Category: Songwriters

More Festivals, More Castles and The End Of The Monoculture

I’ve had the busiest of summers, the busiest since starting this blog but as of now I have four straight weeks at home until the next big adventure. Looking forward to it as I do like my usual routine and it has been supremely compromised of late, in a good way of course.

Last time I wrote about my first trip to a music festival, held on a farm. This week I went to the biggest arts festival in the world, held right in the centre of our capital city, Edinburgh. We’ve now done this three years in a row – headed down early in the morning, met our friends, had a nice lunch, taken in two shows and a few street performances, then headed home in the evening. To stay over in Edinburgh during the festival is nigh impossible nowadays due to the high cost of accommodation and the fact it’s booked up years in advance. Shame for all the performers as they are now being priced out of coming, and have to bunk up with many others or worse still camp, but Edinburgh is often where they start out and a good run there could lead to great things down the line. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has given many stars their big break, including Alan Rickman, Richard Gadd, Steve Coogan (debuting Alan Partridge), Phoebe Waller Bridge (Fleabag) and Lee Mack.

Audience participation on Victoria Street

The first show we went to see was called CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation where the cast have to make everything up on the spot based on suggestions from the audience. They have to be quick-thinking indeed, and we do eventually end up with a killer, but every show is different so it must be fairly exhausting to perform. The second show was by a satirical comedian called, Michael Spicer. I hadn’t heard of him before although he seems to have won many awards for his video series, The Room Next Door. Very funny indeed and of all the shows we’ve seen over the last three years I decided his was the one I enjoyed the most.

Michael Spicer

As for the castle I visited this week, it was the one that starred in the first season of the hit television drama Outlander, which I’ve written about here several times (there is even a category for it on my sidebar). I go for a walk every Friday with my lovely friend Eve, and every summer we have a bit of a jolly and do something touristy in our own back yard. Castle Leod is only about 15 miles from home and not often open to the public, so this week we grabbed the chance to visit, when it did just that.


Although the castle was the setting for the Outlander scenes featuring the Clan MacKenzie, for logistical purposes it seems the filming took place elsewhere, but if you’ve watched the series you’ll know how it all fits in to the drama. You’ll also know that the theme song makes use of the music to the Skye Boat Song, which was given a 21st century makeover by Bear McCreary. The lyrics, taken from the Robert Louis Stevenson poem, Sing Me a Song of a Lad That Is Gone, were adapted to fit the storyline and are performed by Raya Yarbrough. Outlander has developed a cult following and no doubt many visitors to the castle are fans. It’s an unusual wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, historical-romance drama where the female lead, an Irishwoman, plays a very convincing Englishwoman and the male lead, a Scotsman, plays a very unconvincing Scotsman (sorry Sam, but it seems your natural Scottish accent was just a bit too soft and formal for playing an 18th century Jacobite).

Castle Leod in Ross-shire

As ever I get side-tracked by what I’ve been up to since last week, but I do have a very music-centred topic I want to discuss this time. If you follow this blog you will know that I’ve started following the UK Singles Chart again after many years of abstinence, as I had lost track of who all the runners and riders were. I’m now much more informed about the current crop of successful artists (in terms of sales/downloads/streams) so this year I promised to update you all on who was at the No. 1 spot whenever it changed, as I know few people of my vintage follow such things nowadays.

Little did I know back in January that 2026 would prove to be a most unusual year with the song currently at the No. 1 spot having now been there for a record-breaking 21 weeks. First it broke the 15 week record set by Wet, Wet, Wet back in 1994, then the 16 week record set by Bryan Adams in 1991 and finally the 18 week record set by Frankie Laine way back in 1953, when the chart was still in its infancy. I’m talking of course about Rein Me In, the song by Sam Fender, recorded as a collaboration with Olivia Dean last year. I’ve shared it around here before but I probably need to share it again, in case you don’t know it.

Rein Me In by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean:


I read an interesting article this week about how it would have been inconceivable back in the days of Top Of The Pops, that so many people in the UK seem not to have ever heard this record-breaking song (see the comments on the YouTube version of the clip). The “Monoculture”, defined as the concept of a shared cultural experience among the masses, through listening to the same songs on the radio, watching the same films or television channels, seems to have ended in the early 21st century, due to the rise of streaming media and the fracturing of popular culture. I know we were all talking about Debbie Harry the next day at school after seeing her on TOTP in 1978, and then there was the whole frenzy over who shot JR, on Dallas in 1980.


I think that’s why I like writing this blog, as by revisiting the tracks of my years (predominantly songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s), I know there are a lot of people out there of my age who will have very similar memories of those times. When I still went to work every day, I enjoyed comparing notes with people about what they’d watched on telly the night before, but latterly it was really hard to find someone who had watched the same thing at the same time. Nowadays, DD rarely even goes into the office, choosing to work from home instead so even less opportunity for that shared experience. Yes, we have so much more choice nowadays and so many songs instantly at our disposal but I do miss the days of less choice and a more unifying experience.

Until next time…

Rein Me In Lyrics
(Song by Sam Fender)

I let go of everythin’ I ever had
‘Cause I couldn’t give the love you deserved
By The Gunner, you shouted, “Oh, my God”
It seemed churlish, but it’s what I was owed, I suppose

Every flagstone of this town bears our prints
And all the bars ’round here serve my ghosts and carcasses
I wish I knew these things when I was young
‘Cause now I’ve just gone so numb

We take whatever we can to get the reason back
So, please, don’t rein me in
Don’t rein me in
Please, don’t rein me in

I’m workin’ myself up to a nice, warm bliss
All my memories of you ring like tinnitus
If I stop, it’s just pain
Please, don’t rein me in

There’s nothin’ brave in walkin’ alone
Love in exile has nowhere to go, so come on home
Mm-mm, don’t run away from my tenderness
You’re so afraid of that heart inside of your chest

We were doin’ so well, but you were scared to be held
Took the easiest way out
I see the tears of a man too proud to reach for a hand
Oh, let my love keep you safe now

So, please don’t
Don’t rein me in
Please, don’t rein me in

Now I’m working myself up to a nice, warm bliss
All my memories of you ring like tinnitus
If I stop, it’s just pain
Please, don’t rein me in

And I’m, I’m stood here chewin’ everyone’s lugs off
Telling everybody how much I – it up
Telling everybody how much I – it up
Telling everybody but you, how much I – it up

Slow down (don’t rein me in)
Slow down (don’t rein me in)
Don’t

And I’m workin’ myself up to a nice, warm bliss
All my memories of you ring like tinnitus
If I stop, it’s just pain
Please, don’t rein me in

Now I’m workin’ myself up to a nice, warm bliss (workin’ myself)
All my memories of you ring like tinnitus (my memories of you)
If I stop, it’s just pain
Please, don’t rein me in

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.

Crathes Castle
Craigievar Castle
Drum Castle
The entrance to Falkland Palace


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

An “Alfie” Anniversary, Blog Names and Cher Turns 80!

Well, despite you all having experienced a heatwave down south this week, we in the far north have had much more manageable temperatures to deal with for which I’m grateful. I did however look out a summer dress for one of our sunny days, which was nice, but it seems rain is now forecast for the foreseeable, which is a bit disappointing as I’m getting myself ready for another meet up with some blogging buddies, this time in Leeds. I will no doubt share some photos next weekend.


But before I do that I want to share with you a snippet of info I stumbled upon recently. It was apparently 60 years ago this week, that the film Alfie had its general release in the UK. Over ten years later, I’m not entirely sure why I chose the opening line from the song Alfie for the title of this blog – I have always liked the work of Burt Bacharach, especially the songs he created with lyricist Hal David, but there must have been more to it than that.


We all have little family phrases that come out in certain situations and if we are pondering something quite difficult in our house, we invariably say, “What’s it all about?” quickly followed by the word, “Alfie”. Our phrases are usually music led, so if the fridge has a few leftovers we say, “We better use it up,” followed by, “and wear it out.” (From the Odyssey song.) If any of us say, “Well, well…,” it’s immediately followed by, “said the rocking chair.” (A Dean Friedman album.) You get the jist. So, I started off calling this blog, “What’s It All About, Alfie?” but then dropped the Alfie after rewatching the film, as Michael Caine’s character hasn’t aged well and I didn’t want this blog associated with him. To be fair, the character Alfie was thoroughly unlikeable back in 1966, but I didn’t really pick up on that so much when I first watched the film, I was more interested in seeing what London was like back in the Swinging 60s.


But anyway, I have written about the song a few times around here, and found out a lot about it. Burt wasn’t all that keen on making the theme song after watching the film, but he thought it should be lyric led, so sent a copy of the film to his writing partner Hal David over on the East Coast. Hal came up with a beautiful set of lyrics that summed up the behaviour of the self-centred character Alfie, and how without true love we merely exist (spoiler alert – he finds that out for himself in the end).

Cilla Black originally took on the song, to be released to promote the film. Burt flew over to London and after a gruelling session where he made her record the song around 30 times, he eventually picked the third take as being the best version. It became a hit in the UK, Australia and New Zealand but it wasn’t until Cher was persuaded to record the song for the actual film soundtrack that it did well in the US. Here are both versions for a compare and contrast.

Alfie by Cilla Black:


Talking of Cher, did you watch the interview on the BBC with her last Saturday night? I stayed up to do just that and was really glad I did. She has just celebrated her 80th birthday but of course age literally is just a number with Cher as she could easily pass for 40. The interviewer was the ubiquitous Rylan, who was just the right person for such an interview. He was starstruck you could tell, but not much wonder. Having read Part 1 of her biography last year, you could fit 10 lifetimes into what she has been through and as she said herself, a biopic would be impossible as the film would last about 24 hours. If you want to watch the interview it’s on the iPlayer for another 23 days.

Cher meets Rylan


So, “What’s It All About?” – I think this blog has been going too long now to change the name, so I’m stuck with it. Still refers to the song but also, in a chummy, cockney way, it explains what I’m doing here – delving into the backstory of a song and of how it fits into my life.

