“If You Were a Bluebird”

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Double K

“You’d be a sad one.” – Joe Ely

Shortly after arriving at a local lake walking trail near my home early on the 35 degree morning of January 1st, a flash of blue crossed my path at about eye level and caused me to stop. The flash slowed to a still as it landed gracefully upon a fence wire about 10 yards in front of me. It was an Eastern Bluebird. It looked at me, and I at him, in an inquisitive stare-down. The beautiful Eastern Bluebird officially became my first bird sighting in 2024.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEBYLAND, DREAMSTIME.COM

The bluebird is thought to be a symbol of joy and hope while others presume that good news will be arriving soon. And still, there are others who think that bluebirds represent a connection between the living and those who have passed away. Some Native American tribes also associate bluebirds with prosperity and even fertility. I like all of the symbolism and feelings that are associated with the bluebird, and I can easily see how these comforting thoughts are completely applicable to a pretty bird who possesses a pretty song. 

And speaking of song (segue alert), there have been numerous ones referencing the bluebird through the years. For many of us, one only need to start singing “Mister Bluebirds on my shoulder…” and wait til another finishes with “It’s the truth. It’s actual. Everything is satisfactual.” Those lyrics of course are from the Academy Award-winning song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” as sung by James Baskett from the 1946 Disney film “Song of the South.” Or how about “Somewhere over the rainbow… bluebirds fly.” Those with even the faintest knowledge of “The Wizard of Oz” will know that one.  

There are numerous songs featuring the bluebird – “Bluebird” by Buffalo Springfield, “Bluebird” by ELO, “Bluebirds Over The Mountain” by The Beach Boys, and even “Bluebird Wine” by Rodney Crowell (covered later by Emmylou Harris) just to name a few. But, if you’re like most of the Bluebird song experts (should a group actually exist somewhere), you probably think of the two most popular titled Bluebird songs – the early 1970’s “Bluebird” love song written by Paul and Linda McCartney performed by Wings from their “Band on the Run” album, and the more recent 2019 #1 country hit “Bluebird” by Miranda Lambert from her album “Wildcard.”

“If you were a bluebird, you’d be crying
You’d be flying home”

This “bluebird” song was originally released in 1977 by someone I was not very familiar with – Joe Ely and his band called The Flatlanders. I chose the song, one because I really like it, and secondly because it probably gets overlooked in the very specific genre of bluebird music should you ever choose to traverse into that rabbit-hole, of which I obviously have. (And forewarning, I have a birdwatching Spotify playlist that I will gladly share or discuss with you ad nauseam should you ever be in need of such a specific genre of music!)

At first listen, today’s song “If You Were a Bluebird” is one of many traditional sad country tales of broken beautifulness, but I find that the final few lyrics in this song are those dreaming of a better tomorrow and a more hopeful future. And isn’t that what the bluebird is supposed to represent? 

I think so.  

“If I was a highway, I’d be stretching
I’d be fetching you home”

This tv appearance is from sometime in the early 90’s, but reunites the Lubbock, Texas trio known as The Flatlanders – Joe Ely (vocals, guitar, black vest), Jimmy Dale Gilmore (vocals, guitar, black long sleeve), and Butch Hancock (vocals, harmonica, black suit jacket) singing “If You Were a Bluebird”…

If Emmylou Harris is more your speed, she does a wonderful rendition of the same song from her 1989 album appropriately titled “Bluebird.” 

And if you just need more inspirational bluebird in your life, here is Miranda Lambert’s video for “Bluebird.” As a sidenote, one of Lambert’s personal favorites is Emmylou Harris. Emmylou has a song from 1978 titled “Easy From Now On” which provided the inspiration for Miranda’s tattoo (you can see in the video), and the line from “Bluebird” where she sings “I’ve got a wildcard up my sleeve.” Just another example of one of many things you can learn from a journey into that bluebird internet rabbit hole. 

May your 2024 be full of hope, prosperity and possibilities, and may someone fetch you home if you need it. And of course, may bluebirds cross your path from time to time and remind you of good times spent with loved ones who have passed, or maybe just inspire you to dream of a better tomorrow. 

sincerely,

the 80’s

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“My God, I Thought You Were Someone to Rely On”

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Double K

“Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on” – George Michael / Wham!

I will not apologize for the following post despite your eyerolls and the potential disdain you might personally harbor for this song! I will snowball fight you and your soul of ice to the death in defense of this holiday classic! If you participate in “Whamageddon” this time of year, let me tempt you to opt out early (and yes if you’re unfamiliar, “Whamageddon” is a real thing dating back 18 years).  “It’s just a funny little thing that a couple of idiots from Denmark did to entertain themselves during Christmas,” one of the founders, Thomas Mertz, told The New York Times.

