in Primary School and it’s fair to say most of us girls developed a huge crush on David and he started to fill the pages of our magazines. By the time I got to Secondary School he was a bona fide teen idol, outselling every other artist in the world. As the teenage hormones started to kick in I found myself bursting into tears as I listened to his songs, and I didn’t even understand why.

Poor David died young at the age of 67 in 2017 and I wrote a tribute for him (link here). I also made him the main character in a bit of fairy-tale fan fiction the following year (link here). It centred around his rivalry with fellow teen idol Donny Osmond and although it was fun to write, it perhaps didn’t do my music blogging credibility much good!

Anyway the last word should go to the real life puppy, my lovely weekend companion, Alfie. He was genuinely upset when I packed my bag to go home and apparently sulked with his mum and dad all Sunday evening, giving them the side-eye as if to say, “I had much more fun with granny”. There will be many other weekends and holidays I’m sure.

Until next time…

The Puppy Song Lyrics
(Song by Harry Nilsson)

Dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream
You wish to come true, woo woo

If only I could have a puppy
I’d call myself so very lucky
Just to have some company
To share a cup of tea with me

I’d take my puppy everywhere
La, la, la-la I wouldn’t care
And we would stay away from crowds
And signs that said no dogs allowed
Oh we, I know he’d never bite me
Whoa de lo…….
We, I know he’d never bite me

If only I could have a friend
To stick with me until the end
And walk along beside the sea
Share a bit of moon with me

I’d take my friend most everywhere
La, la, la-la I wouldn’t care
We would stay away from crowds
With signs that said no friends allowed
Oh we, we’d be so happy to be
Whoa de lo………….
We, we’d be so happy to be together

But dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream
You wish to come true
Whoa whoa……….

Dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream
You wish to come true
Whoa whoa woo……..

Lindisfarne, “Meet Me On The Corner” and Another Weird Blogging Coincidence

Well, another freaky coincidence happened this week in relation to this blog. If you dropped by last weekend you may have noticed that I’d written about the Geordie genius Sam Fender, whose song Rein Me In has now been at the top of the UK Singles Chart for eight of the last nine weeks. Various comments came in afterwards and C, from Sun Dried Sparrows, mentioned that she’d recently watched a excellent documentary, presented by Sam Fender, where he delves deep into the story of his fellow Geordies who formed the band Lindisfarne back in the late 1960s. As a songwriter himself, Sam especially focusses on the band’s own genius songwriter and lead singer, Alan Hull. Sam is often dubbed the British Bruce Springsteen but back in the day, Lindisfarne’s Alan Hull was dubbed the Geordie Bob Dylan, his songwriting held in such high esteem. The documentary is no longer on the iPlayer but luckily I found it on YouTube and watched the whole thing right there and then. I was fascinated, and Mr WIAA who along with his brother used to be a fan, was happily singing along to all the songs.

Lindisfarne’s Geordie Genius: The Alan Hull Story

I have written about Lindisfarne around here before but that post was more about my late father-in-law, who was also a Geordie, which by default makes Mr WIAA half-Geordie (link here). I must have done a little research though as I came up with the following description for them: Lindisfarne were a folk-rock hybrid formed in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne of 1969 and were named after the historic Holy Island of Lindisfarne off the Northumbrian coast. The lyrics to their songs blended “wistful sensitivity, social sentiments and boozy revelry”. Fog on the Tyne was the biggest selling album by a British band in 1971.

One of the songs people most associate with Lindisfarne is Lady Eleanor, written by Alan Hull. The song is a beauty and was apparently inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories Eleonora, and The Fall of the House of Usher. No lazy “I love you, you love me” pop lyrics for Alan. The song also features the band’s characteristic combination of mandolin playing and close harmony singing.

But what is this freaky coincidence I referred to at the top of the post? At the start of the week I checked the calendar and saw that we were meeting up with my friend and her husband on Thursday. They live about 50 miles along the coast, but were coming through for the night as they’d been gifted tickets for a show at our local theatre. I got in touch and we planned an early evening supper together ahead of their show, and looked forward to having a catch-up. The following day I realised I’d forgotten to ask what they were going to see, so I hopped onto the theatre’s website and discovered it was none other than… Lindisfarne! At first I thought it must be a tribute band but no, it was the current line-up of Lindisfarne. Having spent the last few days listening to their music and thinking about the musical genius Alan Hull, I immediately thought we’ll have to go too and thankfully I managed to book two of the few remaining tickets.

