Nostalgic Music Month Day 31
HALLOWEEN by Jon Hilton
There is something about the 31st of October that is embedded in my soul. It probably has to do with the nights spent in my youth participating in organized begging for candy and taking in pillowcases full of candy. It is the whole fall season that brings on a feeling of melancholy and joy all at once. It is a time to remember the happy times of Halloweens past, the joy of youthful adventure and the thrill of being scared, if only just a little bit. So for today, I am going to focus on the joy of this day in music.
- Sugar, Sugar by the Archies– Watching this video transports me back to being about 8 years old and all I wanted was candy for Halloween because
of course, I loved getting the sugary treats. In Greenville, trick or treating was a great experience. I know my Dad would pile us and our friends like Mike Martin into the car drive to a certain street, let us go and do our thing. Thanks to the generous people in my town was a very lucrative experience in the candy department. We were never disappointed with the haul of sugary treats. It was a night of magic for a kid who loved candy and the memories of it still make me smile today. - No More Mr. Nice Guy by Alice Cooper– As we got a little bit older, Mike Martin and I would cook up some mischief to participate on Halloween.
We had been taught well by older kids on what to do. I had seen the messy carnage of November 1st with its smashed pumpkins in the road all over town. We were feeling like it was our turn. So after trick or treating one year we decided to smash as many pumpkins as we could find. It was the most illegal thing I had ever done, but I liked to smash things. How high can you throw a pumpkin and totally destroy it? What if we threw it from the roof? What if we put it on a train track and let a train hit it? All of these questions were answered that night. - Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon– One of my passions as a kid was about monsters. There was something scary and interesting about the stories of Frankenstein, Dracula, werewolves, mummies, and creatures
from black lagoons. I remember reading books about them and the makeup it took to make actors look like that. It was all brought to a head on Halloween Night. Costumes are a great thing because they allow a person to become something else, if only for a short time. This type of escape is good for “kids” of all ages as they seek to be released from their everyday existence. This song is for the costumes we all wear, at Halloween and throughout the year. - Leaves That are Green Simon and Garfunkel– One of the naturally amazing things that we get to enjoy in Maine is the changing of the leaves in the fall. Changing leaves
and Halloween go together as we all know. You pile them up and jump in them like Charlie Brown. You also use them to create the meat of a scarecrow. There is a smell of the small that pictures of foliage can’t bring you. That smell and the feel of the crisp autumn air bring back memories of my life and all that is gone before. I have been blessed in my existence to have lived in so many wonderful fall days. - Season of the Witch by Donovan– One of the iconic images from Halloween is that of the witch. Much like the Wizard of Oz, you have to be
careful when dealing with witches, are they good? or are they bad? I have learned that sometimes the witches you meet on Halloween are not exactly what they appear to be. Some seem kind in the beginning, but in the end are not looking out for your best interest. Some which seem less nice in the beginning, show that they are truly good witches in the end. So my experience is that on Halloween, be wary of the witches that you meet promising candy and sunshine. Judge all your witches by their actions, not their words. Actions show the true nature of a witch.
Happy Halloween!!!!!
Dr. Hook by Mike Martin
My last #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth post on my spiritual adviser’s blog. Jon Hilton is a wise man, a little naïve, but a wise man none the less.
When we were discussing this challenge, I selected the band that was on the radio first and I picked my day 31 choice second.
Thank you, Sean Bolen, for the introduction, you are off the “hook” because today I’m power challenged.
Dr. Hook is an American rock band, formed in Union City, New Jersey. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including:
Sylvia’s mother says Sylvia’s busy, too busy to come to the phone
Is the thrill that’ll gitcha when you get your picture
On the cover of the Rollin’ Stone
If I seem to come on too strong
I hope that you will understand
When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman
When you’re in love with a beautiful woman, it’s hard
AND, one of the best October 31st songs ever recorded. Happy Halloween Folks!!!
Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show – At the freaker’s ball 1974
Please, have a great day, and if you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville
#OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth #visitGreenville
