Dave Schwensen's Blog

#86 and 87 – I Think We’re Alone Now

#86 & 87 – I Think We’re Alone Now by Tommy James and The Shondells

Tommy James and The Shondells

This song’s been floating around since the spring of ’67, when Tommy James turned it into a hit. It climbed to number 4 on the U.S. charts and has hung around ever since. Other versions have come along, but this is the one that stuck. It’s a nostalgic kick for a lot of people and possibly the start of what we’d later call bubblegum music. But compared to stuff like Yummy Yummy Yummy (Ohio Expre...

#88 and 89 – Venus and Mars

#88 & 89 – Venus and Mars by Wings

Venus and Mars cassette tape cover

When I was in college, Wings (later called Paul McCartney and Wings) released the album Venus and Mars. It was probably the most played album during the only summer quarter I stayed in school taking classes and living off campus with a group of about twelve of my closest pals in an apartment complex spending our free time doing what a bunch of college guys would do. We scheduled all our classes to finish before noon, then...

The Comedy Minute with Dave Schwensen

As an author of two books on The Beatles, I get to do presentations for schools, libraries, 55+ communities and seniors (the first generation Beatles fans). Afterwards, during audience Q&A’s and book signings, there will often be someone that will ask, “Is this what you do? Is this your job, going around and talking about the Beatles?”

“No…,” I’ll answer, using a pause in my delivery to make the same impact as the four-beat silent count between the organ solo and chorus in the 1966 classic po...

#90 and 91 – I Know Where I’ve Been

#90 & 91 – I Know Where I’ve Been from the musical Hairspray

Hit Broadway musical and film

This is one of… maybe THE most meaningful and powerful songs on this Dream List countdown. If you don’t know it, use the link below to listen. Really listen. It says so much.

I Know Where I’ve Been is one of the highlights in the hit musical, Hairspray. I remember seeing the original, 1988 non-musical movie by John Waters that starred Ricki Lake, Devine, Jerry Stiller, Sonny Bono and Deborah Harry,...

#92 and 93 – Whole Lotta Love

#92 & 93 – Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Ever since February 9, 1964, I wanted to be in a band. That’s not an uncommon statement for baby boomer kids in the U.S. since that was the evening The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. So, there was a goal but always uncertainty and lack of experience in how to make it happen.

The first attempt was lining up the younger kids in the neighborhood and assigning who would play the part of each Beatle. Then I’d turn on the rec...

#94 and 95 – Keds Shoes Commercial Jingle

#94 & 95 – Keds (Kids, Keds) Commercial Jingle

Generations before anyone had ever heard of Air Jordans, kids felt they had the ability to play hoops above the rim thanks to magic power within their shoes. Advertising between competing shoe brands was intense and whether any truth was included in their sales pitch didn’t matter. It was the commercial jingle that sold brands.

Today’s sneaker-heads (yes, they exist baby-boomers) would be appalled at what their ancestors valued for ultimate...

#96 and 97 – Summer In The City

#96 & 97 – Summer In The City by The Lovin’ Spoonful

The Lovin’ Spoonful

July 13, 1977. If you remember the date because you were there, consider yourself an experienced veteran New Yorker. If not, then here’s a story…

I’ve always considered May 15, 1977, the “move-in” date for my NYC apartment. I started paying rent on May 1st, but it took a couple weeks of round-trip driving between my Ohio hometown to haul all my stuff to the big city. There wasn’t a lot, just the bare essentials that...

#98 and 99 – Day Tripper

#98 & 99 – Day Tripper by The Beatles

The Beatles

I remember the supposed meltdown rock journalists and fans in competing cities suffered when Cleveland, Ohio was chosen to be the location for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Wait… not New York, not Chicago, not Los Angeles, but… Cleveland? To make its case, there were legitimate reasons to choose this location on the U.S. north coast. It was where disc jockey Alan Freed first used the term “rock and roll” on the radio, though it’s been ackn...

Interview with Eric Carmen

May 27, 2000
 
INTERVIEW WITH ERIC CARMEN
How Much More Fun Can You Have?
 
By Dave Schwensen
 
As much as I’m a fan of comedy, I’m passionate about the music I listen to. There’s no other way to describe how I feel about certain songs that bring back memories or forge new ones with whatever I’m listening to as the soundtrack. And my taste in music could truly be called eclectic, because even I can’t predict what I’ll be into at any given moment. The daily soundtrack playing in my office might include ...

#100 and 101 – Please, Please, Please

#100 & 101 – Please, Please, Please by James Brown

James Brown

A song with so few words that say so much…

If you want to talk about soulful begging for lost love with a groove that will make your every movement sway in time with the tempo, this is the song. And I don’t consider that to be an overstatement since we’re also talking about The Godfather of Soul. It’s evident in his passionate, growling vocals that James Brown is not too proud to beg. It’s a heartbreaking and dynamic performa...