Sentimental Lady
For a song I haven't heard in probably 20 years, this one is in my head a lot! The maddening thing about it is that I've never known the lyrics nor the artist, and so whenever it hits me - in the shower, while walking down the street, in the aisle at Golden Produce comparing nectarines - I just whistle the melody and remain ignorant. In my mind, I'm going "Sentimental blah-blah-blah/Blaaah, blah blah blah, blah-blah-blah..." When it wound up in my head upon waking recently, I searched diligently online for artists I thought might fit the bill, like Stephen Bishop, Dan Hill, and Dan Seals. No dice. Finally, I stumbled upon it at Last.fm after Googling sentimental '70s songs. Rejoice! Turns out, the artist is Bob Welch, an early member of Fleetwood Mac, and this song is essentially Mac with Mick Fleetwood on drums and Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham on backing vocals (Buckingham also plays guitar on the track). The song actually debuted on their 1972 album Bare Trees. So there's a little rock 'n' roll history lesson for us all. Viva the smooth pop of Bob Welch!
Artist: Bob Welch
Year: 1972/1977
Rating: Luke Hot
After the Love Has Gone
While I'm partial to more emotional or esoteric explanations for why a song comes to mind, this song is admittedly around just 'cause I was doing a 70's soft rock search the other day and it popped up in a montage video. It's a pleasant find, though I'm still searching for the mellow gold song for which I can't seem to conjure lyrics or an artist. Stay tuned...
Artist: Earth, Wind, and Fire
Year: 1979
Rating: Warm
Find Your Way Back
Not quite the calibur of shark-jump as We Built This City from an even later offshoot of Jefferson Airplane; in fact, a decent single from the Mickey Thomas era of the band, on which Grace Slick played for the first time in several years.Artist: Jefferson Starship
Year: 1981
Rating: Warm
Deacon Blues
Ever felt like the exquisite ruler of all things destined to fail?
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues
So smooth, and yet, so steely.
Artist: Steely Dan
Year: 1977
Rating: Luke Hot
Reruns
Songs that have been ringing in my head on repeat of late:
- All the Old Showstoppers by New Pornographers, last blogged on July 19
- The "Numa Numa" Song by O-Zone, last blogged on September 8
- Solitaire by the Carpenters, last blogged on September 9
- All My Loving by the Beatles, last blogged on September 11
Billie Jean: Michael Jackson, in Memoriam
There have been a lot of Michael Jackson songs in our collective heads since his death this summer, and this isn't the first one that's floated into mine, just the first one that I woke up with. This footage is from the show Michael played in 2001 commemorating the 30th anniversary of his solo career. With every slight movement he makes on stage, he seems to confirm his status as the hugest pop icon on Earth. It's not the best vocal performance, but his moves and the energy of the massive audience give me chills.
Rest in peace, Michael
Artist: Michael Jackson
Year: 1982
Rating: Warm
Mama Told Me Not to Come
Such a fantastic song! Bridges rock, funk, and soul styles in a racy double-entendre fit for youngsters of every generation. The Three Dog Night version is definitely the best of this Randy Newman-penned song.
Artist: Three Dog Night
Year: 1970
Rating: Hot!
Newman originally wrote the song for Eric Burdon. Here's his twangy British Invasion and Motown-inspired take.
Artist: Eric Burdon & the Animals
Year: 1966
Rating: Luke Hot
For No One
Really sweet footage of Paul McCartney in the studio for the 1984 Give My Regards to Broad Street soundtrack, on which he re-released the song.
Artist: Beatles
Year: 1966 (original release)
Rating: Hot!
Note 1: This song came into my head a long time ago, before all the box set/Rock Band hype; I've got a backlog in my song queue right now. Trying to catch up!
Note 2: Read Chuck Klosterman's hilarious review of the box set.
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