I find it more than ironic that 60 years on from the release of a film about a self-centred, womanising, misogynistic male, we seem to be in the eye of a storm where many young men similarly want to treat women really badly. They call the network of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism The Manosphere. We seem to have come full circle. I am no expert on what is going on, but after watching the excellent, award-winning drama Adolescence and the Louis Theroux documentary, Inside the Manosphere (both on Netflix), I’m beginning to understand it all a bit more.

But enough of all that nastiness, I’m off to get ready for my trip to Leeds, a city I’ve never visited before. All being well, I’ll report back next Saturday and let you all know how it went (and how much rain did actually fall!).

Until next time…

Alfie Lyrics
(Song By Burt Bacharach/Hal David)

What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give?
Or are we meant to be kind?

And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on an old golden rule?

As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above, Alfie
I know there’s something much more
Something even non-believers can believe in

I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you’ve missed you’re nothing, Alfie
When you walk, let your heart lead the way
And you’ll find love any day, Alfie
Alfie

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.

Lindisfarne in the early 1970s

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.

The current Lindisfarne

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

A New Appreciation For Sam Fender and “Seventeen Going Under”

For those of you following my updates as to what is currently at the top of the UK Singles Chart, I haven’t had to do that for a while as the Sam Fender / Olivia Dean collaboration, Rein Me In, has reigned supreme (pun intended) for seven of the last eight weeks. It only slipped to the No. 2 spot in mid-March, the week Harry Styles’ new album came out, when his song, American Girls, (very similar to his previous No. 1, Aperture) made the top spot before promptly dropping down the chart again.


Rein Me In is Sam’s first chart topper, maybe made possible because of his collaboration with Olivia, the lady of the moment. The song blends indie rock with modern soul influences; Sam’s signature anthemic guitar sound and Olivia’s smooth, expressive vocals. I was pleased to hear DD recently chose it as the sign-off song, for her work Friday “Teams Meeting”.

Talking of Harry Styles and Olivia Dean, I had intended today’s post to be about how modern day pop stars don’t seem to have to put in the graft nowadays, as artists used to in days gone by, but can become an instant success via – reality tv shows (Harry), graduating from the Brit School (Olivia), being YouTube/TikTok sensations or having rich parents willing to subsidise their efforts. I suspected Sam Fender must have had a similar leg-up but once I looked into his backstory a bit more I realised I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Sam Fender

He has been dubbed the British Bruce Springsteen and I can see why. Born and raised in a small terraced house in North Shields, Sam says the first 10 years of his life were comfortable being part of a musical family. His dad Alan is also a singer-songwriter and guitarist, whilst his brother Liam plays the drums. Both musicians performed locally. His late childhood and adolescence were tumultuous however. His mother left when he was eight years old, although he later reconnected with her at age 17, when he was forced out of his house by his stepmother.

From the age of 13, all Sam wanted to do was become a professional musician and at age 14 he started to write his own songs. His brother introduced him to Bruce Springsteen’s album, Born to Run, at age 15, when he also began playing at his brother’s open mic nights. By the age of 17 however, he and his mother were poor and living in a small, crumbling flat on the outskirts of North Shields. Whilst studying, and playing with his new band, Sam also held down two jobs. He had to abandon his A Levels to earn money to help his mother, who had developed a mental illness in addition to her existing fibromyalgia. Eventually, at age 18, Sam began performing paid gigs at pubs and restaurants which is how his manager discovered him and took him on as a client.

So, unlike many others in today’s music industry, no leg-up (although music was probably in his genes via his dad). Sam started off trying to write songs he thought would be popular, as he was desperate to get himself and his mother out of their financial and living situation. However, after a major health scare and facing the possibility of death, he changed his outlook on life. His recovery refocused his songwriting efforts, and he started writing songs for himself. It was from this period he wrote a number of the songs he went on to release. I have found a new appreciation for this one, Seventeen Going Under, as at that time, he really was.

Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender:


In 2018 Sam was named the BBC’s “Sound of 2018”, and signed to Polydor Records. He won the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards and released his debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, which entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1. His second album, Seventeen Going Under, was released in 2021 and also topped the UK Albums Chart and received a nomination for the 2022 Mercury Prize. In 2022, 2025, and 2026, he won the Brit Award for British Rock/Alternative Act and in October 2025, he was awarded the Mercury Prize for his third studio album, People Watching.

Sam Fender I salute you (and your Geordie accent).

