First Think, THEN Ink.

"Coming Of Age"


In “The Isolation Generation,” I site the Lunar Landing as a split within the “Space-Ager” group. Those born before July 20, 1969 are “Pre Lunars” and those on or after, “Post Lunars.”

Mostly for fun, but as part of the historic ‘record’ of our collective past, here is an offering of some of the most popular pop music from the era in which these two subsets began to reach adulthood.

Thanks to MTV and the music video, the nature of music changed again. Nearly every song in this collection has a music video to go with it. So, you might actually remember ‘watching’ these selections more than hearing them (depending on the availability of cable in your area).

The messages of these songs make the music of the Sugar Sweet Seventies seem like a meaningful 1960’s protest. Consumerism was perfected by the time we were leaving school, and in the recording industry, things were geared to make us buy. That’s the angle happening here. It wasn’t about anything except catchy tunes, great beats and the coolest images on your teevee screen.

The other changes were the arrival of the Compact Disc, which changed the landscape for music as well, and the movement of women to front and center on the rock stage.

Madonna, Mariah, Whitney, Janet, Gloria, Joan and so many others took charge as the 80’s arrived. It gave the girls in the audience something to strive for, and the boys something to lust after. It also set the stage for the more recent wave of women: Britney, Christina, Faith, Avril and groups like Destiny’s Child and Dixie Chicks.

It’s all here. So, let’s dance!


"Pre Lunar"


December 1963 (Oh What A Night) – The Four Seasons: Even the oldest Space-Ager would not have any real memories of this month, and certainly none like this. Again, we’re fed the memories of the Boomers (“you know I didn’t even/know her name/but I was never/gonna be the same/what a lady/what a night”). This is the only regular song in this collection that doesn’t have an accompanying music video, making it even older than it seems.

Dancing Queen – ABBA: In one sense, this song became the theme for millions of women. A great companion piece for Helen Reddy’s heroic “I Am Woman,” this song proclaimed another kind of female liberation: to go out, find and break the hearts of any man (“you’re a teaser/to turn him on/leave him burning/and then you’re/gone”). It’s a new world.

Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees: You can’t hear this song without thinking of John Travolta striding the Brooklyn sidewalks in “Saturday Night Fever” (“Well you can tell/by the way I use my walk/I’m a woman’s man/no time to talk”). Though not specifically written for that film, this song is a perfect fit: a guy who hates his life as it is, sees a future and, by just surviving, will make it to that dream.

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor: We’ve come a long way from “It Must Be Him!” Here, instead of crying over her fickle lover, the singer takes a rock solid stand and just as the Travolta character does in “Saturday Night Fever,” thrives (“as long as I know/how to love/I know I’ll stay alive”). It’s no wonder this song holds up even today, despite its complete disco beat. It is an incredible message of strength.

Call Me – Blondie: Baby Boomer Debbie Harry sings lead on this high-energy theme from the film “American Gigolo.” This is almost a 1960’s style Boomer song. The singer practically demands to be called (“I’ll arrive/when you’re ready/we can share the wine”). Who could refuse this offer?

Celebration – Kool And The Gang: “Celebrate good times/come on!” That’s the message of this totally danceable tune. It doesn’t matter why, or who. It’s just a party!

I Love Rock n’ Roll – Joan Jett And The Blackhearts: The first lady of the rock guitar, Joan asserts the power that was up until now reserved for the guys (“I could tell it wouldn’t be long/that he was with me/yeah, me”). Here, she was the one picking up the guy, and it’s about time.

Flashdance... What A Feeling – Irene Cara: Yet another movie theme, and yet another uplifting message (“I can have it all/now I’m dancing for/my life/take your passion/and make it happen”). People were striving to achieve their personal dreams, to that pounding dance beat.

Like A Virgin – Madonna: Who could forget her writhing performance in a Venice gondola, or on the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards? Madonna made being sexy, sexy all over again (“didn’t know how lost I was/until I found you”). It helps to remember that she was using a simile here. The music industry wasn’t the same after her arrival. Neither was the world.

The Power Of Love – Huey Lewis And The News: “Back To The Future” is the source material for this song. The Michael J. Fox vehicle (a DeLorean) was a bit of a time travel in music, too. It owes a lot to all of those songs from the 50’s where love is explained (“the power of love/is a curious thing/make a one man weep/make another man sing/change a hawk/to a little white dove/more than a feeling…”). Not quite a dance song, this is great tune to drive to, if your Flux Capacitor is working.

Walk Like An Egyptian – Bangles: “Slide your feet/up the street/bend your back/shift your arms/then you/pull ‘em back.” Everybody was doing this. People still do this. The four females of this group reached their pinnacle with this song, eclipsing Steve Martin’s “King Tut” as the most popular song involving anything from Egypt. What did it mean? A chance to dress like Cleopatra and dance on the banks of the Nile!

