Strange Songs...

[FooserPaul]

Here is one of those songs that I love because of the driving beat and melody... but read:

This was written by Rupert Holmes, who in addition to his hit "Escape (The Pina Colada Song),"

Holmes: "At the time, I was working on an arrangement of '16 Tons,' the Tennessee Ernie Ford hit from the '50s, for an artist named Andy Kim. While I was working on the arrangement, there was a cooking show on the TV in the kitchen. It was called The Galloping Gourmet with Graham Kerr. It's on in the background and I'm singing the lyrics to '16 Tons,' playing it to a kind of vamp sort of like 'Proud Mary,' and I sing 'Some people say a man is made out of mud, a coal man's made out of muscle and blood. Muscle and blood and skin and bones, a mind that's weak and a back that's...' and I think, you know, that almost sounds like a recipe - muscle and blood and skin and bones, bake in a moderate oven for 2 hours, top with Miracle Whip. I had seen the movie Suddenly Last Summer about a week earlier on TV, and it had a revelation about cannibalism in it, and I thought, If it's good enough for Tennessee Williams, it's good enough for The Buoys. So I thought, Cannibalism during a mining disaster, that'll get banned. It's not like I'm really telling people to go out and eat someone, this is just this dark, horrible thing that happened in this story. So I write this lyric: 'Timothy, Timothy, where on Earth did you go?' It's about three boys who are trapped in a mine with water but no food for maybe a week. When they're pulled free, they don't remember what happened, but they know they're not hungry. One of them is missing, and that's Timothy. We record this on the weekend and I don't think about it again."

Timothy... where on earth did you go

Dakota (formerly The Bouys)

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[spartacus53]

I think the rhythm is a little too happy for a sad song..

Did you ever think of considering a blues arrangement for this

 

[FooserPaul]

I think the rhythm is a little too happy for a sad song..

Did you ever think of considering a blues arrangement for this

Agreed... its one of those songs I loved but never really listened to or considered the lyrical content... Can't imagine there are many song about eating your friend...

 

[FooserPaul]

Dutch rock group - Focus

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[FooserPaul]

Ides of March - Vehicle

Jim Peterik (born November 11, 1950, Berwyn, Illinois) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the band Survivor and as vocalist and songwriter of the hit song "Vehicle" by The Ides of March. He also co-wrote the anthem "Eye of the Tiger," the theme from the motion picture Rocky III.

Peterik has co-written songs for the likes of .38 Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackhawk, Cheap Trick, Sammy Hagar, Cathy Richardson, Van Zant, Brian Wilson, and REO Speedwagon. He is currently fronting melodic rock band Pride of Lions, smooth-jazz project Jim Peterik's Lifeforce, and has a regular series of yearly concert performances with an all-star cast as World Stage. Jim is also active as a producer and mentor to young, developing talent.

This was written by Jim Peterik, who was the group's guitar player and lead singer. He explains how the song came together:
"On April 9, 1968 while I was waiting to see one of my favorite groups, The Turtles, at Riverside Brookfield High School in the Chicago Suburb of Riverside, my eyes wandered to the girl standing in front of me - she was a vision in knee socks and orange culottes - long silky hair and huge blue eyes. As I was trying to screw up the courage to say hello, she turned to me and said, 'Aren't you Peterik?' Turns out she had seen the Ides Of March a month previously when we opened for the New Colony Six at Morton West High School. I said, 'Yeah,' and from there the conversation just seemed to flow. Never had I met a girl I had so much in common with. Karen and I sat together at the show, and by 'Happy Together' she had placed her leg on top of mine (A very positive sign for a first date). After about 6 months of great dates, good times, meadows, making out and serenades, Karen informed me that it was over between us, that she wanted to 'See other people." I was thoroughly heartbroken. I spent the next few months writing sad songs, depressive melodies, introspective garbage, and forcing the Ides to do long Blues jams for our show encores (as the audience streamed out of the Grand Ballroom at State Pier). I was also on a mission to find another Karen. There was a girl who looked a lot like her, but when we started dating, I realized that personality was 9/10's of the law. I guess I had to somehow win her back!
One day I got a call from Karen. My heart jumped into my throat. She asked me if I could drive her to modeling school (she knew I had a pristine white '64 Valiant with mag wheel covers). Instead of playing it cool, I found myself saying, 'I'll be right over.' I figured our proximity would remind her how much she really loved me. It was great riding next to her again, though I had to make sure I controlled my hands and my heart. This pattern continued for a few weeks with Karen asking me to drive her to various appointments and functions. We even sang at a few coffee houses as a duo (we called ourselves "Genesis" predating the famous group by about 3 years). Though it was great to be with her, the newly platonic nature of our relationship was bummin' me out.
One day in a fit of frustration, I heard myself blurt out to her 'You know, all I am to you is your Vehicle' (The word baby was added later). Just then the light bulb popped up on top of my head and I thought about all the guys like me who don't mind being taken for a ride by a beautiful girl. I said 'See you later' and started writing the song."

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After this became a hit, Peterik got back together with Karen, the girl he wrote it for. They've been together ever since, and have been married for over 30 years. Says Peterik:
"To this day, she doesn't like to be in audiences where I tell that story. She feels very embarrassed by it. She knows it's true, but at the same time, she doesn't want to be thought of as this opportunistic woman who just wanted her guy to drive her around and then when the song goes to #1, calls up to do it again. It happened, but that's really not her." (Thanks to Jim for speaking with us about this song. Jim is author of the book Songwriting For Dummies. For more, check out www.jimpeterik.com.)

Peterik formed Survivor in 1978 and co-wrote their hits "Eye Of The Tiger," "High On You" and "The Search Is Over." He sang lead with Ides Of March, but did not sing on Survivor's hits: "When I designed Survivor, it was to be the co-lead singer with Dave Bickler. In the first year of our existence, all the demos and club performances, I was doing basically duets with Dave. You can hear that kind of concept on "Love Has Got Me" on the first album, where I sing the verses and Dave takes over on the choruses. Through the years, certain members of the band didn't want that. They wanted that Journey kind of thing where there's one singer and one focus. I don't begrudge it because it worked. Whether it would have worked as well with me co-singing or taking some of the songs, we'll never know, but I was always blessed with great singers: Dave Bickler through 'Eye Of The Tiger,' Jimi Jameson after that. I couldn't have asked for better singers, so it was kind of a mixed blessing."