DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS

Songs are sometimes much more than a mere confection of words and music. Take the enduringly popular Irish ballad “Raglan Road”, whose ingredients are a dark-haired beauty, a lovelorn poet, a sublime ancient melody and one of Ireland’s finest folk singers.

In 1944 Patrick Kavanagh, who was to become one of Ireland’s most popular poets, fell hopelessly in love at the age of 40 with a beautiful medical student named Hilda Moriarty, then only 22. They both had lodgings on Raglan Road, Dublin, and a relatively short relationship ensued that ended because of the age difference and her parents’ disapproval of a middle-aged man who was barely scraping a living from poetry and journalism. Moriarty later married an aspiring politician, Donogh O’Malley, a dashing figure who as education minister in 1966 introduced the crucial reform of free secondary education and rural school buses in the Irish Republic.

Heartbroken at losing her, Kavanagh composed one of the great poems of unrequited love, “On Raglan Road”, which was first published in The Irish Press newspaper in 1946. The opening lines reveal his fear that the affair was doomed from day one: “On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew/ That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue . . . ”

Kavanagh always regarded his poem as a song lyric, however, and matched it to the traditional Irish air “Fáinne Geal an Lae”, which was first published in 1847 and translated into English as “The Dawning of the Day”, a phrase he uses in the poem.

Another 20 years passed before his hope of it becoming a successful song was fulfilled. One night in 1966 Kavanagh buttonholed Luke Kelly, singer with The Dubliners folk group, in the city’s The Bailey bar. Both men were renowned drinkers, and as Kelly supped on Guinness and a shot of whiskey in the smoky bar after a singing session, Kavanagh announced: “I’ve got a song for you! You should sing ‘Raglan Road’.”

Unlike the match with Moriarty, this one was made in heaven. Kelly, a striking figure with a shock of curly red hair and a commanding tenor voice, loved the song and his compelling renditions of it are regarded by many as unsurpassed.

Thanks to his and The Dubliners’performances “Raglan Road” became popular in Ireland, even though the group did not record it until their 1972 live album, Hometown!. Kavanagh, sadly, never saw his song become a hit — he died a year after presenting it to Kelly.

The song gained a second surge of life in 1988, this time bringing international recognition, when Van Morrisonrecorded it with The Chieftains for the album Irish Heartbeat. While The Dubliners’ delivery is stately, with Kelly’s voice dominant over simple banjo, guitar, tin whistle and violin, Morrison’s dramatic arrangement interprets the poem’s emotions with another vocal tour de force.

As The Chieftains’ accompaniment grows to a swirling support with Paddy Moloney’s uilleann pipes to the fore, Morrison’s voice soars, repeats words and even reduces to a whisper for the lines: “On a quiet street where old ghosts meet,/ I see her walking now, Away from me,/ So hurriedly. My reason must allow . . . ”

Since then many folk artists have recorded it, as well as rock stars Sinéad O’Connor, Roger Daltreyand Mark Knopfler, but none quite matches the passionate pomp that Kelly and Morrison bring and which the song demands. The likes of Ed Sheeran, Billy Braggand Billy Joel have also sung it in concert.

And in 2008 Kelly’s rendition was heard again in the film &

The first of the six covers that appear on Please Please Me is a mid-tempo ballad called “Anna (Go to Him),” which was written and first recorded by Arthur Alexander. Chances are that most people who hear the version sung by John Lennon have no idea who Arthur Alexander is—but the Beatles certainly knew, and so did the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan: Alexander is reportedly the only songwriter whose tunes have appeared on studio albums by those three hallowed acts. Elvis Presley recorded one of his songs as well—albeit one that Alexander co-wrote—and so did Otis Redding and Tina Turner and Jerry Lee Lewis and Percy Sledge.

Don Covay  recorded for several labels, including Blaze, Sue, Big Top, Fire, Arnold, Fleetwood, Columbia, Epic and Scepter, releasing 'Popeye Waddle' b/w 'One Little Boy Had Money' in 1962 for Cameo Parkway, which became a hit.Don was, by now, recording solo material, and material under the name of Don Covay and the Goodtimers.He penned the U.S. number 1 single 'Pony Time' for Chubby Checker, wrote a hit song called 'I'm Hanging Up My Heart for You', for the Soul singer Solomon Burke, and wrote for Gladys Knight & The Pips, penning 'Letter Full of Tears', which made the top 20.Don formed partnerships with several associates including Horace Ott and Ronnie Miller.In 1964, when he signed to the Rosemart label.His debut single there with the Goodtimers, 'Mercy Mercy' featured Jimi Hendrix on guitar.The following year, Jimi Hendrix played again on the follow up single 'Take This Hurt Off Me' b/w 'Please Don't Let Me Know'.

