Persistent earworm alert CLVI

I always wondered why Canada Dry advertisers chose a razzle-dazzle, steppin'-out-on-the-town approach to their jingle decades ago.  Full of life, the jingle singer proclaimed, "I'm makin' my move..."

..."Where?" I wondered.  "Is she starring in her first role on Broadway?"

"...to Canada Dry!" she sang triumphantly.

"Oh," I thought, puzzled yet amused.  "She's making the transition from soda to ginger ale."

I'm still not sure that supposed life-changing milestone was worthy of a full-fledged production number, but I can't deny that the jingle latches onto one's brain.

Irreverence before the movie

I'd be amused if, without explanation, a Wehrenberg theater played its locally famous late '70s/early '80s theme while actors wearing sheep costumes came dancing in. singing along to the "Baa, baa-baa-baa, baa, baa, baa-baa, baa-baa-baa" portion of the theme.

It would be a unique way for a movie house to say, "Enjoy the show."

Among friends II

Following up on yesterday's post, I learned at last night's high school class reunion that one classmate majored in operatic voice performance in college, another has played her violin in a band that covers Nickel Creek's "Jealous Of The Moon," and the friend who recommended Batdorf & Rodney's "Oh My Surprise" decades ago has used it as background music for slide shows of his kids.

It was great catching up with musically inclined friends--and learning that they have their priorities in order.

Among friends

I've been thinking about my upcoming high school reunion and the connections various classmates have to music and radio.  I know someone, for instance, who sings on Broadway; it's hard to believe over three decades have passed since she was performing Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love For You" at a high school dinner dance.  I know someone else who was concertmistress of the high school orchestra.  Another friend was a fellow bass player in that same orchestra, and other members of my class were cellists in that ensemble.  Two other friends have worked on-air in radio.  Another friend, who was a high school musical star, married a woman with whom he'd starred on stage.  Perhaps the most impressive musical achievement, however, came from another friend in grade school.  Our of my grade school classes saw her perform "My Favorite Things" at another grade school.  I remember thinking, "She has such a good, confident singing voice that I forgot for a few minutes how much I dislike 'My Favorite Things,' except when John Coltrane plays it.  That's no easy feat."

Hopefully, most--or maybe, all--of these music and radio-inclined friends will be at the reunion.  If they can't make it, I hope they'll still sing, play their instruments, or take to the airwaves.

Bygone days of adult contemporary music

In June, I heard Art Garfunkel's "In A Little While (I'll Be On My Way)" on KDHX's "The Big Bang."  My first thought: You don't typically hear quality material written this well on the radio these days.  My second thought: You rarely hear quality material sung this well, with the proper balance of emotion and understatement on the radio today.  My third thought: This is what adult contemporary music used to be.  These days, most adult contemporary stations have hot A/C formats, with more uptempo recent hits.

If the hot A/C tunes of today start to sound too similar to you, check out some well-chosen and well-sung adult contemporary music from yesteryear.  Listen to all of Garfunkel's "Fate For Breakfast" album, and prepare to be impressed.

A DJ's basic job

I was listening on and off to a jazz station today.  The station doesn't post its playlist online, so that made it frustrating when the DJ would say every so often, "I've always liked this next tune by (so-and-so)...," without mentioning any of the songs before it.  There were two songs whose titles and artists I would like to have known.

How about telling me what I've heard?  That's a DJ's job, above all else.

FM dial scan highlights CXVI

Eight of the best tunes I've heard on the FM dial since June:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Radiate-Ex Hex (One of 2019's catchiest indie rock tunes.  The vocals, guitar, and drums contribute equally to the song's propulsive, great-for-driving momentum.)
• Sweet Sunshine Wine-Pearl Charles (1975-ish, Fleetwood Mac-style vocal harmonies are always welcome, as far as I'm concerned.)
• I Can Feel The Ice Melting-Yo La Tengo (The tune is from 2015, but its throwback arrangement reminds me of The Zombies and The Lovin' Spoonful.)
• Echo Park-Bedouine (I hear Joni Mitchell's influence in the lyrics and vocals of this 2019 standout.  The outro of birds chirping closes the tune appropriately.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Golden Time Of Day-Maze featuring Frankie Beverly (Is there a more welcoming "time-to-chill" song in this genre?)
• So Many Stars-Eric Alexander (Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 had possibly the best intermingling of vocals and instrumentation on any version of this, but Alexander's take on the saxophone is strongly appealing, as well.)

