My buddy Gardenhead over at Asleep on the Compost Heap got a question at his Tumblr site that rang some bells with me: He was asked what's the "cheesiest" song he really likes & actually listens 2? G chose the Hues Corporation's '74 hit "Rock The Boat," which actually was pretty cheezy.
But it started me thinking & looking at the tapes I take 2 work 4 motivation & uplift, & I realized cheez is still a pretty big part of my musical diet.
When I read G's question, the 1st song I thot of was Edison Lighthouse's immortal '70 cheez-pop hit, "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" -- it's so lite & fun & silly & catchy. You can't help but sing along with it, & it builds 2 a great joyous finish -- every time I hear it the damn thing puts a huge smile on my face no matter what kinda mood I'm in. I played it at work awhile back -- possibly on a tape where it came right after Mike Oldfield's "Incantations," placed there on purpose by me 2 deflate the seriousness of Mr. Oldfield's opus. But I haven't bn able 2 find it since -- or else I'd play it more often. It ALWAYS works.
I've always bn a sucker 4 guilty pleasures like this, & naturally I Have A List....
* How bout the Bee Gees? Loved "Lonely Days" when I was in gradeschool, & have finally grown 2 accept that "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a HUGE piece of cheez -- & I love it NEway. Always loved their really melodramatic stuff -- "First of May" is freaking brilliant. "Nights on Broadway" -- great! "Fanny" was always gorgeous. "Tragedy" is awesome, & I always loved "Spirits Having Flown" from the day I 1st heard it on the radio back in '79.
Even their disco-era stuff sounds WAY better now (as do a lotta disco hits -- it helps that it's 35 years later & we're not hearing that stuff 24/7 anymore). Even tho I HATED them at the time -- when I thot they were turning in2 The Disco Chipmunks -- now "Stayin' Alive" & "Night Fever" & "Jive Talkin'" sound pretty great 2 me. Weird, ain't it?
* I think the Stylistics were classic Sweet Soul, but 4 some they were just a little TOO sweet. Still think "You Are Everything" & "Betcha By Golly Wow" R classic early-'70s stuff.
* Olivia Newton-John? Hey, "If Not for You"'s a great song -- course it was written by Bob Dylan. I even like "Have You Never Been Mellow." & summa her other early-'70s hits have a nice nostalgic glow around them now....
* The Carpenters? Well, summa their stuff was pretty great. My all-time fave is "Goodbye to Love" -- great guitar! "Hurting Each Other" & "Rainy Days and Mondays" were both classic melodrama. "For All We Know"'s a real sleeper, written by 2 of the guys from Bread. & then there's "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"....
* Captain and Tennille? Who can resist "Love Will Keep Us Together"? "Shop Around"? "Come in from the Rain"? Not "Muskrat Love," tho -- America's version is a lot more charming. But if you can track down a little number called "Ladybug," it's freakin gorgeous, the best thing these guys ever did....
* Some might find the Ronettes a little cheezy, but I reject that argument. Songs of theirs like "Baby I Love You" & "I Wonder" (not to mention "Be My Baby") R, 2 quote Lenny Kaye: "The sound of yearning." Gorgeous, timeless stuff.
Here's a few more slices of cheez from my work tapes:
* The Cowsills: "Hair." Of course I think it's perfect. 1 of the high points of my life was hearing my 2 kids sing along with it....
* Mercy: "Love Will Make You Happy." Sorta late-'60s adult-contemporary, but it's freaking gorgeous.
* Association: "Windy" & "Everything That Touches You." Irresistible. Gorgeous harmonies, great production from Bones Howe.
* Does Paula Abdul qualify as cheezy? "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" is gorgeous melodrama, & I resisted "Straight Up" 4 years -- pointlessly.
* Celine Dion: "Nothing's Broken But My Heart." The only song of hers I can stand. Every artist has 1 song they were MEANT 2 sing....
* Vanessa Williams: "Save the Best for Last." Ghod, it's perfect. I'm also a sucker 4 "Love Is."
* Wadsworth Mansion: "Sweet Mary." Heard this on the local oldies station awhile back & was suprised by how well it's held up. Great singalong choruses (including some real nonsense), & the lyrics gently tell of a really strained relationship....
* Bobby Goldsboro: "Pledge of Love." Wasn't much of a hit, but it's SO sweet & innocent, & Bobby's overdubbed vocals R great....
* Vanity Fare: "Hitchin' a Ride." Another 1 of those songs that made me notice what a radio was 4. My 6th-grade class useta play this song on the record player EVERY DAY at lunchtime....
* Glen Campbell: "It's Only Make Believe," "Try a Little Kindness," "Pave Your Way into Tomorrow," etc. ...& almost anything else Glen did with great unheralded producer Al deLory....
* Grass Roots: "Sooner or Later," "Temptation Eyes," "Midnight Confessions," etc. Who can resist those great singalong choruses?
* Gordon Lightfoot: "Beautiful." I love a LOT of his stuff, but as "sensitive" as this is, it really brings back Summer '71 4 me....
* Lobo: Practically everything, but especially "A Simple Man" & "I'd Love You to Want Me." Pure early-'70s nostalgia. Ah, 2 B 13 again....
* Tom Jones: "She's a Lady." Mosta his stuff I avoid at all costs, but this is a powerhouse. Kinda showbizzy, but.... "Resurrection Shuffle" ain't bad, neither. & has NE1 else out there heard his new "duet" with Jack White on "Evil"? Wild!
* Archies: "Sugar Sugar" still sounds awesome. But I always thot "Melody Hill" was even better....
* The Partridge Family? Don't get me started. I got over "I Think I Love You" pretty quick -- but mosta the other songs on their 1st 3 albums still sound like classics 2 me.
So what's your favorite embarrassing cheezy stuff? C'mon, you can admit it -- it's the Internet, no1 will ever know....
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3 comments:
Prince, INXS, KISS and early Duran Duran. My girlfriend likes ABBA and Sonny & Cher.
Drew: Thanx, man. I didn't even THINK about Abba. Course I think they're great, not cheezy ENUF. I still play mosta their singles....
Early Duran Duran cheezy? Maybe. You mean like "Rio"? Or earlier than that? "Planet Earth"?
Sonny & Cher definitely do qualify 4 cheezy status, but I still love "Baby Please Don't Go"....
Prince & INXS R cheezy? Hmmm. I'm usually not Mbarrassed listening 2 them. KISS mighta bn a little cheezy at times, I think they get better as their stuff gets older, tho I wasn't that big a fan at the time.... & Gene Simmons's FAMILY JEWELS show is great....
Tad, back in the '80's, I had that reputation of being one of those head banging hard rocker types. Anything less was considered "poser" or wimpy. For awhile there, I was listening to Prince, Duran Duran (Rio, Seven and Ragged Tiger) and INXS on the side. I don't why, but one day I was listening the Scorpions or Iron Maiden, thinking why am I listening to Duran Duran? This stuff is so much better! Since then, I haven't really listened to Duran Duran much.
As for KISS, I was a die hard. Couple of their tunes like "Kissin' Time" and "Then She Kissed Me" fell deep into the cheesy category. But you're right though, some of the early KISS tunes like "Black Diamond" and "Detroit Rock City" have become classics and I still listen them often.
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