Some Songs Are Simply Too Much in One Way or Another

Remember those cold mornings in the movie "Groundhog Day" when Phil Connors (Bill Murray) wakes up to "I Got You Babe" on the radio alarm clock?

Nothing against the Sonny and Cher song but it's certainly not a tune I'd want to hear to start my day at 6 a.m. And there are other tunes that I've heard too much in my lifetime. They give me the shivers.

There are a few songs I really liked when they were released, but in my most humble opinion, they've been overplayed on the radio through the years. When they come on, I tune them out.

It would be a nightmarish "Twilight Zone" experience for me to be stranded on an island with the following songs blaring day after day after day.

Here's my list:

"Sympathy for the Devil" — The Rolling Stones 
"Ride Captain Ride" -- The Blues Image 
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" — Charlie Daniels Band
"Money" — Pink Floyd
"American Pie" — Don McLean 
"Nights in White Satin" — The Moody Blues
"Dueling Banjos" — Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
"Piano Man" — Billy Joel
"Stairway to Heaven" — Led Zeppelin
"More Than A Feeling" — Boston
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" — Rupert Holmes 
"Bohemian Rhapsody" — Queen

And there are a few songs I didn't care that much for when released so they're automatically tuned out:

"Muskrat Love" — America and The Captain and Tennille 
"You Light Up My Life" — Debby Boone
"Tragedy" — The Bee Gees
"Band on the Run" — Paul McCartney and Wings
"You're Beautiful" — James Blunt

And then there are a few songs that are difficult to categorize because they can be like a virus and stick in your head all day:

"Achy Breaky Heart" — Billy Ray Cyrus
"The Final Countdown" — Europe
"Macarena" — Los Del Rio
"Party All the Time" — Eddie Murphy
"Anna (Go to Him)" — The Beatles
"The Candy Man Can" — Sammy Davis Jr.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" — Duran Duran

I'll spare you those irritating Christmas songs. Bah humbug!

Let me add that after not hearing overplayed songs for a while, I don't mind listening to them again. Just not an overdose. It can kill you!

Any songs that fit these criteria for you?

Until the next time . . . 


P.S. -- I'd appreciate it if you'd click the "Follow" button (far right column under "Followers" with all the pretty faces) since Google has eliminated more than 100 followers by shutting down Google+ extensions.

Cover of Upcoming Novel

As those who follow this blog know, at least I hope they do, I've got a new novel that will be released May 1. 

And today I'm previewing the cover for New Horizons, the third book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series, from Wings ePress. The others in the series are Old Ways and New Days and Darkness Beyond the Light.

Trisha Fitzgerald-Jung, the graphic artist, did a fantastic job with the cover. I couldn't be more pleased with her artwork. Of my nine novels, it's my favorite.   

The photo is of a street in Budapest I took when my wife and I visited the Old World city in 2016. And much of the novel takes place in the Hungarian capital. I hope readers will gain a sense of what a wonderful place it is to visit.  



Budapest is a city that captured our hearts, and it's a place we'd love to spend time again. Maybe someday. I would encourage others to experience the sights if given the opportunity.

That's all to this post; I just wanted to share the beautiful cover.

Until the next time . . . 

Band Music from Bands

Quite a few songs with "band" in the title have charted in the U.S. through the years. 

The first one that comes to mind is "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band," from The Beatles' landmark album released in 1967. The Paul McCartney-penned tune (but credited as a McCartney-Lennon composition) reached No. 71 on the charts. 

The following year, The Association's "Six Man Band" made it to No. 47. The song, written by Terry Kirkman, revealed the band's edgy side.

John Fogerty's rousing "Travelin' Band," reached No. 2 in 1970 for Creedence Clearwater Revival. The guys showed they were much more than a bayou-blues band.

Three Dog Night scored a No. 19 hit with the funky "One Man Band" in 1971. It was written by Billy Fox, Tommy Kaye, and January Tyme).  Three Dog Night had 18 songs reach the Top 20; quite an accomplishment for a group that can't get a nod from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Albert Hammond had a No. 19 hit with the bouncy "The Free Electric Band" in 1973. He co-wrote the song with Mike Hazelwood.

And finally, Grand Funk Railroad had its biggest hit in 1973, with the driving "We're An American Band" topping the charts. Drummer Don Brewer wrote and sang the classic song (my favorite by the group).

Some other notable "band" songs include "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney and Wings (No. 1 in 1974 by McCartney); "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead (No. 69 in 1970 by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter); "Listen to the Band" by The Monkees (No. 63 in 1969 by Michael Nesmith);"Rock & Roll Band" by Boston (uncharted in 1976 by Tom Scholz);  and "I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)" by The Moody Blues (No. 12 in 1973 by John Lodge).

Do you have any favorite band songs?

Until the next time . . .

Farewell to Google+

As some of you may know,  Google is shutting down Google+, effective April 2 (I suppose they wanted to avoid an April Fool's Day joke by shuttering it a day earlier). 

It means those who have blogs on Google's Blogspot will be losing some of their followers (134 for me). So when I post something after April 2, my loyal followers will not receive any notification.

So, Google has this recommendation: "Between now and the shutdown, we recommend you let your followers know where they can see your content outside of Google+. Consider creating a post that lists your website, blog, social media channels, and other ways to stay in touch."

During the next few weeks, I'll download links to my page that you can click if you want to remain a follower of my blog. And I'll do likewise on your blog if you notify me. I do have a "follow" button on the right column of my page that you should be able to use. 

I know this is an inconvenience, for you and me, but that's the way the Internet seems to work. Just when you think something is working right, developers make changes or kill it. Does anyone use MySpace anymore? 

Anyway, here's an article on what Google+ users can do between now and the "sunset" of the app.

Until the next time (if there is one) . . .