Well, I'm back in the pink of health this week, and we have three debuts this time around! And, of course, a "puff" of something extra...
Elvis: Woah, Boss, I don't know as I like the sound of that...
Oh, don't worry Big Buddy, my days of that stuff are long since over. HOWever, since I do the actual chart on Wednesday, and Wednesday WAS 4-20- the National Marijuana Day, I thought we might venture into the music end of things- maybe not the way you'd expect...
You sound like you was already sniffin' the stuff...
Well, here's what I mean. There's a LOT of songs that do, or might, reference the 'whacky weed', from right out front with it (Brewer and Shipley's One Toke Over The Line), to ones that surely mention it- but the artist says, "you're taking me wrong" (Dylan's Rainy Day Women #s 12 and 35), to ones that seemingly have nothing to do with it, but by artist admission (The Beatles' Got To Get You Into My Life, according to McCartney) or performance (Rick James singing Mary Jane with two life sized joints dancing next to him), and of course the special category of artists KNOWN for MJ (Willie Nelson, Tom Petty). But what I had in mind was taking songs that were at #1 ON 4-20... and kinda making them 'fit the narratives'. What I got was some very interesting 'matches', from one hilariously perfect match to some reeeeeeeal stretches, and I will start sharing them... right after our first debut. King?
Uh, yeah,lemme just say I had nothing ta do with all this...
So you think...
...yeah, and so our first debut at #10 gives this'n two songs on the countdown. Here's Melody's Echo Chamber....
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That was pretty neat... she shore likes that animation stuff, though..
Indeed. So let me start with the song which charted exactly "week ending 4-20" that is the biggest stretch, and we'll work our way up to the best match... you're gonna love it!
I'm getting a bad feeling about this...
The #1 on 4-20 back in 1968 was...
...Bobby Goldsboro's Honey!
I got this'n! So sappy ya hadda be high to listen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I doubt everyone would agree... I bet our old friend Shady would, though!
The next biggest stretch, to me, would be the one at #1 on 4-20 in 1974...
...MFSB with TSOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The way I get to this one is through the acronyms... we all have heard that for polite society, MFSB meant Mother Father Sister Brother, and to the remainder of the music world it meant... something else. So why can't we come up with something other than The Sound Of Philadelphia for TSOP?
Like mebbee, The Smell O' Pot?
Perfect! We'll go with that! All right, give us that second debut!
All righty! At #9 is the title cut from the new Tears For Fears lp....
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Not bad for a couple o' old guys...
You do know that BOTH of them were born just one year before ME... right?
Um, I do now...
Next on my 420 list is kind of a special- from that one short stretch that Billboard and Cashbox weren't releasing the same day of the week, Billboard got an extra all to itself! From 1959's 4-20...
... The Fleetwoods and Come Softly To Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would venture to say that soft, dreamy feeling was what I enjoyed the most about the weed back in the day...
Yeah, Ah'll just bet...
No, seriously! You could just sort of drift away on music like this, so peaceful... of course, I got much the same effect from the instrumental parts of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's much-less-peaceful Down By The River...
Wasn't that about him shooting his 'old lady'?
Uh, yeah, something like that... The penultimate song on our list...
Whut in tarnantion is Penna.. pennu... that word?
"Next to last..."
Ah. Gotcha.
...comes from 4-20 of 1963....
... the Chiffons and He's So Fine...
How is ya hookin' that up?
Well, how about George Harrison got sued for stealing this melody for his hit My Sweet Lord. And if you can't link George Harrison with Marijuana...
Yep, ah'll give ya that'n!
So now, you got that last debut to announce....
Got it! All'a way up at #6, Beauty Contest winner Brooke Annibale's latest...
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That'n will be #1 in no time, I bet!
I won't argue there... but now, give us the rest of the M10!
Sure thing!
8- an' down from #3, Duran Duran an' Laughing Boy...
7- an' up 3, Weezer an' Garden Of Eden...
5- an' down 3, Cactus Blossoms an' Is It Over?
4- an' up 2, Daisy Glaze an' Ghost Of yers truly...
3- an' up 4 , April March an' Rolla Rolla...
2- an' up 2 fer Melody's Echo Chamber an' Looking Backwards..
An' #1 for a second straight week...
...Sunflower Bean an' Who Put You Up To This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All right, sit back and get ready to enjoy this, because the top, the most perfect of #1s on 4-20 for 4-20 is....
...are you ready?
Yes! Fer pity's sake, whut is it????
From 1957....
...You even look stoned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AW NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi, Chris!
ReplyDeleteThanks for inviting me over to your clubhouse today to sample some 4-20 material with you, good buddy! The smoke's so thick I can't even see your face, even though I can clearly see mine hanging upside down from a purple cloud in the sky.
The Finnish singer and songwriter Alma is new to me. I enjoyed her dreamy, spacey, atmospheric song "Melody's Echo Chamber,' a track from her new album to be released a few days from now.
Yes, good buddy. I remember our discussions years ago about "Honey," the sappy, syrupy song that was a monster hit for Bobby Goldsboro. It dominated the radio waves for weeks, perhaps months that year. Maybe I would have liked the song more if I had been puffin' those funny ciggies or, better yet, sniffin' glue while it played.
Ironically, I am posting that song by The Three Degrees in my new installment of "Shady Train" tomorrow morning. You are one clever MFSB for coming up with alternate words and meaning for the letters TSOP. :)
Holy smoke! (See what I did there?) I didn't know that the Tears For Fears band is still active. I read that this great song you posted, "The Tipping Point," was released around H-ween last year, and the album of the same name hit the street in February of this year. The guys still have it! I'm pleased that they are generating fresh new songs instead of making the rounds singing their 80s hits on the oldies circuit.
The Fleetwoods' big hit "Come Softly To Me" does indeed make a good 4-20 song, because it is so mellow and dreamy that you're already halfway there before you even fire up the doobie.
As I'm sure I told you along the way, I met and worked with The Chiffons back in 1984 when they came to West Central Florida to perform in an oldies concert. I was stage manager for the event which also featured Freddy Cannon, The Coasters and The Earls, with guest appearances by original members of The Flamingos and The Tokens, plus solo artist Jewel ("The Birds And the Bees") Akens. It was a heady experience, even w/o cannabis.
Wow, I love the contemporary folk and power pop sound of Pittsburgh artist Brooke Annibale. It's another greatly appreciated introduction this morning.
I never heard of the Long Island glam, psych, indie, post-punk band Sunflower Bean. I'll have to check into them and hopefully "feed my head."
"All Shook Up" is a song I knew well as a boy. The term "shook up" was widely used by young people and hipsters of the 50s, and inspired the hit song "Mixed-up, Shook-Up, Girl." My big brother introduced me to Elvis the Pelvis.
I enjoyed myself today, so thanks again for asking me over. I wish you, Laurie and Misty all the best as we continue to plow through another stressful year. I think about you guys often (and about my old buddy Scrappy), and appreciate your ongoing friendship. Take care, Chris!
I bet the Finnish singer Alma is still new to you, buddy, b/c you got act and song reversed, lol! TFF already has been on here once off that lp with Break The Man. Sunflower Bean also has a huge place in M10 lore, they had one of three songs that divided up the top 3 positions for 6 weeks back in '15- they were collectively known by me as the "Iron Ceiling".
ReplyDeleteThat stage mgr gig was sure an awesome one! I'd never be able to do the job for the gawking, myself...
"Holy smoke", lol! I knew I could count on you...
Some pretty good music here as per usual, I am glad I dropped by
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you did, too!
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