Welcome back,
Were all familiar with the “word-song” phenomenon. Also known as the melodic trigger. You hear or are thinking of a word or phrase and suddenly it becomes part of a familiar song. Then it’s stuck in your head perhaps for the rest of the day or longer. You start humming that tune, tapping your foot perhaps, then before you know it, you may find yourself singing out loud or dancing around the living room. ♫ “I can’t get no… to-do-do”. Thanks Mick. Not your taste? How about: “The Loco-Motion” by Little Eva, “You’ve Lost That Lovin Feelin by the Righteous Brothers, The Animal’s- “House of the Rising Sun, or “Hey Jude” by the Beatles my personal favorite sad song. Don’t ask.
With a single word you may find yourself back at your High School Prom, your wedding or that concert you neglected to tell your parents about. Perhaps it was part of a Broadway Musical or Opera you attended decades ago. Be careful though, you may find yourself belting out ♫ “Y – M – C – A” while on the Stairmaster at Gold’s Gym.
Chances are, every one of these possibilities is a positive experience, leaving you feeling happy, even joyous. Perhaps nostalgic or every now and then forcing back tears. It does not matter if you’re a “Dead Head”, Swifty, Beatlemaniac, Radiohead or Sinatraphile we experienced the greatest music and cultural explosion ever. There was no shortage of music from which to choose.
Occasionally, I do not wish to wait for a melodic trigger to materialize. I get antsy and want to hear something, anything. So, I keep several links to songs and music videos on my desktop. How were they chosen? Casually, accidentally, or unexpectedly. Something I came across in the moment, and that led to another. Who knows? Just like the rest of life, mostly random. Anyway, there they are and there they’ll stay. Until others come along and they become my new favorite go-to songs. (Reminder- Links to songs will take you to YouTube where you can listen to them, along with perhaps a video.)
Here are a few:
– “My Back Pages” (Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton & George Harrison). They all joined together in a 30th Anniversary Celebration of this well-known Byrd’s song at Madison Square Garden in 1992. Guaranteed to be nostalgic.
– Elvis Presley’s version of “Unchained Melody”. I know, I know how can anyone top the Righteous Brothers. Nonetheless, it is a powerful rendition delivered a few weeks before his death in 1977. Greatly diminished physically, Elvis rose to the occasion and then some.
– Coldplay – “Viva La Vida” (Live In São Paulo) The energy from Chris Martin, his band and the crowd is electrifying and contagious. I dare you to sit still.
– On a more serious note: “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” written by The Band and also popularized by Joan Baez. You choose. They of course utilize the same lyrics but deliver a somewhat different feeling. This song tells the story of the last days of the Civil War from the perspective of the Confederacy (Virgil Kane) in a way that transcends politics. I am able to understand and accept the pride they felt in their cause along with the heavy price they paid for those beliefs without the usual judgement associated with the Civil War south. Not an easy task.
Another musical pastime I occasionally enjoy is Carpool Karaoke. If you have never watched any of the episodes, I highly recommend you do. James Cordon is brilliant, talented and versatile. Not to mention a “nice guy”. Essentially, Cordon takes celebrities for rides in his car while engaging in conversation peppered with humor and song. Carpool Karaoke debuted in 2015 as part of “The Late Late Show with James Corden”. Mariah Carey was his first guest and at first refused to sing while in the car. There were over 50 segments under the Late-Night banner. Apple Music picked it up in 2016, making it a stand-alone series, which soon became part of Apple TV. There was a total of 75 more episodes culminating with Adele (a second time guest) and the series most watched episode in April of 2023. It has received over 260 million views on YouTube making it one of the most-watched clips in talk show history. Here are my favorites:
– Michele Obama appeared in 2016 included a pick up at the White House. Very funny and boy she can sing.
– Chris Martin of Coldplay hitchhiking his way to San Francisco, actually Santa Clara, to perform at Superbowl 50 (2016) is picked up by James Cordon. They spend the night together. Nuf said.
– Lady Gaga belts out all her current hits up to that point in her career. What a voice. I mean Cordon’s.
– Adele- 1st Appearance in 2015. The two of them are actually close friends.
– Adele- Final Carpool Karaoke Performance in 2023. Includes interesting personal information and is quite touching.
Moving on.
Music is an important part of many of our rituals be they sporting events, morning muster, weddings, graduations or the simple act of getting up each morning. Every television show, radio broadcast, podcast, or commercial incorporates some type of music. Here is one event that brings back a favorite moment of mine.
