Category: 1990s songs

An American Odyssey in Song: Maryland and “Moonlight Feels Right”

Welcome to this occasional series where I am attempting a virtual journey around the 50 States of America in song. For anyone new to this place, I have a continuous route map where I enter and leave each state only once. Suggestions for the next leg always welcome!

Well, I’ve been stuck in Delaware since the summer of 2024, but now I’m ready to pick up my route and the next state I’m heading into is Maryland.

Maryland was founded by the 1st Baron Baltimore and it’s most populous city was named after him. Looking at a map of Maryland, it’s a markedly “watery” state, with Chesapeake Bay cutting right through its middle. Its western section contains stretches of the Appalachians and the central part of the state is mainly farmland. National Geographic once dubbed Maryland, “America in Miniature,” due to the fact that nearly every kind of terrain can be found there.


In 1790, the national capital was moved from Philadelphia to land in Maryland selected by the first President George Washington for the creation of the federal government. The land donated was along the north shore of the Potomac River and became Washington DC. The majority of Maryland’s population is concentrated in the cities and suburbs surrounding Washington DC, and in and around Baltimore. Maryland has the highest median household income of any state, owing mainly to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, retail services, public administration, real estate, higher education, information technology, defense contracting, health care, and biotechnology.

There are still strong maritime traditions in the Chesapeake Bay area and the state food is the serving up of blue crabs with Old Bay Seasoning. Maryland has a very distinctive state flag with the Calvert (black/gold) and Crossland (red/white) family coats of arms. The Baltimore Oriole is the state bird, inspiring the name of the baseball team. Johns Hopkins University, the world famous research institution is in Baltimore.

As for film and television, the musical Hairspray follows teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance programme. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight, leading to social change as Tracy campaigns for the show’s integration.


The crime drama The Wire is one of the best things we ever watched on television. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of a former homicide detective and public school teacher. Set and produced in Baltimore, The Wire introduced a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement in each season.


As for celebrities who hail from Maryland, the swimmer Michael Phelps is one as is the actress Goldie Hawn. In the world of music we have the great Billie Holiday as well as Tori Amos, David Byrne and Toni Braxton.


But what song can I share that refers to the state of Maryland? As it turns out the song Moonlight Feels Right by Starbuck has been shared around here before as part of another series, but it does mention Chesapeake Bay so it’s a perfect candidate. It was never a hit in the UK, so although I know the song well it must be from hearing it on the radio over the years. It was however a big hit in the US, Canada and Australia, so I wonder why it didn’t strike a cord over here. To me it just screams 1976 America (as we called it back then), and reminds me of another song from across the pond I also like from that year. Yes, one of the very first songs I ever wrote about around here was I’d Really Love To See You Tonight by England Dan & John Ford Coley. In Scotland, even during a heatwave, it is never warm after dark, so back in 1976 I just loved the idea of those “warm winds blowin’ the stars around”. Likewise, in Moonlight…, we are painted a picture of warm summer evenings by the coast, with the moon and stars shining brightly in the night sky.

I’ll take you on a trip beside the ocean
And drop the top at Chesapeake Bay
Ain’t nothin’ like the sky to dose a potion
The moon’ll send you on your way

You say you came to Baltimore from Ole Miss
Class of seven-four, gold ring
The eastern moon looks ready for a wet kiss
To make the tide rise again

Moonlight Feels Right by Starbuck:


It’s from a long time ago now, but when I wrote about Delaware and mentioned I’d be heading into Maryland next, I did get one song suggestion from Khayem. He wrote:

Try searching The Divine Comedy and Maryland on YouTube and you should find it easily…

I did search and the song he refers to is this one, Maryland Electric Rainstorm, from their 1998 album End Of The Century/Fin de Siècle.

A new road, when on an old man’s bad advice
He left to cross the woods, but just
Got totally lost, and then
The Maryland electric rainstorm broke
Over his head, making him wet, upset, then
The Maryland electric rainstorm broke everything
Soaked through his skin, into his heart and soul


So there we have it, a whistle stop tour of Maryland and not many songs shared. Next time I’ll be heading into West Virginia and I already know that state will throw up a fair few tunes. Please do add your suggestions to the comments boxes if you have any.

Until next time…

Moonlight Feels Right Lyrics
(Song by Bruce Blackman)

The wind blew some luck in my direction
I caught it in my hands today
I finally made a tricky French connection
You winked and gave me your O.K.
I’ll take you on a trip beside the ocean
And drop the top at Chesapeake Bay
Ain’t nothing like the sky to dose a potion
The moon’ll send you on your way

Moonlight feels right
Moonlight feels right

We’ll lay back and observe the constellations
And watch the moon smilin’ bright
I’ll play the radio on southern stations
‘Cause southern belles are hell at night
You say you came to Baltimore from Ole Miss
Class of seven-four, gold ring
The eastern moon looks ready for a wet kiss
To make the tide rise again

Moonlight feels right
Moonlight feels right

We’ll see the sun come up on Sunday morning
And watch it fade the moon away
I guess you know I’m giving you a warning
‘Cause me and moon are itching to play
I’ll take you on a trip beside the ocean
And drop the top at Chesapeake Bay
Ain’t nothin’ like the sky to dose a potion
The moon’ll send you on your way

Moonlight feels right
Moonlight feels right

Moonlight feels right
Moonlight feels right

“I’ll… I’ll See What I Can Do” – Jarvis Still On Top Form At Glastonbury

We’ve not been having a heatwave up here in the North of Scotland which is fine by me because I’m a fair-skinned, fair-haired person who doesn’t do well in such conditions. It seems of late however the south of the country has been sweltering which is not too great for those playing at, and attending, Wimbledon but last weekend everyone descending on Worthy Farm seemed fine with it. Lots of girls, and also ladies of a certain age, in little cropped tops and many men with “taps aff” as they say in Central Scotland.


I ended up watching a fair bit of the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage, both live and on the iPlayer. There was lots to choose from but I got into bother with the technical side of selecting stuff from the iPlayer (I don’t think I was the only one) so tended to stick with what was live, or nearly live.

I’m not going to do a big build up as I might not get very far with this one not having blogged for a while, but my favourite moment from the whole weekend was the final song of Pulp’s set, Common People, from 1995. We all knew it would probably be that song and they definitely didn’t disappoint – the Red Arrows even staged a flypast as the song reached its crescendo (see 4:45).

Common People by Pulp:


All about the phenomenon of class tourism, I am reminded of a time when I was at University many years ago. My flatmate had been out socialising with her small band of fellow science students when after a few drinks, one of them – someone from the upper classes with a double-barrelled name – admitted to her in all innocence that he was so pleased he’d come to University as otherwise he would never have met “someone like her”. Unlike in Jarvis’ song he didn’t want to sleep with her, so no need for an acid response, but she was taken aback and quite rightly so. Also, she was anything but “common”, but I suppose it’s all relative.

I have quite a few other acts I want to mention but I think I’ll leave those for another post as I’m not as speedy with my writing at the moment. Bear with me. Who did you enjoy most at Glastonbury this year or did you avoid it, what with it becoming too corporate (Neil Young’s judgement)?

