Written for Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag week #29where we are askedto writeabout a song by a group or solo singer beginning with the letter M or N.
Hard rock band Night Ranger was formed in San Francisco in 1982 and continued to gain popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band’s only constant members, though singer/bassist Jack Blades performed on all but one of their albums.
The band’s first five albums sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. They are best known for the 1984 power ballad “Sister Christian” which was inspired by drummer Kelly Keagy’s younger sister, Christy. Upon returning from a visit to his hometown of Eugene, Oregon, Keagy wrote the song after being astonished at the speed at which his ‘little’ sister was growing up. The song was the band’s biggest hit, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying on the charts for 24 weeks.
This is “Sister Christian”:
Another top 40 single in the 1980s for Night Ranger was “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”, a song written by vocalist/bassist Jack Blades about a hypothetical relationship that is “fun and happy” until it no longer is after one person confesses they love the other, at which point it gets weird.
This is “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”:
After their success waned in the late 1980s, the band split up in 1989 and its members pursued other musical endeavors including group and solo efforts. Night Ranger’s music is typically classified as hard rock, glam metal and arena rock.
Written for Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag #16,where we are asked to write abouta song by a group or solo singer beginning with the letter G or H.
Besides my husband, during my lifetime I’ve been madly in love with three other men: George Harrison, Daryl Hall and Rick Springfield. They were all so very talented, gorgeous and sexy! I would cut out their pictures from music magazines, make scrapbooks, hang posters in my bedroom and mail them letters. My missives were never answered but I’m sure that’s only because they were so busy making music. I would imagine myself as Mrs. Harrison or Hall or Springfield, which got weird because by the time Daryl Hall and Rick Springfield were dominating the billboard charts I had been married for about 10 years! Things could have gotten strained between me and my husband during that time but they didn’t because he’s a very understanding, realistic man and didn’t feel threatened at all. It also didn’t hurt that I had about as much chance of meeting Daryl or Rick as I did winning the Miss Universe pageant.
Well, dear George has passed away but Daryl and Rick are very much alive and I bet they’re kicking themselves for not answering my letters seeing as how I’m now such a bigshot storyteller, poet and music blogger! I saw Rick recently on TV and I must say I was shocked; maybe it was the lighting but he really hasn’t aged well and someone should gift him with a jar of Crepe Erase. But Daryl is another story; he still sounds fantastic, looks gorgeous and is one big hunk of burning love. And what’s more …. Daryl’s Garage where he does live shows and podcasts is 90 minutes from where I live and his house in Connecticut is only one hour away. (We stalkers fans have to stay on top of things like that!) I just might get my “I ❤️ Daryl Hall Tank Top” autographed after all!
Since the letters for Glyn’s April MMB are G and H, I immediately wrote about George Harrison last week. Unfortunately, Rick Springfield is out of luck and will have to wait another 6 months before I can write about him. But no worries! You can all breathe a sigh of relief because today is all about Daryl Hall (and some other guy named John Oates).
Did you know that Daryl Hall & John Oates are the number-one selling duo in music history? They’re bigger than Simon & Garfunkel, Sonny & Cher, Ike & Tina Turner, Sam & Dave, The Righteous Brothers, Loggins & Messina and The Everly Brothers. (The statistics are impressive and are readily available on Wiki, if you’re interested.) During their time together (starting in 1970), they released 18 studio albums and 63 singles. They also broke up their act and got back together numerous times until October 2022 when they officially called it quits; sadly, they are currently in the middle of an ugly legal battle. But what sweet music they made together!
When the original version of this song first came out, I was a newlywed and I thought this was possibly the sexiest, most titillating and steamy subject for a song I’d ever heard. It’s the story of an affair between a married man and his equally married lover who meet every day at the same café where they hold hands and whisper sweet words of love. They know their affair is wrong but it’s much too strong to stop.
Some of you may recall that I wrote about this song a while back for Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday; it’s just so nice, I had to feature it twice! You may also remember that the original singer of this song is a guy named Billy Paul who recorded his song in 1972. So why feature a cover of someone else’s song and not an original Hall & Oates song? Because it’s a great song and after all these years, I still “have a thing going on” for Daryl Hall.
For all the obvious reasons, here is my pick of the day by Hall & Oates …. from 2003 it’s “Me And Mrs. Jones”.
Well, no offense John Oates, but three’s a crowd and for me there’s only room for Daryl. He’s certainly come a long way and still has plenty of mileage left in a career that’s taken him from the streets of Philly to the halls of R&R in Cleveland. And the best is yet to come …. especially for me. My hubby, who isn’t the least bit threatened by the likes of Daryl Hall, is taking me to see him live, up-close and personal at the Mohegan Sun arena in July! Now, I just need to find that old tank top …. and you better believe I will wear it!
Thanks to Glyn for another great Mixed Music Bag and thank you for stopping by.
