Monday, September 07, 2020

PUPPY LOVE – UNTIL IT BROKE FREE FROM THE LEASH….


Gene Krupa in Triplicate
The Starbrights' Drummer


In 1960, Paul Anka sang about it when he became smitten with Annette Funicello.  Paul and Annette dated for a while, but the romance faded after it became evident he couldn’t master the art of riding a surf board. To add to his embarrassment, Paul hated the feeling of sand between his toes, and in his ‘budgie smugglers”. 

Frankie Avalon, seeing his chance, grabbed it.  Soon thereafter he and Annette were frolicking on the sand having a “Beach Party”.

Shamelessly, in 1957, three years before Paul sung about “Puppy Love” he had declared his undying love for “Diana”!  Two years later, to whom we do not know, Paul proclaimed emphatically; “You Are My Destiny”, while pleading, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”. Opening his heart, he confessed his “Crazy Love”, but was shunned.  Heartbroken, he wept as he admitted he was a “Lonely Boy”.

Fortunately, it was after meeting Annette, Paul’s broken heart mended, and he was no longer lonely.  He’d fallen under Annette’s spell when he spotted her gallivanting at the ocean’s edge, and over the sand dunes. But then, of course, Frankie Avalon came onto the scene.  Avalon called Annette his “Venus”.

Not caring who heard, in 1958, Frankie professed openly – “I Will Wait for You”.  We never knew who he was waiting for...perhaps it was a bus.

On the flip-side, Paul had moved on.  He declared; ‘That’s it! From now on I’ll do it “My Way”!’  Ol’ Blue Eyes aka Frank Sinatra loved the lyrics Anka had re-written for what originally had been a French song.

In 1974, to some criticism, Paul blurted out to the world: “You’re Having My Baby!”  But, he didn’t care about the unjustified, unfavourable judgements as he happily watched his bank balance increase,

While Frankie and Annette were kicking up sand, Marcie Blane warned all the girls within earshot that she was “Bobby’s Girl”.  She told Connie Francis to back off when she heard Connie scream at Bobby; “That ‘Lipstick on Your Collar” back in 1959 was mine!”

A year after Marcie’s warning, down the road and around the corner, Little Peggy March didn’t discriminate, nor did she care who heard when she belted out at the top of her lungs; “I Will Follow Him!” as she marched after him. We never discovered who the “him” was.

Did she ever catch up with him; or is he still dodging her; and she, still marching behind?  By now, I guess it would be at a slower pace.

Back then, in my teen years, my peers and I listened intently to the love songs; to the pop songs.  We sang; we danced; we had fun.  

In our dreams we wished we had someone who would sing words of everlasting devotion to us.

The lyrics melted our tender teenage hearts, and fulfilled our teenage fantasies.

How we longed to experience that special feeling so difficult to describe unless possessed of poetic or song-writing abilities like those of Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka, Dion and others of their ilk. To experience the almost indescribable emotion when one’s heart and trembling tummy felt like both were bouncing up and down on a trampoline. The lows that came with the massive highs we learned to deal with by shedding a torrent of tears while promising to no one in particular; “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again!”

I had a big dose of the “woofs” aka “puppy love” the moment I locked eyes with a handsome young drummer in a Gympie band.  In 1959, I was a starry-eyed 14-year old high school student.  

From when I was a little girl I loved...adored...drums.  A glossy photo of the one and only Gene Krupa held pride of place on my bedroom wall.  

Out of my first week's pay when I started working at the law firm of Tozer & Jeffery, I bought a 45 rpm record of Gene Krupa...I was in heaven!  My weekly wage, in hand, at that stage...late July, 1960, was the princely sum of four pounds eight shillings and nine-pence.
 
In 1959, our neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Butcher...Mr. Butcher was not a butcher, but a policeman ...took me with them to Tewantin for the Easter weekend.  On Easter Saturday night the three of us attended a concert in a hall at Noosaville.

One of the evening’s performances was by a Gympie band, "The Starbrights/Starbrites".  The group included the handsome young drummer...a Gympie lad who was about three years older than me.  His younger sister and I had both been students of Miss Gidley...our piano teacher.

My first dose of puppy love hit me for a "sixer" that evening; but I kept my feelings to myself.  My crush lasted for a couple of years thereafter.  It was love at arm’s length.

(To this day, I'm still friendly with the sole member left of "The Starbrights". He was a guitarist and singer in the band.  We are in regular email contact.  He still lives in Gympie.  He is now in his early 80s, but his age doesn't stop him from frequently visiting the local Aged Care Homes, and entertaining the residents with his music).


31 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:37 PM

    It's a nice memory of puppy love and makes me wonder if men experience puppy love. They certainly experience infatuation if that is the same thing. The drummer was certainly nice looking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andrew...of course boys experience puppy love. All young kids do, I'm sure.

      Rodney aka the drummer was good-looking. I wasn't alone in thinking that...and there is more to the story, which I shall relate later down the track. :)

      Take care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  2. I don't remember suffering from puppy love. I am sure I did, but it has escaped me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, EC...I am sure you did...I am sure we all did. :)

      Take care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  3. So many of those songs I remember..some of them were good songs too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Margaret....there were so many good, fun, happy songs back then...they kept our feet a-tapping, and hearts a-beating! :)

      Take care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  4. Oh my goodness, as you mentioned each song my brain went into overdrive.....a great tale linking all those tunes together.
    Drummers were the linchpin of the band.....holding them all together then shining when they got a chance of a solo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Cathy...I did get on a roll, didn't I? Once started, I got carried away! lol

      Oh, yes! Drummers...I still love them.

      The drummer in the rock band "Fifty Seconds of Summer" really attracted my attention...and held onto it...during the fund-raising concert earlier this year...the concert raising money for last summer's bushfire victims. I'd not taken much notice of the group until that concert...their drummer was.is terrific. He really got stuck into it!!

      Take good care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  5. That was fun, Lee. I am old but I can remember the lyrics of most of those songs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Arleen...I, too, am old, Arleen...and am glad I was part of an era that had lots and lots of terrific music. The music we enjoyed will never be matched, in my opinion. We were the lucky ones! :)

      Thanks for coming by...take good care. :)

      Delete
  6. That was a trip back to the past. My husband and I went to see Paul in 1973 and got engaged after the concert! Married in 1974!

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    Replies
    1. Hey Sandie...I'm glad my post took you on a trip during these days when such an outing is frowned upon! Happy memories for you. :)

      Take good care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  7. Oh yes, I remember those early teenage years of puppy love! I also enjoyed all of the Beach Party movies - they were classics of the early 1960s!

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    Replies
    1. Great times, great fun, and great memories, Bonnie! :)

      Thanks for coming by....keep taking good care. :)

      Delete
  8. I remember every single song you have listed here, I remember listening to the "Top Forty" on my sister's tiny transistor radio. A few years later dad acquired a large floor model radiogram and I used to sit beside it with my ear pressed to the speaker panel. It's a wonder I'm not deaf!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhh...those were the days, River. Radio played such a huge role back then. :)

      Music...plays such an important role...I love it!

      Thanks for coming by..take good care. :)

      Delete
  9. Paul Anka is of lebanese origin.The recent disaster at Beirut's port has reminded me of this prolific songwriter and performer.
    I must admit I've got a soft spot for drummers. I always pay attention to the drummer of the band or orchestra. I consider the drummer its heart and soul.
    Your

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. G'day, DUTA...Yes, both of Anka's parents were Lebanese Christians, and were restaurateurs. Paul, himself, was born in Canada. He shared his wonderful talent with us, thankfully.

      Drummers have always grab my attention...and held it! :)

      Thanks for coming by..take good care. :)

      Delete
  10. Those musicians steal hearts left, right and centre!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That they do, messymimi. I can't imagine what life would be like without music. :)


      Take care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  11. Those pictures really take me back. I loved those beach party movies when I was a kid.
    Your posts are always creative and witty.
    Take special care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep! They certainly were the "good old days", Sandra :)

      I'm glad you enjoy my ramblings...I try to keep them lighthearted most of the time.

      Keep taking good care, Sandra...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  12. Ahh, Lee, I love how you can take me back to the good old days. Since reading your post my thoughts have constantly been going back to watching Annette Funicello in the Mouseketeers which we only ever say when we visited my grandparents. My Gran loved her. Remember the concerts at the Festival Hall?

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    Replies
    1. G'day, Pauline. I sure do remember the concerts at Festival Hall...and I was in the audience of many wonderful performances...all very memorable. :)

      We didn't have TV until around 1959/60....how different things were back then. Getting a television set was such a huge thing...not the set...the getting thereof! lol

      In the words of The Beachboys...Fun! Fun! Fun!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  13. Goodness! What a great look back.
    Paul Anka was amazing.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Jan...I'm glad you enjoyed a trip back to the past! :)

      Take care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  14. Paul Anka and Frankie Avalon - you are really remembering blasts from the past. I'm getting to the stage that I think I know some of your early life better then I can remember my own.I tried to remember my first 'puppy love' and I could actually do that. Well, I think she was the first. Dorothy Speakman. Her parents were quite elderly and her sisters children were older than she was. Her parents died and Dorothy was taken to Canada were her sister lived. I've spent 63 years wondering what happened to her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See! I've helped stir up old memories for you, Graham...good memories...of a time of innocence, fun, frolics...a time filled with dreams for what was ahead of us. :)

      A few days ago I was contacted by someone from the far distant past...via a mutual friend. She and I first met 55 years ago...and it is more than 50 years, too, since since we've been in the company of each other!!! She knew people I knew etc. We were never close friends...just acquaintances through having mutual friends and through our jobs.

      We've been exchanging lengthy emails reflecting on those days of yore, and the people we both knew back then. It's been interesting...and fun. :)

      Take good care...thanks for coming by. :)

      Delete
  15. Hello from Vietnam. Have been enjoying just now reading your blogs and dropping a note to provide a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1826795987456183page where I have been coincidently doing posts on similar topics: Flashbulb Brownie (father of my best mate Randall who lives in Gympie); Gympie Pies(So agree with your comments about Hind’s Bakery in Tin Can); The Starbrites (I was a member in 1965/66) Love Your Work.

    ReplyDelete
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