(real) one-hit wonder of the week – “Black Stations / White Stations” | M+M (MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS) | 1984.

Between late 1979 and the end of 1989, there were nearly 500 (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s that reached the BILLBOARD Hot 100 just one time, a list that includes Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Timbuk 3, The Church, Bronski Beat, Nik Kershaw, The Buggles, The Waitresses, Ultravox and two different bands named The Silencers.  Once a week or so, I’ll highlight a (real) one-hit wonder for you.

In a way, it’s kind of funny to go back and think about all of the “controversial” songs from the 80s, many of which wouldn’t be anywhere in the same vicinity as controversial today.  For example, George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex” (a song written as a response to the AIDS epidemic and exploring monogamy), was so “controversial” in 1987, that one of the local Central Maine radio stations, the Top 40 station called 92 MOOSE (I’m not kidding, that’s their name), reworked their own censored version, where the word “sex” was replaced by the word “moose.”  JFC.  And Casey Kasem didn’t even mention the title on AMERICAN TOP 40 until well into the song’s chart run (it peaked at No. 2).  Now you have songs on the radio with the word “FUCK” in the title, and it’s a big hit (albeit edited for radio, but still).

But not all (then) “controversial songs” like “I Want Your Sex” or Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Relax” (famously banned by the BBC) go on to become big hits.  “Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)” by Eurythmics (from the film they scored, based on George Orwell’s 1984) is an incredible song with an amazing beat, was the 15th biggest Dance song of 1985 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart, and a Top 10 hit all over the world.  But, since it had the word “SEX” in it, American radio wouldn’t play it, and it stopped at No. 81 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, despite the word “sexcrime” being used in George Orwell’s book, which, too, has been banned over the years.

In 1984, radio wasn’t even ready for songs about interracial couples, despite the fact that one of the biggest TV shows on at the time, THE JEFFERSONS, had an interracial married couple on the show.  But, it’s true — I can name at least two songs from 1984 that struggled on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 because of that very subject matter. 

The first song that comes to mind is the brilliant “Original Sin” by INXS, from their album, THE SWING.  In a 1986 interview, Michael Hutchence had said “Original Sin” was about “kids and conditioning.  Growing up.  How you grow up through other people’s ideas or your own.”

Nile Rodgers, who produced “Original Sin,” had the idea to lean the lyrics in a more interracial direction: “The original lyrics were ‘Dream on white boy, dream on white girl.’  I said, ‘Why not make it ‘black boy white girl’?’  I come from an interracial couple.  Psychologically that makes it a bigger statement.” 

But, despite killer producing by Nile Rodgers, and backing vocal help from Daryl Hall, some radio stations weren’t too jazzed about the lyrics (and maybe even the title) and “Original Sin” stopped at No. 58 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100.

Another “controversial” song which had a similar attempt (and result) that year was “Black Stations / White Stations” by M+M (Martha And The Muffins). 

The band from Toronto, Canada started out as a six-member New Wave / Art Rock / Dance-Pop band in 1977, but by the time their fifth album, 1984’s MYSTERY WALK, was released, they were down to just two members — lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist Martha Johnson and band founder, keyboardist and guitarist Mark Gane.  So, they whittled Martha And The Muffins down to M+M (as a play on their first names).

Getting producing help again from the brilliant Daniel Lanois, who had co-produced their earlier albums THIS IS THE ICE AGE (from 1981) and DANSEPARC (from 1983), “Black Stations / White Stations” took a step away from New Wave and a step closer to Dance and Funk.

“Black Stations / White Stations” is based on a true story about radio stations and racism.  Martha Johnson knew about a radio station that refused to play a song about an interracial relationship (“Original Sin,” perhaps?), and it prompted her and Mark Gane to write the song, with lyrics calling radio stations out to “Stand Up and Face The Music / This Is 1984.”  And, being involved with radio for most of the past 35 years, I’ve learned that radio stations don’t like to be pissed on, especially in song, even if they know their policies are wrong, and even if the song itself is a protest song against racism.

