You've come a long way, baby...
and these jarring juxtapositions
offer indisputable proof!
Welcome to Vol. 8 of my series
Jarring Juxtapositions:
That Was Then - This Is Now!
It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might
be for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists
you are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers
Jarring Juxtapositions:
That Was Then - This Is Now!
It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might
be for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists
you are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers
then... and now!
THAT WAS THEN
ANNETTE
A "Teenage Wedding"? How romantic!
It's America's sweetheart Annette Funicello!
Watch and weep as our favorite Mickey Mouse Club mouseketeer
ties the knot and sings her song on a single released at the start
of 1963, an innocent teen pop relic found on the 1962 album
Maurice Chevalier and Hayley Mills Take You to Teen Street.
"Teenage Wedding" - Annette
(January 1963 single from the 1962 album
Maurice Chevalier & Hayley Mills Take You to Teen Street)
THIS IS NOW
THE REGRETTES
Now meet the California punk rock band The Regrettes...
a group I like so much that I arranged for them to be the only
"This Is Now" act in this edition of Jarring Juxtapositions.
Prior to forming The Regrettes in 2015, lead zinger Lydia Night
(above in blue jacket with pink flowers) fronted the LA-based
pop rock duo Pretty Little Demons. Before joining Lydia and
The Regrettes, lead guitarist Genessa Gariano (right) led her
own LA band called Genessa. Best known for performing
punk rock, garage and "riot grrrl," a music genre I will
explain in a bit, The Regrettes lace their songs with
elements of 1960s doo-wop, surf rock and pop.
On her list of influences, leader Lydia includes
Phil Spector's popular girl group The Crystals,
Patsy Cline, Lesley Gore and Motown artists
The Marvelettes, Diana Ross and Four Tops.
You can hear those 60s influences in Regrettes songs and see it
in their videos including the one produced for their first single,
"Hey Now," a song co-written by Lydia Night. Travel back
in time with Lydia and her band to 1962 as they appear
on sleazeball Dick Dickey's American Bandstand
style television dance show for teenagers.
"Hey Now" - The Regrettes
(Sept. 2016)
THAT WAS THEN
DIANA ROSS
Originally recorded by R&B/Disco diva Thelma Houston in 1973,
the song "Do You Know Where You're Going To" was
most famously performed by Diana Ross.
Here's the former leader of the Supremes as a solo artist
singing her chart-topping hit, the theme to the 1975
romantic drama Mahogany in which she starred.
"Theme from Mahogany
(Do You Know Where You're Going To)"
- Diana Ross (Dec. 1975/Jan. 1976, highest
chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box/#14 R&B,
theme song from Oct. 1975 film Mahogany)
THIS IS NOW
THE REGRETTES
As I mentioned earlier, The Regrettes are associated with the genre
"Riot grrrl" which is an underground feminist punk subculture
movement that combines feminism, punk music and politics.
Riot grrrl began in the early 1990s in the Pacific Northwest
and since then has expanded to at least 26 other countries.
In the vid for their 2018 single "Seashore," songwriter Lydia
and her Riot grrrl posse are feeling their oats, laying it on
the line, telling it like it is and sending sexist men
back to the Stone Age where they belong.
You're talkin' to me like a child
But my words are growin' stronger
And my legs keep gettin' longer
You're talkin' to me like a child
But I'm not a helpless baby
Not waitin' on you to come save me
"Seashore" - The Regrettes
(June 2017)
THAT WAS THEN
PETULA CLARK
Penned and produced by ace UK composer Tony Hatch, the song
"Round Every Corner" was waxed by Brit pop star Petula Clark
and released in the summer of 1965. Pet described the ditty as
"an anti-protest song" - one that uses the musical structure of
a children's singing game to convey a message of optimism.
"Round Every Corner" - Petula Clark
(Nov. 1965, highest chart pos. #21 Hot 100/#23 Cash Box)
THIS IS NOW
THE REGRETTES
Far be it from The Regrettes to shy away from protest.
They practically invented it.
In the video for the band's 2018 single "Come Through," a song
co-written by Regrettes leader Lydia, the strong, independent
heroine calls out her bf and kicks him to the curb.
You don't come through
Like you say you do
Now I don't need you to
'Cause I don't need you
"Come Through" - The Regrettes
(Feb. 2018)
Regrettes... I played a few
And hope you think
They're worth the mention
To show how far we've come
Long way to go, was my intention
I planned each charted song
Each dancin' step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Have a Shady day!
