Originally uploaded by becklerg.
So I had already heard about Josh Chaffin buying a copy of this song, but now I am the happy owner of a 45 of it, too. From what I gather, Middle of the Road had a Euro top 5 hit with this in the 70's. They're a Scottish band, but they sound like a Dutch or German Abba ripoff. The song is really catchy. Read the lyrics here. I would have cut and pasted them but this site kept me from doing this. Researching this song led me to this interesting webpage that reviews all the Sac songs, including the Milhouse one!
scratch that, the same website has the lyrics. here they are
Middle of the Road's "Sacramento"
There is something about the weather
That everybody loves
They call it the Indian Spring of Sacramento
And when the sun is up in the sky
the wind is blowingby the riverside
most every day
you're in Sacramento
a wonderful townsing sing, ..
There's something about the people
that everybody knowsthat
gives you a tender feeling of confusion
you're feeling lonely but you don't know
until this other feeling
hereinside you starts to grow
you're in Sacramento,
a wonderful townsing, sing, ..
Now that spring is near again
and you're thinkingif only you were not so lonely
but you can ease your restless mind
'cos all the people are a lovin' kindin Sacramento,
a wonderful townsing, sing, ...
While I agree that we are a lovin' kind, I've never heard of an Indian Spring.
ReplyDelete-Connie
Yeah, maybe they just had a tender feeling of confusion when they wrote that lyric.
ReplyDeleteBrew
Dude that's almost as good as the ditty my great Uncle Johhny wrote, "Sacramento, My Hometown." I should post the lyrics here sometime.
ReplyDeleteIt's woefully missing from that website though.
-michele
Your great uncle wrote that?! Rad.
ReplyDeletemiller
The Indian Spring is on Mt. Sacramento. It's lovely this time of year.
ReplyDeleteG Bomb
"Sacramento rules, its the city of a beer."
ReplyDeleteMiller:
ReplyDeleteYeah, my Uncle Johnny was born and died in that ranch house where the wedding was, bachelor to the end. He played piano and wrote songs and stuff. He spent some time SF in the 30s and 40s, but always came back to that house. He mostly put on musicals at the local church toward the end.
I've got a framed copy of the sheet music for that song on the wall, I can't tell if it cures or aggravates my homesickness. But I love it, it has the capital, the sierras, the camellias, and the river on the cover! No Indian Spring though.
-michele
P.S. May I request that you save me some of that extra-dry white port you brought back? I read about it on Mo's blog where he linked to the Barnesyard who read it on Bloggy McBlog, I think she heard about it from Heckasac. I'll be there in December, so if you can wait that long to finish it off, I'd appreciate it!!!!!!!!!!!
can miller hold off on a bottle of port until december? that's like asking the pope to not shit in the woods until christmas. impossible.
ReplyDeletealso, the sheet music cover for your uncle's song is fucking rad.
You're right, I'm asking to much. Miller, drink feely and often. I'll taste the extra-dry sometime soon!!!
ReplyDelete-m
I'll save some for you! It can be done. Plus, I have 3 bottles of tawny & ruby heroin, sorry, port to tide me over.
ReplyDeletemiller
my sister found a thrift store record that has a whole set of odes to sacramento on it. i've been meaning to scan the art work on the cover cause its rad. anyhow, i inherited it when she ditched it at my mom's and i found it all cobwebby and ready for my collection. it's got "sacramento, my home town" on it as well as some other hits. most of the songs truly suck. but, i propose having a listening party where we all bring our ode to sacramento songs and play 'em for one another. anyone down?
ReplyDeleteI was in Germany when this song was a hit, and actually have the Middle of the Road album.
ReplyDeleteThe local top forty station ... might have been KROY at the time ... would play the fade out as bumper music, or whatever you call it.
The fadeout went "Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick) Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick)Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick) Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick)Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick) Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick)Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick) Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick)Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick) Sacramento! (sweet guitar lick)"
But, you know, it got quieter with each iteration, like the band was just gonna keep jamming funkily on into eternity.