Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCXXVIII--Loggins and Messina: Danny's Song

This week we're going to head down the Sappy Highway...though as far as overly sentimental singles go, thanks to its folk roots it's a cut above the standard top forty ballad fare....

Loggins and Messina formed quite by accident, when in 1971 Jim Messina (of Poco and Buffalo Springfield fame) gave Kenny Loggins a leg up and was helping to produce Loggins' first solo album...but did so much work on it that the two decided to become a duo.  Loggins and Messina would be together through 1976 before splitting amicably and going solo (which was a commercial boon for Loggins, whose otherwise uninteresting solo work was given a boost by appearing in such popular movies as Caddyshack, Footloose, and Top Gun).  For their career together, Loggins and Messina released six studio albums (four of which hit the top 20), three live albums (with one of them giving the duo their highest chart position at number five), and four compilations.  They also released ten singles, enjoying one peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and two others reaching the top twenty.  They have reunited twice, in 2005 and 2009, and both musicians are still working in the music industry to this day.

"Danny's Song" was on Loggins and Messina's debut album, Sittin' In, released in 1971.  The song was not released as a single, though thanks to generous airplay on the radio became well known for the duo.  The album was the lowest charting of their career, hitting #70 on the Billboard 200.

Fun Fact:  In what I believe is a Friday Night Jukebox first, "Danny's Song" actually went on to be a top ten single for another artist--Canadian (so many cool kids in Canada) country crooner Anne Murray took the song to #7 (with a bullet!) in 1972.  She was also nominated for a Grammy for her version.

Kenny Loggins wrote "Danny's Song" for, amazingly enough, his brother Danny after the birth of his brother's first child.  The song is a celebration of the love that created the child, as well as the joy that comes (most of the time) with the birth of a child.  Loggins' vocals capture the grace and blessings that are often felt by a couple in the throes of sharing such a magical moment.  Messina adds some wondrous acoustic guitar, and Loggins is accompanied by a twinkling piano.  Loggins and Messina came to be known for their harmonies, but they don't sing together until the final chorus on this one but you can see the inkling of what would become a hallmark of their time together.  Every now and again a pop song comes along with a simple tale shared by so many, and when a catchy chorus is thrown in it becomes the sum of its parts--and a hell of a tune, too.

Lyric Sheet:   "Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup/Drink it up/Love her and she'll bring you luck..."

Enjoy:

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Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXI--Lyle Lovett: Friend of the Devil

I tried, as I was thinking about today's tune, to think of a song that was a cover version that I enjoyed so much more than the original and came up with nary a one other than Lyle Lovett's version of the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil."  In fairness, as I've noted before, I'm not an aficionado of the Dead but I can't really say I'm a big fan of Lyle Lovett, either.  A mystical confluence of musical events, one supposes.

Lyle Lovett's career has been marked by a quiet consistency.  He started recording in the mid 80's and has more or less released an album every two years and while his sales have never soared into the stratosphere he has several gold records, a devoted following, and some serious respect in the music community.  Along the way he's won four Grammy Awards, appeared in numerous movies, and married Julia Roberts (if only for a couple of years).  Not a bad ride for the lanky Texan.

Written by Robert Hunter with music by Jerry Garcia, "Friend of the Devil" originally appeared on the 1970 Grateful Dead album American Beauty.  It tells the story of a man on the run from the law who makes a deal with the devil and then finds himself on the run from Satan, too.  The original Dead version is an uptempo folk tune, and immediately became a fan favorite (and a musicians favorite, too--it's been covered by roughly 20 different artists, including Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Dave Matthews, and the Counting Crows).

Though he wasn't the first (Loggins and Messina were actually the first and most others followed, including the Dead in their live version), Lovett slowed the tempo of "Friend of the Devil" considerably and turned it into a masterpiece.  Released in 1991 on the Dead tribute album Deadicated, the liner notes say there's a bass, some drums, and some piano on the song, but I'll be goddamned if I can hear any of them.  And that's because Lovett's vocals so overwhelm the ears (the acoustic guitar is plenty noticeable, however) as he sings with a quiet pathos that makes you empathize with the fugitive protagonist as he misses his sweet Anne Marie and fears spending the rest of his life in jail.  It's American folk at its finest--a tour de force of the old west and one of its many outlaws, all in a perfect harmony from a wondrous vocal performance by Lovett.

Like the man says, "I set out running but I take my time...."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. L--The Doobie Brothers: What a Fool Believes

If there is one topic that pop music examines with proficiency, it is love.  Granted, at times it can be simplistic and overwrought, but at its best it is realistic and heartfelt.  Who among us hasn't heard at least one song dealing with the joy and pain of love that was a lightning bolt/dagger on a personal level?  Damned few I'd suppose.  Unlike last week's tune, which dealt with a would be gypsy who just can't stay away from his love too long, this week we're dealing with a man whose love "never really was."

Like many folks of a certain age who were introduced to rock and roll in the seventies, I recall the Doobie Brothers with a certain fondness.  They had a nice string of catchy singles, I saw them in concert, and when, every now and again these days, the odd song of theirs plays on a store PA while I'm shopping, it'll bring a smile.  While they'd never make my top 100 bands of all time, they were certainly a serviceable little band whose music I enjoyed.

Much to my surprise, they were a lot more than that, at least on a popular level.  I recall their Grammy's in the early eighties, but I had no idea that over the course of the last 45 years they had accumulated 11 platinum and/or gold albums (their Best Of  has sold over 10 million copies), six top ten albums (including one at #1), and five top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (including two #1s, both I'm certain with a bullet).  All from a band that before yesterday I could only recall the names of three members (Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter).

Released in 1979 on their Minute by Minute album, "What a Fool Believes" was written by McDonald and Kenny Loggins (whose work with Loggins and Messina I loved, and who solo work is purity shit) and as noted above, details the story of a man reuniting with an old flame who was never really such.  It would eventually reach #1 on the charts and take home the Grammy for song of the year.  The song's strengths are in McDonald's vocals (never my favorite blue-eyed soul singer, but he absolutely nails this one) which are unflinchingly honest but never maudlin, and the lyrics, which capture perfectly the ever hopeful nature of the oblivious.  See the man with the stars in his eyes, see the woman with the polite smile, watch her walk away, watch him pretend she'll come back--a movie could literally be made of the picture McDonald and Loggins create,  The rhythm section is jaunty throughout, but the keyboard work is just heartsore enough to make it all work.  Add in some stunning harmony vocals and you have a classic love song that really isn't a love song.  Sort of like a love that "never really was...."

Truer words:  "But what a fool believes he sees/No wise man has the power to reason away...."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee