Believe it or not, there's still lots of talk about our Bubblegum Countdown from last week’s “Those Were The Days” show hosted by Phil Nee on WRCO.
In fact, FH Reader Sam Ward has posted a link (valid for the next 30 days) where you can download the entire show and either listen to it again, listen to it for the first time if you missed it, or save it for all posterity!
But you’ve got to hurry …
It’s only going to be valid for the next 30 days! (kk)
Also from Sam …
On a bubblegum related topic, I'm wondering if anyone has the complete set of lyrics to Life Is A Rock But The Radio Rolled Me by Reunion, or really Joey Levine. Most copies of the lyrics to this song that I have found, end with Freddie King and Albert King “And B.B. King and frolicking ... “
However, the lyrics continue until the song fades out, and I wonder if a complete set of lyrics exists somewhere?
Take care, and keep up the GREAT work,
Sam Ward
Way back when this song came out and went to #1 here in
Chicago I remember one of the major radio stations here in town printing the
lyrics on the back of one of their weekly Top 40 surveys … I’ll have to see if
I can find a copy. (The lyrics go by lightning
fast … kinda like “We Didn’t Start The Fire.”)
kk
Like so
many other printings of the lyrics of that song, the lyrics probably end with
"B.B. King and frolicking ...'
I suppose the only way to get those missing lyrics is to
contact Joey Levine himself, and that's assuming he would even remember them
after all these years.
Anyway, you're right, the lyrics for both Life Is A Rock and We Didn't Start
The Fire by Billy Joel move along pretty quickly, so you've really got to be
paying attention to catch them all, at least that's what you had to do before
the net came along.
Thinking about the #1 song on that Bubblegum countdown made me think of the
first song called Sugar Sugar, which probably never charted nationally,
although the song may have charted on some local RNB charts back in 1956.
That year, the Cadillacs recorded a totally different song called Sugar Sugar. There are so many songs like that. Another example is, of course, Stairway To Heaven, and probably 99 out of 100 people wouldn't even know that Neil Sedaka recorded a song with the same title as the Led Zeppelin song which was a much bigger hit.
All the best,
Sam Ward
The “BB King” lyric stopping point you’re referring to probably occurs on the hit single version of the song … but for the past twenty years or so, an “extended fade” version now seems to be the one you’re most likely to hear these days … and, believe it or not, I found the lyrics for THAT version, too.
And, better still, you can cross-reference them with this “vocals only” mix of the song that I found and posted below!!! (How’s THAT for “at your service” Forgotten Hitting?!?!)
We have been building a list of songs whose titles are exactly the same yet represent COMPLETELY different songs. I still say this feature would make for GREAT weekend programming … but it takes a bit of a commitment ... and a WHOLE lot of flexibility to stray from your normal format to truly embrace this project. (I swear you could do an entire weekend of nothing but these!!!) Sooner or later we’ll find a station willing to step outside the box for sixty hours and give it a shot. I can only promise you that your listeners will be spellbound and fixated on nothing else that entire weekend! (kk)
LIFE IS A ROCK
B.B. Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers,
Lonnie Mack and twangin' Eddy, Here's my ring, we're goin' steady,
Take it easy, take me higher, Liar liar, house on fire
Locomotion, Poco, passion, Deeper Purple, Satisfaction
Baby baby, gotta gotta, Gimme gimme, gettin' hotter
Sammy's cookin', Lesley Gore And Ritchie Valens, and The Stories
Mahavishnu, Fujiyama, Kama Sutra, rama-lama
Richard Perry, Spector, Barry, Rodgers-Hart, Nilsson Harry
Shimmy shimmy, ko-ko bop, And Fats is back and Finger Poppin'
[Chorus]
Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me
Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie
FM, AM, hits are clickin' While the clock is tock-a-tickin'
Friends and Romans, salutations, Brenda and the Tabulations
Carly Simon, Noddy Holder, Rolling Stonin' centerfolder
Johnny Cash and Johnny Rivers, Can't stop now, I got the shivers
Mungo Jerry, Peter Peter, Paul and Paula and Mary Mary
Dr. John the Nightly Tripper, Doris Day and "Jack the Ripper"
Gotta go sir, gotta swelter, Leon Russell, "Gimme Shelter"
Miracles in Smokey places, Slide guitars and Fender basses
Mushroom omelet, Bonnie Bramlett, Wilson Pickett, stop and kick it
[Chorus]
Life is a rock, but the radio
Life is a rock, but the radio
Woo!
INSTRUMENTAL
Arthur Janov's primal screamin', Hawkins, Jay and Dale and Ronnie
Kukla, Fran and Norman Okla, Denver, John and Osmond, Donny
J.J. Cale and Z.Z. Top, And L.L. Bean and De De Dinah,
David Bowie, Steely Dan And sing me prouder, "C.C. Rider"
Edgar Winter, Joanie Sommers, Ides of March, Johnny Thunders
Eric Clapton, pedal wah-wah, Stephen Foster, do-dah do-dah
"Good Vibrations", "Help Me Rhonda", "Surfer Girl" and "Little Honda"
"Tighter, Tighter", "Honey, Honey", "Sugar, Sugar", "Yummy, Yummy"
CBS and Warner Brothers, RCA and all the others
[Chorus]
Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me, yeah
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie
Listen (Remember?)
They're playing our song
Rock it, sock it, Alan Freed, me, Murray Kaufman, try to leave me
"Fish" and "Swim" and "Boston Monkey", Make it bad and play it funky
(Wanna take you higher)
Freddie King and Albert King, B.B. King and frolicking
Get it on and Nat Gerardi, Pappalardi, Hale and Hearty, yeah
(Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music)
There's a perfect, more than human, Gentle words of Randy Newman
One, two, three, so long, Sophie, Anita, Freda, Aretha
(Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music)
Tito Puente, Boffalongo, Cuba, War, and even Mongo
Peter Dial, Alex Hood, And Boogie Brass, woo!
(Baby, everything is alright)
California, Beatlemania, New York City, Transylvania
S&G, T and C, Bobby Vee And SRO, yeah ...
(Uptight … everything is alright)
TRUE CONFESSION: Until I saw these printed lyrics, I never knew that The Ides Of March were mentioned in this Top Ten Hit!!!
Interesting how Jim Peterik used a similar name-dropping technique when he and The Ides recorded "One Hit Wonder" a few decades later! (And even touted his own band in the lyrics!)
And Timmy sent us this official letter from Don Kirshner, announcing The Archies! (Pretty cool! Thanks, Timmy!)
I guess Donny learned his lesson after being fired by The Monkees …
Fictitious, cartoon characters can’t fight back!!! (lol) kk
And, on a drive out to the airport last week, we spotted THIS license plate ...
Naturally, I had to let Tommy Roe know right away! (lol) kk
Nice ...
Guess I’m kind of like Santa Claus ... He’s everywhere, He’s everywhere!!!🎅 Glad your Bubble Gum show went well and that I could contribute, Kent ... I hope you’re doing well.
Keep on Rockin’
Tommy
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
10/21/64 – The film version of "My Fair Lady" starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn premieres in New York City. It will go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1965
