Because It's Tuesday - week of February 28

Hey look at us. We have made it to the end of February. It feels pretty good doesn't it? Spring is now officially just around the corner!

As it's Tuesday again, I'm sharing a cover song today.

This Old Heart of Mine is the tune de jour and has been recorded by many artists over the years. Some folks have even recorded it more than once!

This Holland–Dozier–Holland hit was released by the Isley Brothers in 1966 on Motown's Tamla label. It featured Ronald Isley on lead vocal and climbed the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts that year.

In 1975, Rod Stewart released his first cover of "This Old Heart of Mine" on his Atlantic Crossing album. I love that version of it, but I couldn't find a video to share. Instead, here is his 1989 recording of the Isley Brother's hit as a duet with Ronald Isley. It's a great version (but again, I really prefer his 1975 recording). If you have some time on your hands, go give a listen to Atlantic Crossing, not just this song but the entire album. It's a gem!

I hope you enjoy it & happy Tuesday, kids xo

I try hard to hide my hurt inside

This old heart of mine, always keeps me crying

The way you're treatin' me, leaves me incomplete

You're here for the day, gone for the week

Finally Friday - Over You

While it was really lovely to have had a holiday on Monday, short work weeks can be extra busy. This one was no exception, and for my Finally Friday song this week, I'm sharing "Over You" by Kurt Baker. It's my way of telling the week, hey buddy, I'm over you and ready for the weekend.

I thought I would post this song today because I'm a big fan of Kurt Baker's, and I love this song from his 2020 album, After Party. The whole album is great. I have lost count of the number of times I have listened to the whole thing on repeat. Kurt Baker tends to be in heavy rotation on my playlists most days. 

If you haven't heard him before and you're a fan of super fun power pop, you owe it to your ears to give him a listen. He's American (from Maine I believe) and seems to split his time between the states and Spain. After you fall in love with his songs (I'm pretty sure you will), you can pick up some of his records here: https://kurtbaker.bandcamp.com 

So, give Over You a listen and start your weekend off with a little dance party in the kitchen. It's what I'll be doing once the whistle blows at the end of the day xo

They tell me that perspective's what I lack

That's funny cuz I'm always looking back

Well I lost my mind. It's true

But I found I'm still in love with you

Can Con Thursday - Not Happy

Once again it's Thursday so, I'm sharing a song by a Canadian band. 

Alas, this particular Canadian band is no longer together but, for a few years in the 1990's, they did exist and made some great music. I only had the opportunity to see them once (here in Kingston, at the Toucan) and it was a great show. A little silly Jale trivia for you - Jale made their name up from the first letters of each of member's first name (Jennifer Pierce, Alyson MacLeod, Laura Stein and Eve Hartling).

Even though most of February (in our neck of the woods anyway) has felt a lot like March outside, we're in the middle of a whack of winter weather. The ice and cold has me thinking about spring and green things and dandelions and sunshine.

The video for Jale's "Not Happy" (aka today's song) contains green things and dandelions and sunshine. Nice! It's actually a really beautiful video and the song is awesome too. It's from their 1994 album, Dreamcake (their very first album), released on Sub Pop Records.

I hope watching the video and listening to the song warms you up and reminds you that spring is really just around the corner xo

Laying there upon your bed staring at the ceiling

A clock keeps ticking by your head its claiming every lonesome

Not alone

Not happy

Way Back Wednesday - Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'

In the past, I've made this same old corny joke many times: in our house, we were raised on two kinds of music, Country AND Western. 

It's funny and in our case, it's actually true. Between the ages of about 3 and 8 we lived in tight little community of families just like ours. All of the parents were around the same ages and so were the kids. In our situation, we had a lot of neighbourhood moms keeping an eye out for all of us. We definitely felt like we were free-range 70's kids but we were always within earshot or eyeshot of an adult.

I remember some days, usually in the summer, everyone would put their radios in their windows and play the same country radio station. The adults would joke that we all learned how to spell by listening to Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." My folks loved Charley Pride back then (and remained fans of his for years). So, today, for Way Back Wednesday, I'm sharing a song of his that always makes me smile and think of my parents: "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'"

Released in the fall of 1971, it not only spent a lot of time at the top of the Country Music charts, it also was a cross over hit, spending 4 months on the Pop Charts too. After I got the call that my dad had died (I'd been home from the hospital for a couple of hours to get some sleep), I asked my little smart speaker to play some Charley Pride for me. "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'" started playing and I just smiled, thinking about my dad and remembering those summer days with the radios in the windows.

It's a great song and one that I think, if it were to be released today, would be a big hit again. 

Though people may try to guess, the secret of our happiness

But some of them never learn it's a simple thing

The secret I'ma speaking of, is a woman and a man in love

And the answer is in this song that I always sing

Because It's Tuesday - week of February 21

So, I'm into week three of making an effort to post here. As it's Tuesday, I'm going to share a cover song with you.

Today's tune was written and recorded by Marshall Crenshaw back in the early 80's. It was originally released as the B-Side to "Someday, Someway." If you haven't figured it out yet, it's "You're My Favourite Waste of Time" as recorded by the late, great Ronnie Spector.