Billie Jean – Michael Jackson: It’s amazing to think that this was the very first video by a minority artist on MTV. Another catchy hook offered by the “King of Pop,” Michael moonwalks his way through charges that he fathered a child (“she’s just a girl who/claims that I am the one/but the kid is not my son”). I think we can safely say Michael isn’t lying. It was his spectacular performance on the “Motown 25” special that shot the album “Thriller” through the roof. It’s still the best-selling original single album, ever.

Without Us – Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams: It’s the theme to the television series “Family Ties.” A comfort in the middle of the strangeness of the 80’s, this song was there, week after week for seven years. It pays tribute to the best elements of the family and of love (“oh, it’s like I started breathing/on the night we kissed/and I can’t remember/what I ever did before”).

Imagine – John Lennon: Can you imagine The Beatles performing this? Well, maybe. It was revolutionary (some might say Russian Revolutionary). But, the concepts offered here challenged people to care about each other as if this life was the be all and end all. “And the world will live as one.”

Billy Don’t Be A Hero – Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods: Anti war song done in a teasing schoolyard sort of way. By this time, everyone was fully aware of the disaster Vietnam had become (“don’t be a fool with your life”). But there were still some wanna be patriots out there, caught up in ‘trying to win’. This song was for them.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is – Chicago: It sounds like a protest song, but does anybody really know what the protest was against (“if so I can’t imagine why/we’ve all got time enough to die”). We’re getting agitated for what reason?

Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) – Aretha Franklin: Co-written by Stevie Wonder, the singer here was dumped and as a response is getting into that stalking behavior (“I’m gonna rap on your door/tap on your window pane”). It’s either true love or true psychosis. Talk about losing all self-"Respect!"

All I Know – Garfunkel: “I bruise you/you bruise me/we both bruise too easily.” Ouch! ‘Love hurts’ seems to be the message here, both emotionally and physically. “They say in the darkest night/there’s a light beyond.”

One Tin Soldier (The Legend Of Billy Jack) – Coven: Billy Jack, the righteous title character from the Karate/Native American film, had this equally righteous song as a motif (“go ahead and hate your neighbor/go ahead and cheat a friend”). Everybody gets justice in Billy Jack’s world. Could the rest of us?

Precious And Few – Climax: As sugary as can be, this song defies you to make sense of it (“and if I can’t find my way back home/it just wouldn’t be fair”). Some parts of the piece are more obvious than others (“quiet and blue like the sky/I’m all over you”)! But aren’t we ignoring caring feelings and talking about satisfying the urge for satisfying urges here?

The Candy Man – Sammy Davis Jr.: What could be sweeter? From the score of “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory” (“talk about your childhood wishes/you can even eat the dishes”), this tune brightened up the underlying darkness of that film. And the film vastly brightened up the Roald Dahl Book “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory,” on which the screenplay was based. But here, Sammy takes the song and turns it into an over the top wild celebration of confection, performed as only the last great song and dance man could.

The Morning After – Maureen McGovern: There were a lot of mistakes in the production of the film “The Poseidon Adventure.” A major one was not letting this version of the song be used on the soundtrack. (There, it was performed by the non-singer, Carol Lynley.) Cleverly crafted to fit into or out of the context of a capsized ocean liner (“and we’ll escape the darkness/we won’t be searching anymore”), it offers hope in either case.

Oh Babe, What Would You Say – Hurricane Smith: Here’s an English Dance Hall performance by this British Subject. There’s almost a Chaplinesque quality to the material (“Have I a hope/for half a chance/to even ask/if I could dance with you”). How quaint an approach in the rapidly being sexualized Seventies.

Photograph – Ringo Starr: No! The Beatles never would have done this! Still, it’s catchy and fun. And, that is George singing backup. (“Every time I see your face/it reminds me of the places/we used to go…”) Again, we have the theme of obsessing over other people. A photograph allows you to focus on your former lover by staring deeply at the picture. That says it all.

Come Saturday Morning – The Sandpipers: At least we have the semblance of a normal relationship here. This song, taken from the Liza Minnelli college campus vehicle “The Sterile Cuckoo,” actually sounds like a fun trip (“I’m going away with my friend/we’ll Saturday spend/’til the end of the day”). Of course, that’s outside of the actual storyline of the film.

Misty – Ray Stevens: This is the composition that Johnny Mathis made famous, done in a novelty song country style (only ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic is still doing such comic songs). The great Erroll Garner penned this tune, and it must be a standard. It’s still a magnificent love song (“don’t you notice/how hopelessly I’m lost/that’s why I’m following you”), even with the yodeling, cowbells and steel guitars presented here.