Until next time…

Common People Lyrics
(Song by Jarvis Cocker/Candida Doyle/Russell Senior/Nick Banks/Steve Mackey)

She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture at Saint Martin’s College
That’s where I
Caught her eye
She told me that her Dad was loaded
I said, “In that case, I’ll have rum and Coca-Cola.”
She said, “Fine”
And then in thirty-seconds time she said

“I wanna live like common people
I wanna do whatever common people do
Wanna sleep with common people
I wanna sleep with common people like you.”
Well, what else could I do?
I said, “I’ll… I’ll see what I can do.”

I took her to a supermarket
I don’t know why but I had to start it somewhere
So it started there
I said, “Pretend you got no money.”
And she just laughed and said, “Oh, you’re so funny.”
I said, “Yeah
Well, I can’t see anyone else smiling in here
Are you sure?

You wanna live like common people
You wanna see whatever common people see
Wanna sleep with common people
You wanna sleep with common people like me?
But she didn’t understand
And she just smiled and held my hand

Oh, rent a flat above a shop
And cut your hair and get a job
And smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
But still you’ll never get it right
‘Cause when you’re laid in bed at night
Watching roaches climb the wall
If you called your dad he could stop it all
Yeah

You’ll never live like common people
You’ll never do what ever common people do
Never fail like common people
You’ll never watch your life slide out of view
And then dance, and drink, and screw
Because there’s nothing else to do
Oh!

Sing along with the common people
Sing along and it might just get you through
Laugh along with the common people
Laugh along, even though they’re laughing at you
And the stupid things that you do
Because you think that poor is cool

Like a dog lying in a corner
They will bite you and never warn you
Look out, they’ll tear your insides out
‘Cause everybody hates a tourist
Especially one who, who thinks it’s all such a laugh
Yeah, and the chip stain’s and grease will come out in the bath

You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright whilst you can only wonder why

Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
And smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
But still you’ll never get it right
‘Cause when you’re laid in bed at night
Watching roaches climb the wall
If you called your dad he could stop it all, yeah

Never live like common people
Never do what common people do
Never fail like common people
Never watch your life slide out of view
And then dance and drink, and screw
Because there’s nothing else to do

Wanna live with common people like you
Wanna live with common people like you
Wanna live with common people like you
Wanna live with common people like you
Wanna live with common people like you
Wanna live with common people like you
Wanna live with common people like you

A la la la la la
Ooooh, la la la la
Ooooh, la la la la
Ooooh, la la-la-la-la la, oh yeah

2025: The Best So Far – Better Man, SAS Rogue Heroes and Sir Alex

Last time I wrote about my favourite things of 2024, concentrating mainly on what I’d heard, read and seen. Unbelievably, a week into the new year, I think I’ve already seen my favourite things of 2025. If I’m wrong, I’m going to be in for a treat this year. If I’m right, how weird that the year has peaked in week one.

Cinema

The day after New Year’s Day, I went out with a friend for lunch and a film. We thought we’d give the new Robbie Williams biopic a go and boy was I glad I did. I’m not generally a fan of biopics as we usually know the star’s life story already and why watch an actor sing and dance their way through the film when we can still watch plenty of footage of them via other means. Also, it’s often a highly edited version of the star’s life and only from the age of adulthood. All that was turned on its head in Better Man as Robbie was played by a CGI chimp. It sounds ridiculous but you get used to it incredibly quickly and the 8-year-old Robbie/chimp is very, very cute. The story takes us up to Robbie’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall around the time of his Swing While Your Winning album and despite the fact he has had to face his many demons along the way (the messy side of addition is not shied away from), at this point in his career he has made peace with himself and those closest to him.


My friend and I both loved the film and it seems the reviews have been very kind too. What comes across loud and clear is that Robbie was a born showman and from a very young age wanted to entertain people. He was stifled during his Take That years as their manager very much saw the band as being Gary Barlow plus friends, friends who did a bit of backing singing and a lot of dancing. Understandably this was not enough for Robbie and once he met up with his songwriting partner Guy Chambers he was on his way to a very successful solo career. The video clip for this song is a bit manic but the sentiment very appropriate. Let Me Entertain You was the fifth and final single from his debut solo album Life Thru a Lens. In March 1998, the track peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Television Drama

The next thing I’ve been blown away by (no pun intended) in this first week of the new year is SAS Rogue Heroes, again about real people. I’m not usually a fan of action films and dramas but this one is quite exceptional. We watched the first season a couple of years ago and the second season started on the BBC on New Year’s Day. It had to be binge-watched. I am no fan of war, but 80 years ago one was being waged across the continent of Europe, and it can’t be underestimated how big an influence the small newly formed regiment called the Special Air Service played in bringing that war to an end. The main character in this season was Major Paddy Mayne, a poetry-loving, slightly mad (you had to be) solicitor from Northern Ireland. His regiment didn’t play by the normal rules of engagement and having read up about the real-life man, he was only in his mid-20s at the time. Paddy was played by the actor Jack O’Connell and although it looks as if he overacts much of the time, I have a feeling the real man was probably just as eccentric.


The drama was created by Steven Knight who also created Peaky Blinders. If you enjoyed it you will probably enjoy SAS Rogue Heroes. There is black and white footage of the time interspersed between scenes, and throughout it all, the soundtrack uses urgent punk rock music which perfectly suits the drama taking place. I’ve researched the tracks used and they are listed below with a link to a clip. I’ve also added a video clip of the Cult’s 1985 single She Sells Sanctuary which appeared in one of the episodes.

Television Documentary

This one could be peculiar to me amongst my blogging circle but I really, really enjoyed the BBC documentary Sir Alex this week. Most people probably know of Sir Alex Ferguson from his time as manager of Manchester United where he achieved everything there is to achieve in football, but he cut his teeth at Aberdeen FC, and it coincided with my happiest time living in that city. Every time there is a documentary about Aberdeen’s amazing win against Real Madrid in the European Cup Winner’s Cup final, I have to watch it, as all the memories of that time come flooding back and I remember exactly what I was doing and who with. Some of those I’m still in touch with but others I’m not, which is sad, but what a time for the city.


I thought the doc was very clever in that it bounced back and forth throughout the years of Fergie’s career and I did learn quite a lot I didn’t already know. What I do know was that my Aberdeen flatmate taught his sons during his 8-year tenure there and we often had their homework strewn across our kitchen table. I also remember that the oil company I worked for had a Christmas night out in 1985 in one of the city’s nicer restaurants. As was my wont I recited a festive poem for all my colleagues and then we exchanged the joke presents we had bought for each other. We were being a bit bawdy to be sure and poor Fergie and his wife were sitting next to us trying to have a quiet dinner together. I don’t think our party poppers landed in his soup, but they came close.

Willie Miller holding the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983

A lot of the Aberdeen players were interviewed for the documentary (as he ended up taking a lot of them with him when he moved to Manchester – grrr) and right at the end of part 2, the final word came from “King” Kenny Dalgleish – he said that despite all his success with Manchester United, Fergie’s biggest achievement was winning a European Cup with a provincial Scottish club. Whatever the final judgement, I know it contributed to making Aberdeen a wonderful place to live in the early ’80s. It’s probably going to be my favourite documentary of the year.

