Hang On Sloopy

Yet another series gets underway on The Mighty Dawn Dart. Although until I post a second article lets not get too attached to this "series". My mind has turned to jelly in the stifling Nagasaki summer humidity and then congealed under the, at first refreshing but eventually liver failure inducing, air conditioning so the fast pace posting I was hoping for has not materialized. Welcome to the jungle baby! Welcome to the jungle, indeed!

I'd like to share with you some songs. These are not the greatest of all time. They actually are not part of any "Ten Best" nor do they represent any genre or era in Pop music. These are songs that I was exposed to as a child, perhaps I even loved them as a child, and they just stuck with me. Others grew into the level of appreciation I have for them now. These are songs that I have listened to on a pretty regular basis, at times more, at times less, for my entire life. Well, to be honest, I've drawn the line, for now, at ten years old. So, some of these songs I've had on semi-heavy rotation for the last 27 years, some for more. It would be interesting if you could somehow figure out how many times , in all forms form vinyl, cassette, cd, etc., you've heard certain songs over your lifetime. I wonder if the results would surprise some of us. Anyway, get to work on that itunes. Earn that "Genius" moniker.

I don't know when I first became aware of "Hang On Sloopy". I'm guessing I was under five and it was part of a bunch of songs that I loved as a kid such as Flying Purple People Eater, Shimmy Shimmy Koko Bop, and Pepperment Twist. Songs either squarely in the novelty category or flirting with it. Our summer family trips out to Moncton, NB, in the rolling fortress that was the 1976(?) Chrysler New Yorker were soundtracked by a single 8 track cartridge of great fifties/sixties songs like Devil in a Blue Dress, Runaway and Let's Dance. Sloopy may have been on that one too. It also, very likely, was on at least one cassette mix that my parents' friend, Fred, made and that I got hours of of pleasure from. I know Louie Louie was on there but it was the sax-heavy version by Paul Revere and the Raiders. It wasn't until years later that I heard the definitive Kingsmen version. Of the Louie Louie/Wild Thing songs (one of three major song groups from the time, the two others being the Little Latin Lupe Lu and Gloria groups) I for some reason identified most with Hang On Sloopy.

Uncharacteristically, I did a bit of research on the song and the performers of the version I think of when I think of the song, The McCoys. First off, I knew somehow, that the song was produced by a group of songwriter/producers who also played as The Strangeloves. The Strangeloves' big hit  was I Want Candy and they laid down the music for Hang On Sloopy hoping to release it as their next single. However, in a rush to beat The Dave Clark Five to the presses (they planned to release a version as well) they recruited a young band from Dayton, Ohio. The band was lead by a teenager by the name of Rick Derringer (!) The youngsters came in and laid down the vocal track as well as the guitar solo (still to this day I can't decide on which side of awful it falls). It's a cool story. The music definitely has The Strangeloves drum heavy arrangement style, also evident on another single by them Night Time. Rick Derringer obviously was blessed with some natural talent as he pulls off a fabulous vocal performance and he would go on to have a lengthy, if not C level, career.

What do I love about this song? The title is odd and it remains a mystery, at least to me, why the heroine of the story is named Sloopy. The role reversal on the lover from the wrong side of the tracks is quite unique as well. I've always loved the lyric " Sloopy let your hair down girl. Let it hang down on me." Again a little odd but so sweet and a bit sexy at the same time. The song kicks of at full blast with the rush of the chorus and quiets down for the whisper soft verse. The song reaches it's peak with some "shake it shake it"s and one of my all time favorite screams. The punches at the end tie it up in a nice little bow and if you're not smiling your not human.

A lot of people have talked about the mid sixties as a golden era and what I like about that time was a focus on hits. It seemed like it didn't matter how it got done. If you had to patch it together with studio musicians or some local garage band, you just wanted to get the next thing out there and outdo last week's sensation.If you created something to make the kids get up and move, great. If you created something beautiful and lasting, bonus. It's an urgency and energy that has long since left Rock/Pop music. In the age of earnest bands turning out 80 minute long albums every couple of years the rush of newness is more like an inescapable 10 000 mile wide lava flow. I think we can maybe still look to hip hop for that one up manship, and the search for the next beat, the next sound that knocks people back.

Oh well enjoy the song and don't be shy to let me know what you think of it.