Got To Be There – Michael Jackson: Another Teen Idol. More love-induced wacky behavior (“got to be there/got to be there/in the morning/when she says hello/to the world”) means more staring, more stalking. Was this era in music simply about training maniacs?

"Sugar Sweet Seventies"

Pop music took an almost impossible 180-degree turn as the 1960’s ended. From the passionate songs of social conscience, songs with heart and soul, suddenly, radio stations became encrusted with the confectioner’s sugar frosting of gentle love ballads, songs to help you cope. There were songs that had no actual meaning, the radio equivalent of a slapstick sitcom. There were songs that implied a meaning, but left it up to interpretation. And there were the sad, the caring, the love songs.

This period was meant to ‘mop up’ the emotional mess of the Sixties. However, if you were just coming to understand the world at this time, as many Space-Agers were, you hadn’t experienced these problems, or at most, received limited exposure to them.

Instead of true feelings, more often than not, it was “dreams” and “wishes” or “self-pity” and “self indulgence” being sent to young ears, incapable of distinguishing truth from fantasy.

Sugar Sweet Seventies presents this collection of heart-warming, well meaning songs and wonders: What if pop music’s focus on social change had continued and strengthened instead of being abandoned?

*Note: Some of the commentary offered here is meant to temper the incredible sweetness of the music (which, of course, we all love). The object is to bring the material back to a tolerable glucose level.


"Sugar Sweet Seventies" Part I

Let It Be – The Beatles: When the 60’s were over, so was the most successful collaboration of the Rock Era. Yes, each member went on to a solo career, and received success in equal amounts to talent, but even as they were splitting, the Fab Four set the tone for the time. The heroic anthem is almost a hymn (“Mother Mary/comes to me/speaking words of wisdom”). As they prepared for the end of their Beatle lives, they still had a couple of things to say as mouthpieces for the generation.

(They Long To Be) Close To You – Carpenters: “That is why/all the girls in town/follow you/all around.” Is this the first ‘stalking’ song ever? Not really, with Karen Carpenter’s golden voice. This a case of singer and song intertwining as if they were formed from the same DNA. Bacharach/David strike again.

I Think I Love You – The Partridge Family: The Space-Agers get their first teen idol: David Cassidy. Constructed from some of the best session musicians (and an occasional vocal from step mom Shirley Jones) David carried this ‘family’ on a music and television odyssey with several hits, all faked by the actors on the show. Danny Bonaduce (who played bratty Danny Partridge) was quoted during an "E! True Hollywood Story" episode about the group: “We were the original Milli Vanilli.”

The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia – Vicki Lawrence: Written by Vicki’s then husband Bobby Russell, according to rock legend, this song was to be sung by Cher. Perhaps as a foreshadowing of his political career, Sonny vetoed it, saying it was “too offensive.” In a not-so-subtle manner, the song did criticize the justice system in small towns throughout Dixie (“well don’t trust your soul/to no backwoods southern lawyer/’cause the judge in the town’s/got bloodstains on his hands”). However, the narrator here is just as guilty as the system, so what’s the message?

Daniel – Elton John: A definitive “soft rock” song, it seems like there’s a concrete meaning to this tune, and yet, there’s plenty of room to project your own feelings into it, making it more appealing for everybody. Elton was commercial from the very start.

Betcha By Golly Wow – The Stylistics: Aside from evoking images of children’s games (“Candy Land appears each time you smile”) and Barbara Eden (“you’re a genie in disguise”), this song brings home the point of finding that special person (“you’re the one/that I’ve been waiting for/forever”). Hey, no pressure.

Another Day – Paul McCartney: Would The Beatles have performed this song? Elevating the mundane to important, the song is a veritable celebration of the tedium in life, through the eyes of an unnamed woman (“Every day she takes a morning bath/she wets her hair/wraps the towel around her/as she’s heading for the bedroom chair”). But, fewer specific details allow the listener to project their own lives into the song. Paul always was the most commercial of the group.

For The Love Of Him – Bobbi Martin: Here’s a song that never got any play at an Equal Rights Rally (“make him your reason for living/give all the love you can give him/all the love you can”). The premise is the woman must play the subservient role to get love in a relationship. That’s one small step for man, one giant leap backwards for womankind.

Day By Day – Robin Lamont and the Cast of “Godspell”: This entire song is thirty-three syllables long. It’s a prayer from the Broadway musical “Godspell,” (which later became a movie). Oddly, the song’s construction has more in common with Hare Krishna chants than any western religious songs. The repetition, the rhythms and handclaps make it almost trance inducing, until the final zither chord.

