A great, underrated and shamefully forgotten classic. I always felt John Cougar somehow grabbed onto the coattails of “My Girl” and rode the wave…albeit in a pretty regular way. The consumer was ready to gobble up “regular” in the form of Cougar and Tom Petty in the same way they were buying Tempos and Cavaliers at the time.
I get what you mean, Jasper! Things like "My Girl" and its stark dynamism shone so bright above the noise of the normal back in the day. There's only so much plodding denim and humdrum the airwaves should've handled back then! Oh, and I once had an '86 Cavalier in the late '80s! Certainly garnered no stares or double-takes (even in So. Calif!) then! I'm glad you tuned in! Here's one I think you might like....a little-known band who also dabbled quite a bit in the dynamic....R.A.F.: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-autopsy-1980-david-valentine
As you know, Kevin (and figuring you're as musically savvy as I), you can imagine how shocked I was to hear a song I'D NEVER HEARD BEFORE amid all the well-played and well-known songs on "Yacht Rock"! And, then discovering it was a song I loved at first hearing! And was, itself, 36 years old! Music...always surprising!
That Behind The Vinyl series is a treasure trove! I've used some of them myself. So happy they exist to document Canadian rock history.
As a Canadian girl, this song was everywhere when it came out. On radio, on Much when it started. Vocally it's a real challenge (I've tried!) so good on you, Brad. You need to do it in a Canadian bar. It will get a VERY different reaction!
That's so funny......ubiquitous play for you north of the border.....crickets to me in L.A. (having just moved there from Texas in '80). I guess it got no airplay on the stations I listened to....but, knowing me, you'd probably guess correctly that I wasn't listening to the Top 40 stations!
Finally being in L.A., I was more interested in checking out the names I heard about in Houston the decade before....the late Jim Ladd, Rodney Bingenheimer on KROQ, and trying desperately to find where "Flo & Eddie by the Fireside" was!
There weren't/aren't that many songs that grab me first listen....but, "My Girl" is just so radically and unusually-structured (with such low lows and high highs, vocally), they could've been so tempted to just re-cycle it....good for them they didn't try!
A great, underrated and shamefully forgotten classic. I always felt John Cougar somehow grabbed onto the coattails of “My Girl” and rode the wave…albeit in a pretty regular way. The consumer was ready to gobble up “regular” in the form of Cougar and Tom Petty in the same way they were buying Tempos and Cavaliers at the time.
I get what you mean, Jasper! Things like "My Girl" and its stark dynamism shone so bright above the noise of the normal back in the day. There's only so much plodding denim and humdrum the airwaves should've handled back then! Oh, and I once had an '86 Cavalier in the late '80s! Certainly garnered no stares or double-takes (even in So. Calif!) then! I'm glad you tuned in! Here's one I think you might like....a little-known band who also dabbled quite a bit in the dynamic....R.A.F.: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-autopsy-1980-david-valentine
I heard it for the first time on the Yacht Rock channel as well. Great song!
As you know, Kevin (and figuring you're as musically savvy as I), you can imagine how shocked I was to hear a song I'D NEVER HEARD BEFORE amid all the well-played and well-known songs on "Yacht Rock"! And, then discovering it was a song I loved at first hearing! And was, itself, 36 years old! Music...always surprising!
Lol. I thought for sure I'd heard everything that gets played. I was definitely surprised to hear something new.
Great piece on an iconic piece of Canadian pop.
Also recommended from before and after this one: "Raino", "Don't Stop", "Fly At Night", "California Girl", "Crazy Talk" and "Watcha Gonna Do" (sic).
Made a note of these, David, and shall report back! Thank you for this!
All available on the 2002 CD "Greatest Hits" from Solid Gold Records.
That Behind The Vinyl series is a treasure trove! I've used some of them myself. So happy they exist to document Canadian rock history.
As a Canadian girl, this song was everywhere when it came out. On radio, on Much when it started. Vocally it's a real challenge (I've tried!) so good on you, Brad. You need to do it in a Canadian bar. It will get a VERY different reaction!
That's so funny......ubiquitous play for you north of the border.....crickets to me in L.A. (having just moved there from Texas in '80). I guess it got no airplay on the stations I listened to....but, knowing me, you'd probably guess correctly that I wasn't listening to the Top 40 stations!
Finally being in L.A., I was more interested in checking out the names I heard about in Houston the decade before....the late Jim Ladd, Rodney Bingenheimer on KROQ, and trying desperately to find where "Flo & Eddie by the Fireside" was!
There weren't/aren't that many songs that grab me first listen....but, "My Girl" is just so radically and unusually-structured (with such low lows and high highs, vocally), they could've been so tempted to just re-cycle it....good for them they didn't try!
Chilliwack is a legendary band in Canada for many reasons but that is one of them.