Until next time…

Let Me Entertain You Lyrics
(Song by Robbie Williams/Guy Chambers)

Hell is gone and heaven’s here
There’s nothing left for you to fear
Shake your ass, come over here, now scream
I’m a burning effigy of everything I used to be
You’re my rock of empathy, my dear

So come on, let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Life’s too short for you to die
So grab yourself an alibi
Heaven knows your mother lied, mon cher
Separate your right from wrongs
Come and sing a different song
The kettle’s on, so don’t be long, mon cher

So come on, let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Look me up in the yellow pages
And I will be your rock of ages
You see through fads and your crazy phrases, yeah
Little Bo Peep has lost his sheep
He popped a pill and fell asleep
The dew is wet, but the grass is sweet, my dear

Your mind gets burned with the habits you’ve learned
But we’re the generation that’s got to be heard
You’re tired of your teachers and your school’s a drag
You’re not going to end up like your mum and dad

So come on, let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

He may be good, he may be out of sight
But he can’t be here, so come around tonight
Here is the place where the feeling grows
You gotta get high before you taste the lows
Come on

Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you (let me entertain you)
So come on, let me entertain you (let me entertain you)
Let me entertain you (let me entertain you)

Come on, come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on, come on

Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Barbra and Whitney: Two Ladies With Big, Big Voices

When I wrote about the death of Kris Kristofferson recently, I mentioned that I would seek out the film A Star Is Born to watch over the weekend. This of course was the 1976 version he starred in with Barbra Streisand, and sure enough, there it was on one of the many streaming platforms. I ended up having to pay for the privilege, which always galls me when we already pay for so many subscriptions, but when you’re looking for something specific it always seems to be the way. But I digress, did I enjoy it as much nearly 50 years after first watching it? I kind of did, but I think the more mature me has become a bit jaded, as the love story didn’t come across as epic as I remembered. I did appreciate Mr Kristofferson, however, and despite the passage of time, his character could easily be transplanted into a film made in 2024. Those rugged good looks never go out of style and as he seemed to be allergic to shirts, we did see a lot of his toned, tanned chest (if I’m allowed to say that nowadays). Sadly Ms Streisand’s bubble perm didn’t stand the test of time in the same way, nor her wardrobe, but her voice was exceptional, as ever.


I have long been a fan of the multi-talented Barbra Streisand who was the first performer to be awarded an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). She broke my heart playing Katie Morosky in The Way We Were (written about here) and I am in awe of her powerful singing voice. With Barbra you know she will always hit every note, and inject each song with raw emotion. Here is one of the songs she “reluctantly” performed in A Star Is Born. A slow burner that really picks up the pace as her character becomes more confident.

The Woman In The Moon by Barbra Streisand

Another lady who had a powerful voice, and always hit every note, was Whitney Houston. Funnily enough, I was reminded of her whilst searching for A Star Is Born on Netflix. I didn’t find it there but they throw up suggestions of a similar nature, and one of those suggestions was the Whitney biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody which I had gone to see at the cinema at the start of this year. I see it got mixed reviews, which figures, as there have already been a couple of documentary films on her life so we already knew her story. Having an actress play her in a film that sugar-coated much of the negative aspects seemed pointless to me and who wants to watch an actress sing her songs when there is still so much Whitney footage out there. The whole film was saved for me by the coda, where we see a flashback to the 1994 American Music Awards when Whitney sang a medley, suggested by her musical director. The medley was 10 minutes long and melded together: I Loves You, Porgy; And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going; and, I Have Nothing. It was a rousing performance and she was met with a standing ovation. I was similarly blown away by it.

I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston:


The final song in that medley, I Have Nothing, was written for Whitney’s film The Bodyguard by husband and wife team David Foster and Linda Thompson. Some of us will remember that Linda was in a relationship with Elvis Presley in the years before his death and, a bit of trivia here, she revealed in her memoir that the lyrics “Stay in my arms if you dare / Or must I imagine you there / Don’t walk away from me” were inspired by her time with The King.


So, “What’s It All About?” – Two ladies there with big, big voices and I have enjoyed, over the last week, revisiting some of their finest-ever performances. Barbra is still with us at age 82 but poor Whitney died young at the age of 48 after drowning in her bath ahead of the 2012 pre-Grammy Awards party. It didn’t come as a shock as she had become increasingly erratic in her behaviour due to drug use in the weeks and months ahead of her death, but, what a waste. Had she managed to conquer her demons she would probably still be with us today and like Barbra, continue to work until the grand old age of 82.

Until next time…  

I Have Nothing Lyrics
(Song by David Foster/Linda Thompson)

Share my life, take me for what I am
‘Cause I’ll never change all my colors for you
Take my love, I’ll never ask for too much
Just all that you are and everything that you do

I don’t really need to look very much further
I don’t wanna have to go where you don’t follow
I won’t hold it back again, this passion inside
Can’t run from myself, there’s nowhere to hide

But don’t make me close one more door
I don’t wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don’t walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don’t have you, you, you, you, you

You see through, right to the heart of me
You break down my walls with the strength of your love, mm
I never knew love like I’ve known it with you
Will a memory survive, one I can hold on to

I don’t really need to look very much further
I don’t wanna have to go where you don’t follow
I won’t hold it back again, this passion inside
I can’t run from myself, there’s nowhere to hide
Your love, I’ll remember forever

But don’t make me close one more door
I don’t wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don’t walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
Don’t make me close one more door
I don’t wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don’t walk away from me
Don’t walk away from me

Don’t you dare walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don’t have you, you
If I don’t have you, oh you

Another Bloggers Summit, The Delights of Newcastle and “Ain’t No Doubt”

After a particularly good trip away it sometimes takes a while to reacclimatise to normal life, and that’s how I’ve felt since last Thursday after returning from the latest meet-up with some of my fellow bloggers. It took myself and my good friend C (from Sun Dried Sparrows) some time to bite the bullet and show face in the real world, but I’m so glad we did as everyone we’ve met has been as nice as ninepence, and of course we all have this slightly niche hobby in common.

The Tyne Bridge – we were blessed with fine, sunny weather

This time the venue was Newcastle which is a city I’ve only ever fleetingly visited. It has a reputation for being a bit of a party town but arriving as we did on a Monday and leaving on a Thursday we missed out on all the “hen and stag” hullaballoo. John (from Are We There Yet?) is usually the one who finds the perfect pub to congregate in, and as ever he didn’t disappoint. The Crown Posada is apparently the second oldest pub in Newcastle and has great character. And so it came to pass that eight of us (five bloggers plus three partners) spent a couple of evenings catching up and putting the world to rights. As well as the bloggers mentioned above we were joined by CC (from Charity Chic Music) and for the first time at a bloggers’ summit, Ernie Goggins (from 27 Leggies). I think he was a bit nervous about being the newbie to the group but in no time at all this International Man of Mystery (he denies it!) was like an old hand, regaling tales of Sweet concerts and of his blog’s provenance.