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
I had attended several events at the Los Angeles Coliseum since moving to Southern California in 1977. Two Notre Dame vs USC football games while Joe Montana was quarterbacking ND, one USC vs Alabama football game when Paul “Bear” Bryant was still coach, and one Special Olympics while I worked at St. Vincent’s School. St. Vincent’s was a school for developmentally disabled kids and I was a social worker.
Nothing could match the spectacle, the pageantry or the excitement of the Games of the XXIII Olympiad hosted by the City of Los Angeles. I did not attend but was glued to my television for those 16 days. Although boycotted by 14 Eastern Bloc nations, 140 other nations participated in these games. The USSR-led boycott was in response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. We were protesting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which we of course invaded in 2001. Not to be outdone by the 10-year Soviet occupation the USA remained in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years. I do not like mixing politics with the Olympics and thought our boycott and theirs was a bad idea. Yes, but what about…not now.
I still cling to the Olympic ideal of competition among amateur athletes. That changed beginning in the 1970’s when the Communist bloc nations began using paid athletes. The Olympic committee rewarded their bad behavior by loosening the rules and by the 1990’s the Olympics were open to professional athletes at all levels. It was believed more people would tune in to watch athletes they knew or recognized. Placing profit over my dream. How dare they? Alas, I can still pretend.
For me it would be impossible to separate the Olympic games from the emotions they generated. Strong feelings enhanced by the music created by the incomparable John Williams. Williams writes “large music”. Scores for blockbuster movies like Jaws, E.T., Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Superman and Harry Potter. Or Concerto’s for many of our nation’s great symphonys.
Beginning in 1968 until 1984 the music played throughout the Olympics was the “Buglers Dream” written by Leo Arnaud. It became synonymous with the Olympics broadcast during those years by ABC sports. Tun, tun, ta, dun, dun, cue the horns. Often followed by: “the thrill of victory”, the agony of defeat”, as we watched dramatic footage of an out-of-control ski-jumper slamming into the ground off the bottom of the course. Wince, ouch…every time.
The challenge for Williams, when commissioned to write a Fanfare for the 1984 Olympics, was to honor the familiar music heard the world over for 2 decades yet introduce something that could be played by heralding trumpets at all the medal ceremonies and official events. So, Williams blended the “Buglers Dream with his new Olympic Fanfare & Theme, that gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. ♫ Ta, dah, dah, dah, do-do, to-to, do-do.
Along with everyone else in the world I watched the opening ceremonies and heard the new theme music for the first time. It was preceded by “Fanfare for a Common Man” by Aaron Copeland. I was frozen, fully absorbed and speechless. I remember as the camera panned the audience stopping for a moment on Kirk Douglas (seated with his son Michael and family,) who had tears streaming down his face. He was not alone. That’s the power of music.
Surely you remember these Olympic games. Please share one of your memories from the 23rd Olympiad.
Speaking of big events, one of the largest and most memorable music concerts took place on a farm in Bethel NY in the summer of 1969. Max Yasgur’s farm to be precise.
Woodstock
Take a look at the image above. It is the back cover of the three record Woodstock Album released the year following the 1969 festival. Now, zoom in and follow the arrows to the two people they point to. The one at the top with the Beatle haircut is me. The lower one is Dan Fragnito looking off to his left. Probably at the guy with the sign that read “THE KILLING OF ANIMALS, LEADS TO THE KILLING OF PEOPLE”. Heavy. I’ll always remember that guy.
I know you can’t see my entire face. But trust me, it’s me. Proof that I was there. After spending 4 days (3 in the mud), putting us on the cover was the least they could do. Yes, 4 days. I know it was a 3-day concert but we arrived over a day early. We breezed right in, showed our tickets (yes, we had tickets) and pitched our tent in one of the camping areas nearby.
The next morning, Friday we made our way to the stage area. As you can see by the image on the left, we could have sat anywhere we wanted.
We discussed it at length and tried out 4 or 5 spots. No, too close. Nah, too far away. Someone was erecting some sort of stand, most likely for a camera, so we did not want to be behind the boom. The large towers were still going up when we settled into our spot, threw down our sleeping bags and took a nap. The sounds of the arriving crowds and the construction acted as a white noise of sorts. Perfect, since we did not get much sleep the night before.
