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SONGS I LIKE TO REMEMBER
Sylvia's Mother (Dr Hook)
 Late sixties rock group Dr Hook (right) suffered the embarrassment of bankruptsy before hitting the jackpot with this song. It was written by satirical cartoonist Shel Silverstein who wrote a string of hits for the rollicking group. According to Silverstein, though it was a parody of teen-heartbreak songs sung in classic dead pan style by Dennis Locorriere, there was in fact a realSylvia. In 1972, Silverstein told Rolling Stone magazine: "I just changed the last name, not to protect the innocent, but because it didn't fit. It happened about eight years ago and was pretty much the way it was in the song. I called Sylvia and her mother said, 'She can't talk to you.' I said, 'Why not?' Her mother said she was packing and she was leaving to get married, which was a big surprise to me. The guy was in Mexico and he was a bullfighter and a painter. At the time I thought that was like being a combination brain surgeon and encyclopedia salesman. Her mother finally let me talk to her, but her last words were, 'Shel, don't spoil it.' For about ten seconds I had this ego charge, as if I could have spoiled it. I couldn't have spoiled it with a sledge hammer."
Silverstein was a popular author and songwriter, who wrote for both children and adults. He was a writer and cartoonist for Playboy magazine, and a best-selling author of children's poems. He wrote "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash and another hit song for Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show: "The Cover Of The Rolling Stone." He died of a heart attack in 1999 at age 68.
Deep Purple (Nino Tempo and April Stevens)
 In 1939, this was a No.1 hit for Larry McClinton and His orchestra. It also went to No.20 for Billy Ward and the Dominoes - their last crossover Top 40 hit, and No.14 for Donny and Marie Osmond in 1976, but the version of the song that everyone remembers is the1963 hit of Nino Tempo and April Stevens (right). The brother and sister duo, whose real names are Antonio and Carol Lo Tempio, each had fair solo careers. April had hits with 'No No No Not That' (1950), 'I'm in Love Again' (1951), and 'Teach Me Tiger' (1959) in the US; Nino was a session saxophonist. During the last remaining 14 minutes of a recording session, to use up the time April suggested they record this song; she had just been listening to the Billy Ward version and liked it. Recalls April: "In rehearsal, Nino sat at the piano and started being very funny with the song, and we laughed..but then, we stopped and said `Gee, it sounds good...kinda country." Adds Nino: "I didn?t have enough range to sing 'Deep Purple? as originally written, so I used a falsetto, just kidding around. She was laughing, and I was laughing...then this girl walked in and said `I love that!?" April: "And then Nino decided to sing one chorus alone, without me, and he didn?t know the words...so I started to softly feed him the words. We didn?t know what we were doing. But this girl said `I love the way you?re talking and he?s singing,? so I thought maybe it?s a good idea."
It took April two months to convince Nino that the narration was OK. The record company wasn't too keen on it either and mothballed the song for a year. When it was finally released it shot to No.1 in the US and gave the duet their one and only international Top 10 hit. Released with the intention of being the B-side, 'Deep Purple' not only won the Grammy for Best Rock & Roll Recording of 1963 but inspired the name of one of the first heavy metal rock bands.
Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Bob Dylan)
 At just under 11 minutes, this is one of the longest songs in recording history. Its sheer size, filling up a complete side of an LP, turned writer/singer Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" into the first double album ever released. It's appearance on Joan Baez's tribute album to Dylan - 'Love Minus Zero - No Limit' turned that into a double also. Of the two, Baez's version is by far the best and most 'listenable'.
