The Association
The songs from this group come very close to my heart and soul. On their greatest hits CD all of them are there. Sometimes I look at the CD and think I want to listen to it but I carefully lay it aside. I have to be in a certain mood.
I just adore Along Comes Mary. I think it’s one of the wildest, best, drug-inspired song ever. The words drive me crazy with joy. The fact that I never “understood” all the words only made it more mysterious and exotic. I used to listen to it with my friend Iris. She loved it too.
Also, Windy. My husband hates this song and thinks it’s a song about a maniac girl who runs up and down streets giving out rainbows. However, I remember a sunny, late afternoon day in June when school was over. Me, a friend, and my boyfriend were speeding along the highway to the Pittsburgh airport to say goodbye to another friend who was going away from the summer. Windy was blaring out from the radio. I felt smug. I had a whole summer to be with my boyfriend.
Also, Never My Love. Such a tender ballad, a boy reassuring his girlfriend that he will never get tired of her, never leave her.
The Mamas and the Papas
For some odd reason I decided to combine The Association and The Mamas and the Papas. Even my father liked their close, tight, perfect harmonies. They had sweet voices and didn’t just record Papa John’s music. They re-recorded some songs from several years before which I thought was nice. Do You Wanna Dance is one of my favorites, also There Is A Rose In Spanish Harlem. Mama Cass made me nervous sometimes. She was so huge but seemed not to be ashamed of it. And when she opened her mouth and sang, it was beautiful. I was so influenced by the Mamas and Papas that I incorporated them into one of my own stories. As for truly excellent song-writing, listen to Creeque Alley.
John and Michy were getting kind of itchy
Just to leave the folk music behind
Zol and Denny, lookin’ for a penny
Trying to get a fish on the line…
I went through a short period where I just played this music over and over, everywhere I went. Michael once told me that he understood why the sixties and seventies music is considered classic. Ain’t nothing like it.
lgmwriting 