Cusp Song of the Day: I’m Livin’ in Shame

The Supremes in multiple iterations play an important role in Cusp. They're the only artists Mark needs to get by, and because she really, really likes him, Karen tries to get on board. He holds a series of listening sessions that explain to her the group's shifting members, the role of Berry Gordy and Holland-Dozier-Holland, and the impact of Diana Ross' departure.

 

In Chapter 9, Karen says, "I’m being indoctrinated, and I do like the music but it’s not exactly realistic. Take 'I’m Livin’ in Shame.' Apparently Diana Ross’s 'Mama' is an embarrassment who dresses in rags and eats her food right out of a pot, with her hands. Diana ran away to college and told everyone her mother had died, so imagine the guilt when Mama dropped dead while baking bread. Whew!"

"I’m Livin’ in Shame" by Diana Ross and the Supremes followed the number 1 hit "Love Child" in 1969, but only made it to number 10.

Cusp Song of the Day: Tubular Bells

The Exorcist was a massive and creepy hit in 1974, and its theme "Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist)" by Mike Oldfield the perfect accompaniment. One of many instrumental hits of the 1970s discussed in a previous post, it spent 10 weeks on the pop charts, rising to number 7.

I'm cheating a little by including this as a Cusp song of the day because the theme isn't actually played in the story. Mark owns a parrot who speaks only one single, filthy, line from The Exorcist. I won't repeat it here, but it starts with "Your mother..." and that's never good.

After the bird blurts out his sole expression, Mark explains to a shocked Karen, "'My friends and I had just seen the movie when I got him and we thought it would be hysterical. I’m sort of sorry I didn’t teach him anything else when I had the chance. Now he’s not interested in learning anything new.' The bird acts insulted, turning his back on us."

Cusp Song of the Day: Whatever Gets You Thru the Night

The title song from Chapter 9, "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" by John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Nuclear Band is from the album Walls and Bridges. In Cusp, it's what plays when Mark quickly switches off "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and turns on the radio the first time Karen visits him at home. The 1974 song is about a year old at that point.

 
"Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" features backing vocals from Lennon's friend Elton John. It's one of only two post-Beatles number 1 hits for Lennon; the other was "(Just Like) Starting Over," which went to number 1 after his death in 1980.

Although the song predated MTV's launch by several years, Lennon was an important enough artist that the song still generated two promotional videos, the live action linked to above and a mostly animated version. My hunch (as a former music video expert) is that one or both were created long after the song: The album was recorded and released while Lennon was on a "break" from his marriage to Yoko Ono, yet she appears by his side in both videos. Regardless of when they were made (and the poor quality of the versions on YouTube), they're wonderful gifts.

Cusp Song of the Day: Ain't No Mountain High Enough

From Chapter 9...and 11...and 17...Writing about "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is my greatest "Cusp Song of the Day" challenge. Of all the 200+ songs in the book, it's the one that means the most to me, and to the story. In the book Mark, who is obsessed with the Supremes and Diana Ross, plays little bits of it every day to keep himself grounded.

To Mark, the song is beautiful, it's reassuring, and, most of all, it's Diana. He prides himself on his psychic ability to find the six-minute version on the radio, which was admittedly easier to do in the mid-70s than it is now, but still pretty remarkable. If you're going to have a favorite song to break down into healing mantras, to call upon when needed, to be there for you always, you can do no better than "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

Of course, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" didn't start out as a 1970 Diana Ross anthem. It was written by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson around 1967, after they had experienced some songwriting success. They wanted to break into Motown, and knew this song would open the door. Mission accomplished: the composition was recorded as a duet between Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell with back-up by the Funk Brothers and became a top 20 hit that's still beloved today. Ashford and Simpson went on to write and produce many classic hits, for Motown and other labels.

Diana Ross and the Supremes recorded the song in the same upbeat style with the Temptations. But for Diana's first self-titled solo album, producers Ashford and Simpson took a different direction, crafting something dramatic, powerful and timeless. Initially Motown head and Diana svengali Berry Gordy was not a fan of this version, but fortunately it was released anyway.

I used to see Ashford and Simpson in clubs and restaurants when I lived in Manhattan, and always had to hold myself back from gushing thanks to them for this song and their many others that have meant so much to me over the years. Nick Ashford's death last year, the same day as Jerry Leiber's, still pierces my heart.

While Diana has probably performed this song thousands of times, to me the most memorable is when she did it in Central Park in a downpour in 1983. I was working for Billboard then, and fortunate enough to be backstage. The very real fear of lightning or an electrical short was offset by Diana's obvious joy at keeping the audience in her thrall. When the concert was ended early, all 800,000 of us there that night left the park knowing we had seen something magical. I still remember Andy Warhol and Fran Lebowitz looking for a way out as the hordes trampled the fence between audience and backstage.

