70’s

Hit me with your rhythm stick, then hit me up with a like and a follow on the blog! It’s time to look at a timeless classic in your Wednesday post!

A #1 hit in the UK Singles Chart for Ian Dury & The Blockheads in January 1979, “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” is a tune that has endured in many music lovers hearts for many decades since it’s original release in November 1978. Dury rose to a big height of fame and prominence in the roots of the Punk and New Wave genres in the 1970’s, which influences his vocals and experimentation on this track. There are loads of stories behind the composition of this track, as Dury reportedly jammed most of the sound in recording studios with Chaz Jankel, a frequent collaborator and his co-writer, in the town of Rolvenden, Kent. It’s also been reported that Dury wrote all of the lyrics for the song three years earlier, but he waited for the track to maximise it’s quality before he recorded and released it. A lot of work was put into the composition of this track, which is very reflective of the sublime quality of the final track.

The funky Jazz influences, the delicously comical pop basslines and the use of French words that poetically blend with the mix of quirky English lyrics ensure this is a stone-cold classic of the pop genre. The track is also very notable for the cultural significance which it held back in the day, as it injected a colourful burst of energy and aural sunshine into a time where the public were troubled by the collapse of UK trade unions, the aftermath of political events and severe weather impacts. It’s a very unique track which has a very surreal, cerebral style. The groovy nature of the saxophones and the uplifting mood created by the eclectic hooks and the fun melodies. It’s unorthodox, yet it struck a huge chord with the general public because it was so refreshing and it has a proper good sense of fun. This must have been an inescapable tune at the time, but I would not have had it any other way if I was around at the time. I’m proud that I can appreciate this classic banger without feeling any bad irony at all because it doesn’t hit ever me slowly, it always hits me quick!

Pictured: Vinyl Cover Art For “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” (1978, Stiff Records)

Thanks for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a new track from a French Electro Swing group who became a viral hit with a music video for a single that has gained over 218 million views on YouTube. If you really liked what you just read, please follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

I had a dream of starting up my own music blog and getting work in the media as a broadcaster on the radio, so let’s hope it’s not just clouds in my coffee! Here’s a golden oldie for your Friday post!

“You’re So Vain” is a 1972 hit single by Carly Simon. It’s taken from her third studio LP, “No Secrets”, which was also released back in 1972, which is WAY before my time! It’s a real guilty pleasure of mine which comfortably sits among my “Shit That I Shouldn’t Like, But I Love” playlist on Spotify. It was crowned the “Ultimate song of the 70’s” by The Official Charts Company in 2014.

The track is a diss song about Simon overcoming a terrible relationship with a self-absorbed, seemingly vain, lover whom Simon says: “I can’t possibly tell you who it’s about because it wouldn’t be fair” in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1972. Some theories on the internet suggest that it may be about Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty or a set of three different lovers. The lyrics are very blunt as Simon recounts anecdotes of her ex-lover, a guy she shames by crooning sarcastic lines at him: “You Walked into the party/like you were walking onto a Yacht” and “You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself Gavotte” as she expresses her disdain for his self-centred treatment of his appearance and his behaviour towards other women. The sound is filled with a very distinctive bass guitar line that plods along with the slow pace of the song as Simon fills her critical profile of her ex-boyfriend. There are also low-tempo piano chords that match Simon’s hatred for the guy as they, quite literally, thud along with the vocals and the percussive guitar melodies. It almost sounds funny, which mirrors the sense of Simon laughing at the expense of her ex-lover as she references making love to him in the past: “You had me several years ago/When I was still quite naive”, but the song isn’t about him. It’s about Simon’s growth as an independent woman as she extends to unleash her inner courage and strength which she built from the personal experience.

This track is a cornerstone of mainstream radio, most likely in playlists for Smooth Radio, and it’s probably about as run-of-the-mill as you can get for a fan of “alternative” music like me, but that does not really stop me from enjoying it and I’m not terribly sure why it is that I do, but there must be a good reason why it’s endured in people’s hearts as a Karoake classic for several decades.

Pictured: Carly Simon
Pictured: Promo Art For “No Secrets” (1972)

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at one of the most acclaimed House classics of the 1980’s. Also, don’t forget that the third weekly edition of my #ScuzzSundays series of posts is going up on Sunday! If you liked what you just read, follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

One Track At A Time

Today’s Track: Ian Dury & The Blockheads – “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”

Today’s Track: Carly Simon – “You’re So Vain”