An old song by Lulu...

I have been looking for this song forever.  I remember it being a hit when I was a kid; then I didn't hear it again until today.  A random search on Google brought up this old chestnut from 1982.

When this song was on the radio, I had no idea this was a white woman singing... it always sounded so much like old school R&B to me...

Prior to today, I had heard of Lulu.  I knew her song "To Sir With Love" and had seen her host shows on VH1 back in the day.  I didn't know she did "If I Were You (I'd Fall in Love With Me)".  I'm annoyed that I can't download this... Apparently, the album it came from is out of print.  Figures.

Oh well.  At least I can hear the song on YouTube, thanks to some kind soul who uploaded it.  Anyone else remember this obscure song from my childhood?

Lulu used to be married to Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, but their marriage didn't last long.

Edited to add...  I just found another song I had forgotten about from 1982... also by Lulu.

"I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)"

Wow, it's been a banner day in the obscure song finding biz.

  

Something Better To Do...

For my thoughts on Glen Campbell's death, click here...

Here's another song I just remembered today.  It's an old Olivia Newton-John song from 1975 called "Something Better To Do".  It's so sweet and bouncy, I may have to cover it.  I think of it as obscure, but apparently it was a hit back in the day.  I read that John Farrar had 40s era movies in mind when he wrote it, which explains the rather "Andrews Sisters" harmonies on the chorus.

I miss the 70s...

I may be back to add my own version for those who care.

It took about an hour to do this...  frustrating!

Happy Boy!

Here's a song I haven't thought about in many years...

Goofy song by The Beat Farmers called "Happy Boy"...

I used to hear this song on morning radio before school.  I think it's about 30 years old.  The Beat Farmers have a style that is known as "cowboy punk".  When I listen to this song, I can certainly hear why it would be called that.

The lead singer is the late Country Dick Montana, who died with his boots on in November1995 when he had a heart attack while performing a song called "The Girl I Almost Married" on stage.  Country Dick Montana was well known for his quirky vocals, drumming, and guitar playing.  He was just 40 years old at the time of his death.  Three days after his untimely death, The Beat Farmers broke up.  

I am sad to say I am not very familiar with this band.  I probably ought to acquaint myself with them, since "Happy Boy" never ceases to crack me up.  I love goofy, offbeat bands.  The Beat Farmers came out of California in the early 80s, which definitely means their music is crap from the past.  

Should I laugh or cry?

In January 1998, I visited a guy with whom I had served in the Peace Corps.  He had ABBA's box set, which he played during my very awkward visit with him.  Coming back to the United States after two years in a developing country can do weird things to a person.  Anyway, I left his apartment never to return, but I did end up buying the ABBA box set.  I was soon exposed to a number of songs I had never heard before, including one called "Should I Laugh Or Cry".

I kind of got hooked on this song.  I remember making tapes of ABBA and walking to class in grad school, listening... Wow, I can't believe I had an old school Walkman back then.  But this song has some very interesting lyrics and a haunting melody that still resonates today.  Indeed, it's on the brain this morning.

Another song I liked from that box set is this...

This is a breakup song.  It's all about divorce, but it has a pretty awesome melody coupled with some more interesting lyrics.  If only we could all be so amicable when there's a breakup.

And if you were around in the 1980s, you will recognize some of the cultural references in this song, "The Day Before You Came".  Again, very interesting lyrics.  I have a feeling that the words might have been tricky, given that English was not necessarily their first language.

"Head Over Heels"... a great song to walk to and very flirtatious..

I miss ABBA.  Their wordsmithing wasn't all that great, but they were great performers and they had some really excellent melodies.  Even thirty years on, a lot of their music is still fabulous.

Ever get an "ear worm"?

The other day, my husband and I were at the beach in a condo.  I happened to flip through some channels and landed on the local public access/PSA station.  They were streaming announcements and playing background music.

One of the songs that played was a song I literally hadn't heard since--like-- maybe 1978 or 79?  And I was very young in those years, so I have no idea what the name of the song is or who sang it.  Unfortunately, I only caught the last seconds of the song, so I was stuck with this ear worm...  I've been trying to figure out what song/who sang it ever since.  I've looked up obscure 70s songs, typed in the few lyrics I managed to catch, and even consulted iTunes and Amazon and listened to song clips.

Nothing has worked so far.  However, I WILL eventually get to the bottom of this mystery because I always do, even if it takes me years.

Sheesh, it wasn't even a particularly good song!

ETA... I'll be damned... I just figured it out!

Okay, I've sobered up...

And oddly enough, this classic hit from Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman is on my mind...

For some reason, this song was very popular when I lived in Armenia in the mid 1990s.  It played all the time on the shitty Russian radio station that was beamed to Yerevan.  I had totally forgotten about it until the radio station made it impossible to forget...

Another weird song the Russians liked was...

It was kind of poignant, given what happened to ABBA not long after this video was made...  Of course, they don't make music like this anymore...