I have made an awful lot of Doja Cat jokes in my day.
However, this is a clever and catchy song that brings a warm summer vibe, and, on this unofficial first day of summer, I felt it was a great choice.
In writing this post, I gained a lot of respect for Doja Cat. You see, when you have a big hit song, your record label is going to push you to perform it EVERYWHERE. Well, that's what RCA Records did to Doja Cat when it came to the 2020 MTV European Music Awards...
So, in response, she made a genre shift.... and it was really good.
I used to go to a lot of drug company dinners concerning drugs for multiple sclerosis. This is because it is something that impacts my life (I won't betray medical privacy by saying why, but if you know me personally, you know why).
I remember going to one in Webster, NY, hosted by Teva Pharmaceuticals - a drug called Copaxone, which was one of the first drugs developed to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis. The way these things work, a doctor talks about the drug and its efficacy for about a half hour, and then a patient taking the drugs comes up to tell their story.
On this particular day, the patient's name was Julie. They are TYPICALLY only identified by their first names. She came in singing a Barbara Mandrell song. I know you're wondering what song, but it isn't important. That was the first clue that we were in for something different.
Julie told a moving story about her life - about she dreamed of being a country music superstar, how she lost her home in a flood that also triggered an MS relapse (when she was trying to ignore having anything wrong), how she came to work for a record label (Mercury Nashville) as their receptionist and eventually was signed. And....
"My debut album, Julie Roberts - that's my name, Julie Roberts....."
At which point I immediately reached for my phone to 1) find the post on Totally Covered that Scott had posted to 2) make sure I remembered correctly that there was a picture of him with her 3) wrote to Scott on Twitter to basically tell him all of this. He told me to say hi for him after the talk.
Which I did. Amazingly, she not only remembered him, but the venue in which he saw her perform - without a prompt from me. She was exceedingly nice.
Julie's patient story was far and away the best I've ever heard - so detailed, so moving, and so engaging. I won't tell her whole story - but she is a working musician who happened to have multiple sclerosis.
And she is a musician, and this was her debut single from that album. It would be a top 20 country hit, with the album receiving a gold certification.
You might be wondering why I am posting this on a Sunday. Today is World MS Day. I encourage you to visit the National MS Society website and tell 'em we sent you. Donate, learn more. Help find a cure.
Now here's more Julie Roberts performing this song live in some elementary school auditorium.
Guys, Jane was my favorite Go-Go. Let's start there.
That's why I saved this song, her biggest solo hit - top 10 in the US, top 20 in the UK - for last.
Two things of note about this song:
1) The video is very dolphin-centric, which doesn't really have a lot to do with the lyrics. It's a great video, for sure. but..... dolphins.
2) Video of this song being performed live is incredibly rare. It's complex and tough to reproduce live..... which is why this video from a couple of years ago is such a treat, and required a large band.
A little bonus for you - two Go-Go's songs from the same performance. This includes Jane's third verse of "Our Lips Are Sealed" and the Charlotte Caffey-penned "We Got The Beat".
To support this great cover band that doesn't usually feature Jane Wiedlin, go to nitewaveparty.com
Either I open the week with Belinda Carlisle or I end with her.
Either I open the week with Kathy Valentine's band The Delphines, or I end with it.
Pretty clear which way I went.
Smack dab in the middle.
So enjoy The Delphines. They are led by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Kathy Valentine. This was a great band in its own right - so great I won't even mention that other band she was a member of.
Belinda Carlisle's first solo release was this song. It peaked at #3 in the Untied States and was a hit worldwide. Featuring Andy Taylor from Duran Duran on guitar (yes, he's in the video), the video also features her husband - who she married three weeks before this song was released in 1985 (they're still together, people).
Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's sang bankground vocals on this song, and replacement Go-Go (for Jane Wiedlin!) Paula Jean Brown co-wrote the song, so any rumors about acrimony in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band were not well-founded. In fact, this was almost a Go-Go's song - but when the band split, the song went to Belinda.
InB4 the hate mail I will get reminding me that House of Schock was a thing. I know. I grew up in the 1980s.
Former Go-Go Gina Schock is clearly not drumming here. No, no. She's singing and playing guitar. And she does a fine job - the song is enjoyable pop-rock - but the band - formed with Ellen's brother Vance DeGeneres - was clearly lacking in chemistry and record label support, so they were a one-album wonder.