But there is so much more to Newcastle than sitting around in pubs. Over the three days, accompanied by various sub-groups of bloggers, Mr WIAA and I visited: The Baltic Flour Mills (now a centre for contemporary art); Newcastle Castle (lots of spiral staircases and low doorways); Tynemouth on the Metro; The Biscuit Factory Art Gallery; three of the seven bridges across the River Tyne; and, the Life Science Centre. A sightseeing bus trip on the last day meant we caught up with all those places we weren’t able to get to on foot. It’s safe to say it was one of my favourite ever city breaks and a place I thoroughly recommend you visit (from Monday to Thursday!) if you haven’t ever been before.

There are a few obvious candidates for inclusion in a blog post celebrating the culture of Newcastle and I see they have already put in an appearance over at CC’s place. I think I will go left field therefore and remind myself of the song by that most Geordie of actors, Jimmy Nail. His storytelling song Ain’t No Doubt reached the No. 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart in the summer of ’92. Although I’m sure most of us remember Jimmy best from the television drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet this revival in his singing career was brought on after the success of the Newcastle-based drama Spender. I’ve never seen reruns of Spender but I seem to remember there were many shots of central Newcastle, and his flat overlooked the Tyne Bridge. Might be an idea to seek out an episode and look out for some of the now familiar landmarks.

Ain’t No Doubt by Jimmy Nail:


Although I have now met a fair few bloggers in real life, I am aware the majority of us use an alias and like to stay fairly anonymous, which is why I haven’t included any photos of the group that met up in Newcastle. There were many taken however, and on the BlogCon group chat they have been freely shared. If you are a bit like we were originally, and are wary about meeting people you’ve only ever communicated with in the comments boxes of their blogs, all I would say is this – life is short and sometimes you just have to bite the bullet like we did and go for it. These get-togethers with like-minded individuals have enhanced my life for sure, and I’m sure it would be the same for you.

Bob and Terry: The Likely Lads

Until next time…

Ain’t No Doubt Lyrics
(Song by Jimmy Nail/Guy Pratt/Charlie Dore/Danny Schogger)

She says, “It’s not you, it’s me
I need a little time, a little space
A place to find myself again, you know”
Oh yeah, I know a goodbye when I hear it
She smiles, but her heart’s already out there
Walking down the street

She says, “I don’t want nobody else, I love you”
She’s lying
“There won’t be somebody else, and that’s true”
She’s lying
“Say you’ll always be my friend, sweet darling”
Why does she pretend?

Ain’t no doubt, it’s plain to see
A woman like you’s no good for me
Your heart beating at another door
I’m a darned fool for to ask for more (ask for more, ask for more)

She says, “It’s like in a song, remember?
If you love somebody, set them free
Well, that’s how it is with me, but you know I’ll always come back”
And then she kisses me
And somewhere I hear a door slam, so I say, “Fine”
And just hope that I’m a better liar than she is

She says, “I don’t want nobody else, I love you”
She’s lying
“There won’t be somebody else, and that’s true”
She’s lying
“Say you’ll always be my friend, sweet darling”
Why does she pretend?

Ain’t no doubt, it’s plain to see
A woman like you’s no good for me
Your heart beating at another door
I’m a darned fool for to ask for more (ask for more, ask for more)

“I don’t want nobody else, I love you”
She’s lying
“There won’t be somebody else, and that’s true”
She’s lying
“Say you’ll always be my friend, sweet darling”
Why does she pretend?

Ain’t no doubt, it’s plain to see (I’m a fool)
A woman like you’s no good for me (no matter how hard I try)
Your heart beating at another door (beating, beating, beating, beating)
I’m a darned fool for to ask for more (ask for more, ask for more)
That’s what I am

A Wedding Unavoidably Missed, Elvis Presley and ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’

Last time I told the story of what’s been happening in my world over the last five months, when I’ve been absent from these pages. That’s been done now and glad I went there rather than leave it a mystery. What I didn’t say however was that my only child, a daughter known around here as DD, had planned her wedding for the beginning of October… and I missed it. It had been on the calendar for some time before I became unwell and the decision was made that it had to go ahead even if I was still in hospital come the day, which I was, and to be honest I was so ill at that time there was no way I could even have had “a pass” from the ward just to witness the ceremony.

What did happen on the wedding day however was that my support worker, who took me out for walks from the ward, managed to co-ordinate with my nephew to stream the ceremony live via his mobile phone. On the trial run everything worked fine, but once inside the very thick walled country house hotel where the wedding was to take place, that idea failed as we just couldn’t get a signal. What did happen however was that my lovely nephew filmed the entire ceremony then sent it across as a file via WhatsApp to Lindsay the support worker. And so it came to pass that 15 minutes after my daughter became a wife, I was sitting in a strange man’s car in a secluded spot overlooking our local duckpond watching it all on a bit of a battered smart phone. I was fine with it though as I knew I was too ill to attend and my outfit wouldn’t have fitted anyway as I had lost so much weight, so anything we could glean from the day was a bonus really. The humanist celebrant was excellent (should have been renamed a humourist as he was so entertaining and funny) and my daughter and other half smiled and laughed throughout the whole thing.


She had particularly wanted an autumn wedding as it’s her favourite time of the year. As a fair-skinned Scot like myself, who isn’t good with hot weather and blazing sunshine, she likes nothing more than to pack away her summer wardrobe and get the winter woollies and overcoats back into service. She loves the colours of autumn too and the wedding venue had been decorated with dried flower displays and around 40 pumpkins, some real, some ceramic! Everywhere you looked there was a pumpkin – at the end of the rows of chairs, at the entrance, and part of the table centrepieces. Everyone was encouraged to take a pumpkin home with them and most of the guests did, to their credit, although I doubt if many made soup or a pie with them. I have now seen the wedding video and most of the photos taken by the photographer so although I wasn’t there in person I almost feel as if I was. Not bitter at all about the timing. Couldn’t be helped. I felt bad at not having been able to help with the organisation, and I felt bad about seeing Mr WIAA sitting on his own in the front row during the ceremony, but most of all I felt proud of DD and the new Mr DD at having pulled it off despite having been distracted all summer with my illness.

But what is it I usually say at around this point? This is a music blog so where is the song. It’s an easy peasy choice, it’s the song that accompanied DD’s walk down the aisle on the arm of her dad, ready to meet her groom. The song they picked is one I have known for most of my life, but not the version they went for. Their version was by a singer called Haley Reinhart and it goes something like this:

Can’t Help Falling In Love by Haley Reinhart

As I said I am really familiar with this song because I was a big Elvis Presley fan in my youth and one of my favourite Elvis films is Blue Hawaii which is where the song first appeared. It used to be a ritual of mine to watch Blue Hawaii on Boxing Day as it gave me a bit of a pick-me-up watching Elvis sing and dance his way through warm and sunny locations whilst sitting here in cold and dreich Scotland. Over the last few years I’ve not kept up that tradition but maybe time to dust off the DVD and give it another whirl.

