http://image.listen.com/img/356x237/1/9/2/7/697291_356x237.jpg
This, I believe, tho I never realized it until watching Boogie Nights again, which has a wonderfully dramatic use of that last, thrilling high note.
Lyrically, it's something of a Fredo to Harry Nilsson's remarkable "1941" :
He was born on a summer day, 1951 And with the slap of a hand He had landed as an only son His mother and father said "what a lovely boy" We'll teach him what we learned Ah yes, just what we learned We'll dress him up warmly and We'll send him to school It'll teach him how to fight To be nobody's fool
Oh, oh, what a lonely boy Oh, what a lonely boy Oh, what a lonely boy
In the summer of '53 his mother Brought him a sister But she told him "we must attend to her needs" "She's so much younger than you" Well, he ran down the hall and he cried Oh, how could his parents have lied When they said he was an only son He thought he was the only one
He left home on a winter day, 1969 And he hoped to find all the love He had lost in that earlier time Well, his sister grew up And she married a man He gave her a son Ah yes, a lovely son They dressed him up warmly They sent him to school It taught him how to fight To be nobody's fool
Yet...the chorus, construction and climax are some kind of high point for 70's MOR radio.
What say ILM about this Mad About You-affiliated songsmith?
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 21 September 2007 21:10 (eighteen years ago)
I always wondered what his sister thought of this song.
― Mark G, Friday, 21 September 2007 21:39 (eighteen years ago)
This is one of the few guilty pleasures of mine, like "Daddy Please Don't", "Seasons In The Sun" and "Cats In The Cradle" that really struck a chord with me when I was a kid.
It was one of the first things I tracked down when I got on Napster in '99.
― Mr. Odd, Friday, 21 September 2007 22:12 (eighteen years ago)
For those who wish to refresh their memories:
http://videos-123.blogspot.com/2007/08/andrew-gold-lonely-boy.html
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 21 September 2007 22:58 (eighteen years ago)
The bridge (something like 'Goodbye Mama/Goodbye Youth/Goodbye Mama/I'm pushin' on through) is missing from the above lyric -- it wasn't on the single version.
― Jeff Wright, Saturday, 22 September 2007 22:26 (eighteen years ago)
That's right, Jeff. I was thinking the same thing this am.
I just dl'd Gold's first four records--S/T, All This and Heaven Too, What's Wrong With This Picture, Whirlwind--and am still digging through them. There's a softness to his, well, soft rock that is kind of oddly affecting -- one imagines that, say, Ron Sexsmith must have secretly loved a few of these records. The first is very El Lay country rock -- which makes sense given his having worked with Linda Ronstadt in the mid-70s as a multi-instrumentalist.
Big ups also to: "Endless Flight," "How Can This Be Love"...
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 27 September 2007 04:43 (eighteen years ago)
The lyrics are OK, but Andrew Gold's one great song (before joining Wax, anyway) was called "Never Let Her Slip Away".
― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 27 September 2007 10:03 (eighteen years ago)
Irritating as sandpaper, that one.
― Mark G, Thursday, 27 September 2007 10:12 (eighteen years ago)
one of my favorite hits of the 70s
― The Good Dr. Bill, Thursday, 27 September 2007 19:17 (eighteen years ago)
Love it in a yacht-rock way, but sheesh - there are worse things to happen in a young life than a sibling. Chin up, little Andrew! Now you can be her mellow big brother.
― mike a, Thursday, 27 September 2007 19:23 (eighteen years ago)
The followup, "Thank You For Being A Friend," was later picked up for the theme to the TV show GOLDEN GIRLS.
― Rev. Hoodoo, Friday, 28 September 2007 19:13 (eighteen years ago)
so good.
― Cunga, Thursday, 25 June 2009 04:49 (sixteen years ago)
I remember when this was on the radio, loved it then, it was the anthem.
― Mark, Thursday, 25 June 2009 13:36 (sixteen years ago)
RIP!
― polyphonic, Saturday, 4 June 2011 22:04 (fourteen years ago)
Boo. Great song!
― reallysmoothmusic (Jamie_ATP), Saturday, 4 June 2011 22:08 (fourteen years ago)
His name was A.M. Gold, and that's what he made.
― polyphonic, Saturday, 4 June 2011 22:16 (fourteen years ago)
His mother was Marni Nixon? Who's been keeping this secret?
RIP
― Cut Creator Has A Master Plan (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 5 June 2011 13:02 (fourteen years ago)
Wanted to react with an "Ooooh" but can't figure out the appropriate number of 'o's.
― Cut Creator Has A Master Plan (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 5 June 2011 13:03 (fourteen years ago)
Somebody posted this on organissimo:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3-oBob2-tg&feature=player_embedded
― Onimosapien (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 6 June 2011 15:44 (fourteen years ago)
A great Byrds pastiche there.
Personally I always liked "Never Let Her Slip Away" much more than "Lonely Boy". Also, i just listened to the "American English" album by Wax, and it's still quite nice. Probably even more thanks to Graham Goldman, but I guess Andrew Gold should have his credit as well. He also contributed to a couple of sadly largely overlooked late 10cc singles.
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Monday, 6 June 2011 22:03 (fourteen years ago)
Heard this last night on LeShow...man, what a ham-fisted song.
― john. a resident of chicago., Tuesday, 7 June 2011 03:09 (fourteen years ago)
what are you talking about dude? Sisters FUCKING SUCK FUCK THEM
― reallysmoothmusic (Jamie_ATP), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 07:59 (fourteen years ago)
Just heard a memorial block on kpft, which was "Never Let Her Slip Away" and a Wax song, "Bridge To Your Heart". Nice stuff.
― Mucho! Macho! Honcho! (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 7 June 2011 19:04 (fourteen years ago)
This sucks. I actually have four records of his in my iTunes collection.
"Endless Flight" from his debut is really good as well.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 7 June 2011 19:43 (fourteen years ago)
Should repost missing video from his ByrdsofaFeather tribute band
― All The Squares Go Pwn (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 27 November 2015 02:15 (ten years ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ktFdP846A
― All The Squares Go Pwn (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 27 November 2015 02:16 (ten years ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qkTApbNpg8
― All The Squares Go Pwn (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 27 November 2015 02:17 (ten years ago)
Re-re-reposting, I guess:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qkTApbNpg8
― Andrew Goldsoundz (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 12 April 2024 14:03 (one year ago)