Mission Statement

Guilty Pleasures: The Music Edition is intended as a forum to review songs that were once considered out-of-favor. Readers are asked to rate the songs using a 10 point voting system (10=strong like, 1=strong dislike) and provide their comments.

The objective is to review the songs offered here with a fresh listen for things like intent (objective), structure, influences (to or from), production value, and performances, all within the context of its musical time frame and while trying to forget past reactions. Hopefully we can hear something different in a song we once thought was less-than-pleasing.

So remember, valid reactions include:

1) None of my friends ever liked this song, but I always did.

2) I never liked this song, but listening to it again after all this time now it makes me want to: (a) tap my foot, or (b) shove a pencil in my ear.

All legit.

-Ken

Friday, April 12, 2013

"Beach Blanket Bingo" by Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon



The early 1960s was an amazing moment in time that saw new types of music being created while others enjoyed a resurgence: folk music was finding an audience with both traditional and protest artists that had folks flocking to their nearest department store to buy guitars, banjos, and a big note song book;  album soundtracks for big broadway musicals were the rage for the parents when the children were in the room (and bossa-nova records for when they weren't); rock and roll had five years under its belt and saw The Beatles hitting their stride, while their compatriots The Rolling Stones lead a British Invasion paying tribute to American blues artists that were under-appreciated here; even comedy albums from the popular comedians of the time were big sellers.

None of these new musical waves had more of an instantly recognizable sound as The Surf Music of California that would soon have groups all over the world trying to replicate it. The Beach Boys were the gold standard and would try to (and did!) give The Beatles a run for their money. With the surf music craze developing right there in Los Angeles, it didn't take long for the Hollywood movie studios to cash in on the newest craze of their favorite demographic -  teenagers -  and they wouldn't have to look very far to find their teenage version of Hepburn and Tracy.

Annette Funicello, along side her co-star Frankie Avalon, became the King and Queen of the "Beach Party" movie genre and starred in 6 successful beach movies for American International Pictures. Beach party films featured popular music stars like The Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, Dick Dale, and Little Richard(!). While many artists contributed wonderful songs to the surf music craze, the song that will always represent the beach party movies is "Beach Blanket Bingo" written by Guy Hemmric and Jerry Styner.

The guilt? When you want to use words like "catchy" and "bouncy", you know you're in trouble already, but I'd bet you could play this record in any bar in California (or anywhere?) and have folks singing along with the chorus (whether they wanted to or not).

Thanks Annette, "see you real soon".

-KO


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