Got My Kicks on Route 66

I’ve pretty much retired from this blog, as changes in my life over the years have prevented me from keeping up with it daily. With that said, I sporadically post something of interest as an extra post. Today, as it is my 66^th birthday, I thought I would provide a listen to some later versions of Bobby Troup’s composition “Route 66.”

The well-known version was originally recorded by the King Cole Trio in 1946 and charted at 11 on Billboard’s singles chart. Part of the song’s inability to make it to the Top 10 was because there was another version by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, which charted at 14. Without the cover version that competed with Nat King Cole’s classic, the original release certainly would have made it to the Top 5. It remains, however, the best-known version of the song.

But today, we are going to veer off Route 66 to some versions that you’ve probably never heard before. Our first example was never a single and it was from an album that was not a big seller. Chuck Berry’s “Route 66” was released on his 1961 album “New Juke Box Hits.” While not a hit, Berry’s version of this classic influenced “The Rolling Stones” to record the song on their first album.

With The Rolling Stones, the UK version (a self-titled album) led with “Route 66,” while the American release, “England's Newest Hit Makers,” placed the song second after the single “Not Fade Away.” This is typically the difference between albums out of England and US, as the UK releases did not necessarily put single releases on albums.

American record companies, however, relied on the single to sell the album. In adding “Not Fade Away,” they removed Bo Diddley’s “Mona (I Need You Baby).” The song later appeared on the US only album release “The Rolling Stones, Now!”

Thanks for spending time with me on my own personal Route 66.

Dire Straits: Money For Nothing

“I want my MTV!” Today is the 35th anniversary of Music Television (well, when MTV was a music television channel). Because my cable company didn’t begin offering MTV until 1982, I missed the first video, “Video Killed the Radio Star” when it first aired. Being in the entertainment industry at the time MTV broke, I can tell you the great impact that it had on the music business.

Often a song that was being panned by its own company became a big video hit and this translated into increased radio airplay and sales. It was a force with which to be reckoned; as radio programmer, you bet I paid attention to what the VJs were playing in heavy rotation, as I would be doing the same in very short order. It changed the music business as would YouTube has in recent years.

Outside of The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the song that is most associated with MTV is Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.” Its rudimentary computer-animated video and the obvious pandering to the channel with Sting repeating their tagline of “I want my MTV” hit home with video and radio audiences everywhere. In fact, when MTV Europe went live on this date in 1987, “Money for Nothing” was the first video to air.

Mark Knopfler said that he was inspired to write the song as he heard some employees at an appliance store in New York City were making comments about the videos on MTV – some of these show up in the lines used by the song’s narrator-protagonist. Because ZZ Top was an MTV staple, Knopfler did his best imitation of Billy Gibbons’ guitar sound.

“Money for Nothing” was the second of five singles from their multi-platinum album “Brothers in Arms.” The song did very well everywhere it was played. In the US and Canada, it was a number one single. “Get your money for nothing and your chicks for free.”

Cracker: Happy Birthday To Me

This is my fifth birthday post (certainly not my fifth birthday) since starting this blog in 2009. I was running out of ideas for this year until I remembered Cracker’s recording from 1992: “Happy Birthday to Me.” The song was written by vocalist David Lowery who had previously been with Camper Van Beethoven. “Happy Birthday to Me” charted for two weeks at the #13 slot on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The cut is found on Cracker’s self-titled debut album; however, at the time the album was recorded, the group consisted of only three members Lowery (who also played guitar), guitarist Johnny Hickman, and bassist Davey Faragher. For the album, session drummers were. Since I don’t have the CD, I cannot tell you who played the great accordion on this cut.

All I have to say is “Happy Birthday to Me.”

The Byrds: He Was A Friend of Mine

Fifty years ago today, we lost a president – the fourth to have his life taken at the hands of an assassin. I remember hearing that word for the first time in November 1963. At the time, I was in the third grade at Green Valley Elementary School in North Versailles, PA. Once the news broke, the principal, Mr. Butler, assembled the entire school into the gymacafatorium to watch the news coverage on the TV that they wheeled into the room.

Watching important events on TV was not unusual for students at Green Valley, as we had watched most of the Mercury launches in the same location. Here again, history was unfolding right before our young eyes.

Was Kennedy the greatest president? Probably not, but he was symbolically beatified by Americans following his tragic death. Even today we as a nation tend to remember the good – we are challenged to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” He may not have been the best president, but he will always be part of the revered pantheon of the Oval Office.

America lost its innocence with the killing of our president. It changed us forever and it hit the youth of America especially hard. The night of Kennedy’s assassination, Jim (now Roger) McGuinn sat down and rewrote the words to a traditional song originally known as “Shorty George.” In the original version, the singer lamented a death of a friend and McGuinn used that motif for his connection to JFK.

Two years later in 1965, “He was a Friend of Mine” appeared on The Byrds’ second LP “Turn! Turn! Turn!” While not commercially issued as a single, Columbia tested the waters by releasing a promotional copy to radio stations, but the lack of airplay failed to generate a commercial release.

He was a friend of mine;
He was a friend of mine;
His killin’ had no purpose’
No reason, or rhyme;
He was a friend of mine.

He was in Dallas town;
He was in Dallas town;
From a sixth floor window,
A gunner shot him down;
He died in Dallas town.

He never knew my name;
He never knew my name;
Though I never met him,
I knew him just the same;
Oh, he was a friend of mine.

A leader of a nation,
For such a precious time;
He was a friend of mine.

“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” – John F. Kennedy