The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History: Honourable Mention Song #6: A Place in the Country by Fanny (as Nominated by Andrea Storm) (KTOM)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

KTOM: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Honourable mention Song #6: Place in the Country by Fanny.

Around this time last year, I wrote a post about the Go-Gos. *(You can read that post here). At the time, The Go-Gos had been nominated for induction into The Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Their claim to fame was that they had achieved a number of firsts for an all-girl rock/Pop group; including writing and performing their own songs and having a #1 hit with their own original work. That independence helped to differentiate them from Motown groups such as The Supremes, who had numerous #1s but never did any of their own writing nor arranging. Well, as it turned out, The Go-Gos were successful in accumulating enough votes to secure their induction into the RockHall. But, a funny thing happened on the way to their induction ceremony…..as the date of the induction drew closer, the girls from The Go-Gos gave many interviews about their career, the challenges they faced along the way, as well as, how they felt about being viewed as icons and role models for younger, all-girl bands that followed in their wake. Out of these interviews came this nugget of information: they felt it was wrong to claim that they were the first all-girl band of note because, in fact, they, themselves, had icons and role models who encouraged them to form their band in the first place and then, to stick with things during those early, challenging days. The band that acted as role models for The Go-Gos, as well as countless other female bands and solo artists, was a band that could have been huge but, weren’t. They should have been famous and well known but, aren’t. They are Fanny and this is their story.

The band, Fanny, were nominated by a lady named Andrea Storm. Andrea was, initially, a friend and colleague of my wife, Keri. But, as happens on occasion, the existing relationships from a partner’s life bleed over into our own life and, as time has gone on, Andrea and I have become friends, too. Our bond is primarily over music and writing. Andrea and I have attended concerts together and tend to know a lot about the same sorts of artists and bands. Consequently, any time I wrote a post and Andrea responds by saying that she leaned something new from my work, I consider that a real feather in my cap. So, when I put out my call for Honourable Mention songs, it did not come as surprise that Andrea would nominate a band who were important and influential and yet, almost completely unknown, outside of a few hardcore music fans. Fanny, as a choice, is a real music lover’s choice. Here is who they were and why it matters.

Fanny formed in 1969 by sisters, June and Jean Millington, who played lead and bass guitar, respectively. They were originally from the Philippines; moving to California just as their high school years were set to begin. They met up with drummer, Alice de Buhr and keyboardists/singer, Nickey Barclay and decided to form a band. Their big break came after being spotted by the secretary of a record producer while performing at an open mic-style bill at a local club in Los Angeles. The producer, Richard Perry, liked what he saw and heard and signed the girls to a contract. He named them Fanny which, according to Perry, had nothing to do with body parts but, instead, was indicative of their plucky spirit. In any case, the band recorded and released three albums and achieved several Top 40 hit songs. If you can imagine a band that sounded like Led Zeppelin but, instead of being fronted by Robert Plant, Zeppelin was fronted by Janis Joplin……that’s what Fanny sounded like. This band rocked hard and played loud. Singer Nickey Barclay toured with Joe Cocker as a back up singer on his “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” tour. The band also acted as session players all throughout the L.A. area and quickly gained a reputation as being excellent musicians. As Fanny, they opened across the world for big name acts such as Slane, Jethro Tull and Humble Pie and they appeared on famous television shows such as American Bandstand and Top of the Pops. And then, it all came to an end.

All throughout the formative stages of their career, the girls from Fanny had to battle to make their voices heard in a world dominated by male-oriented bands and solo artists. It was a man’s world and they weren’t male. In fact, they were often encouraged to soften their image by wearing sexier clothing and writing more provocative material but, Fanny refused. They insisted on being respected for the calibre of their musicianship above all else. When the music industry refused, again and again, to do so, rather than give in and become the male vision of what a girl band should be, Fanny walked away from their careers and stopped performing. Despite a few brief reunions in later years, Fanny has never released another song, let alone an album, since the 1970s.

But, what Fanny endured during their career wasn’t without some positive benefit. That benefit was that when the next all-girl band came along…..The Go-Gos……the music industry was not as shocked as they had been with Fanny. They were not, initially, receptive to The Go-GOs but, their resistance broke down quicker and doors opened more easily and, as a result, The Go-Gos were able to claw their way out of the tough Los Angeles club scene and make a name for themselves as headliners. That this happened was a direct result of the groundwork laid by Fanny a decade earlier. Their efforts were acknowledged as being crucial to the early success of The Go-Gos by, none other than, The Go-Gos, themselves, as they were getting ready to be inducted into The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. The trailblazing Go-Gos were, if truth were being told, following the path blazed already by Fanny who were, in fact, the first all-female group to write their own songs and sign a record contract and have a Top 40 hit of their own.

In a few moments, when you get to listen to Fanny (I assume for the first time ever), get ready to be impressed. What a great band they were! Fanny rocked really hard, with a bluesy, Joplinesque/Stevie Ray Vaughn rock sound. The song, “Place in the Country” should be a song that exists in the canon of great rock songs. It is really good. Thank you, Andrea, for nominating such an interesting and under-served but hugely influential group. They are terrific. Thanks, as well, for all of the comments and stories you have shared along the way throughout this musical countdown journey of ours. I have appreciated your presence.

