benny mardones - "into the night" 1980 version vs. 1989 version

Saw this album in a thrift store yesterday. Had never heard anything by this guy other than his big gross hit, but the album opener's title, "She's So French", piqued my curiosity. The first ten seconds seem to sum up the lyrical themes and vocal stylings of Mr. Mardones. "You'd better/Give me/Some of your/Good loving/Right nooooooooooooowwww!!!!! [wailed with maximum gusto]". And besides the repeated assertion that She's So French, no other references to Frenchness appear.

https://i.ibb.co/cQfKc9R/2024-03-14-09-39-48.png

ironically, it was actually Mardones who said this to Robert Tepper IRL when the latter made an inappropriate remark about a 16-year old girl who he paid to walk his dog. he and all his apologists keep pointing to this to suggest it isn't a song about wanting to have sex w/ teenage girls, that it's a platonic love for someone he wants to take out of poverty...

...which would be maybe 35% believable if not for the chorus and the fuckin' music video, lol

[Hook]

"You'd better/Give me/Some of your/Good loving/Right nooooooooooooowwww!!!!! [wailed with maximum gusto]

Haha that was about my reaction way upthread when I listened to the album. It certainly makes a mark out of the gate, shall we say.

"If you don't gimme your love/Well, what?"

was just looking at mardones on wikipedia - his first album was produced by andrew loog oldham and features mick ronson on guitar and jerry shirley from uriah heep on drums!

and a restraining order on rhythm guitar

the creepiness of the song notwithstanding, I found a video of his last ever performance and his Parkinson's had gotten so bad by that point he was visibly shaking and barely able to hold the microphone. and he introduces "Into the Night" and asks the crowd to join him for what will be his last performance of the song ever. it was incredibly sad to watch.

'She's So (Good At) French(ing)'

he wants you to know

listening to the first Benny record (Thank God for Girls lol)

some wisdom:

"One lesson I've learned in life
you gotta butter your bread
before they let you use the knife"

so i'm wondering if he just smeared the butter on his bread with his hand?

lmao

oh my god this album sucks

guess he was one and (mar)done(s)

i tapped out halfway through "Susquehanna Lady"

The final curtain came down
On Johnny at thirty-five
Left a family of nine little kids
And a devastated wife

Damn Johnny

so i'm wondering if he just smeared the butter on his bread with his hand?

don't you?

mad at me because I can finally afford to provide my family with cutlery

lol

i tapped out halfway through "Susquehanna Lady"

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, March 14, 2024 12:55 PM (fifty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

lol, is susquehanna the least notable place to have its own lady