From the very early 60s, here are some Bluebells supporting Harry Simeone's Orchestra, from the soundtrack of the movie Snow White & The Three Stooges. Golden Age of Hollywood, folks! These Bluebells also recorded a kids album with famous Bond villain, Hugo Montenegro.
1961 laidback surf instrumental - with added watery sfx which distract from the music, if you ask me - produced by Kim Fowley, who by all accounts was as mad as a box of frogs on a lorry.
Beginning life in 1962 as The Ordettes, before changing their name to The Bluebelles, and eventually to Patti LaBelle And The Bluebells, this Philly girl group debuted with a US Top 20 hit but never managed to climb so high again. Cyndi Birdsong left to replace Florence Ballard in The Supremes and eventually the remaining Bluebells morphed into LaBelle, hitting the top spot with Lady Marmalade in 1974. Patti LaBelle went on to even greater success as a solo artist in the 80s.
From Manchester... Georgia... some time in the 60s... comes some Country Blue Belles featuring one Prissy Sue. You can read more about her below...
As you'll see, "Sue has everything to qualify her for a place along with the other top artist". Answers on a postcard as to who "the other top artist" might be. Sheena Easton?
Not being able to find the A-side, Bingo Fool, made me very sad. We'll have to make do with the B-side...
A reggae take on the controversial Cancel Culture Club hit Girls by Moments & Whatnauts... produced in the UK by Eddy Grant in 1975. Whatnauts to love?
Ah, yes, the Glaswegian Bluebells, the ones everyone knows. Originally forming in 1981, they enjoyed a smattering of chart success before splitting up in 1986. Then in 1993, the Bluebells version of Young At Heart (a song co-written by Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama - and originally featured on their album Deep Sky Diving) was used in a VW commercial and re-issued, getting all the way to the top of the charts. Since then, the band have reformed sporadically for tours, and even produced a new album in 2023. We'll go with the obvious tune, I guess...
Atrocious Eurodisco bobbins from the 90s - they appear to have been inexplicably active for most of that decade, in which time they slaughtered various classic tunes including Sugar Baby Love, SOS and ELO's Shine A Little Love. This must surely be their absolute nadir though...
These guys came from San Francisco in 2011, and the song below featured in the soundtrack to a Reece Witherspoon movie. I'm guessing Mr. Lonesome just plays guitar and leaves the singing to the ladies.
These are The Bens, a super-group comprising of Ben Folds, Ben Lee and Ben Kweller, artists who all did time in my record collection before joining together like the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers into a huge unstoppable indie robot of destruction. Or something.
Anyway, they seemed the perfect choice to illustrate our choice of Ben, Benjamin and Benny songs, although you guys were also kind enough to suggest...
And then there's my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, who is way too young and cool to participate in blog-reading. He's of the podcast generation. Which, if you ask me, are just blogs for people too lazy to read. Anyway, Ben suggests...
Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie
Ben's choice of song is a b-side ("because, of course...") cover of a Freedy Johnston song...
I should take this opportunity to point out I have a Ben Gibbard live solo track in my hard drive (plus all the obvious Death Cab stuff) and it too is a cover...
Anyway, more from my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben later.
At this point, I feel I should remind you all of the rules to this game. We're not after artists with the name Ben (although I'm happy to give them a mention if they're of the calibre of the Bens above)... but songs that feature them.
The Bad: in We Didn't Start The Fire, Billy Joel (not Benny Joel) lists:
Buddy Holly, Ben-Hur
Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro
Edsel is a no-go
It runs to 4 verses before he realises that he's only got to 1963, so compresses the next 30 years into a single verse.
Now even if you didn't know (which you do) that Billy is one of my favourite artists, RD... well, I never understood the hate that's always thrown at this track. It's almost become cool to hate on it. But even though it's not Billy's finest hour, I will defend it to my dying day. It's a great pop song.
The bleedin' awful (although some may like it): that song by Wacko Jacko about a rat.
Yes, we'll get to that in a moment.
First though, here are the scrapings from my hard-drive...
