The Music Court

       I am profiling this Hollies song for two reasons today. The Binghamton chapter of Delta Sigma Phi celebrates this classic as our Fraternity song because of its strong emphasis on sweet brotherhood. So, for all of my Fraternity brothers out there, good luck on the rest of your finals and get home in one piece.

       The second reason I am putting this song up is because just recently the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame announced the 2010 inductees and on the prestigious list amidst performers like Abba and The Stooges was the small English rock group known for their vocal harmonies over 40 years ago. The Hollies, where Graham Nash, the Nash in your Crosby,Stills and Young, resided until December of 1968, hit major pop success in the 60’s and have never officially broken up. But, I think it would be wise to talk about the band within the year span of say 1963-1969.

      The band, whose name comes from the bands admiration of Buddy Holly (No Duh!), first signed with Parlophone in 1963. There, they became record label mates with that band the Beatles (I think you may have heard of them) and started releasing the first wave of the British pop invasion through United States radio airwaves. Their full-out attack on the United States media and on the UK’s music charts, saw the Hollies supplant numerous bands to take their place as one of the top dozen bands in the UK pop scene. You see this is the only type of war that I could see necessary, musical competition and battling up the charts and onto radios. For that music war’s sake I would never want to see peace.

     The Hollies kept trucking on with hit after hit until Graham Nash left citing various creative differences and a disgust for the pop grip that seemed to have wrapped around him. After Nash, however, the band may have released their most beautiful hit, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” The 1969 ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell reached #3 in the UK and #7 in The United States. The song is a simple ode to brotherhood, a melodic adventure into a lyric that will stand true forever. The vocal harmonies are right on target and the piano is played to perfection.

Little Trivia: Do you know who played piano on this song for The Hollies?

Answer: Here is a clue, he is flamboyant and he sings a song promoting a weekend night for fighting. You guessed it! Elton John

Oh No! It is 12:09 December 2 and I forgot to post yesterday (9 minutes ago). My excuse is simple. Finals week for English majors has begun early (I have two essays due on the 8th and two tests on the 10th). I also have a touch of the common cold. So, today while I was hyped up on Dayquil I did some essay preperation, went to work and class, and forgot to post. My bad, so here is what I will do to make up for it. I will do the 69th song of the day now and later on today I will provide you with some interesting music links for your clicking pleasure.

By the way, quick music court note. As of now I am going to put the top 100 lyricist section on a week-hold. I will not be doing it next tuesday but will be continuing with the section on tuesday the 15th when I will be HOME for Winter Break. Therefore I can do a little re-formatting of the list and make it awesome for everyone. Now, on to the song.

Okay, I cannot avoid good musical connections and stories; you all should know that by now. In 1969 starting this upcoming weekend, the #1 song on the charts was Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo, and Dale Frashuer’s hit song…I know what you are saying to yourself (even those who lived through the decade of the 60s) Who are these people. Would you know them better if I said Steam. Would you know it better if I told you Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye.

That is right “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” the perennial sports favorite was #1 40 years ago. During the early 60’s the three men listed above wrote a version of the now popular hit that was nearly thrown away for good. They were part of a band The Chateaus that met little success until DeCarlo recorded numerous songs at Mercury records and impressed record executives. In need for a nothing song for the B-side, Leka and DeCarlo revived the old track, re-recorded it, and added the genius chorus. Leka told Fred Bronson in the Book of Number One Hits. “I started writing while I was sitting at the piano going ‘na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na’…Everything was ‘na na’ when you didn’t have a lyric.” Someone else added “hey hey.”

Sometimes the best music, like technology, comes by accident. The real funny thing is that initially they thought it was a terrible song and single. Then a disc jockey in Georgia flipped over the single and played side B. Requests poured in and the song became huge.

Folks, I am experiencing a serious unintentional problem. I am apparently obsessed with Seattle, Washington bands and performers. Maybe, just maybe, there is a mass conspiracy and the only state releasing new artists is the northern Pacific, coffee fueled, rainy Washington, but, I must assume that I am just falling into the trap of Seattle music.

Seattle has been consistent in their musicians. They are talented, melodic, and smart. Not all of them, but most certainly most of them. So, today, I bring you Barcelona, a recent piano-based band whose brand of indie rock is both haunting and horrifyingly catchy. I think that is why I listen to so much Seattle music. You see, coffee is addicting. You drink a few cups and you become hooked, needing your daily dose to wake you up and eliminate any withdrawal. Same with music from Seattle. You need your daily dosage. Some people may like Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, heck even Folgers, but my current bean of choice is Barcelona.

“First Floor People,” is one of those songs that people easily skip over on an album. It does not attract much attention to itself as a quiet piece with a strung-out piano and an odd vocal. But, take one listen, and like Seattle coffee you are hooked. The first line that sings the title of the song will immediately stick itself to your mind and you will find yourself singing it over and over again. The song, which appears on their album “Absolutes,” definitely deserves a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZozapblQAys.

It is sure funny how time flies. It has been one full year since President Barack Obama was elected to the office of president of the United States. Now, personally, I like to remove myself from politics because it just seems rather unsavory to me and, also, it just does not interest me. I like to say it is because, generally I like to tell the truth, but I should not say this because all politicians do not lie. Also, politics sparks to many arguments and, well, arguments are not healthy. Yet, what particuarly excited me about last election was the fact that we would be getting a new face in an office of great power who seemed more fit for the job than former President Bush. Let us stray away from politics for a second and move on to a little history.

November 4th marked triumph for human beings, in my opinion. To long have people focused on racial differences and unfortunately, while this may remain a reality throughout human existence because people look different from each other, the election proved that at least the majority of the country did not let antiquated judgements sway their opinions and, for a brief moment, we collectively ignored the triviality of race and focused on what was best for the United States.

This is the topic of this song of the day and I would like to focus on the 90-year-old Pete Seeger’s version of the old gospel song, “We Shall Overcome,” which symbolizes a journy for African American Rights which came to fruition on election day. Seeger, whose version is most popular, first learned about the gospel song, originally written by Rev. Charles Tindley of Philly , after founding “People’s Songs,” an organization focused on keeping songs of labor alive. He learned the song from Zilphia Horton’s version which was used for the Civil Rights Movement. Seeger writes: “I changed it to ‘We shall’… I think I liked a more open sound; ‘We will’ has alliteration to it, but ‘We shall’ opens the mouth wider; the ‘i’ in ‘will’ is not an easy vowel to sing well. He also added some verses.

The reason this song is influential is because its malleability. It has been sung by so many musicians and has been tremendously flexible throughout the years. The message is also incredibly topical for anyone who has been somewhat discriminated against. We shall overcome is a true American song and last year on November 4th, the hopes of the dreamers who wrote this song came true.

Seeger’s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhnPVP23rzo

Happy Halloween from your always faithful jesters at the music court. We hope that while you go out tonight and fill your body with sugar that you are safe and are singing a tune as you walk. If I can make a suggestion, how about “The Monster Mash,” which this year is 47 years old. Created originally by Bobby Pickett and reaching the top 100 charts just before Halloween on October 20th, the song has been the most enjoyed Halloween hit and it certainly is quite scary that it got so famous. Horrible pun.

Fun Fact: Pickett was an aspiring actor performing with a band called “The Cordials” during the nights. One night, while performing, Pickett did an imitation of horror movie actor Boris Karloff while his band performed The Diamond’s “Little Darlin.” It was a hit and the song stuck.

Have fun tonight folks and make sure not to get to spooked out when the sound of rustling leaves and howling wind do a ballet dance in your ears. Happy Halloween.