I’ve had this old Drifters’ song running through my mind for the last couple of weeks. It’s in my head when I first wake up in the morning, and returns at various times throughout the day. I find myself singing, “I’ll take you where the music’s playing, baby. Take you where the lights are dim. Take you where the music’s playing, baby. Little by little, I’m gonna help you forget about him.” At the same time, I’ve been struggling to come up with a theme for my next music column, and suddenly, it came to me! Maybe that’s what I should write about! Going where the music’s playing. In my mind, it’s guaranteed to make you feel better! So here we go!
“I’ll Take You Where the Music’s Playing” is a great Beach Music tune that came out way back in 1965, and it’s one of my favorite recordings by The Drifters. Sure, there’s “Under the Boardwalk,” “Up on the Roof,” “On Broadway,” and at least another dozen songs that immediately come to mind for me, but for some reason, every time I hear this one, it just sticks in my brain and won’t go away. And nobody has to actually play it. Sometimes it just pops into my head at random moments and stays there.
One of these reasons I keep repeating these lyrics, I guess, is because I really want to go “where the music’s playing.” It’s so good to see venues opening back up again, especially those with live music. I know so many musicians who’ve been struggling since they haven’t had any gigs to play, and so many people, myself among them, who’ve really been missing the entertainment. Music just has a way of helping you forget about your problems, if only for a little while, and it can automatically put you in a better mood. At least, that’s the way it affects me. I must not be the only one who feels this way, because just think of all the songs out there that are about music! One of the founding fathers of rock and roll was Chuck Berry, and he wrote and performed a song called “Rock and Roll Music” in 1958. Then, 6 years later, The Beatles came along and recorded their own version:
The Ronettes recorded “I Can Hear Music” in 1966. And 3 years later, The Beach Boys did it:
In the late 60’s there was an artist by the name of Arthur Conley, who got a little more specific, with a song called “Sweet Soul Music.”
Around that same time, there was an explosion of great rock music, and even some of the songs played by so-called psychedelic rock groups were about the same subject. Take this one by Steppenwolf, which says, “I like to dream right between the sound machine. On a cloud of sound I drift in the night. Any place it goes is right.”
Of course, there very well could have been some “substances” involved when that song was recorded, too. Still, it’s music about music!
Another Beach Music tune just popped into my head. It’s by General Johnson & The Showmen, and it’s called “It Will Stand.”
I could go on and on about songs that were written about music. A huge hit for The Doobie Brothers was “Listen to the Music!”
I love “Shooting Star” by Bad Company, which is a sad tale about a musician.
Same goes for “Into the Great Wide Open” from Tom Petty. And, of course, there’s “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits. “I’m Just A Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)” by The Moody Blues. I love ‘em all.
WAR had a relaxing summertime song called “All Day Music.”
There’s Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll!’
Similar songs would include “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan Jett, “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” by Billy Joel, and Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock.” One of the most famous of all is “American Pie” from Don McLean.
How about Sly & the Family Stone’s “Dance to the Music?”
On the mellow side, there’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” by North Carolina’s own Roberta Flack, “Sing a Song” by the Carpenters, and “I Write the Songs” by Barry Manilow. Which, ironically, he didn’t write.
If you really want to get into the mood for a party, listen to “Love Shack” by the B-52’s.
John Cougar Mellencamp came out with a song I really like, which refers to different kinds of rock music. It’s “R.O.C.K. in the USA.”
And who could forget “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry?
A few years ago, the enormously talented Bruno Mars came out with another example of a song literally about music. He and Marc Ronson gave us the unforgettable “Uptown Funk!’
There are so many other songs about music and musicians that come to mind. I could go on and on. As soon as I finish writing this, I’m sure a few others I should have included will jump into my mind. (And then they will be the songs that are stuck in my head.) I think it’s amazing that so many musical compositions exist, in every genre, that are simply about the music itself.
Music can have a real therapeutic effect. It can lift your spirits, it can bring back memories, and it can get you into a celebratory mood. It’s also good at calming you down if your goal is to relax.
The time has come to start going out there again where “…the Music Is Playing.” Let’s go to concerts that haven’t been happening for well over a year. Start hanging out in the places where live music is playing. And most of all, let’s all support local music and local musicians. Some manage to make a living creating the music, some do it as a side gig, and some really struggle, but almost all of them do it simply for the love of the music… and that’s why I write about it.
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