DJ Allyn – The Soundtrack for my Life

Under the Boardwalk ~ The Drifters  

The Drifters are a long-lived African-American doo wop/R&B vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1962, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed by Clyde McPhatter (of Billy Ward & the Dominoes) in 1953. Rolling Stone magazine states that The Drifters were the least stable of the vocal groups due to being low-paid hired musicians of The Drifters’ management.

The Treadwell Drifters website states that there have been 60 vocalists in the history of the Treadwell Drifters line. Several splinter groups by former Drifters members add to the count. Nevertheless, there are two iterations of The Drifters which are notable. The first classic Drifters formed by Clyde McPhatter was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as The Drifters or The Original Drifters. The second Drifters formed by Treadwell featuring Ben E. King was separately inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as Ben E. King and The Drifters.[4] In their induction, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame eclectically selected four members from the classic Drifters, two from the second Drifters, and one from the post-King Treadwell Drifters. According to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, “Through turmoil and changes the (original) Drifters managed to set musical trends and give the public 13 chart hits, most of which are legendary recordings today.”

Under the Boardwalk

The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town (Coney Island, New York), who plan to privately meet “out of the sun” and out of sight from everyone else under a boardwalk. The instrumentation includes güiro, triangle and violins. The song’s chorus is unusual in that it switches from a major to minor key. The opening line of the song references the Drifters’ prior hit “Up on the Roof”, showing the occasional thermal weakness of the rooftop getaway and setting the stage for an alternate meeting location, under the boardwalk.

The song was set to be recorded on May 21, 1964, but the band’s lead singer, Rudy Lewis, unexpectedly died of a heroin overdose the night before. Lewis had sung lead on all of their hits since the 1960 departure of Ben E. King, including “Up on the Roof”. Rather than reschedule the studio session to find a new frontman, former Drifters lead vocalist Johnny Moore was brought back to perform lead vocals for the recording.

Oh, when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof
And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet were fire-proof
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be

(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be havin’ some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be faling in love
Under the board-walk (board-walk!)

From the park you hear the happy sound of a carousel
Mm-mm, you can almost taste the hot dogs and French fries they sell
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea
On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be

(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be havin’ some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be falling in love
Under the board-walk (board-walk!)

Oooooh, under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be

(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be havin’ some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be falling in love
Under the board-walk (board-walk!)

• Audio from the 1964 album, Under the Boardwalk:

Swamp Witch ~ Jim Stafford  

Jim Stafford is an American comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter, prominent in the 1970s. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica.

Stafford was raised in Winter Haven, Florida. In high school, he played in a band along with friends Bobby Braddock, Kent LaVoie (aka Lobo (musician)) and Gram Parsons (of the Byrds).

Swamp Witch

Black water Hattie lived back in the swamp
Where the strange green reptiles crawl
Snakes hang thick from the cypress trees
Like sausage on a smokehouse wall

Where the swamp is alive with a thousand eyes
An’ all of them watching you
Stay off the track to Hattie’s shack
In the back of the Black Bayou

Way up the road from Hattie’s shack
Lies a sleepy little Okeechobee town
Talk of swamp witch Hattie
Lock you in when the sun go down

Rumors of what she’d done
Rumors of what she’d do
Kept folks off the track of Hattie’s shack
In the back of the Black Bayou

One day brought the rain and the rain stayed on
And the swamp water overflowed
Skeeters and the fever grabbed the town like a fist
Doctor Jackson was the first to go

Some say the plague was brought by Hattie
There was talk of a hangin’ too
But the talk got shackled by the howls and the cackles
From the bowels of the Black bayou

Early one morning’ ‘tween dark and dawn when shadows filled the sky
There came an unseen caller on a town where road run dry
You’d swear there was found a big black round vat full of gurgling brew
Whispering sounds as the folk gathered round
“It came from the Black Bayou”

There ain’t much pride when you’re trapped inside
A slowly sinking’ ship
Scooped up the liquid deep and green
And the whole town took a sip

Fever went away and the very next day
The skies again were blue
Let’s thank old Hattie for savin’ our town
We’ll fetch her from the Black Bayou

Party of ten of the town’s best men
Headed for Hattie’s shack
Said, “Swamp Witch magic was useful and good
And they’re gonna bring Hattie back”

Never found Hattie and they never found the shack
Never made the trip back in
There was a parchment note they found tacked to a stump
Said, “Don’t come lookin’ again”

• Audio from the 1973 single, Swamp Witch, later compiled in the 1998 album, The Best of Jim Stafford:

Do Ya ~ Electric Light Orchestra  

Electric Light Orchestra, commonly abbreviated ELO, were a symphonic rock group from Birmingham, England, who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne’s desire to create modern pop songs with heavily classical overtones, but falling under a light rock category. However, the band’s direction for most of their existence was set by Lynne who, after the band’s debut record, wrote and arranged all of the group’s original compositions and produced every album.

