Category: memories

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Today’s theme music comes from the “What the hell was that?” file. It’s a general file in my head. The major category is “What the hell?” Besides the mystified “What the hell was that?” sub-category, there’s “What the hell did he/she just say?”, “What the hell did he/she just do?”, and the ever-popular, “What the hell was I going to do/get/say?”.

The song’s wild musical break began streaming in my mind this morning but I can’t identify a trigger. The song was released in 1966, but I began aware of it later, hearing it on my AM/FM alarm clock a few years later. So different, it immediately went into the “What the hell was that file?” It then took a few years to determine what it was, and hear it fully. Hearing if fully, the Yardbirds and Beach Boys inspirations become clear.

Judge for yourself. Here’s “Psychotic Reaction” by Count Five, in black and white.

 

 

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

I’d dreamed about setting up games in a small city college, and found myself thinking about a song as a result of it after I woke up. Then, my little ginger-fur friend plagued me to come in, tapping at the window by the door while imploring me with wide eyes, “Let me in.”

Letting him in, I began singing, “You belong in the house, carpet under your feet.”

The cat responded by asking me if I had anything to eat.

I returned to streaming the original song in my head. Here’s Glenn Frey’s song, “You Belong to the City”. It was written for the Miami Vice television series way back in 1985. It was a good year for me. I spent a few months in Africa, but that’s a different story.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

“Forever in Blue Jeans” started splashing through my memory stream this morning. I’m not certain what called it in. My dreams didn’t feature blue jeans or Neil Diamond, so I don’t blame my dreams.

Thinking about the lyrics, I infer from them that blue jeans are okay. From that, and maybe I’m stretching, but blue jeans are the po’ people’s clothing.

If so, that’s from a completely different era, in my mind. Even by the time Neil and his guitarist wrote this song in the late seventies, blue jeans had moved up in income brackets. Way back around two thousand, I recall reading an article about wealthy folks having tailored blue jeans made for them. Although poor and lower classes still wear them, blue jeans are more about being hip and casual now.

Anyone, here’s Neil with his song.

P.S. – what is “baby’s treat”?

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Monday’s Theme Music

You often hear what’ll happen someday. Biggest of that is, “Someday, we’ll understand.” But, for a lot of us, for many of these prophecies, someday never comes.

It was part of my morning circle. When will this come about? What day? Someday. Well, sometimes someday never comes.

John Fogerty was writing about his parents’ divorce and his own marriage breaking up when he wrote “Someday Never Comes”. I enjoy CCR’s music because of the beats and a general buoyancy they project, but Fogerty’s lyrics were often observational essays.

Here’s “Someday Never Comes” (1972).

First thing I remember was askin’ papa, “Why?”, for there were many things I didn’t know
And daddy always smiled; took me by the hand, sayin’, “Someday you’ll understand”
Well, I’m here to tell you now each and ev’ry mother’s son
You better learn it fast; you better learn it young, ’cause someday never comes

h/t lyricsfreak.com

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Today’s theme music is from the Van Halen tributary to my streaming music mind. “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” is off of their debut album in 1978. Essentially a power trio of Eddie on electric guitar, Alex on drums and Michael Anthony on bass, David Lee Roth provided the vocals. That first album had a number of elemental songs on it, nothing fancy. Eddie’s mind-blowing guitar playing was showcased, especially the solo, “Eruption”. “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” offers more of that against a head-rocking beat and emphatic vocals. There’s no doubt that they’re not talkin’ ’bout love.

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Today’s song splashed into my stream apropos of naught. So, I thought I’d splash it onto this page.

Coming out in the disco era, it has the disco tones that you’d expect. I was twenty and stationed in the Philippines when it hit the airways. It was a good dance tune when you were out clubbing. The dance floor always filled when the song began.

Here’s Tavares and “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” (1976).

Cheers

 

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Friday’s Theme Music

Was singing to my cats yesterday, “I got the rockin’ pneumonia, and the kitty-cat blues,” a flex on the lyrics to “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu”.

I don’t have the flu, but some respiratory issues associated with stagnant air, according to my self-diagnosis. It happened to strike when my energy was low, and I was slippin’ into my monthly trough of darkness and depression. Two days of rest was taken. My energy is better today. The stagnant air remains so I’ll probably be limited in my outside movement, unless I don a mask to filter the air.

Movin’ on, here’s Johnny Rivers’ cover of the song from 1972. It’s the one I know best.

BTW, love that little piece on the forty-five record label on display: “Use the Power. Register and Vote.” Sweet. Wish more people would use the power. That they don’t is not so sweet.

Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Remember the expression, sock it to me? Maybe yes, maybe no. Our culture, especially the pop side, is an ever-changing amoeba. We’ve populated our language with expressions. They catch fire, flash through, and die. Sometimes they’re distantly remembered, especially more often now, as technology aids her ability to look back and remember.

In this case, I thought of sock it to me as part of streaming “It’s Your Thing” to myself. I was singing to myself about the things I do, and the cats for the things that they do, and mentally, to my wife, in regard to the things that she does.

“It’s your thing.” We mostly address life through avenues as individual as ourselves, seeking to do our thing. Sometimes the things seem weird to others. They can’t deviate from their paths and doing their thing to acquire the freedom to understand that you’re doing your thing. If it’s not offensive and not inflicting pain on others, why do they want us all to conform and not do our thing?

So, I want to thank The Isley Brothers for doing their thing and performing this song. They were good at doing their thing, giving us some memorable funk. Sing along. Don’t worry; the words are easy to learn.

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Monday’s Theme Music

You know, in the U.S. of A., it’s winter. Because of that, many towns are having beer festivals. At least, this is true out here in Oregon and California.

Some places call the beer festival a collaboration, a beer walk, or, if the organizers are feeling more stylish, a brewery tour. SF’s Beer Collaboration isn’t starting until Feb. 1. They have a theme, you know, like they do at a prom, Game of Thrones. I’m sure that some high school has had a Game of Thrones themed prom. That seems like it would be something like the red wedding or the prom from Carrie.

Anyway, in honor of beer strolls everywhere, I’m streaming Tom T. Hall’s 1975 classic, “I Like Beer”. Pretty self-explanatory what the song is about.

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Friday’s Theme Music

One of the cats followed me around this morning because I hadn’t fed him yet. “Hungry, buddy?” I said. “Want some kibble? Anticipating brekkie?” Naturally, I started singing, “Anticipation, anticipation is making me late, is keeping me waiting.”

That made it today’s theme music. Here’s Carly Simon, “Anticipation”, 1971. Those were the good old days.

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