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Pop Rock Nation

Category: People

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  • Carole King honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year!

    Carole King honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year!

    Carole King to be honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year 2014

    Carole King’s music has been around for decades and she, along with her ex-husband Gerry Goffin, wrote some of the biggest hits of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse have covered her music. Now, MusiCares, an organization that provides critical resources for musical people in need, is going to honor King as its 2014 Person of the Year.

    King’s friend, James Taylor, who won the MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2006, had huge hits with King’s songs, “You’ve Got A Friend” and “Up On The Roof”. Taylor will be performing on Friday, January 24, 2014, when King receives her award. Other artists scheduled to perform in King’s honor include Lady Gaga, the Dixie Chicks, Bette Midler, Jason Mraz, and Steven Tyler.

    Since my very youngest years, I have loved Carole King’s music. One of the first songs I remember hearing and loving by her was the song “One Fine Day”. “One Fine Day” has been done by a number of artists, from The Carpenters to The Chiffons to Natalie Merchant. But the rendition I remember best was the one Carole King did herself back in 1980. By the time she recorded it, it had already been covered by many people and I have to admit, when I listen to King’s version today, it sounds very 1980. But I still like her rendition the best because she wrote the song and it really was the first time I heard her name, even though I had heard her songs long before she performed “One Fine Day”.

    I love watching Carole King play this.

    Carole King’s hit “It’s Too Late” has such wise lyrics set to a melody that really captures the mood of a woman who has a “come to Jesus” talk with her lover, letting him know that it’s time for them to part ways.

    Carole King performing “It’s Too Late” with Danny Kortchmar in 1971.

    Carole King and James Taylor perform “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, her very first hit written when she was just 18 years old.

    Carole King is being presented MusiCares Person of the Year award in recognition of her outstanding creative accomplishments and generous charity work. King has been involved with many philanthropies, particularly those supporting wilderness conservation. She has also supported a range of political causes. I know I’m not the only one who believes Carole King deserves this great honor. Carole King’s Facebook page has been alive with posts about the award, as well as all the amazing covers of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” that have been done by other artists over the years.

    Here Carole King performs “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” with Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Gloria Estefan in 1998. I have to admit it’s funny to watch Aretha and Celine try to outdo each other at 3:08. Carole, of course, stays very classy.

    Congratulations to Carole King for winning MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2014!

  • Boobs a Lot

    Boobs a Lot

    You gotta like “Boobs a Lot”…

    Ever get a song stuck in your head you haven’t heard in years? That’s happening to me this morning. When I was growing up, I liked listening to morning radio shows, which usually featured silly songs. One song I used to hear all the time on morning radio shows back in the late 80s was called “Boobs a Lot”.

    I had forgotten all about “Boobs a Lot” until one day a few months ago when it popped into my head and wouldn’t leave. I didn’t know who sang the song or when it was originally unleashed on the public. I went searching for it and soon found out that “Boobs a Lot” is older than I am, having been recorded by The Holy Modal Rounders in 1971. I was immediately surprised, since I thought in the early 70s, people were more conservative about such things.

    The song “Boobs a Lot”…

    I ended up downloading the album this song came from and learning more about this band, which seemed very obscure to me. I mean, I had heard the song a lot as a teenager, but never knew who sang the song. The Holy Modal Rounders has been around a long time. The folk duo, consisting of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber, got its start in New York City in the early 1960s. Lots of people were into this group and, in fact, American actor and playwright Sam Shepard was featured in the band for awhile. Over the years, the Holy Modal Rollers put out quite a few albums and had a cult following. There was even a documentary made about them in 2006 entitled The Holy Modal Rollers: Bound to Lose.

    So why hadn’t I heard of them before “Boobs a Lot”? And why haven’t I heard their other songs? Okay, so I have heard the songs on their 1971 album, Good Taste Is Timeless, which does sound a little dated, but is actually very appealing in a goofy sort of way. The music is like an odd mix of folk, bluegrass, psychedelia, and silliness.

