Saturday 9: Do You Know the Way to San Jose (1968)

 

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

Saturday 9: Do You Know the Way to San Jose (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) In this song, someone moves to Los Angeles looking for "fame and fortune" but ends up with a job "pumping gas." Today, the majority of service stations are self serve, so very few people pump gas for a living. Can you think of another job that used to be common but doesn't exist anymore?  It might just be here, but milkman.  My Grandpa on my mom's side was a milkman when he was very young.

 

2) The San Jose travel bureau advertises "300 days of sunshine" every year. How is the weather where you are today?  rainy, but we need it.

 

3) Lyricist Hal David became fond of San Jose when he was stationed there while in the Navy. Tell us about a place you visited that you have affection for.  I loved every minute when we visited Orange Beach, Alabama.  I loved watching the dolphins jumping in the morning out in the ocean, relaxing on the beach, getting a great tan, going to see the Blue Angels and the Pensacola light house.  There were just so many things we got to see and do. It was fun.

  

4) Composer Burt Bacharach grew up and worked primarily in New York until his marriage to actress Angie Dickinson. She had to live in Los Angeles for her career, so he relocated and remained a Californian for the rest of his life. Where do you feel most at home? (It doesn't have to be a city. It could be your favorite chair.)  I honestly feel most at home in my hometown and where I work in Reeds Spring.  I know a lot of people there.  I live in a town called Highlandville, but I do not feel much a part of this community since I started working in Reeds Spring.  I do love being at my house though.  It is kind of nice to be able to get away from where you work.  I guess home is just where your family is.

5) Dionne Warwick thinks this week's song is "dumb." She won her first Grammy for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" and, decades later, still sings it in concert, but she has not changed her opinion of the song. What is something everyone else seems to like but you just don't get?  coffee, I love the smell of it but hate the taste.  I am not a big hot drink person.

 

6) Now in her 80s, with more than 60 years in show business, Dionne still enjoys performing. She told a reporter that she loves looking out into the audience and seeing an arm go around a shoulder, or a couple begin holding hands, when they hear her sing "their song." What song reminds you of a special romance?  Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard.

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7) In 1968, when this song was popular, The Doris Day Show premiered. The show was, initially, a surprise to its star. Her manager/husband died suddenly without telling her he had committed her to a weekly sitcom. She was not pleased but honored the contract. Think of the last time you were surprised. Was it a happy or sad surprise?  Happy!  My friend that retired a few years ago came to visit a few weeks ago, she came to the school for a visit.  She moved to Colorado, so I do not see her anymore.  She was in town for a Jeep thing.

 
8) According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular baby names of 1968 were Lisa and Michael. Are there any Lisas or Michaels in your life?  Wow, I used to have both, but now I don't think I do anymore.

 

9) Random question: What are you looking forward to this week?  The kids' costumes for our Halloween parade and Fall festival.