Everybody who made a record before 1967 has at least one bad psychedelic moment and this month we point the "Who's Sorry Now" accusing finger at Connie Francis for the go-go-gouchness buried on the flip of her last Top 100 single.
Suspect Record: "Over Hill Underground" by Connie Francis Release Date In Relation to Sgt. Pepper LP: Twenty months after the Summer of Love and three years after Nancy Sinatra's boots walked all over you.
Suspicious Psychedelic Instrumentation: Picture an electric sitar and a distorted electric piano pounding out "The Boy From New York City." Psychedelic Social Commentary Crutch Words: "Underprivelged Libra and Capricorn," "the draft board,"referring to our men in blue as "the Fuzz"—this song mixes more hip jargon with gritty realism than your average Mod Squad rerun.
Worst Lyrical Moment: In a cheap bid to align herself with the younger generation, the already over-30 Connie blames for her folks for turning her into a bad seed: "We never got no lovin' from no-good mom or dad/ If we would have got some lovin'. / We'd never have gone down bad." This from the gal who lovingly sang "Mama" in 1960??
Psychedelic Enabler: Blame MGM Records President Mike Curb for acting just like a future politician. No doubt he encouraged Connie to round the edges of her square image. A year after "Over Hill Underground," Curb purged 18 acts from the MGM roster who he said at the time "exploit and promote hard drugs through music." Eric Burdon, who was still selling records and having acid flashbacks in 1970, was allowed to stay but "drug advocates" like Connie, The Cowsills and the Judy Garland Estate were shown the paisley door!
What's It Sound Like? Her heart may have had a mind of its own but neither heart and mind seem invested into this ditty. Connie tries her darndest to sound like tough chick Nancy Sinatra but instead sounds worried, like a undercover narc whose cover is about to be blown.In a classic Freudian slip, she keeps singing "over-the-hill underground." Clearlyshe doesn't want to cancel those Lake Tahoe engagements!
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