    The Holy Modal Rounders on Laugh In back in 1968

    Check out the flashy silver pants on Peter Stampfel. He comments on YouTube that they were his girlfriend Antonia’s idea and that he pre-dated glam rock by a few years. I see on YouTube that someone managed to interview Peter Stampfel in 2010 and he offers tips for musicians.

    Peter Stampfel offers some handy tips for musicians.

    Here’s a little more silliness for a Tuesday morning. The Holy Modal Rounders sing “Low Down Dog”.

    Listening to this song, I can sort of see why this band had such a cult following. Their music is fun and quirky and it sounds like they enjoy playing together. Obviously, Peter Stampfel and his bandmates took his good advice about getting along and not being “pissy”.

    Peter Stampfel plays “Stick Your Ass In The Air”.

    Looks like Peter Stampfel still plays an entertaining show. And he still sings goofy songs about body parts. We should all take his advice and stick our asses in the air. That’s harder for some of us to do than others. Frankly, I appreciate “Boobs a Lot” a lot, not just because it introduced me to such a fun band with a long history, but because I happen to have big boobs that my husband loves. Long live comedic radio shows in the morning!

  • Silly love songs…

    “Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs… What’s wrong with that?”

    I had an interesting experience yesterday. I happened to run across a Facebook profile for a woman who is friends with a lot of my friends. She also happens to be married to a guy I used to have a big crush on. My crush went unrequited, of course. I looked at her pictures with her husband, a man who both charmed and tormented me when we were little kids and was immediately reminded of a silly love song by Garth Brooks. The song was “Unanswered Prayers”. I’d post it here, but apparently Garth Brooks is very protective of his copyrights and there aren’t any videos of him doing that song on YouTube. I suppose I could find a cover version, but instead I’ll just say the sentiment of that song fit the way I felt yesterday. I had a lot of crushes back in the day, but am actually kind of glad none of them panned out.

    As I gave my husband, Bill, a big kiss last night as a thank you for choosing me, another silly love song immediately popped into my head. That song was “The Last Worthless Evening” by Don Henley. I’d post that song here, but again, Don Henley is apparently protective of his copyright and I can’t find any suitable videos on YouTube. The point is, it’s a sweet song and sort of sums up how I feel about Bill. When I found Bill, I found a man who made the pain of all those unrequited crushes go away. I haven’t had a “worthless evening” since.

    This morning, as I sat in my office thinking about today’s post, I realized that both “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Last Worthless Evening” were recorded by guys with enormous egos. Shoot, Garth Brooks won’t even let you download his songs unless you visit Walmart’s official Web site. I guess he figures he gets more money if you buy them on CD, since you can’t just buy one song. It’s his right to do that, but I’m not enough of a fan to buy one of his CDs or download from Walmart’s site.

    I am a fan of Don Henley’s and actually own several of his studio albums and he does let you download from iTunes or Amazon, though he doesn’t want you using his music on YouTube. But I would buy a CD by Don Henley… or at least I would before he and the rest of the Eagles got into bed with Walmart. Garth Brooks also got into bed with Walmart back in 2005, when he signed a deal making Walmart the only place you can buy his music. Since I loathe Walmart, I refuse to buy anything there, so any artist who only sells music at Walmart will not have a place in my library.

    The Eagles have since made their 2007 album Long Road Out of Eden available elsewhere, but the damage is done. I found it very hypocritical that Don Henley was such an outspoken advocate for environmental causes and yet he got involved with a business that is responsible for so many trees losing their lives due to Walmart’s enormous stores. It’s not that I’m such a big environmentalist. I just don’t like hypocrisy and I don’t like not having a choice as to where I buy things.

    So then I started thinking about “Silly Love Songs”, a love song by Paul McCartney and Wings. And what do you know? I actually found a video for that song…

    And this song, while maybe as schmaltzy as “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Last Worthless Evening”, doesn’t take itself too seriously. God bless Paul McCartney for his lighthearted silly love songs. And thank God for “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Last Worthless Evening” because they make me appreciate “Silly Love Songs” all the more.

    Have a great weekend, y’all!