Can’t Ignore This Catty One

Song 487: This week on the playlist you can hear How Does That Grab You Darlin’? by Nancy Sinatra, written by Lee Hazlewood, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title.  I never had any interest in Frank Sinatra, but when his daughter came along and got everyone's attention with These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Song 352), she caught my ear as well. This clever follow-up, which is basically the title track for Nancy's second LP, sounded to me like a catchy and worthy successor to her opening splash. Critics at the time would disparage her vocal ability, saying that she did not have the singing talent that her father did, and that her voice only sounded as good as it did on her cuts because of the recording studio manipulations that engineers and producers create. I would bet that many listeners reacted to that criticism the same way I did: WHO CARES? I always felt that if a record sounded good, it didn't matter how that sound arrived, and having seen the process from the inside for a few decades, I hold that POV even more strongly than I did 50 years ago. How does that grab you? How does that mess your mind? For me, this spin still grabs my ear, and I'd say it sounds Prrrrrr. . . ty good. BTW, if you're looking for real Purrfection, I hope to put out a new release in the early months of 2020 that uses that title.

Preparations for Upcoming Holidays

Song 486: Seven weeks after my previous personal friend song post, this week's holiday melody Ready for Christmas comes courtesy of my former Berkeley housemate Carol Denney, who also wrote the song, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. While it might seem a bit early for a tune about 12/25, if you've visited a shopping plaza in the last week or two, you might have noticed signs of stores already gearing up for the noel celebration, which will officially begin a week from Friday. Of course, Carol's piece here is not about festivities, but about heartless treatment of poor homeless people who struggle to survive. As bad as this story may have been in real life back in 2003 when Carol released her CD The Cruel Lullaby on which it appears, homelessness in CA has gotten severely worse over the last decade and a half. Observing how This town gets ready for Christmas by sweeping the streets of the poor, Carol, in addition to writing and recording a song to draw attention to this persecution, used her artistic talent to sketch some of the sad scenes she sang about, and those original works of art appear in the YouTube video of her track. Truly, Jesus would think it was something how people don't care any more if he saw how some who claim to follow his teachings do openly advocate for cruelty towards those he urged his believers to help.

A Spicy Tasty Treat

Song 485: This week the playlist has on the menu Hot Tamales by The Righteous Brothers, written by Bobby Hatfield, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. This marks the first appearance of The Righteous Brothers on this list. I had seen the duo once on a TV show during my HS years, and I thought they sounded good but they didn't particularly spark my interest. In the early 1970s I got better acquainted with their music as I heard more of it from friends who had their LPs, and at a certain point I picked up on a good deal for a copy of Back to Back, with that deal feeling better the more I played the record. I hadn't heard this cut before I got the 33, but it became a quick favorite once I had added the album to my collection, and a prominent listening high point of every spin BtB took on the turntable. My pleasure in this piece also just happened to coincide with a developing taste for Mexican cuisine, and while I would probably prefer a taco or tortilla, if it sounds as good as these two guys do, then I want some hot tamales too!

Getting the Name Right

Song 484: This week the playlist comes around to Just Call Me Lonesome by Radney Foster, written by Radney Foster and George Ducas, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. This hit came along in the summer of 1992 as one of the shining fresh gems that embodied the New Country style which the Manhattan radio station I listened to in that era would often mention, and along with a few dozen other sparkling pieces, it convinced me to spend a portion of my listening time diving into that stream. I liked the way this track sounded modern, but also echoed the feel of country classics I had grown up listening to in the late 1950s and the following decade. I always enjoyed the way country writers sometimes play amusing word games, and Mr. Foster does that here with lines like You used to call me your one and only But now you only call me someone you once knew. I also appreciated the understated irony of a man with a handle as unique as Radney singing I've got a new name and I don't need my old one, and while maybe forever lies in pieces for him, the rest of us can relish hearing him musically explain his updated moniker.