"Nothing in this world can keep me from you. Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry. Ain't no mountain high enough."

Cusp Song of the Day: Miracles

From Chapter 8: Red Octopus came out in June of 1975 and by the end of summer was on its way to becoming the biggest selling album in the history of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship. In part this success is due to "Miracles," a mellow, jazz-inflected tune by Marty Balin that was the band’s highest charting single – yes, even higher than “Somebody to Love.”

The album versions of many songs are edited for single release, typically to bring them closer to the classic three-minute pop song length. Certainly this was part of the reason for the edits done to “Miracles.” But another reason was to remove a line that even now would raise eyebrows. Let’s just say it refers to getting a taste of the “real world.”

In Cusp, “Miracles” is the punctuation to Karen and Patrick’s breakup: “I start the engine.  ‘Miracles’ by Jefferson Starship plays on the radio: If only I believed what Patrick believed, we’d get by. But the only miracle I believe in is that I made it through that conversation. As I leave the parking lot, my red tail lights match the glow of the cigarette from my arm held out the window.” Months later, after a different kind of romantic let-down, she hears the song again and feels fresh guilt for how she treated her first real boyfriend.

Cusp Song of the Day: Games People Play

The Spinners have been playing and touring since 1961, but their golden era was unquestionably the 1970s, when they were one of Atlantic Records' stable of R&B greats. The group had more than a dozen top 40 hits during the decade, including "They Just Can’t Stop It the (Games People Play)."

The song, from their 1975 album Pick Of The Litter, went to number 5 on the pop charts in September of that year. It features vocals by Bobby Smith with the late Barbara Ingram, a well-known back-up singer who rarely got to sing lead. The renowned Thom Bell - Grammy-winning Producer of the Year in 1975, known for his work with the Delfonics and the Stylistics - produced, with backing by Philly Sound house band MFSB.

"Games People Play" is the second of three songs that play at a bar on closing night of Playland. All three resonate strongly for Karen, who is about to break up with her "summer love" Patrick. When she hears the song sandwiched between "Why Can't We Be Friends?" and "Jive Talking"  she asks, "Jesus, is there no relief?"

 

Cusp Song of the Day: Why Can’t We Be Friends?

The '70s were undeniably a time of War. The band had a dozen top 40 hits, starting with "Spill the Wine" (with Eric Burdon) in 1970. "Why Can't We Be Friends?," from the summer of 1975, spent 13 weeks on the charts and rose as high as number 6. Sure, its lyrics and melody are repetitive, but the messy production and casual conversational style keep it fun and funky.

"Sometimes I don't speak too bright, but yet I know what I'm talking about." OK, let's face it, that's grammatically incorrect, a lazy rhyme and a half-assed rhythm. But who cares? We can't be friends if we're going to be judgmental.

The song has gone on to make huge amounts of money for its writers and performers, from sampling and cover versions to extensive appearances on TV and in movies. Who knows, maybe someday it will be on the soundtrack to a movie version of Cusp!

Speaking of Cusp, "Why Can't We Be Friends?" is the title of Chapter 8 and refers to Karen's confusion over her breakup with Patrick. It's one of three songs she hears right before she has to head out to the parking lot and break his heart. (Even in 1975 the idea of breaking up but remaining friends was known to be an impossible dream.)

Cusp Song of the Day: Puppy Love

"Puppy love" refers to a childish yearning, not a mature relationship, giving the Cusp reference to the song an insulting edge: Of high school senior Patrick, college freshman Gwen asks Karen, "Where’s your shadow, Donny Osmond? And they call it puppy love…" Karen is not amused, especially since she's about to break up with Patrick precisely because he seems so immature to her.

Osmond had hit number 3 with the song three years earlier, so the insult is particularly appropriate, as it hearkens back to the friends' more awkward years. And Donny, then 17 and making hits with his younger sister Marie, was dismissed by those his own age as being too "teenybopper." That term itself suggests earlier times - such as 1960, when "Puppy Love" writer Paul Anka had a number 2 hit with the song in its first release.

How Bieber-esque does Donny Osmond look on that Portrait of Donny album cover? It's a teenybopper déjà vu.

Cusp Song of the Day: How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)

From the Pointer Sisters' third album Steppin' comes "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)," released in summer 1975. The song spent two months on the charts, rising as high as number 20; it also hit number 1 on the soul charts. Anita Pointer sings lead, backed up by sisters Bonnie, Ruth and June. 