Other singers (Bette Midler and Owen Paul) both had some success with their versions of the song but I prefer Ronnie Spector's version. It was released in 2003 and I hope you enjoy it. 

Here I am

I'm playin' day dreamin' fool again

You're my favorite game

Finally Friday - Because I'm Awesome

Hey everyone, we made it to Friday. Well, at least I made it, somehow. After my confusinWednesday-for-Thursdayay thing, I'm feeling like I'm back on track. One of the highlights for me this week was being able to go out and do errands wearing sneakers instead of boots. I'm pretty sure that these mild temperatures in February aren't good for anyone, but they feel nice all the same.

We're all our own worst enemies, I think. Perhaps we should be kinder to ourselves (we're usually a lot nicer and patient with others, aren't we?). Given what I've seen in traffic and in some stores recently, we could also try being kinder to folks we don't actually know. There is no good reason to be an asshole to someone working in a store or to lay on your horn in traffic just because you're having a bad day.

So, simple assignment for the next few days (if you feel like it), be kind to yourself, be kind to others. It's simple. Also, listen to my Finally Friday song, "Because I'm Awesome" by the Dollyrots (because we're all actually pretty awesome). Today's song is the title track from the Dollyrots 2007 album, which was released on Blackheart records. I had no idea that it had been featured in a bunch of TV shows and movies (it has been); I just heard it on the radio once a long time ago and liked it. 

Also, if you're reading this from the UK, the Dollyrots are playing a bunch of shows in your neck of the woods this week so go check them out!!

Hope you like it too. Happy long weekend kiddos xo

They say I'm gifted, uh huh

Well I'm a certified prodigy

I'm gonna own you, uh huh

I'm gonna bring you to your knees

Can Con Thursday - No One's Listening

Yesterday, I awoke, convinced that it was Thursday.

Alas, yesterday was Wednesday. I was quite disappointed, to be honest.

This week is feeling really extra long to me. I can't say why; it just is. Thankfully, we have a holiday weekend coming up (in Ontario, anyway), and I'm very happy to have an extra day off.

So, as Thursday is actually today, I'm going to share a song by a wonderful Canadian band with you. Today's Can Con Thursday song is "No One's Listening" by everyone's favourite, The Sadies. There is even a beautiful video to accompany the tune. "No One's Listening" can be found on 2022's Colder Streams album. I know the fellows are playing some dates down in the States over the next little while, so please go see them if you have a chance. I haven't seen them perform since the passing of Dallas Good last year, but I hear (not surprisingly) fantastic things about their recent shows.

Enjoy your Thursday, folks. Friday is just a day away xo

I can do what I want

No one's watching me

I can say what I want

No one's listening to me

I can be myself

I'm not hurting anyone at all

Way Back Wednesday - Don't Drop Out

How did yesterday go?

Do you have a little chocolate hangover, or are you planning to scour the stores today in search of "prices to clear" heart-shaped boxes of candy? Guess it's time to start waiting for chocolate bunnies to go on sale. Funny how our holidays all seem to revolve around candy isn't it?

So, once again, it's time for Way Back Wednesday. On Wednesdays, I share songs that are 20+ years old (although typically, the stuff I share here is older than that).

Today, I'm sharing a song by one of the best female singers ever, Ms Dolly Parton. "Don't Drop Out" was released as a single in March of 1966 on Monument Records. It's a poppy, funky song and not at all country. It's definitely got that girl-pop sound from the mid-60s. When I played it for my mum recently, she said it reminded her of another great girl singer, Petula Clark. I can hear that too. It was arranged and produced by Ray Stevens. I wasn't able to find out if it charted back in 1966. I know it's in heavy rotation at my house right now. Check it out, while it's distinctly "Dolly," it's also not her typical sound.

My parents say you're lazy but you can be smart if you try

And I know you've got a heart cause you've never ever made me cry

They say you're no good so baby do what you should

And stay here by my side oh darlin'

Because It's Tuesday - week of February 14

Happy Love Day, everyone. I'm not a super fan of Valentine's Day, maybe I'm a cynic, but it feels like a grab to me. If you're in a healthy relationship, you don't need a manufactured Hallmark holiday to show it to whoever you're in that relationship with.

Having said that, I do support the purchase and consumption of those cinnamon heart candies. They are just yummy!

So, because it's Tuesday, I'm sharing a cover with you today. This song was originally recorded in 1965 by The McCoys. The McCoys are probably best known for "Hang On Sloopy, " also recorded that year. The following year, in 1966, The Merseys covered it, and the song went to Number 4 on the UK Charts.

I decided to share David Bowie's 1973 cover of "Sorrow." It was the only single released from his Pin Ups cover album, and it also made the UK Charts, topping out at Number 3 (it was also his first Number 1 in Australia - for 2 weeks in February 1974). It's a great song, and I hope you enjoy it.

