WEDNESDAY WRAP

CD SHOWCASE MEMORIES

Ending today by listening to a pair of same name songs, Alabama’s “Old Flame” & Juice Newton’s “Old Flame”, while checking out the interior of a Junkyard Jewel 1987 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Brougham Coupe, photographed by OC,SHer JAY B….

#1 “Old Flame” | Alabama
This song debuted 02/14/1981 (Valentine’s Day, of course), spent 14 weeks on the country charts & claimed #1, their 3rd straight (of an eventual string of 8) chart topper, behind 1980’s “Tennessee River” & 1980’s “Why Lady Why” & ahead of 1981’s “Feels So Right” (2 weeks), 1981’s “Love In The 1st Degree” (2 weeks), 1982’s “Mountain Music”, 1982’s “Take Me Down” & 1982’s “Close Enough To Perfect”. It was also their 3rd straight Top 10 & 6th overall release, the start of a long career, through 2011. The band formed in Fort Payne AL by Randy Owen, Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry & Bennett Vartanian (later replaced by Jackie Owen, Rick Scott & Mark Herndon). The 2 Owens boys along with Cook & Gentry are cousins. This is 1 of those songs that I didn’t fully understood as a kid, but understood as I grew older. 1 of my memories of this band happened at the Kane County (IL) Fair, just as they were starting out. Back then, the Fair had 2 shows on Saturday night, 7p & 9p. We opted for the 9p show … & were treated to them playing through 11p & later; we left before they were done.

#2 “Old Flame” | Juice Newton
5 years & ~2 months after Alabama’s smash, this song hit the airwaves 04/05/1986, spent 21 weeks on the charts & peaked at #5. It was sandwiched between 3 country chart toppers: 1985’s “You Make Me Want To Make You Mine”, 1985-6’s “Hurt” & 1986’s “Both To Each Other” (duet with Eddie Rabbitt). This is 1 of those songs that resonated with me when it was new … & has continued to be relevant to me at different times of my life, including the last 4 years. What I like about the version in this video is the entire song is sung on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand (with Dick Clark lead-in) &, at the end, you are introduced to someone who was, at the time, in the midst of his own solo career: Steve Wariner. Dick Clark’s comments are a little misleading, tho. He says when he 1st met her she was singing country music & now she sings all kinds of music. Her pop career, however, was in the early 1980s with such Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 tunes as 1981’s “Angel Of The Morning” (#4), 1981’s “Queen Of Hearts” (#2, 2 weeks), 1981-2’s “The Sweetest Thing” (#7) & 1982’s “Love’s Been A Little Bit Hard On Me” (#7). “The Sweetest Thing” was her 1st country top 10, claiming #1 amidst a 19-week chart run. At the time of her appearance on “AB”, she had made the transition to the country genre.