Until next time…

17 Going Under Lyrics
(Song by Sam Fender)

I remember the sickness was forever
I remember snuff videos
Cold Septembers, the distances we covered
The fist fights on the beach, the bizzies round us up
Do it all again next week
An embryonic love
The first time that it scarred
Embarrass yourself for someone
Crying like a child
And the boy who kicked Tom’s head in
Still bugs me now
That’s the thing, it lingers
And claws you when you’re down

I was far too scared to hit him
But I would hit him in a heartbeat now
That’s the thing with anger
It begs to stick around
So it can fleece you of your beauty
And leave you spent with nowt to offer
Makes you hurt the ones who love you

You hurt them like they’re nothing
(Oh, oh)
You hurt them like they’re nothing
(Oh, oh)
You hurt them like they’re nothing
(Oh, oh)

See I spent my teens enraged
Spiralin’ in silence
And I armed myself with a grin
‘Cause I was always the fuckin’ joker
Buried in their humor
Amongst the white noise and boys’ boys
Locker-room talkin’ lads’ lads
Drenched in cheap drink and snide fags
A mirrored picture of my old man
Oh God, the kid’s a dab hand
Canny chanter, but he looks sad

God, the kid looks so sad
God, the kid looks so sad

She said the debt, the debt, the debt
So I thought about shifting gear
And how she wept and wept and wept
Well, luck came and died ’round here
I see my mother
The DWP see a number
She cries on the floor encumbered
I’m seventeen going under

I’m seventeen going under
(Oh, oh)
I’m seventeen going under (oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
I’m seventeen going under (oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
I’m seventeen going under (oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
(Oh)

More Robert Redford Mem’ries and Hubbell Relationships

Last time I wrote about the death of Robert Redford and of how I had been a big fan during my late teenage years. I even shared an old photo of the large poster I had of him on my bedroom wall. The time before that, I wrote about having spent a lot of time this summer reconnecting with very old friends, and of how it had been such a joy reminiscing about those things that made us friends in the first place. This week I discovered the sequel series to one of my favourite ever shows on telly, Sex and the City, featuring Carrie Bradshaw and her pals, and all three subjects have somehow converged to create this post.


The day I heard Robert Redford had died I was due to visit a friend for the evening as her husband was away and she had the house to herself. A film, a few snacks and a couple of supermarket cocktails is how we usually roll (we’re cheap dates), but this time I made the special request to watch The Way We Were, my favourite Robert Redford weepie. It also starred Barbra Streisand and covered the period from when their characters, Hubbell Gardiner and Katie Morosky, first met at college right through to the years they lived together in a beach house in Malibu, him writing for the Hollywood film industry and her primarily a housewife, albeit one with very strong political views.

Barbra Streisand doesn’t sing in that one but she did record the theme song of the same name, The Way We Were, where the lyrics detail the troubled relationship her character had with with the aforementioned Hubbell Gardiner.

The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand:


The very final scene of the film, however, jumps forward many years to New York [spoiler alert: they are no longer together] where Katie and Hubbell meet by chance in front of the Plaza Hotel – Katie is campaigning to Ban the Bomb. It’s a difficult encounter (“Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.”) as they have so much history and still probably love each other, but they both have new lives and partners, and have to ultimately part with a tender, bittersweet farewell. This scene always makes me break down in tears but because of the meds I’ve been on since being ill, I have lost the ability to cry – I had to make do with just being really sad instead. Here is a clip of that scene:

That emotional final scene


Ironically I had never watched The Way We Were all the way through until it was referenced in an episode from the original series of Sex and the City. It became one of my favourite scenes when Carrie finally realises that her failed relationship with Big (the nickname her ex-boyfriend was given because he was supposed to be The Big One, the one she married) was down to the same reason that it didn’t work out for Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were. The world is made up of “complicated girls” with wild curly hair (Carrie and Barbra) and “simple girls”, the ones with tame straight hair. Big and Hubbell chose the simple girls.

The Hubbell Moment


Even before Redford’s death, I had already been thinking about Hubbell Relationships ahead of my recent trip to The Granite City, my old stomping ground. My trip was purely to meet up with as many old friends as I could and it was really successful – even after more than 45 years apart, the meet-ups I had with old school friends were joyous affairs, with so much to reminisce about.

One person I would have loved to meet up with is mentioned around here often as he is kind of “My Hubbell”. We shared a love for ’70s/’80s music so he pops up in my posts as the s/bf (school boyfriend), again as the s/bf (student boyfriend) and sometimes the BOTT (the boyfriend of the time), when we were in our 20s. Many of us have a Hubbell, and there is no-one from those days I would have more to reminisce about with, but it just isn’t possible. We didn’t particularly part on bad terms, but it became obvious, again like with Hubbell and Katie, that we weren’t “going to make it”. I’m not particularly complicated and certainly don’t have wild curly hair like Carrie Bradshaw but the situation at the end was quite complicated, so there has been very little communication in nearly 40 years. I know Mr WIAA would get on well with him, as they are very alike, but bar bumping into each other outside the New York Plaza, probably not going to happen.

Do you have a Hubbell or a Katie, someone you shared so much with but then never saw again, or did you stay “friends”? I would love to hear about it in the comments boxes.


There have been lots of film clips in this post and not much music, but just the way it’s turned out. I feel I have to add the lyrics to The Way We Were despite them being a tad oversentimental (you don’t say!). The song was written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch, and it won two Academy Awards. The single was also a commercial success becoming 1974’s most successful recording in the United States placed at number one on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100. In the UK we are probably all more familiar with the Gladys Knight & The Pips version, also from 1974, where she did a bit of a mash-up with the song Try To Remember.

Try To Remember/The Way We Were by Gladys Knight & The Pips


Until next time…

The Way We Were Lyrics
(Song by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman/Marvin Hamlisch)

Mem’ries light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? Could we?

Mem’ries may be beautiful and yet
What’s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget

So it’s the laughter we will remember
Whenever we remember the way we were
The way we were

RIP Brian Wilson, The Beach Boy Who Couldn’t Swim

I was really saddened to hear news of the death of Brian Wilson last night before going to bed. There aren’t many artists with their own category on my sidebar, but the group The Beach Boys, which could never have existed without Brian, is definitely there. He is the last Wilson brother to leave us, at a respectable age of 82, but is this the start of something that I’ve been dreading for a while – those legends who against all the odds have made it to be octogenarians, might be on borrowed time. Let’s hope not.


Brian was most definitely ahead of his time and after signing with Capitol Records in 1962, became the first pop musician credited for writing, arranging, producing, and performing his own material. In short, Brian was a genius.

As I am time-poor at the moment I’m going to cheat a little with my tribute to Brian by sharing some excerpts from blog posts I’ve written before. Wonderful to see the clips again though, and to listen to those wonderful songs.

From 2/10/20

It was the year of Covid and many of us watched an awful lot of telly. I found a really special documentary on Prime called Echo In The Canyon where Jakob Dylan (Bob’s son) had met up with and interviewed musicians who had lived in Laurel Canyon in the 1960s. Brian was one of those musicians. Jakob then paired up with other musicians to make contemporary versions of their songs from back in the day. A truly magical bit of telly. Here is an excerpt from the post I wrote about it:

Jakob looks and sounds uncannily like his dad at times during the film, where he and a selection of other musicians cleverly intersperse candid interviews with performances of some of the most memorable songs from the era. One of these guest musicians was my new discovery, Fiona Apple. I was bowled over when they got up on stage to sing the Brian Wilson song In My Room. Short, but oh so beautiful.

In My Room by Fiona Apple and Jakob Dylan:


Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys had been a Laurel Canyon resident in the late ’60s and despite starting out writing songs that represented the youth culture of southern California (basically surfin’, surfin’ and more surfin’) it soon became obvious that Brian was a bit of a musical genius, the like of whom don’t come along very often. Their album Pet Sounds, written and produced by Brian, was released in 1966 and is often cited as having inspired the Beatles to make Sgt. Pepper.

Apparently Brian had been an agoraphobic during his teens and had refused to leave his bedroom for some time. The song was written from the perspective of a teenager who felt safe and comfortable there. I’m pretty sure DD doesn’t have agoraphobia, but the amount of time she has been spending in her old school bedroom since returning home is concerning me [this was the year of Covid – Alyson]. She is studying, and possibly doesn’t want to interfere with our routines, but as for many other young people who may not have work right now and can no longer be with friends, it just doesn’t feel very healthy at all. Maybe why I’ve been affected by the song so much.

Although it’s the Fiona Apple/Jakob Dylan version that I’ve fallen in love with this week, I can’t go without sharing the original by the Beach Boys themselves. Lots of screaming from the girls in the audience, but I think we still get the sense of it (and a lovely boyish smile from Brian at 0:35).


From 2/9/17

This one is self-explanatory I think. An excerpt from 2017:

Well, it’s been a bit of a week, with no time for heavily researched blog posts. When that happens I usually resort to a web-diary type affair and a few songs have come to mind. First of all, after reading a post written by Jez over at Dubious Towers last weekend, where he recommended watching the film Love & Mercy about the life of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, I did just that. In doing so I fell in love with the album Pet Sounds all over again. I think I knew a bit about the troubled life that Brian had post Beach Boys, but this film really highlighted the nightmare he went through in the 1980s under the supervision of highly controlling psychotherapist Dr Eugene Landy. Fortunately the love of a good woman saved him and joy of joys they are still married today, so a happy ending to a sorry tale.

ps


What was great about this film however was that we got to witness the creative genius that went into producing Pet Sounds back in 1966. The sounds on this album were just that, Brian’s favourite, or pet, sounds and the talented Wrecking Crew that worked with him on that album acknowledged his genius above all others they collaborated with. Brian at this point was still aged only 24. I have featured the wonderful song God Only Knows before in this blog (link here) so here is another from that album, Wouldn’t It Be Nice. Something interesting that came out of this biopic was that contrary to popular belief, The Beach Boys didn’t actually surf!

Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys:


From 18/12/16

This one has already been mentioned in the excerpt above but here is something I wrote after watching the film Love Actually, just before Christmas 2016, at the end of my first full year of blogging. Here it is:

The song I want to feature for this post is the one used for the closing credits of the movie, God Only Knows by The Beach Boys. This is one of my favourite songs and was written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher. It was released in May 1966 (very close to my favourite year for music 1967) as the eighth track on the wonderful Beach Boys’ album Pet Sounds and is of course from the baroque pop camp, of which I am so fond. The sentiments expressed in the lyrics were not specific to any god, and could be addressed to any “higher power”, being a song apparently about moving forward after loss. Well I don’t know about that because the lyrics seem to infer that moving forward would be nigh impossible. Whatever, it is still one of the most beautiful songs of the 20th century so thank you Brian and the boys for giving it to us.

