Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDLVIII--Peter and Gordon: A World Without Love

 Every now and again, I can't recall what made a song stand out for me and become an all-time favorite, and this week's tune is that now and again.  Tried to think if it was a movie or a top songs list, but nothing came to me.  In the end, I decided I'm at an age where it's entirely possible that I heard it on the radio a few years removed from when it was a hit--and just carried it with me to this day....

Peter and Gordon (Peter Asher and Gordon Waller) formed in the U.K. in 1962, were a part of the British Invasion, released fourteen albums in six years, and had four hits that sold over a million copies before going their separate ways in 1968.  Peter Asher went on to be a record producer extraordinaire, producing records for thirty-seven different artists (most notably James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt--he also managed Ronstadt), won three production Grammys, and spent some time in the executive suites at various record labels.  Waller dabbled in musical theater, released a few solo albums, and worked as a salesman.  They reunited in 2005 and performed off and on together until 2009 when, sadly, Waller died of a massive heart attack.  Asher continues to perform, wrote a book about his time with the Beatles (Paul McCartney dated Asher's sister, Jane, and lived with her family, sharing a room with Peter in the Beatles very early days), and produced a record for Susanna Hoffs of Bangles fame just this year.

"A World Without Love" was the first single ever released by Peter and Gordon, from their ever so cleverly named debut album, Peter and Gordon.  The single would reach #1 (with a bullet!) in both the U.K. and the United States, as well as Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.  It is also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.  The album peaked at #18 in Great Britain, and #21 here in America.  

Fun Fact #1:  Paul McCartney wrote this week's tune when he was sixteen (why he's one of the all-time greats, indeed), held onto it for a few years, and never felt it was good enough for the Beatles.  When Peter and Gordon got their recording contract, Asher asked McCartney if they could have it.  McCartney gave it to them, and the rest as they say, is history.

Fun Fact #2:  This week's tune is one of two Lennon and McCartney songs (every song released during their time together as Beatles was a Lennon/McCartney tune, regardless of who wrote it or when) not recorded by the Beatles to hit #1.  The other?  A cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Sir Elton John.

If an alien came down to earth, and somewhat oddly (I'd think) asked one of us to name a song that epitomizes sixties pop, one couldn't really go wrong with "A World Without Love."  Lush harmonies, a smooth and creamy melody, and a bass drum that serves as the heartbeat (literally--listen closely) of the song make for a song that sounds every bit as shiny and new as it did fifty years ago when it was first released.  Throw in a theme of waiting for the love of your life and knowing she'll be there someday and you have one of pop music's most magical moments ever.

Lyric Sheet:  "Please lock me away/And don't allow the day/Here inside/Where I hide/With my loneliness..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCIX--10,000 Maniacs: What's the Matter Here?

 Every now and again a band comes along that captivates your musical interest for their first few albums...and then that captivation disappears as rapidly as it originally came.  Sometimes it's a short-lived career or a shiny new group or even a divergence of your and the band's musical tastes.  10,000 Maniacs falls into this category for me (as does Dire Straits and Eddie Money--though thanks to their popularity I was at least familiar with the music I was no longer interested in)--I enjoyed their first two albums immensely and can honestly say I'm not sure I've heard anything they've done since.  That's not a knock of the band--just acknowledgement that time and circumstance aren't always beneficial to lifelong love affairs with bands.

10,000 Maniacs began their career in 1981 in Jamestown, New York, and much to my surprise, they're still recording and touring to this day.  The band had the bulk of its success from 1987 through 1993, but once lead singer and lyrics writer Natalie Merchant left to pursue a solo career the band lost most of its commercial appeal.  Still, Mary Ramsey took over her duties and the band has had another twenty-seven years of playing music and that beats hell out of selling potatoes for a living.  For their career the band has released nine studio albums (with three of them hitting the top forty), five live albums (their MTV Unplugged album is the highest charting of their career), and three compilations.  A cover version of the Bruce Springsteen/Patti Smith penned tune "Because the Night" (Smith's version was featured on FNJ LXXXVI) from the same album was the highest charting of their twenty-one single releases, reaching #11.  The band's latest release was a live album in 2017, and will celebrate its fortieth anniversary next year.

"What's the Matter Here," released in 1988, was the third single from their first studio album, In My Tribe.  The single reached #80 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album hit #37 on the Billboard 200.

"What's the Matter Here" was a natural for a music fan such as myself who has always fancied songs that had a political and or social tint to them.  The song notes the dilemma of the protagonist who has heard her neighbors being both physically and verbally abusive toward their child who is herself torn between telling the authorities and respecting what is often a family matter (while I'm not in favor of using a belt to discipline children, there are families that do use corporal punishment for misbehaving and no one is going to jail for it as long as it doesn't result in much more than a red fanny--again not defending it, just saying society and our judicial system tends to see it as each family's choice).  One would think it would be hard to write a catchy melody around such a somber topic but the Maniacs managed to do it, and in so doing made the message even stronger.  Merchant's voice is a wonder (four of her seven solo albums hit the top twenty), and she musters the compassion and righteous anger that the protagonist feels and that the serious nature of the song calls for.  I liked several of the Maniacs songs over the course of the years I followed them, but none touched me quite as much as this one--to steal a phrase, it is truly a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.

Lyric Sheet: "I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses, he's their kid I stay out of it/But who gave you the right to do this?..."

Enjoy:

290,000 Dead Americans Because of Donald Trump's Incompetence

Biden:  306 EV's, Trump:  232,

emaycee