The song Can’t Help Falling in Love was written in 1961 and the melody was apparently based on Plaisir d’amour, a popular French love song composed in 1784. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with Him”, which explains the first and third line ending on “in” and “sin” rather than words rhyming with “you”. Whatever its provenance, it was a great choice for the wedding sung by a graduate of American Idol, Haley. But I can’t leave it there. Time for a bit of a compare and contrast. Here is my favourite version from Blue Hawaii when Elvis, who has returned home from the army to set up a tourism business with girlfriend Maile, sings the song at their lavish outdoor wedding.

Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley


While we’re in the business of comparing and contrasting, I can’t end this post without also sharing the version by reggae band UB40 who had a really big hit with it in 1993 after it was used in the film Sliver. The song climbed to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for seven weeks. It also topped the charts of 11 other countries, including Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK, where it spent two weeks at No. 1. Time to visit the video clip I think.

Can’t Help Falling In Love by UB40

Not much more to say really except to share another picture of the happy couple outside their wedding venue just as a touch of drizzle was falling. Made for a very atmospheric shot. Also, I have just seen the clock, and in less than three hours we are going to be heading into 2024. It’s been a year of highs and lows for us as a family, the high being DD getting married but the low being my illness and how it affected us all. Happy New Year for when it comes – see you on the other side.


Until next time…

Can’t Help Falling In Love Lyrics
(Song by  Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George David Weiss)

Wise men say
Only fools, only fools rush in
Oh, but I, but I, I can’t help falling in love with you

Shall I stay?
Would it be, would it be a sin?
If I can’t help falling in love with you

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things, you know, are meant to be

Take my hand
Take my whole life too
For I can”t help falling in love with you
For I can”t help falling in love with you

St Patrick’s Day, Red Nose Day and an Irish Band Trigger Warning

I’m going to be really controversial around here today but here we go.

It’s been obvious since joining the music blogging community that there are some artists and bands best avoided if you don’t want negative comments coming your way. Yesterday however, because it was St Patrick’s Day, I thought it might be interesting to finally get to grips with why “That Irish Band” attracts such vitriol from so many quarters.

Is it because of Bono’s glasses?

Is it because they became the biggest band in the world?

Is it because Bono (to quote Noel Gallagher) is a “Do-Gooder”?

Is it because they dropped their album into our iTunes libraries uninvited? (One we couldn’t then delete.)

Is it because their guitarist is called The Edge (and apparently isn’t very skilled)?

Is it because they’ve become billionaires but harp on about poverty?

Is it because they harp on about poverty but use tax avoidance schemes?

U2 in 2017

Hmm…, now that I’ve made that list it does make for a compelling argument as to why they attract so much, well…, hate.

Hate though. It’s a strong word and one I try never to use as it can’t be healthy to subject yourself to that kind of emotion. Let’s see if I can come up with any reasons to cut them some slack, as I worry about anyone who gets so hot under the collar about a bunch of musicians.

First of all, the easy ones. Bono has glaucoma so has to wear the glasses, but yes, I do think he likes the look a bit too much, what with the Gucci frames an’ all. But…, he’s a rock star, and just the kind of thing rock stars would wear if they had to. As for their silly names, I don’t know about where you come from but during my schooldays most groups of lads got silly nicknames, and many of them have stuck right into adulthood. Bon(i)o also being the name of a dog food hasn’t helped of course, and The Edge doesn’t sound as if he has ever been the edgiest guitarist, but too late to change their handles now I suppose. Possible to cut them some slack?

I was one of the victims of the Songs Of Innocence iTunes drop, as was my 80-year-old father-in-law who had just acquired his first Apple device (and who only listened to classical music). We didn’t want it but there didn’t seem to be any way of deleting it – annoying if you set your listening device to shuffle. It seems everyone involved now realises this was a bad plan – like giving you a free pint of milk but not just putting it on the doorstep but coming into your house and pouring it on your cereal, even if you were lactose intolerant. The upshot is the iTunes people had to develop a means of deleting such freebie downloads (and for the first time in years I’ve tried it and found it successful – farewell Sounds Of Innocence) but who amongst us hasn’t made an error of judgement along the way, or a major boo boo with technology? Sending an email to All-Users instead of the one person it was meant for, or accidentally letting a virus into your work computer network that creates all sorts of havoc (I can tick both those boxes). Possible to cut them some slack?

Cover of album we were ‘gifted’ whether we wanted it or not!

Are U2 the biggest band in the world right now? Not sure, but because they just keep on touring, they must be up there. As a nation we like it when bands stay small, niche and stick to the music, but if you set out to become the biggest band in the world and manage to achieve that feat (especially coming from a small country of only 5 million people), surely there should be some kudos. Possible to cut them some slack?

Now for the big one – the political activism and philanthropy. It seems as well as not liking bands to get too successful, we also don’t like them to refashion themselves as the next Messiah, which Bono kind of has. We don’t mind our rock and pop stars doing good (it was only after George Michael’s death that we found out how much good he did over the years) we just don’t want them to make a song and dance about it, especially if they are billionaires who engage in tax avoidance schemes. It was Red Nose Day yesterday and of course Mr Bono popped up on screen at one point encouraging us all, during a cost of living crisis, to part with some of our hard-earned cash. As ever I did, but it wasn’t lost on me that had he parted with 5% of his monthly income, as I did, there would no longer be any need for such charity fundraising events, but maybe I’m missing the point. Is it ever right to “hate” someone for being a Do-Gooder though? Maybe it would be better to quietly get on with things behind the scenes but not for everyone apparently. Possible to cut them some slack?

I don’t think I’m going to change anyone’s opinion of the band but maybe we should be more like my blogging buddy Rich (who is revisiting his favourite albums of 1983 at the moment), who “tries not to let artists’ personal stuff interfere with his enjoyment of their work” (his words). He wrote about their album War recently and it made me revisit some of their output from that time – rousing stuff indeed. Here is Sunday Bloody Sunday from their set which took place on that very hot sunny day at Wembley in 1985. Hindsight is a great thing, and we should probably have known from this performance what was to come from Mr Bono, but back then, their set was one of the ones I enjoyed most (not so sure about his high-heeled boots though).

Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2:


But if you have innocently dropped by and now been traumatised by what you have just read, watched and listened to, here is something to cleanse the palate. As I said it was St Patrick’s Day yesterday, but it was also Red Nose Day. On the live show it was a no-brainer that they would have an Irish group perform, but you’re quite safe, it was another one! I heard them earlier that day on the radio and here they were again on my telly screen. I give you those girls from Dublin who popped up on all of DD’s pop compilation albums when she was a wee tot, B*Witched, with Blame It On The Weatherman.

Blame It On The Weatherman by B*Witched:


Until next time…

Sunday Bloody Sunday Lyrics
(Song by Dave Evans/Paul David Hewson/Adam Clayton/Larry Mullen)

I can’t believe the news today
Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away

How long? How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
‘Cause tonight, we can be as one tonight

Broken bottles under children’s feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won’t heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Alright, let’s go

And the battle’s just begun
There’s many lost, but tell me, who has won?
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

How long? How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
‘Cause tonight, we can be as one tonight

Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Tonight, tonight)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Tonight, tonight)
Come get some

Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away

Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Oh, wipe your bloodshot eyes)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, oh
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, oh
Yeah, let’s go

And it’s true, we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today, the millions cry (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
We eat and drink while tomorrow, they die (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
The real battle just begun (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
To claim the victory Jesus won (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
On—

Sunday, Bloody Sunday, yeah, yeah
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Thanks Burt, for the Memories, and for Creating Your Unique “Sound” – RIP Mr Bacharach

Author: Alyson

Whenever I hear an old song on the radio, I am immediately transported back to those days. I know I’m not alone here and want to record those memories for myself and for the people in them. 57 years ago, the song “Alfie” was written by my favourite songwriting team, Bacharach and David. The opening line to that song was, “What’s it all about?” and I’m hoping by writing this blog, I might find the answer to that question.

Well, it doesn’t get much closer to home than this one. If you ever scroll down through one of my blog posts to reach the comments boxes, the words above are what you will read. Each post is attributed to the author (only me around here), and the blog’s short mission statement is attached. To be honest the blog didn’t start out as What’s It All About? – the domain name I originally bagged was for one called the Jukebox Time Machine. After a very short space of time however I found myself continually returning to the late 1960s, and specifically to the songs of Burt Bacharach, so a change came about. I heard the news of his passing last night before going to bed and of course this morning the radio stations were awash with songs from his vast back catalogue, songs that have been shared around here many times. Burt even has his very own category on my sidebar, and only George Michael has been written about more often.

My prized CD boxset containing 60 of Burt’s songs

But of course unlike George Michael, Burt Bacharach didn’t actually sing the songs or write the lyrics for them, so how is it that we all know his name and can so readily recognise the songs attributed to him? Because he came up with something known as the “Bacharach Sound”. Though his style was sometimes called easy listening, he wasn’t particularly keen on that label. It might have been easy on the ears, but it was anything but easy to come up with. The precise arrangements, the shifts in meter, the varied selection of instruments used, and fitting the lyrics to all the notes, proved challenging to singers and musicians, BUT, what a sound. When I listen to a Bacharach song it’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket of mellifluous sound. Think Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, Julie London , BJ Thomas and Christopher Cross. Yes, there are times when we want to listen to something more rousing or difficult but few things give me more joy than having a Burt Bacharach song pop up unexpectedly on the radio or on a film soundtrack.

The links above are to previous posts so I won’t share those songs again. I will however share the very first song from my CD boxset, which was also the first hit song Burt wrote with Hal David. The Story Of My Life, recorded by Michael Holliday, reached the No. 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart in 1958. The song that replaced it at the top spot was Perry Como’s Magic Moments, also written by Bacharach and David, the first time there were consecutive No. 1s by the same songwriter/s on the British chart. They were on a roll.

The Story Of My Life by Michael Holliday:


I’ve always thought the title of this song is very relevant to this blog, as in a roundabout way I have told the story of my life whilst journeying back through “the tracks of my years”, sharing the memories. Very few of us live high octane lives full of adventure and momentous happenings, but each of us has our own story to tell (if we are so inclined) and whenever I share Burt’s songs I am reminded of my childhood growing up as part of a small but loving family in rural Scotland. I am reminded of: my dad making us laugh with his impressions of Gene Pitney; watching the Cilla show on a Saturday night when she sang the song Alfie; and, experiencing the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when it first aired on television, but having to run and hide in the pantry after feeling embarrassed about crying so much over the ending. All of these memories feature the songs of Burt Bacharach.

Another song that hasn’t been shared around here before is Don’t Make Me Over, the first of many Bacharach and David songs recorded by Dionne Warwick. It was the lead single from her debut album and its success led to the formation of one of the most successful musical pairings in popular music history. One of the backing singers on the record was Dionne’s aunt, Cissy Houston, who was pregnant with her youngest child, Whitney Houston!

Don’t Make Me Over by Tommy Hunt:


I think I’ll finish with two versions of I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, the first version by Deacon Blue was filmed in our local theatre, a place I know really well, as part of a week long set of concerts by Scottish artists for the BBC. Deacon Blue opted for a slower arrangement and the song was released in 1990 as part of a four-song EP called, understandably, Four Bacharach & David Songs. I love Deacon Blue as they wrote some wonderful and memorable songs, but it was this one by Burt that gave them their biggest hit in the UK. For the music clip I’ve shared the Bobbie Gentry version from 1969, when she reached the top spot on the UK Singles Chart. As a child I liked the line about the germs you’d get from kissing a boy (eugh), but I also liked her really big hair (although I think there must have been a bit of trickery going on up there). 

I’ll Never Fall In Love Again by Bobbie Gentry:


So, a bit of a tribute post, but this time no sadness, just a celebration of the life of a man who made it to the grand old age of 94 – a man who will be remembered as one the most important and influential figures of 20th century popular music.

Oh, and for the record, I watched a Special once where Burt was asked the question, “What’s It All About?”. He said, as per the song Alfie, it was love… Listening to all these wonderful songs, that seems about right. Here’s to love, and RIP Burt Bacharach.

Burt Bacharach 1928 to 2023

Until next time…

I’ll Never Fall In Love Again Lyrics
(Song by Burt Bacharach/Hal David)

What do you get when you fall in love?
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
That’s what you get for all your trouble
I’ll never fall in love again
I’ll never fall in love again

What do you get when you kiss a guy?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
After you do, he’ll never phone you
I’ll never fall in love again
I’ll never fall in love again

Don’t tell me what it’s all about
‘Cause I’ve been there and I’m glad I’m out
Out of those chains, those chains that bind you
That is why I’m here to remind you

(What do you get when you give your heart?
You get it all broken up and battered
That’s what you get, a heart that’s shattered
I’ll never fall in love again
Oh, I’ll never fall in love again)

(What do you get when you fall in love?
You get enough tears to fill an ocean
That’s what you get for your devotion
I’ll never fall in love again
I’ll never fall in love again)

What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
So, for at least until tomorrow
I’ll never fall in love again
I’ll never fall in love

Months Of The Year In Song: January, A Time Of New Beginnings

At last I find myself writing about a month whose name isn’t derived from a Latin number. That would be because we have moved on from the Roman calendar to the Julian and Gregorian ones. The ‘unorganised winter’ period became ‘organised’ and the months of January and February were added to the calendar so that it covered a standard lunar year of 354 days (a slight flaw there but in time it was adjusted for). The month of January is named after Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology. Sounds about right.

A statue of the god Janus

Here in Scotland, which is in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the coldest month of the year, and true to form it has been very parky around here of late. A bit of a disaster in a year when our heating bills are sky-rocketing. Conversely, for all you lucky people in the Southern Hemisphere, it is your warmest month.

The actress January Jones – much prettier than Janus

As for songs relating to the month, I ended up with a few more suggestions than I expected, so let’s crack on with them. Before I start here are a few words from C of Sun Dried Sparrows fame:

“I have a slight case (is that the right word?!) of synaesthesia, and see the months (along with days of the week and letters of the alphabet) as colours. January is a colour that I can’t even describe, kind of grey but also purple.”

I hear you C, and although the colours in my head are not quite as vivid as the ones you possibly see, that grey/purple hue sounds about right, just as orange was apt for the month of October.

Just about everyone suggested the song January by Pilot for this edition of the series but I’m going to leave it for last, as it would have been my suggestion too. Other contributions came in first of all from Ernie Goggins, who put forward January Song by Lindisfarne. I see that song is from the album Fog On The Tyne which has been written about here before when I shared photos of my late father-in-law, who also came from Newcastle. The band really were at the top of their game back in 1971 when this beautiful song was recorded.


The next set of suggestions came in from Khayem and here are his own words:

“First up is Dave Goulder from 1970 with his song January Man, covered by the likes of Bert Jansch, Christy Moore and Martin Carthy. I’ve just got one, a rather fine version by Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, link here. Also, Nick Heyward eschewed folk for frenetic acoustic pop with his same-name-song in 1993.”

Two very different styles of song there and as I said in my reply to him last month, I was a big fan of the very cute Nick Heyward back in the day, so lovely to hear something from him that was new to me.  


The next contribution was from Rol:

“Very late to this, so I’ll keep it brief. I had a few suggestions, but I’ve narrowed it down to just one, The Decemberists with January Hymn.“


Another beautiful folksy song and a great clip made up of footage from a harsh 1960s winter it seems (check out the person at 1:38 – very funny). Thanks Rol.

The final suggestion was from The Swede, who thought he might be too late, but because of my tardiness he wasn’t!

“I hope I’m not too late to offer a January song suggestion. Khayem beat me to it with my first thought of January Man, so I’ll head off in a 1960s psych/prog direction with The Doorway to January, an instrumental piece by Mandrake Paddle Steamer, a band formed in my home town of Walthamstow in 1967.”

Crikey TS, it seems the Summer of Love came to Walthamstow after all, but being only aged seven I imagine you missed out. Very psychedelic as you say.


But here is the song that immediately sprang to mind for many of us of a certain vintage, January by the Scottish band Pilot. Written by lead singer David Paton and produced by Alan Parsons (he of The Project fame and Dr Evil’s scientist) the song was their sole No. 1 hit, reaching the top spot this exact week back in 1975, where it stayed for three weeks.

January by Pilot:


The song, however, was not about the month but about a girl named January, the name taken from a female protagonist in a book that David Paton’s wife was reading at the time. It’s obvious now of course but I’m not sure if it clicked back in the day, it becoming a big hit for them at this time of year.

Before I go I want to share a discovery just made this morning. I was only 14 when Pilot appeared on TOTP with their song. A few months later an artist called Andy Fairweather Lowe also appeared on TOTP, as he had a hit with the song Wide Eyed and Legless. Until today I always thought the lead singer of Pilot and Andy were the same guy, who had now gone solo – separated at birth or what? I feel really silly now, but hey, I was young and had no access to any of the info we have at our disposal nowadays.

Andy on the left and David on the right

Next month will be February, so any song suggestions will be gratefully received as ever. The worst of the winter will be past by then hopefully, and our thermostats will return to more economically manageable settings. Lighter nights too, or rather lighter afternoons, which is always a good sign.

Until next time…

January Lyrics
(Song by David Paton)

January
Sick and tired, you’ve been hanging on me
You make me sad with your eyes
You’re telling me lies
Don’t go, don’t go

January
Don’t be cold, don’t be angry to me
You make me sad, come and see
Oh, January
Don’t go, don’t go

Life gets me higher (Higher)
I can show, I can glow
I can wake up the world, little world
Gotta know you, gotta show you

Sun, like a fire (Fire)
Carry on, don’t be gone
Bring me out of my home sweet home
Gotta know me, gotta show me
You’ve been facing the world
You’ve been chasing the world

January
Sick and tired, you’ve been hanging on me
You make me sad with your eyes
You’re telling me lies
Don’t go, don’t go

January
Don’t be cold, don’t be angry to me
You make me sad, come and see
Oh, January
Don’t go, don’t go

Time, it’s a flier (Flier)
Sunny day, fly away
English summers are gone, so long
Gotta go up, gotta blow up

Sun, like a fire (Fire)
Carry on, don’t be gone
Bring me out of my home sweet home
Gotta know me, gotta show me
You’ve been facing the world
You’ve been chasing the world

January
Sick and tired, you’ve been hanging on me
You make me sad with your eyes
You’re telling me lies
Don’t go, don’t go

January
Don’t be cold, don’t be angry to me
You make me sad, come and see
Oh, January
Don’t go, don’t go


Postscript:

Some of the other people who have been suggested also look like David Paton. I’ll leave you to be the judge.

Months of the Year in Song: December Departed

Yet again I’m up against a deadline, sneaking the latest edition of this series into the tail end of the month, and what a month it’s been. I had fully expected this edition to be a really festive one, full of jollity and Christmas songs, but for me, December 2022 has been memorable for the sheer number of deaths there have been both in the world of celebrity and closer to home.

The latest tally ‘closer to home’ is now seven deaths since the start of the month. None of them family or really close friends, but people I knew through their offspring, through work, or from my neighbourhood. Out there in the wider world the obituaries just keep on coming. Last night we heard of the death of Vivienne Westwood (would punk have happened in quite the same way without her?), and yesterday we also lost Pele, whose playing style probably gave football the moniker, ‘the beautiful game’. On Christmas Eve we lost Maxi Jazz, lead vocalist of British electronic band Faithless. To be honest, until reading a comment about him on another blog just before his death, I wouldn’t have known his name, but there can’t be many of us who weren’t aware of him. Such a striking man whose struggle with Insomnia gave us the dance track that even those of us who missed the Ibiza boat knew well. I’ve already written tributes for Christine McVie and Terry Hall this month, but we’ve also lost Jet Black of the Stranglers, and many others from the world of music and entertainment.

In clockwise direction: Vivienne Westwood and pals, Christine McVie, Terry Hall, Maxi Jazz, Jet Black

Insomnia by Faithless:


But this is supposed to be a post full of December songs and appropriately I’m going to kick things off with George Michael, who himself died on Christmas Day, 2016. That year had been incredibly cruel for losses but his death was the one that hit me hardest as his music had accompanied me throughout my entire adult life up until that point. I’ve shared his December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas) around here before, but no reason not to share it again.

December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas) by George Michael:


It always seems a bit odd listening to Christmas songs after the 25th so apologies for the timing of this post. Hope everyone who visits this place had a good time over the peak festive period, but I am also aware it can be a tough time for many. For the second year in a row we went out for Christmas lunch as it seemed high time that DD and the new fiancé gave it a bash. I can report back that everything went really well and I think she got a lot less stressed than I usually do when juggling so many dishes at the same time. When we got back home in the evening though it was just the two of us, so very different from the years when we had our own parents, Mr WIAA’s siblings and DD to entertain. Just the place we’ve reached on the conveyor belt of life I suppose.

DD’s Christmas table complete with fancy napkins!

Before I get on with the song suggestions, here is the bit of trivia I found really interesting back in September, but now find a bit boring and repetitive. Yes, yet again the month of December is named after a Latin number, this time ten, or decem, all because the Roman calendar used to have 10 months with a gap for an ‘unorganised winter’. Phew, think we’re done with all that now, so it should get a bit more interesting once we head into a new calendar year.

The first suggestion last time came in from Rick who thought the line, ‘I wanted to assassinate Christmas’, in the Teenage Fanclub song, December, was a really good one. First time this Scottish band has put in an appearance around here, so thanks Rick, and yes, a sentiment many of us probably agree with.


Our next pick came from Ernie Goggins who suggested Merle Haggard’s song, If We Make It Through December. Listening to the lyrics I can’t help thinking there must be many, many families out there thinking exactly the same thing this year. Sadly, the way things are going, I don’t think there will be much respite in January, or February, and the current incumbent at No. 10 is not going to offer up any easy fixes. But thanks Ernie, a new song for me, and I do like Merle’s voice despite the sad lyrics.

Got laid off down at the factory
And their timing’s not the greatest in the world
Heaven knows I been workin’ hard
Wanted Christmas to be right for daddy’s girl

I don’t mean to hate December
It’s meant to be the happy time of year
And my little girl don’t understand
Why daddy can’t afford no Christmas here


Next up we have a suggestion from Khayem who for the second time in this series came up with something from the band The The (I think he must be a big fan). Here are his own words:

‘Unsurprisingly, lots and lots of December songs out there, so I’m just going to stick with one, although it’s been re-recorded and covered several times over. It’s DecemberSunlight (no spacing) by The The. The original version appeared on the 2000 album NakedSelf.’

Thanks Khayem, and anyone who wants to investigate some of the many covers can find them in last month’s comments boxes (link here).


Rol promised to be kind this time, with fewer suggestions to drown me with. As it turns out, a couple of the songs he mentioned, I would have included myself anyway. First of all, I can’t write a December themed post without including this song from the Four Seasons. I always used to think it was simply called, Oh What a Night, but the official title is December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night). This time the lead vocals came from drummer Gerry Polci, with Frankie Valli just singing the bridge sections and backing vocals. Whenever I hear this song I am transported back to 1975 when our newly minted community centre was the focal point for teenage social life (no iPhones in those days). Most of our year at school headed along every Saturday night for the ‘disco’, where the decks were manned by some of our enterprising classmates. Fun times played out to songs like this one, and as I’ve said around here before, I think the Four Seasons provided the backdrop to my first kiss!

December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) by the Four Seasons:


Another of Rol’s suggestions was this one, December, by Count Basie & the Mills Brothers. The Mills Brothers, originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies. They were active from 1928 to 1980 and were the first African-American artists to have their own show on national network radio in the US.

December by The Mills Brothers:


I am reminded of a Christmas several years ago when our blogging buddy Jez used to ask for suggestions for his very entertaining feature, The Chain. I’m not sure how it came about but I remember offering up this Mills Brothers song back then as I had it in my library, and no suggestions were ever rejected. As it turns out Jez isn’t very well at the moment, so if he reads this, we’re all wishing you well and hope you can get back to the important business of blogging soon. No pressure though, health comes first an’ all that.

A suggestion now from C of Sun Dried Sparrows fame. Here are her own words:

‘The first song that springs to mind for me is My<Dsmbr by Linkin’ Park featuring Kelli Ali – I know, you’d have thought they could have spelt it correctly, will it be disqualified on the grounds of having no vowels? I’m no Linkin’ Park fan usually, but I like Kelli Ali for her time with Sneaker Pimps and creator of some great solo material and there’s just something about this song that seems to fit the mood of the month.’

No, won’t be disqualified C, so lets give it a listen. Yes, I do hear what you say about it fitting the mood of the month. Thanks for this one.


This next song was alluded to by Rol, but it was left to Rigid Digit to come out and suggest it properly. December Will Be Magic Again, by Kate Bush from 1980. Kate, who now lives quietly in an English village, became the artist de jour this last summer after her 1985 song Running Up That Hill was used for an important scene in the hit television drama Stranger Things. After 37 years it finally made it to the top spot on the UK Singles Chart, Kate’s first No. 1 since Wuthering Heights in 1978. For some reason her Christmas song is not one of the staples you hear on the radio much nowadays, which is a great shame, as classic Kate Bush.


The final song for this post comes from our blogging pal The Swede, who has been conspicuous by his absence this festive period. I suspect he might be too jiggered for blogging after long shifts keeping the nation fed, but hopefully all is well with him. Here are his own words:

‘My suggestion for the next instalment in this series is Fred Neil’s cover of December’s Dream, a song that unfathomably remained unreleased in his lifetime. Fred’s voice can reduce me to a blubbering wreck at the best of times, but here he just about finishes me off. The original version of the song by John Braheny is also excellent.’

Crikey TS, I see what you mean about that song, it’s got me reduced to a blubbering wreck too. A new artist and song for me, but what a beautiful and pure voice he has. Thank you for that suggestion.


Right, that’s definitely your lot for this month, and for the 2022 segment of this series. The next edition will come out before the end of January so yet again I would be most grateful for any of your song suggestions for that month (but please be sparing as these posts take a lot out of a person – I was warned!).

It’s going to be a quiet Hogmanay for us this year as there has been a radical change in our neighbourhood over the last few years meaning that the people we used to party with have either moved away, suffered illness or sadly passed away. On a positive note, I went to visit my mum in her care home earlier today and despite many of them having come down with flu, she was in good spirits and sporting a hat made out of balloons in the shape of a reindeer. (They’d had a magician in to entertain.) The mum I used to know would never have contemplated wearing a balloon hat, but the mum I now have is much more fun-loving and up for anything, so a bit of a blessing really.

Whatever you do for Hogmanay, whether it be watching a firework display, heading off to a party, or cosying up in front of the telly, I hope you have a good one.

Until next time…

December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) Lyrics
(Song by Bob Gaudio/Judy Parker)

Oh, what a night
Late December, back in ’63
What a very special time for me
As I remember, what a night

Oh, what a night
You know, I didn’t even know her name
But I was never gonna be the same
What a lady, what a night

Oh, I, I got a funny feeling
When she walked in the room
And my, as I recall
It ended much too soon

(Oh, what a night)
Hypnotizing, mesmerisin’ me
She was everything I dreamed she’d be
Sweet surrender, what a night

And I felt a rush
Like a rolling bolt of thunder
Spinning my head around
And takin’ my body under
(Oh, what a night)

Oh, I got a funny feeling
When she walked in the room
And my, as I recall
It ended much too soon

(Oh, what a night)
Why’d it take so long to see the light?
Seemed so wrong, but now it seems so right
What a lady, what a night

Oh, I felt a rush
Like a rolling bolt of thunder
Spinning my head around
And takin’ my body under

(Oh, what a night)
Do do do, do do, do do do do
(Oh, what a night)
Do do do, do do, do do do do
(Oh, what a night)
Do do do, do do, do do do do
(Oh, what a night)
Do do do, do do, do do do do...