Jive Talkin'
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
This month we're going to recall Summer Songs. These will all be records that topped the charts during August.
1) Number 1 on the charts in August 50 years ago, "Jive Talkin'" was originally called "Drive Talkin'," because it was inspired by the "chunka-chunka" sound the Bee Gees' car made as it rolled over the bridge from Biscayne Bay to Miami every morning. Tell us about a drive you make regularly. What do you love, or hate, about it? My drive to my job is very pretty. Once you get out of the town I live in, you pass a cute restaurant and a coffee truck, then you drive into trees, both sides are trees and it is so peaceful and beautiful. I do find myself praying all of the way though because deer jump out and sometimes they are just in the middle of the road. I have to be really alert and careful. There are a lot of animals that jump out in the road, but deer are the most dangerous. I don't want to kill anything or hurt myself and my car.
2) Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb always enjoyed singing together and as kids, practiced their harmonies in the bathroom because that's where the acoustics were best. Do you sing in the shower? Sometimes when I am the only one home...which is rarely.
3) Early in their career, the brothers wrote and recorded a radio jingle for Coca Cola. If we were to peer into your refrigerator right now, would we find any carbonated beverages? Yes, we have coke and pepsi.
4) Though their sound depended on tight harmonies, all three Bee Gees were heavy smokers, which is bad for the throat. Do you smoke? Are there smokers/vapers in your life? Never smoked or vaped. My mom was a chain smoker and I always thought it smelled so bad. I never wanted to try it.
5) Robin Gibb agreed to perform on the CD Sesame Street Fever so his kids could meet Cookie Monster. Who is your favorite Muppet? I like Elmo and Beaker. Karl even bought me a Beaker that I set on my dresser. When we went to Disney World, I saw a Beaker and we were going to go back and get him, but we didn't. It was a regret (a fun memory) and so Karl found me one.
6) In addition to younger brother Andy, who also scored hit records, the Bee Gees have a sister, Lesley. Unlike her siblings, she didn't go into show business. Instead, she became a dog breeder. Tell us about a dog who holds a special place in your heart. Well, I will go with Meisha. She is the only dog we have left. I am not sure if we will get more dogs after she passes. It is so hard to lose them. They bring so much joy though. Meisha showed up during a snowstorm just before Christmas. She was a puppy. We kept her. I think she belonged to the neighbor, but I don't think they wanted puppies. They were coming to get her and they saw us getting ready to bring her in our house and they went back home. She will turn 15 in December.
Let's look at the summer of 1975.
7) That summer, producer Lorne Michaels was auditioning talent for the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. This band of comedic performers would premiere that October in a new show called Saturday Night Live. In the days before DVRs and streaming, Saturday Night Live was considered "appointment television," a show you wanted to catch when it aired so you made sure you were in front of a TV to hear "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Is there a show you go out of your way to watch when it airs? Or is most of your viewing either recorded or streamed? Not really. I have the streaming services and I watch shows that way.
8) The top movie at the box office that summer was Jaws. Have you seen it? yes
9) In 1975, Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles was having a career season and won the second of his three Cy Young Awards. In 2012 he put all three trophies up for auction. As proud as he was of the awards, he said, "My priorities have changed," and the money would help pay for college for his grandchildren. Think about your belongings. Is there anything you would never part with at any price? I would not part with the things that my belonged to family. My Granie made me so many Christmas items and quilts. They are not worth anything but have sentimental value to me and that is priceless.