Angie – The Rolling Stones: Devoid of both Love and Money (“with no loving in our souls/and no money in our coats/you could say we’re satisfied”), this relationship is over, whether anyone is willing to believe it or not. Clearly depressed, but unsure of what to do next, the singer is trying desperately to find a grip on reality, though gently.

Legend In Your Own Time – Carly Simon: Subtle disappointment and parental disapproval, dream support is at a premium here (“think kind of sadly/to yourself/this isn’t exactly/what we had planned”). Here, a child follows his heart into a creative career at the expense of a mother’s love. That’s a pain that will linger.

Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) – George Harrison: Would The Beatles have performed this little ditty? It does stick to the typical Boomer “demand-for-what-I-want” philosophy (“give me hope/help me cope/with this heavy load/trying to/touch and reach you/with heart and soul”). The question: is this a prayer? Or is it simply a command for humanity to get it together? Perhaps it’s both.

Rubber Duckie – Ernie (Jim Henson): From “Sesame Street,” it’s an honest-to-goodness Top 40 hit for Bert’s pal, who does an old-time 1920’s style Vaudeville song with a tribute to his bathtub buddy (“joy of joys/when I squeeze you/you make noise”). It’s an absolute delight to everyone (but especially to the “Post Lunars”).

"Commercials And Psychedelics"

What we have here are two sides of the same coin. The United States was becoming addicted to both television and narcotics in the Nineteen Sixties. The ultimate goal was to feel better about yourself. Just as Madison Avenue trotted out ad campaigns to make you want a particular car, cigarette, soda, et cetera, word of mouth created a similar buzz for the pills, powders, smokes and liquids of the drug culture.

In both cases, we were being sold: these were the lifestyle choices we wanted to and needed to make. It determined who our friends were, how we made our neighbors envious, what we should spend our money on, how to feed our needs, a way to get love.

Let the selling begin. Again.






"Commercials"


Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da – The Beatles: It sounds like a jingle and, yes, it later became a teevee theme. But this is possibly the most ‘commercial’ of The Beatles songs. A rollicking sing along, even if you don’t know the words (“ob-la-di/ob-la-da/life goes on/bra”). The Fab Four take on the “American” dream, marriage, house, kids, fun. It has to be a commercial!

The Dis-Advantages Of You – Brass Ring: A cigarette jingle turned hit single, this instrumental promoted Benson & Hedges 100’s, and the ‘disadvantages’ of their extra long smokes. Today, it’s just as likely to hear a hit song from the past in a commercial than to hear a song from an ad become a chart-topper. But in the 60’s, if you heard a catchy song often enough (like every commercial break), you learned to like it, and the producers were clever enough to even try to sell that.


What The World Needs Now Is Love – Jackie DeShannon: If love had an advertising campaign during this era, this would have been the theme. You would have heard it playing under the visuals of families on a Florida beach, couples climbing the Rockies or sailing through New York harbor to the Statue of Liberty. Jerry Lewis used this song for years when checking the tote board of his Muscular Dystrophy telethon (“it’s the only thing/that there’s just/too little of”). At this crucial point in history, with venomous hatred bubbling to the surface, selling the concept of love for your fellow man almost needed to happen.

A Swingin’ Safari – Billy Vaughn: Used as the theme to the original “Match Game,” this Bert Kaempfert penned song certainly has that pop music sound that tells you “I’m selling something!” One part lounge music, one part jingle, it’s only natural that TV found this tune and used it for its own profit.

Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey: “Goldfinger,” the motion picture, is the single reason why James Bond movies are still being made. It is the perfect 007 film. It has the right Bond (Sean Connery). It introduces the most incredible ‘gadget’ of all time (the Aston-Martin DB5). It has a worthy adversary (Gert Frobe in the title role), who has a sidekick who could kill you with his hat (the memorable Oddjob). On top of all of this, there is this incredible theme song, performed by that remarkable voice. The song itself is brilliantly constructed (listen for the classic Bond theme, subtly worked into the piece). Bassey’s powerful delivery is the knockout punch. And, it’s all tied together with a universal theme: greed (“he loves gold”).

Telstar – The Tornadoes: Only during the Space Age could a love song be written to a satellite! Telstar was the first American orbital communications device, launched in the early 60’s. The sounds you hear at the beginning and end of the piece are the actual sounds of the craft as it radioed signals back to earth. But, this instrumental is clearly a delighted celebration of technology, the triumphant organ practically trumpeting the USA as the rulers of both the planet and the heavens. Americans could take comfort in that, even if it wasn’t quite true at that moment.