Clarence Carter didn’t have it easy while growing up in Alabama; and being Black and blind was an extra burden, but he has overcome many other obstacles in so many ways. “I feel incredibly good about what I’ve been able to accomplish, but it was not easy. Our world presents challenges and barriers to success for people with disabilities, but I always wanted more in life and believe that the ADA helped me get to where I am today.”

I would like to say that Carter now has three “B’s” behind his name, Black, Blind and Blessed. Carter is known for serious Blues music, which includes a string of R&B hits. The songs “Back Door Santa,” “Slip Away,” “Patches,” “Too Weak to Fight” and the dance hall hit “Strokin” are part of his Blues legacy.

What is a “buttermilk sky?,” I asked myself. It’s such an evocative image, and for years I would simply envision a magnificent sunset of red and gold, suffused through a canopy of fluffy clouds. I googled it, and I was right! Up came rows of beautiful celestial pics, and although those photos are fantastic, the image in my mind’s eye had them all beat - attached as it was to an indefinable, stirring emotion within me, mystical in its effect.   

That lyric was summoned from the ether by Jack Brooks, with Hoagy Carmichael writing the music. Hoagy introduced the tune in the film “Canyon Passage” with Dana Andrews, but, its appeal transcended the Cowboy genre. It was so popular that in December of 1946 there were four versions of the song in the top 20, led by Kay Kyser’s band at #1. 

You may be aware that Hoagy was also the composer of “Stardust”, considered by most to be the best pop standard of the Great American Songbook ever written. And, he wrote the anthemic “Georgia on my Mind”. Film clips of him reveal one of the most relaxed and natural performers who ever appeared on celluloid - usually seated at a piano.  In my Acting class we screened “The Best Years of Our Lives” and Hoagy’s encounter with the amputee Harold Russell, as he gives avuncular advice to the traumatized vet while tinkling the ivories is one of my favorite moments in a classic film stuffed with unforgettable scenes. 

I’m not sure, but my sense is that the image of the buttermilk sky reminds us of the evanescence of life, and the sweet sadness of a longed-for love.

Fervent fans of The Doughboys know their whole history, detailed on the Rock N’ Raw DVD – they first got together in ‘64 and played in various permutations through the rest of the 60’s. They gigged incessantly, won a battle-of-the-bands on Zacherle’s Disc-o-Teen TV show, were the house band at the legendary Café Wha? in New York City in the summer of ’68. They opened for every act imaginable including The Beach Boys, and released two 45’s, Rhoda Mendelbaum and Everybody Knows My Name, on Bell Records (which later became Arista Records) before splitting up for what they thought was for good. The band members went their separate and interesting ways – Myke Scavone fronted hard rock ensemble Ram Jam who scored an international hit with Black Betty; Richie Heyman played drums for the likes of Link Wray, Brian Wilson and Jonathan Richman while simultaneously pursuing an acclaimed career as a singer/songwriter (under his full moniker Richard X. Heyman); Mike Caruso landed session work with such notable pop producers as Bo Gentry and Kenny Laguna, and even jammed with Jimi Hendrix!

Mike Caruso

Since the band re-formed in 2000 at a surprise birthday party for drummer Richie Heyman’s birthday, The Doughboys have released six albums (Is It Now?, Act Your Rage, Shakin’ Our Souls, Hot Beat Stew, Front Street Rebels and Running For Covers), numerous singles, and a documentary film with accompanying live disc (Rock N’ Raw). They’ve played up and down the eastern half of the country, often sharing bills with such luminaries as The Pretenders, The Yardbirds, The Electric Prunes, Roberta Flack, Robin Trower and many others. They performed at the historic “Who Shot Rock n’ Roll?” exhibition at the Allentown Museum, at an all-star tribute to George Harrison at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, at the “Long May You Run” benefit at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC, and have appeared at prestigious venues like B.B. King’s, the Sellersville Theater, the Stone Pony and the Starland Ballroom. Lead singer Myke Scavone is now also a member of The Yardbirds, touring the world as they continue to spread the gospel of the golden era of Rock n’ Roll.

In 2005, Gar Francis (of Stones tribute band Sticky Fingers fame, as well as work with Billy Idol and Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and The Raiders) entered the picture after the untimely passing of founding member and brilliant guitarist Willy Kirchofer. When Gar joined the band, The Doughboys branched out into recording their own original material, and it wasn’t long before they entered the recording studio and laid down tracks for Is It Now?, the first album of their long and storied career.

The Doughboys’ songs have become huge favorites on radio around the world, especially with Little Steven Van Zandt, who named Shakin’ Our Souls his favorite album of 2012, and who has bestowed the much sought after rank of “Coolest Song In The World” on eight of The Doughboys’ songs on his Underground Garage channel on Sirius/XM radio. Additionally, Doughboys music is used extensively in film, television and advertising, including in such TV shows as “The Big Bang Theory”, “Californication,” “Breaking Amish” and “The Good Guys” and in the film “Coming Through The Rye.”

