Wednesday, November 12, 2008

November 12, 2008 Earworm


With all this Angels stuff going around my head, it was only a matter of time that Bobby Vee would rear his well-coiffed head via "Walkin' With My Angel". Bless his heart, he starts off trying to sound his butch best, even working up a nice little growl. But Bobby never was one for swinging pipe and within seconds he's strolling onto the set of some b-movie musical, waiting for an off-screen toss of a top hat and cane. As usual, the strings don't help his effort to walk like a big dog. But "Walkin' With My Angel" is an ace Goffin-King song and even it's being relegated to b-side of "Run To Him" couldn't keep it from charting at a respectable #53 in '61.

Four years later, Herman's Hermits would record "Walkin' With My Angel" for the b-side of their cover of "Silhouettes". It didn't chart but the boys managed to sound tougher than Bobby.

You know you got trouble when you've been out-butched by Peter Noone...

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

November 11, 2008 Earworm



Due to my recent relapse with Facebook, I find myself communicating with people I've not spoken with since the last dance at the Senior Prom. It's been fun to discover who I have absolutely nothing in common with now that the books are closed and surprising to find those with whom I had nothing in common aside from mutual friends who shared actually shared the same passions that we never got around to discussing.

The status of a friend of friend recently read that she was attending the Vocal Group Hall of Fame event. Surprised to find a potential kindred spirit and green with envy, I commented on her status, she commented back, and an instant message dialogue proved necessary. She was as surprised by my interest in the event as I had been with hers and a casual remark about being the step-daughter of one of The Angels briefly stopped my heart. I asked, "Is your step-mother Peggy?", and, after a brief moment, she replied, "Yup!".

I promptly became a slobbering fan, blabbering on about how much I love "Give Her Up (Baby)" and "Beggin'" and, when she had the chance, she replied, "Wow, you really know your stuff. Do you want some autographs from the event?" Needless to say, my answer was yes.

Since then, I've been constantly playing The Angels' follow up to "My Boyfriend's Back", the criminally overlooked "I Adore Him". How the country could resist this cheer leading for the dysfunctional relationship is beyond me, I can barely get through the thing with searching for a set of pom-poms. Peggy sounds as young as spring and maybe as horny. As always, there's something in that girl's delivery that suggests more than she says, that the love she gets when she's alone with him may be more than the hand holding variety that parents hoped for their daughters, and that it is flat out awesome.

Why else would she put up with this jerk?