I posted this video and song back in 2016 shortly before George Michael passed away on Christmas day of the same year. He was only 53. The popularity of this song has endured and even grown in the digital age with its’ hundreds, thousands, (millions?) of covers, and I have listened to my fair share of them. There’s a Trap Remix, a folk style version, an instrumental, and obviously many pop versions. The pop queens in particular especially like it – Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Arianna Grande, Meghan Trainor, Carly Rae Jepson…oh, and Ashley Tisdale anyone? So I think it’s fitting to bring this song up again given that George was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a little over a month ago.  

Before we get to the song, rewind to just a few nights ago as I was scrolling through Christmas movies on our various streaming platforms… Netflix, Apple, Max, and finally Prime when I came across a 2019 film appropriately titled “Last Christmas.” While it probably didn’t win any Oscars (I only say probably, because who knows with those wonky Oscar voters), my wife and I were pleasantly surprised with it, and will happily endorse it despite its’ flaws. First of all, a George Michael soundtrack (not just “Last Christmas”) accompanies this movie. Secondly, you get some pretty likable leads in Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) and Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”). You get a dash of a funny Emma Thompson (who also co-wrote the story with her husband, Greg Wise). And of course, you get some heartfelt moments and a twist that made this a very worthy addition to our annual fest of holiday movie-watching at our household. 

The trailer is below, but honestly it will just spoil most of the movie for you. If you’re like my wife and I and enjoy watching all sorts of Christmas movies this time of year, just do yourself a favor and skip the trailer, suspend the believability (which you should be doing this time of year anyway), and you’ll be more apt to enjoy this George Michael soundtrack movie for what it is – a cheeky bit of heartfelt fun.    

“Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye”

And finally, you didn’t think I was going to end this post without the song did you? I told you, I will always take any liberty I can to promote “Last Christmas.” If it’s been a year (it doesn’t surprise me) or longer since you’ve seen this 80’s masterpiece of music videology then I encourage you to waste, I mean enrich your Christmas 2023 life for the next four minutes and 38 seconds.

The video was filmed over five days in Switzerland in the winter of 1984 in and around a house with no heat. It was model Kathy Hill who recalled how cold the house was and she was the one that got to wear the bright colors and stand out as the villainous ice queen who broke George’s heart a year ealier. She was interviewed several years ago about her memories from the filming including the scene where she and George play about in the snow. She said: “We had to walk up a hill about five times. George slipped down every time. Once he ended up sitting on me, laughing – and that’s the bit they used. It was completely ­natural. We were just laughing our heads off. He couldn’t stand up. It’s my favourite scene.”

When former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley was asked about the song itself recently, he recounted that “The first time I ever heard it, it was absolutely knockout,” he says. “It sounded for all the world like a Christmas classic,” and added “It’s Christmas distilled if you ask me. It’s the essence of Christmas.”

Please enjoy “the essence of Christmas” with the original “Last Christmas”…

Video commentary: Are we expected to believe that Kathy preferred Andrew to George and his soulful voice and perfectly coiffed blond hair? Did you do something George and refuse to take responsibility? Why do they all have to climb over a fence coming and going like a bunch of school kids trespassing to get to their house? Where’s the driveway or path to the front door? Was this just a poorly designed secluded cabin? And did she possibly re-gift the brooch that George gave her to her new beau, Andrew, who is shown wearing it in the present day? What an ice queen! The video also features Wham’s backup singer duo – Helen “Pepsi” DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman who later formed their own group appropriately called Pepsi and Shirlie. 

A very happy Christmas to all my friends!

sincerely,

the80’s

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“If It’s a Car You Lack”

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Double K

“I’d surely buy you a Cadillac” – Andrew Gold

The young man standing directly in front of me seemed to appear magically out of thin air. No, not Andrew Gold, but a brown-haired, glasses-wearing twenty-something in khakis and a dress shirt. I hadn’t noticed this ninja-in-training who had been lurking in the corner to my left as I had entered the nursing home where my mom lives. He obviously had been biding his time waiting for the right unsuspecting target to walk through the door. Instinctually, I had ventured to the right towards the sign-in log and had noticed it was a mandatory mask-wearing day. So, as I was putting on my mask and turning to go see my mom, he was just there blocking my path, looking directly into my startled eyes.

“We’re asking everyone what they’re thankful for,” he said holding his clipboard and pen at the ready. “Do you have anything you’re thankful for that we can add to our survey?”

My initial thought was “Yeah, I’m thankful you weren’t a hired hitman here to take me out.”

Truth be told though, I thought “Dude, I’m in a nursing home where no one wants to be probably including you, and most of these residents are sadly living out the final days of their lives. Thankful? Hardly.”

It was a narrow-minded, selfish thought, I’ll admit, but a very real thought that visits my mind every time I step foot inside the same facility that held the sad final few months of my dad’s life in the summer of 2021. But instead of relaying any of this to him, which undoubtedly would have created an awkward moment for us, I forced a smile and simply answered with the always popular cliché “family.” A cliche, but a true statement as well, and also one that seemed to satisfy the young man as he noted my response on his clipboard and went back to his camouflaged blind in the corner. I soldiered on into the dining area to meet mom for a Thanksgiving luncheon sitting at a table with her amongst a full house of visitors and residents already putting dents into their pre-Thanksgiving turkey dinners.

Later as I reflected on the interaction I thought that maybe this young man’s presence and his specific question were an intentional and purposeful plan set in place by the nursing home to help shift the focus for most people entering that day. If so, kudos to the nursing home for at least attempting to shift the narrative in many minds on the day before Thanksgiving in a facility no one wants to be in. And maybe that is what was needed.

When it comes to the chaos, the uncertainty, the times of hopelessness and confusion in our lives, there can be periods and stretches of unthankfulness. Sure we inherently know and many of us are taught that we should be thankful for friends and employment and health and our family, but if we’re being honest there are many times we are not thankful for some or parts of those complicated pieces of our lives. Difficult family relationships, hurtful friendships, and economic hardships are all ships of unthankfulness we don’t particularly want to sail on, but end up on anyway at times, because, well, life.

So if you’re having trouble finding the big items to be thankful for in your life this weekend, maybe just focus on (or stumble upon or into) the unintentional small things that you might not even notice consciously until later that can cause the momentary shifts, the temporary distractions, the change in narrative that you may need at any given moment. Those times where an exciting football game bonds you with others, or when you’ve completed that impossible 5000-piece puzzle, or maybe you just won the longest game of Catan in Catan history. Maybe it’s something as simple as when a gravel road turns into pavement or you spot a Northern Flicker in your tree for the first time, or you complete a long overdue post for your blog. And yes, maybe it’s those times when you’re feeling low and a twenty-something stranger appears out of nowhere and asks you a simple question.

What are you thankful for?

And when we both get older
With walking canes and hair of gray
Have no fear, even though it’s hard to hear
I will stand real close and say

I’d never seen a video for this song until today nor did I realize it was a song actually released in 1978 by a man named Andrew Gold. Gold was part of the soft pop movement of the ’70s, and best I can tell, carved out a nice career in the music industry before succumbing to heart failure in 2011 at the age of 59. He collaborated with the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel, and Eric Carmen, to name just a few, and left us with a few solo hits, including “Lonely Boy” (1977), “Never Let Her Slip Away” (1978), and of course, this one that hit #25 on the U.S. Top 100 in 1978. It also received a resurgence in the ’80s with the hit sitcom “The Golden Girls.”

A big thank you to all of you reading this blog and of course my friends, and yes a thank you to my family. And a thank you to Andrew for writing this little ditty that took him “about an hour to write.” It may have been written in 1978, but its’ popularity surely peaked every Saturday night from 1985 to 1992 when “The Golden Girls” sitcom played on NBC and a remake of the song by Cynthia Fee was used in the opening credits. I find it fitting that his last name is Gold, and a fitting song for this weekend, here is Andrew Gold’s “Thank You For Being a Friend”…

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

sincerely,

the80’s

The Golden Girls (L-R) Rue McClanahan (1934-2010), Bea Arthur (1922-2009), Betty White (1922-2021), and Estelle Getty (1923-2008).
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“She Dashed by Me in Painted on Jeans”

Posted on October 28, 2023 by Double K

“And all heads turned cause she was the dream.” – Billy Ocean

Every now and then, a “deal” comes along where you say to yourself “Self, I’d pay (x) amount to go see (fill in the blank), because how many more chances will I have?” and that’s exactly how last Friday night at the Skyline Event Center in Tulsa came about. In February, for $45 each, I bought two tickets for my wife and I on the fifth row to see one Mr. Leslie Sebastian Charles, stage name Billy Ocean. The original performance date was for April, but he had to postpone that show and rescheduled for this past Friday.

At 73 years old, Billy Ocean seems to be well above average in physical condition and still has a nice sound and tone to his voice. He graciously interacted with the crowd and all of the ridiculous “let me get a selfie with Billy” amateur photographers in attendance. I was starting to get a little annoyed with all of the people walking up to the stage and attempting to get selfies with Billy, but he graciously played along with that genuine smile on his face all night long as he peppered the audience with all of his big hits and a total of 14 songs over 90+ minutes.

Seemingly so smooth and so cool, Billy had already established himself as a singer and performer with a few minor hits in his native England prior to 1984 dating back to his first hit, a #2 hit in 1976 called “Love Really Hurts Without You.” Like many growing up in the 80’s, my first exposure to Billy was “Caribbean Queen,” a quintessential up-tempo 80’s hit that I absolutely loved and still do to this day. Billy was already a music industry veteran in 1984 at the age of 34 years when he hit it big in the U.S. with today’s featured video and song.

“I was in search of a good time
Just running my game
Love was the furthest
Furthest from my mind.”

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Billy moved to England when he was 10 and in 2020 was made a member of the MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service. The MBE was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V.

He has seven top 10 singles in the U.S. which includes three #1 hits with today’s video being his first and arguably his biggest. A number one hit in August of 1984 that won Billy a Grammy, it was the song that really broke open Billy’s career, and is personally one of my favorite songs from the decade of the 80’s. Here is the video for the once-titled “European Queen,” changed to “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)”…

Here is some present-day Billy for those of you interested in how he and his voice have aged. This is my video shot at the Skyline Event Center at the Osage Casino in Tulsa. Still so cool and so smooth, this is one of my favorite 80’s ballads, another number one hit for Billy which came about in July of 1986 – “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)”… and btw, that’s Billy’s daughter on the far left of the backup singers…

Thanks for checking in and thanks for reading, and keep on going Billy!

sincerely,

the80’s

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“Where it All Ends, I Can’t Fathom My Friends”

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Double K

“If I knew I might toss out my anchor.” – Jimmy Buffett

No truer words were ever spoken by one James William Buffett, He was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on December 25, 1946 and became a Christmas gift that just kept giving. Whatever you thought about his “island escapism” lifestyle, his business empire, or his mellow tropical rock catalog of never ending songs about beaches, boats, bars or ballads, Jimmy Buffett lived a fascinating life that captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands through his words and music.

Like many Gen Xers, my first Buffett cd was “Songs You Should Know By Heart,” a collection of songs featuring his biggest hit “Margaritaville.” What I quickly learned though was that Jimmy was a nautical poet more than just the sum of a song about tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. He could tap into your inner explorer and plant adventurous fantasies within your mind.

We had parties in college (in Oklahoma) where “Margaritaville” was a staple and usually played late into the night where some 20 or 30 half baked students would sing along at the top of their lungs… “but I know… it’s my own damn fault!” I subscribed to the official Jimmy Buffett “Coconut Telegraph Newsletter” for a few years in the 90’s when I was finishing college. The newsletter would have stories and concert dates and merch to buy, but like most print media, went the way of the dinosaur as the internet grew and took away the need for such paper escapism.

It was also during those final few college summers where I would spend many long, hot summer days painting houses in Illinois for a local real estate agent. Many times when I just wasn’t feeling like Pearl Jam or Nirvana or Boys II Men, I would have Jimmy Buffett playing on my personal cd player (Discman) instead where I would dream of being on a beach or at an island bar with nary a care in the world. I had scraped together enough painting money to buy his four cd box set entitled “Boats, Beaches, Bars, and Ballads” which provided a colorful book, 72 songs, and hours of extending listening that went far beyond his “Songs You Should Know By Heart.” There may have even been a day or two where I enjoyed a few cold ones while painting with Jimmy singing into my ears about planes and volcanos and pretty women. I still have this boxset, but now just find it more convenient to pull up on Spotify.

Jimmy took his world and he put it into music (and a few books), and made a lifestyle that many dreamed about but few have been fortunate to imitate. If anyone lived a finer tropical rock and roll lifestyle than Mr. Buffett, I’d surely be interested to know.

“So I cruise along always searchin’ for songs
Not a lawyer a thief or a banker”

Hey, hey, hey now Jimmy. C’mon now. There’s nothing wrong with some bankers! No need to include us with lawyers and thieves! This is one of my favorite pre-80’s lyrics just because you can’t find too many songs where the singer includes a banker.

I still believe this son of a son of a sailor is cruising along somewhere still searching for songs and entertaining his legions of “Parrotheads” in another realm. I loved what his sister, Lucy “Lulu” Buffett revealed about her last words with her brother when it became clear that the Merkel cell carcinoma Jimmy had been fighting for years was finally closing in – “He didn’t care about resting in peace. The last words he whispered to me were, “Have fun.””

Whether you enjoy his music or not, we should all desire some Jimmy in our lives, and we should all heed his words, and just have fun.

I’m no expert on the extensive collection of Jimmy Buffett songs, but if I had to give someone five songs (aside from “Margaritaville”) then I would certainly endorse these popular ones:

“Come Monday”

“A Pirate Looks at Forty”

“He Went to Paris”

“Havanna Daydreamin'”

“The Captain and the Kid”

Now away in the near future
Southeast of disorder
You can shake the hand of the mango man
As he greets you at the border

Along with the mango man, I’m sure Jimmy’s grandfather, James, who was a steamship captain, and his father, James Jr., who was a marine engineer and sailor are meeting Jimmy at the great border in the sky. Here is the man that brought so much joy and fun and light to our world singing one of my favorites of his, this 1978 classic “Son of a Son of a Sailor“…

Enjoy the light, Jimmy, and soak in another amazing view maybe with a cheeseburger in one hand. I know you will.

