A recurring memory

Driving back to the city, the Car Audio played this song, actually a cover version by Andy Williams that opened a floodgate of memories and took me back some half a century.

I was in Seth G S Medical College studying for my first degree from the hallowed institution. In the late 70s, my best friend in college, Prakash Nadkarni was preparing to participate in the vocal section of the Western Music competition in Mood Indigo, the showpiece intercollegiate competition of IIT Bombay ( IIT-B ) where all the boys and girls of Bombay (as it was then known) would crowd, the air on Indigo nite would be thick with an acrid , sweet smoke that made it impossible to see who was doing what in the crowd and would surely have delighted our Peter Pan eternal youth icon who is yet to move out of diapers and could have started his Bharat Todo Yatra in the cannabinoid saturated smog on Indigo Nite with Nandu Bhende belting out covers of the Beatles…

Prakash actually won the vocal section of the competition with Freedom by Richie Havens (the legendary performance from Woodstock), with all the frantic, frenetic guitar work and breathless singing. In the hostel he sang between the reiterations of that one song, just to change the mood, this song. https://youtu.be/sLEQvWt0axk

This is a wonderful Chart topper song written by C. Carson Parks. It was originally recorded in 1966 by Parks himself with his wife Gaile Foote, as Carson and Gaile.

That one had an indifferent reception. The next year, it was covered by the legendary Ole Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra himself with his daughter Nancy Sinatra. Amazingly (this happened many a time by many artistes) the Cover Version became a major international hit, and topped both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart, a rare but huge success.

Here’s the Andy Williams cover version that I heard in the car. https://youtu.be/EtNB193Mx20

I know I stand in line
Until you think you have the time
To spend an evening with me
And if we go someplace to dance
I know that there’s a chance
You won’t be leaving with me

Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
And have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid
Like I love you

I can see it in your eyes
You still despise the same old lines
You heard the night before
And though it’s just a line to you
For me it’s true
And never seemed so right before

I practice every day to find some clever
Lines to say
To make the meaning come true
But then I think I’ll wait until the evening
Gets late
And I’m alone with you

The time is right
Your perfume fills my head
The stars get red
And oh the night’s so blue
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid
Like I love you

I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you

Nearly 35 years after the original release by Carson and Gaile, a cover version by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. (Who can forget Nicole Kidman, the amazing actress? ). A truly random teaming up by the two, going retro with the choice of song and the making of the video as well, but one which struck G O L D. https://youtu.be/f43nR8Wu_1Y

An amazing song, really. But not echoing my feelings, as I don’t think I was stupid in mouthing the line.

Stay healthy and happy, folks. Let’s hope the SKY smiles on us for a couple of days next week.

From which Celestial part of the Universe, has our Music lover Dr Ab Chandorkar come from ? to bring back our old College days musical feelings & memories ?

This ‘ Something Stupid’ song i first heard it in 72/73 , when in Pre college years at Wadia College, Poona. Being in Science faculty we were termed as Vernaculars… literally we boys would everyday ‘practice’ some lines to woo our Arts batch girls to at least talk to us personally.. but most failed to even gather courage to say ‘ let’s go for a coffee !!
So that was the sad days of 1st two years of college in Poona. But then the World changed completely, when i took permission from my father to persue my balance college life at The St. Xavier’s College, Bombay ( prior trying for UDCT Chem Tech)
At Xavier’s College it was like being in another universe – with the ratio of Girls to Boys being 1-1 in science faculty , but more than 7-1 in Arts .,. There was NO question of Practicing lines to woo the girls.. the task now was how to keep the girls at distance, because I felt my focus, goal ahead was at risk..

But inspite having steady girl friends — no one really said ‘ I Love you ‘ to each other – so got saved from being Stupid…as the turning point if this beautiful song..

in those college days i loved the Original version.. then much later used to hear the Robbie Williams one..
Nothing like the innocent Original 😊

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