November 07, 2008 Earworm

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm exhausted. Hours of rigidly hanging off the edge of my ashtray with one hand clinging to my facebook, and preparing to be the angriest voter in the world while hoping for the best takes a lot of a guy. Then, the celebration, followed by attempts at discretion - no need to be obnoxious about it, right - leading to clandestine hugs and jumping up and down... Oh, and then there's the day job.

What a week.

And now the weekend. The usual chores, friends' house for dinner, a possible reunion, and preparations for the arrival of Kmatt should keep me busy enough to lead me right back to exhausted. Life goes on during the holding pattern, so go we must.

To cap the weekend, I'm going with Tommy James & The Shondells' follow up to "Crimson And Clover", "Sweet Cherry Wine". One, because it's just groovy enough to match how I feel, yet not too pushy. Two, because Callie said, "When was the last time you heard "Sweet Cherry Wine", the other day and then seemed surprised when I replied, "Last weekend". This, in turn, surprised me because I thought every home had a copy of "The Best of"... even if it's on vinyl.

Anyway, have a great weekend.

November 06, 2008 Earworm

The Fonz was nowhere in sight when I woke up with my internal jukebox on the fritz. No song in the head. Nothing. Nada. I began to wonder if Dan had been slipping Prozac in my Pepsi. The morning news failed to turn it on and even some catty swipes at Beyonce's magic wig cabinet didn't do the trick. Fortunately, Jimmy LouWho mentioned that he'd been listening to Charley Pride at the same moment that another image of Barack Obama hit the tv screen.

"Didn't he do "Kiss An Angel Good Morning"?
"Yep"

Perfect. Charley was a first, too.

After a good start as a pitcher for the American Negro League's Memphis Red Sox, he signed with the C farm team of the New York Yankees where an arm injury lessened his chance for the big league. In 1958 he paid a visit to Sun Records and recorded a few tracks, none of which were released at the time, with only one surviving for posterity. After two years in the army, he tried to return to baseball but, with diminishing returns in that field, he began to focus on a career in music.

By the time he caught the ear of Chet Atkins it was 1966, a time when no African-Americans could get traction in that market. His first few singles were credited to "Country Charley Pride", perhaps to convince disc jockeys that the only thing black about his records was the RCA label. It took three singles to get Charley a major hit and "Just Between You And Me" made him a Grammy winner and the first non-white face to appear at The Grand Ole Opry.

Four years and thirteen top ten country hits later, seven of them number ones, "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" became his eighth country chart topper and the long awaited big cross over to the pop charts, where the single peaked at #21. To be honest, I hated it at the time which is probably why I am surprised to learn that it wasn't a number one. I remember it as being inescapable for years. Listening to it now, it's obvious that producer Jack Clement - who probably had met Charley at those earlier Sun sessions - managed to capture a large helping of happy thoughts on the tapes, creating what has to be the country equivalent of bubble gum music.

Charley never hit the upper reaches of the pop chart again but his trail of country top tens would continue for another twelve years, proving the strength of his fan base. I, however, don't recognize any of them.

Thanks for the kick, Jim.

November 05, 2008 Earworm

Forty-four years after it inadvertently became a call to action, the dream has become a reality, and that alone is reason for "Dancing In The Streets". But let's not get carried away, fixating on the accomplishment of one goal while forgetting all that needs to be done. The truth is, it's not that we needed a change, it's that change has to happen. Now, change must be clearly defined and that, my swinging friends, is the challenge before us.

Now, back to dancing... even you, Arkansas and Florida. Maybe you'll find the beat, heed the call, and drag yourselves into this century.

November 04, 2008 Earworm

The Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right" is the earworm for today. Now get 'em up! It's your party, help plan it.

November 03, 2008 Earworm

Having been reprimanded for being a bit "over" the endless dissection of what the polls mean, what the candidate meant, and what they are or are not, I concede to the fact that it is quite amazing to see so many talking about so much. Still, with so many people talking, there's a lot who have obviously done no more than listen to what so and so said about this and that or worse, forwarding emails full of details that are obviously false without bothering to see if any of it is true. Is it really that difficult to download the Google tool bar? I mean, if you are that impressed with your candidate, wouldn't you know that he didn't spend twenty-two years in the military? Everyone is so busy "getting the word out" that they don't even bother to read.

I try to keep the idea that everyone wants what they think is best for their country, but it's become more and more apparent that it's not just children that should be seen and not heard. I'm referring to both sides of the aisle now because even I'm a little tired of Obama as the second coming.

The truth is, no matter who gets this E-ticket, it's going to be one crazy ride and it's not going to be easy to fix things while their hands are up in the air, trying not to scream. So strap yourself in and get over yourself, we're all in it together and I'm pretty sure that we're going to need everyone's help in fixing this rode hard and put up wet clusterfuck that is the United States of America.

Oh... the song of the day is "I'll Hold Out My Hand" by The Clique and even if you hate the idea of a clique, when one holds out it's hand to you, the least you can do is shake it. It's just common decency. And doesn't everyone think that they are a decent person?