In my head, every one of those was a Top Ten hit, yet in reality only the first two troubled the UK charts (9 To 5 got to #47... can you believe that?). Despite that, Dolly is one of the few artists I've come across to have a separate discography page for Albums and Singles on iffypedia... so I doubt she worried much about her British record sales.
Dolly defined country music glamour.
Dolly had her own bridge and theme park.
Dolly single-handedly cured Covid. (Well, she did a hell of a lot more than most politicians.)
Like Tina Turner before her, I thought Dolly would go on forever.
Did my back in at the weekend. I went to the tip with a car-load of post Christmas junk, including a single mattress, and managed to unload them all with no trouble. Once back, trying to refit Sam's car seat in the pouring rain, I twisted in slightly the wrong way in the confined space and bingo.
I'm hoping it'll be better by the time this post runs, but in the meantime, here are some of the songs I listened to while stretching out on a cold hard floor...
There are loads of different versions of this old blues standard, and the lyrics change depending on who's singing it. I've been listening to Nina's 1961 album Forbidden Fruit lately, and this is one of my favourite tracks.
From his second album way back in 1974. What joy I felt when I heard this and recognised it from my childhood. I'm guessing Terry must have played it back in the day.
Shut up.
Finally, inspired by Charity Chic's recent Saturday Series, I've been listening to Townes Van Zandt's Roadsongs LP. Unlike CC's series, where we have to judge Townes' originals against covers, this is a live album on which Townes covers other people's songs... often improving on them. He does that here on my favourite version of The Stones' Dead Flowers, as immortalised in my favourite movie. The Dude abides.
I keep harping on about turning 50, and I know to most of you that milestone is just a pebble in the past, so I'm sorry... but I don't know why, it's taking some coming to terms with. Maybe this really is the Mid-Life Crisis, and everything beforehand was just the warm-up act. God help me.
Tom T. Hall certainly isn't helping, with his song I'm Forty Now, released in 1975 when he was... well, 39, according to Iffypedia.
There were barefoot dreams of catching outlaws
There were school dreams of catching footballs
There were young dreams of finding great romance
There were armies and I took the chance
There were avenues of glory and some deep despair
That put subtle shapes of silver in my hair
Well, I'm forty now and I'm a man
But I can't resist the urge to put dreams in my plans
So many hopeless dreams and I broke some vows
Maybe life begins for me I'm forty now
I mean, the idea that I should have been listening to this ten years ago, that's blowing my mind. But half a century ago, forty was the same as fifty is today, I reckon. So really, this song is bang on for me right now.
"ONCE upon a time, hitting the big 50 was seen as the first step to retirement. Now, it looks more like a passport to freedom, as youthful 50-somethings take advantage of better health, better finances and plenty of energy, to make 50 the new 40."
That's from the Daily Mirror Online, so take it with a pinch of salt. And it was written in 2007, when I was 35 so...
We seem to be going through one of those phases where heaven's waiting room is filling up with the great and good from my record collection again... to the point that I'm having trouble keeping up. I hadn't even heard about Charlie Watts passing until Alyson brought it to my attention. Charlie was, of course, the cement that held the Stones together...
We also lost Nanci Griffith, a much loved and respected singer songwriter who was also very supportive of new talent throughout her career. She died at just 68, which is no age at all, and I must have heard the track below (live version, it just has to be) played about five times on the radio in the past couple of weeks. Rightly so, because it's powerfully evocative of times long gone...
Before that, we said goodbye to Dusty Hill, bassist and beardsmith of ZZ Top. Here he is taking lead vocals on a track they probably wouldn't play on the radio any more, more's the pity...
Another one I almost missed was Don Everly, who outlived his brother Phil by ten years, but finally said Bye Bye, Love last week. (No disrespect meant, but I can't have been the only one to pen that line.)
Finally... perhaps the least well known of the bunch... but still quite a blow for me, was the death of country songwriter Tom T. Hall. Most famous for writing the divine Harper Valley, PTA, Tom T. Hall was a true lyrical storyteller... to the point that he had a nice sideline going as a short story writer. Here he is doing what he did best...
Rest in peace, all you guys. Thanks for the songs.
Many thanks to Jim in Dubai for suggesting this week's opening image and reminding us all of 90s Italo House band The 49ers... though, to be honest, I could have done without the reminder.
Far more interesting was Jim's second band-related suggestion, 49 Americans with the track Should Be More Ideal...
True enough, Alan... but at least it's not Italo House.
As for the 49ers... call me an old fogey, but I far preferred Douglas McClaren's latest, Canadian-themed suggested...
This week's winner though was correctly identified by The Swede. Proof, if further proof were needed, that Joe Walsh was far more interesting than the Eagles gave him credit for. Remember: this man ran for President against Ronald Reagan (even though he was too young at the time to have been elected).
I have an obvious cool answer and an obvious slightly-less-cool answer for 48... but I'm sure we'll find some others too. Over to you.
