A soundtrack of the 100 greatest Disco songs ever made would simply not be complete or even accurate if it did not include this rousing smash from the late Dan Hartman. He was a successful singer, songwriter, and producer, and he played many musical instruments during his shortened career and life.
Here he is as a 27-year-old with lots of energy. It’s his gold pop and disco smash from 1978 as it became 1979. Play it again Dan – It’s “Instant Replay” !
DAN HARTMAN: 1950-1994
On this exact date 17 years ago – the 22ND of August of 1992 – also a Saturday – we were given our final instructions and orders to evacuate the air base as quickly as possible due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Andrew. We had no idea what Andrew would bring, and it ultimately brought a once-in-a-lifetime storm of mass destruction to the base and the surrounding South Miami-Dade countryside.
It was the most horrific experience of my entire life – a Sunday night / Monday morning that I never went to sleep. I never wish to relive that night or the nightmarish week that followed. I don’t like to write about it, and I don’t like to talk about it. A lot of good ultimately came out of that storm. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t be living and working here in Homestead today 17 years later if it weren’t for Hurricane Andrew. I’d be elsewhere. But it happened, and here I am.
One song in particular was receiving heavy airplay on the radio during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. It’s the duet of Patty Smyth and Don Henley. Together they sang “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough”. Patty co-wrote the Grammy-nominated song that played out like a post-love song. It was the story of two former lovers who were moving away from their relationship together and moving on with life.
I interpretted the lyrics in a slightly different manner:
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‘I don’t wanna lose you.’
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‘And I don’t wanna hate you.
I don’t wanna take you.
But I don’t wanna be the one to cry.
That don’t really matter to anyone, anymore.
But like a fool I keep losing my place.’
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‘It makes a sound like thunder.
It makes me feel like rain.’
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‘And there’s no way home.
When it’s late at night and you’re all alone.’
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‘There’s a reason why people dont stay where they are.
Baby sometimes love just ain’t enough.’
This was treated at the time as my farewell love song to Homestead. I didn’t want to leave. But I had to. The Homestead that I had known for nearly 5 years prior to that was all gone. She was completely destroyed. My home was inhabitable. My job was non-existant. I looked at Homestead one last time in my rear-view mirror, as this song played on the radio and made me cry.
WELCOME to another wild and crazy edition of the ‘Disco Party’ on this (soon-to-be) Friday night. I actually won’t be home tonight, so this is going out to the world just a little bit early today.
This week we’re gonna get down and get funky with a classic jam that you simply can’t sit down to and watch as a spectator. You’ve gotta get up and activate yourself. Get yourself up and dance like a maniac. Go forth. It’s all good. I guarantee that once you do so it’s gonna be real tough to get this hook out of your mind for hours to come. It is that addictive.
I give you the Detroit Spinners – still going strong after nearly 50 years in the biz. Here’s their 1976-1977 # 2 gold Disco smash that’s all about the infamous “Rubberband Man”. Here’s how they stretched it out on NBC-TV‘s legendary “Midnight Special” on the 17TH of September in 1976:
It all began 40 years ago today on the 15TH of August of 1969. Who knew that 500,000 hippies from all across the nation in search of peace and music would take part in one of the most pivotal weekends in American cultural history.
Some of the great musicians and bands that performed on that memorable weekend include (in alphabetical order) Arlo Guthrie, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Joe Cocker, John Sebastian, Melanie, Richie Havens, Santana, Sly & The Family Stone, and The Who.
I was a mere 26-month-old toddler at the time of Woodstock, and I don’t remember it occurring. But the festival’s legacy shall never be duplicated, its Americana shall never be disputed, and its music shall forever be everlasting.
Here’s one of those great bands that performed at Woodstock exactly 40 years ago today on this Saturday in August. It’s John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford. The’re Creedence Clearwater Revival, and here’s their U.S. TOP 3 PLATINUM smash from late in 1969. This is “Down On The Corner”, and it’s one of the greatest rock songs of my lifetime. I present it to you for your ‘Saturday Night Retro’ review:
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