The song peaked at number 28 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in January 1972 It was a one hit wonder. The band actually did not exist until the song started to chart.
From Songfacts
The songwriters Lanny Lambert and Bobby Flax composed this tale of an imminent breakup at the hands of a manipulative girlfriend. The song was recorded by lead singer Ernie Sorrentino using studio musicians and released by their label Big Tree Records under the name Bullet. When the song became a hit, an actual band was needed to promote it, so the drummer Mike Micara and keyboard/trumpet player Roget Pontbriand joined Sorrentino. Pontbriand tells us they shot their promotional photos in Central Park the day after they met. They performed the song on American Bandstand, The Merv Griffin Show and The Mike Douglas Show. Says Pontbriand: “We recorded two other singles. ‘Willpower Weak, Temptation Strong,’ which had amazing energy and should have faired better, but did make it into the top 100, and ‘Little Bit O’ Soul’ (a cover of the Music Explosion’s 1967 hit). The group toured for two years – with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and the Temptations, among others.” Unfortunately, no video of the band performing the song has been released.
Bullet – White Lies, Blue Eyes
White lies in her blue eyes Goodbye is on the way White lies in her blue eyes Evil’s the game she plays Well, she’s trying to tempt you With her music and her line Well, her lips look so inviting And those sultry eyes They get to shine
Oh, but look a little deeper At all that come on stare Then you might be able To see what’s lying there
It’s those White lies in her blue eyes Goodbye is on the way White lies in her blue eyes Evil’s the game she plays
Don’t you ever Let her get to you The way that she got to me Though the signs were plainly written I just didn’t want to see
But she could do most anything If you give her time A living testimonial Don’t make me color blind
There are White lies in her blue eyes Goodbye is on the way White lies in her blue eyes Evil’s the game she plays
White lies in her blue eyes Goodbye is on the way White lies in her blue eyes Evil’s the game she plays
White lies in her blue eyes Goodbye is on the way White lies in her blue eyes Evil’s the game she plays
White lies in her blue eyes Goodbye is on the way White lies in her blue eyes Evil’s the game she plays
Very heavily influenced by The Supremes. Polly Brown sounds like Diana Ross. I can’t believe that Motown did not offer her a contract. I also hear a little bit of Disco starting to creep in. The song reached #16 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on March 15, 1975.
From Wikipedia,
The songwriting/production team of Gerry Shury and Ron Roker had admired Brown’s voice from her Pickettywitch recordings. Shury, who had arranged Brown’s 1972 self-titled album release, described her as a cross “between Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick”. In 1974, Shury and Roker had Brown record the neo-Motown number “Up in a Puff of Smoke”. In the same session Brown, with Roker as co-vocalist, recorded a cover of the ABBA song “Honey, Honey“, which was released under the name Sweet Dreams.
“Up in a Puff of Smoke” proved to be a UK Top 40 shortfall although it did spend five weeks in the Top 50, peaking at #43. However, the track became a hit in several English speaking countries: Australia (#22), Canada (#11), New Zealand (#13), and the US (#16).
Up in a Puff of Smoke
Going up, going up Going up, up, up Going up, going up Going up, up, up
Going up, going up Going up, up, up Going up, going up, oh
Like a bubble Headed for trouble Wind is blowing In the wrong direction I was headed into danger Too much in love to see
I pledged my trust in him Believed in everything Just had me on a string And then he let me blow away
And now it’s going Up, up, up in a puff of smoke It ain’t no joke the way He broke my heart Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke And I’m all choked up inside To see my dreams just Turn into ashes and all my Hopes go up in a puff of smoke
Going up, going up Going up, up, up Going up, going up, oh
I aspire, took me higher than A rocket on it’s way to Heaven Couldn’t see those dangers coming Cause I was flying blind
It hurt me deep inside And broke my foolish pride That my sweet talking guy Was only talking lies
And now it’s going Up, up, up in a puff of smoke It ain’t no joke the way He broke my heart Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke And I’m all choked up inside To see my dreams just Turn into ashes and all my Hopes go up in a puff of smoke
He took me higher than a kite Then dropped me like a light Going up, up, up, up, up, up ,up Thought I had a chance But let me set you down Going up, up, up, up, up, up ,up
Ooh, ooh, yeah Going up, up, up, up, up, up ,up
Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke
The first part of this song reminds me of my grandfather. He was a sharecropper during the depression in rural Tennessee. He and my grandmother had 5 kids, and they literally lived in shacks. The Waltons were well off in comparison. At some point when the kids got older, they moved into a regular house and also owned and operated a small grocery store. A few years after that they moved to the big city, Nashville and lived next to my uncle in a duplex. My grandfather died at the age of 80 in 1975. My grandmother would go on to live until 1992 and died at the age of 95.