Touch Me – The Doors: The Lizard King and company actually sampled the song’s famed final line from an Ajax commercial (“Stronger Than Dirt!”). The rest of it is an uneven patchwork of an out of control rant (“come on/come on/come on/come on/now touch me babe”) and a tender love song (“I’m gonna love you/’til the stars/fall from the sky/for you and I”). The whole thing is performed by a singer suspicious of a cheating lover. At once angry and caring, it’s Boomer schizophrenia in action.


Sugar Sugar – The Archies: Much later, used as an artificial sweetener jingle, this song simply turned a group of cartoons into superstars (“you are my candy girl/and ya got me wanting you”). What’s more commercial than that?

Mexican Shuffle – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass: The Clark Gum Company usurped this tune for its “Teaberry” flavor, and renamed the song ‘The Teaberry Shuffle.’ To do it: place thumbs under armpits and tilt your head skyward. Then, with each step you take, lift the opposing elbow to the sky and look in that direction, while chewing your Teaberry gum. Unfortunately, this fad didn’t really catch on, probably something about walking and chewing gum at the same time…

Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show – Neil Diamond: A precursor to televangelists everywhere. Songwriter Diamond presents some great mixed metaphors (“when you’d almost bet/you could hear yourself sweat/he walks in”). It captures that old time Bible-thumping religious atmosphere. Selling Jesus was just starting to catch on in a big way.

Music To Watch Girls By – Andy Williams: From the Diet Pepsi commercial, here’s Andy, sounding his grooviest! Originally done as an instrumental in the soda spot (with la-la-la’s like Williams offers toward the song’s end), this version sports the explanatory lyrics you need to be hip to the scene (“guys talk/girl talk/it happens everywhere/eyes watch/girls walk/with tender loving care”). No, it’s not sexist, it’s swinging!

Bubbles In The Wine – Lawrence Welk: The Champagne Music Maker’s Television Theme. It features all of the Welk tricks: muted trumpets, accordion flourishes, vocal ahs, and the organ that sounds like a harpsichord. Easy going, non-offensive, this was the original teevee musak.

Five O’clock World – The Vogues: We are slaves to our jobs, as the singers point out here (“trading my time/for the pay I get/living on money/that I ain’t made yet”). As with “Monday, Monday,” there is a hatred of working displayed: it gets in the way of living and loving (“and there’s a long-haired girl/who waits I know/to ease my troubled mind”). The Boomers work because they have to, but they’ll give you an earful about it. And, doesn’t that make the rest of us want to?

No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach Is In) – The T-Bones: Just like “The Dis-Advantages Of You,” this instrumental was a commercial jingle first, and then jerry rigged into a hit song. As you might guess from the title, it’s an indigestion aid (Alka-Seltzer). It has a surf sound, but here, you’re shooting the curl on gastrointestinal acid, not the ocean.

Morning Girl – Neon Philharmonic: Today, product placement in pop music is practically a part of record contracts. Not so in the Space Age. Also, a pop song without a guitar during the Rock Era? But, that’s what you have here, with this adorable wake up call (“put your dreams away/and read your box of Cheerios”). It’s a gentle, charming trifle.

Little French Boy – Burt Bacharach: The folks from Drake’s Cakes in the Northeast took this jaunty instrumental from “Casino Royale” and used it to promote its products (Yodels, Devil Dogs, Ring Dings, Coffee Cake). That makes this a double commercial theme.

Lady Madonna – The Beatles: Give high marks to The Beatles for being visionaries: they even predicted the most commercial artist for the 1980’s some twenty years in advance! In reality, this was a religious paean, albeit mocking, about the problems of our commercialized society (Lady Madonna/children at your feet/wonder how you manage/to make ends meet”) and about the compromises people are forced to make to make it. “Madonna as Whore” is the implication here. Even religion takes a backseat to the Almighty Dollar.

"Depressive"

The Nineteen Sixties were filled with tragedy, anger and sadness. Everything was changing, overnight. The largest generation in world history was ripping and shredding the upholstery from the fat, comfortable American couch, and overturning everyone’s idea about what was right, what was wrong and who could point it out.

The rules about love and sex were changing, bending, breaking. But, feelings were changing more slowly. Ultimately, sad love songs blanketed the country’s airwaves, providing an outlet for both personal pain and public mourning.

The songs selected for Depressive are merely a teardrop in the oceans of grief that were the 60’s. However, they do provide a fair taste of the ‘downer’ element that was another defining portion of the era.


Yesterday – The Beatles: The most recorded song in history: proof that simplicity makes for greatness. Regret is a universal theme. In the Sixties, everyone was regretting something (“Yesterday/all my troubles seemed so far away/now it looks as though/they’re here to stay”). Was there a single person in the world unable to relate to that?