Do Ya

In this life I’ve seen everything I can see woman,
I’ve seen lovers flying through the air hand in hand
I’ve seen babies dancing in the midnight sun,
And I’ve seen dreams that came from the heavenly skies above
I’ve seen old men crying at their own grave site
And I’ve seen pigs all sitting watching, picture slides
But I never seen nothing like you.

Do ya do ya want my love, woman
Do ya do ya want my face, I need it
Do ya do ya want my mind, I’m sayin’
Do ya do ya want my love

Well I, heard the crowd singin’ out of tune,
As they, sat and sang Auld Lang Syne by the light of the moon
I heard the preachers bangin’ on the drums,
And I heard the police playin’ with their guns
But I never heard nothin’ like you.

In the country where the sky touches down
On the field, she lay her down to rest
In the morning sun,
They come a ‘runnin’ just to get a look, just to
Feel, to touch her long black hair they don’t give a damn

Do ya do ya want my love, woman
Do ya do ya want my face, I need it
Do ya do ya want my mind, I’m sayin’
Do ya do ya want my love

Well I think you know what I’m trying to say to you woman,
That is I’d like to save you for a rainy day,
I’ve seen enough of the world to know,
That I’ve got to get it all to get it all to grow.

Do ya do ya want my love, c’mon now
Do ya do ya want my face, I need it
Do ya do ya want my mind, alright now
Do ya do ya want my love, ahhhhm look out!

Do ya do ya want my love,
Do ya do ya want my love, ohhhh-ohhhh

• Audio from the 1976 album,  A New World Record:

Dirty Harry ~ Gorillaz  

Gorillaz is a virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel. The band’s music is a collaboration between various musicians with Albarn being the only permanent musical contributor. Their style is broadly alternative Hip Hop, but with a large number of other influences including hip hop, electronica, dub and pop.

The band’s first album, 2001’s Gorillaz, sold over seven million copies and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band It was nominated for the Mercury Prize 2001, but the nomination was later withdrawn at the band’s request. Their second studio album, Demon Days, was released in 2005 and included the hit singles “Feel Good Inc.”, “DARE”, “Dirty Harry” and “Kids With Guns / El Mañana”.

Dirty Harry

The song’s lyrics contain the line “The war is over so says the speaker with the flight suit on”, apparently referring to George W. Bush’s televised speech of May 1, 2003.

I need a gun to keep myself from harm
The poor people are burning in the sun
But they ain’t got a chance
They ain’t got a chance
i need a gun
Cos all I do is dance
Cos all I do is dance

I need a gun to keep myself from harm
The poor people are burning in the sun
No, they ain’t got a chance
They ain’t got a chance
I need a gun
Cos all I do is dance
Cos all I do is dance

In my backpack I got my act
Right, means she act quite difficult
And yo its weakened with anger and discontent
So much seeking it, searchin like bmore
Im a pace loving decoy
Ready for retaliation
I change an altercation
To a pine box 6 under
The pulse of last while I wonder
Orders give to me and strike im like thunder
Just like your vast reflexes
On pounds red alert
From the cause that hurt
You seen nemilance with no time and pressure
Seems like everybodys out to test ya
Till they see you break
You conceal the hate that consumes
Im the reason why you flow
You a zooza
Chill with your old lady at the tilt
I gotta a ninety days digit
And im filled with guilt
From thing that unseen
Your waters from a bottle
Mines from a canteen
At night I hear the shots scream so i’m a lite sleeper
Cause of life seems to get cheaper
Out in the dessert with my street sweeper
The war is over
So said the speaker
With the flight suit
Maybe to him Im just a pawn
So he can advance
Remeber how they used dance
All I wanna do is dance

(Dance!)
(Dance!)
(Dance!)

i need a gun to keep himself from harm

• Audio from the 2005 album, Demon Days: