by Kevin Burton Elton John turns 76 today. So when I was nine years old listening to Crocodile Rock, he was all of 26. He wasn’t called Sir Elton back then, not hardly. He was a sight to behold. His wild costumes and antics on stage. His huge international hit songs, these …
Tag Archives: songwriting
Spoonful’s John Sebastian Turns 79
by Kevin Burton Happy 79th birthday to the personable multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter John Sebastian. Both his music and his personality seem accessible, based on how he comes off in interviews on You Tube. I mean, here’s a rock and roller who plays the auto harp of all things. He said he learned the instrument …
Looking For A Spark In A Springsteen Song
by Kevin Burton My favorite Bruce Springsteen song was born of irritation and is marinated in frustration. I seem to have slipped into it comfortably, as one might slip into a t-shirt and jeans. Here is how the song came to be, according to SongFacts: “Springsteen wrote it after his manager, …
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My Newest Venture: Screenwriting Class
by Kevin Burton This is not exactly a call for people to get their popcorn ready, but I am now taking a screenwriting class. If I’m not a fish out of water altogether, maybe I am a saltwater fish in freshwater. Or maybe I’m an old dog learning new tricks, to mix the …
Electrified Hand Holding: British Invasion
by Kevin Burton The song that launched the British Invasion was released on this date 59 years ago. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” holds up to this day, but to get the full impact of it you’d have to hear it with ears attuned to the sounds of 1963. God bless …
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Songwriter Cynthia Weil Turns 82
by Kevin Burton Happy 82nd birthday to a great American songwriter you may not know much about, Cynthia Weil. If her name doesn’t ring a bell, her music sure will. She and her husband Barry Mann formed one of the most important songwriting teams of the 60s. They were contemporaries of writers you …
Did Gilbert O’Sullivan Launch Disco Era?
by Kevin Burton There have been many theories to explain the rise and fall of disco music. Here’s a new one for its rise: Disco music exploded in the mid-70s as a direct result of “Alone Again Naturally” by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan. OK, so I can’t prove I’m right, but you …
Wedding Bells Are Music To My Ears
by Kevin Burton Songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich were married in 1962. The next year they wrote “Chapel Of Love,” perhaps the most famous pop song about a wedding. In 1964 The Dixie Cups took Chapel of Love to number one on the Hot 100, where the song enjoyed a three-week honeymoon. …
“The Immigrant” Didn’t Fit John Lennon
by Kevin Burton For about three minutes and fifty seconds a tidy story unfolds from the pen of lyricist Phil Cody and the voice of the great Neil Sedaka. Attempt to read between the lines though and you have a mess on your hands, especially with Sedaka dedicating the song to ex-Beatle John …
Simon At His Best On “Me And Julio”
by Kevin Burton The lyrics say crime and punishment, the delivery, whimsy and jest. The package came from Paul Simon, and he was hot in the early 70s. So I am amazed to learn that this song qualifies for inclusion in our 2022 series on songs that peaked at number 22 on the …
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