KWMU 90.7 FM

• Easy To Remember-Roy Hargrove (A warm trumpet tone on a melodic standard, heard late at night.  There's no way I can dislike that.  Speaking of that...)
• My Funny Valentine-Miles Davis (...See my review of Roy Hargrove's "Easy To Remember.")

Persistent earworm alert CLV

It's a songwriting feat to make a listener sing along with a lyric such as "Alligator lizards in the air," while still thinking the tune is one of the most pleasant, carefree oldies ever.  Thanks to breezy vocals and guitar, America's "Ventura Highway" somehow pulls this off.  Thus, I don't mind that the song has crowded out all other thoughts from my mind over the past hour.

Subtle pushback?

While I was grocery shopping this morning, a store employee sang along with the Stealers Wheel hit, "Stuck In The Middle With You," on the sound system.  If you want to keep your job, that's probably as close as you can come to expressing your exasperation with customers.

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right" is about the limit in most stores, I would think, of being able to express irritation on the job.

A linguistic irritant XIV

A soft rock station in the '80s used to play a comedy segment on weekday mornings, calling it "your breakfast flake in the morning."

Apparently, if you were a comedian, the station had to label you as zany--or flaky, rather.

Persistent earworm alert CLIV

While pondering what to write for today's post, the "Cantina Band" theme from "Star Wars" entered my mind and stayed there; inexplicably, it's not the Meco version but a former co-worker's ring tone of the tune that won't leave my mind.

I haven't seen "Star Wars" in decades or thought often about the "Cantina Band" theme since then, nor has this been a day that would inspire that theme.  Why is it now in my mind so prominently?

Respecting the music

I knew someone who would apologize to the artist on the car radio when turning a song off in the middle of a phrase.  If the song was by Joe Walsh, for instance, she'd say, "Sorry, Joe; totally bad timing..."

That impressed me, as it shows respect for the artist.  I also identify with it, as I've probably done that more than I realize.

Reconsidered merit V

It was one of the band's biggest hits, but my initial reaction was, "This is creepy and off-putting.  It isn't what this band is supposed to do."  That was how Styx's "Mr. Roboto" struck me on first hearing it in early 1983.

After hearing the song a few times, however, I thought, "Maybe I should consider this from the band's perspective.  If you keep writing and singing the same types of hooks for years, don't you want to try singing something new, at some point?"

Admittedly, I'd much rather hear "Crystal Ball," "Lorelei," or "Mademoiselle" than "Mr. Roboto."  I don't look to Styx for a cold, dark revelation of Kilroy.  I have to respect the band, however, for wanting to stretch.

A linguistic irritant XIII

I know it's commonly accepted to say you detect a particular note when tasting wine, but it still irks me.  Save the notes for music, and just say the wine tastes this way or that way.

Staying for a new tune

How do you prevent an audience from heading for the restroom or concession stand during your new songs?  Has any artist ever prefaced a new song with, "Here's one you'll know?"  If the song is catchy or inspired enough, I could forgive an artist for faking the audience out that way and even saying at the end of the song, "That wasn't so bad, was it?  That's actually a new song.  Thank you for indulging me."

Not the best gift

In the '80s, I remember a conductor listening to two orchestra members talking about what they'd give another orchestra member for his birthday.  One of them suggested flowers.

"Flowers?" the conductor scoffed.  "No.  Give him socks or a gun or something."

Even facetiously, I'm still not sure how a firearm was ever an appropriate suggestion.

An alligator's perspective

I was pleasantly surprised to hear Monica Casey's song, "The Singin' Gator," on KDHX's "Backroads" this morning.  I remember hearing Casey sing it live on a "Backroads" predecessor show, "Blue Highways," in the early '00s and thinking, "The song is somewhat discomforting, but it's well-structured, has a great refrain, and Casey's vocals make you want to hear how the story pans out."

If you've ever wanted to hear a tale in which an animal has the last laugh on a human, this is your song.

In memory of Eddie Money

I'm sure a lot of people are cranking up the volume, especially in the car, tonight, in memory of Eddie Money.  Two of the best classic rock hooks practically designed to test a sound system's volume knob are Money's "Two Tickets To Paradise" and "Think I'm In Love."  If you haven't heard those tunes in a while, seek them out, turn them up, and, if you please, drive to a random destination.