AC-CENT-TCHU-ATE THE POSITIVE

Another problematic remnant of our conflicted cultural history: one of America’s all-time greatest popular lyricists, from Savannah GA, scion of the Confederacy, raised on minstrelsy, who has bequeathed unto us some of the most sublime songs of the 20th century. What do we do with such an ambivalent inheritance? 

At least Johnny Mercer credited the inspiration for his message to Father Divine, the charismatic black preacher, after the songsmith heard one of his sermons. And, it’s worth adding that, in 2015, The Library of Congress inducted this song into the National Recording Registry for its cultural significance. I include it here because, as a motto for Sunny Songs, you can’t beat “Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive”.

I’m tryin’ to do that, Johnny. These are words I aspire to live by. Happiness is a choice, I believe. Maybe I can’t do anything about the bad shit that’s happened, but how I roll with it is up to me. So, if you’re feeling put upon, buffeted by the cold winds of fate, my prescription is to listen to the words of Father Divine, by way of Johnny Mercer, one of the most buoyant voices imaginable. 

TIGHTEN UP by Archie Bell and the Drells (Atlantic, 1968)

Tighten up isn’t really a song at all (even though it’s listed as #265 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time). It’s a riff, a groove, a vibe - and it’s FUCKIN’ AWESOME. It also made it to number one on both the R&B and Pop Charts of 1968. Some people say it was the beginning of funk - maybe so, I don’t know, but, whatever it was, it activated my pleasure center intensely.

When Archie says: “Make it mellow,” time stops, and the band goes into slow motion. It’s my favorite part of the record. But, of course, you can’t have the mellow riff without the contrast of the funky, (like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup) and this is a secret weapon that captures my heart every time. 

There is some chanting, but no melody, no tune, just Archie’s spoken word introduction, telling you who the band is and where they hail from: Houston, Texas. Legend has it that after the Kennedy assassination, Archie Bell overheard someone say that “nothing ever good comes from Texas,” and this was his inspiration: to tell everybody that The Drells came from Texas, and “we were good.”

I’ve got to give you that, Archie. Tighten Up preceded the advent of the Walkman, but to this 15 year old — I didn’t need any electronic device to access that riff while I was bopping down the boulevard. It played in my head on a loop, and guided my street shuffle right in tempo.

"Is That All There Is?", a song written by American songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller during the 1960s, became a hit for American singer Peggy Lee and an award winner from her album of the same title in November 1969. The song was originally performed by Georgia Brown in May 1967 for a television special. It was first recorded by disc jockey Dan Daniel in March 1968, but this was an unauthorized recording that, while played on Daniel's own radio show, went unissued at the songwriters' request. The first authorized recording was by Leslie Uggams in August 1968. Then came the hit Peggy Lee version in August 1969, followed by Guy Lombardo in 1969 and Tony Bennett on 22 December 1969.[2]

Peggy Lee's version reached number 11 on the U.S. pop singles chart — becoming her first Top 40 pop hit since "Fever" eleven years earlier—and doing even better on the adult contemporary scene, topping that Billboardchart. It also reached number six in Canada. It won Lee the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and then later was named to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The orchestral arrangement on the song was composed by Randy Newman, who played the piano in the slower introduction section,[3] and who also conducted the orchestra.[4]

Lyrics

The lyrics of this song are written from the point of view of a person who is disillusioned with events in life that are supposedly unique experiences. The singer tells of witnessing her family's house on fire when she was a little girl, seeing the circus, and falling in love for the first time. After each recital, she expresses her disappointment in the experience. She suggests that we "break out the booze and have a ball—if that's all there is," instead of worrying about life. She explains that she'll never kill herself either because she knows that death will be a disappointment as well. The verses of the song are spoken, rather than sung. Only the refrain of the song is sung.

THE SQUARE OF THE HYPOTENEUSE by Danny Kaye (from the film “Merry Andrew”, 1958)

Danny Kaye resembled my uncle Teddy, dad’s older brother, the middle of three fatherless products of the depression. (My father told me he never tasted ice cream until he was a teenager). Whenever Uncle Teddy came over he gave me gifts or money, and he was always laughing. In fact, that was his response to any rebuke: gales of high-pitched giggles, sent lilting aloft, from his thrown back head.  A bachelor until after he retired because he lived with and looked after my grandmother, Anna, who lived well into her nineties, Teddy was an accountant for the City of New York, who, immediately upon retirement, moved to Costa Rica, married a woman 30 years younger, and lived like a king until his death, also in his mid-nineties. 

I couldn’t get enough of the ebullient Danny Kaye (nee Kaminski), whose screen presence always delighted me. He seemed like a child himself, and so many of his films play like fairy tales. In the movie Merry Andrew, from which this ditty derives, Danny is an irrepressible teacher in an uptight boarding school, who here is giving a musical math lesson to his pupils. And, it stuck with me. Trigonometry was the only math class I could abide. I think Oliver Sacks, Pete Seeger, or the Muppets could probably tell you why music is such an effective pedagogical tool. Marry an important phrase to a catchy melody and you can create a life-long memory. Danny delivered a bunch of those to my generation.

On June 1st, 2023,  we lost the prolific Cynthia Weil who in partnership with husband Barry Mann gave us the most played recording of all time, “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”.

Cynthia boarded The Mystery Train at 83 years of melody. 
If the songs, “I’m Gonna Be Strong”, “ I Don’t Know Much”, “Soul and Inspiration”, “Blame It On The Bossa Nova”, “Kicks”, “ Magic Town”, “On Broadway”, “ Walking In The Rain” or “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” mean anything to you, then you can grasp her remarkable contributions and this tremendous loss.
Sleep Well Cynthia.
You gave us so much Soul, Heart and Inspiration.

1)   Bless You- Tony Orlando
2)   Uptown- The Crystals
3)   Where Have You Been All My Life- Arthur Alexander
4)   Teen Age Has Been- Barry Mann
5)   Blame It On The Bossa Nova- Eydie Gorme
6)   I'm Gonna Be Strong- Gene Pitney
7)    Only In America- Jay and The Americans
8)    On Broadway- The Drifters
9)     You've Lost That Loving Feeling- The Righteous Brothers
10)   Walking In The Rain- The Ronettes
11)    Saturday Night At The Movies
12)   We Gotta Get Out Of This Place- The Animals
13)    Magic Town- The Vogues  
14)    Soul and Inspiration- The Righteous Brothers
15)    KIcks- Paul Revere and The Raiders
16)     Love Her- The Walker Brothers
17)     You Baby- The Ronettes
18)     It's A Happening World - The Tokens
19)      See That Girl- The Righteous Brothers
18)      Brown Eyed Woman - Bill Medley
19)      Hungry- Paul Revere and The Raiders    
20)     Just A Little Lovin'- Dusty Springfield
 21)    I Can't Help Believing - Bobby Vee
 22)    Don't Know Much-  Linda Rondstadt  and  Aaron Neville 
 23)     None Of Us Are Free - RayCharles
 24)     Rock and Roll Lullabye- BJ Thomas
 25)     I Really Want To Know You- The Partridge Family
 26-    Running With The Night- Lionel Richie

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bob-dylan-favourite-john-prine-song/#

Bob Dylan is one hell of a wordsmith. His ability to capture the mood of the times in just a handful of well-honed phrases once earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature, which he initially turned down only to begrudgingly accept later down the line. One wonders if he rejected the honour out of fellow feeling for the great John Prine, whose body of work contains some of the finest turns-of-phrase in the 20th-century folk canon. 

Prine always seemed slightly surprised by his own talent. While working as a mailman in Chicago, he began attending open-mic nights at the Fifth Peg. Although initially reluctant to sing himself, John was forced to take to the stage after one performer threw down the gauntlet. On stage, he was modest almost to a fault, seeming to fade into the background. His songs, on the other hand, stood tall and proud, many of which seemed so different from the usual folk balladry coming off stage that he felt embarrassed singing them: “Some were so different that I hesitated to sing them for anybody because I thought I hadn’t heard anything like this before,” he once recalled. “And I thought, ‘Is it because it’s really good, or is it because it’s so awful?’”

Bob Dylan would have agreed with the former. The pair met for the first time in New York. Prine had just been to watch Kris Kristofferson perform in Greenwich Village and ended up tagging along with the singer-songwriter after the show. After making himself comfortable in Carly Simon’s apartment, Prine heard a knock on the door. It was Dylan, fresh from a long hiatus after his motorcycle crash: “We got introduced and pretty soon the guitars came out,” Prine recalled. “I got to singing one of my songs called ‘Far From Me’. My first album was three weeks away from being released and all of a sudden Bob Dylan starts singing along. I’m sitting there thinking, ‘I know all your songs, but how do you know mine!’”

During a conversation with The Huffington Post many years later, Dylan would label Prine’s lyrics “pure Proustian existentialism,” and “Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree.” But it wasn’t just Prine’s capacity as a writer that impressed Dylan. “And he writes beautiful songs,” he continued, expressing his adoration of songs like ‘Sam Stone’, in which Prine sings about a drug-addled Vietnam veteran who eventually dies of an overdose. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Prine was actually drafted into the US Army during the conflict and was inspired to write the song by his fellow soldiers. It was perhaps real-world experience such as this that lent his lyrics such clarity, lyrics that Dylan found intensely moving.