Music and movie: Call Me

Al Green

Here’s another edition of The Titles Are The Same, But The Songs Are Different. The sentence Call Me can be taken at several levels of suggestiveness, as these tracks suggest.

Blondie, #1 pop in 1980. Interestingly, Blondie made other charts with different songs. The Tide Is High went to #3 on the adult contemporary charts, while Rapture went to #33 in the R&B charts in 1981.

Aretha Franklin, #13 pop, #1 RB for two weeks in 1970. Aretha wrote this.

Johnny Mathis, #21 pop in 1958. Mitch Miller produced the song. And if you know who Mitch Miller is, you’re likely of a certain vintage.

Chris Montez, #22 pop, #2 AC in 1966. Weird: I know this song, but not by this artist. The fact that it was written by Tony Hatch was a big hint. Petula Clark recorded it on an EP in 1965, but it failed to chart anywhere except Argentina.

Skyy, #26 pop, #1 RB for two weeks in 1982. Very dancable.

Tweet, #31 pop, #9 RB in 2002. Co-written by Missy Elliott, and produced by Timbaland.

Click, #35 pop in 1997. To my surprise, I had heard this before.

Go West, #54 in 1985. This is SO eighties!

Dennis DeYoung, #54 pop, #5 AC in 1986. Written and produced by the singer. This is ALSO so eighties.

Too Short and Lil’ Kim, #90 pop, #30 RB in 1997. This is the NON-explicit version? Er, ah…This is from the 1997 movie Booty Call starring Jamie Foxx.

Variations

There’s also Call Me (Come Back Home) by Al Green, #10 pop, #2 RB for two weeks,  which my Top Pop Singles book lists separately. No, he’s NOT my cousin, though I have made jokes to that effect.

Over a dozen other songs start with the words Call Me in the title. At least two reached the Top 10 in the rock and roll era,  Call Me When You’re Sober by Evanescence, #10 in 2006, and the ubiquitous Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, #1 in 2012.

In 1910, Ada Jones and the American Quartet hit #1 with Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon, written by Irving Berlin. Ben Selvin hit #9 with Call Me Darling (Call Me Sweetheart, Call Me Dear) in 1931; the billing notes The Cavaliers, and the vocalist is Orlando Roberson. 

The movie

There is a 1988 movie titled Call Me, directed by Sollace Mitchell, and starring Patricia Charbonneau, Stephen McHattie, and Boyd Gaines. Since there are over 900 movies and TV shows with the words Call Me in the title, I had to search for it by plugging in Boyd Gaines, who I vaguely remember from “a three-year (1981-84) stint as Mark Royer, the dental student who married Barbara Cooper (Valerie Bertinelli) on the long-running CBS sitcom ‘One Day at a Time.'” 

As for the film, “A journalist agrees to meet an obscene caller at a bar, and ends up witnessing a murder.” The tagline: “He knows everything she never knew about herself. He could be everything she ever wanted . . . or feared!” 

The IMDb is 5.3 On Rotten Tomatoes, there are two negative critics’ reviews, and the audience response was only 20% favorable. Still, some people sort of liked it. One viewer, giving it 2.5 stars out of five, acknowledged, “I am not entirely sure it completely makes sense, but it did keep me watching. ” One could rent or buy Call Me on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or Apple TV, not that you should.

Quincy Jones (1933-2024)

Back On The Block

Last week, my church had a First Friday concert featuring a jazz instrumental quartet. One of the last songs they performed was Killer Joe, and I knew I had a version of that song with a vocalist. But I couldn’t initially recall on what album.

Then it occurred to me that it was on Q’s Jook Joint, the 1995 album by Quincy Jones; that track featured Töne Löc, Queen Latifah, and Nancy Wilson (the jazz artist, not the Heart member). One of the people with whom I was talking also had the album. 

Soon afterward, I heard that he passed away. As the Los Angeles Times put it, he “expanded the American songbook as a musician, composer, and producer and shaped some of the biggest stars and most memorable songs in the second half of the 20th century.”

“The music producer has been a cornerstone of the music industry since his early beginnings as an 18 year old in Seattle, performing as a trumpeter and arranger for various jazz bands around the area.” 

Quincy was always a major force in my life, even before I knew who he was. His previous album, Back On The Block, from 1989, featured various artists I mentioned here.

He wrangled all the artists in the all-star recording of We Are The World, the 1985 charity record for famine relief in Africa. The same year, he scored and co-produced the movie The Color Purple. 

The Gloved One

Q produced the massively successful Michael Jackson albums Off the WallThriller, and Bad. Audio interviews with Jones are included in the 2001 special editions of the albums. Q called Eddie Van Halen to ask to play on Thriller’s Beat It, but the guitarist hung up, assuming someone was pranking him. Q’s then-wife, Peggy Lipton, knew Vincent Price and helped get him for the title track. 

Possibly my favorite Q-produced song: Strawberry Letter 23

Q created the music for Sanford and Son, Ironside, The Cosby Show, and several other programs. He scored Roots and over three dozen movies.

Until much later, I did not know this. “Jones produced all four million-selling singles for Lesley Gore during the early and mid-sixties, including “It’s My Party” (UK No. 8; US No. 1), its sequel “Judy’s Turn To Cry” (US No. 5), “She’s A Fool” (also a US No. 5) in 1963, and “You Don’t Know Me” (US No. 2 for four weeks in 1964). He continued to produce for Gore until 1966, including the Greenwich/Barry hits “Look Of Love” (US No. 27 in 1965) and “Maybe I Know” (UK No. 20; US No. 14 in 1964).”

He worked with Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Sammy Davis Jr., Barbra Streisand, Helen Merrill, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Andy Williams, and Sonny Bono, among many others.

His accolades are extensive, filling 18 pages in his 2001 autobiography, “Q.” You can read the pieces from THR, Variety, and the New York Times. 

“Quincy Jones’ last Grammy win took place at the 65th awards held in 2023; through Harry Styles’ win with Harry’s House as the Album of the Year, it took Jones’ all-time Grammy records to 28 wins from 80 nominations.”

Viridescent

You Can’t Do That

The WordDaily for September 12 was viridescent. The accent is on the third syllable. I was unfamiliar with the term, though I knew it likely was green-adjacent.

“‘Viridescent’ is an adjective you’ll likely see only in poetic or literary contexts. It comes directly from the Latin word of the same spelling, meaning ‘becoming green,’ from the Latin word for ‘green,’ ‘viridis.’ As we see from the Latin, ‘viridescent’ isn’t just a shade of green; it’s an adjective that describes something in the process of becoming green. It may be used for shoots of new growth, or shades shifting between hues of yellow or blue to green.”

Some animals turn green as camouflage.

Watching trees becoming green is one of the great joys of living in the Northeastern US in the spring. One April, I traveled to the southeast US; I don’t remember where, when, or why. What I do recall that it was appreciably greener there, which disrupted my expectations. Then back to Albany and the not-quite greenery.    

I lean into the the green. On the September 12 Wordle:

Wordle 1,181 3/6

🟨🟩⬜🟩⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

My second word was GRASS because most grass is green. (The word was actually BRASS, but close enough.)

Musical reference: Mountain Greenery from the Supremes Sing Rodgers and Hart. All of my Supremes albums were stolen from my grandmother’s house in the early 1970s  – which made me blue – except that one LP which appeared to have been dropped by the thief.  

Dad

Not Being Green, but Becoming Green. It’s an interesting concept. I think of my father, who was born Leslie Walker but legally became Leslie Green only a couple of weeks before his 18th birthday in 1944. However, he’s listed as Green (misspelled Greene) in the 1940 Census.  

In doing the genealogy, I’ve concentrated on the Walker (dad’s mom), Yates (mom’s mom), Williams (mom’s dad), and even the recently discovered Cone (dad’s bio dad). But I hadn’t spent much time on the Green line because they weren’t my biological ancestors. At some point, I should remedy that. 

Speaking of lineage, when I received over time revised ancestry breakdown, I went from being 23% Irish to being 28% Irish in the past five years. I’m becoming more (wearing of the) green. 

So I lean into the color. One of my favorite Beatles songs is You Can’t Do That because it has the bridge: 

Everybody’s green‘Cause I’m the one, who won your loveBut if they’d seenYou’re talking that way they’d laugh in my face

BTW, I’m also fond of the Harry Nilsson medley.

Turning green with envy. Jealousy is the green-eyed monster. What an unpleasant transformation, I don’t want to change to THAT kind of green. 

Coverville 1505 is the Emerald Anniversary Episode with green in all of the titles, save one. 

I’m continuing to figure out the ever-evolving R. Green. 

1994: the non-crossover #1s, AC and RB

Here are the non-crossover #1s, the hits for 1994 in adult contemporary and rhythm and blues.

Adult contemporary, besides the Celine Dion and Boyz II Men crossovers:

Now and Forever – Richard Marx, 11 weeks at  #1. I have but a vague recollection of this song.

Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Elton John, eight weeks at #1. I’ve seen at least five productions of The Lion King, including one in which my daughter appeared.  I saw Elton perform in Albany in 1998.

Wild Night – John Mellencamp/ Me’shell Ndegeocello, eight weeks at #1. I remember this mostly because it reminded me of the Van Morrison original. 

All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow, eight weeks at #1, from an album I actually own.

I’ll Remember – Madonna, four weeks at #1. It is from the soundtrack to the motion picture With Honors, a film I do not recall. While I’ve owned earlier Madonna music, I wasn’t familiar with this song.

There are only seven AC #1 songs in total for 1994.

Another tidy list

Hot R&B singles, besides R. Kelly and Boyz II Men crossovers:

Any Time, Any Place – Janet Jackson, ten weeks at #1. When I saw her at SPAC in 2018, this song was on the setlist, but I wasn’t familiar with it.

Creep – TLC, nine weeks at #1, gold record. The post title is a bit of a misnomer for this song. Creep did go to #1 pop for four weeks, but not until January 1995.

Seven Whole Days – Toni Braxton, five weeks at #1. I own this album as well. 

Cry For You – Jodeci, four weeks at #1

I Wanna Be Down – Brandy, four weeks at #1

Back & Forth – Aaliyah, three weeks at #1. She’s likely my daughter’s favorite 1990s artist.

Practice What You Preach – Barry White, three weeks at #1

Understanding – Xscape, two weeks at #1

There are only ten R&B songs in total for 1994.

 

October rambling: tax billionaires

everythingistb.com

State Street in ALB between Lark and Willett, 20 Oct 2024

Of course, we can tax billionaires. They disguise their demands (“don’t tax billionaires”) as observations (“it is technically impossible to tax billionaires”).

Find Out Who Funds Political Action Committees

Six Lies Elon Musk Believed (in a 24-hour period)

‘Serious Risk’ of Vital Ocean Current Collapse by 2100, Warn Scientists

One in three tree species at risk of extinction: report

Mifepristone, round 2

Order Your 4 Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests: Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home tests.

Traffic Stops: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Will Arthur’s ballot be counted?

Democracy Succumbs in Silence

The Trouble With Tradwives. TikTok’s old-school housewives paint a rosy picture of their lives. Ex-tradwives and Influencer moms tell a vastly different story.

The US Copyright Office Frees the McFlurry

City On Fire: The night during the Civil War that violent anti-government conspirators sowed chaos in the heart of Manhattan.

The game
Wordle 1,214 was the third-hardest ever and the hardest for two years, and people are angry—here’s why. (I got a 6.)
Why Not Shake Up the Olympics?

Field of Dreams: Sometimes Myth and Reality Coincide

Obituary: pitcher Luis Tiant (1940-2024)

Trailblazing pitcher Fernando Valenzuela passes away at 63

Teri Garr died at 79. I saw her in Tootsie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Oh God! and many TV appearances. Oh, and Young Frankenstein (1974) – Put the candle back!

Singer Jack Jones, RIP

Ron Ely, RIP

Tim Urban: Why I Brought My Toddler to Watch SpaceX’s Flying Skyscraper. I can’t shield my daughter from negativity. But I can continually redirect her attention to the rocket—showing her all the ways our species is incredible.

John Green’s new book, Everything Is Tuberculosis, is coming out March 18, 2025

What Really Happens When We Unfriend Someone On Facebook?

The language we speak can change our perception of time.

Mark Evanier’s links to several full-length movies such as Naked Gun, American Graffiti, and Hannah and Her Sisters

Bob and Ray in “The Hobby Hut”

Kelly’s a little stealing on Sunday

Now I Know: The Identity Theft That Went Backward and Is It Illegal To Not Wish Someone Farewell? and Where Everybody Knows Your 6E 61 6D 65 and The Fish That Glow… As a Warning?

Security Updates for the Internet Archive

Starting earlier this month, the Internet Archive faced a DDoS attack. After temporarily taking the site offline to enhance security, they have resumed services to Archive.orgOpen LibraryWayback Machine and Archive-It. For ongoing updates, please follow their blog and official social media channels on X/TwitterBluesky, and Mastodon.

FAST COMPANY: The Internet Archive is even more essential than I realized

WASHINGTON POST: The world’s largest internet archive is under siege — and fighting back

WORDPRESS FOUNDATION: WordPress Foundation Donates $100,000 to Internet Archive

COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW: The organization that safeguards the internet’s history is under attack

SF GATE: The random Bay Area warehouse that houses one of humanity’s greatest archives

MUSIC

Mitzi Gaynor sings I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair from South Pacific; she died at the age of 93

Vale Alan Mansfield of the band Dragon died

Dancing In The Street – Dick Carpenter Trio

Suite from Camelot, original music by Frederick Loewe, and arranged by Robert Russell Bennett

I’m Yours and  Puttin’ On The Ritz – Herb Alpert

The Kairn of Koridwen by Charles Tomlinson Griffes

Airport Codes (Big Band Version) – Aubrey Logan

The Pink Panther theme song and the James Bond theme song go well together

The welcome arrival of rain by Dame Judith Weir.

Favorite Songs By Favorite Artists: The (English) Beat and The Replacements

Coverville 1506: Cover Stories for Natalie Maines and David Lee Roth and 1507: The Katy Perry Cover Story III

Triumphal March from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi

Convection Oven – Peter Sprague

Wichita Lineman – Colin Hay

Inch Worm – Road Work Ahead

The theme from Exodus · Ernest Gold

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean performed at the World Figure Skating Competition with a routine set to the Entr’acte of the original Broadway production of Mack and Mabel.

Spies – Randy Newman

Sesame Street Cast Crashes The Late Late Show with James Corden

I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder

K-Chuck Radio: Another 10 classic pop songs you barely remember (actually, one I recall quite well)

Ramblin' with Roger
Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial