Dear Friends, I have an oldies song that involves a dog for you today. It is called "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo." It's about a young hippie couple who are taking a road trip with their dog named Boo. They have adventures, including getting stuck in the mud, taking food and working to pay off their debt, and ending up back in Los Angeles, ready to go again.
The lyrics include the chorus:
"Me and you and a dog named Boo Travellin' and livin' off the land Me and you and a dog named Boo How I love being a free man" This song was a hit in 1971. It was written and performed by Lobo (real name Kent LaVoie). Kent LaVoie is originally from Tallahassee, Florida. He was in a band called The Rumours in the 1960's with Gram Parsons and Jim Stafford. He also played in a band called the Sugar Beats. He decided to try a solo career, and recorded under the name Lobo ("the wolf"). "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" was his first hit. It went to #5 on the charts, and received a gold record. Lobo had two other 1970's hits - "I'd Love You to Want Me" and "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend." I found a video of this song so you can listen. Have you heard this one before? I always love to hear from you in the comments. Wishing you a good weekend! Love, Abby xoxoxo
"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush was released in 1978. It appeared on her album The Kick Inside. Kate Bush was inspired to write this song after seeing the BBC miniseries of Wuthering Heights. She has said that the last 10 minutes of that program inspired this song. "Wuthering Heights" was written at a single sitting. I didn't discover this song until my college years, the 1980's. I was an English: Creative Writing major, so of course I loved the swooping romanticism of this song, and the references to Wuthering Heights. The lyrics include: "Bad dreams in the night.
They told me I was going to lose the fight,
Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering Heights.
Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.
Come home. I'm so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.
Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.
Come home. I'm so cold!
Let me in-a-your window." Here's a little trivia tidbit: Kate Bush and Emily Bronte share the same birthday, July 30.
And now, the video for your enjoyment -- the interpretive dancing is a bit dated but the song is still beautiful! Do you remember this song? What is your favorite song based on literature? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
Cher turned 70 last week (March 20, born 1946). One of my friends and I were talking about our favorite Cher songs, and we both decided our favorite is "Dark Lady." This song was a hit in 1974. It's a fun song, so retro, and it tells a story. (Regular readers will know that I love songs that tell a story!) This song was written by Johnny Durrill of The Ventures. (You may remember The Ventures from songs like "Walk, Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O.") The song has been called a "murder ballad." It tells the story of a woman who goes to see a fortune teller in New Orleans to see if her boyfriend is cheating ... only to realize he is cheating with the fortune teller! This song made it to the top of the Billboard chart. Here is the animated version of this song from The Sonny and Cher Show: What is your favorite Cher song? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
I love this song. I've loved it since first listen in my teen years, and still feel a little thrill when I hear it on the radio.
"Dance Away" was a hit for Roxy Music in 1979. It was written by Bryan Ferry and released on the band's Manifesto album. It was a big hit, and is one of Roxy Music's signature songs. I always like the lyrics, about a man who dances away his heartache after his girlfriend leaves him for another man: "You're dressed to kill and guess who's dying' Dance away the heartache Dance away the tears - Dance away"
Do you remember this song? Any other Roxy Music songs you remember and like? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
"Never Going Back Again" is one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. You don't hear it often on the radio (even on SiriusXM), but it is a beautiful little song about moving on from a breakup.
This song was written by Lindsey Buckingham about his breakup with Stevie Nicks. It was on the Rumours album in 1977, and was also the B-side of the 45 "Don't Stop." I love the acoustic guitar work in this song, especially combined with such lovely, simple lyrics. In a review of Rumours for Rolling Stone, John Swenson wrote: "Never Going Back Again" is "the prettiest thing on [Rumours]." Do you remember this song? What are your favorites by Fleetwood Mac? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
The 1970's Swedish pop group ABBA launched their career after they won the Eurovision Song Contest on April 6, 1974. In their honor, a few fun facts: ABBA has sold over 380 million albums and singles. Wow! The group began with two married couples: Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Faltskog and Ulvaeus divorced in 1979, and Andersson and Lyngstad divorced in 1981.
The original name of this band was "Fest Folk" ("party people" in Swedish).
The name ABBA comes from the group members' first names: Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni.
They wore sparkly, outlandish outfits because they could write them off their taxes in Sweden. Tax law there dictated that stage outfits could not be street clothes. The group disbanded in 1982, but had a resurgence in popularity after the musical play Mamma Mia! was released. The movie musical Mamma Mia! was the top grossing movie in the U.K. in 2008. It was #14 in the U.S. My favorite ABBA song is "SOS" (1975): Do you like ABBA? What is your favorite of their songs? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
Do you remember "Strawberry Letter 23"? This is one of those "turn the radio up" songs for me. It always reminds me of spring and summer. I think it's the lyrics, with lines like: "All through the morning rain I gaze - the sun doesn't shine - Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind." This song was originally by Shuggie Otis, who wrote and recorded it in 1971. His version was a softer soul ballad. Later, "Strawberry Letter 23" was recorded by The Brothers Johnson. Their version, produced by Quincy Jones, was more of an uptempo dance tune. It went to number 5 on the Billboard chart. Fun trivia: the 12" single was on red, strawberry scented vinyl. For your listening pleasure:
Last week I saw, and enjoyed, the PBS American Masters about Carole King. (It's online at the PBS site, if you're interested.) I have always loved singer/songwriter music, and Carole King is one of my favorites. Her life is very interesting, especially the Brill Building years when she wrote music for many major 1960's artists. My favorite song by Carole King is from the 1970's. "Jazzman" was released in 1974. It has a great (not surprising!) jazzy feel, cowritten by David Palmer (Steely Dan), with saxophone solos by Tom Scott. "Jazzman" made it to #2 on the Billboard charts, and was nominated for a Grammy, although it lost to "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John.
This song makes me happy. It is one of those songs that really takes me back to being very young in the 1970's, and it has that retro-but-timeless sound. Do you remember this song? What is your favorite song by Carole King? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
I first heard this song while playing Song Pop, my favorite music trivia game. I really love it, and can't believe I never encountered it before. "Love Land" was released in 1970 by Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. This song reached #16 on the Billboard record chart in 1970. Charles Wright hails from Clarksdale, Mississippi. He is a former doo wop singer who sang with the Twilighters, the Shields, the Turks, and the Gallahads. He started his own band in 1962, and over the years the changing band incarnation included many singers and musicians, including Daryl Dragon (The Captain and Tennille). This is really such a great song! If I was a music supervisor for a movie or tv show (one of my dream jobs), I would find ways to use this song over and over again. It would be great on a show like Scandal, which utilizes retro soul music so well. Have you heard this song before? If not, do you like it? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
Do you have a favorite love song? My favorite changes from time to time, but I always seem to come back to "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney wrote this song for his wife Linda just before the Beatles broke up. It's such an empassioned love song about how love can make you stronger and can fill you with a sense of wonder: "Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you Maybe I'm amazed at the the way you pulled me out of time And hung me on a line Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you" There were several versions of this song over the 1970's. The original was released as a music video in the U.K. in 1970. It is all music and photos of the McCartney family, and it is beautiful. Paul McCartney did not want to release "Maybe I'm Amazed" as a single, although it appeared on his McCartney album (1970) and also Wings Over America (1976). The single was released in 1977. Paul McCartney has said that this is the song he wants to be remembered for. Here is the original video. I hope you enjoy!
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" was on Billy Joel's The Stranger album (1977). It was never a '45, but it still got airplay back in the 1970's ... and I always have to turn it up when it comes on SiriusXM. The song has three parts: a gentle opening about two classmates meeting for a glass of wine, a jazz section with lots of brass, and then a rock section about Brenda and Eddie. It's a complex composition, and I think a pretty amazing song. Do you remember this one? What is your favorite Billy Joel song? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
This is a song that does not appear on oldies radio or classic rock stations often - even on SiriusXM radio. I was in the car with a friend this weekend and it came on and we both got totally quiet to listen ... it is that type of song. "Hummingbird" was on Seals and Crofts' 1972 album, Summer Breeze. I love how quiet and delicate it is - like a hummingbird. Let me know if you remember this song ... and if you like it too.
I had not thought of this song in years until I heard it on the radio a few days ago. I was curious about John Stewart, so looked for more information about his music. He was born and raised in Southern California, and was originally a folk singer. He was in a band called The Cumberland Three with John Montgomery and Gil Robbins (the father of actor Tim Robbins). Then he went on to replace Dave Guard in The Kingston Trio. After the group disbanded, he worked as a songwriter for Capital Records. His songs included "Daydream Believer" for the Monkees (I love that song!).
Later in the 1970's John Stewart pursued a solo recording career, and had a 1979 hit (#5 on the charts) with Stevie Nicks called "Gold." I found an exceptionally cheesy video of the song from the TV show Solid Gold. I somehow never saw this show, but it is too much with the gyrating dancers! I really like the song though (and will add that John Stewart is very handsome in the video).
Do you remember this song? And what do you think of this silly retro video? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
"Instant Replay" by Dan Hartman was a disco hit in 1978. This song made it to 29 on the Billboard charts. This is a great example of 1970's disco dance music. It is a really fun song! Dan Hartman wrote and produced music for many other bands, both before and after this hit. He worked with: the Edgar Winter Group (he wrote "Free Ride"), James Brown (he wrote "Living in America"), Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Tyler, Paul Young, Nona Hendryx, the Plasmatics and Steve
Winwood. Sadly, he died in 1994, but he left a legacy of some great 1970's - 1980's music behind. I found a video of this song from the 1970's that I thought you might enjoy - this was the early day of music videos! Do you remember this tune? Do you like disco music? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
Disclaimer: David Cassidy was my first big crush. I was pretty sure that I would grow up to marry him. Although it seems that may not happen, I still love several of the Partridge Family songs I grew up with, and "Summer Days" may top the list. Yes, it is bubblegum pop, but it also is a fun early 1970's (1971) pop song. Someone mentioned this on Facebook yesterday, and it has been stuck in my head ever since - so I'm passing it along to you. Do you remember the Partridge Family? Were you a Partridge Family or Brady Bunch fan as a kid? I loved them both. The Brady Bunch was closer to real life, but the Partridge Family - well, it had David Cassidy.