See you on the flip side. 😎
PS: I almost forgot! For all you purists reading this right now, I simply could not leave without playing one Hall & Oates original; after all, they are the #1 selling duo in music history! This song debuted on the Billboard Top 40 on February 5, 1977 at #38 and by the end of March it had become Hall & Oates’ first of six #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. At the end of 1977, Billboard ranked it as the 23rd biggest hit of the year. From the album Bigger Than Both Of Us, here is Hall & Oates’ first #1 hit, “Rich Girl”.
The theme today at Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday is to write about songs with the words “hot, burning, fire or blazing”.
If reports in recent years are to be believed, former Journey singer Steve Perry and keyboardist Jonathan Cain don’t have much of a personal relationship anymore, but when they first met nearly 43 years ago, the situation was very different.
Journey, originally known as the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, was formed in San Francisco in 1973; the name was officially changed to Journey in 1975, shortly after signing with Columbia Records. The band’s early sound was influenced by jazz and fusion music. They gradually shifted towards a more pop-oriented sound in the late 1970s. Steve Perry joined Journey as their lead vocalist in 1977 and became one of the band’s most recognizable members. Jonathan Cain was hired in January 1981 and it wasn’t long before he and Perry began writing together.
One of the first things they did was a song called “Who’s Crying Now.” Steve Perry said the chorus popped into his head while driving to Los Angeles, which he recorded on his mini cassette player. Once Steve Perry arrived in LA, he went straight to Jonathan Cain’s house to play his work in progress. Perry had come up with most of the melodies and rhythms but was stumped on the lyrics. Perry said, “Jonathan just like zeroed in on it. We had the beginning, we had the middle, he helped do the lyrics with me .… and it was done!”
“Who’s Crying Now” tells the sad and age-old tale of good love gone bad. The song, the first single from Journey’s album Escape, helped the LP achieve sales of over nine million copies. The song charted at #46 in the UK Singles Chart, the band’s highest charting single in the UK until “Don’t Stop Believin'”. Billboard praised “Who’s Crying Now” as one of Journey’s “strongest and classiest records” and one of the most appealing love songs of 1981. Escape remains their only #1 album.
In 1996, Steve Perry suffered a hip injury while hiking in Hawaii and was unable to perform. The diagnosis was degenerative bone disease and a hip replacement was required but Perry was reluctant to rush into the surgery and touring was postponed indefinitely. While Perry kept putting off the inevitable surgery, the other members of the band waited nearly 17 months after the initial diagnosis before presenting him with an ultimatum: If he did not undergo hip replacement surgery so the tour could proceed upon his recovery, the band would hire a replacement singer. Still hesitant to undergo surgery, and now upset at his bandmates, Perry announced in 1988 that he was permanently leaving Journey. No one loves the idea of surgery but Steve Perry made a big mistake making his band mates wait so long.
The position of lead singer went to Steve Augeri who was then sidelined with a chronic throat infection. The very hard-working singer-musician-songwriter Jeff Scott Soto temporarily stepped into the role of lead singer until Arnel Pineda signed on as frontman in 2007. Pineda, a vocalist for a Filipino cover band, was hired as a result of a video he posted on YouTube and is still Journey’s current lead vocalist. Hey …. sometimes you just gotta give it a shot!
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Journey has sold 52 million albums in the US, making them the 11th-best selling band. Their worldwide sales have reached over 100 million records globally, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time. A 2005 USA Today opinion poll named Journey the fifth-best US rock band in history. In 2017 Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They are without a doubt a truly great band and, IMO, Steve Perry’s voice is one of the best in the business.
Thanks for hanging with me at Jim’s place.
See you on the flip side. 😎
Now let’s listen to “Who’s Crying Now” and Steve Perry’s phenomenal voice. From 1981salbum Escape, this is Journey.
Lyrics
It’s been a mystery But still they try to see Why something good can hurt so bad Caught on a one-way street The taste of bittersweet Love will survive somehow, somewhere
One love, feeds thefire One heart, burns desire I wonder who’s crying now? Two hearts, born to run Who’ll be the lonely one? I wonder who’s crying now?
So many stormy nights So many wrong or rights Neither could change their headstrong ways And in a lover’s rage They turn another page The fighting is worth the love they save
One love, feeds the fire One heart, burns desire I wonder who’s crying now? Two hearts, born to run Who’ll be the lonely one? I wonder who’s crying now?
Only so many tears you can cry ‘Til the heartache is over And now you can say your love Will never die
Whoa ooh ooh, ooh ooh
One love, feeds the fire One heart, burns desire I wonder who’s crying now? Two hearts, born to run Who’ll be the lonely one? I wonder who’s crying now?
Lead Vocal, Composer, Lyricist: Steve Perry Background Vocal, Keyboards, Composer, Lyricist: Jonathan Cain Background Vocal, Bass: Ross Valory Background Vocal, Guitar: Neal Schon Drums: Steve Smith Producer(s): Mike Stone, Kevin Elson Engineer: Wally Buck
The 4th of July is a big holiday here in the U.S.A. What better way for people around the world to join us as we celebrate than with a native son singing what has become a universal rock anthem. 🎇 🎆
Here is Bruce Springsteen with “Born In the U.S.A.”, live from Paris in 1985.
And that’s what we call “rocking” no matter what language you speak!
However, let’s not lose sight of the true message of this song. The lyrics of “Born in the U.S.A.” make its subject pretty clear. This 1984 hit describes a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to desperate circumstances and few options … just one of the tragic results of war realized by vets throughout the world.
As I read some of the comments on YouTube, I came across two which I wanted to share with you:
WAAOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I´M NOT AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, BUT I FEEL MY HEART FULL OF PROUD EVERY TIME I HEAR THIS EXTRAORDINARY SONG, IS MY ANTHEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! USA IS A GREAT NATION!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE WANT FREEDOM HERE IN VENEZUELA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love this song, !!! I’m born in England with Irish parents, to me I just love his raw voice, believe you don’t have to be American to love this song
Those are perfect examples of why I chose this song today.
Alright, it’s time now for our super easy question of the day:
Sinatra is the Chairman, Elvis is the King, Aretha is the Queen so what’s Springsteen’s very famous nickname?
The answer is on the bottom of the page.
Thanks for sharing another great day with me getting our groove on.
I’ll be back Thursday for a very special movie day; meet me At The Movies where the celebration will continue!
Right from his start in Gary, Indiana with his brothers in The Jackson 5, it was obvious that Michael Jackson was destined for stardom. Over a four-decade career, his contributions to music, dance and fashion, along with his globally publicized personal life, made him a world-renown figure in pop culture. Jackson influenced artists across many music genres; through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated dance moves such as the moonwalk, to which he gave the name, as well as the robot.
He was indeed destined for stardom. Michael Jackson is the most awarded recording artist in pop music history.
It was not easy for me to pick a song by Michael Jackson; after watching a few videos, I kept coming back to one because of its creativity in both song and dance. The precision of the dance moves by Jackson and the ensemble cast is impeccable. We’d never seen anything quite like it before or since. My choice for you today is Thriller.
What you are about to see is the short version; no singing or dancing has been cut from the long version so you won’t be missing anything. The full version is more than 13 minutes long and is all about what happens before the zombie song/dance routine. I saw no reason in taking up your time with what can readily be viewed on YouTube at your leisure.
The first time I saw this on MTV, I couldn’t believe what I was watching. Hold onto something and get ready for Thriller!
That was crazy good! So fabulous to watch and still great after all these years!
Now for the question of the day:
In the original long version of “Thriller”, we can hear narration being done by a very ‘creepy’ and easily recognizable voice. Can you name the famous old-time actor well known for his many spooky movies who was the voice of “Thriller”?
Check the bottom of the page for the answer.
Well, I hope you’re having a great time here In The Groove. I love comments as well as answers so don’t be shy; let me know what you’re thinking.
Hey! Glad to see you back here At The Movies! I’ve got a real toe-tapper for you today.
“Footloose” was co-written and recorded by Kenny Loggins in 1984 for the movie of the same name. The musical drama tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small mid-Western town. Ren is shocked to discover a ban on dancing and rock and roll music has been instituted by the religiously zealous local minister, Rev. Shaw Moore (John Lithgow). Can our young hero save the day and get the ban overturned in time for the senior prom?
The song was very well received and is one of the most recognizable songs recorded by Kenny Loggins. I always like the sound of Kenny Loggins’ voice and the many songs he recorded. This is one of my favorites.
Here is the great “Footloose” sung by Kenny Loggins.
Now that’s a really great dance tune! Kevin Bacon did most of the dancing for “Footloose” but there were times when a double stood in for some of the gymnastics and precarious dance moves (much to Bacon’s chagrin).
Now for the question of the day:
Before Kenny Loggins went solo, he had a well-known songwriting/singing partner. Together they sold 16 million records and were the most successful duo of the early 1970s, surpassed later in the decade only by Hall & Oates. Can you name Kenny Loggins’ one-time music partner?
The answer appears on the bottom of the page.
Glad to have you with me At The Movies. I hope you enjoyed the musical selection today. Don’t forget to check out what’s going on at Breaking Boundaries tomorrow with Nick.
Have a great weekend, friends; there’s lots to check out at The Rhythm Section!
Wikipedia calls them a “rock supergroup”. Well, I guess they were but funny – I never thought of them that way. I mean, they definitely were all that but to me they were just a bunch of guys – friends, actually – who got together for a very short period of time, recorded some terrific songs and made it all look incredibly easy and fun.