At some point we awoke to a sea of people. Surrounded by strangers as far as we could see. Not elbow to elbow but just about right. Oh, that boom ended up blocking part of our view, but only occasionally as it changed positions every now and then. For the most part we didn’t budge. I remember one journey to the port-o-potties up on the hill, far, far away. Traversing the hundreds of bodies to get there was not worth the effort. Of course, only one of us could leave at a time or we would lose our seats. We must have had food but I do not remember eating. It was hot. It was cold. It rained. It poured. Richie Havens, the opening act, played for over two and a half hours as other acts could not make their way in. Prompting Michael Lang, the lead organizer, to rent a bunch of helicopters to get performers to the stage. Joe Cocker threw cans of beer to a welcoming crowd. It was a magnificent adventure and the music was spectacular.
I won’t bore you a blow by blow of the performances as they are well documented. I will say that we more than got our monies worth. All eighteen dollars’ worth and then some.
Around 5 am Monday morning during only their second live performance, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were nearing the end of their set. At that point in time, they were one of my favorite groups. It did not matter. We had had enough. We hit the wall. Abandoning our thoroughly saturated sleeping bags, we made our way forward toward the stage then slid along its perimeters to the rear and on to what we believed was our campground. By the grace of God or perhaps Grace Slick, we found our site. The tent was still there. Amazing. We took it down and threw it into the trunk of our VW Bug. Noticing as we did that our car was stuck in the mud right up to the hub caps. Perfect. Now what? Well, in the true spirit of Woodstock, about 10 guys picked up our car out of the mud placing it on dry ground and we were on our way. Getting out was easy, as all the traffic was still inbound and at a complete standstill.
Talking Bout Our Generation…
Music unites us, collectively, culturally, as well as generationally. The music we experienced as teenagers and young adults stays with us, to varying degrees as we age. It is an important part of who we are. Music serves as a marker for each generation regardless of geographic location. Which isn’t to say there are strict divisions, let’s say, between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Or that one generation cannot appreciate some of the music from another. Of course not. Even though the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s experienced a revolution in Rock, Folk, Pop etc., we still managed to appreciate, even like at least some of our parent’s generations’ music, be it Sinatra, Crosby or Louis Armstrong along with numerous others.
Here’s one example of a trans-generational music moment I had…
I’ll never forget the first time I met my wife Deborah’s parents. We could hear music emanating from within as we rang the doorbell. The door opened and Rod and Eleanor, arm in arm, were stepping to the beat of an unfamiliar but lively sound. Hellos were exchanged while still slowly swaying to as I later found out was Sergio Mendez. Perhaps Mas que nada off his 1966 Brazil 66 album. Deb and I of course were caught up in the mood and also began to dance our way around the living room, one hand grasping the margaritas we were given, without two feet ever being on the floor at the same time. Rod and Eleanor had known one another since they were 10 and danced as if they were one. Smooth and elegant without being intimidating. Smiles reflective of an inner confidence that radiated joy and contentment. They looked like movie stars. So, this is Southern California. I can do this. During one of several random partner changes Rod, a clinical psychologist, leaned toward me and causally stated: “it’s Important that a man dance”. And so, we did.
My point is that Latin Jazz or Bossa Nova (“Blame it on the Bossa Nova” by Eydie Gorme doesn’t count) was mostly unfamiliar to me while growing up in Western New York. Perhaps more of Rod and Eleanor’s generation than mine. Either way that encounter opened me up to the world of Latin music and all it has to offer.
Please note that my trans-generational music encounter works fine when a younger generation member likes and appreciates the music of an older generation. However, when an older person begins enjoying their kid’s music things could get weird.
A case in point, Hootie and the Blowfish. Liking their music seemed to have violated some unwritten rule about the “generational pride of ownership”, specifically regarding parents. I heard them on the radio one day in the mid 90’s, when my daughter Natalie was a teenager. I really liked Hootie and the Blowfish. They had a unique sound coupled with the strong voice of their lead singer Darius Rucker. “Only Wanna Be With You”, “Time”, “Hold My Hand” and others were frequently played on the radio. They were popular throughout my daughter’s high school days and I would sing along or tap my feet when their songs played, much to my daughter’s chagrin. She simply could not accept listening to music her parents liked. Remember “generational pride”? Also, keeping in mind her need to rebel a bit as she prepared to leave the nest. I took my enthusiasm underground to avoid additional conflict. That issue eventually dissipated. Today we enjoy a wide variety of genres, individual artists, groups and sounds, individually and together.
