Little Ditty About …

Rock 'n' Roll Masterpieces

I have always wondered if musicians know they have created an incredible song when they finish it. It's interesting to read about some of the classics that artists thought shouldn't even be released. I have read that John Cougar (not quite Mellencamp yet) didn't want to release "Jack & Diane" in 1982. He just was not happy or fond of the little ditty.

John Mellencamp in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in February 2019. Mellencamp has had a lot of hits and played Michigan numerous times since the mid–70s. 

When Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band finished "Night Moves" on the heals of the success of Live Bullet did the band think, "This is the one. This is going to break us." Of course, Seger's band had broken in the midwest, mostly the Detroit area, but the success of the live album broadened the Seger sphere. 

I recently wrote about Billy Joel's signature tune "Piano Man." When they wrapped the recording, was Billy or the band thinking that they had recorded a masterpiece? One that they might get tired of singing someday …

Did Bruce know that "Born in the U.S.A." was going to finally push him over the top?

In '77 when the Coral Reefers finally finished and added the afterthought song "Margaritaville," to the new LP, did Jimmy Buffett know that things would never be the same? That Key West was no longer going to allow him to be anonymous? I'll tell you what, I still have my Dad's copy of Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Latitudes and I'm surprised it still will play. My parents played the heck out of that vinyl in the '70s and early '80s. That was my introduction to party music.

I would go on to argue that "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner is another classic that pushed a band into the mainstream. My neighbor used to jam that in Clarkston, Michigan, and ultimately, it led to me liking the band KISS (as a first grader!) More on that one another time …

Do you know when you've painted your masterpiece? What does it take to get the painting to the masses? There's a great big machine that goes into determining what song becomes a classic, a standard — a signature song. Some bands end up with a half–dozen or a dozen "classics." You can think of Joel, Eagles, Springsteen, Buffett, and others who have their songs they almost have to play every single concert. If you have that many great songs then every single concert is a greatest hits show.

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band in Clarkston, Michigan, in June 2019. Seger has been a regular at Pine Knob since the early '70s.  

Except, I saw Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band twice in 2019 and they didn't play "Sun Spot Baby" either time. They did, however, pull out the "Famous Final Scene" that hadn't been played since the late '70s, so everything has balance. You couldn't see a Joel show without that piano tune or a Mellencamp show without hearing that little ditty. But sometimes an artist won't play what fans consider a classic — and, sometimes, they might pull out something obscure and delight the fandom.