Artist: DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
Album: CAMEO, 1972
Song: TUPELO HONEY
FROM THE BOY: I have a confession to make. I probably would not have the record collection I do if it weren’t for The Girl’s stone refusals to be my high school sweetheart.
We used to swap cassette mixes about once every three weeks, communicating our crushes, distractions, rejections and persistence through the lyrics of Living Colour, the D.O.C., the Lightning Seeds, and the Pixies. I’d send her a tape with Sebadoh’s “Willing to Wait” on it, and she’d answer with Sugar’s “Helpless.” After I was done being really impressed with her taste and mixing ability, I’d always have the same two feelings — crushing rejection and competitive anger. I immediately went back to the record store to find tracks that were both better and more persuasive.
Eventually, of course, an addiction to music formed; a jones for music that outlasted even The Girl’s narcotic allure. But that’s not to say that there aren’t times when I think back to those old mixes, trying to send a suggestion for a killer closing track backward through time. You know the track I’m talking about — the mix-ender that is so good it forces the recipient to call you at 1 a.m. and confess their love.
Like this Dusty Springfield cover of Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey.” It’s from her 1972 album Cameo, a lesser-known record that is full of great tracks. By the time the sax solo starts, I can’t do anything but start swaying back and forth, loosening my shirt buttons as I go. Damn. This is one mix-ender that comes with an ironclad guarantee. Make sure you got the right person picked out before you send it, ‘cause chances are, the 1 a.m. ring will be the doorbell, not the phone.
FROM THE GIRL: I hate to be the one to disillusion those who still believe that late night at a radio station, a lone DJ sits in a dark booth cramming CDs in a box to put them over the air while fielding phone calls from lonely, husky-voiced women who have fallen in love with a voice. Most radio stations nowadays are run without a live person sitting at the helm, and in the event that a DJ does run the show, there are no CDs to be found. All the music is stored in a larger than life hard drive and runs through a complex system not too unlike the "random" setting on your disc changer.
Those facts alone completely removed the lustre of radio as I embarked on my first career at a classic rock station years ago. And though I did get late night calls of people declaring their undying love for me, they were few and far between and did nothing to make the reality of being a disc jockey more alluring.
My one great joy, however, was starting my Sunday night shift by scrolling through the first hour of pre-programmed music and deleting all the monotonous, run-of-the-mill, lame classic rock anthems, and inserting music that I wanted to listen to. Genesis' "Invisible Touch" and The Eagles "Take It To The Limit" were yanked in favor of Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" and Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero."
The Boy will tell you that I abhor some of rock ‘n’ roll's staple artists, and that fact is a never-ending source of irritation for him. He will also tell you that I put Van Morrison very near the top of that list. So simply based on the fact that somebody else performed this song makes it a winner in my book.
The fact that it's Dusty Springfield makes it even more coveted. Who doesn't like Dusty Springfield? She's absolutely intoxicating to listen to, whether it's "Son Of A Preacher Man" or the "Bain De Soleil" jingle. She's as about as easy on the ears as Roberta Flack. You can't help but fall in love with her, and anybody else within a ten-yard radius.
Now if we could only get Shawn Smith to cover "Have I Told You Lately"...
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