Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
Where did you go when things went wrong baby? / Who did you run to / And find a shoulder to lay your head upon? / Baby wasn’t I there? / Didn’t I take good care of you? / No no, I can’t believe you’re leaving me / Stay with me baby / Please, stay with me baby / Ooh, stay with me baby / I can’t go on
Through the years the Idelic Hour has served as my diary, my inspiration, and my mental salvation. Being in the music biz, in recent years I’ve often had to explain my taste in songwriting. Yeah, “for sure” I can appreciate and enjoy a lyric that gets you out to Target to buy a new mop as good as the next industry “creative,” but for my hour of listening, the words need to mean more. A grand lyric can be a pipeline to the soul, transporting a listener from a mundane life to a state of bliss. Plain and simple, great songs keep me going—I ain’t kidding.
Serious shit man. “The lyric” rules, and is commonly the source of my assorted weekly Idelic muses. In fact today, September 14th, is a date that holds a special place in my heart. The lyrical “baby” come to mind. In its slang form,”baby” is a magical rock ‘n’ roll word as it has been for decades from the first delta blues singers—it’s a soulful cry to a lover.
Above most, I’ve always rated “Stay With Me Baby” as one of my top “baby” jams. It was co-written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy, one of my favorite ’60s dudes. Jerry’s lyrical concepts at first listen seem so simple, yet over time this and many of his classic lyrics seem to have greater depth, warming the soul, calming the heart.
Yeah “baby,” tune in and check out an hour of songs dedicated to my baby.
Enjoy. XO
Idelic Single of the Week: JEFF The Brotherhood – Camel Swallowed Whole
