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“It was the third of September / That day I’ll always remember,” begins “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” the classic song by the Temptations. Though it became one of their biggest hits, the group initially rejected the song - and that opening line proved problematic as well. “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” was penned by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, two of the most successful songwriters in Motown’s arsenal. Whitfield created the song’s haunting melody, while Strong handled the lyrics. “Norman said he wanted lyrics that were fun, not serious, so listeners would have a good time with it,” Strong...

Haven’t see. The Friday Silliness post in a while..... thought we could have a lighthearted kick off with a name that theme tune for 2020...... Only criteria is that the tune must have appropriate lyrics to fit your 2020 experience..... My vote is for “Bad Moon Rising “ by Credence Clearwater Revival.... Have fun Freepers!!!!! Name that tune!

In his new autobiography "Confess", JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford reveals that he was once arrested for cruising Venice Beach toilets (in a case of police entrapment), yet the cops didn't release the information to the media because they were PRIEST fans. Asked by NME what effect he thinks being "outed" would have had on him, the singer — who came out as gay on his own terms in 1998 on MTV — said: "The police did me a favor by keeping it out of the press because it would have been big news. I always refer to that, slightly tongue...

<p>The ear-catching opening line of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” poses a simple question: “Do you remember the 21st night of September?” Though many have analyzed the meaning of the date, its origin is quite innocuous.</p> <p>Allee Willis was a struggling songwriter in 1978, but she’d managed to forge friendships with remarkable talents. Through Patti Labelle and Herbie Hancock, Willis was introduced to Verdine White, bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire. As the legendary funk band was prepping a greatest-hits compilation later that year, Willis got a call.</p>

Rapper Cardi B was reportedly hit with a defamation lawsuit after she allegedly shared “edited” video of an altercation with people on a Long Island beach. The beachgoers are suing Cardi B, the rapper’s sister, Hennessy Carolina, and Michelle Diaz for assault, battery, defamation, and civil rights violations from an alleged altercation that occurred Sept. 6, according to an article published by ABC 7. “These peaceful Suffolk County residents were quietly enjoying a Sunday at the Smith Point beach with their families, when rap celebrity Hennessy Carolina suddenly approached them, raging, spitting, insulting, assaulting, defaming and threatening them, all the...

Tommy DeVito, one of the smooth harmonizing founding members of legendary doo-wop group The Four Seasons, has died from complications of the coronavirus. He was 92. Actor Alfred Nittoli (“Casino”) confirmed the baritone vocalist and lead guitarist’s passing Tuesday on Facebook. “My dear friend Tommy passed away in Las Vegas at 9:45 last night,” Nittoli wrote, spurring dozens of emotional condolences. “With deep regret I am writing this sitting in his living room. I was informed by his daughter Darcel there will be a service in New Jersey.”

Ian Brown, Van Morrison and Noel Gallagher have been objecting to lockdown rules, is this the start of a dangerous trend?The timing looks a bit suspicious, right? Just days after I published a column about the dangers of falling for Ian Brown’s Covid conspiracy rants on Twitter, Noel Gallagher – a man never knowingly muffled – joined the anti-mask fray, insisting that going maskless could only affect himself, like a resident of Bethnal Green in 1941 arguing “well, if everybody else has got their lights off I’m not going to be hit by any of their bombs, so if I...

Beloved, Almighty God cares and His ETERNAL strength will empower us to rise and do His mighty will for His glory; even in the hardest situations of this life! May this song be a great blessing and encouragement to you in the Lord! Have FAITH in Almighty God! "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the...

Fifty years ago, on Sept. 18, 1970, guitar legend Jimi Hendrix died of asphyxia while intoxicated. He was only 27 years old, and his stint as a superstar lasted less than five years, but he obviously made his indelible mark — being declared by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music” and by Rolling Stone as the greatest guitarist of all time. And one of the first mainstream rock acts to recognize Hendrix’s greatness was the Monkees. Unfortunately, the Monkees’ young fans weren’t quite as enthusiastic when that TV...

Van Morrison has described the British government as “fascist bullies disturbing our peace” in one of three new tracks he has written to protest against safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. On No More Lockdown, Morrison sings: “No more lockdown / No more government overreach / No more fascist bullies / Disturbing our peace … No more taking of our freedom / And our God-given rights / Pretending it’s for our safety / When it’s really to enslave …” The song also condemns “celebrities telling us what we’re supposed to feel”, although the 75-year-old Northern Irish songwriter denied...

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. We serve coffee, tea, conversation and music. Our AWESOME military, our AWESOME allies, and their families are welcomed and honored here. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a cup and start a conversation. You never know who you might meet in the Cafe. Glad you could...

Because he was deaf when he wrote them, Beethoven never heard his “late quartets”. This is a remarkable anecdote; an inhuman feat of human creativity. I was reminded of a resonant anecdote while reading in the Spectator US of a meeting between British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his wife and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—bear with me. The article described that the Laborite couple later sent the laborious couple a book of poems by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a 17th century Mexican nun and poet. The Spectator describes her as “a poet known for her proto-feminism and...

When you’ve sold as many records as Abba have – and only The Beatles have sold more – specific figures become hazy. They disappear into a statistical stratosphere occupied by a tiny elite of global megastars. There are simply too many territories to report on, too many releases to keep track of, too many vast numbers to juggle. All one can say with any certainty is that the Swedish quartet have sold in excess of 380m albums and singles since they first came to prominence 40 years ago this month, winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with a performance of...

The Oasis star moaned that "there’s too many ***** liberties being taken away from us now".Noel Gallagher is refusing to wear a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic because it is a violation of his liberty, he has told a popular podcast. The Oasis guitarist told the Matt Morgan podcast for Radio X that masks are “pointless” and that he chooses not to wear one. He said: “It’s not a law. There’s too many ** liberties being taken away from us now… I choose not to wear one. If I get the virus it’s on me, it’s not on anyone else…...

Axl Rose may be a frequent critic of Donald Trump, but that hasn't stopped the president from being a huge fan of Guns N' Roses' "November Rain" video. He reportedly even made staffers watch it in the Oval Office. This nugget of information was discovered by White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, who found it in former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' recently published book, Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House. After parts of the band's 1991 epic were heard at Trump's Michigan rally last week, Jacobs tweeted a photo of...

Sunday Blues | Ed Gerhard | Sunnyland | 2006

Dee Snider has defended his "aggressive and intense" approach in dealing with "idiot Trump followers" on social media, saying that he is "trying to lead by example." The TWISTED SISTER frontman, who got to know President Donald Trump personally after appearing more than once on "The Celebrity Apprentice", has been an outspoken critic of America's 45th president, tweeting incessantly against Trump's administration and blasting the billionaire real estate mogul as "a commie-loving traitor" who is prostituting our democracy. He has also engaged in heated Twitter fights with Trump followers, some of whom have taken issue with his colorful delivery and...

President Trump has drawn heat form stars such as Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and John Fogerty for using their songs before his rallies, but one composer has no problem with it. Victor Willis of the Village People says Trump is welcome to continue using “YMCA” at his re-election rallies — he just wants to see the commander in chief do the iconic dance. “’YMCA’ is everybody’s anthem and go-to song for fun. As for the president’s use, I have not granted permission for use at his rallies because permission is not required,” Willis told Bloomberg News through a spokesman....

Ray Parker Jr. is best known for writing, producing and performing the 1984 Grammy-winning No. 1 hit “Ghostbusters,” but by the time he turned “Who you gonna call?” and “I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost” into national catchphrases, he had already logged more than a decade in the business. He was still a teenager when Stevie Wonder invited him to join his band, and before breaking out as a solo star in the ‘80s, he logged credits as a songwriter (Rufus featuring Chaka Khan’s 1974 hit “You Got the Love”) and as a performer on a string of hits for...

For the second time since 2011, ESPN is reportedly removing Hank Williams Jr. from its “Monday Night Football” intro. This time, the network claims it’s not about Williams’ controversial points of view, according to Sports Business Journal. Instead of Williams’ iconic “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night” that became the anthem for weekday football in 1989, ESPN will air a rendition of Little Richard’s “Rip It Up,” mashing the late artist’s vocals with instrumentation from Virginia-based band Butcher Brown, per the report