The Canadian 12″ single cover art for “Black Stations / White Stations.”

So, suffice it to say, as awesome and funky and kickass as “Black Stations / White Stations” is, radio stations did not dig the title or the lyrics, and it was not well-received on the singles charts.  A couple of Canadian singles charts, The RPM Top 100 and the Toronto radio station CHUM, did chart the single at Nos. 26 and 11, respectively, but the on official Canadian singles chart, THE RECORD, it didn’t even chart in the Top 40.

On the BILLBOARD Hot 100, “Black Stations / White Stations” debuted at the end of June 1984 at No. 82, had one big week a couple of weeks later in mid-July, and the following week, climbed to its peak of No. 63 (with a bullet), before falling out of the Hot 100 four weeks later.  It was the only time M+M or Martha And The Muffins would grace the Hot 100.

The Netherlands 7″ single cover art for “Black Stations / White Stations.”

Over in the U.K., “Black Stations / White Stations” fared a little better, reaching No. 46, but the song found its biggest audience in the American dance clubs, and it reached No. 2 on the BILLBOARD Dance chart.

Today (1.20.2020) is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the United States, and there’s an amazing quote about racism he said that I wanted to share in this post:

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s so unfortunate that radio and TV back in the 80s was so limiting as to what folks could sing or say to get their message out (even about racism).  I remember it being a big deal when Alan Alda said “son of a bitch” on the last episode of M*A*S*H in 1983 — “OMG a swear on TV!”  Today, however, songs about monogamous sex (or sex in general), the term “son of a bitch,” or talk of interracial couples won’t even raise an eyebrow.  In some respects, I love how far we’ve come in terms of what’s allowed and embraced on radio and TV (network TV is even forking catching up), but I still really wish radio had embraced songs like “Sexcrime” and “Original Sin” and “Black Stations / White Stations” back in 1984…

“A voice inside of my car told me today / there was a song of a love they would not play / She was black, he was white / A voice inside of my car told me today… Black stations, white stations / Break down the door / Stand up and face the music / This is nineteen eighty-four!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os4eWX88OxA

M+M: Martha Johnson and Mark Gane.

song of the day – “One Vision” | QUEEN | 1985 / 1986.

Today, 1.21.2019, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the United States, an annual holiday to remember the life and legacy of the nonviolent activist, civil rights leader and American Baptist minister.  Cities and states across America started celebrating holidays to Dr. King (born on January 15, 1929) as early as 1971, three years after he was assassinated in Memphis.  He was just 39.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during his “We Shall Overcome” speech, 3.17.1966.

In 1983, Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law, and was first observed three years later, on January 20, 1986.  Not all states were on board at first, and it took 14 years for all 50 states to observe and recognize MLK Day as a federal holiday, with South Carolina being the last.

A couple of months before the first officially-recognized MLK holiday here in America, over in the U.K., Queen released the first single from their forthcoming twelfth studio album, A KIND OF MAGIC: “One Vision,” a song either inspired by their triumphant performance at Live Aid four months earlier, or inspired by Dr. King, and the extraordinary things he did in his far-too-short lifetime.  I’d say “One Vision” was truly inspired by both.

Thanks to the film BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and the phenomenal award-winning performance by Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, Queen had an incredible year in 2018.  Queen was everywhere from commercials to sporting events to the BILLBOARD Album chart, where the soundtrack to BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY reached No. 3, and to the BILLBOARD Rock Songs chart, where 10 songs from the soundtrack made appearances for (at least) the first time.  Several songs even reached the Top 5 on that chart: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” “Somebody To Love,” and outside the soundtrack, seven other songs charted as well, including “We Will Rock You” and “Don’t Stop Me Now” reaching the Top 10.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY gave more insight on how they came to play at Live Aid.  The band wasn’t interested in performing at first, as they had just come off an extensive Spring 1985 tour for their 1984 album, THE WORKS.  But, at almost the last minute (the band wasn’t even listed on the Live Aid poster), Queen was finally convinced by Live Aid co-organizer and Boomtown Rats singer / songwriter, Bob Geldof to perform. 

Queen’s Freddie Mercury, embracing the Live Aid crowd at Wembley Stadium, 7.13.1985.

Their 21-minute, six-song set not only breathed new life and inspiration into the band, it was hailed by many as the greatest performance in the history of Rock and Roll.  I also believe Queen’s late entry into Live Aid was the reason Howard Jones performed only song at Live Aid — “Hide And Seek” — on Freddie Mercury’s Steinway grand piano.  I’m sure HoJo was more than happy to oblige and so very happy to be involved with the event.

Howard Jones, performing at Live Aid, 7.13.1985, on Freddie Mercury’s Steinway grand piano.

Howard Jones, performing “Hide And Seek” at Live Aid.

There are many Queen classics solely written by one or two members of the band, but “One Vision” was credited to all of them; the band as a whole.  That’s the way they wanted it.  And it paid off.

The album, A KIND OF MAGIC, wasn’t even finished when “One Vision” was released in November 1985 (and wouldn’t be released until June 1986).  “One Vision” was well-received in the U.K. and Ireland, reaching Nos. 7 and 5, respectively, and reached the Top 40 in at least six other countries around the globe, as well as the BILLBOARD Rock chart.  On the BILLBOARD Hot 100, it debuted in early December 1985, but stalled for a couple of weeks at No. 61 in mid-January 1986 and was on the chart for just 10 weeks.  The song was also featured in the film, IRON EAGLE, starring Louis Gossett, Jr.

“One Vision” may not be one of Queen’s most-remembered hits, but thanks to Live Aid, it gave the band the renewed energy to head back into the studio for the first time in about two years, record and release “One Vision” before the end of the year (guitarist Brian May is even sporting his Live Aid T-shirt in the song’s video).  And, in the process, Queen’s vision was back on track, and at the same time, they were able to pay tribute to the great Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision, in their own way…

The MLK Memorial, Washington, D.C.

“I had a dream / When I was young / A dream of sweet illusion / A glimpse of hope and unity / And visions of one sweet union / But a cold wind blows / And a dark rain falls / And in my heart it shows / Look what they’ve done to my dream, yeah…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGd4gplxQM

Queen, L to R: Roger Taylor, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, for Live Aid, 7.13.1985.

song of the day – “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” | U2 | 1984.

On June 15, 2014, Casey Kasem, host of the longtime countdown program, AMERICAN TOP 40, passed away at the age of 82.  From my first blog post (and prolly some more inbetween then and now), I explained how, in 1979, I was a geeky, lanky and somewhat lost 12-year-old living in Central Maine, had a few friends and not a lot of interest in much of anything, but at some point early that year, I discovered AMERICAN TOP 40, and was glued to it every weekend.  Not only could I hear the 40 biggest songs in the country every week, but also Casey’s cool trivia and facts about the songs and the artists, a trait I treasure to this day.  For me, the show was No. 1 with a bullet.  And still is (thanks to the re-airing of broadcasts of AT40 on iHeart Radio).

In honor of my radio hero, Casey Kasem, for the entire month of June, I will be highlighting a song each day (some days will have two songs!) that peaked in the Top 40 of the BILLBOARD Hot 100 (including five (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s), and with every blog post, just like on AMERICAN TOP 40, the hits will get bigger with each post.  On June 1, 2017, I featured a song that peaked at No. 40.  On June 30, I’ll feature a “song of the day” that went all the way to No. 1. 

As Casey used to say on AT40, “And on we go!”

