Les Crane was an American radio and TV host in the 50s and 60s, a direct competitor of Johnny Carson, though never quite as successful. His late night talkshow did feature the first US TV performance by The Rolling Stones though, as well as notable appearances by Malcolm X, Bob Dylan and Lee Harvey Oswald's mum.
I knew nothing of this, nor (until a few years back) did I know that Crane had released a spoken word album in 1971, including the single Desiderata which was a Top 10 hit in the States and even grazed the UK charts where nobody had ever really heard of him. I can't remember when I first heard the track, though I suspect it was on Huey Morgan's show... Huey has a habit of turning me onto American gems British radio has long since forgotten... or never known in the first place.
Desiderata, the poem which gave Crane his big pop hit, has an interesting story in itself. It was first transformed into a pop song by Brian Davison, ex-drummer of The Nice, but Crane's version was a huge hippy anthem, with a sung chorus written by Broadway composer Fred Werner. Around that time, many people believed the poem to be a slice of ancient wisdom (see the image above which claims the words were found in an old churchyard in 1692). It later transpired that it was originally written by an American poet called Max Ehrmann in 1927. Depending on which search engine you favour, the title either translates as 'Loss' or 'Things Desired'. (To be honest, I'm surprised there was ever any question of it being from the 17th Century... did they even have "careers" back then?)
There's a part of me feels the words - and Crane's performance - are cheesy in the extreme. (Having said that, I'd have loved to have heard William Shatner have a crack at it.) And if I'd heard it when I was 25, I probably wouldn't have given it a second play. But I'm 45 now, and you may be wondering why I'm calling this a Mid-Life Crisis Song...
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
...well, if you're gonna have a mantra, that doesn't seem a bad one to aim for...
(Plus, what's the betting Baz Luhrmann heard this sometime prior to deciding to use Mary Schmich's Wear Sunscreen speech to similar effect in the late 90s?)
Oh, and congratulations to Mr. C for remembering this one. I feel he's now in direct competition with Mrs. Brian for most Saturday Snapshots songs identified by someone who doesn't actually read this drivel. Which is some accomplishment.