In terms of songwriting, 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' is considered by many to be Dylan's finest moment of this particular era; in fact, he told biographer Robert Shelton at the time that he regarded it as the best song that he had ever written. Believed to be inspired by his wife Sara (right), whom he had married some three months earlier, it was astonishingly recorded in one take. Lowlands is almost practically the same word as her last name "Lowndes"; give it an "la" and take away the "e". With the possible exception of the song "Sara" on 1976's "Desire" (in which he makes reference to this song), Dylan has never spoken so openly about a real person, apart from those in the public domain. He speaks of her "...eyes like smoke" and "...voice like chimes" and delivers intensely personal lines like "And your flesh like silk, and your face like glass." This was obviously a very important song to Dylan, and one that he possibly felt that he had revealed too much feeling or emotion in. For many fans, it is the definitive sixties Dylan song. It was mainly written in New York (as attested to in "Sara") but finished in the studio - this was another time that the Nashville musicians had to wait for the song to be finished before they could record it, apparently spending their time playing cards and drinking beer. Kris Kristofferson, who was a janitor in the studio at the time remembers, "I saw Dylan sitting out in the studio at the piano, writing all night long by himself. Dark glasses on. All the musicians played cards ... while he was out there writing." Kenny Buttrey for one was amazed at the length of the song "I was playing one handed, looking at my watch, and it just kept on and kept on. We'd never heard anything like this before," he says as he recalls how he thought that the end of each verse was the end of the song! Though it is believed to have been wriiten for his wife Sara, true to form, Dylan has thrown in what many believe to be a few red herrings to keep us guessing.
Lyrics
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) The Beatles
 Appearing on The Beatles' 'Rubber Soul' album but never released as a single, it is regarded today as a Beatles classic, and features George playing sitar for the first time, and poignant lyrics penned and sung by John. Norwegian Wood is a fake wood that was used to make cheap furniture. Lennon knew people who were using it in their homes and thought it would make a good title. Lennon claims he was trying to write about an affair without letting his wife know he was having one. The title refers to the cheap, fake feel of such relationships.
American Pie (Don McLean)
 Initially inspired by his memories of the death of Buddy Holly in 1959, 'American Pie' is autobiographical and presents an abstract story of Don McLean's life from the mid 1950s until when he wrote the song in the late 1960s. It is almost entirely symbolised by the evolution of popular music over these years and represents a change from the lightness of the 1950s to the darkness of the late 1960s. In Don's life the transition from light (the innocence of childhood) to the darker realities of adulthood probably started with the death of Buddy Holly and culminated with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. In this four year period, Don moved from a fairly idyllic childhood existence, through the shock and subsequent harsh realities of his father's death in 1961, to his decision in 1963 to quit Villanova University to pursue his dream and become a professional singer.
For more than 30 years the lyrics of American Pie have been subject to intense scrutiny as people search for the song's real meaning. Analysis continues today on the Internet and in newspapers and magazines worldwide. However you interpret the lyrics, the essence of the song is the degeneration of America and McLean's longing for the wholesome days of the 1950s when musicians were God fearing.
Interview with Don McLean | Lyrics
Living Next Door To Alice (Smokie)
 This much maligned song from 1976, about two girls next door - one he fell in love with but didn't have the guts to tell her, and the other who fell in love with him but didn't have the guts to tell him - was a number one hit for Smokie and set their career in motion. A beautiful introduction played on an acoustic Martin 12-string guitar, sets the mood for a rather sad ballad ably sung by Smokie lead singer, Chris Norman. The members of Smokie, a pop band from Yorkshire, England, had previously performed together in 1966 with a band called The Elizabethans. Turning professional in 1968, they changed their name to Kindness, performing at holiday camps and ballrooms. Along the way they changed their name to Smokey (later spelt Smokie), and had a string of hits including this one. In 1976 the production team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (Chinnichap) were looking for a band to work with, spotted Smokie and wrote this song for them. Smokie lasted four years, disbanding in 1980. A little while ago a dreadful version of the song was released that was essentially the same as the original but with the comment "Alice, who the f___ is Alice?" overdubbed throughout the chorus. Whoever did that should be shot!
