Wednesday 5 August 2020

It Must be Love


In the June of 1976 - my long hot summer - I was seeing a young 
thing called J----; yes I am being coy, it's my story and I'll be coy if I want to. (And the reason I can call her a young thing is because I was a young thing too.) In fact, so infatuated with her was I that, in the merry-merry month of June, I shelled out the grand sum of 40p (eight bloody shillings) and gave her a copy of Queen's then current chart smash 'You're My Best Friend'. I thought she was at the time, so I celebrated the fact thru the medium of vinyl. J---- loved it. And me (she told me). Which was fine because I loved her too. What could possibly go wrong?

Fast forward two months (a long time in long hot summers; an even longer time when you're hot and bothered and in love) and I'm paying a return visit to my local record emporium). Another eight bob and another piece of black plastic. I figured nothing says I love you more than Chicago's new single 'If You Leave Me Now'. Looking back now I didn't realise that I was laying myself wide open. Within days of giving her disc number two I was history. There was me thinking we'd come too far to leave it all behind, but instead she took away the biggest part of me. 

Though I think I found it again quite quickly. Probably while Chicago were still in the charts, thinking about it.

See how beautifully Lemon Jelly sampled it 35 years later. This is a taster - full version here

Lemon Jelly - Soft (2001)

8 comments:

  1. A lovely tale John, well told. Isn't it funny how we recall such youthful emotions so clearly, even after all these years?

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  2. Lovely - and as TS says!

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  3. TS/C - Why, thank you! I've been in contemplative mode just lately.

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  4. I have nothing but love for the long, hot summer of 1976 and as the rest have said, funny how we can still recall the emotions felt. It was just a fabulous summer (however it ended) with no responsibilities to speak of, a fair bit of independence and lots of time spent with friends (some of whom became more than friends).

    Remember that song well and like what Lemon Jelly have done with it - If you are around our age you will recognise the sample immediately.

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    1. Yes, I may write further about '76. It was a pivotal year for me on so many levels - emotional, physical, musical...
      And I have this fella to blame for planting that tune back in my head!

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  5. Great post. I have to wonder if Chicago were a bridge too far. They would be for some people, but I like a bit of Chicago myself. So I wouldn't have dumped you for that.

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