Handy Man

It's been a year and a half since I last posted an entry here. I've been sucked into other social networking, and also trying to focus on, y'know, life and stuff. Maybe I'll pick up the pace here at The Songs in My Head, and maybe not. I tweet at twitter/soozenextthing with a touch more frequency, so follow me there!

For now, the lilting mellowness of a tune from my youth, with Mr. James Taylor's "Handy Man." The "comma, comma, comma, comma, come, come," refrain was ubiquitous on 70s radio, a song not to be confused with Sammy Davis Jr's "The Candyman" and the weirdness that is Neil Sedaka also spelling out that useful bit of punctuation. But I actually didn't realize that the song is much older. It's easy to attribute to JT, since he was mainly known for singing songs he'd also written, but the song was originally penned by roots rock and R&B singer Jimmy Jones and songwriter Otis Blackwell (who also wrote "Don't Be Cruel," "Great Balls of Fire," and many other very influential rock tunes). It's a case of the long, vague memory thread of a song that's been part of the culture for a very long time, arriving in my head one random day in 2015, in the form I'm most familiar with. Likely you've heard a couple of these versions of the tune yourself:

The 1959 original, by Jimmy Jones:



The chart-topper, later that same year, by Dell Shannon and his distinctive clavioline:



And who knew that Frank Black and Teenage Fanclub even banged out an indie cover of the song for a John Peel session record?



Artist: James Taylor
Year: 1977
Rating: Warm

Artist: Jimmy Jones
Year: 1959
Rating: Luke Hot

Artist: Del Shannon
Year: 1959
Rating: Luke Hot

Artist: Frank Black & Teenage Fanclub
Year: 1997
Rating: Warm

Rockin' Robin

I slept soundly last night and woke around 5:00 am to use the loo. This song emerged distinct in my mental landscape. No idea why.

Artist: Bobby Day
Year: 1958
Rating: Warm

Wild Sage - Original Cover!

I've got a little time on my hands lately, so I'm noodling around with more songs. Here is my faithful rendition of "Wild Sage" by the Mountain Goats, from their album Get Lonely.

Last blogged on November 23, 2011.



Artist: Sooze
Written by: John Darnielle
Year: 2014, (2006, original)
Rating: Hot!

Downtown Train - Original Cover!

Tom Waits's "Downtown Train" has been in my head for a few days, so I decided to figure it out on guitar. Then I sang it at karaoke last night, and it wasn't too shabby. I'm using something closer to the key Rod Stewart sang it in, 'cause Tom's range is a mite bit too low, as you can imagine. Hope you enjoy it!



Artist: Sooze
Written by: Tom Waits
Notable covers: Rod Stewart (1989); Everything But the Girl (1992)
Year: 2014; original 1985
Rating: Hot!

Join Together

Inspired to post again, 'cause this odd one hit me out of nowhere today. It's not one of my most tapped Who songs, but it's got a good groove. It's also 42 years old, as of this summer. Much like me.

Artist: The Who
Year: 1972
Rating: Warm

Faves *New Edit, 5/28/15

Curious about which blog posts I groove on the most? Check out these geeky-sweet gems!


2/11/09:
Sometimes When We Touch

2/1/10:
Just Can't Get Enough

2/28/10:
Six Degrees of Fish Heads

3/30/10:
Spooky Instrumental

9/27/10:
Jump

1/18/11:
The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze

3/5/11:
New Mystery Song!

3/9/11:
Wonderful Tonight/Stuck On You Mash Up

8/1/12:
Dreams of Merlin

8/4/12:
Last Time in Love

1/20/13:
Tom Sawyer

Billy Boy

I haven't been focused on the song blog in quite some time, but this tune arrived so out of the blue, I had to post it. I'm sure I haven't heard any version of it in more than 30 years. The internets date its origins in the 18th Century, but it looks like the most popular versions weren't published in England til about WWI era and not in the States til 1930.

Thanks to YouTube user LDsongscreen for posting this sweet rendition of the song.

Artist: Unknown
Year: c. 1790s; 1910s; 1930s
Rating: Warm

In The Mood

This is one of those songs so ubiquitous in the popular culture, it feels like it's been in my head my whole life. This afternoon, I found myself spontaneously "meowing" aloud to the melody.

Artist: The Glenn Miller Orchestra
Year: 1939
Rating: Warm

The Waiting, Redux x2

Perhaps in anticipation of my leave of absence from Facebook for a few weeks, this trusty tune popped into my head this morning, again. And, really, it's kind of a treat to listen to all the selections on my Tom Petty tag. Go ahead, enjoy yourself.

Last posted April 19, 2012.

Artist: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Year: 1981
Rating: Luke Hot

Summer Breeze, Redux

Hard to believe this song was last in my head in 2009 but, then, I haven't been attending to the blog very well. Hoping to remedy that.

Artist: Seals & Crofts
Year: 1972
Rating: Hot!
Last in my head: February 13, 2009.