It’s June 6, 2017, and I didn’t have the best day today.  It happens.  In late 1984, Casey Kasem wasn’t having a good day during the recording of a segment of AMERICAN TOP 40.  I’ll come back to that in a bit.  But, Casey’s bad day was a good day for Dublin, Ireland’s U2. 

With their first three albums – 1980’s BOY, 1981’s OCTOBER and 1983’s WAR – U2 was slowly building an audience here in America.  All three albums sold well here in the U.S., especially WAR (now at 4x Platinum), which reached No. 12 on BILLBOARD’s Album chart.

My introduction to U2 happened somewhere between WAR and when I picked up the live “mini-album,” UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY, in July 1984.  And, apart from some of their most recent efforts, I’ve been a huge fan since, but I don’t think it really happened for me until I picked up their fourth studio album, THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE.

Released on October 1, 1984, THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE took the band in a new music direction from the edgier, more raw sound of their first three albums.  U2’s first three albums were produced by the great Steve Lillywhite (who worked with many artists in the 80s like Big Country, Peter Gabriel and XTC, to name a few), but, in order to achieve this newer sound, THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE was co-produced by legends in their own right, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. 

Bassist Adam Clayton once said about the change in producers, “We were looking for something that was a bit more serious, more arty.”  The powers that be at U2’s record label, Island, tried to encourage them NOT to work with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, but U2 was persistent.  And, in the end, it paid off.

The first single released from THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE was “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” and was released in early September 1984, a month before the release of the album.

Prior to “Pride,” U2 had reached the Top 5 of Ireland’s singles chart four times, reaching No. 2 twice – with “New Year’s Day” and “Two Hearts Beat As One.”  Over on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, U2 had only seen a couple of their singles reach the BILLBOARD Hot 100: “New Year’s Day” (No. 53, 1983) and a live version of “I Will Follow” (No. 81, 1984).  “Two Hearts Beat As One” just missed the survey, stopping at No. 101.

“Pride (In The Name Of Love)” became the band’s third single to reach the Hot 100, debuting in late October 1984 at No. 85.  Within four weeks, it became their biggest U.S. hit to that point, and on December 1, 1984, “Pride” reached the Top 40.  It would spend a week at No. 33 two weeks later, and stayed on the Hot 100 until early February 1985.

Around the globe, folks were proud for “Pride” and it was U2’s first big worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in New Zealand, No. 2 in Ireland, No. 3 in the U.K., No. 4 in Australia, No. 5 in Holland, No. 7 in Norway, No. 12 in Sweden and No. 33 in Canada (must have been a North American thing).

NERDY FUN FACT: The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, married to Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr in 1984, sang backing vocals on “Pride (Is The Name Of Love),” and was credited on the song as “Mrs. Christine Kerr.”

Now back to Casey Kasem’s bad day back in 1984.  Apparently, during the recording of an American Top 40 countdown (I believe the week when U2 debuted on the Top 40 at No. 39 on December 1, 1984), in AT40-ese, Casey dropped a couple of notches.  As he was listing off U2’s members, he got frustrated and said, “These guys are from England and who gives a shit?!”

In 1991, this sample and other vocal and more profane samples by Casey over the years found their way onto the EP of San Francisco Experimental band Negativland.  The U2 EP was notorious for highlighting “U2” in huge letters and “Negativland” in very small letters underneath it, with an image of a Lockheed U-2 spy plane in the foreground of “U2.”

On this U2 EP were a couple different mixes of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” with those Casey Kasem samples (including his famed “Long Distance Dedication,” thrown in there as well).  These covers were more parodies than covers (kazoos were involved, as were bits and pieces and samples of the original U2 song).  Regardless of whether or not they were covers, U2 was not impressed and Island Records sued Negativland for a violation of trademark law, not just for the huge “U2” on the EP, but for the song itself.

