Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DLXVII--The Carpenters: (They Long to Be) Close to You

 When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's...me being (nine days) late (but two days in a row!) again....

While I remember this week's tune from its initial release (hard not to--it was a massive hit that seemed to get played on the radio by the hour), I didn't much care for its syrupy sweetness at the age of eleven, though I do recall my sister having the album and she and my parents both liking it very much.  No, my appreciation for the song came when I saw Rick Moranis' character in the 1989 movie Parenthood sing it acapella to his wife (played by Harley Jane Kozak) in the middle of her classroom.  Amazing that a scene in a movie can change how one feels about a song....

I wrote about The Carpenters in Vol. CLI, and as Karen is still singing in the Great Rock and Roll Concert in the Sky, and Richard is still overseeing their work, there really isn't much to add to their legacy.  I did not, however, list a link to their prolific discography and I am using this post to rectify that oversight right here.

Fun Fact:  Just to show you that time is the great equalizer, The Carpenters went from being a sappy schmaltzy shitty band in the 1970s to ranking #10 on Rolling Stone's list of the twenty greatest duos of all time in 2015.

"(They Long to Be) Close to You" was the first single released from their 1970 album, the rather artfully (thankful there's so many synonyms for clever) entitled Close to You.  The single would be the first of their career to reach #1 (with a bullet!), while the album would peak at #2.  The album--see time/equalizer comment above--was ranked #175 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all-time.

Written by pop tunesmiths extraordinaire Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" is as gorgeous of a love song as you'll ever hear.  Bacharach's melody soars throughout the song, and David's lyrics add just the right touch to the effervescent music.  Jack Daugherty's production is grand, from the sweeping background vocals to the false ending in the last minute.  And the "Wah-ah-ahs" that precede "close to you" again and again and again at the end of the song are to die for.  Karen's vocals (which absolutely carry the song) reach right into your heart and Richard's piano tickles the senses.  Just a wondrous effort from every corner of song making, and an incredible pop music masterpiece.

Lyric Sheet: "Why do stars fall down from the sky/Every time you walk by?/Just like me, they long to be/Close to you..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCLXXVI--B.J. Thomas: Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head

If you've ever seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, you'll certainly remember the scene wherein Paul Newman and Katharine Ross are riding a newfangled (at the time) vehicle called a bicycle around her home's front yard.  It's a humorous and whimsical moment in the film, made all the more so by this week's tune providing the background music....

Billy Joe (B.J.) Thomas was born in 1942 in Hugo, Oklahoma, and began his career as a teenager singing in a church choir.  While in high school he joined a band called the Triumphs, and by 1966 they had their first hit, a cover of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Thomas went solo shortly thereafter and had a string of hits through the early eighties before finding God (he had drinking and drug problems) and beginning a quite successful transition to singing Contemporary Christian music.  He would go on to win five Grammys in the Christian music categories but would incorporate many of his older pop hits into his shows.  For his career, Thomas released 60 albums (the vast majority of which were religious in nature), and 71 singles (with two hitting #1, and three more reaching the top ten).  Sadly, Thomas passed away last year from complications from lung cancer.

Fun Fact:  Thomas holds the record for the longest-titled single to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for his song "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song." 

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (written by songwriters extraordinaire Burt Bacharach and Hal David) was, as noted above, originally written for and appeared on the soundtrack to, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (and also won an Academy Award for Best Song).  Thomas later included it on his own album, the ingeniously titled Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head.  The single went on to become the first #1 (with a bullet!) hit of his career, while the album hit #12 on the Billboard 200.

When my sister, my brother, and myself were in grade school, there was a tragic plane crash (couldn't begin to tell you which one), and we asked our father what he would do if he was on a plane that was about to crash.  He told us that he would start flapping his arms and find a way to become the first man to fly.  When we questioned the wisdom of this plan, he simply stated that somehow, someway, he'd figure out how to survive.  I thought of this piece of our past as I did my half-assed research this week, and it dawned on me why my father loved this song so:  it's about a man who's vowing come hell or high water to make the best of a bad situation.  The song opens with a brief but marvelous ukulele solo, has a nice trumpet solo during the break, and is sung with all the plaintiveness that Thomas can muster.  This one is obviously a bit personal for me, but it's a hell of a pop song and a gentle reminder of just how much our memories shape our lives. 

Lyric Sheet:  "But there's one thing I know/The blues they sent to meet me/Won't defeat me/It won't be long 'til happiness steps up to greet me..."

Enjoy:

Republican = Traitor

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXXXIX--Herb Alpert: This Guy's in Love with You

Fun fact #1:  Herb Alpert is the only artist in the history of The Billboard Hot 100 to have a number one hit as a vocalist (this weeks featured tune) and a number one hit as an instrumentalist ("Rise"--not worth the effort of actually listening to).

Fun fact #2:  Alpert co-wrote "(What a) Wonderful World" which was a, uh, wonderful hit for Sam Cooke in 1960 (and one of my all-time favorite songs).

You would think, with all the commercial and Grammy success he has had that Herb Alpert would be a household name, but truth is, unless you're of a certain age (that is, old) you probably have no idea who he is.  But back in the day (the 60's for the most part), Alpert and his band, The Tijuana Brass, were about as big as you could get.  Over the course of his career, Alpert has sold 72 million records, has fourteen platinum albums, fifteen gold albums, and has won nine Grammy Awards.  In 1966, Alpert sold more records than the Beatles, and at one point had five albums in the top twenty (four of which were in the top ten) of the Billboard 200, a feat that has never been done since.  Alpert has been performing and recording for seven decades, and released his latest album just last year.

Written by famed songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "This Guy's in Love with You" was originally performed on a TV special featuring Alpert and his Tijuana Brass as a surprise for Alpert's first wife.  After the show, so many people had called in to find where they could buy the song that Alpert decided to release it as a single (it was later put on his The Beat of the Brass LP).  The song would go on to reach #1 (with a bullet!) and spend four weeks at the top of the charts.

A couple of quick notes about the song:  1) The first is the sheer simplicity of the song--quiet and catchy melody, honest and loving lyrics, just a guy in love with a girl. It's also mostly just the piano, with a nice trumpet interlude in the middle.  2)  Alpert's vocals--Alpert is a trumpet player, not a vocalist, but as with so many great songs, sometimes lightning is caught in a bottle.  Alpert nails them--heartfelt and genuine, and to coin a phrase, just a guy in love with a girl.  3)  It has a false ending--I don't know why I enjoy them (probably the jack-in-the-box nature of "Aw, the song's over..." to "Hey, it's not!"), but I do (Rod Stewarts "Handbags and Gladrags" also comes to mind).

Side Note:  Regular readers (all three of you) may note this week's edition of Friday Night Jukebox is a little late...because today marks fourteen years that the Beautiful Girl and I have been together (we've never married, so we celebrate the anniversary of our second date--long story).  And though the Beautiful Girl isn't all that familiar with "This Guy's in Love with You" and though she thoroughly disdains politics, I wanted her to know that fourteen years down the road, "This Guy's (Still) in Love with You..."

Lyric Sheet:  "Tell me now, is it so/Don't let me be the last to know..."

Enjoy:

Peace,

emaycee