Stormy – Classics IV Featuring Dennis Yost: Windy’s big sister is this young lady who has broken the heart of the singer (“my world is cloudy and gray/you’ve gone away”). But, in typical Boomer fashion, she isn’t asked to return; she is commanded (“bring back that sunny day”). Even when mortally wounded, the Boomer Mind still stays in control, and forces the world to abide by its rules… or tries to.

Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees: The Suburbs are targeted in this decidedly derisive ditty, written for the ‘Pre-Fab’ Four by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. The problems with our American culture are laid out on the lawn to see (“And Mr. Green/he’s so serene/he’s got a TV in every room”) and attack (“creature comfort goals/they only know my soul/and make it hard for me to see/my thoughts all seem to stray/to places far away/I need a change of scenery”). The Monkees, making one of the most politically charged social observations of the decade? Who knew?

Love Is Blue – Paul Mauriat: Oboes instantly evoke sadness. Harpsichords build on the effect. Add a harp that sounds like syncopated tears falling, throw in some strings and you have the basic recipe for this instrumental. Trying to be happy, but clearly not: just as many of the Boomers were feeling; just as many of the Space-Agers were becoming.

By The Time I Get To Phoenix – Glen Campbell: A brilliant Jimmy Webb composition. Cinematically, it sets up a split-screen in our minds. We ride along with the singer as he travels from city to city (“by the time I make Albuquerque/she’ll be workin’”). And we stay put with the now ex-girlfriend who, through the course of just another day, discovers that her lover has gone forever: A real kick-in-the-gut heart-wrencher.

Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird) – Chuck Jackson: Take “Phoenix” and spin it around for this lament, about a singer waiting, like a calf at a stockyard, to be slaughtered. His lover is going to leave him at the first chance (“when your restless eyes/meet someone new/oh, to my sad surprise”). There’s no surprise, really. He knows it. She knows it. But he can do nothing. He loves her too much to leave first. Another heartbreaker.

Sunday Will Never Be The Same – Spanky and Our Gang: Here is another in the series of songs trying to be happy but quite clearly cannot (“I’ve lost my Sunday song/he’ll not be back again”). Talk about a world-altering event (“I remember sunshine”)! And you thought “Stormy” was bad. Finally, the clever use of the hymn-like opening recalls the day, the faith and the loss all in a neat, bittersweet package.

Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying – Gerry and The Pacemakers: “It may be hard/to discover/that you’ve been left/for another.” There’s an understatement. But, this sentimental sentiment is only meant to cheer someone who needs it. As is typical of the Boomer mentality, it’s not done as a suggestion. That’s an order!

A Summer Song – Chad and Jeremy: “Don’t you know/that it hurts me so/to say goodbye to you.” That sums up the message delivered in this harmonious treasure box, filled with snapshot images (“trees swaying in the summer breeze…soft kisses on a summer’s day”) from a brief romance. Again, holding on to the joys of summer (and of love). The Boomers try to clutch onto the fun every time, not letting go if possible. And, doesn’t that make the rest of us want to?

Where Is Love? – Mark Lester: It’s from the Dickens book turned Broadway show turned great, big Hollywood Oscar Winning musical: “Oliver!” Imagine an orphan, purchased for the equivalent of pennies and kept in a chilly cellar during a London winter. That’s where this tearful child is vocalizing (“let tomorrow be the day/when I see the face/of someone who/I can mean/something to”). Dovetailing perfectly into Isolation Generation terms, we were all looking for the people who would give us the love and help we needed to become our best selves. Oliver found it, eventually. Maybe, so could we!

Walk On By – Dionne Warwick: Burt Bacharach has more songs in this collection than anyone else, save The Beatles. This could be the ultimate Bacharach song. With daringly defiant bravado, the singer asks you to ignore her in an almost martyr-like way (“if you see me/walking down the street/and I start to cry/each time we meet/walk on by”). With all of the break ups happening during this era, it was becoming an all too common scenario.

Everyone’s Gone To The Moon – Jonathan King: Part psychedelia, part Space Age social criticism, this song, sounding a bit like a lost verse from a Lewis Carroll work, points out the overwhelming isolation experienced (“streets full of people/all alone/roads full of houses/never home”) before dissolving into a nonsensical mind trip (“arms that can only/lift a spoon”). We were almost onto something, there.

Love Theme From Romeo + Juliet – Henry Mancini: Director Franco Zefferelli brought a lavish recreation of Shakespeare’s timeless tale to the big screen. Mancini’s music was a part of it. This ballad, (also known as “A Time For Us”) was charming in the film. But it was the Maestro himself who performed this version of the song, and gave it the chest-clutching chord drops and French horns heard here. It’s an appropriate theme for The Bard of Stratford’s most tragic of lovers.

