Daily Dirt: Remembering the decade when video killed the radio star

Daily Dirt for Sunday, July 10, 2022

All of these years later, “Afternoon Delight” remains incredibly annoying … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 335 of The Daily Dirt.

1. There may have never been a more memorable decade than the 1970s for one-hit wonder songs. We were moving away from the initial impact of the British Invasion and that “1960s sound” to a more sophisticated — at least in many cases — era of pop music. We were also approaching the advent of the music video and the importance it would carry in making/breaking careers.

It was, all respects, an exciting time to turn on the radio or TV.

With the music industry flooding us with scores of new artists and sounds, it would be impossible for all to thrive. The following are my 10 favorites from the 1970s that immediately lit up the night sky before disappearing and never to be heard (literally, heard) from again:

• 1. “Video Killed the Radio Star,” by the Buggles: This, of course, was the first song/video to appear on MTV. That alone deserves some sort of special note.
• 2. “American Pie,” by Don McLean: The song is timeless and just as relevant today as it was decades ago.
• 3. “Hooked On A Feeling,” by Blue Swede: ABBA wasn’t the only successful pop export from Sweden, although Blue Swede was never heard from again after 1974.
• 4. “Driver’s Seat,” by Sniff ‘N’ the Tears: Ever see the movie “Boogie Nights?” This was also part of the soundtrack.
• 5. “Beach Baby,” by First Class: The British group tried its best to rip off the sound of the Beach Boys and was highly successful — once.
• 6. “All Right Now,” by Free: Thanks to this song, the group sold 20 million albums (CDs were not around yet) and then disappeared into pop music’s sunset.
• 7. “Love Hurts,” by Nazareth: This group was another mystery. It seemed to have everything for it, except another hit song.
• 8. “Spirit In The Sky,” by Norman Greenbaum: He wrote this song in 15 minutes.
• 9. “Venus,” by Shocking Blue: I remember buying the 45 in 1970 and thinking this group would be a major force for the next 10 years or so … but nope. By 1971, after it had hit No. 1 in nine countries, Shocking Blue was gone forever.
• 10. “Afternoon Delight,” by the Starland Vocal Band: I simply included this hit because it HAD to be the most annoying song of the entire decade.

2. There’s never a bad day to talk about old western movies or the memories they have provided. The following are my all-time favorite quotes from the greatest cowboy of them all: Mr. Clint Eastwood:

• Gold medal: “You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.” (“The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”)
• Silver medal: “You know, you’re going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking up your ass.” (“High Plains Drifter”)
• Bronze medal: “Well, if you’re waitin’ for a woman to make up her mind, you may have a long wait.” (“Pale Rider”)

3. Keeping with the western theme, here are my five favorite cowboy characters from the movies and TV over the past half century:

• Josey Wales, played by Clint Eastwood: Seriously, was there ever an actor born to play a more ruthless good guy than Clint the Squint?
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford: Arguably the greatest ending ever for a western movie, and the case could be made for ANY film. The Newman-Redford epic also included the memorable lines: “Who ARE those guys” and “Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?”
• Bat Masterson, played by Gene Barry: The most stylish cowboy ever, with that ever-present cane and derby hat. Good ol’ Bat who could just as easily beat you to death his walking cane or shoot you right between the eyes.
• Bret and Bart Maverick, played by James Garner and Jack Kelly: Hey, even the wild west needed a few laughs now and then.
• The Lone Ranger, played by Clayton Moore: Were their pants really THAT tight back in the day?

Steve Thought O’ The Day
Growing up, Steve considered becoming a cowboy, but two things always stood in his way. He wasn’t crazy about riding a horse, and he didn’t want to be shot at.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Horses all around the country breathed a sigh of relief when Steve decided he didn’t want to become a cowboy.