And so it came to pass that we spent a joyous two hours listening to the Lindisfarne songbook on Thursday night. Alan Hull sadly died back in 1995 at the very young age of 50 but Rod Clements from the classic line-up is still there and sat front and centre. At age 78 his guitar playing was exceptional and he was able to tell a few anecdotes from back in the day. He was the one who actually wrote their first hit, Meet Me On The Corner, and he said it was very special to him as it was all about “standing under a lamp post waiting for his future ex-wife to appear”. Lead singer duties are now undertaken by Alan Hull’s son-in-law Dave Hull-Denholm who worked with Alan on his last solo album. He makes the songs sound truly authentic. The other members of the band were not from the original line-up but are long-standing replacements, of 30 years and counting. I even managed to take a sneaky picture of them on stage which we were allowed to do as long as we didn’t use a flash. In my efforts to be extra stealthy however, and not annoy those round about me, I accidentally hit the torch button on my phone and had to quickly sit on it as I couldn’t work out in the dark how to switch it off. Such is life.

The Eden Court Theatre stage on Thursday night – Lindisfarne

Released as a single in 1972, Meet Me On The Corner reached the No. 5 spot on the UK Singles Chart. The song was sung by Ray Jackson and appears as the opening track on their album Fog on the Tyne.

Meet Me On The Corner by Lindisfarne:

Until next time…

Meet Me On The Corner Lyrics
(Song by Rod Clements)

Hey, Mr Dreamseller, where have you been?
Tell me, have you dreams I can see?
I came along, just to bring you this song
Can you spare one dream for me?

You won’t have met me, and you’ll soon forget
So don’t mind me tugging at your sleeve
I’m asking you if I can fix a rendezvous
For your dreams are all I believe

Meet me on the corner when the lights are coming on
And I’ll be there, I promise I’ll be there
Down the empty streets we’ll disappear until the dawn
If you have dreams enough to share

Lay down your bundles of rags and reminders
And spread your wares on the ground
Well, I’ve got time, if you deal in rhyme
I’m just hanging around

Meet me on the corner when the lights are coming on
And I’ll be there, I promise I’ll be there
Down the empty streets we’ll disappear until the dawn
If you have dreams enough to share

Hey, Mr Dreamseller, where have you been?
Tell me, have you dreams I can see?
I came along, just to bring you this song
Can you spare one dream for me?

Postscript:

In case you missed the first weird blogging coincidence around here, it happened three weeks ago when I featured the band Runrig. I had visited an exhibition that told their story, showed memorabilia and screened footage of the band live, so I planned to write about them the following day after Rol’s Saturday Snapshots. Who should pop up on Snapshots that morning but a photo of Runrig as the theme that day was songs about large bodies of water (Loch Lomond). That was the first time I’d seen them appear on Rol’s blog so it was quite the coincidence and I went on to spend a lovely few hours listening to their songs and watching them on YouTube clips whilst writing the post.

A couple of days later we had to return to the flooring shop in town where we were organising a revamp of our house. As we sat at the desk paying the bill, who should we spot sitting next to us, also arranging the fitting of new floors for his house on Skye, but Donnie Munro, long-time lead singer with Runrig. I had never bumped into him in town before, and had only seen him perform at big live concerts, so I had to do a double take. Now in his early 70s, he still looked quite the (Gaelic) rock star with his lush dark hair, stylish coat and shades. I went home reeling from the coincidence. What will be next I wonder?

Donnie Munro of Runrig

Three New Films: One Sweary, One About Paul & Linda and One About A “Song Sung Blue”

Well, we’ve had absolutely lovely weather up here in The Highlands this week with mild temperatures and blue skies. I love spring, as a whole new world opens up ready to be explored, compared with the indoorsy, dark days of winter. I love it so much I celebrate it’s arrival three times and have done on these pages over the years. Imbolc falls on the 1st of February and was one of the cornerstones of the Celtic/pagan calendar signifying the coming of spring. The success of the new farming season was of great importance and rituals were performed to ensure a steady supply of food until the harvest six months later. The weather forecasters mention meteorological spring which of course falls on the 1st of March, but an even better date is the Vernal Equinox, astronomical spring, when the number of hours of daylight overtakes those of darkness. That fell this year on Friday, the 20th of March and to celebrate I had a lovely walk with a friend along the river that flows through the centre of our town.

Rockery plants in full bloom, the castle and my kitchen flowers

Yes, it’s a fine time to be alive and I’ve done a lot of gardening this weekend, tidying up after winter and getting some of the garden furniture out. There is still another date to come of course, when we turn our clocks forward an hour to BST, and that’s Sunday the 29th of March. Summer, we’re coming to get you.

It’s been a good week to be full of the joys of spring as Mr WIAA has been off with his brother, leading the life of James Bond (without the licence to kill) on the ski slopes of Switzerland and France. This is the longest we’ve been apart for an awful long time but I have to admit I’ve quite enjoyed it. I have a pretty full calendar nowadays so I’ve been out of the house quite a bit and when I am here life is so simple. Catering for one, tidying up after one and exclusive use of both the car, and the remote. It will be lovely to have him home again but as an experiment I think I’ve coped very well as a singleton.

The term singleton came about to describe those who live in a single-person household, especially those who prefer the lifestyle of living alone. It was popularised by the Bridget Jones novels and films, whose lifestyle mirrored my own when I bought my first flat at age 27. I worked hard and also played hard (if that’s not too naff a thing to say), but all the time my friends and I were “going out” to find that special person to “stay in with”. At this stage in life being a singleton would be very different indeed, but I’d like to think I could cope if god forbid it should ever happen.

But I’m probably going to remember this week as being one of watching a lot of really good films. Last weekend we watched I Swear about Scottish lad, John Davidson, who developed Tourette’s Syndrome at the age of 12. It did really well at the BAFTAs although there was a bit of fallout after the inevitable happened at the actual ceremony. It could have been edited out but I suspect those in charge of televising the show were making a point. Anyway, it was very funny (made that way deliberately) but also heart-warming. The real John has done much to raise societal awareness of the condition so that others don’t have to go through what he did as a youth. It’s going to be one of my favourite films of the year.

Once Mr WIAA had left for his trip, I had full control of the remote so the next film I watched was this one, Man On The Run, a Netflix documentary about the years after the break up of the Beatles when Paul McCartney set out on a whole new journey, ending up fronting a highly successful band that I liked a lot during my teenage years, Wings. Did I enjoy it? There was nothing new to learn from the doc but you did get to see a lot of footage from the farm on the Mull of Kintyre. It wasn’t glamorous at all, just a ramshackle holding with outbuildings and sheep, but the growing family could relax and be at one with nature, which really suited them at the time.

What I did take away from it however was that because Paul didn’t deal with the finances, he lost a lot of good band members by not realising they were only being paid a small retainer for being in this new endeavour of his. At first they were flattered to have been asked, but that wears thin after a while. Also, Paul and Linda literally spent all their time together, with Linda even becoming the first recruited member of the new band. It didn’t come naturally to her and the fans at first were pretty scathing but it meant they could carry on being a family unit, wherever the wind took them, which is why they stayed together until Linda sadly died of cancer, at age 56.

It was however lovely hearing all those Wings songs played throughout the doc and they even show the session where they were photographed for the Band On The Run album cover. A veritable who’s who of mid ’70s stars. Can you still name them all?

Band on the Run by Wings:

I’ve almost run out of words which is a shame as I’ve left the best ’til last. My friend came round on Thursday night for cocktails and a film, and it didn’t take long for us to choose Song Sung Blue starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, which is currently on Prime. For once it’s not a biopic but instead the real-life story of a couple from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who back in the mid ’90s start “interpreting the songs of Neil Diamond” (they refused to call themselves a tribute act). They say real life is stranger than fiction and in the case of these two, that was the case. I won’t say much more about them in case of spoilers but suffice to say they became quite big cheeses in their local area. Like with Paul’s doc, we get to hear all those great songs again and it shows what can happen when a couple spend all their time together. Like the film I Swear, it is both funny and heart-warming. Another one for my list of favourite films of the year.

As the actual song, Song Sung Blue, doesn’t seem to put in an appearance in the trailer (strange omission I would have thought) here is Neil on stage performing it in 1972, the year it was released. It was from Neil’s Moods album, and later appeared on many of his compilation albums. The song was a No. 1 hit in the US for one week and reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond:

Until next time…

Song Sung Blue Lyrics
(Song by Neil Diamond)

Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one

Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again
Sing ’em out again

Song sung blue
Weeping like a willow
Song sung blue
Sleeping on my pillow

Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice
And before you know it, get to feeling good
You simply got no choice

Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again

Song (song) sung (sung) blue (blue)
Weeping like a willow
Song (song) sung (sung) blue (blue)
Sleeping on my pillow

Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice
And before you know, it started feeling good
You simply got no choice

Song (song) sung (sung) blue (blue)
Song (song) sung (sung) blue (blue)
Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice

Postscript:

In case anyone is is interested, here is a picture of the real-life couple who were the inspiration for the film Song Sung Blue, and a link to the documentary made about their lives is included below.