Their biggest hits were still to come, but "Betcha Got a Chick on the Side" plays an important role in Pointer Sisters history. Beginning with their self-titled debut album in 1973, they were known for their vintage-era music and clothes. Songs like "Yes We Can Can" and 40's-style dresses and hats threatened to turn them into a novelty act. But with Steppin' they made the transition into a more contemporary funk sound and style, and after that there was no looking back - only forward.

In Cusp, Craig plays the record on the stereo in his room when Karen and Mark come to visit.

Cusp Song of the Day: Hey There

"Hey There" by Rosemary Clooney spent more than six months on the pop charts in 1954, including six weeks at number 1. That was a very good year for the singer, who also had a starring role in White Christmas with her friend Bing Crosby. The tune, from The Pajama Game, was also recorded by Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee and many others.

The lyrics to "Hey There" begin, "Lately when I'm in my room, all by myself in the solitary gloom..." That’s why I selected it over others of the era for a Cusp scene involving Craig's unseen mother, whose first husband died in a plane crash in the early '60s.

"We go down a long dark hallway where we have to be very quiet. His mother never comes out of her room and no light is allowed in. Craig says there’s nothing physically wrong with her, she’s just overwhelmed by life. Even though it’s been more than twelve years since the crash, she still acts like she just got the news. She’s in there now—I can hear Rosemary Clooney singing 'Hey There' —but not taking visitors, which is fine with me." 

Cusp Song of the Day: Bad Luck (Part 1)

Ah, the Philadelphia sound and the late, great Teddy Pendergrass! My weakness for '70s soul starts with Stevie Wonder, wends its way through Crown Heights Affair, Earth, Wind and Fire and the Philly Sound, until I'm left with a craving to heat up the hot rollers and break out the Candies. 

 "Bad Luck (Part 1)," from the album To Be True by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, entered the pop charts in May 1975 and received airplay and club play throughout the spring and summer of that year. In fact, the song was number 1 on what was then called the "Disco Action" chart for 11 weeks, a feat unmatched until Michael Jackson's Thriller was released in 1983. 

A Philadelphia International Records release, produced by label heads Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, "Bad Luck" was written by the hit-making team of Victor Carstarphen with John Whitehead and Gene McFadden, later known as McFadden & Whitehead of "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" fame.

In Chapter 6 of Cusp, Mark and Karen wait for the schedule-impaired Craig to come and get them from his kitchen, where they're left while he finishes showering. "Finally, hair gleaming, Craig makes his entrance, to the radio softly playing 'Bad Luck (Part 1).'" Bad luck: could that be a sign?

Notes on the video: Richard Pryor interviewing the band on Soul Train - golden! The Sharon they're talking about is Sharon Paige - more about her later when we discuss another great Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes tune. You can't have too many!

The single version sung on Soul Train is shorter than the album cut by more than three minutes and omits the then-timely reference to Richard Nixon's resignation.

Cusp Song of the Day: Just a Little Bit of You

At the same time the Jacksons moved from Motown to CBS Records, so did 16-year-old Michael Jackson as a solo artist. MJ already had garnered three top 10 hits between 1971 and '75. But the family, and especially Michael, had outgrown Berry Gordy's artistic and financial controls. Indeed, it's hard to imagine how different Michael Jackson's career would have been if he'd stayed at Motown. Consider this, his final charting Motown single.

"Just a Little Bit of You," which spent six weeks on the charts in the summer of 1975, is, shall we say, not his best work.Of course, considering that after leaving Motown MJ had 10 number 1 pop hits and countless other charting songs, that's not necessarily an insult. But an insult wouldn't be inappropriate for this song.

In Chapter 7 of Cusp, the song is playing when Karen and Mark visit Craig. They wait for him in the kitchen "since no one’s allowed in the living room." The song plays on a clock radio on the counter. Karen turns it down since it’s pretty bad. Luckily for the world, it's the last bad song Michael Jackson released for many years (no pun on the word "bad" intended).

Note: I apologize for the poor quality of the video, from American Bandstand, but included it because it shows that even in his awkward stage Michael Jackson was miles beyond the weak material he was saddled with.

Cusp Song of the Day: Dancing Machine

"Dancing Machine," released in 1974, was the last of the Jackson 5's eight top 10 Motown hits. (In 1976 they left the label and legally had to change their name to the Jacksons.) The song spent 16 weeks on the charts, rising to number 2. 

Michael Jackson, as a solo artist, also left Motown during the 1975-76 timeframe of Cusp. More about him tomorrow, when I discuss the next song referenced in the book.