EVERYBODY'S SOMEBODY'S FOOL (Connie Francis)
 Now we are digging deep into the archives, aren't we? 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool' was a No. 1 hit for Connie Francis (right) in 1960. It was in fact the first song I ever heard on Australian radio upon my arrival as a 9-year old migrant kid in that year. Back then, young female singers like Connie Franics, Connie Stevens, Little Peggy March, Diane Renay, Brenda Lee and Leslie Gore were all the rage. Their songs about teenage romance and broken hearts were snapped up by male and female teenagers alike and these girls enjoyed hit after hit with similar sounding songs that were rushed recorded and released to satisfy an eager public. But that all ground to a halt in 1962-63 when the Beatles and their fellow Liverpudlians turned contemporary music on its ear and these pretty-faced songstresses became has-beens almost overnight.
'Everybody's Somebody's Fool' was written by Howie Greenfield and Jack Keller who were employed by Aldon Music, Don Kirschner's Brill Building publishing company. They were part of a stable of young pop songwriters that also included Gerry Goffin, Carole King and Neil Sedaka and wrote most of the popular songs of the early 1960s between them. Keller and Greenfield also wrote 'My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own', another No. 1 hit for Connie Francis in 1960, 'Venus in Blue Jeans' for Jimmy Clanton and the theme songs for the TV shows Bewitched and Gidget. Keller died in April 2005, age 68. Greenfield died in 1986. During the 1960s, Greenfield and Neil Sedaka wrote many of the latter's hits, including 'Love Will Keep Us Together', 'Breaking Up Is Hart to Do', 'Little Devil', 'Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen' and 'Calendar Girl'.
Though their songs had a simple backing back then - this one featured only a Hammond organ, drums played with brushes and a strummed acoustic guitar - these songwriters were quite skilled in writing about innocent teenage emotions and the singers sang clearly and with enough emotion to convince their audience that they were singing from the heart. Connie Francis melted even the hardest stony heart with her melancholy delivery of this song. Showing her versatility, she then gave a bubbly performance singing 'V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N' two years later. Though 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool' sounds quite dated these days, Connie's voice has sufficient charm and charisma to keep me listening forty five years on. She continues working the United States concert circuit as a classy and very popular performer.
Help Is On Its Way (Little River Band)
 After Axiom's short reign at the top before disbanding in the late 1960s, Glenn Shorrock went on to become a founding member and lead singer of Australia's first outfit to hit the jackpot outside of Australia - Little River Band (right). It was this Shorrock composition, released as a single in 1977, that became the first single by Aussie performers to break into the US Top 20 charts. The band's 1977 'Diamantina Cocktail' album, which had the song on it, sold over half a million copies in the US and earned LRB their first gold disc and the first to be awarded to an Australian entity. LRB and Olivia Newton-John became the only acts after the 1960s to score an American top 10 hit every year consecutively for five years. For me, the lyrics of the song are a bit weak and say little of consequence about the subject matter (helping someone you love) but the tight harmonies and musicianship by all players is to a standard of excellence achieved in the 1970s by LRB and The Eagles, but few others.
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show (Neil Diamond)
 This 1969 hit from singer/songwriter Neil Diamond is an example of the quality of material produced by this artist as he was about to enter his creative peak, though it was the only outstanding song on the otherwise forgettable album, 'Two-Bit Manchild'. The song begins with a simple piano introduction, and like the preacher about which the song is written, 'suddenly, soft and low, like a small earthquake, and when he lets go, half the valley quakes ...". 'Cracklin' Rosie', 'Crunchy Granola Suite' and 'Song Sung Blue' were three other big Neil Diamond hits from this period but these songs were marred by a bit of accidental or deliberate plagiarism. The introduction of 'Cracklin' Rosie' is a direct lift of the introduction of 'The Pennsylvania Polka'; the tune of 'Song Sung Blue' is a slight variation on a Beethoven Piano sonata. The live version of 'Crunchy Granola Suite' on the album 'Hot August Night' has a line or two from 'In The Mood' added as a counter theme. Of the song, Neil says; " I was on my way south to Memphis to record there for the first time. I was so excited that on the plane I wrote an entirely new set of lyrics (my second airplane song lyric) to a song I had already written. The story of 'Brother love' demanded its own place in those sessions and was recorded the following day with nary a change in lyric. This recording became a hit and was to make a showman out of me. How could you not let go of your inhibitions when playing such a wonderful character?"