Song Sung Blue – The Original Documentary (The Full, Real Story)

Edinburgh, XTC and “Making Plans for Nigel”

I spent a few days in our capital city earlier this week and presumed I would write about that trip here, but to be honest I’ve written about trips to Edinburgh quite a few times already and also about get-togethers with the ex-flatmates from Aberdeen days (which this was) so I won’t bore you too much. Suffice to say it was an excellent trip and a few things were experienced for the first time such as: being locked in an Escape Room; a tour of Gladstone’s Land (a very old house on the Royal Mile owned by the National Trust for Scotland); and, an exploration of all the curious monuments built at the top of Calton Hill. In the 19th century, Edinburgh was envisioned as the ‘Athens of the North’ and a version of the Parthenon was begun in 1822. The project was ambitious, aiming to commemorate those who fell in the Napoleonic Wars, but was left unfinished due to lack of funds.

The National Monument, Gladstone’s Land and The Secret Lab Escape Room

Despite being with two scientists, we were very bad at solving the puzzles within the cells needed to escape the secret lab, and had to be let out after an hour. The kind of thing you get better at with practice we were told, but quite pricey, so I might just put it down to a fun, one-off experience.

But this is a music blog so did anything pique my interest when in Edinburgh? As expected the rest of our party were not particularly bothered by my renewed interest in what’s happening in the charts, but wherever we went to eat there was always a mixtape (no doubt of the digital variety) playing, and a game of “name that tune” began. Everyone knows about this place so of course the pressure was on for me to identify whatever was playing first. I was most impressed by Mr WIAA however who straight out of the traps got this 1979 song by McFadden & Whitehead, Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now. The restaurant must have gauged that its patrons were of a certain age as the next song up was another from 1979, Making Plans For Nigel by XTC, and yes, I did get that one first. I hadn’t thought about them or their song for some time, so resolved to do some research when I got home.

Making Plans for Nigel by XTC:

The song marked XTC’s commercial breakthrough and spent 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart peaking at No. 17. The song’s writer was bassist Colin Moulding who said, “When I was about 16, my father wanted me to stay on in school. But by that time, I really didn’t want to do anything other than music… , so in a way, is it autobiographical? Well, a little bit. I knew somebody called Nigel at school and I think that, when you write songs, it’s a lot of things all wrapped up.”

XTC formed in Swindon in 1972 fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding and gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the late 1970s. Andy Partridge credited John Peel as responsible for getting them a recording contract after he asked them to do a session for his show. Andy, who wrote the majority of XTC’s songs, was the group’s frontman and de facto leader. He drove the band’s image, designed many of their record sleeves, and handled most of their interviews. The band were noted for their “Englishness”, their songs from the same school of small town English songwriting invented by Ray Davies of the Kinks, and followed by the Jam, the Specials and mid 1990s Britpop.

So, “What’s It All About?” – I just never know where my blog posts are going to end up and after writing about my trip to Edinburgh, I doubt if many of my readers would have thought it would be a potted history of XTC. The link was of course that their song became an earworm (which Martin at New Amusements calls, “couplets lodged in my hippocampus with the tenacity of bathroom sealant sticking anywhere you don’t want it to go”) for the rest of the trip.

As for making plans for our children, DD seems to be sorted, now happily doing what we always knew she would be good at despite the fact she rebelled against it heavily 10 years ago. One ex-flatmate has two children who are similarly sorted and she is also now a grandmother whereas the other ex-flatmate didn’t have any children but is an auntie and honorary auntie to many. None of them are called Nigel.

Until next time…

Making Plans For Nigel Lyrics
(Song by Colin Moulding)

We’re only making plans for Nigel
We only want what’s best for him
We’re only making plans for Nigel
Nigel just needs this helping hand

And if young Nigel says he’s happy
He must be happy
He must be happy in his work

We’re only making plans for Nigel
He has his future in a British steel
We’re only making plans for Nigel
Nigel’s whole future is as good as sealed

And if young Nigel says he’s happy
He must be happy
He must be happy in his work

Nigel is not outspoken
But he likes to speak
And loves to be spoken to
Nigel is happy in his work

He Was Brill and Heard “Laughter In The Rain”: RIP Neil Sedaka

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about when I woke up this morning but then I heard the news that the singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka had passed away at the age of 86, so it became obvious. I thought I had written about him a fair few times around here but not as often as I’d thought once I looked back, so maybe it’s just that many of his songs were radio staples when I was growing up, both the ones from the early ’60s and then the ones during his successful second career in the ’70s. I didn’t know it back then but he had also written many hits for other artists, first of all with his childhood neighbour Howard Greenfield and then later on with Phil Cody.

Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield were one of the many successful songwriting partnerships who took up residence in the Brill Building on Manhattan’s 49th Street in the late ’50s (written about here). Along with Gerry Goffin / Carole King and many other pairs, they churned out hit after hit for people like Connie Francis, Jimmy Clanton and the big Girl Groups of the day. Neil’s first big international hit was in fact Oh! Carol, written about his old high school sweetheart Carole King (she added the ‘e’ later).

A little family anecdote now. We always used to find a song for DD’s birthday so that when she came into the living room to see the balloons, banners and pile of presents there was an appropriate track playing in the background. Obvious I know, but when she turned 16 we chose Neil’s 1959 song Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen. Now that I’ve listened to the lyrics properly it possibly wasn’t appropriate coming from a parent as it’s written from the perspective of a love interest, but hey, it did fit the birthday. I look back at those times and wish I could have bottled them, as time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye they have grown up and flown the nest (but often come back again, as happened to us).

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen by Neil Sedaka:

Neil had more hits as an artist in the early 60s, Stairway to Heaven, Calendar Girl and Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, but everything changed after the British Invasion and suddenly the Bobbys (Darin, Vee and Vinton), the Frankies (Avalon and Valli) and the songwriters of the Brill Building became unfashionable and were left out in the cold. Neil carried on songwriting but he didn’t have any more hits until he moved to the UK in the early ’70s and hooked up with the future 10cc at their Strawberry Studios in Stockport. He started writing with Phil Cody and made two albums there one of which featured the song Solitaire made successful by the Carpenters, and the other featured the song Love Will Keep Us Together made successful by Captain & Tennille. Neil’s partnership with Howard Greenfield was now over but his next purple patch was just round the corner.

If like me you were a teenager in the early 1970s, you would have been glued to the TV screen on a Thursday night to watch Top Of The Pops. In amongst all the glam rock artists with their outrageous outfits, we often used to have this middle-aged guy (he was only in his mid 30s at the time) sitting at a piano singing pleasing pop tunes. This song, Laughter in the Rain, reached the No. 15 spot on the UK Singles Chart in 1974 but reached the top spot on the US Billboard Chart. Neil was back.

And here is yet another little anecdote involving DD. A couple of years ago we gave her a turntable for her birthday as the young people seem to have fallen in love with vinyl, as we did back in the day. She has built up a collection of contemporary albums but in amongst these she has also acquired some classic albums by the likes of Sinatra and the Carpenters (we have obviously had an influence on her). I went round to visit recently and she showed me her new purchase, it was the Laughter in the Rain album. “Have you heard of Neil Sedaka?” she asked. I was taken aback but I think she has good taste in music so he has clearly stood the test of time.

Neil followed the success of Laughter in the Rain with a more politically motivated song, The Immigrant, which was inspired by his parents and by John Lennon, then facing immigration issues. The Immigrant reached No. 22 on the Billboard Chart.

The Immigrant by Neil Sedaka:

All these years later, a very apt song for the times we live in. Think it would be banned by “the administration” today.

Neil continued to write songs and perform over the next few decades. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2020, Neil launched a series of free mini-concerts, released through his social media channels, as a method of entertaining his fans during the pandemic. Despite having been nominated for five Grammy awards, he sadly never won the coveted trophy.

Until next time… RIP Neil Sedaka.

The Immigrant Lyrics
(Song by Neil Sedaka / Phil Cody)

Harbours open their arms to the young searching foreigner
Come to live in the light of the beacon of liberty
Plains and open skies billboards would advertise
Was it anything like that when you arrived
Dream boats carried the future to the heart of America
People were waiting in line for a place by the river

It was a time when strangers were welcome here
Music would play they tell me the days were sweet and clear
It was a sweeter tune and there was so much room
That people could come from everywhere

Now he arrives with his hopes and his heart set on miracles
Come to marry his fortune with a hand full of promises
To find they’ve closed the door they don’t want him anymore
There isn’t any more to go around
Turning away he remembers he once heard a legend
That spoke of a mystical magical land called America

There was a time when strangers were welcome here
Music would play they tell me the days were sweet and clear
It was a sweeter tune and there was so much room
That people could come from everywhere

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