Musical Variety
I am grateful to have experienced a wide variety of music from rock and pop to jazz, blues and country. From musicals, the classics, orchestral to a bit of opera. I also reflect on the live musical performances I attended over the years and was feeling, well, worldly. That is until I compiled a list of the live performances, I could remember being part of. Meh. You can click on or push the tab labeled Live Performances below to view my list. Perhaps it will revive some of your own experiences, making the effort worthwhile.
Next in PART 3, we’ll take a look at American music on the international stage along with Jazz, Civil Rights and how we “do music” today versus how it was done when we were growing up.
Hopefully, I will wrap things up in Part 4 when I address lazy musicians, taking music for granted and the time I was arrested.
Thanks for listening.
Paul
Artist or Musical Group | Venue | Year |
Archie Bell and the Dorels | Brockport State College | 1969 or 1970 |
Blood Sweat & Tears | Alfred State College, Alfred, NY | 1969 |
Bat & Don Potter Chicago | Rochester NY Rochester Institute of Technology | 1971 1972 |
The Brass Buttons | Batavia NY | 1971 |
Dave Mason | Buffalo NY or St. Bonaventure | 1975 |
The Byrds | Batavia NY | 1971 |
B.B. King on my 21st birthday | Jacksonville FL | 1971 |
Jethro Tull (2X) | Jacksonville FL & Ithaca NY (Cornell U.) | Early 70’s |
Niel Young & Crazy Horse | Fillmore East, NYC | 1971 |
Woodstock-Photo Tickets | Bethel, NY | 1970 |
Ten Years After | Filmore West | 1973 |
Steely Dan (Opened for Buddy Miles) | Whiskey a Go Go, LA | 1973 |
Elton John | Las Vegas | 2006 |
Lionel Richie & The Pointer Sisters | Las Vegas | early 90’s |
Eric Burdon/Animals | Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara | 1993 |
Willy Nelson | Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara | late 90’s |
Bonnie Raitt & Lyle Lovett | Santa Barbara County Bowl | 2002 |
Tracy Chapman | Santa Barbara County Bowl | 2003 |
Paul Simon | Santa Barbara County Bowl | 2005 |
Carol King | Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez | 2008 |
David Crosby | Santa Barbara | 2012 |
Manheim Steamroller | Granada Theater, Santa Barbara | 2015 |
Steely Dan | Redrocks, Colorado | 2016 |
Pink Martini | Redrocks, Colorado | 2019 |
I left my home in the small Western New York city of Batavia in March 1977 vowing never to shovel snow again. Never say never. Settling for 38 years in what was for me the "promised land" of Santa Barbara, California. I married, helped raise a family, started a business, traveled and live a wonderful life. We spent the last 10 years of our west coast journey in the small, quiet, picturesque town of Ojai. My oldest friends call me TJ.
My wife Deborah and I moved to Colorado in 2015 to be near our daughter, her husband and 2 growing grand-boys. Add 2 bulldogs (French & English) to the mix and our hands and hearts are full. We all reside in Niwot, a small quaint town 15 minutes north of Boulder. The mighty Rocky Mountains are at our doorstep.
I am a man, son, brother, cousin, friend, husband, father, uncle, grand father, in-law and mostly retired Coloradan. You can read more about me on the About Page. If you are curious about my professional life you can visit my Career at Venture Horizon.
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You’re such a great storyteller Paul! I love the Woodstock account and, of course, the wonderful memory of Rod and Eleanor. I can see them now💕
Paul, what a read! Brought me back to you guys arriving at my door after Woodstock and my dad not recognizing you with all the mud.
Quite the list but, you left out Chicago at RIT. $2.50 a ticket on the gym floor. “Those were the days”. My kids still don’t believe me.
you have become quite the writer in your old age!
Take care and give my best to your lovely bride.
Johnny Cool
Hi John,
Thanks for chiming in. I remember showing up at your home in NJ like it was yesterday. Your dad strongly suggesting we take a shower. I did however blank on Chicago. I knew I had seen them but could not put the pieces together. It must havebeen the mid 70’s? Who all went? I can picture the horn line. Hello to your family as well.
Paul
Wow Impressive !
Thanks Nita. Glad you like it.
Paul