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Favourites
Yesterday (The Beatles)
 Paul McCartney turns what was originally going to be an instrumental called 'Scrambled Eggs' into a sublime lament to lost love that hovers around the top of the list of the 20th Century's best songs. Effectively a Paul solo though it was released by The Beatles, it features no other vocals but his and a simple guitar and string quartet accompaniment brillantly crafted by producer George Martin. McCartney wrote some of the lyrics during a 5 hour car trip from Lisbon to Albufeira (in Algarve, south of Portugal), on 27th May, 1965, when he was on vacation with Jane Asher. The villa where Paul and Jane stayed was owned by Shadows' guitarist Bruce Welch. Bruce said that when he was packing to leave, Paul asked him if he had a guitar because (Paul) was working on the lyrics since the airport. Said Bruce: "He borrowed my guitar and started playing the song we all now know as 'Yesterday'."
Paul is said to have written this song for his mother when she'd alredy passed away. The lyrics say "I said something wrong, Now I long for yesterday". Apparently, he told a really bad taste joke when he and his brother found out that she had cancer; something he regretted saying and wished he could take back.
After recording this, George Martin suggested to Brian Epsitein that they put it out as a Paul McCartney solo single. Paul refused, and furthermore refused to have the song released as a Beatles single, since he felt that singles should be true group efforts. The Beatles couldn't (at that time) control what Capitol did with their songs overseas, so it was released as a single outside of Britain.
Some of the artists who have covered this song include Boyz II Men, Ray Charles, En Vogue, Marianne Faithfull, Marvin Gaye, Tom Jones, Nana Mouskouri, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, The Toys, Andy Williams, and Tammy Wynette.
Twho Out Of Three Ain't Bad (Meatloaf)
 Though "You took The Words Right Out of My Mouth" was the best selling single from Meatloaf's incredible 1977 album, "Bat Out Of Hell", it is this song that has become the most enduring from this incredible body of work. The album and the songs on it had their origins in Broadway theatre where Marvin Lee Aday (Meatloaf to us), a Broadway actor, met up-and-coming pianist and playwright Jim Steinman. Steinman also sang, but at the time they met he was auditioning for his latest play and he couldn't utter a decent note as his nose was broken by a female biker! When Meat Loaf appeared for the audition, Steinman was amazed by Meat's voice and his overpowering presence and declared "This guy is my voice! He should be singing Wagnerian rock opera!" Meat and Steinman became friends and colleagues. In 1977, during the Broadway season of Steinman's "Neverland", a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan, "Bat Out of Hell" - Steinman's Wagnerian rock opera vision of Meat Loaf himself - was conceived. Rarely has this kind of craziness been pulled off so well, and against such massive odds. Record company after record company turn the recordings down until Epic saw the light and released the album. What Meat Loaf and Steinman (above right) and producer Todd Rundgren had actually done was to take the metal/hard rock excesses of the early-mid '70s (all of which were getting a bit sluggish) and inject them with the New Wave energy of the late '70s, resulting in one of the most dynamic rock albums of all time (it stayed on the UK charts for an astonishing 400 weeks and 88 weeks in the US). Sales in the beginning were slow, so Meatloaf embarked on a massive tour which temporarily ruined his voice. The follow-up album to "Bat", with all tracks except vocals laid down and ready, sat in the studio for months until Steinman, tired of waiting for Meat Loaf's voice to recover, sang the vocals himself. Released in 1981 as Steinman's solo album "Bad For Good", it became a big hit in Britain and a modest hit in the States. The very first package of twenty albums to be released in the compact disc included "Bad For Good".
Holding Out For A Hero (Bonnie Tyler)
 Before her well-known collaborations with Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman who co-wrote this song for her, Welsh-born singer Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins, 8th July 1953) performed off and on in her homeland with the R&B band Mumbles; nodules on her vocal cords prevented her from singing full time until 1976, when she underwent an operation to have them removed. The surgery left her with a raspy, husky voice somewhat akin to Rod Stewart's, that proved an effective instrument and drew notice from writers/producers Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who became her managers. Tyler scored a number three hit with their 'It's a Heartache' in 1978. Inspired by Steinman's work on Meatloaf's 'Bat Out Of Hell' album, she looked him out and he came up with the album 'Faster than the speed of light' and the hit song, 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', from it. Jim would produce one more album for her, 'Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire' (1983), which included 'Holding Out For a Hero' that was used in the soundtrack of the blockbuster movie, Footloose. To date it has remained her last major success. Steinman's frenetic arrangement adds the 'wall of sound' effect that was his trademark. The song enjoyed a revival in 2004 when Jennifer Saunders, star of the hit TV show 'Absolutely Fabulous', gave an equally punchy rendition of it as the voice of the Fairy Godmother in the movie, Shreck 2.
Walking In Memphis (Marc Cohn)
 I'm not sure why this song, about a fan's visit to the Elvis Presley mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, didn't make it into my list of favourites because I'll never tire of listening to it. Its composer, Marc Cohn, who was discovered by Carly Simon, had a No. 1 hit with the song and won the Grammy for best new artist in 1992. Cher and Bruce Springsteen are among a plethora of artists who have recorded cover versions. There aren't too many songs written that have been top five hits in consecutive years for different artists as this was.
Cohn, who wrote this after hearing Rev. Al Green in Memphis, says it is about Spiritual Awakening. "Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale" refers to Beale Street, a street in Memphis. Riley B. King became known as the "Beale Street Blues Boy" shortly after he first arrived in Memphis. Later, the nickname was shortened to B.B. and the rest is history. "Muriel plays piano every Friday at The Hollywood" is a reference to a local artist who played at the Hollywood Cafe, which is a small diner/music joint in Tunica County. MS. Muriel has passed away, but The Hollywood is still there - you drive right past it to go to several of the casinos now located in Tunica. W.C. Handy, referred to in the first verse, is a blues legend. His most famous recording is "St. Louis Blues", but he also recorded "Beale Street Blues" and "Memphis Blues." There is a statue in his honour in Memphis.
The narrator tells of seeing "The ghost of Elvis up on Union Avenue and followed him up to gates of Graceland". Sam Phillips' studios were at 706 Union Avenue. Elvis' start on the journey to fame and fortune is attributed to the success of his cover version of Carl Perkins' "Blues Suede Shoes" recorded there and released on Phillips' Sun Records label. "Security didn't see him" is a comment on the story that Bruce Springsteen once successfully scaled the wall at Graceland, trying to deliver a song he wrote. Apparently, Elvis wasn't there. "There's catfish on table and gospel in the air" marks the dichotomy between secular and sacred. Catfish is the standard Blues metaphor for sexual intercourse. "Catfish" thus would appeal to the bodily instincts, whereas "gospel" would be to the intellect. The metaphor gains more credence since Al Green supposedly renounced secular music after being scalded with grits by a jealous girlfriend.
According to those who have visited Graceland, the Memphis home of Elvis Presley, the songs captures with incredible accuracy the emotional feelings that envelops a devoted Elvis fan when paying homage to The King in this manner. I was never an avid fan myself, but I always admired the man and the huge impact he had on the world of popular music. No doubt when I finally walk through the gates of Graceland as I intend to do one day, I'll also wonder, "do I really feel the way I feel?"