In Chapter 7 of Cusp "Dancing Machine" appears in passing, as Mark, Craig and Karen leave the diner where they have just had a jarring (to Karen) conversation. The song is a year old at that point.

Cusp Song of the Day: Feelings

Reminder: You can find the Cusp Songs of the Day by selecting any of the three options on the right side of the home page - iTunes, Spotify or Amazon. Just scroll through the selections to find the one you want.

"Feelings" is the title of Chapter 7, but not just any "Feelings": it's the one-of-a-kind song by one-hit-wonder Morris Albert. There was no escaping this overwrought melodrama in the summer of 1975, and no way to resist singing along to its lyrics: "Feelings, whoa, whoa, whoa feelings." 

Of course, you didn't feel good about yourself when the song was over - "I can't believe I know the words to that!" you'd think, as you pushed a radio pre-set, desperate for some Springsteen to clear "Feelings" out of your ears. So imagine Karen's reaction when her friend Craig swept into the diner where she was trying to impress a potential new boyfriend and selected "Feelings" from the tabletop jukebox: "What is he thinking? He’s going to embarrass me in front of Mark! I try to catch Mark’s eye to let him know I am not in favor of this selection."

Anyone who ever tried songwriting in high school recognized the skill level behind "Feelings." The song states the obvious in a going-through-the-motions kind of way: "Feelings, nothing more than feelings, trying to forget my feelings of love." Who's trying to forget now, Morris?

Cusp Song of the Day: Holdin’ Onto Yesterday

From Chapter 7: “Holdin’ Onto Yesterday” was Ambrosia's first top 40 single, released in July 1975. The band, featuring lead vocalist David Pack, had more success later with "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part of Me." But this one will always be my favorite. I like that it feels more like an album cut than a single.

In Cusp, Karen pays a dime to play it on a tabletop jukebox when she and Mark escape from Eric’s dreadful party. While the lyrics don’t have much relevance to her, she says, “I find it haunting, even in a brightly lit and bustling diner.”

Cusp Song of the Day: The Solid Time of Change

"The Solid Time of Change" by Yes is the title song from Chapter 6 and the first song on Side 1 of the 1972 album Close to the Edge. In Cusp it's yet another song played at Eric's nuclear bomb of a party. About it, Karen says, "Eric introduces me to some of the other guests while Close to the Edge by Yes, one of my all-time least-favorite bands, plays." 

For teenagers, musical compatibility is a prerequisite to passion. Disrespect my music and you might as well find yourself another face to suck. Karen's disdain for Eric's music is a guarantee they will never find happiness together. A prog rocker with someone whose tastes run to Jackson Browne, R&B and early disco? Never happen.

Close to the Edge reached number 3 on the album charts despite spawning no singles.

Cusp Song of the Day: Horse with No Name

From Chapter 6: "Horse With No Name" is one of those songs in The Cusp of Everything that its creators might wish had been omitted. In the book, Karen goes to a party at co-worker Eric's house - he's the guy with terrible taste in music. When she gets there, she says, "America’s 'Horse With No Name' is playing. I think there is only one note in that song. It kills all the energy in the room. The twenty-watt light bulbs don’t help either."

The party goes downhill from there. 

"Horse With No Name" was America's first and most successful single, staying at number 1 for three weeks in 1972.

Later in Cusp Karen calls another song "the 'Horse With No Name' of dance music." Any guesses as to what that 1975-era song might be?

Cusp Song of the Day: TSOP

From Chapter 6: "TSOP" by MFSB Featuring the Three Degrees is not technically an instrumental since it repeats the phrase "people all over the world." But it never clarifies: What about them?. Are they supposed to join hands and start a love train? Pick up arms and go to war? As far as I'm concerned, the lack of a complete thought makes this song an honorary entry in the category of '70s instrumental hits I discussed yesterday.

TSOP? MFSB? What are these strings of apparently random letters? Well, the song title is an acronym for The Sound of Philadelphia. The band performing it is Mother Father Sister Brother.

This too raises questions: Why is The Sound of Philadelphia used as a theme for the long-running music show Soul Train, which started in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles? And are MFSB really related? At least that question I can answer: no. MFSB was producer Gamble & Huff's house band, their version of Motown's Funk Brothers. TSOP was a chance for the band to shine on their own, albeit without individual musicians' actually being identified.

In Cusp, Karen has started listening to R&B/soul station WBLS. One day, she hears a special on “The Philly Sound.” She says, "It turns out that a lot of the music I like on BLS, like the O’Jays and the Spinners, is made with the same group of musicians, called MFSB. Their own song “TSOP” was a big hit last year even though it didn’t make my radar back then."