Thanks for reading and go have fun today.

sincerely,

the 80’s

“So when the journey gets long, just know that you are loved. There is light up above. And joy, there is always enough. Bubbles up.” – Jimmy Buffett

Bonus: “Bubbles Up” is a life metaphor and song inspired by a diving phrase or advice given to sailors and others if they ever find themselves unexpectedly thrown into the water and confused by which way is up. Follow the bubbles. They will lead you to safety. Co-written by singer-songwriter and guitarist Will Kimbrough, enjoy the first single from Jimmy’s final album he recorded before his death set to release in November…

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“Oh Now, Still Beats Steady, This Heart I Handed You For Free”

Posted on September 3, 2023 by Double K

“Should you ever need a thing, it won’t be hard to find me.” – Turnpike Troubadours

Photo by ROGELIO ESPARZA FOR ROLLING STONE (L-R) Hank Early, Evan Felker, Kyle Nix, Ryan Engleman, Gabe Pearson, and RC Edwards

A happy Labor Day weekend to you!

This non-80’s song has been spinning loops in my mind at various times since it was released in early August. My wife can attest. So, on this weekend, let me pay tribute to the workers of The Turnpike Troubadours’ construction company, who have bore an invisible musical pipeline directly to my frontal lobes, turned it on, and have refused to shut it down.

You need no introduction to this group if your tastes lie anywhere near the country-folk-bluegrass-cajun-Red Dirt rock-Americana arenas of music. I realize that’s a lot of arenas, but the Turnpike Troubadours cover a lot of ground and shift seamlessly like a salamander. Something tells me if they decided to play hair metal covers from the 80’s they would still be great (probably a little twangy, but great nonetheless), and it starts with the head troubadour, Evan Felker.

To define “troubadour” is to label 1) one of a class of lyric poets and poet-musicians often of knightly rank who flourished from the 11th to the end of the 13th century chiefly in the south of France and whose major theme was courtly love. But also, 2) a singer, especially of folk songs.

Hailing from the small community of Wright City in southeastern Oklahoma (no known affiliation with southern France), the 39 year-old lyrical poet and musician, Evan Felker, and bassist R.C. Edwards started the band a few years before their debut album in 2007. They played the bars and clubs in and around Stillwater and claim Tahlequah, Oklahoma as their place of origin.

I know both Stillwater and Tahlequah, because I lived for five years in Stillwater as a small boy, and then later Tahlequah where I spent two years attending Northeastern State University. I played basketball for the “mighty mighty” NSU Redmen (now “Riverhawks”) and legendary coach Coach Ken Hayes. I floated the Illinois River. I spent time at Granny’s Attic on Muskogee Avenue. I lived in Haskell Hall helping to sling-shot water balloons out the window at unsuspecting students walking to and from class. I traversed the scenic campus on a daily basis and I attended parties at mobile homes in the Cherokee county countryside where friends and classmates lived.

Redmen forever with Coach Ken Hayes last year in Tahlequah

I was late to the Troubadours game so to speak. It was a former co-worker of mine (shoutout Sheldon) who introduced me to them several years ago shortly before they went on “indefinite hiatus.” Rumors abounded from everyone who didn’t know anything, but needless to say, the band was in demand of an overdue break in the action. Many of the members worked side projects, one went back to school, and the introverted Felker worked on himself. Jaded from years of the music business, a failed marriage, and an abuser of alcohol, Felker worked a friend’s ranch in Texas, sobered up, remarried his wife, Staci, and welcomed two children into the world.

“He’s (Felker) like Hemingway-meets-McCartney,” said Shooter Jennings, who helped produce the new album, “A Cat in the Rain,” at the fabled F.A.M.E. Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. An interesting combination of characters indeed for the lead singer of a band many didn’t think would ever play again. This is the sixth studio album and first since their 2017 album “A Long Way From Your Heart.”

“Standing at the ready with a dance or two still left in me. Wager that it won’t appear that I’ve forgot who brought me.”

If you were like me several years ago, and are not familiar with this group, but appreciate catchy hooks and musical artistry woven into a fabric of symbolic lyricism and vivid imagery then I’d encourage you to lend an ear and give them a chance.

From the opening line of the album’s opening song “Mean Old Sun,” where Felker proclaims “Empty promises I’ve given, hollow heart beats in my chest” to this post’s featured song, the album tackles many of mankind’s common themes penned and painted with a southern backdrop as only Felker can do.

The song today is the very melodic “Brought Me.” So if you share this life with someone you love, someone who has been through the highs and lows, someone who takes the worst of you, extends forgiveness, and makes you better, then let this song serve as a reminder of those times, a redemption of sorts, the hope for a better tomorrow, and a thankfulness for the here and now.

