Clark Besch tells us that today is Yoko Ono's 90th birthday.
Now Yoko's voice, at best, is an acquired taste ... and one I've just never developed a craving for (much like brussel sprouts ... I'm and adult now, dammit ... so I don't HAVE to eat them if I don't want to!!!)
Still others credit her with inspiring bands like The B-52's for their '80's style of music. ("Love Shack" still has a little more melody to my ears, however ... and is minus the traditional shrieking we came to expect from Ono's own recordings.)
One comment that always comes back to me was when, during the height of the original pandemic, the CDC made the announcement that some strand of the Covid virus may be with us "for some time to come" ... and some comic (Bill Maher perhaps???) equated that news to finding out that the new Yoko Ono CD came with six bonus tracks.
Anyway, Clark says that when he saw the birthday news, he was somehow inspired to send in THIS clip (for some inexplicable reason) ...
Which, of course, inspired ME to post THIS clip ...
For the record, Yoko actually DID have one record that fell one spot short of making The Top 40 (in Cash Box anyway) ...
Her 1981 hit "Walking On Thin Ice" (which is actually quite listenable ... and became a bit of a dance hit in the clubs) peaked at #41 (but only climbed to #58 in Billboard.)
A far cry from her usual fare ...
By the way, "Juanita Banana" by The Peels ALSO made it to #41 (in Record World ... #59 in Billboard) ... I first discovered this track when Dickie Goodman used it in his "Batman And His Grandmother" cut-in record ...
While Mrs. Miller's version of "Downtown" (Tony Hatch had to be SO proud!!!) got enough novelty airplay to climb to #82. (kk)
And, from Mike Wolstein ...
