Pophistory: music, movies, history, and life.
Anytime I hear the song “Sylvia’s Mother” by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, it ends up stuck in my head for some time as an earworm. It is one of those songs I have heard many times since its release in 1975, but I never thought too much about it even though it is an … Continue reading “Please Mrs. Avery . . . This Song Is Stuck In My Head”
Buddy Holly opened shows on his final tour in 1959 with “Gotta Travel On” a song that was not one of his originals. Crickets drummer Jerry Allison once was asked why Holly performed the song so much. He explained, “Because Buddy liked it.” I’ve laid around and played around, This old town too long; Summer’s … Continue reading “Billy Grammer and Buddy Holly’s Opening Song, “Gotta Travel On””
Charles G. Dawes served as Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge during 1925-1929. At various times, he was a banker, a military general, and the co-winner of the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize (for his work on a post-World War I plan to help Germany stabilize its economy). If all that was not … Continue reading ““It’s All In the Game”: The Hit Song Co-Written By a Vice President”
Paul Newman gave one of his greatest performances in the wonderful movie Cool Hand Luke (1967). In one scene, after hearing about the death of his mother, he sits on his bunk with a banjo and sings a song about a plastic Jesus statue in a car. When I first saw the film, I wondered … Continue reading “What Song Did Paul Newman Sing in “Cool Hand Luke”?”
Pat Monahan wrote Train’s hit song “Drops of Jupiter” after an inspiration came to him in a dream following his mother’s death.