Will classic rock last for all eternity?

Oak Lawn (IL) Reporter ^ | 4/17/03 | Michael M. Bates

[mikeb704]

Eva Narcissus Boyd was buried in North Carolina earlier this week. The name may not be familiar, but her music certainly is.

Under the name "Little Eva," she recorded "The Locomotion." The song was a giant hit in 1962.

Forty years is a very long time, even if Baby Boomers recall the era as though it were last week. I thought of Little Eva a few of months ago while driving. Her hit was playing on the radio and I wondered how many times I’d heard it over the decades. Surely hundreds of times. Maybe even thousands.

I began conjecturing if "The Locomotion" will still be listened to in yet another 40 years. Given how pervasive 60s music is today, I think there’s a possibility of that happening.

It’s not just on oldies stations. Turn on the TV and chances are you’ll hear 60s music in commercials.

Donovan, the Sunshine Superman, sings "Colours" in a Kohl’s commercial. A Gap ad uses his "Mellow Yellow." The same company features another commercial with The Troggs’ "Love Is All Around." What, you thought "Wild Thing" was their only groovy ditty?

Admittedly, some of the music in TV ads emanated from one hit wonders. Flowers.com runs a spot with "Concrete and Clay," a 1965 hit for the legendary Unit Four + Two. GMC’s Yukon included "Our Day Will Come." The first song released by Ruby and the Romantics, it was also the only one for which the group is remembered. Old Navy used "California Sun," a hit by the Rivieras. The band made the Golden State sound like heaven, which was quite an accomplishment for some Indiana boys who’d never personally been out there a’havin’ fun in that warm California sun.

It’s surprising to me that, given their sheer number and popularity, more Beatles tunes aren’t incorporated in advertising. Possibly it’s because of legal impediments. Michael Jackson has owned the rights to over 200 Beatles songs. Of course, Michael is always busy with either not getting plastic surgery or being named in multimillion-dollar lawsuits, so perhaps he just hasn’t had the time necessary to exploit his ownership.

Another consideration is that some Boomers consider Beatles music sacrosanct. These folks feel disgust with what’s perceived as tawdry commercialization of their heroes’ works. They must have not paid much attention when the group cranked out barkers like "Dig A Pony" just to fill up an album.

The mid-80s marked the first use of a Beatles song in an ad. Lincoln-Mercury had a sound-alike group singing "Help." A couple of years later, Nike featured "Revolution" performed by the Beatles and the company credited it with increased sales. Apple Records sued Nike, but until the case was settled kept employing it.

In the late 90s, Nortel Networks licensed "Come Together" for a new marketing campaign. H&R Block latched on to "Taxman" for commercials last year. Around the same time, an Allstate Insurance ad included "When I’m 64." Julian Lennon performed the tune, which added a nice touch of irony I thought.

Car companies especially look back to the golden age of rock. Steppenwolf does a heavily mixed version of "Magic Carpet Ride" for Dodge Viper. "Unchained Melody" was a 60s hit for the Righteous Brothers and Mercedes Benz incorporated it in a commercial last year. The Kinks’ "You Really Got Me" has been used in other ads for Mercedes Benz.

A song I’ve heard in several commercials is the great "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers. It’s pitched beer, cars, and even an investment company.

One advertisement highlights "It’s A Beautiful Morning," a hit for the Young Rascals. The product being sold is Vioxx, an arthritis pill purchased by many Boomers, possibly even the not so young anymore Rascals.

When most of my generation finally leave this vale of tears – if they ever do – maybe then the 60s music will fade away. But what will take its place? The Insane Clown Posse, Eminem, Twisted Sister?

You know, The Locomotion keeps getting better with age.

[boris]

Richard Dawkins invented the term 'meme' (a mental 'gene'). Successful memes succeed by copying themselves into lots of minds and thus project down the generations. Communism is one such meme (alas), but so is Capitalism--and the Bill of Rights.

Beethoven, Brahms, and the Master--Bach--will have their memes replicated so long as there are humans on this planet.

I suppose so will Elvis.

My personal favorite meme-generator is Mike Oldfield, who I term Prince of Musicians, King of Composers, and Muscial Genius of the First Water.

Okay, he is not at Bach's level, but certainly the equal of Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Handel.

--Boris

[willyboyishere]

Only one rock and roll artist will last to eternity:
Neil Sedaka.

[archy]

Yeah, yeah, you guys were laughing yesterday, but you're gonna be begging to borrow my Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs 8-tracks now...

"Woolah Boolah...Woolah Boolah...Woolah Boolah...watch it now, watch it..."

Domingo *Sam* Sumudio remains very much an elder statesman of the music scene here in Memphis, though more happily performing gospel music as a minister on tour, and gently slipping a single gospel tune that fits right into his *turban revival* tour dates of old Sam the Sham and the Pharohs and even his wayback Andy and the Nightriders days.

Who's dat I see walking thru these woods? It must be Lil Red Riding Hood....Naw, just Sam the Sham, still rockin' on:

[general_re]

Right, and I think that, given how they've obviously and directly influenced two generations of musicians, their place in musical history is secure. But it's a stretch to say that in 50 years you'll be able to flip on top radio station in town and hear "Black Dog" or "Stairway to Heaven" - if for no other reason than because every generation wants something that belongs only to them, and not to their parents. Muddy Waters was hugely influential too, but he doesn't get much airplay outside of the niche stations these days ;)

[boris]

Muscial=Musical.

[archy]

Oh my...and I had a crush on Bobby Vee way back then.

You had good taste, even *way* back then. But you shoulda hung around with the musicians more. Click on the picture:

Bobby Vee and Del Shannon, 1985:

[Billthedrill]

I just love Oldfield, an unsung genius, but I think the only two copies of Hergest Ridge he sold were to you and to me... :-(

[FreedomPoster]

>>Judging by the way the Strolling Bones look, they're already turning to dust.

I saw Keith Richards from about 10'-15' at a "New Barbarians" concert in about 1981. He looked like death warmed over then!

[Billthedrill]

Good grief, so that's what happened to Sam...something about that is just so doggone cool...thanks!

[okie01]

"A century from now, I could see people listening to classic rock the way we listen to preserved performances of classic jazz (Armstrong, Ellington, Reinhart & Grappelli)."

Speaking of which, Django & Stephane have enjoyed a recent renaissance of their own on TV commercial tracks. And there is the distinctively Ellingtonian arrangement that has become the theme for the Lincoln Navigator.

[archy]

Only one rock and roll artist will last to eternity:
Neil Sedaka.

Oh no. It's like the Norse Gods and Goddesses.

There'll be a grand panoply of them, a universe of stars. Agreed, though that Neil Sedaka's will be one of the brighter ones.

Last night I hurt you,
but darling remember this:
Only love can break a heart,
Only love can mend it again....

[mikeb704]

"Only Love Can Break a Heart" was written by Burt Bacharach (?) and Hal David, I think. Sung by the GREAT Gene Pitney. Wonder if Saddam is playing Gene's "Mecca" in his own little corner of Hades these days.

[Rocko]

King's songs will probably last as long as Cole Porter's.

"He Hit Me (and It Felt like a Kiss)" won't.

[archy]

Good grief, so that's what happened to Sam...something about that is just so doggone cool...thanks!

You'll get a chuckle out of the way I met him. I was picking some off-the-wall tunes by request for tourists near the statue of W.C. Handy on Memphis' Beale Street, hitting everything from Presley tunes [*I can play it if you can sing it...*] Rufus Thomas Walkin' the dog to C.W. McCall's Wolf Creek Pass. This bunch of Memphis dock workers showed up and pitched in, and one of 'em grinned and asked me for Wooly Bully...and Lil Red Ridin' Hood... And JuJu Hand...and Jimmie Lee Riley's My Gal is RedHot!....

We kept that up for an hour or so before he fessed up to me who he was. One absolutely thoroughly nice guy.

-archy-/-

[mikeb704]

First off, "Locomotion" was written by Carole King and her first husband.

Carole's moved on and did some fundraising for The Impeached One. Yech!

[Captiva]

It's basically marketers sitting around saying "O.K., what age makes money now, and what songs will remind them of their youth so they will buy our product?"

i.e. "Rock n' Roll" by Led Zeppelin being pimped to sell Caddys.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I ROCK N' ROLLED
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I GOT DOWN AND STROLLED
OH LET ME GET BACK LET ME GET BACK LET ME GET BACK
LIVING BABY WHERE I COME FROM

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY TIME
YES IT HAS

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I TALKED OF LOVE
I KICK OUT THE TUNES WITH THE LIKE OF YOUR LOVE
CARRY ME BACK CARRY ME BACK CARRY ME BACK
BABY WHERE I COME FROM

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY TIME

solo

BEEN SO LONG SINCE I WALKED IN THE REAL LIFE
MAKE IT OH JUST CAN'T WALK RIGHT
OH YEA OPEN YOUR ARMS OPEN YOUR ARMS OPEN YOUR ARMS
BABY I'LL COME RUNNING

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY TIME




YEA YEA YEA YEA
OHO YEA OHO YEA
BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY TIME

[archy]

"Only Love Can Break a Heart" was written by Burt Bacharach (?) and Hal David, I think. Sung by the GREAT Gene Pitney. Wonder if Saddam is playing Gene's "Mecca" in his own little corner of Hades these days.

It was indeed Bacharach/David who penned Gene Pitney's classic 1962 hit, also covered by Neil Sedaka and Willie Nelson, among others.

If Saddam is in Hell, I'm sure they have special tunes better fitting to him than Gene Pitney...and if he lives, I hope that he's somewhere where the only entertainment is an old Grundig that only picks up the Russian *Special channel 7* trance/industrial electronic music station.

[Captiva]

Joe Satriani
Tony MacAlpine
Vinnie Moore
Yngwie Malmsteen
John Petrucci

Ahhhhhhh!! Rock Guitar snob alert!!!

;)

[archy]

It's basically marketers sitting around saying "O.K., what age makes money now, and what songs will remind them of their youth so they will buy our product?"

i.e. "Rock n' Roll" by Led Zeppelin being pimped to sell Caddys.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I ROCK N' ROLLED....

Try the version by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. I'm not sure if it's on their just-released album or not, but it's on a couple of their Greatest Hits compilations.

-archy-/-

[JoeSixPack1]

Sincere artistry will last forever. All the rest will die with the generation that spawned them.