So, without further delay, here is Fanny and their hit, “Place in the Country”. Enjoy.

The link to the video for the song, “Place in the Country” by Fanny, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Fanny, can be found here.

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History: Song #468…Our Lips Are Sealed by The Go-Gos (KEXP)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #468: Our Lips Are Sealed by the Go-Gos.

The Go-Gos were a five-piece, all-female band out of Los Angeles that gained fame with a string of hits that included, “We Got the Beat”, “Vacation”, “Head Over Heels” and “Our Lips Are Sealed”. They consisted of lead singer, Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar, Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar, Kathy Valentine on bass and Gina Schock on drums. Over the course of a career that saw them rise out of the ranks of L.A.’s Punk Rock scene, to playing the main stages of stadiums all over the world, the Go-Gos have sold almost ten million albums worldwide. They have split up and reformed numerous times. Band members have gone off to pursue solo projects, too. But, in the end, they were always more than the sum of their parts. The Go-Gos were special.

It is easy to under-estimate this band. On the surface, they present as”Pop princesses”, frolicking in fountains and shopping in stores (as seen in their videos). Pop songs, as a musical genre, are not often accorded the credit they deserve by purists. But, scratch even just a little bit below the surface of this band and you will find a group of immense substance and importance. The Go-Gos cut their musical teeth as punk rockers in L.A. Being an all-girl band in a predominantly all-male work environment was both a blessing and a curse. It was tough for them as women in the same way it is tough for any woman in any male-dominated field of employment. For much of their early career, the band was never taken seriously by fellow musicians nor by promoters. They were considered as “eye candy” more than as musicians and had to endure much misogynistic behaviour. In such an environment, one of two things tend to happen: you shrink back under the intensity of the pressure or you use the negative energy as fuel that builds strength. The Go-Gos chose to stick together. They bonded in ways that tend to occur when under siege. All the while, the members of the band were perfecting their craft; learning how to properly play their instruments, learning how to create playable songs, learning about harmonies and melodies, too.

They emerged from the Punk scene armed with the musical chops that would lead to their debut album Beauty and the Beat. From that album came some of their biggest hits like “We Got the Beat”, Head Over Heels” and “Our Lips are Sealed”. They suddenly found themselves with a #1 album and #1 songs. In doing so, the Go-Gos became the very first all-female group to play their own instruments and write their own songs to achieve a #1 hit on the music charts……ever!!! In the past, groups like the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas and so on, all had plenty of hit songs but, they usually never wrote their own material nor did many of them ever play an instrument on stage. The Go-Gos were pioneers who took control of their career and charted their own course.

The song, “Our Lips Are Sealed” has an interesting back story, too. One of the first public acknowledgements of their musical skills came from a band (that was profiled by me last week) called The Specials. *(You can read that post here). This Ska/TwoTone band from the UK was touring in the Los Angeles area and happened to catch a Go-Gos show. They were impressed enough with the energy and musicianship on display that they asked the Go-Gos to open for them on the rest of their tour. The Go-Gos agreed. The Specials were a large band of a dozen or more, mostly male, players. During the tour, there were backstage antics aplenty between bands and, coming out of it, lead singer Terry Hall of The Specials and Go-Gos guitarist Jane Wiedlin had a brief affair. The problem was that Hall was already involved with someone back in England. The song, “Our Lips Are Sealed” is the musical child borne from that brief union. When you listen to the lyrics of this song (which was written by Hall and sent to Wiedlin), you can easily tell that these are the words of someone trying to hush up an indiscretion. So what did Wiedlin do? She turned it from a warning to be quiet and instead, amplified the message and broadcast it to the world.

The Go-Gos, who project as Pop Princesses were anything but, in reality. They were feminists who knew how to deliver a message and pack a punch. They were strong, capable women who took charge of their own affairs; musically, sexually and otherwise. They didn’t need to sing about empowerment, they embodied it instead. In doing so, they blazed a trail for every all-female group or solo artist that followed. The members of the Go-Gos all say that the highest compliments they receive are not from people telling them that they like their music, it is, instead, from every female musician who tells them that they had the courage to get into music and express themselves on their own terms because of the example set by the Go-Gos.

The Go-Gos were voted in for induction into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Not that they needed the validation but, just the same, it is a fitting acknowledgment by the Music Industry that there was something substantive about this all-girl band that is worthy or commemoration and of respect.

The link to the music video for Our Lips Are Sealed by The Go-Gos can be found here. ***The lyrics version can be found here.

The link to the cover version of Our Lips Are Sealed by ex-boyfield, Terry Hall (now of Fun Boy Three) can be found here.

The link to the awesome website from The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame can be found here.

Thanks to KEXP for helping to inspire the writing of this post. The link to their wonderful website can be found here.

The Go-Gos have a wicked website that can be accessed here.

***As always, all original content contained within this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2022 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com

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