Pop Matters – Page 3 – the Hip Quotient

Sam Cooke: Calling on Cupid

December 11, 2015February 14, 2014 by Dana Spiardi

When you’re looking for a last-chance miracle to draw a crush object close to your heart, who do you call upon but Cupid, the god of desire, erotic love, and affection. In 1961, silky-smoky-voiced Sam Cooke penned his soulful plea to the boy with the bow and arrow, asking him to work his magic. Combining Latin rhythms with jazz and R&B, Sam created a perfect pop song. How could Cupid not fulfill his desperate wish? Here’s a man who’s in distress, in danger of losing all his happiness. For he loves a girl who doesn’t know he exists. And it’s all up to Cupid to fix. This really hits home, doesn’t it? How many of us have pined for someone – a person we probably saw every day at school or at work – who was barely aware of our existence?

From Finland to Jamaica, Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting But Me

February 7, 2016September 21, 2012 by Dana Spiardi

While dance clubs around the globe were blasting “Kung Fu Fighting,” I was fighting Kung Fu blasting. This early disco hit, which topped the U.K. charts on this date in 1974, was recorded in ten minutes and took singer Carl Douglas a mere two takes to complete. Here’s a look at three funny, funky cover versions of the song.

Micky’s Monkee

October 5, 2015March 8, 2012 by Dana Spiardi

With the sad passing of the ever-youthful Davy Jones last week, I beg the question: who was your favorite Monkee? For me it was pixie-faced Micky Dolenz, who turns 67 today. Why Micky? Well, like Ringo, the “real” drummer on which his TV character was modeled, he just charmed the heck out of me with his goofiness.

Neil Diamond: He Is, He Said

January 24, 2016January 24, 2012 by Dana Spiardi

The protagonist in the movie “What About Bob” attributes his failed marriage to this time-tested rule: “There are two types of people in the world — those who like Neil Diamond and those who don’t. My ex-wife loves him.” Well, despite the fact that Neil Diamond is sometimes rebuked by rockers for his symphonic serenades, I’m proud to say I’m a fan. He wrote some of the most memorable pop songs of the 1960s, including “Cherry, Cherry,” “I’m a Believer,” “Solitary Man,” and “Cracklin’ Rosie.” And he’s a good sport, too, appearing in movies (“Saving Silverman”) and TV shows (“Saturday Night Live”) that have playfully mocked him for his sometimes grandiose anthems and dramatic delivery.

Draggin’ the Line with Aging Pop Stars

October 5, 2015July 24, 2011 by Dana Spiardi

On July 22, 2011, I had the pleasure of seeing two major pop/rock acts from the 1960s — The Young Rascals (now known as Felix Cavaliere and the Rascals) and Tommy James and The (new) Shondells — at the Chautauqua Institution, that venerable adult education center that began as a camp for Sunday school teachers in 1874!