School has started in my neck of the woods now and it still can make me shudder. When my brother got his driver’s license, he couldn’t wait to drive to school and who could blame him since we had to take the stupid bus for over an hour. I was so happy to get a ride with him once I entered High School, much to his chagrin, I think, because I was 3 years younger and could cramp his style...hahahaa. I’m not sure what his style was but that didn’t matter as I was happy not to be on the bus until I had to sit in his back seat and listen to that music. Now, please forgive me as I was a young 14 yr old geek who loved classical music, movie music, ABBA and ELO. I still love all I just mentioned, but I now also really enjoy the music I am about to mention and know how great it actually is. I may not own Hendrix or Joplin but I do enjoy listening to it. I wouldn’t mind the greatest hits of Steppenwolf though...
1. FOXY LADY BY JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE-1967
My brother fell in love with Jimi Hendrix’s sound and would play his music incessantly. He may differ on that, but I remember how often I had to listen to his music. This song was one I had to listen to while stuck in the back seat and thought it was disgusting. Hahahaaa
2. SOOKIE, SOOKIE BY STEPPENWOLF-1968
I didn’t mind this song, written by Don Covey and Steve Cropper from this band, but, to this day, I have no clue WTF it means and it was not a fav of mine to listen to it...often.
3. PIECE OF MY HEART BY JANIS JOPLIN-1968
This song was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and introduced by Aretha’s sister, Erma Franklin but became mega famous by Janis Joplin. I truly appreciate and like how she sings this song now but, back then, I just couldn’t stand her screeching, as I used to call it. It still is a bit but I ...like the way she sings it.
I hope my brother reads this and adds his 4 cents worth. Any songs you hated back in the day but like now?
By the way, our Harley really sleeps this way. He has nothing to do with school, I just thought he is funny.
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteI see that my buddy Harley's open for business! :) I hope you gave that belly a good scratchin' after you snapped the picture and rewarded him with a jerky-treat for doing all that exhausting modeling work.
Your brother rocks, and I see that he is Experienced. I'm glad some of his music rubbed off on you. My big brother brought home records by Elvis, Fats, Ricky, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry, and it took no time at all before I was hooked on rock & roll.
I was just starting college when Are You Experienced, the debut album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, began its 106 week run on the U.S. chart, peaking at #5. I ran (didn't walk) to the campus record store to buy it. The long-play is loaded with Jimi gems including "Purple Haze," "Manic Depression," a version of The Leaves' garage rock standard "Hey Joe," "Wind Cries Mary," "(Let Me Stand Next To Your) Fire" and Foxey Lady" (the original spelling of the word on the U.S. release). I was blown away by the new sound of Hendrix, and soon bought his band's second album, Axis: Bold as Love which contains more classic rock nuggets. I shudder when I think of all the epic songs, recordings and live performances that were still in Jimi when he lost his life.
I'm so happy that you took to Steppenwolf. I have all their hits in my collection. The song you posted, "Sookie Sookie," was twice released as the A side of a single. In February 1968, it was backed with "Take What You Need." In September that year, "Sookie" was released as a promo with "Magic Carpet Ride" hidden away on the B side. DJs quickly determined that "M.C.R." was the more popular song, and the record label quickly switched the A and B sides for release to the public. The rest is rock history. Whenever I hear "Sookie Sookie," my mind jumps to Star 80 starring Eric Roberts, the chilling 1983 film about the murder of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten. "Sookie Sookie" was used at the beginning of the movie. It's an example of the phenomenon in which original memories of a song are "hijacked" by their connection to a more recent event. Other examples include the 1965 Righteous Brothers hit "Unchained Melody" now linked in my memory to the 1990 Patrick Swayze - Demi Moore movie Ghost, and the use of The Beatles' "Revolution" as the Nike jingle. Thanks for mentioning Don Covay. Don was one of the greatest and most prolific writers of R&B hits of the 60s. He had successful singles of his own and penned biggies for Chubby Checker, Aretha Franklin and other artists.
Thanks also for tracing "Pizza My Heart" (as I call it) back to the men who wrote the song, Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, two other giants of the music industry. Ragovoy and Berns wrote many hits of the 60s and produced some of my favorite soul and pop recordings. Berns, who founded BANG Records, had heart problems and died young at age 38. Thanks too for giving props to Aretha's singing sister Erma Franklin, the soul queen who originally recorded "Piece Of My Heart." Most young people today only know it as a Janis Joplin song. The original, by Erma Franklin, was a slow dance favorite at the Shady Dell and will always be my favorite version.
I honestly can't think of any songs from my youth that I hated but now like. With my eclectic taste, I liked most of what I heard, and the ones I didn't like have not grown on me over the years.
Yessum, I hope your brother offers a comment. I am always interested in his musings. Thanks a lot for the morning rock fest, dear friend BB. I'll be waiting for you tamale in the balcony-- "At The Movies!"
I doubt he had a style either, so I'm sure you didn't cramp it.
ReplyDeleteNow you're talking! ☺ I LOVE this music and Steppenwolf is at the top. And, Harley is adorable. Thanks for making my afternoon, Birgit. ♥
ReplyDeleteI think the reason I didn't like Hendrix when I was high school was that everybody idolized him. When I heard he was a Terry Kath (from Chicago) fan, I was able to appreciate him more.
ReplyDeleteWith Steppenwolf, I was just telling Max that I had a hard time appreciating them because they were always changing personnel. It was easier when I realized that it was John Kay and everyone else was the backup band.
Janis Joplin... wow... I liked her voice and I loved watching her perform. There was something primal about her that I found, for lack of a better word, appealing....
I realized that it was John Kay and everyone else was the backup band. Exactly! 👌
DeleteOh to be able to relax with such complete abandon as Harley! I like Hendrix and Joplin, never really listened to Steppenwolf.
ReplyDeleteGreat memories of you and your bro;) I love Janis Joplin.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite group was ELO. No worries.
ReplyDeletePretty much any song I hated back in the day, I doubly hate now. I have a tendency to hate very popular songs, too.
ReplyDeleteSteppenwolf was the first band I ever saw in concert. Admittedly, I have only been to three concerts in my life. Shocking, I know. That song you shared is not one of my favorites, but I still enjoyed hearing it.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix when my high school friends were listening to disco, which I never cared for.
Love how Harley got in that position.
Sorry it took me so long to comment here, sis! Thanks for the reminiscing... it all seems so long ago. I hope I didn't traumatize you too much with my music but those are the rules when I was the driver and you were only in grade nine, lol! I still have those mixed cassette tapes. I can't bring myself to toss them out. They took so long to make back then.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a big fan of all that music but I've also expanded into all sorts of other stuff since then. My passion for late 60s and early 70s rock led me to blues big time... which, in turn, led me to jazz, specifically the hardbop jazz from the 50s and 60s. And there's so much great new music being released these days too. But all that music you cite from my early years will always form the bedrock of my musical adventures. Thanks for the memories.
Hi Birgit - I really enjoy that genre of music now ... back in the day it didn't inspire me - but I am not musical! Your brother did reply I see ... cheers Hilary
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