FLASHBACK
The Lovin' Spoonful
David Styburski
Issue date: 4/30/04 Section: The Edge
Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful (1966)
With all the final papers‚ major projects and tests to worry about this last week of school - not to mention the stress involved with finding a summer job or career boost - who among our loyal readership is not on edge (pun shamelessly intended)?
Sure‚ remedies exist to combat all the mental discomfort. But prescriptions for Prozac and Paxil cost at least $20, even on Mom and Dad's insurance plan.
For the cost-conscious Western Illinois University student‚ 1966's "Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful" should numb all the feelings of overwork and self-doubt in no time and make everything in even the most fragile of lives seem pretty darned swell.
Sounding like a mixture of hippies and hillbillies‚ the members of the Lovin' Spoonful latched onto whatever innocence was left within American youth in the mid-'60s. They created absolutely giddy music while they could still avoid seeming like a bunch of naïve wimps.
All of singer-songwriter John Sebastian's material is short‚ simple and sweet. His cheerful ditties make people wonder what life was like for Adam and Eve in paradise‚ where they nakedly frolicked together in a beautiful garden and didn't need anyone else.
On "Lovin You‚" Sebastian watches his partner sleep‚ smiles and wonders what he ever did to deserve so much happiness. Underneath the chaotic sounds of heavy traffic and road construction on "Summer in the City" is a reassuring tale about escape and meeting with a lover on a rooftop to‚ uh‚ enjoy each other's company. The country pickin' on "Nashville Cats" nurtures images of friends drinking moonshine and acting lazy on front porches.
The slow and sly "Coconut Grove" played prominently in the early Woody Allen film "What's Up‚ Tiger Lily?‚" a goofy James Bond spoof about the quest for a top-secret egg salad recipe.
Film buffs might know that Allen despises rock 'n' roll‚ opting instead to utilize uppity jazz scores for his movies. But the rare exception to his soundtrack standards makes perfect sense given the overwhelming effects of the Lovin' Spoonful on the public.
No matter how lousy or exasperating people's days may seem‚ the band's music is bound to make them smile.
With all the final papers‚ major projects and tests to worry about this last week of school - not to mention the stress involved with finding a summer job or career boost - who among our loyal readership is not on edge (pun shamelessly intended)?
Sure‚ remedies exist to combat all the mental discomfort. But prescriptions for Prozac and Paxil cost at least $20, even on Mom and Dad's insurance plan.
For the cost-conscious Western Illinois University student‚ 1966's "Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful" should numb all the feelings of overwork and self-doubt in no time and make everything in even the most fragile of lives seem pretty darned swell.
Sounding like a mixture of hippies and hillbillies‚ the members of the Lovin' Spoonful latched onto whatever innocence was left within American youth in the mid-'60s. They created absolutely giddy music while they could still avoid seeming like a bunch of naïve wimps.
All of singer-songwriter John Sebastian's material is short‚ simple and sweet. His cheerful ditties make people wonder what life was like for Adam and Eve in paradise‚ where they nakedly frolicked together in a beautiful garden and didn't need anyone else.
On "Lovin You‚" Sebastian watches his partner sleep‚ smiles and wonders what he ever did to deserve so much happiness. Underneath the chaotic sounds of heavy traffic and road construction on "Summer in the City" is a reassuring tale about escape and meeting with a lover on a rooftop to‚ uh‚ enjoy each other's company. The country pickin' on "Nashville Cats" nurtures images of friends drinking moonshine and acting lazy on front porches.
The slow and sly "Coconut Grove" played prominently in the early Woody Allen film "What's Up‚ Tiger Lily?‚" a goofy James Bond spoof about the quest for a top-secret egg salad recipe.
Film buffs might know that Allen despises rock 'n' roll‚ opting instead to utilize uppity jazz scores for his movies. But the rare exception to his soundtrack standards makes perfect sense given the overwhelming effects of the Lovin' Spoonful on the public.
No matter how lousy or exasperating people's days may seem‚ the band's music is bound to make them smile.
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