The song peaked at number 04 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on September 19, 1970.
The song tells a story about a boy born and raised in poverty on a backwoods farm in Alabama by a father who endured much suffering in life; the father dies before the boy is 13, entrusting the boy with the family and estate. The boy is forbidden from quitting school (as the father never could attend), so he must do all of the farm work before and after school so that he and his family have food. The burden is almost too much for the boy, especially after a flood wipes out a crop, but determination not to let his father down, along wth his mother’s prayers, keep him going. Years later, his mother has died and he and his younger siblings are adults, and he looks back on his father’s words as what helped him pull through those hard times.
The blind blues singer Clarence Carter heard the song, later saying: “I heard it on the Chairmen of the Board LP and liked it, but I had my own ideas about how it should be sung. It was my idea to make the song sound real natural…” Initially he thought “that it would be degrading for a black man to sing a song so redolent of subjugation,” but was persuaded to do so by record producer Rick Hall.
Carter recorded the song at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with Hall as producer and musicians including Junior Lowe (guitar), Jesse Boyce (bass), and Freeman Brown (drums). Carter’s recording was released in July 1970 and was described by a Billboard reviewer as a “powerful blues item” featuring a “blockbuster vocal work-out.” The record rose to No. 4 on the Hot 100, No. 2 on the R&B chart, and No. 2 on the UK singles chart.
I was born and raised down in Alabama On a farm way back up in the woods I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches Papa used to tease me about it ‘Cause deep down inside he was hurt ‘Cause he’d done all he could
My papa was a great old man I can see him with a shovel in his hands, see Education he never had He did wonders when the times got bad The little money from the crops he raised Barely paid the bills we made
For, life had kick him down to the ground When he tried to get up Life would kick him back down One day Papa called me to his dyin’ bed Put his hands on my shoulders And in his tears he said
He said, Patches I’m dependin’ on you, son To pull the family through My son, it’s all left up to you
Two days later Papa passed away, and I became a man that day So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but She said that was Daddy’s strictest rule
So every mornin’ ‘fore I went to school I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too Sometimes I felt that I couldn’t go on I wanted to leave, just run away from home But I would remember what my daddy said With tears in his eyes on his dyin’ bed
He said, Patches I’m dependin’ on you, son I tried to do my best It’s up to you to do the rest
Then one day a strong rain came And washed all the crops away And at the age of 13 I thought I was carryin’ the weight of the Whole world on my shoulders And you know, Mama knew What I was goin’ through, ’cause
Every day I had to work the fields ‘Cause that’s the only way we got our meals You see, I was the oldest of the family And everybody else depended on me Every night I heard my Mama pray Lord, give him the strength to make another day
So years have passed and all the kids are grown The angels took Mama to a brand new home Lord knows, people, I shedded tears But my daddy’s voice kept me through the years
Saying Patches, I’m dependin’ on you, son To pull the family through My son, it’s all left up to you
Oh, I can still hear Papa’s voice sayin’ Patches, I’m dependin’ on you, son I’ve tried to do my best It’s up to you to do the rest
I can still hear Papa, what he said Patches, I’m dependin’ on you, son To pull the family through My son, it’s all left up to you
From their 1985 album Open Fire. The song reached #55 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1985.
From Allmusic.com
Taking their name from a Beatles song, the group was originally formed as Yesterday & Today in San Francisco, around 1973.
From Wikipedia
“Summertime Girls” is a single by American rock band Y&T. It was released as the first single from their seventh studio album Open Fire. It later reappeared on their eighth studio album Down for the Count. The song became the band’s biggest hit, as well as their first and only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 55.
Summertime Girls
Ooh yeah, I Just want to watch the girls, goin’ by… It’s like poetry in motion against a hot summer sky. I’m in love, yeah yeah… at least every minute or two… until the next time a girl walks by I think I love her too
I can’t help myself but I just loose my head everytime you see ’em walkin’ by…
Summertime Girls You make my whole world go around Summertime Girls When you lift me up I never come down, no, no…
She’s hot! I dig her wiggle and all that shake I can read that body language, yeah a million miles away Sometimes I, yeah come on just a bit, a bit too strong But I just like to pretend, yes. that I can have ’em all.
