O.K.  I’ll admit it.  I’m a sucker for a witty, well-turned phrase.

Pickup lines could potentially fall within this category, most assuredly in the minds of those who speak them, an opinion not necessarily shared by those on the receiving end. But of all the pickup lines witnessed live or on the silver screen, I’m hard pressed to think of one that didn’t seem crude, cliched or trite.

Such solicitations assume many forms, some subtle, vague and indirect but in other cases, are exceedingly clear, to the point and unambiguous. Those adopting the latter approach seemingly prefer to skip past the means, focusing exclusively on the ends, avoiding time-consuming preliminaries and unpredictable outcomes.    

If someone could please post an opening comment for ponies when this publishes, I’d be most appreciative. Please check back later this evening. My opening comment promises to include more images, and music, none of which are covers of this week’s selection, but should be of interest. Thank you.

Except for a few fortunate areas of the country, this has been an extremely long, hot summer.  One must wonder, where are the global warming deniers?  Maybe they are now safely huddled in a secret undisclosed location, bunking with the “Drill Baby, Drill” crowd? Perhaps in a dark, damp cave, ala Usama bin Laden, sharing quarters with the bats who also favor such locations?

In keeping with this theme, the original title of the song made reference to the Hades-like conditions that oftentimes occur in July and August, although those residing in the Old Confederacy can happily add the months of June and September, and to some extent, May and October as well.  The more commonly used title actually attempts to analogize love and oppressively hot weather.  Although this writer represent a rare exception, love that resembles hot, suffocating conditions would seem less than ideal. Perhaps it’s no accident that Valentine’s Day falls during the winter months.

NOTE:  I have other obligations this evening that will preclude me from being able to post an opening comment until much later this evening.  If someone could post an opening comment for ponies on my behalf, I would be most appreciative.  More information will be following in the comments section later this evening.  Thanx.

Songs describing the myriad mysteries of love have abounded through the ages, dating back at least as far as that staple of the Old Testament, The Song of Solomon, which included some surprisingly racy language. For some unknown reason, the Protestant Sunday school teachers of this writer’s youth seemed to neglect any discussion of this book.  

William Shakespeare was as fascinated as anyone by the inscrutable and murky depths of love, perhaps most memorably explored in “Romeo and Juliet”, ultimately leading up to the tragic conclusion, pictured at the beginning of this essay.  

This week’s selection was written by Mississippi Delta born James Milton Campbell, Jr. (1934-2005), blues singer and guitarist, who was best known for his hit R&B singles, such as “We’re Gonna Make It” (#1), “Who’s Cheating Who?” (#4), “Baby, I Love You” (#6) and “Feel So Bad” (#7). His primary influences were T-Bone Walker and other contemporary blues and rock n’ roll artists.  He was first discovered playing in local bars, and caught the attention of Ike Turner, which led to a record contract.  He recorded several singles, which met with little success, leaving Sam Phillips’ Sun label by 1955. Campbell’s final album was released in May of 2005, near the time of his death following a stroke on May 4, 2005.

NOTE:  I’ve been invited to a local event kicking off the candidacy of a local politician, so this presents a great opportunity to find out firsthand what her stated positions are on various matters.  I doubt that I will be able to return by the time this publishes.  If someone could kindly post an opening comment for ponies on my behalf, I would be very appreciative.  Thanx.

This week’s selection takes us back to 1975, when a cover version of a number written by Grammy-winning songwriter Skip Scarborough climbed to #11 on the U. S. Black and #39 on the U. S. Pop Singles charts. The song received a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.  

The album on which this song appeared enjoyed considerably greater success, occupying the #1 position on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart for three consecutive weeks, was the second bestselling R&B album of 1976 and received triple platinum certification.  This album was reissued in 2000.    

The selection this week departs somewhat from all others that have appeared before in this series. This classic song has been more frequently covered by far than any other song this writer has encountered to date. This song, which seems to lend itself to multiple arrangements, has been a personal favorite of this writer, who has attempted various keyboard arrangements of it since his teenage years.  Each time, new possibilities seem to present themselves.

The featured selection this week could well be the biggest hit that never was. The song was written as a tribute to the birth of the composer/performer’s daughter Aisha in 1976. Despite the song’s popularity and extensive airplay, it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 because the artist never allowed it to be released as a 45 rpm single, despite being requested to do so by Motown Records.