"Ride Like The Wind"

I've always liked Christopher Cross. My mom loves him and she had some of his records so I would play them when I was little. "Ride Like The Wind" came out the year I was born (1979) and features the amazing Michael McDonald on backing vocals. This is a song I could use as a writing prompt I swear. I can always make up a good Bonnie and Clyde type story to match this track! I saw Christopher Cross with my mom "point blank" (as Metalboy! would say) and it was just awesome. I never tire of this track. Cross' self-titled debut is one of the best in the last 50 years of popular music.

Comments

[Him]

Ah, if Metalboy! is willing to hate on Toto, I can only wait for what he is going to say about Mr. Yacht Rock.

I get the appeal. The dude wrote catchy easy listening ear-worms. Heck, I loved me some Arthur back in the day and he wrote the damned theme song to 'rich alcoholics are funny'! But he was not easy on the eyes, like a cross (pun not intended) between Harvey Weinstein and Booger from Revenge of the Nerds. Not shaming, just saying. Clearly talent and strikingly good looks are not necessarily related. And, to be fair, I have neither!

The point I find more fascinating (I considered a post about it) is this: we are our parent's children. Their odds and ends musically certainly impact us. And some of it sticks. My parents had a Goodwill bag of stuff: Pavarotti and Caruso all the way to Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66 and Hooked on Classics. Gawd, I cringe. They clearly weren't of the era of the Beatles and the Stones (I think the description would be musically square). But I will give them one thing: I came away really loving Charlie Pride. That dude could do Hank Williams better than Hank on occasion and he was a hoot live. Who would have thunk it?

Anyone else have a favorite that they are indebted to their parents for enjoying? And, no, not the cool parents with the cool music. The Goodwill stuff.

[fletch]

Him: Speaking of Harvey Weinstein, Ronan Farrow has a podcast entitled, "The Catch and Kill" in which he documents his investigative reporting into Weinstein, his secret payments to victims, how Weinstein's company started investigating and stalking Farrow, and how NBC ultimately killed the story (they were having similar issues with Matt Lauer at the time), until Farrow took his story to the New Yorker who published it, making him persona non grata at NBC. It's fascinating if you're interested.

[Gary]

My dad was all old school Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Charley Pride, et al. Play a country song from say mid 60’s through the later 70’s, and chances are extremely good I will know the words. 😂😂😂
Pretty sure I’ve also seen every episode of f-ing Hee Haw from the period. (Where I found out the Roy Clark was hands down the best guitarist,banjo ,fiddle, and mandolin player currently drawing oxygen at the time. My God that guy was an absolute beast on nothing with strings. 👍

[JCD]

I inherited R&B from my mother and Disco from my oldest brother. Had it not been for my other brother and playing air guitar with tennis rackets to his copy of Frampton Comes Alive, I may have been in a Village People cover band all these years. Long live Donna Summer and the Bee Gee's. Oh by the way, I would've been the construction worker.

[Gogmagog]

Interesting theory, Him.

My first recollections of music my mother played for me are Rubber Ducky and Mah Na Mah Na, so I suppose I was off to a good start! A little later, my father introduced me to At Folsom Prison, but after that I was on my own. My parents had a record cabinet that was full of Jimi Hendrix, Beatles and Rolling Stones records (including the original Sticky Fingers LP, with the zipper on the cover), but they never played them. So it was up to me to discover everything from Otis Redding to Black Sabbath.

[Metalboy!]

Hey, man, if it wasn’t for Christopher Cross, the world would be without the majesty that is Saxon’s KILLER cover version of “Ride Like The Wind”.

For that unintended “Spinal Tap” moment, alone, I give him a pass!