TVD’s The Idelic Hour with Jon Sidel

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Oh, when you’re smilin’ / When you’re smilin’ / The whole world smiles with you, baby / Yes, when you’re laughin’ / Oh, when you’re laughin’ / The sun comes shinin’ through

But when you’re cryin’ / You bring on the rain / So stop your sighin’, baby / And be happy again

Yes, and keep on smilin’ / Keep on smilin’, baby / And the whole world smiles with you

I love how a song can absolutely transport me to a moment in time. I was driving the other day and The Dream Syndicate came on the radio. Hearing Steve Wynn’s voice went straight to my veins. It’s wasn’t long before I was digging through crates for my copy of The Days Of Wine and Roses.

I hadn’t heard “When You Smile” in many, many moons. It was a like the chords opened up a little cubby in my mind. Out popped a girl. A crush from when the album came out in 1982.

She was a rich girl from the upper east side. Her dad’s sprawling Park Avenue apartment. I could see her smile as she gave me a light kiss and pushed me away.

Did she know how much I dug her? Did I? I remember driving the streets of LA in my VW Rabbit listening to that cassette. A kid with a crush on a girl.