No time, time to catch my breath so easily impressed it doesn’t matter if it’s day or night
Summertime Girls You make my whole world go around Summertime Girls But when you lift me up I never come down, no, no…
Come here girls…
Summertime Girls You make my whole world go around Summertime Girls When you lift me up I never come down, no, no…
Summertime Girls Oh baby..You make my whole world go around Summertime Girls The way you lift me up I never come down, no, no…
Summertime Girls Summertime Girls Summertime Girls You make my whole world go around Summertime Girls
I ran across this song a couple of months ago. In 1971 it was banned by Arm Forces Radio. I thought this would be a good post for Memorial Day.
From her 1971 album Contact. The song reached #12 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on June 5th 1971.
From Wikipedia
“Bring the Boys Home” is a song recorded by rhythm and blues singer Freda Payne in 1971 during the Vietnam War era. It was an anti-war song that was aimed at the sending of troops to fight in an increasingly unpopular war.
The song was produced by Greg Perry and released on the Invictus label. It was backed with “I Shall Not Be Moved”. The song came out at a time when soldiers were returning to America dead and in body bags. A higher than normal amount of the soldiers were black. The soldiers were only boys at the age of 20, which was the average age that many of them were killed. In spite of the healthy amount of airplay it received in the US, the US Command from the American Forces Network banned it. The reason given was that it would be of benefit to the enemy. 50,000 copies of the album Contact were pressed before it was added to the album after it became a hit. It replaced “He’s In My Life” which was the first track on side 1.
The Soul Source section of the May 22 issue of Billboard named it the best new record of the week.
Bring the Boys Home
Fathers are pleading Lovers are all alone Mothers are praying Send our sons back home (tell ’em ’bout it) You marched them away Yes, you did now On ships and planes To the senseless war Facing death in vain
Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) (why don’t you) Turn the ships around (everybody oh) Lay your weapons down
Can’t you see ’em march across the sky All the soldiers that have died Tryin’ to get home Can’t you see them tryin’ to get home? Tryin’ to get home They’re tryin’ to get home Seesaw fire (tell ’em ’bout it On the battlefield Enough men have already Been wounded and killed
Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) (why don’t you) Turn the ships around (everybody oh) Lay your weapons down (Mothers, fathers and lovers, can’t you see them)
Ooh, ooh Tryin’ to get home Can’t you see them tryin’ to get home? (Have mercy) Ooh, ooh Tryin’ to get home, tryin’ to get home
Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) Bring the boys home (bring ’em back alive) What they doing over there, now (bring ’em back alive) When we need them over here, now (bring ’em back alive) What they doing over there, now (bring ’em back alive) When we need them over here, now (bring ’em back alive) Bring ’em home, bring ’em home (bring ’em back alive) Bring ’em home, bring ’em home (bring ’em back alive)
From their 1966 album The Monkees. The song reached number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on November 5th, 1966. The train in the video is the Sierra Railway No .03 The Cannonball from the TV show Petticoat Junction. It was also in the movie Back to The Future part III plus hundreds of other TV shows and movies.
From Wikipedia,
The song was written by the songwriting duo of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Boyce has said that the song’s opening guitar part (played by Louis Shelton) was an attempt to emulate the type of memorable and clearly identifiable riff that the Beatles had used in songs such as “I Feel Fine,” “Day Tripper” and “Paperback Writer“. The latter Beatles’ song had reached number one on the U.S. charts three months earlier, around the time that “Last Train to Clarksville” was written and recorded. The lyrics, too, were inspired by “Paperback Writer”: Hart misheard the end of that song on the radio and thought Paul McCartney was singing “take the last train”; Hart then decided to use the line himself, after he found out that McCartney was actually singing “paperback writer.”
Hart knew that the Monkees’ TV series was being pitched as a music/comedy series in the spirit of the Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night, and he was hoping that by emulating the Beatles the song might become a successful single.
The lyrics tell of a man phoning the woman whom he loves, urging her to meet him at a train station in Clarksville before he must leave, possibly forever. There is no explicit reference to war in the song, but its last line, “And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home,” was an indirect reference to a soldier leaving for the Vietnam War. Hart has denied any connection by the song to the city of Clarksville, Tennessee, near Fort Campbell, the home of the 101st Airborne Division that was then serving in Vietnam. According to Hart, “We were just looking for a name that sounded good. There’s a little town in northern Arizona I used to go through in the summer on the way to Oak Creek Canyon called Clarkdale. We were throwing out names, and when we got to Clarkdale, we thought Clarksville sounded even better. We didn’t know it at the time, but there is an Army base near the town of Clarksville, Tennessee — which would have fit the bill fine for the storyline. We couldn’t be too direct with the Monkees. We couldn’t really make a protest song out of it—we kind of snuck it in.”
Last Train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville And I’ll meet you at the station You can be here by 4:30 ‘Cause I’ve made your reservation
Don’t be slow Oh, no, no, no Oh, no, no, no
‘Cause I’m leavin’ in the morning And I must see you again We’ll have one more night together ‘Til the morning brings my train
And I must go Oh, no, no, no Oh, no, no, no And I don’t know if I’m ever comin’ home
Take the last train to Clarksville I’ll be waiting at the station We’ll have time for coffee flavored kisses And a bit of conversation
Oh, no, no, no Oh, no, no, no
Take the last train to Clarksville Now I must hang up the phone I can’t hear you in this noisy railroad station, all alone
I’m feelin’ low Oh, no, no, no Oh, no, no, no And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home
Oh
Take the last train to Clarksville And I’ll meet you at the station You can be here by 4:30 ‘Cause I’ve made your reservation
Don’t be slow Oh, no, no, no Oh, no, no, no And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home
Take the last train to Clarksville Take the last train to Clarksville Take the last train to Clarksville Take the last train to Clarksville
From their 2024 album, Light ‘Em Up. John Corabi returns as lead singer. This song goes back to a style of music that was popular in the late 70s and early 80s. It sounds like they barrowed the Hammond B3 from an REO song, but that’s OK with me.
From sleazeroxx.com
“The Dead Daisies release their latest single “Love That’ll Never Be” today. The song came together while the band was working on songs for what became their latest album Light ‘Em Up. John and Marti Frederiksen had started working on the track with a future Corabi solo record in mind but decided to throw it into the mix for the band to consider. Everyone really liked it and after a few elements were trimmed off and Doug toughened up some of the guitar parts, they all really loved how it came out!!
“Love That’ll Never Be” is a bluesy 70’s rock ballad reminiscent of The Allman Brothers about a girl who thought the grass was greener until she realizes that what she wanted….she already had!!! Now, it’s too late to get it back…” – John Corabi
Love That’ll Never Be
She wakes up on the wrong side of the bed alone Thinks about a time that’s passed her by Makes a cup of coffee, reaches for the phone to see With no word from him begins to cry, you know
Time they say, heals everything But not goodbyes
Now she’s holding on to the memories She cries at night for a remedy She cries For a love that’ll never be
She checks her phone a thousand times he doesn’t call Did she push him to the point of no return? Took his love for granted, left his heart abandoned Now she’d give up everything to be back in his arms
Time they say, heals everything But not goodbyes
Now she’s holding on to the memories She cries, at night for a remedy She cries For a love that’ll never be
Time they say, heals everything Time they say, heals everything But not this time No!
Now she’s holding on to the memories She cries at night for a remedy yeah, yeah Alone tonight, she’s gonna be Holding on to the memories Oh, just a memory Mmmm For a love that’ll never be A love that’ll never be
From their 2008 album Black Ice. As Rodney Dangerfield used to say “What a crowd, What a crowd, but in this case AC/DC gets all the respect from the crowd of around 85,000 people at Argentina’s River Plate stadium. The band was in their 50’s and 60’s at this point. This concert had an unreal energy about it. The song peaked at number 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
From songfacts
This was AC/DC’s first new single in eight years, their longest gap to date. Black Ice debuted at the top of the album chart selling 784,000 copies the first week. It was AC/DC’s first chart-topping release in the US since For Those About To Rock in 1981.
This song was one of four tracks on Black Ice that featured the word ‘Rock’ in the title, the others being “She Likes Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream” and “Rocking All the Way.” Vocalist Brian Johnson explained to Vancouver 24 Hours: “I just think we’re trying to tell people that normal service has been resumed. We’re back, and this is a rock ‘n’ roll record. It cannot be mistaken. We’re ramming it down their throat, me son! But I must admit, we didn’t notice. We went, ‘F—ing hell, there’s four songs with rock ‘n’ roll in the title.’ But that’s just what we do.”
This featured in promo ads for season 4 of the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds plus in Episode 69 of the show.
Rock N Roll Train
One hot angel One cool devil Your mind on the fantasy Living on the ecstasy
Give it all, give it Give it what you got Come on give it all a lot Pick it up and move it Give it to the spot Your mind on a fantasy Living on ecstasy
Runaway train (Running right off the track) Runaway train (Running right off the track) Runaway train (Running right off the track) Yeah the runaway train (Running right off the track)
One hard ring a bell Old school rebel A ten for the revelry Jamming up the agency
Shake it, shake it Take it to the spot You know she made it really hot Get it on, give it up Come on give it all you got Your mind on a fantasy Living on the ecstasy
Runaway train (Running right off the track) Yeah the runaway train yeah (Running right off the track) On the runaway train (Running right off the track) Runaway train (Running right off the track)
One hot southern belle Son of a devil A school boy’s spelling bee A school girl with a fantasy
One hard ring a bell All screwed up A ten on the revelry Jamming up the agency
Shake it, take it Take it to the spot You know she make it really hot Give it all, give it up Come on give it all you got You know she just like it
Runaway train (Running right off the track) she’s coming off the track Runaway train (Running right off the track)
Get it on, get it up Come on give it all you got Runaway train (Running right off the track) Runaway train (Running right off the track)
The title song from their 1975 album. I remember this song mostly from a teachers PSA back in the 70s and 80s. The song reached number 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1976.
Originally recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, with Teddy Pendergrass singing lead vocals, the song had a somewhat unconventional structure, starting subdued and building slowly to a climax. The title track from their 1975 album, the song spent two weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in early 1976. It also enjoyed success on the pop charts, peaking at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 34 Easy Listening, number 33 in Canada, and number 23 in the UK Singles Chart. They performed the song on Soul Train on November 22, 1975.
From Songfacts
This was their last Top 40 hit with drummer/lead singer Teddy Pendergrass. He left for a solo career that was cut short by an automobile accident. David Ebo became lead singer in 1976, after Pendergrass’s departure.
Wake Up Everybody
Wake up everybody no more sleepin’ in bed No more backward thinkin’ time for thinkin’ ahead The world has changed so very much From what it used to be There is so much hatred war an’ poverty Wake up all the teachers time to teach a new way Maybe then they’ll listen to whatcha have to say ‘Cause they’re the ones who’s coming up and the world is in their hands When you teach the children teach em the very best you can
The world won’t get no better if we just let it be The world won’t get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me
Wake up all the doctors make the ol’ people well They’re the ones who suffer an’ who catch all the hell But they don’t have so very long before the Judgment Day So won’tcha make them happy before they pass away Wake up all the builders time to build a new land I know we can do it if we all lend a hand The only thing we have to do is put it in our mind Surely things will work out they do it every time
The world won’t get no better if we just let it be The world won’t get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me
Change it yeah, change it yeah, just you and me Change it yeah, change it yeah Can’t do it alone, need some help y’all Can’t do it alone Can’t do it alone yeah, yeah Wake up everybody, wake up everybody Need a little help y’all Need a little help Need some help y’all
Change the world What it used to be Can’t do it alone, need some help Wake up everybody Get up , get up, get up, get up Wake up, come on, come on Wake up everybody
Writer/s: GENE MCFADDEN, JOHN WHITEHEAD, VICTOR CARSTARPHEN
From their 2018 album Burn It Down. The song did not chart, but the album reached #6 on Billboard’s U.S. Heatseekers chart in 2018. Happy Halloween!
Resurrected
Stare in the mirror, lines on my face, yeah I wonder where the time has gone It’s been a long hard road out from the grave But I keep a moving on I been up, down, turned around Kicked hard to the ground Keep a coming back again
From the ashes, from the flame I’m here to light the fire again
I’m back, resurrected I’m back, resurrected
I’m a man on a mission, you better listen Ain’t nobody gonna stop the show Riding high on my horse, ass in my saddle All revved up ready to go I’ve had nine lives, every time Roll the dice, pay the price I do it all again
Another day, another dance From the dead, a second chance
Free Fallin' 