Easy To Be Hard – Three Dog Night: This was one of the four top ten hits from the Tribal Love-Rock Musical, “Hair.” Here, the singer complains that their lover is so caught up in the big causes of the day; there isn’t time for this one little one (“do you only care/about the bleeding crowd/how about/a needed friend/I need a friend”). The Boomers were changing the world on a macro level, which made some feel ignored on a micro level.

I Am A Rock – Simon and Garfunkel: We all love subtext, and Paul Simon gives us plenty here, including a transparent narrator (“I have my books/and my poetry to protect me”). We know the singer has been hurt emotionally and is coping by shutting out the world (“if I never loved/I never would have cried”). The tougher the façade, the more easily it crumbles.

Is That All There Is – Miss Peggy Lee: A ‘life in review’ song (see also “It Was A Very Good Year”). Lieber and Stoller strike again, giving Miss Lee her final chart appearance. Done as a cabaret style personal memoir to the listeners, our world-weary singer recounts moments in her life and jadedly asks “Is that all there is?” The cynicism flows like water.

Here are the notes for the first side of the first tape, titled:

"Manic."

The Nineteen Sixties were filled with energy, excitement and adventure. Everything was changing, overnight. The largest generation in world history was reaching adulthood. And, they all wanted to have fun. Trying new things, re-mapping the world, not conforming, the Baby Boomers made up the rules, then, shattered every one of them.

The Boomers were the best educated, most eclectic and possibly most social generation, ever. They also redefined what power a teenager had in society. It really turned on the arrival of The Beatles, who are the featured performers throughout this era. Though they were born during World War II, there is a distinct synergy between this Liverpool Quartet and this mass of population, all evolving into the people they would eventually be.

The songs selected for Manic are meant to give a view of the happier side of this historic period. They also are intended to expose the subtext beneath the happy words and notes, some of the deeper meanings that might have gone unnoticed.




Love Me Do – The Beatles: As the “House Band” for The Isolation Generation, The Fab Four have a lot to say about these times, beginning with this gem: A simple pledge of devotion (“you know I love you/I’ll always be true”), a request for reciprocation. As is typical for the Baby Boomer mindset though, the “request” is phrased in the form of a demand. It’s a clear message, even over the crowds of screaming teen girls, more than willing to wholeheartedly respond.

Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer – Nat King Cole: This song evokes the changes in attitudes America was starting to feel in the Sixties (“Just fill your basket full of sandwiches and weenies/then lock the house up/now you’re set/and on the beach/you’ll see the girls in their bikinis/as cute as ever/but they never/get ‘em wet”). The singer clearly points out, through the fun of a night at the movies or a day in the sun, this next generation is doing things in a much different way: a way that the oldsters might not agree with. It’s all fun, as long as you remember to make sure your home is protected (ah, those changing times).

Windy – The Association: We know the title character is a child because of the things she does (“peeking out from under a stairway”), but she’s growing up fast (“trippin’ down the streets of the city”). She knows right from wrong (“stormy eyes/that flash at the sound of lies”) and she has some special talents (“wings to fly/above the clouds”). On top of that, everyone knows her! Why not? She’s smiling at everybody she sees. All in all, she’s a groovy role model. The song ends repeating the hook and adding an element each time, representing this wild daughter of Mother Nature acquiring followers as she breezes on to her next adventure: Chicago’s Lakefront, perhaps?

Kites Are Fun – The Free Design: It’s children and the wind again, though this time, the focus is on several kids and their kites. The upbeat exterior covers a deep underlying sadness. It’s perfect for The Isolation Generation. The elements are all there: having fun by yourself, parents not understanding and the singers wanting “to be a zillion miles/away from everyone.” The listener gets the feeling that the paper and wood toy loves and understands the child better than his folks do. You know, maybe this song should have been included in the Depressive collection.

Up Up And Away – The 5th Dimension: Intentionally written like a Broadway Showstopper by master song crafter Jimmy Webb, this tune features another theme of getting away from everyone. This time the escape is done in a “beautiful balloon.” (If you’ll hold my hand/we’ll chase your dream/across the sky.”) The almost blatant implication: the ‘dream’ is right there in the gondola with you (“if by some chance/you find yourself loving me/we’ll find a cloud to hide us/we’ll keep the moon beside us”). With the Space Age in full swing, who wanted to stay earthbound?