As for Ben songs, I don't have much. Will there ever be a time when it's ok to enjoy MJ songs in a guilt-free manner? I always loved the rat song so hope it does end up in there but would understand why it might not.
What about my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben? If anyone can advise us on such a PC-minefield, surely it's him? Except... turns out it's a little more complicated than that.
I'm named after the Ben that Michael Jackson sang about in the 80s.
Ouch. So you're named after a rat?
No, that sick kid who died in the hospital in the 80s.
Now I have to admit that I have no recollection of this myself, but my millennial hipster politico friend Ben claims that MJ sang the song as a tribute to a sick child back in the decade he was only born right at the end of. I did question what he knew of the 80s based on his tender years, to which he replied:
I use Boys From The Black Stuff and Robert Palmer as the two extremes, then just make assumptions about what goes in between.
(This is the kind of reply that makes me feel like Ben and I should do our own middle-aged loser vs. hipster politico podcast... however, the likelihood of me ever having the time to indulge in such fripperies seems zero.)
Anyway, the point is, I never really got an answer on whether it's OK to listen to Michael Jackson songs these days. So I'll play this instead...
While The Soul Of A Collector offers a favourite of mine from years gone by...
If we are allowed to include clocks in the figurin', then I am guessing there are a number of songs alluding to London's famous timepiece, the best of which I can come up with is:
Ah, Ben/Benjamin, my first love was called Ben, and I have fond memories of holding hands with him on a Summer afternoon. I was only six (and so was he, I hasten to add!)
As for songs - I brought Mr SDS (who is not called Ben) in on this one and he came up with a slice of '60s garage pop called 'Ben Franklin's Almanac' by the Cryan' Shames. None from me, I'm afraid.
This one was suggested by my millennial hipster politico friend Ben, who always insists he isn't a Benjamin himself.
I should point out that when I asked him to contribute to this post, I did tell him that the choice of name for this week was in no way down to him. Subconsciously, however, it probably was, since our ongoing text chats about music, film, comics and the occasional bit of politics (which I only pretend to understand) over the past few months have been one of the only things that have kept me sane. I should thank him for that. But I probably won't because neither of us do sincerity very well.
British born rapper who wears a Doctor Doom mask to perform and the song features the line:
Getting Benjamins like Nettenyahu
...speaking to the absolute corruption of Nettenyahu as the leader of the Israeli state whilst putting a spin on the traditional rap conceit of hustling, suggesting it's not always a good thing.
Don't worry, I didn't understand that either. But I do like that he wears a Dr. Doom mask.
Oh, look, it's that Ben Folds guy again. I don't feel too bad about featuring him twice (as I've long been a huge fan) because Alyson emphatically stated:
Ben Folds for the artist.
And Martin added:
Plus anything by the always-excellent Ben Folds Five.
This isn't actually by the Five, but it does owe more than a little debt to this...
(As does Ben's whole career, come to think of it.)
I'll start with the obvious one, said Charity Chic, and indeed it was, so a few of you also suggested it. It's a great live performance, lyrically satirising the music industry of the 70s, with more than just a passing nod to Ziggy Stardust, I reckon, care of Bernie Taupin.
And if you don't like that, perhaps you'll prefer the Beastie Boys... ahem... "sloppy version"...
Top of Brian's list and almost at the top of mine. Brilliant stuff.
He's saving up for a new Ben Sherman He says he'd like to fuck Uma Thurman I don't think that he'll get too far With either those dreams He's got his eyes on a pair of Pumas He says I should cut my hair like Uma's If he thinks I'd go along with His sordid fancies
1. Shack - Streets Of Kenny
I've got to give this week's win to John Medd though. It's only a lyrical nod (in a song already featured in Kenny Wednesdays, way back when)... but what a song!
Looking for the boys again
Can't find Joe or Benny
NEXT WEEK: OUR TOP TEN BARBARA / BARBRA / BARBIE (!?) SONGS
Once again, there will be an obvious Number One. But what else can you find to fill out the 10...?
