Songs That Make The Heart Go Zing!

*A Day In A Life Filled With Songs That Make The Heart Go Zing!

The song Sunshine Of Your Love by The Cream described perfectly how I felt about a certain girl back then. As it turned out, the sun went down on her after only one and a half years of puppy love. Then I walked around for months with another song in my head from The Cream which was titled Born Under A Bad Sign, because I was depressed about no longer being her boyfriend. A line from that song said, ‘If it wasn’t for real bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.’ I felt it was my fault because I joined the army and was away for a few months for my basic training. I knew we were no longer an item when I found her in bed with someone that I knew when I came home on leave. Send In The Clowns by Judy Collins was a song that described perfectly how she made me feel after that.

I was no different than anyone else; at least that's how I felt. When the long hair came in the summer of ‘67, I was only seventeen. I looked for every chance I could find to check myself out in front of a mirror or anything that could be substituted for one. Whether it was a side mirror of a stranger's car parked in a McDonald's parking lot, or my reflection in the large outside window in front of my favorite restaurant, The Stallion, I never passed up the chance to view my refection so I could see how cool I looked.

My hair was only down to the bottom of my ears, but it made me feel accepted and admired by others of my generation, especially by the girls. He Was A Dedicated Follower of Fashion by The Kinks was a song I sang quite often in my head. I related personally with it. It felt as though they had me in mind when they wrote it. ‘He thinks he’s a flower to be looked at’ described me perfectly.

As I stepped off the city bus after arriving in a nearby town, the song Bus Stop by The Hollies began playing in my head, but only a few verses. It was a bright sunny day and right away Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles began inching its way across my brain. The Beatles were the best rock group ever.

This specific day I was in control of every heartbeat felt. Every tune from any song that I liked would make every thought, every emotion fit together like a hand inside a glove. My world was centered on my music. It made me think a certain way about the world in which I lived. The world was at my fingertips.

I even looked a little like one of The Beatles with my longer hair. George Harrison to be exact. I knew the girls liked him. Without the long hair, I resemble more like Alfred E. Newman from Mad Magazine fame. George was the quiet Beatle, like me. I felt lucky.

The temperature was probably in the middle 80’s that day. I was wearing my white Nehru shirt that had a three-inch wide medal peace symbol resting over it and on top of my chest with a string of rawhide strung through it, which hung from my neck. I also had on large bell-bottom brown and black striped dress slacks with penny loafers (God forbid) covering my feet.

I immediately heard the song I Can't Get No Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones playing from a transistor radio someone was carrying. That song became a staple of my generation. Many people weren't satisfied with what was going on with issues of the day and they would eagerly express their dissatisfaction in some fashion that would make others take notice. The Vietnam War was a favorite topic of discussion among friends and myself. The Vietnam Song ‘Uncle Sam needs a helping hand. Got himself in a terrible jam’ by Country Joe and The Fish would pop into my head whenever the war was talked about. I had deep-seated morals against it. Killing was wrong. Period. I never wanted to even carry a gun, but I did when I joined the army in '69. My values of not wanting to contribute to the destruction of any life whatsoever were dismissed when I learned I would have to kill if I wanted to save someone else’s life, much less my own. I substituted my morals for survival like everyone else.

I notice the long hairs were out in force that day. My plan was to hang out on Broadway Street. It was the place to associate with people of your own kind. Other individuals with hair of various lengths crowded that section of downtown; some individuals with hair down pass their ass.

I was more into the heavy metal rock scene, so Downtown by Petula Clark never entered my mind.

Clean looking lads standing between grubby looking ones with unshaven faces lined the sidewalks and congregated at the corners next to roadway intersections. They would stand around to meet strangers, talk to friends, smoke cigarettes and dope, gab about politics and in general just hang out just to be seen and heard.

As I began my walk from the bus, I began to eye young girls that were hanging out being cool as well. The song She Was Just Seventeen ‘if you know what I mean and the way she looked was way beyond compare’ by The Beatles began to play in my head. I began to notice round ones, skinny ones, short ones and tall ones. They reminded me of that same line from a song sung by Eric Burden and The Animals.

Then I noticed a young woman wearing suede boots that came up to her knees. They had fringe around the top portion. I thought it look very cool. It reminded me of the fringe that hung from the arms of Daniel Boone’s jacket played by Fess Parker on TV. That was the first time I ever noticed boots like that.

I was always intimidated by the opposite sex. I was very shy and reserved, and I would rarely approach the opposite sex unless any interest was shown toward me first. I didn’t want to get turned down if I asked them out on a date. I didn’t want to feel stupid. I walked pass those girls without even acknowledging them, but feeling positive that they were looking at me, checking me out as if I was the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel.

I turned a corner and suddenly met John Carr, a classmate of mine from high school. Along with him was a young lady friend. For some strange reason, Incense and Peppermint by The Strawberry Alarm Clock came racing into my head. I haven’t been able to figure that one out to this day.

“Wow, John, you’re look different,” I uttered in amazement. His hair was about as long as mine and was dressed every bit the part of the radical. He always had his hair short in high school, like me. His young lady friend was nicknamed Cricket.

“Bob, is that you?” he said in astonishment. I think he knew that it was I, but I obviously looked different as well. We began to get reacquainted right there on the sidewalk, talking about how exciting it was to be on our own, independent and free from the rules of our strict high school.

While I was listening to him, a young girl of specific attributes walked by. She had beautiful long red hair down to her waist. Put a Little Love In Your Heart by Jackie DeShannon began playing silently in my head. I ignored John and kept on looking at the girl until she disappeared into the crowd.

Without any notice at all, and swiftly, two policemen came up to us and informed us that we were arrested for loitering. People Are Strange ‘when you’re a stranger’ by The Doors instantly sprang forth as John, Cricket and I were thrown into paddy wagons and carted off to jail. Then we were fingerprinted and had our pictures taken, which I didn’t mind so much.

“Quit smiling! You’ve been arrested, you idiot!” the police photographer shouted at me as I tried to show my best face possible for the camera. The song Laugh, Laugh ‘I’d thought I’d die. It seemed so funny to me’ by The Beau Brummels entered my head when I saw how upset this guy became.

We were then placed in separate cells and suddenly I felt down. But yet I’m Down by The Beatles entered my head and I began to feel a little better, but only slightly.

Fifteen minutes later I was allowed a phone call. I called my sisters with whom I was living with where I began the day. Operator ‘can you help me place this call’ by Jim Croce was quietly sung just after I hung up the phone.

You probably saw that one coming.

Needless to say my sisters were upset. After getting an earful from them for the first ten minutes after getting into their car to go home, Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sounds Of Silence reigned supreme the rest of the way.

That night as I lay on the couch before I closed my eyes to go to sleep, I thought about tomorrow and going to that nearby town again to hang out and be cool. It’s A Beautiful Morning ‘I think I’ll go outside for awhile and just smile’ by The Young Rascals came dancing into my head as I thought about hopefully seeing that girl again with the long red hair, and this time mustering up enough courage to ask her out on a date. She looked interesting enough to take a chance on. Something In The Way She Moves ‘attracts me like no other lover’ by James Taylor rocked me to sleep.