I've made the argument before that certain celebrities are better known (in certain circles, at least) for the song that's named after them than for their own individual renown. I certainly discovered Faron Young through a song that took his name... though his fame (and notoriety) influenced many others, including Peanuts creator Charles Schultz who gave the name Faron to a cat in his long-running comic strip.
Iffypedia (and a number of other websites that have lifted their info straight off iffypedia) reports that: "A country song by Tex Garrison mentions Faron Young in his opening lyrics with the lines 'Got a stack of records when I was one, listened to Hank Williams and Faron Young.'" This, however, appears to be a good example of why we shouldn't believe everything we read on the interweb, since I can't find any other reference to that lyric... or the singer Tex Garrison... anywhere online. It appears to be a load of bunkum... unless you know differently.
Because country musicians love name-checking the great and good of their community, there are loads of records that do mention Faron... alongside the likes of Willie, Waylon and the rest. Here are a few examples...
They got a jukebox and a bar that's full of drinkers But Faron Young's the only voice I hear If misery loves company then why do I feel so lonely With a broken heart as a souvenir
But if country music isn't your thing... well, if country music isn't your thing then you're probably not reading this. Still, here's the modestly monikered One Star...
And now, the one you've all been waiting for: Paddy. But is Paddy a fan, that's the question? Well, clearly he's a country music fan, since the name "Prefab Sprout" came from mishearing the lyrics to Jackson: he really should have called his band "Peppered Sprout". But the song Faron Young isn't really about Faron. It's more about his biggest hit, Four In The Morning, and how things like that can become so ubiquitous they lose their original intent. In the song, Paddy is driving through America looking for something real, something new, something he's never experienced before... but all he finds are the clichés.
You offer infrared instead of sun You offer bubble gum You give me Faron Young, Four in the morning
Initially, Paddy had written the tune but didn't have a lyric. He asked the band's drummer, Michael Salmon, to give him a word to base the song on, and Salmon suggest "antiques". Which is why the lyric begins thus...
Antiques! Every other sentiment's an antique As obsolete as warships in the Baltic
Four In The Morning was a hit from 1971, yet it was still everywhere in the mid-80s... it was the first music video played on Country Music Television in 1983. So I guess it was an antique by then, and a perfect metaphor for what Paddy was saying. Perhaps Faron Young felt the same. By 1996, he felt so abandoned by the world of country music that he took his own life.
Faron Young had the lowest chart placing of any of the singles released from Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen album. But it's still a classic.
Postscript...
In 2016, The Blazing Zoos finally gave Four In The Morning the sequel it deserves...
It's four in the morning and I'm listening to Four In The Morning Faron Young never sung anything quite like he sung this one Don't string her along, Don't treat her wrong Guilt pays you back in the end
You can see I'm past caring Please tell me, Faron Why am I still up at five?
If you can't bear the suspense any longer... here are yesterday's bear-faced answers...
10. This drives one crazy!
"Drives one" is an anagram. The artist in question was also famous for his truck-driver-themed hits. Of which this, his only UK chart entry, is surely his worst. I mean, I like a mawkish talky CB-flavoured country tune as much as anyone, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.
#4 in 1981 though... those of you who were old enough to be buying records in that year, I blame you. I was only 9, so nobody can blame me.
Yesterday's title photo featured Michael Keaton, who played The Ghost With The Most, Beetlejuice.
Today it's the turn of Bruce Willis who... well, spoilers, obviously. Although much as I like The Sixth Sense (and most M. Knight Shyamalan movies), that was one twist I spotted very early on. Which was a bit of a disappointment.
Still, here we go... a bit tougher than usual, though you cracked the link eventually.
I may have used the combination of James T. (Jim) Kirk and Christopher 'Superman' Reeves before. After 193 of these things, a repeated clue every now and then is unavoidable...
He did also do a version of Tell Laura I Love Her... but it's not as spine-tingling as the tune above! Wait for the twist, if you've never heard it before...