Island Records also believed it was a deliberate attempt to confuse U2 fans awaiting the new U2 release, ACHTUNG BABY, making them believe they were purchasing a new U2 album called NEGATIVLAND.  The EP was withdrawn, but the tracks resurfaced on a legally-released album a decade later (with bonus material) as THESE GUYS ARE FROM ENGLAND AND WHO GIVES A SHIT?

Negativland’s interest is in intellectual property rights.  They argued that their use of U2’s and other artists’ work falls under the “fair use” clause.  They released a CD in 1995, along with an accompanying book about this whole U2 experience, called, FAIR USE: THE STORY OF THE LETTER U AND THE NUMERAL 2 (Of U2’s name, Casey Kasem described it on AMERICAN TOP 40 as “That’s the letter U and the numeral 2.”) 

“Pride” was originally written about Ronald Reagan’s pride in the USA’s military power, but Bono was influenced by Stephen B. Oates’s 1982 book, LET THE TRUMPET SOUND: A LIFE OF MARTING LUTHER KING, JR., as well as a biography about Malcolm X, examining the violent and non-violent sides of the civil rights campaigns of the 60s.  Lead singer and lyricist Bono rewrote the lyrics to “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” and it ended up being about Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hard to think about now, but oddly enough, at the time of its release, “Pride” got mixed critical reviews.  Kurt Loder, who reviewed THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE in 1984 (and would later join MTV), gave the album three out of five stars, and said of “Pride”: 

“One would like to be able to summon praise for such well-intentioned tracks as ‘Pride (In the Name of Love),’ which was inspired by Martin Luther King, but ‘Pride’ gets over only on the strength of its resounding beat (a U2 trademark) and big, droning bass line, not on the nobility of its lyrics, which are unremarkable.”

Well, reviews for both THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE and for “Pride” only improved with time, and ROLLING STONE ranked it as No. 388 on their 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time list, and it’s also included on the list of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll. 

And prolly the best review of all?  When the song came out, the late, great Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. King, invited the band to the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta, which they visited during their 1984 tour.

Maybe Casey Kasem didn’t give U2 much thought when “Pride” came out, but he changed his tune (pun intended) the next time U2 made the Top 40 – when THE JOSHUA TREE’s “With Or Without You” spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in May 1987.

As for me?  Well, when I bought UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY, I was curious about the band so many people were raving about.  And I loved the album.  When I bought THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE, I would never forget U2 again…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHcP4MWABGY

song of the day – “President Gas” | THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS | 1982.

It’s January 20, 2017 – Inauguration Day here in the U.S. – and just hours away now from the Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States – Donald J. Trump. 

I know friends and family members who voted for Trump, looking for change in American politics and a change for America from a non (or not yet) politician, but I just can’t wrap my arms around the whole thing – any of it.  I want to have faith and believe that everything will be alright, and that he’ll even surprise me and things will be better than I ever expected, but I’m not there.  I can’t even refer to him as President Trump.  I just can’t do it. 

There’s too much at risk, too much at stake, too many things to be concerned about, most of all the future of my family and friends.  Maybe I’m overreacting, maybe I should just give him a chance, but I’m not there.  In the months leading up to the election and since, I’ve also been concerned for free speech, community radio, the LBGTQ community, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, those with insurance losing insurance (though I don’t think people should be penalized for not having it or not wanting it or needing it), an alliance with Russia and potential war with whoever for whatever.

In Prince’s brilliant 2015 song, “Baltimore,” mostly about the wrongful death of the 25-year-old Black American man, Freddie Gray, Prince sings, “Peace is more than the absence of war,” a quote I believe was lovingly paraphrased from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of justice, of law, of order – in short, of government.”

It was a change in government and a new president (the 40th U.S. President, inaugurated in 1981, and one of Donald Trump’s heroes, Ronald Reagan) that inspired today’s “song of the day” – “President Gas” by The Psychedelic Furs. 

The original U.K. cover of FOREVER NOW.

“President Gas” was the opening song off of the P-Furs third studio album, FOREVER NOW (produced by Todd Rundgren).  The album was recorded in 1982, and released in September of that year.  It was certified Gold here in America.

Written specifically with Ronald Reagan in mind (“He comes in from the left sometimes / He comes in from the right / It’s so heavily advertised that he wants you and I / It’s a real cowboy set, electric company / Every day is happy days / It’s hell without the sin…”), “President Gas” compliments its smart lyrics with the ballsy use of a cello (courtesy of Ann Sheldon) in a New Wave song.

When Columbia Records changed the cover art for the U.S. release of FOREVER NOW (seen here), Richard Butler apparently burst into tears from disappointment.

Interesting how it’s been nearly 35 years after the song’s release, and people are thinking about this song again (because of Donald Trump), almost, if not, exactly in the way The Furs wrote the song about Ronald Reagan. 

I had read somewhere on an Interweb chat board about “President Gas” that The Furs’ Richard Butler was “pointing out that everyone who gets to the top in a political system is going to be someone whose only value is his ability to get to the top.  Reagan was horrible, but whoever replaced him in 1984 would be horrible too.” 

This was reminiscent (in a way) of this past Presidential election here in America, with two (mostly) unpopular candidates in a very ugly campaign.  Hillary Clinton wasn’t my first choice, but I voted for Hillary because (1) I didn’t want Trump in there, and (2) I believed she would take this country in a smart, wonderful direction.  More than half of the country thought that too, as she won the popular vote.  But, for the second time in five elections, the popular vote was not, well, popular enough…

I’m wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’ that everything will be alright for everyone I care about and the country I love during the next four years, and that history (in this case, “President Gas”) doesn’t repeat itself…

“Don’t cry, don’t do anything / No lies, back in the government / No tears, party time is here again / President Gas is up for president…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNeYFSdjS8

song of the day – “MLK” | U2 | 1984.

Today (1.16.2017) is MLK Day here in America, honoring the January 15th birthday of Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (he would have been 88 this year).  And, the first 80s song that always comes to mind about Dr. King is the lovely tribute, “MLK” by U2.

It wasn’t long after the sad assassination of Dr. King in April 1968 that cities and states around the U.S. were marking a special holiday for him.  A bill to make Dr. King’s birthday a federal holiday was first introduced in 1979, but fell just five votes short.  At the time, only two historical figures had holidays named after them – George Washington and Christopher Columbus.  For many folks in Governmental circles, it was a hard sell to mark a holiday named after MLK.

Non-Governmental folks were determined, though, to get a holiday for Dr. King, and in 1981, some six million Americans signed a petition for Congress to mark a holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr.  According to a 2006 article in the U.S. magazine, THE NATION, this petition was THE “largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. History.”

President Ronald Reagan was originally opposed to the idea of a national holiday for MLK, concerned about costs, but on November 2, 1983, he signed a bill to have a federal holiday holiday in Dr. King’s name.  On January 20, 1986, the first MLK Day was observed coast to coast.

Less than a year after Ronald Reagan signed the MLK Day bill, Ireland’s U2 released their brilliant fourth studio album, THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE.  Of the ten songs on THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE, two are dedicated to Dr. King – the first American Top 40 hit for U2, “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” and the lovely elegy to Dr. King and album closer, simply titled, “MLK.”

According to U2 frontman and lead singer, Bono, “MLK” was written “as sort of a lullaby for an idea that was dying in our country: the idea of non-violence…All inspired by a black reverend from Atlanta who refused to hate because he thought love would do a better job.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of hope and peace and love and non-violence remains strong today, with Georgia Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis (who was just 18 years old when he met Dr. King in 1958) among those continuing to promote Dr. King’s message, and not backing down from his vocal discontent for incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

But, I really don’t want to talk about Donald Trump here.  Instead, I just want to pay tribute to a great man who was gone far too soon, but definitely not forgotten…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDH7oD_AQW8