I bet you think you know who I’m talking about and I wouldn’t blame you but you’d only be one-fifth correct … not very good odds so don’t put all your money on “THAT” supergroup from Liverpool because you’d lose.
No, the group I’m talking about was the American/British combo of (in alphabetical order) Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynn, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, otherwise known as TheTraveling Wilburys. Getting a group together was something George Harrison wanted to do for a long time; the idea finally started to gel when George and Jeff Lynne were chatting it up one night. Some of the best ideas come from two good friends having a nice sit down.
Now, I’m only partially serious when I ask this but I’ve learned never to discount any possibility. If you haven’t heard of The Traveling Wilburys, is there a chance you’ve been in a coma since 1988? Maybe you hadn’t been born yet. Well, the age defense doesn’t really hold water, now does it? We’d have very little going on it our noggins if that were true. No matter our age, something we can all do is broaden our horizons by embracing the new along with the old.
But I digress.
So, if these five guys formed what’s being called a “rock supergroup”, what happened to it after just three short years? The answer is simple: life. And, of course, death. After Roy Orbison died in December 1988, the Wilburys continued as a quartet and released a second album in 1990 which won the Grammy for “Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group”.
Due to the guys busy solo careers, the group began taking a different direction. The remaining foursome stayed friends and performed on/contributed to each other’s albums until George Harrison’s death in 2001. Today there are only two of the original five still with us – Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynn.
Now that you know about TheTraveling Wilburys, allow me to tell you about the song I’ve chosen for today. “End of the Line” was the final track on their October ’88 debut album; a video followed in December ’88 and a second single was issued in January ’89. Set in a moving passenger car pulled by a steam locomotive, the video features all five members of the group as well as a session musician playing the brushes. Since Roy Orbison died after recording his vocals – but before the video was shot– an image of his guitar sitting in a rocking chair and a photo of him are shown when his vocals are heard (a rather nice touch and a first class act by George Harrison).
Here now, possibly for the first time for a couple of you, are TheTraveling Wilburys performing their hit song, “End of the Line”. I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
How’d you like the song? Not a bad little group, eh?
Thanks for being with me today. I’ve got a train to catch.
It’s time for another edition of Name That Tune. No pressure but I think this is a pretty easy one; let’s see if you can guess our featured artist and song.
Are you ready? Hit it!
Our featured performer was born on November 30, 1955 and is a British singer, songwriter, musician and actor who also holds U.S. citizenship. While in school, a teacher described him as “lazy”, perhaps leading to his homophonous stage name.
As a 21-year-old guitar-playing university drop-out, today’s performer (literally) made a name for himself by forming a “generational” punk group in 1976, garnering some of the members after placing an advertisement in the British weekly music magazine, Melody Maker.
Our featured song is the title track of the 1983 album of the same name, the second album released by today’s singer. The song received critical acclaim and in 2009 was named the 79th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
At a televised performance of VH1 Storytellers, our towheaded singer recalled an event where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were taking swigs from a bottle of bourbon. He was not familiar with the brand but he liked the name, which was the inspiration for today’s song. I guess the spirit moved him!
It’s very likely the name of that fabled bottle of bourbon had a lot to do with this performer’s signature howl.
Now that you have the clues, do you have the answers? Scroll down to see the big reveal.
Yeah, baby! The answer is Billy Idol doing his famous “Rebel Yell”.
Let’s check out the video!
Gotta love that yell and the perfect lip curl!
Did you know the name of the song and our famous singer? What was the clue that clinched it for you?
FYI – Billy Idol’s’ teacher said he was “lazy and idle“, inspiring his name change. The bourbon Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were drinking was called “Rebel Yell” and the rest, as they say, is history.
Thanks for joining me today at Name That Tune; I hope you had a blast!
We’d love to hear your comments so don’t be shy.
Happy Sunday! Why not stop by during the week and check out our other posts?
Prince Rogers Nelson is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. He was known for his flamboyant, often androgynous persona, his incredible vocal range and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound, and preferred to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings.
The song I’ve chosen to feature today is “Little Red Corvette” which was released in 1983. Using several automobile metaphors, the song recalls a one-night-stand with a beautiful promiscuous woman. “Little Red Corvette” is Prince’s highest charting hit and first to reach the top 10 in the U.S., peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Since Prince’s death in 2016, this tune has sold more than 900,000 copies in the United States alone.
Here is Prince performing “Little Red Corvette.
Now that’s a really cool song and a great video!
So, keeping it clean and going along with a car theme, here’s the question of the day:
What was the color, year and model of your first car? Do we have any red Corvette owners out there?
Mine was a Sunshine Yellow Ford Mustang.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post and song; join me next Tuesday In The Groove and don’t forget to check out where Deb’s taking us tomorrow.
The Elephant's Trunk 