Four syllables not meant to be sung as three

One American benefit of the passage of time and the former Soviet Union's dissolution: I no longer hear anyone singing "Born In The USSR" to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." and thinking it's clever.

18 years later

My September 11 post on this blog is always challenging, at best, to write.  When I think back to the feelings of fury and helplessness that accompanied that day, I keep having the same thoughts.  Carrie Newcomer's "A Safe Place" strikes me as the ideal situation for which all humane people strive.  Also, if you can internalize Lyle Lovett's "I Will Rise Up" and live by it, you have immense bravery--and an incredibly strong constitution.

Persistent earworm alert CLIII

I've never had a drink of Corbett Canyon.  I don't care much for alcohol in the first place, but even if I did, a product that cements its jingle, "Good taste echoes from the canyon, canyon, canyon...," in my mind for over 20 years has already taken up enough of my brain space.

Persistent earworm alert CLII

On certain days, when there's a lot of construction, lane restrictions, and pedestrians jutting out into the street while looking at their phones, I feel like I'm driving an obstacle course.  On those occasions, the intro of the Steve Miller Band's "Living In The U.S.A." comes to mind.  Surely, some professional racers have used it to motivate themselves before a competition.  I use it internally to get around on side streets.

The right answer--to an odd rhythm

A student in middle school shop class had a partially finished pen holder and asked the teacher what he should do next.  The teacher replied rhythmically, "Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it.  Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it.  Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it."  He walked off, still chanting rhythmically, "Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it."

Perhaps it was best that the teacher was nearing retirement.

A proper welcome

I always think better of an emcee when (s)he is courteous enough to say, "Please give a big (insert name of city) welcome to..." an artist who is about to perform.  It isn't enough to just say, "Ladies and gentlemen, (name of artist)..."  It gets a concert off on the right foot, though, if the announcer conveys to the audience and the artist how great it is that the musician is there.

Context? LXII

I once heard a DJ who'd just started his shift back announce a tune the previous DJ had played and admit that he knew nothing about the artist and hadn't heard the song before. 

"I read that, and that meant nothing to me," he said flatly.

Credit for honesty, I suppose.

Lacking an audiophile's presence?

After telling someone I knew in high school that I was an avid record collector, she responded, "That's surprising.  You don't look like someone who would be."

Granted, record collectors don't ordinarily wear shirts that say, "Ask me about that Emerson, Lake & Palmer LP on 180-gram vinyl."  Still, I wonder what she thought an avid record collector looked like. 

Not for the mildly enthusiastic

I'm glad that none of the radio jobs I've had required me to work in a CHR (contemporary hit radio) format.  That format typically requires a DJ to convey unnatural amounts of manic enthusiasm on the air.  As I've mentioned indirectly before, that isn't me.

Or, as a broadcasting instructor once told me, "I think you could do (a CHR format), but you'd hate it."

Three cheers for accurate phrasing

When I heard a radio traffic reporter say, "Gawkers are backed up to" a certain part of a highway this morning, I thought, "Bravo for describing those who stop and stare at car accidents accurately.  I'm not even on the scene, but I know enough about human nature to know the reporter's description is accurate."

On Labor Day...

...in 1982, "Out Of Work" by Gary (U.S.) Bonds was still on the charts.  I never heard it on the radio, outside of "American Top 40," however.  While some listeners could relate to the subject matter, I'm not sure why they'd want to buy a record that reminds them of it.  A lot of people get the flu, as well, but it doesn't mean they want to hear a song about vomiting.

And yet, after looking it up, I see that "Out Of Work" was a bigger hit than I thought it was.  Apparently, a lot of listeners liked the feel of the tune.  Something about the feel of the chorus reminds me a bit of Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart," so maybe the sound, rather than the lyrics, was the tune's key ingredient.

Five years later

Today marks five years since I started musicandradiomusings.blogspot.com.  I've asked myself, "What will I do if I run out of music and radio memories?"  Compelling music is always being released, so I can still react to it.  People are always saying interesting or humorous things on the radio, so I can react to that, as well.  Moreover, life still continues to happen, so I can always comment on the music and radio-related aspects of it.

Here's a look back at some of my favorite posts so far:

Maybe the principal was on to something...
The art of pacing
Halloween music and radio musings
Overhyped twosomes
Easygoing folkies
Seeing a carol through to the end
Sarcastic opening ahead...
"Please don't eat the records."
Had this sentence ever been said before?
Good intentions, but...

Thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys my blog as the music and radio musings continue into their sixth year.