Respect – Aretha Franklin: Both an anthem and a how-to song, just like The Beatles, Aretha wants something and demands it: (“What you want/baby I got it/what you need/you know I got it/all I’m asking/is for a little respect”). She isn’t the least bit worried. She’ll get what she asks for. Or, if not, she’ll keep her goodies (money, other interesting offerings) to herself. Barter or purchase, the end result is the same. It’s a lesson worth spelling out.

Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) – The Byrds: You don’t hear a lot of Biblical passages set to music, at least not outside of church. But this one (Ecclesiastes 3, v.1-8) was transformed into a timely protest song that could be applied equally well to the race riots throughout the south and in urban areas around the country, and to the raging war in Vietnam (“a time to every purpose under heaven”). As is common for the Boomers’ era, the final message is uplifting and positive (“a time for peace/I swear it’s not too late”).



Expressway To Your Heart – Soul Survivors: With the interstate highway system in full working order, it was only a matter of time before love of driving and love of loving had a head-on collision. The metaphor is obvious: the girl is the destination and every driver (read: guy) wants to get there (“at five o’clock/it’s much too crowded”). Again, we get a positive and aggressive message: Don’t wait (“fellas started to shower/you with love and affection/now you won’t look/in my direction”). Go for it now, or be stuck on the turnpike to somebody else’s spleen.

Daydream Believer – The Monkees: The title says it all. Typical Boomer philosophy: make your vision come true. And again, a concept turned sideways, to suit the singers: awaken from sleep to enter your dream. The theme of Love versus Money is touched upon (“our good time starts and ends/without dollar one to spend/but how much baby/do we really need”). In the romantic world of the Boomers, love always wins the day.

My Generation – The Who: With radio’s obscenity standards of the mid 60’s, it didn’t get any more aggressive than this anthem, stuttered to perfection by Roger Daltrey (“why don’t ya all/f-f-f fade away!”). This in your face brutal attack on the people in charge was a rallying cry for the kids. They seem to be saying: “We’re not waiting for you to give us power, old man! This is a coup!”

Grazing In The Grass – Friends of Distinction: There’s more than a hint that ‘the grass’ referred to has a second meaning. Seriously, how ecstatic can you get by just sitting on a lawn, under a tree, without help? Awareness is heightened, as the tiniest detail is noticed (“everything here is so clear/you can see it/and everything here is so near/you can feel it”). When you get the munchies, you gotta go graze. Can you dig it? You know, maybe this should have been included in the Psychedelic collection.

Sukiyaki – Kyu Sakamoto: Only the next generation could do this. After Pearl Harbor started it and the A Bomb finished it, it was the Boomers who took a song sung entirely in Japanese to number one on the US pop charts. The American style dance hall orchestrations gave it a sweet and humble charm, and the 21 year old has a voice that resonates with true feeling, even though most English speaking citizens had no idea what he was singing. The Rhino CD release “Billboard Top Pop Singles 1963” had these two facts: “Ue O Muite Aruko” translated means “I Look Up When I Walk.” Tragically, Kyu (pronounced like the letter ‘Q’) was aboard JAL flight 007 and died, at age 43, with the other 519 souls aboard that plane, in 1985.

A Taste Of Honey – Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: “A Taste Of Honey” was a Broadway show, and later, a film, dealing with an interracial relationship. This song was almost a dirge: sung sadly, slowly in those productions. A few years later, Herb and the “TJB” as they came to be known, grabbed it and ‘Tijuanafied’ it, only keeping a slight hint of the heartbreaking ballad intact. Marimbas, rifling drumbeats and Herb’s distinctive trumpet lifted this to a “Grande Fiesta.” Taking the sad and making it happy: are you learning the lesson of the Boomer Era?

Bus Stop – The Hollies: When is bad weather good? Here: (“bus stop/wet day/she’s there/I say/please share my umbrella”). Despite the differences in outward attitudes (“all the people stared/as if we were both quite insane”), it’s obvious that the Boomers still sought some of the same values as their parents (“nice to think that/that umbrella/led me to a vow”). Maybe the next generation wasn’t so different after all.

Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Stevie Wonder: Love and Money duke it out again, and, as usual, there’s no contest. Love always forgives poverty (“I’m a poor man’s son/from across the railroad track/only shirt I own/is here on my back/but I’m the envy/of every single guy/since I’m the apple/of my girl’s eye”). The important stuff is made clear (“my heart is true”) and even though the girl is well to do, she understands it too. Priorities straight? Maybe this generation is actually better than the last!

Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys: Unlike The Who, these lads are in pursuit of happiness in a respectful, wished for way (“wouldn’t it be nice/to live together/in the kind of world/where we belong”). The desire of finding true love, getting married and having a home and family were all still very much alive for this generation (“maybe if/we think and wish/and hope and pray/it might come true”). It takes all kinds of Boomers to make this generation up.