I hope you have a great day today and are lucky enough to find some of those cinnamon hearts while you're on your travels xo

With your long blond hair and your eyes of blue

The only thing I ever got from you

Was sorrow, sorrow

Finally Friday - Don't Waste Her Time

In the past, on Fridays, I used to share songs I would categorize as guilty pleasures. After a while, I realized there was no guilt; it was just pleasure. I started tagging the songs as "not guilty, just pleasure" Friday songs. As the pandemic rolled along, I changed things up a bit and started posting "Isolation Friday" songs.

Now, the pandemic is still rolling along, and while I'm still isolated most of the time, I occasionally venture out and see people.

This week, I'm starting "Finally Friday." I'm not one to wish my life away, but the work week can be gruelling, and my weekend starts on Friday night hence the "finally."

I'm sharing one by The Explorers Club for the first Finally Friday song. It's called "Don't Waste Her Time." You can find it on their 2016 album Together. I have no idea how I stumbled upon this band, but I really like them. They have a dreamy, beachy sound, not unlike the Beach Boys. They have a chill vibe, one that really suits me as I try to put the working week behind me.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do. Have a sweet, relaxing weekend, I'm going to try to do that too xo

Don't let her walk away, you're gonna lose her

She's trying to send you a sign

The more you hesitate, you'll just confuse her

She's falling so don't waste her time

Can Con Thursday - Bud the Spud

Once again, it's Can Con Thursday here. Today, I'm sharing another song for my dad. He sure loved Stompin' Tom Connors and enjoyed watching this show "live from the Horseshoe Tavern." I'm sure he had it on a VHS tape at some point, and whenever it was on TV, he'd watch it.

When we were kids, we knew all the Stompin' Tom songs too. They were fun and Canadian. It was always a treat to hear songs about places we had visited (or wanted to visit) or things we liked (potatoes, ketchup).

Bud The Spud was recorded for the 1969 album Bud The Spud and Other Favourites. Apparently, it made it to No. 27 on the country charts, but I'm certain it was a No. 1 hit in our house.

Hope you enjoy this little serving of some classic Stompin' Tom (and feel free to stomp your foot along with it) xo

Now I know a lot of people from east to west

That like the spuds from the island best.

Cause they'll stand up to the hardest test

Right on the table

So when ya see that Big truck rollin by

Wave yer hand or kinda wink yer eye,

Cause that's Bud the Spud from old P. E. I.,

With another big load a potatoes!

Way Back Wednesday - Divan

Once again, it's Way Back Wednesday. 

Today I'm sharing a song by Smudge. Oh my how much did I love Smudge back in the 1990's (and still do). I remember picking up a copy of "Tea, Toast and Turmoil" and listening to it, over and over and over and over. Later on when I discovered that Tom Morgan of Smudge was Evan Dando's songwriting partner, so many things just made sense. 

Smudge also did a lot of fun covers like the theme from the Laverne and Shirley show, and "missing you" by John Waites. Anyway, today's oldie but still definitely a goodie is Divan. I grew up on Chesterfield Drive so you can imagine how I would relate to a song about a divan.

A recent re-listen found me enjoying it as much as I did 30 years ago. Hope you enjoy it too. Also, it has one of the ninety-est videos of the nineties!!

Happy Hump day kids xo

Well it's not much like a lounge

You know it's more like a sofa bed

And if you get the feeling you'll be hanging around

Well you can crash out on my divan

Because it's Tuesday - week of February 7

So it's February.

The month of January seemed to evaporate. I wish I could say that the month flew by because I was on vacation or doing something super fun, but I can't. My lovely dad passed away last month. It's been a couple of weeks since it happened, and it feels like a million years and five minutes at the same time. Isn't time weird that way?

He had a very brief illness, and his death was sudden and shocking to my family and everyone who loved him. 

Over the weekend, I was thinking about my blog and how much I missed sharing songs with everyone. When I looked at it, I noticed that it had almost been an entire year since I'd updated the page. This year was difficult on a lot of levels. I think that year three of pandemic living really took a toll on the folks who are close to me and me too. Sometimes, life seems a bit closer to normal than it used to be, but when I reach for a mask whenever I enter a public space, I realize that it's still got a long way to go to get there.

So, yeah, that.

I'm hoping (but not promising) to resume regular updates here. 

For my first post of 2023, it happens to be a Tuesday so I'm sharing a cover with you.

Today's song was a big hit back in 1987. It was a favourite of my parents. They loved the song and the video (and my dad used to point out that one of the ladies who was dancing around in the video reminded him of our beloved Aunt Marge Quigley - he was right; she was behaving just as Aunt Marge would have). The song was written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz and recorded by Randy Travis for his "Always and Forever" album. 

I'm going to share a cover "Forever and Ever, Amen" by the wonderful Ryan Hamilton. You can find it on his "On the Edge" 7"

I've been listening to a lot of stuff over the past couple of weeks that my dad loved. I think he would have enjoyed this non-country version of the Randy Travis classic.

They say time takes its toll on a body

Makes the young girls brown hair turn gray

But honey, I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair

And if it all fell out, well, I'd love you anyway