Loneliness is such a sad affair
and I can hardly wait to sleep with you again
what to say to make you come again?
Come back again and play your sad guitar …
Songwriters: Leon Russell / Bonnie Bramlett
Singer: Delaney & Bonnie and Friends
EXACTLY seven days from today the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” and the rest in these islands will troop to polling places to cast their votes for the midterm local and national elections.
We are, of course, talking about alive 18 years old and above individuals who are officially registered voters and not resurrected names from the cemetery.
Let’s just leave the “miracle of the resurrection” on Easter Sunday and not during Election Day.
We still have a couple of days to talk about the “clowns and the circus”, bihon recipes, survey results real or otherwise, sexy pictures, and other nonsense.
And we segue to the music of my generation, a particular love song that had a lot fall in and out of love as the soundtrack of their love life.
What makes it interesting is that this particular love song has always been associated with a certain artist that most people familiar with this love song assume they are the original singers when in fact they’re not, although that is to be expected as this artist’s version of this particular love song topped the charts and became a classic. And when you hear the opening strains of the oboe theme you’ll immediately know that it’s Karen Carpenter’s Superstar.
But the almost-Karen Carpenter signature love song did not start out as her song but someone else’s and has a risqué underlying meaning other than just a wholesome Carpenters’ love song.
In fact the song was originally called Groupie and not Superstar.
From that free online encyclopedia a.k.a. the internet:
The song was written in the late ‘60s by Leon Russell – a highly-regarded session musician and Bonnie Bramlett, of Delaney & Bonnie and Friends (sometimes also known as Delaney & Bonnie, a husband and wife musical duo when they recorded songs without their “friends.”)
The composition was originally called Groupie (Superstar) and referred to as The Groupie Song and as the title suggests, it’s about a girl who has been lucky enough to have a sexual rendezvous with a famous musician but is now left alone with nothing but his voice on the radio, despite his empty promises that he loves her and will be touring and coming back her way again soon to see her.
Throughout the years there’s been speculation if Superstar was written about an actual encounter with a performer at the time. There are stories that the song was about Eric Clapton and Bonnie Bramlett which is ironic because he actually performs on the track as one of the “Friends” in the band. Some sources claim that it’s about Rita Coolidge and Eric Clapton.
Well…well, Eric Clapton is not only known for his guitar playing but also playing with other people’s wives as he has also been linked to the wife of the late Beatle George Harrison.
Delaney & Bonnie weren’t exactly household names at the time and as a result, their version of Superstar didn’t chart at all when it was released; but it’s still a quality rendition of the song, with a gospel-inspired chorus and slightly different lyrics then you may be familiar with on the Carpenters’ version.
Joe Cocker and his band also covered the song during his 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen concert…with, coincidentally, Rita Coolidge performing the vocals.
Finally, in 1971 the Carpenters took an interest in the song. Actually, it was Richard Carpenter who became enamoured with it. He strongly wished to rearrange and record it, even though his sister Karen had previously heard the Mad Dogs & Englishman recording but didn’t think much of it at first. Richard added the oboe opening, as well as horns and strings, backed by session musicians called The Wrecking Crew. To preserve the Carpenters’ squeaky clean image, he also changed the lyric “and I can hardly wait/to sleep with you again” to “and I can hardly wait/to be with you again.” Karen’s perfect vocal recording needed only one take.
For the uninitiated from www.allmusic.com:
Delaney & Bonnie were the American musical duo of singer/songwriters Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included rock icons like Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, George Harrison, Leon Russell, Bobby Whitlock, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, King Curtis, and Eric Clapton.
The husband-and-wife duo of Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett created some of the most distinctive and unique music of the early ‘70s, but their alchemical sound – equal parts blue-eyed soul, blues, country, and gospel – was often marginalized by the attention instead paid to the contributions of their famous “friends.”
On a personal note, for pure sentimental and mushy vibes it has to be Karen Carpenter’s version but for a more risqué and blue-eyed soul with blues flavor it has to be the original, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends version but whatever version the song and the message remains the same. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
