WATCH: FBI Director Kash Patel—who once railed against officials’ private jet use—is facing backlash after reportedly using a government plane to watch his country singer girlfriend sing the National Anthem at a pro-wrestling event.
Ooh, here's a surprise--another one hit wonder from the seventies, the era which just happened to mark my musical coming of age. Who'd have ever guessed?
Billy Swan was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1942. He learned guitar, drums, and piano and began writing songs as a child. At the ripe old age of 20 he wrote his first hit, a song called "Lover Please" which became a #7 hit for the legendary Clyde McPhatter. Swan spent a few years writing hits for other country artists, producing records, and playing bass guitar for Kris Kristofferson before signing a deal for a solo career in 1972. He'd have one big hit (which, amazingly enough, just happens to be this week's featured tune) ...and as is often the case here on Friday Night Jukebox, he was able to turn it into a lifetime of making music. For his career, Swan has released 12 albums and 46 singles, with the bulk of his successful releases appearing on the Country charts. Since 2005 he has been mostly a backing singer and studio musician.
"I Can Help" was the first single released from his second album, the astutely titled I Can Help. The single would hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and onthe Country singles chart. The album would reach #21 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Country albums chart. Surprisingly enough for a one hit wonder, those were the only #1 hits--actually hits of any sort on the pop charts--of his career.
Fun Fact: "I Can Help" was number one on the singles charts in 13 different countries. Man, if you're going to have one hit, that's the way to do it.
As I've noted a time or two before, every now and again there's a confluence of musical events that lead to a great song, and "I Can Help" is just one more instance. From the opening rockabilly influenced guitars to the frat rock inspired organ, from the beneficent lyrics to Swan's blue-eyed soul vocals, everything comes together to form one country-tinged pop gem. And the cherries on top? Hand claps galore and a false ending! Just another fine addition to the pantheon of tunes here on Friday Night Jukebox.
Lyric Sheet: "It's a fact that people get lonely/Ain't nothing new/But a woman like you, baby/Should never have the blues..."
These people actually suffered, unlike anti-maskers
Note to the nitwits who have been comparing mask wearing to Jews being forced to wear the Star of David in Nazi Germany: if you're going to compare an act to one which resulted in the death of six million human beings...maybe, just maybe, that act should be at least as horrific as the one which resulted in the death of six million people.
And being inconvenienced to help keep your fellow Americans safe isn't remotely in the realm of the Holocaust.
Don't even get me started on how many of Holocaust comparing fuckheads are antisemitic....
It Was an Insurrection--the Blood of Those Killed on January 6th Is on Republican Hands
While there have been quite a few songs since the turn of the century that I've quite enjoyed, I'd be hard pressed to remember one that I enjoyed more than I've enjoyed this week's tune.
And to those who say it sounds like a White Stripes tune (not surprisingly, as Jack White sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar), I counter with...ain't nothin' wrong with that.
The seeds of the Raconteurs were formed in Nashville in 2005 when old friends Jack White and Brendan Benson got together and wrote "Steady, As She Goes." Later that year they were joined by Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of Detroit band The Greenhornes (not familiar) in the Motor City and between their full-time gigs managed to record an album's worth of tunes. They followed with a tour (including being an opening act for Nobel Prize laureate, Bob Dylan), and another album in 2008. They have reunited here and there since, and in 2014 got together and started on another album but it remains uncompleted and it's uncertain whether they will return as a foursome. Nonetheless, all four continue to make and play music successfully for a living and one supposes it's hard to complain much about that.
Released on their Broken Boy SoldiersLP in 2006, "Steady, As She Goes" would go on to be a minor hit here in the states (#54--with a bullet!--on The Billboard Hot 100), but do considerably better in Canada (#3) and the UK (#4), probably because they're so much cooler than we are. Both the album and the single would earn the Raconteurs Grammy nominations, and the song ended up on numerous year end best of compilations for 2006.
Starting with an ominous drum count, "Steady, As She Goes" moves into a funky ass bass line which sounds very much borrowed from Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" (what the hell--if you're going to borrow, might as well be from a good one), before running headlong into some bitchin' guitar work from Jack White, a staccato scratch of the strings that plays well with the bass. The chorus moves into power chord heaven with some great backing vocals from Brendan Benson (I don't know a lot of Benson's solo work, but from what I've heard, despite the comparisons to the White Stripes, Benson's influence can definitely be heard in the chorus--for those not in the know, Benson's "What" is well worth a listen). You may notice I've stayed away from the song's lyrics--that's partly intentional as the song seems to me to be the chiding of an acquaintance who may have married more for stability than love and I'm pretty sure there have been people married for worse reasons, but what the hell do I know. Anyway, it all adds up to a power pop dream of a song, with guitar, bass, and drums becoming so much more than the sum of their parts, and a catchy as all hell chorus that'll (thankfully) stay with you for days.
Lyric Sheet: "But no matter what you do, you'll always feel as though you tripped and fell/So steady as she goes...."
The average American gets paid just enough so he doesn't quit his job, and works just hard enough so he doesn't get fired.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Source unknown
Uncle emaycee Wants You For the Coming Class War! Enlist today....
Capitalism: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can exploit his labor, become filthy rich, and keep the poor bastard living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of his life.