Monday, Monday (The Mammas and the Pappas)
 This song, written by John Phillips, was a huge hit for the Mammas and the Pappas (Cass Elliot, Denny Doherty, John Phillips and Michelle Phillips) and epitomises a gentle, folky style of soft rock music that was known as the California sound, so named after the Mamas and Papas song, 'California Dreamin'' which epitomised the sub-genre. It grew out of the surfing music popularised by the likes of The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean and featured close harmonies set to gentle, lilting music played on acoustic instruments. The Mamas and the Papas were a crucial part of that harmony-rich pop-group movement that swept Southern California in the Sixties. With their mix of male and female voices, astute songwriting and arrangements from Phillips and musical contributions from some of Los Angeles' finest session musicians, the Mamas and the Papas (right) cut some of the most indelible and durable records of the sixties. 'Monday, Monday' was released in 1965 on an incredibly successful album named 'If You Can't Believe Your Eyes And Ears'. With this album, the band struck gold. 'Monday, Monday', 'Do You Wanna Dance', 'Go Where You Wanna Go', 'California Dreamin'' and 'Spanish Harlem' were all on the album and all went into the top 5 as A or B-sides of the group's first four singles. In the history of popular music, only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have equalled that feat. In 1966, an up-and-coming singer/songwriter named Neil Diamond (right) recorded 'Monday, Monday' and it was released on the B-side of his first big hit, 'Solitary Man'.
Midnight Blue (Vanessa Venning)
Outside of Queensland, Vanessa Venning, who recorded this song, is relatively unknown. Her diverse career began when she completed studies as a Registered Nurse in Brisbane. Pursuing a joint career in business and entertainment, she worked as State Manager for an international cosmetic company as well as singing, hosting television specials and presenting weather for BTQ 7. Three times winner of the Wallace Award for Queensland's Female Entertainer of the Year, she moved to Sydney in 1988 taking on the role of National Training and Development Manager for Helena Rubinstein. She then moved into human resource management with Downtown Duty Free and then Swissair. She is currently Network Human Resources Manager with Network Ten. This song, released in the 1980s, is a catchy little number that Vanessa sings with all the verve and confidence of a top-notch entertainer.
Hotel California (The Eagles)
 A downbeat tale about coping with LA's rock-star lifestyle that portrays California as a hedonistic prison, 'Hotel California' is without doubt one of the finest songs ever written and performed during the 20th century. It is the pinnacle in the career of The Eagles, whose portfolio of work is one of the finest ever. Those hypnotic opening chords were created by Don Felder. He recalls, "I had just leased this house out on the beach at Malibu, I guess it was around '74 or '75. I remember sitting in the living room, with all the doors wide open on a spectacular July day. I had this acoustic 12-string and I started tinkling around with it, and those 'Hotel California' chords just kind of oozed out. Every once in a while it seems like the cosmos part and something great just plops in your lap." Don took the chord progressions to Don Henley and Glen Frey. They put the words down, then Joe Walsh wrote all the guitar parts and arranged them for everyone.
Glenn Frey explains that the song explores the under belly of success, "the darker side of Paradise. Which was sort of what we were experiencing in Los Angeles at that time. So that just sort of became a metaphor for the whole world and for everything you know. And we just decided to make it Hotel California. So with a microcosm of everything else going on around us." Don Henley adds. "We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest. Hotel California was our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles.
"Colitas," in the line "Warm smell of colitas," is often interpreted as a flower or a sexual reference. It is a Spanish word translated to Henley by The Eagles Mexican-American road manager meaning "Little Buds," and is a reference to marijuana. Some people thought the line "She's got the Mercedes Bends" was a misspelling of "Mercedes Benz," and wrote to Henley to complain. The line was a play on words. The hotel on the album cover is the Beverly Hills Hotel, known as the Pink Palace. It is often frequented by Hollywood stars. The photo was taken by photographers David Alexander and John Kosh, who sat in a cherry-picker about 60 feet above Sunset Boulevard to get the shot of the hotel at sunset from above the trees. The rush-hour traffic made it a harrowing experience.
Lyrics
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