A very happy birthday to that person in my life. That person I love, my wife Rebekah.

I still have a lot of dances still left in me!

Here is “Brought Me” by the Turnpike Troubadours (named after those toll roads that took Felker and company from the southeastern part of Oklahoma to “civilization”)

A live version from a performance in August at The Ryman in Nashville…

Thanks for reading.

sincerely,

the80s

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“So I Saw You in the Pizza Place. You Were With Another Girl.”

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Double K


“It was a crime, it was such a disgrace
You really shattered my world.” – The Flirts

The Flirts

The previous post dedicated to Foreigner and featuring their hit “Juke Box Hero” lead me down a rabbit-hole of sorts. A rabbit hole of some of the more popular juke box related songs of the 80’s and in turn to one of the more forgotten girl groups of the early 80’s.

Occasionally I come across these nostalgia-laden music boxes in and around different locales. For instance, there is a pizza joint I frequent in Oklahoma City called Bella’s. They have one that holds cds, and the small restaurant reminded me a little of this video and maybe the only reason I would ever have of writing about a little known girl group called The Flirts.

Formed by record producer Bobby “O” Orlando, perhaps the most popular semblance of the group (there would be numerous versions throughout the years) consisted of Chicago native Rebecca Sullivan, New Yorker Andrea Del Conte & west coast’s Hope Rayman (San Fernando). It is those three that you’ll see in maybe their most popular video. It’s the one I remember the most anyway.

The actual jukebox in the video below appears to be a 1978 NSM Music Prestige E 160 (similar to the one above) that held up to 160 45’s. Sometime around 1951-52, the three founding members, Herman Nack, Gerhard Schulze, and Wilhelm Menke formed NSM in Braunschweig, Germany mostly to handle their expanding juke box distribution  business. At this time, jukeboxes were more popular in Germany than anywhere else in the world, and the three began handling the distribution of Seeburg jukeboxes in the early 50’s but started producing their own jukeboxes beginning with the Fanfare 60 model sometime around 1956. NSM Music continued on until being acquired by AMI Entertainment Network in February of 2017.

“Little things remind me of you
Cheap cologne and that damn song, too.”

After not seeing this video since the 80’s, I did enjoy a look back at it today. I especially enjoy all the old people staring at the trio as they walk down the streets of NYC surely thinking to themselves who the hell or what the hell is going on! The fashion is pure 80’s in this video and the famous “House of Oldies” record store since 1969 makes an appearance in the video as well, but I’m not a NYC guy so I couldn’t tell you if it’s still there or not.

“Don’t put another dime in the jukebox
I don’t want to hear that song no more”

From their 1982 “10 Cents a Dance” debut album (yes kids, jukeboxes once cost 10 cents per song), this is the video for a song that made it up to #28 on the U.S. dance charts – “Jukebox (Don’t Put Another Dime).”

Here’s a “live” version of them singing the song on American Bandstand back in the day when it was perfectly acceptable to gush over how beautiful the women were (“is that a redhead or is that a redhead!?”), or how well they “moved.” Dick Clark was in the perfect voice in the perfect time period for this show.

And if you just can’t get enough of these Flirts and cringy interviews, you can check out MTV’s own Mark Goodman with them from around the same time (Rebecca apparently did not co-write any of these tunes, Mark! Someone fed you some bad facts!).

As always, thanks for reading.

sincerely,

the80’s

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“Standing in the Rain, With His Head Hung Low”

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Double K

“Couldn’t get a ticket, it was a sold out show.” – Foreigner

(Photo Credit Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

It was indeed a sold out show a few weeks ago at The Walmart Amp in Rogers, Arkansas. It was one of many from a band that has been singing and performing for millions since their incarnation in 1976.

Foreigner has embarked on their “Historic Farewell Tour” (to run through 2024), and Rogers was just one of many stops for the rock legends. You never really know if a farewell tour is actually the farewell (see: Kiss, Motley Crue, and Ozzy for examples), but it seems about right for these guys. Guitarist and founding member Mick Jones is the only remaining touring member of Foreigner and he wasn’t even at this show. Kelly Hansen replaced the legendary Lou Gramm on vocals back in 2005, so they’re going on 18 plus years without their original lead singer.

The band’s most successful incarnation was the 80’s quartet featuring Gramm, Jones, drummer Dennis Elliott, and bassist Rick Wills. All four are still living so there’s always the possibility of some sort of reunion, but this seems a likely end for the group that produced 14 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hits and sold over 50 million records (whatever that means anymore). They scored one #1 hit with “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and another near-miss with the number-two “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” which spent a record-setting 10 weeks at the runner-up position. (Did any of you latchkey kids reading this post ever slow dance to either of these dishes of syrupy goodness? If you didn’t, go grab your significant other, and do so right now!)

“Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream”

My wife and I had the pleasure of taking in the limited show a few weeks ago, and I say limited because a storm was off in the distance and headed right for us. Due to the impending weather, Canadian rock band Loverboy (another band I haven’t ever seen in concert) cancelled as the opening act, so I was disappointed I didn’t get to see the aged red leather make an appearance (I did feature Mike Reno and his mates on this site many years ago as a backdrop for a family vacation spent at Dauphin Island, Alabama).

“In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour
Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door
Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain
And that one guitar, made his whole life change.”

As for Foreigner, they cut their normal set short by about five songs playing only seven (nine if you include the guitar and drum solos) of their normal 15 songs (once again two of the 15 are just a drum and a guitar solo).

We had great seats thanks to our friends, the White’s, so we soaked in all we could for approximately 60 minutes of music before we literally got soaked. They knew what they were doing at the Amp because immediately after their final song, “Hot Blooded,” it started raining lightly and was in full downpour mode just as we got to our car.


“Now he needs to keep on rockin’, he just can’t stop
Gotta keep on rockin’, that boy has got to stay on top And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He’s a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes”

(Photo creds: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Foreigner in 2023 features Jones (missing from the picture above), scarf-wearing lead singer Kelly Hansen, bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboard player Michael Bluestein, guitarist Bruce Watson, guitarist Luis Maldonado, and drummer Chris Frazier.

Original Foreigner was formed in New York City in 1976 by guitarist Mick Jones, Ian McDonald and original lead vocalist Lou Gramm.  Jones came up with the band’s name as he, McDonald, and drummer Dennis Elliott were British, while Gramm, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi were American, meaning at least half of the band would be foreigners no matter what country they were in.

It would be the legendary Foreigner “4” album that would be my initial introduction as a 12 year old to the band when it was released in July of 1981. Produced at Electric Lady Studios in New York City by producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange (who else?), the album would spend ten weeks at #1 and include a host of hit singles including today’s featured song and video.

An 80’s juke box

If you love music and you grew up in the era of juke boxes, then I think we can all relate to the longing of one day becoming a juke box hero. Thank you Foreigner for an incredible run and for leaving us an enviable catalog of music to absorb. You will forever be “Juke Box Hero(es)” to thousands…

Thanks for reading.

sincerely,

the80s

Bonus video comes from their finale “Hot Blooded” just as the storm front makes its’ way in (as you’ll see in the video) courtesy of my iphone.

Also, cameo appearance by Arkansas Razorback football coach, Sam Pittman, #woopig, and a rockin’ appearance by my wife as well.

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“When Your Heart Has Been Broken”

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Double K

“Hogwash has been spoken. It ain’t easy, but it’s only love.” – Tina Turner (almost)

MISHEARD LYRICS PART I

Back in the 80’s we didn’t have this fancy thing called the internet with Google or Lyrics.com or Genius or the half a dozen or so other sites that can tell us exactly (most of the time) what words musical artists are singing. If, by chance all those years ago, you did end up with an album, cassette tape, or cd that included the song lyrics well that was practically the holy grail of music.

Like many, I longed to understand what my musical heroes were singing and what message they were trying to convey to my fledgling brain. Sure, “hogwash” makes very little sense in the above scenario, but Tina Turner was a born and raised southern girl from Tennessee, and hogwash seems like a southern informal slang term that she might use on a regular basis. Its’ actual meaning is one of nonsense or something untrue, but of course Tina did not write the song. That distinction belongs to Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. I doubt Bryan nor Jim ever used the word hogwash in a song, but damned if my 13 year-old self cared!

“You can live without the aggravation
Ya gotta wanna win, ya gotta wanna win”

Tina Turner passed away recently (May 24th) leaving behind quite the legacy of music as well as acting and authoring of several books. Her break into the music business began in 1957 as a backup singer in Ike Turner’s band, Kings of Rhythm. Most know of Tina’s rise to superstardom through the 60’s and 70’s as one half of the Ike and Tina Turner duo, but by the time the early 80’s had rolled around, Tina had endured an abusive relationship and eventual break-up with Ike, and was considered (for the most part) too old and probably beyond her prime as a performer and entertainer. Little did anyone see the album “Private Dancer” lurking in 1984.

The Private Dancer album peaked at #3 in the U.S., went platinum five times, earned four Grammy awards, and once again made Tina one of the biggest stars in the world. The album and subsequent music videos peaked this young man’s interest for sure in 1984, because even though Tina was in her mid 40’s at the time, she was still very easy on the eyes.

With apologies to my 70’s-loving Tina Turner fans who will scream for “Proud Mary” or “Nutbush City Limits,” my favorite Tina track will forever be “What’s Love Got to Do with It” with “The Best” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero” waiting in the wings.

