Greatly Appreciate

 Song 797: This week the playlist recognizes Cherish by The Association, written by Terry Kirkman, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. I probably sang along with this expression of appreciation when it climbed the charts near the end of the summer before my sophomore HS year, but around a year later, it absorbed me even more when someone gave me a copy of the sheet music for the tune. I had begun writing my own songs in early 1965, about a year after the Fab Four rocked my world, as I imitated the moving sounds that had grabbed my ears, but the Cherish sheet music gave me a much clearer view of how others followed the songwriting process as I spent time learning and practicing the song riffs on my family's upright piano. I knew my folks didn't like hearing the devil's music but they generally did allow me to have time with the keyboard when I chose to do so. The fundamentalist church that my family attended included a family that had a daughter a year older than me and I became good friends with her and her brothers. During its Top-40 phase, I found out that she liked Cherish as much as I did, and for a few times we sang the song together - I did the melody and she added a very nice harmony. I felt quite attracted to her and I wished that I could hold her but I also assumed that a senior HS female would not consider the possibility of a romance with a junior HS male.

Fumes Above Liquid

 Song 796: This week the playlist applauds Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple, written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice, and you can find a cool YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. As the warmer months of 1973 arrived in the Windy City area, I worked as a cab driver in Evanston, IL, which meant that I spent a lot of time waiting for customers at cab stands on Howard Street, which is at the edge of Chicago. While waiting, I listened to the radio, which shared this fiery gem quite a bit during that stretch, and I really liked hearing the story, though I had no idea at the time about the event that inspired the tune's lyrics. I actually only recently found out about what happened, and that some stupid jerk with a flare gun in the audience at a concert fired the weapon at the ceiling, sparking a fire that burned the place to the ground.

Planetary Absence of Affection

 Song 795: This week the playlist comes around to A World Without Love by Peter and Gordon, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. The P & G duo that appeared in early 1964 played a role in expanding the British Invasion and their sound similarity to the Fab Four came at least in part from their identical authors. My parents and grandparents did not approve of the devil's music so during the colder months I would sometimes try to listen to a transistor radio in my home's basement. The family did regularly watch the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday night, so it's possible that I could have seen the duo there, though I don't remember if that happened. As usual, in April of that year I did get to hear the birds sing, although I don't know if they ever did so out of tune. I also saw the rain clouds sometimes hide the moon, and in addition, I strongly hoped that I would someday see my true love smile - at the time, I looked forward to that.