After two of the driest years in recent memory, I'm happy to report that the Piedmont section of South Carolina is finally getting some rain. Thankfully, the lake are filling back up and the grass is greening up nicely. And speaking of rain...
Some years ago (33 to be exact), fellow MTH author Larry Reid and myself made the short drive up to Charlotte NC to see the old piano pounder Neil Sedaka. At that time, The Captain and Tenile had a mega hit with one of Neil's tunes, Love will Keep Us Together...and Neil himself had reemerged from his early rock and roll days to once again hit the charts. Teaming up with Elton John he released the bouncy hit Bad Blood...which he performed that day in Charlotte with two gorgeous blonds instead of EJ. Definitely better on the eyes. But the song that brought the house down was Laughter in the Rain.
A movement is afoot to get Neil into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I can think of several inductees right off the top of my head that haven't had the impact on popular music that Neil Sedaka has had. Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Calendar Girl, and Breaking up Is Hard To Do are just a few of Neil's hits. But none as sweet and melodic as LITR. If paragons of music such as The Sex Pistols are in the HOF, then Neil Sedaka should be in there no questions asked.
6 comments:
Is there a better song than BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO? I remember Sedaka bubble-gummed that one a bit when it first came out; quick and bouncy and it was good, but I always sang it slowly...the way he recorded it later...kind of fit the words better to do it slowly......!
Laughter in the Rain is terrific, too...super composer, super performer: I'll second your emotion for the Hall of Fame!
Agreed, Larry. Neil Sedaka absolutely should be in the R&R HoF. What a great voice.
As an aside, on the trip back from seeing NS, Reid and I stopped in a little joint off I-85 to grab a bite. However, we recieved a chilly reception from the local yokels who took exception to our patronage. We bee-lined it to Reid's station wagon, spewing gravel and obscenities as we got the heck out of there.
Thanks guys for the comments. And Z, I noticed that you had left another comment, but it seems to have disintegrated into blog oblivion.
Larry, why on earth would you and Larry R. receive a chilly reception at a roadside eatery? Did you guys show up drunk? Were you wearing funny shirts?
ECI, good question. Firstly, we were probably 25 years younger than most of the folks in the place. A real white sox, redneck, Blue Ribbon Beer kind of place about 60 miles southwest of Charlotte...and secondly, I'll be damned, but I was wearing a funny shirt. An Elton John T shirt to be exact. Something tells me that EJ wasn't on the jukebox at "Norma's Place". In any event, the icy stares, and the unmistakable sound of somebody saying,"oughta whup his 'ice'", convinced us that they didn't want our kind in there. So we obliged them and left...quickly.
Our kind being young and kinda goofy looking...thought I'd just clear that up!
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