“When your world has been broken. Hard words have been spoken. It ain’t easy, but it’s only love.”

Ahhh! Hard words! Much better (but I’m still going to sing hogwash).

Adams was just 24 and Turner 45 when this song was recorded in 1984. It was released in October of 1985 as Adams’ sixth and final single from one of my favorite 80’s albums – Reckless, and would go on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. The accompanying video won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance. 

The video is a live clip from Tina Turner’s 1985 Private Dancer Tour with Turner wearing her trademark black leather minidress and jean jacket, introducing the young Canadian, Bryan Adams for a live performance of the song.

I love the chemistry between the two and I love the song. Peaking at #15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 back in January of 1986, here is “It’s Only Love”…

Bonus video and some thoughts from my favorite Tina song “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”:

Is this Arsenio Hall’s big break coming in at the 39 second mark?… Tina has fabulous hair… I love the group at the 1:22 mark – I’m kind of sad I never adapted the vest/no shirt look myself back in the 80’s when I had abs… the most famous legs in the 80’s get their own shots (most deservedly) a few times throughout the video… 2:17 jump-roping reminds me of how terrible I was at jumping rope… the 2:50 mark Tina saves a couple’s relationship through her passioned words… 3:18 mark – the dude with the backless t-shirt – I think maybe I could revive this trend… probably not.

Thanks for reading.

R.I.P. Queen Tina.

sincerely,

the80’s

And that’s all.

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“Sitting In My Class, Just Drifting Away”

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Double K

“Staring into the windows of the world, yeah” – Shanice

I read your posts and your tributes to mothers everywhere. I read your stories about your celebrated day as a mother, or your tribute to your mother, or maybe your story about the mother that has passed on from this life that you still honor with the memories and the stories you carry with you. I read your famous quotes about mothers, your posts about iconic pop culture mothers, and I’ve even watched your Mother’s Day videos. Just know I’ve seen you, I’ve admired you, and I’ve appreciated you and your words from afar.

Though Mother’s Day 2023 is in the past, I’m neither late nor early with this post for my mother. She lives in a world where days and years and months and holidays have no time nor meaning. Time doesn’t really exist in the life of a person living with dementia. I’ve written about it on this site before, but 3 a.m. or 3 p.m. matters not. Christmas and birthdays hold no significance anymore for her. Two days or two months – there is little if any difference. Life. Just. Is.

I’ve often thought what purpose does dementia serve? What is God trying to teach each of us that live with or help care for loved ones battling this terrible disease? I don’t really have any answers, well any good answers that satisfy my finite brain. And so, I go and I visit my mom at least once a week, and I often leave questioning why. She doesn’t remember. Maybe the memories will materialize for her someday in Heaven. I’m not sure. It’s a pleasant thought, but the actuality of it really won’t be a pleasant thing to look back on. I’ve thought maybe some version of my dad’s spirit hovers nearby like a modern day version of Patrick Swayze in the movie “Ghost.” Maybe he’s smiling or at least comforted in that fact that I keep her company for a few hours doing arts and crafts or driving her to Sonic for a Cherry Limeade.

My mom’s verbal skills have deteriorated to a point of very simple words, a few phrases, and a lot of non-coherent gibberish. But I’ve come to realize that as my mom’s mind has deteriorated and her physical abilities diminishing, I’m still left with one last semblance of a loving mother and fiercely loyal wife. I’m left with one simple act of recognition. It’s the unmistakable wide-eyed recognition of someone she knows and loves. She’s not sure if I’m her brother or her son or her husband or just a familiar stranger, but she knows me.

And so she smiles. And for now, that will have to be enough.

“Time came and showed me your direction
Now I know I’ll never ever go back“

Born in “the Steel City,” Shanice Lorraine Wilson, now a mother of two, turned 50 years old on Mother’s Day. She’s had Broadway experience, Grammy nominations and stints in the fashion and fragrance industries during her lifetime. A talented performer and singer since the age of three, Shanice has had a few other minor singing hits throughout her career, but she’s best known for this hit as an 18-year-old released in October of 1991. The song topped the U.S. R&B/Hip-hop charts and reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

It’s a classic early 90’s dance song and video featuring some vintage 90’s choreography and a mid-song rap break that was all too common in the early-to-mid 90’s. With its’ infectious groove, and Branford Marsalis’ sax solo, I dare you to listen and not be in a better mood afterwards. So, thank you Shanice and a happy belated mother’s day/birthday combo to you! Written by Jarvis La Rue Baker, Sylvester Jackson, Narada Michael Walden, and Shanice Wilson, here is the sweet voice of Shanice with “I Love Your Smile”…

“Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo“

Keep smiling.

My mom does.

As always, thanks for reading.

sincerely,

the 80’s

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