By Jim Fusco:
And a Happy New Year to you- I’m Jim Fusco back for another year of the Laptop Sessions. I’m also back with Number 200! That’s right, tonight’s video is my 200th and it kicks off a brand new year of great acoustic cover song music videos here on the most popular music blog that isn’t corporately-owned…well, I can’t substantiate that claim… 🙂
Anyway, I figured I’d kick the New Year and new decade off right with a New Year’s song in “Ding Dong Ding Dong”, a hit single off of George Harrison’s Dark Horse album. If you’ve heard the original version of this song, you probably wondered why George’s voice sounded so raw and raspy. No, he wasn’t taking vocal cues from his pal (and future Traveling Wilburys member) Bob Dylan. He was actually suffering from a terrible break-up when his wife ran off with his best friend, Eric Clapton. It forced the two friends to not speak for a long time (yes, significant others can change people and break friends apart, that’s for sure), but eventually they reconciled…once she and Eric broke up, too! That’s a fairytale friendship story if I ever heard one.
The title track from Dark Horse also features George’s gravelly vocals and it’s actually a nice tool he uses well on these somewhat bitter songs. I mean, George was always one to write songs against the “establishment” (like “Taxman”, “Not Guilty”, and “Devil’s Radio”), but this time, it was a more personal fight. One can only think that “ringing out the old and bringing in the new” has to be correlated to his estranged wife leaving the picture.
And, in the end, George ended up finding his real soulmate in Olivia Harrison, whom he was with until the end and continues to preserve George’s legacy to this day. Now there’s a woman who really appreciated and “got” him. So, it all worked out. I guess sometimes a broken heart is just an opportunity to find something (or someone) better!
I’ve always considered this a Christmas song- remember my post from a few weeks ago about my father’s famed Christmas Compilation tapes? Well, this song was on it. And even though it’s loosely based on the New Year and it’s idea of “starting anew”, it’s really not a Christmas song at all. But, you’ll still never find me listening to “Ding Dong Ding Dong” from January through October!
I’ve already recorded another video- I was on a bit of a roll tonight. I could’ve done more, but work is really driving me into the ground lately. My list is ever-growing. I have a great forgotten 60’s song lined-up, but that video is a late-90’s Top 10 Billboard hit that is officially the song played most on the radio- it spent 18 weeks at Number One on the Billboard Airplay charts. That’s the most for any song- ever!
And I can’t believe we haven’t covered it. My only thought is that I’m the only one here that can sing the chorus, so I’m glad I finally got around to it. Look for some new bands to come in the near future, as well- it’s going to be another productive year of great cover song music videos…if I can find the time and energy to keep up with it week after week. Enjoy “Ding Dong Ding Dong” in LSHD (Laptop Sessions High Definition)!