A 21-year-old Oklahoman turns out to be a songwriting genius. Has anyone stopped to wonder how artists and producers, at the time, could recognize that fact when given such perplexing material?
Thanks for an informative and fascinating post Brad. If you only learned of the song yesterday I only learned of it today - though I am not going to suddenly write an enormous post about it! I am not sure if these are your word or you are quoting someone else (there's a quotation mark at tyhe start of the paragraph but not later).... My sense is that Rosencrans Boulevard is not meant to be a person but it is what it is and has an inextricable pull on the composer. Which is very powerful in its own write/right. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks, Tony! You may be referencing the L.A. Times mention I included early on. I think you're right, but regular FR&B readers (and friends who've known me for decades) know that I've rarely, if ever, attempted to interpret lyrics! I let others do that, as I did in this one!
My story? I saw The Beatles on "Sullivan" when I was 8. The sonic bombast, melodies, and harmonies were all I was drawn to! "What? They're saying something? Oh, yeah, I guess so" was pretty much my growth in music appreciation (and why Dylan, and other loquacious rockers had, literally, no attraction for me)! As a singer, the lyrics, for me, were just the things one had to memorize in order to sing a song!
I've told this story before: I was 11 in '66 when I first heard "Paperback Writer" on the radio. I was imagining a kid riding on a small pocket-sized novel.....a paperback rider! So, young or not, that was an early, failed attempt at lyric-deciphering!
So, that's why I'm happy and eager to find quotes to include from others who want to roll those interpretive dice!! Thanks again, Tony!
Wow I absolutely loved this Brad, although that’s never a surprise when it comes to your work. I’d never heard this song before and it’s gorgeous. I appreciate the deep dive and the different versions which are all quite different and each lovely in their own way.
I thought I’d only ever heard Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In. But that’s only because I didn’t realize they also sang Up Up And Away. In the back of my mind I thought that was Nancy Sinatra, but only because in the early 2000s I saw a very late night airing of her “Moving With Nancy” TV special that included the track (https://youtu.be/1FfyVkKxO7w?si=k1kLkQ5aph5-dL_r).
Coincidentally, that particular track (the original 5D version) plays over the loudspeaker on the sidewalk opposite the TWA Hotel as you’re walking over from the Airtrain stop. It’s the PERFECT song for that hotel! I highly recommend a night staying there (or even just hanging out there for a few hours if you have a long layover at JFK) as it’s an awesome historical snapshot with suitably cheesy decor (I mean that in a good way) and wonderful exhibits in the public spaces.
Thanks, Mark....for your thoughtful words as well as your I-gram quickie! That is a remarkable looking hotel! I, too, had never heard "Rosecrans Boulevard" until Nick (as I mentioned in the piece) shared the Zumpano cover with me. Call that musical inspiration. If Nick doesn't mention that particular cover (which was very deftly performed by such a mid-'90s band who might've felt compelled to thrash the hell out of it!), I'm not motivated to compose this article in a 5-hour span!! Thank you, Nick, again!
I think it kind of "bothered" me that there was a Webb song by 5th Dimension THAT I WASN'T AWARE OF! Kinda shame on me, I guess. Well, you know me....I had to get my big shovel for this, and dig.....but, DEEP! I wanted to make sure you've seen, Mark, this non-Webb song by 5D that I wrote about over a year ago, written by a lovely lady named Dorothea Joyce: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/dissecting-a-hit-dorothea-joyce-and
As I place 5D squarely in the sub-genre of "sunshine pop," if you haven't seen this one, it showcases a lad who traveled in that lane around 1969. Much like "Rosecrans," I hadn't heard of Mark Eric before....once I did, and learned more about him (and, believe me, there's not much on the Web!), I immediately set about to write what I'm hoping can be the definitive bio on him: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-autopsy-1969-mark-eric-and
Thanks for linking to those articles, all made for wonderful reading! I guess I know at least one more 5D song as I did recognize One Less Bell To Answer. Clearly I also know a lot of Marilyn McCoo songs as well. What a singer she is!
Thanks for an informative and fascinating post Brad. If you only learned of the song yesterday I only learned of it today - though I am not going to suddenly write an enormous post about it! I am not sure if these are your word or you are quoting someone else (there's a quotation mark at tyhe start of the paragraph but not later).... My sense is that Rosencrans Boulevard is not meant to be a person but it is what it is and has an inextricable pull on the composer. Which is very powerful in its own write/right. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks, Tony! You may be referencing the L.A. Times mention I included early on. I think you're right, but regular FR&B readers (and friends who've known me for decades) know that I've rarely, if ever, attempted to interpret lyrics! I let others do that, as I did in this one!
My story? I saw The Beatles on "Sullivan" when I was 8. The sonic bombast, melodies, and harmonies were all I was drawn to! "What? They're saying something? Oh, yeah, I guess so" was pretty much my growth in music appreciation (and why Dylan, and other loquacious rockers had, literally, no attraction for me)! As a singer, the lyrics, for me, were just the things one had to memorize in order to sing a song!
I've told this story before: I was 11 in '66 when I first heard "Paperback Writer" on the radio. I was imagining a kid riding on a small pocket-sized novel.....a paperback rider! So, young or not, that was an early, failed attempt at lyric-deciphering!
So, that's why I'm happy and eager to find quotes to include from others who want to roll those interpretive dice!! Thanks again, Tony!
Wow I absolutely loved this Brad, although that’s never a surprise when it comes to your work. I’d never heard this song before and it’s gorgeous. I appreciate the deep dive and the different versions which are all quite different and each lovely in their own way.
I thought I’d only ever heard Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In. But that’s only because I didn’t realize they also sang Up Up And Away. In the back of my mind I thought that was Nancy Sinatra, but only because in the early 2000s I saw a very late night airing of her “Moving With Nancy” TV special that included the track (https://youtu.be/1FfyVkKxO7w?si=k1kLkQ5aph5-dL_r).
Coincidentally, that particular track (the original 5D version) plays over the loudspeaker on the sidewalk opposite the TWA Hotel as you’re walking over from the Airtrain stop. It’s the PERFECT song for that hotel! I highly recommend a night staying there (or even just hanging out there for a few hours if you have a long layover at JFK) as it’s an awesome historical snapshot with suitably cheesy decor (I mean that in a good way) and wonderful exhibits in the public spaces.
Thanks, Mark....for your thoughtful words as well as your I-gram quickie! That is a remarkable looking hotel! I, too, had never heard "Rosecrans Boulevard" until Nick (as I mentioned in the piece) shared the Zumpano cover with me. Call that musical inspiration. If Nick doesn't mention that particular cover (which was very deftly performed by such a mid-'90s band who might've felt compelled to thrash the hell out of it!), I'm not motivated to compose this article in a 5-hour span!! Thank you, Nick, again!
I think it kind of "bothered" me that there was a Webb song by 5th Dimension THAT I WASN'T AWARE OF! Kinda shame on me, I guess. Well, you know me....I had to get my big shovel for this, and dig.....but, DEEP! I wanted to make sure you've seen, Mark, this non-Webb song by 5D that I wrote about over a year ago, written by a lovely lady named Dorothea Joyce: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/dissecting-a-hit-dorothea-joyce-and
It's a solo, really, by Marilyn McCoo, and the song perfectly showcases her incredible voice! And, there was this little piece with songs about flight: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/grow-bigger-ears-5-the-audio-autopsy that includes "Up, Up & Away"!
As I place 5D squarely in the sub-genre of "sunshine pop," if you haven't seen this one, it showcases a lad who traveled in that lane around 1969. Much like "Rosecrans," I hadn't heard of Mark Eric before....once I did, and learned more about him (and, believe me, there's not much on the Web!), I immediately set about to write what I'm hoping can be the definitive bio on him: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-autopsy-1969-mark-eric-and
Enjoy, and thanks again, Mark!
Thanks for linking to those articles, all made for wonderful reading! I guess I know at least one more 5D song as I did recognize One Less Bell To Answer. Clearly I also know a lot of Marilyn McCoo songs as well. What a singer she is!
You're most welcome, Mark! I call Marilyn our Whitney a decade before we were blessed with Ms. Houston!
Here’s my wife and I having fun at the TWA hotel last month on a long layover: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1VDt87O48d/?igsh=MWNnNDc1bTB4djVpMw==