Saturday 9

Saturday 9: This Could Be the Start of Something (1959)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) We're beginning the year with an optimistic song about starting something new. Right now, are you feeling positive about 2024? Sure. I have a bitch of a cold, but since the average American adult gets two colds per year, I choose to think of it as getting my first cold of 2024 out of the way early.

2) In this song, Jack Jones sings that because he's on a diet he declines a rich dessert. Are you trying to lose a few pounds after the holidays? I suppose I should, but I don't really care.

3) The specific dessert referred to is a Charlotte Russe, a cake made with custard, fruit, cream, whiskey and gelatin. Preparation sounds like a great deal of work! What's the most recent dish you whipped up in your kitchen? A hot dog heated on the George Foreman grill, served in a bun I nuked in the microwave. Usually one has to visit to a convenience store to sample such cuisine.

I dined there in the 1980s

4) The lyrics contrast dining at Sardi's in New York with sunbathing in Malibu. Do you enjoy nightlife or are you more outdoorsy? My skin is so pale that sunbathing is not for me, and I did once have caviar at Sardi's, so I'll go with that.

5) This week's song was written by Steve Allen. While best known for his work on TV (he was the first host of The Tonight Show), he was also a composer who felt most creative at the piano. When do you feel most creative? I'm often quite brilliant in the shower. Unfortunately, my creativity sometimes loses some of its luster when I towel off.

 
6) This week's artist, Jack Jones, won a pair of Grammy Awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yet he's probably best known for singing the song that welcomed travelers aboard The Love Boat every week. What TV theme song can you sing along with? "Love, exciting and new. Come aboard, we're expecting you. And love, life's sweetest reward. Let it flow, it floats back to you.* The Love Boat soon will be making another run. The Love Boat promises something for everyone ..." It's odd that I know all these lyrics since I truly don't think I've ever seen an entire episode of the show. I absorb pop culture by osmosis sometimes. Like the other day, I killed time while waiting on the train platform by counting off Kris Jenner's grandchildren. I think she has 12. I do not care about any of them. I do not intentionally retain this information. It's just in my head somehow.

 

7) In 1959, when this song was popular, "continuing dramas" (aka soap operas) like Young Dr. Malone and Ma Perkins were broadcast daily on the radio. When you turn on the radio, do you listen for news, talk or music? Music.

8) Now let's turn the calendar and our attention from 1959 to 2024. Is there a skill you're looking forward to learning, or improving, this year? My flexibility. It's important to my physical health and mobility so I've resolved to resume stretching every morning.

9) Have you purchased anything on impulse yet this year? I ordered fried chicken on my way to Target. It was ready by the time I was done shopping. I wasn't that hungry but I really love their mild sauce.

 

*Or maybe it's "let it float, it flows back to you." I can't really tell.