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But, behind the scenes, the songs that were going on in his mind became part of our collective memories, as much as Brian Wilson...
I have nothing much more to add to his one-sentence bio, but I think that his output, much of which is a core of our collective memories, call it the "American Songbook", needed to be put down here.....the songs speak far more than the man....here are a few penned all written by GG...somehow I think you will remember most of em...
A hell of an output, eh? I should mention that Carole King would be in the very very very top of singers AND songwriters I love, but Gerry had just as much to do with
these, and many he wrote with other partners, such as Barry Mann....Garry needs a few kudos of his own, hence the post
Gerry Goffin isn't as obscure as you might think. He's considered one of the greatest lyricists of 1960s rock and roll.
Here's the one I've loved the best, and in its best interpretation. No dis on Carole King, whose 1962 it was (it somehow got released even though she cut it as a demo for another performer), but this young British lady (who probably deserved a better fate, and it only began with her manager and producers refusing to let her hear a song the Beatles wrote for her specifically in 1963) sang Carole right under the table . . .
I always thought Goffin's second best lyric was "Pleasant Valley Sunday." (Whose guitar riff Mark Farner appropriated almost to the note for the memorable introduction to Grand Funk Railroad's best song, "I'm Your Captain" . . . )
I would not say he was obscure at all, but that was poorly worded....I do think that, per Goffin never recording his own tunes like Sedaka, Diamond, and his ex, he might have been far more overlooked, even though that last name is eternally wedded to Kings, ala Lennon-Mccartney...
I really wonder how much impact he had in the team with CK....I have always associated the boardwalk, up on the roof thing with king for some reason all my life, and really just thought about the impact goffin had on these songs when I posted this...Goffin not being a performer, and evidentally a quiet persona, you tend to tune out his impact, but I imagine it was huge..I hope to mine this a little farther...anyone else out there please feel free to share..
I did find one song of his he performed...with all respect, I could see whay he never became a star in his own right like a few of the other brill writers...but he does sound like a somewhat passable Bob Dylan, if that's saying anything....
Whistler, thanks for mentioning that Goffin was a lyricist...did not even think of that songwriter dynamic of word/music..funny how great songs are when those chores are separated by two great songwriters, from Broadway to E John/B Taupin....though many can do it themselves quite well, ala Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Neil Diamond/Sedaka, Jackson Browne, Jim Croce, et al.
And finally, Petula Clark, who, while I don't think worthy of her own post, did sing some memorable
songs, written by the londoner Tony Hatch, the mid 60's doppelganger of Burt Bacharach....
Petula, while no Dionne Warwick, and Hatch, while no Burt Bacharach, did do a reasonable facsimile
of that sound, and certainly is worth uploaded a few of his/her songs here....
Downtown was the only one up to Bacharach standard, though the other few were pleasant enough...and, I hate to post personal info, but DT was one of the first songs I remember hearing as a small child growing up in the mid 60's, and hearing that can put a smile on my face anytime..just those opening piano notes get me....and I always thought they were singing about my DT in Chicago, the only one I knew...the great thing is everyone has their own DT...and the actual DT sung of in the song was not London, but NYC, per a trip Tony Hatch made out there....and the ironic thing is that no one calls Manhattan DT....uptown yes, but no DT..life is full of ironies!
When I say that Tony Hatch was no Bacharach, I don't mean to demean his talent..he had plenty, but bacharach was in another league altogether...suffice it to say Hatch is the closet approximation therof in the 60's per that style....and I greatly enjoy his tunes....Petula was not a great singer, but certainly had a broadway charisma, was very cute, and did fine...still did not have the subtlety of Springfield/Warwick, but then again Hatch did not have the subtlety of bacharach, so its a draw..
I just learned that Goffin wrote this gem, spectacularly performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeioS7IMmxU&list=PLE6283B18D6311B48&index= 3&feature=plpp_video]"I'VE GOT TO USE MY IMAGINATION" EMPRESS OF SOUL GLADYS KNIGHT & PIPS - YouTube[/url]
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