God Only Knows by The Beach Boys:


Until next time… RIP Brian Wilson.

God Only Knows Lyrics
(Song by Brian Wilson/Tony Asher)

I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I’ll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I’d be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows

My Blogging Absence and Puppy Love

WIAA: Alyson, like Nathan Jones, you’ve been gone too long. What’s happened?

ALYSON: I know WIAA, it’s been far too long and I have no legitimate excuse either. I never wanted to be one of those bloggers who was “no longer in the field” but I can see how it happens. Only another 7 months until my blog’s tenth birthday though, and I really want to make it to that date.

WIAA: You can do it Alyson, I have every faith in you.

ALYSON: Despite saying I have no legitimate excuse for my absence, I kind of do. DD has hijacked my blog’s title and set up one of her own – all because she has a new puppy in her life called, wait for it…, ALFIE!


Alfie by Cilla Black:


WIAA: Well, he certainly is a cute bundle but I’ll bet he’s keeping you on your toes.

ALYSON: He certainly is. We kept pointing out that it would be really difficult owning a dog when she and her other half work full-time, but of course that “minor” stumbling block was ignored, as I think she knew, come the hour, we would step in and help out with him. To be fair, DD does work from home a lot so it’s not been too full on yet, but we are roped in for puppy-sitting a few times a week. Mr WIAA is very fond of Alfie but I’m already totally smitten.

He likes slippers! Wait until the end to see his cute face.


So, what’s the obvious song to feature for someone like me who was aged 12 in 1972? Why that would be Donny Osmond’s massive No. 1 hit called Puppy Love. As regular visitors to this place might already suspect, I was a big fan of this boy from Utah who had a gorgeous smile and an awful lot of brothers. Although I’ve already shared around here the first album I ever bought with my own money (an Elvis one), I have never admitted to the second one. That would be because it was indeed a Donny Osmond one, Portrait Of Donny. It came with signed photos and I very naughtily told my friends I had written to Donny and he had sent them back to me. A lie to be sure, and I don’t think anyone believed me when they scrutinised the pictures, but hey, I was a pre-teen with a big crush who had a Donny transfer ironed onto her pillowcase and a pair of brushed denim flares with his name embroidered on the patch pocket (in chain stitch done by my own fair hand).

But of course it is no longer 1972 and I am no longer a pre-teen, and once their early ’70s heyday was over, it became really quite uncool to be a fan of any Osmond family member. What I thought would be interesting would be to see a clip of the song’s writer, Paul Anka, performing it in 1960. Not a song about a canine at all, but about teenage love, and how no-one understands it’s intensity – although we’ve all been there.


Paul Anka was a Canadian, who like Donny, was a bit of a teen idol. Unlike Donny he self-penned most of the songs he recorded and is famed for having written the English lyrics to the song My Way, Frank Sinatra’s signature song. Paul had a bit of a career resurgence in the 1970s and I do remember his song from 1974, (You’re) Having My Baby. My dad did a bit of a double-take when he heard me listening to that one, probably hoping it would be quite some time until I would be having anyone’s baby (it took another 20 years actually!).

The last word should go to the real puppy though, Alfie. He came along just before St Valentine’s Day so of course he had to arrange a card for his new owner/mum. Very apt I think.


Thanks to my blog for prompting me to get blogging again.

Until next time…

Puppy Love Lyrics
(Song by Paul Anka)

And they called it puppy love
Oh, I guess they’ll never know
How a young heart really feels
And why I love her so

And they called it puppy love
Just because we’re, we’re 17
Tell them all it-, please, tell them, isn’t fair
To take away my only dream

I cry each night my tears for you
My tears are all in vain
I hope and I pray that may, maybe someday
You’ll be back (you’ll be back) in my arms (in my arms) once again
(You’ll be back in my arms once again)

Someone, help me, help me, help me, please
Is the answer up above?
How could I, oh, how could I tell them
This is not a puppy love? (This is not a puppy love)

Someone, help me, help me, help me, please
Is the answer up above?
How could I ever tell them
This is not a puppy love?
(This is not a puppy love)

Postscript:

As I’ve had such a positive feedback to this one I shall cast my embarrassment aside and also share the clip of Donny singing his song, with his brothers doing a bit of backup singing. They all had their individual costume colour and Donny’s was purple. It therefore became the favourite colour of many a preteen girl around then!

A Man Of Many Talents: RIP Kris Kristofferson

Last time, I paid tribute to Quincy Jones who we lost at the start of November. Someone I haven’t yet paid tribute to, however, is Kris Kristofferson who died back in September. If I’d been blogging around that time, I most definitely would have written something, as he has appeared in this blog several times.

Mr Kristofferson is someone I have long admired but until I started blogging it was mainly through his film work. Back in the ’70s he appeared in many films (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Convoy, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, A Star Is Born), and for some reason, he was one of the actors I took a real shine to. I have always had a penchant for a man with a beard (although not necessarily today’s hipster style), and he did sport a very rugged look back then. What I discovered once I started blogging, was that not only did he write some of the best-loved songs from that era, but he was probably one of those guys who would have succeeded in whichever path in life he chose. A top scholar, an accomplished athlete, a US Army captain, a helicopter pilot, a novelist, an actor, and a singer/songwriter.

Kris Kristofferson (sans beard) with James Coburn in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Having double-checked, I find it incredible that he never once appeared on the UK Singles Chart in his own right, despite the fact so many of his songs did make an appearance when sung by other people – For the Good Times by Perry Como and Help Me Make It Through the Night by Gladys Knight and the Pips amongst others. He definitely did make an appearance for several weeks in a row however on 1977’s TOTP as he was Barbra Streisand‘s love interest in the film A Star Is Born. Much smooching was done during the filmed recording of the song Evergreen which was a massive hit for her that year. (Yes, my 16-year-old self was definitely smitten with Mr K in that one.)

Evergreen by Barbra Streisand (with Kris Kristofferson singing very badly!)
The back page of Words magazine from 1976, which unbelievably I still own

The last time I wrote about Kris around here was when I was challenged to write about the song Sunday Morning Coming Down. I soon discovered that although Kris wrote the song, and Ray Stevens was the first person to record it, it was only when Johnny Cash did a version in 1970 that it reached No. 1 on the Country Chart and won the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. The story is that Kris, who was working as a janitor at the time for Columbia Records in Nashville, mainly to get a foothold in the industry, flew his National Guard helicopter right onto Johnny’s front lawn to deliver the demo tape in person. That was the turning point for him as once Johnny took the song on, and made it his own, Kris was quoted as saying that he never again “had to work for a living”.

Here is a clip of Johnny and Kris singing the song as a duet. The preamble is something they used to do quite a lot of on these sorts of shows, and it can be a bit cringifying, but it does lead in to an excellent performance.

Sunday Morning Coming Down by Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson

I will finish with Kris performing Me and Bobby McGee which is probably the song most closely associated with him. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville Sound toward a rawer style. Maybe for this reason, I often prefer his songs to be sung by other people and Me and Bobby McGee has been recorded by many. It was originally performed by Roger Miller, then a posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the Billboard Chart in 1971. Over in Canada, Gordon Lightfoot released a version and then Kenny Rogers and the First Edition included it on their Ruby… album. But here is Kris in 1979 actually performing a version I quite like. Just the right amount of raw delivery in this one I think. The song is the story of two drifters – the narrator and Bobby McGee. The pair hitch a ride from a truck driver and sing as they drive through the American South before making their way west. They visit California and then part ways, with the song’s narrator expressing sadness afterward.

Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson:


As with Quincy last time, Kris had a long life and achieved so much, but his passing will bring sadness to his close family and friends, and of course his fans. It is not always the case that stars have a long life however and I am mindful of the recent tragic death of ex-boyband member Liam Payne. Unlike Quincy and Kris, he became a worldwide sensation at a very young age but once the heyday of his band was over, it must be very hard to adapt to real life. I am hopeful that the management companies and record labels behind these boybands start to exercise more of a duty of care in the light of his death, but I’m not holding my breath.

But for now, I say farewell to that rugged, good-looking guy I was definitely smitten by as a teenager. I think I will have to seek out one of his films to watch this weekend as a bit of a reminder of those days. RIP Kris Kristofferson.

Kris Kristofferson 1936 to 2024

Until next time…

Me and Bobby McGee Lyrics
(Song by Kris Kristofferson)

Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for a train
When I’s feelin’ near as faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained
And rode us all the way into New Orleans

I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana
I’s playin’ soft while Bobby sang the blues
Windshield wipers slappin’ time, I’s holdin’ Bobby’s hand in mine
We sang every song that driver knew

Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose
Nothin’, don’t mean nothin’ hon’ if it ain’t free, no-no
And feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know feelin’ good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun
There Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done
Yeah, Bobby baby, kept me from the cold

One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away
He’s lookin’ for that home, and I hope he finds it
But, I’d trade all of my tomorrows, for one single yesterday
To be holdin’ Bobby’s body next to mine

Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose
Nothin’, and that’s all that Bobby left me, yeah
But feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
That feelin’ good was good enough for me, mmm-hmm
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

La-da-da, la-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da-da-da
La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Bobby McGee, yeah
La-da-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da
La, la-la-la-da-da- Bobby McGee, oh yeah

La-da-da, la-da-da, la, da-da, la, da-da
La-da-da, la-da-da, la-di-da
Hey now, Bobby now, now Bobby McGee, yeah
Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, lo-da-da, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
Hey now, Bobby now, now Bobby McGee, yeah

Well, I wanna call him my lover, call him my man
I said, I call him my lover, did the best I can, come on
Hey now, Bobby now, hey now Bobby McGee, yeah
Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, oh
Hey-hey-hey, Bobby McGee, Lord

Carole King and The Brill Building: Another Special Place In Time

We are nearing the end of summer, always a sad time of year for me. I’m a great fan of daylight and soon there will be more hours of darkness in any 24 hour period. All those activities best suited to the great outdoors will be on hold for another year, and we’ll be tucked up inside keeping cosy. Oh no, that’s right, this winter we’ll struggle to keep cosy as the thermostats will be firmly turned down, but hey, that’s another post for another day.

I’ve run quite a few ‘series’ since starting this place but I’m all out of workable ideas at the moment, which is a bit annoying, because I don’t have anything to return to and augment. As we are nearing the start of September I thought a series of posts about months of the year could be something to focus on (September seems to pop up often in a song title), but it turns out some of the other months have not been as inspirational for songwriters. Inevitably, one of the first songs I stumbled upon was this one by a very young Carole King, It Might as Well Rain Until September from 1962.

It Might as Well Rain Until September by Carole King:


I’ve always liked the song, although it’s not really about the month of September at all, but about how the world is no longer a beautiful place because the singer’s love interest is not around. As far as they are concerned the fine weather of the summer might as well be replaced with grey, rainy days. Thinking back I was often of the same opinion when I was a teenager (and this song was definitely aimed at teenagers), as the routines of term-time were often replaced with lots of time spent on your own, as your friends were either off on holiday with their families, or scattered around the country, the new academic year not starting again until September. If you’d found romance during term-time, the summer break was often not your friend.

But of course the Carole King that wrote this song with her husband Gerry Goffin, is not the same Carole King that has appeared on these pages before. That would be the Carole who by the early ’70s had moved to Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, and had massive success with her 1971 album Tapestry. No indeed, this Carole was the girl from Brooklyn who was a bit of a musical genius and at age 16 had turned up at the Brill Building in Manhattan with a bunch of songs oven-ready for the teen market.


I have often heard of the Brill Building as back in the early ’60s, after Elvis had enlisted (and they thought rock ‘n’ roll was over) but before the British Invasion had begun, it was the place where songwriting teams flourished, producing hit after hit record. The ground floor of the building was home to the Brill family clothing store, but the upper floors were rented out to people in the music industry. Music publishers like Don Kirshner were based there and offices were kitted out with cubicles, each containing a piano, a bench and a chair where songwriters could partner up, one person writing the lyrics and the other coming up with the music. This was songwriting to order, but the songs were aimed at the lucrative new teen market and they were given to some of the many girl groups that had formed in New York City at that time (the Shirelles, the Shangri-Las, the Ronettes and the Chiffons) and also to many of the up-and-coming teen idols (Bobby Darin, Bobby Vee and Gene Pitney).

 The Brill Building is located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street, in the NYC borough of Manhattan

Before starting this blog, I was often unaware of who had written a particular song as I had always been more interested in the artist who performed it. As time went by however the same names kept popping up, and many of those names were songwriting partnerships who first got together in the Brill Building:

Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry
Gerry Goffin and Carole King
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman

A lot of famous faces in that montage above and impossible to name them all individually. To finish off I’ll add another couple of clips of songs that came to life in the Brill Building. I know I was bemoaning the end of summer in the opening paragraph, but today has indeed been a very fine, sunny day here in the North of Scotland. I don’t think that’s the kind of fine day The Chiffons were singing about in 1963 but a perfect example of the kind of songs Goffin and King were writing for the girl groups of the Brill Building.

One Fine Day by The Chiffons:


As this post has predominantly focussed on Carole King, it would seem silly not to end with the song Neil Sedaka wrote about her. They had both gone to the same high school in Brooklyn and had briefly dated (when she was still a Carol without the ‘e’). Oh! Carol was Neil’s first big domestic hit and the song also reached the No. 3 spot in the UK Singles Chart in 1959.

Oh! Carol by Neil Sedaka:


Yet again I’ve kind of gone way off piste on this one but once I’d listened to Carole’s September song I decided to find out more about that place in NYC which was a veritable music factory in the late ’50s/early ’60s. Most of us of a certain age have grown up listening to songs that we may or may not have known started life in The Brill Building. I like these posts where I actually take the time to find out geographically where these special places were/still are located. Right there in Midtown Manhattan it seems, just along from Tin Pan Alley where the sheet music of an earlier era had started life.

As for my series about songs referring to months of the year, I’ve not abandoned the idea yet, so if you do have any September songs you’d like me to write about, do let me know. For the record, the Earth, Wind and Fire one has popped up around here a couple of times before, but there will be others I’m sure.

Until next time…

It Might As Well Rain Until September Lyrics
(Song by Carole King/Gerry Goffin)

What shall I write?
What can I say?
How can I tell you how much I miss you?

The weather here has been as nice as it can be
Although it doesn’t really matter much to me
For all the fun I’ll have while you’re so far away
It might as well rain until September

I don’t need sunny skies for thing I have to do
‘Cause I stay home the whole day long and think of you
As far as I’m concerned each day’s a rainy day
So It might as well rain until September

My friends look forward to their picnics on the beach
Yes everybody loves the summertime
But you know darling while your arms are out of reach
The summer isn’t any friend of mine

It doesn’t matter whether skies are grey or blue
It’s raining in my heart ’cause I can’t be with you
I’m only living for the day you’re home to stay
So It might as well rain until September
September, September, oh
It might as well rain until September