I think this one was recorded in '79...It was released late that year and peaked (at least in the US) in 1980.
Strikes a perfect balance between simplicity (Forbert's a singer-songwriter type) and complexity (there are several sections mixed and matched). Probably my favorite of the 1980s.
You've likely heard this song if you were listening to Pop music in 1980; it also received Adult Contemporary and Rock airplay. It has a beautify piano introduction which is repeated throughout. The intro piano gives way to a piaon-acoustic guitar-bass-drumkit backing to Forbert's vocals; later embellishments include backing singers, organ, and electric guitar.
Released in 1969; peaked in the US in 1970. I always thought it was by Stevie Wonder, but as it turns out, it's by a white California group. You've probably heard it: "I love you more today than yesterday / but not as much as tomorrow..."
A great combination of upbeat lyrics and music with a slight tinge of melancholy, as if the singer is recognizing that tomorrow isn't quite here yet and there's always the chance that his plans will be derailed...
Great horns on this and several of their other singles (e.g., "No One For Me To Turn To"), but I read somewhere that the band's lack of a concert horn section led to their demise... apparently Pat Upton (writer of this track and lead singer) has also blamed poor management or record-comany politics. Too bad.
Also check out a cool Ska version by Goldfinger on the WATERBOY (late 90s) soundtrack.
12 Jul 03 ·konsu: Bout' time someone handed this one in. I guess I take it for granted like most americans who still like AM radio... right up there with "Lovin' You" for songs that you can't sing along to without looking like a fool. 17 Sep 03 ·thewilyfilipino: It is indeed one of those unabashedly ecstatic, so-in-love songs that plaster a foolish grin onto your face. 30 Sep 03 ·Arthur: Much covered song - versions by Barbara McNair, Sam Fletcher , Barbara Acklin and Richard 'Groove' Holmes spring to mind. Pat Upton's solo stuff is very similar and if you like this one look out for anything by Robert John too. 07 Dec 05 ·Swinging London: Oh yes, a great song. Reminds me of when I had my first transistor radio.
All I've got is a very scratchy 45...time to remedy that.
This sort of reminds me of Blood, Sweat & Tears.
I have never seen this on a Greatest Hits album or heard it on the radio. It never made the US top 100 (although at this time the Seasons were apparently more popular in the UK).
It's surprisingly long for a Four Seasons song (6:11), and takes its time moving from the slower, "Lay Me Down" sections (with the more typical harmonies) to the more rock-oriented "Wake Me Up" sections. The closing refrains feature the types of harmonies you'd expect from early-80s Chicago. Frankie Valli handles the lead vocals, but stays away from the high-pitched stuff.
If you liked GENUINE IMITATION LIFE GAZETTE, this should be right up your alley. For those most familiar with the early-60s stuff ("Sherry") and their disco hits ("Who Loves You," "December 1963"), the 1969-1970 recordings might make a lot of sense as a bridge between the Four Seasons as a group of singers fronted by Valli in 1962 to a vehicle for some great compositions by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio in the mid-1970s.
