The late 1960s! What an incredible chapter not only in American cultural history but in popular music.
Labels/categories in popular music are at best an oversimplification, at worst a curse. But the general public likes shorthand. Scribes like yours truly also like a little pigeon-holing for convenience. So you'll find the group "Spanky and Our Gang" filed under "sunshine pop."
What vibes do you get from this? Perhaps not all positive - "sunshine" might suggest superficial or sweet.
Pop music in its essence is a little superficial. Lyrics to a three-minute song can only say so much. Long-form journalists like me might think it's pretty non-substantive, maybe even pretentious.
Don't you think a lot of song lyrics bring overly effusive praise? Is it really great art? Despite the limits I suggest, I have fascination with the craft. I have striven to develop my own potential with songwriting. Ironic: a guy like me who believes in in-depth analysis writing a few stanzas and thinking it might have merit. If you need a test in humility, try presenting some of your own songwriting material.
The curse of categories
These days a favorite group of mine is "Tonight Alive," the young people from Australia. The group gets pigeon-holed to a degree as "punk" and they are not even averse to that. But I'm bewildered because this group simply puts out fantastic music. The melodies are superbly crafted. "Punk" can disturb a 65-year-old like me. But I feel nothing but joy listening to "Tonight Alive" - "punk" seems to be mere window dressing aimed at getting certain followers.
I draw a parallel between "Spanky and Our Gang" and "Tonight Alive." These are groups of guys with one girl and they would be nothing without the girl. The girl is the whole show, no exaggeration. Not to say the guys lacked ability. They had total ability, but just how would they fare without the girl? Rhetorical question.
A like situation can happen with a male like Jim Morrison of the Doors. Some lead singers might insist on being a solo act. Surely that would be an attractive path, but I laud the likes of Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane and Jenna McDougall, the latter with "Tonight Alive." They were joined at the hip with their bandmates.
"Spanky" McFarlane is extant, still with us. She resisted the label "bubblegum" that might have been directed at her "Gang." She has been described as "the queen of sunshine pop." Can't we just react on an emotional level to the group's music?
Cosmetics: unavoidable
Is it fair to say Spanky had challenges managing her weight through the years? We are discouraged nowadays from weighing such a criterion. With women in particular there has been a push against "objectification." People my age remember a time that was so different. Objectification happened all over the place and no one cared. Bob Hope brought Raquel Welch with him to entertain the troops in Vietnam. The idea is that all the guys would salivate.
I wonder what went through the mind of Welch or the other "babes" - excuse the term - that were put forward in such a way.
"Spanky" McFarlane was incredibly gifted but she was destined to get, well, rotund. There were signs of this even in the group's late '60s heyday. Men would have described her then as "pleasably plump." She was cute enough. There was a template of standards promoted by the likes of the Dean Martin Variety Hour. Like it or not it's history, like "drunk" humor.
(Note: "Pleasantly plump" or "pleasingly plump" appear to be the technically correct terms, while "pleasably" appears to not even be a word. But I swear I heard the "pleasably" version when I was a kid.)
Today you'll learn that "Spanky and Our Gang" was known for its "vocal harmonies." Well, all good music is known for its harmonies. Pop music challenges our ability to describe. There is no science by which we can know why a certain song is a "hit" and why another perfectly well-constructed song is not.
"Sunshine pop?" It's like describing "Tonight Alive" as "punk." It's almost a cruel shorthand. It isn't needed.
"Give a Damn" about the music
Call up some of the "Spanky and Our Gang" material and just appreciate it. The group has been somewhat lost in the mists of time. It is underappreciated, sadly. It is uplifting music to consume, and in saying that I am not hinting it is saccharine. It gives you a warm feeling and it does so with genuineness. What all do you expect a song to accomplish?
You're likely familiar with the group's biggest hits as the "oldies" get played. You might sing along with "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," "Lazy Day," "Like to Get to Know You" and "Sunday Mornin.' " Maybe you hear these without the name of the band registering. Maybe you'll think it's the "Mamas and the Papas." The Spanky group did not achieve the kind of immortal fame as the Mamas/Papas. It really deserved to.
Researching today, the song that really sticks with me is "Give a Damn." The title itself reveals a problem. By late '60s standards, "damn" was edgy. That issue was accompanied by others. "Give a Damn" was released in 1968, a year suggested by historians as particularly tumultuous and transformative in American life. Silly rabbit, trends don't begin and end in a single year, but this is how historians tend to package things. "Give a Damn" was released in late summer.
The (quasi) profane word, in and of itself kept the song from being played in some markets! The song got enmeshed in politics as it was a comment on racial equality, I guess in a context displeasing some. Maybe there was fear it could aggravate tensions in the wake of the Detroit riots.
Our culture at the time was led by a caliber of folks that you might have trouble understanding today. Many people actually thought the Vietnam war was a good or acceptable idea for a very long time. This was the real flashpoint, more than racial equality concerns. Youth gravitated to popular entertainment permeated by messages, some overt, many subtle, about rejecting the priorities of the older folks. It was the "generation gap."
"Spanky and Our Gang" is connected with the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in how things played out. The group performed "Give a Damn" live in a November 1968 episode. The CBS Standards and Practices Division got many complaints about the song's title being used during "family viewing hours." Quaint! Nixon himself made a complaint about the song on TV.
"Give a Damn" had an elaborate musical arrangement including horns. It had real texture. I have to confess I was not familiar with the song until recently. I was only age 13 in 1968. I am greatly moved to listen now. Take away the social commentary aspect and I'm still totally wowed, just with the sound of it. It's marvelous. So bad it was held up by silly problems.
"Sunshine pop" music? The term didn't do the group justice - its lyrics promoted a range of emotions/reactions. You can find an outstanding performance (OK, lip synched) of "Give a Damn" on YouTube today. I recommend it with vibrant enthusiasm. I'll even link it here:
"Give a Damn" became John Lindsay's campaign song during his successful run for mayor of New York City.
Is it fair to note Spanky's weight transformation through the years? Was it an issue for her? I shied away from writing "weight issues." In this age of non-objectification, who's to say if it should be an issue? In entertainment, realistically it is. Mainly for women? Oh my God, I shouldn't drop that comment. But I grew up influenced by the likes of the Dean Martin Variety Hour, Bob Hope and Raquel Welch. Neanderthal times!
It's fair to make it an issue if you are simply concerned from a health standpoint. For sure, some people seem born with an inexorable inclination to become "rotund." Metabolism? Thyroid? Who knows. Life presents such an array of challenges.
Pop groups that were willing to perform a hit "live" on TV, not lip-synched, deserve a very special tip of the hat, IMHO. So let's give credit to Spanky and her group for how it performed "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" on Mike Douglas. It was a small group, not able to duplicate the fullness of the sound from the studio, but they performed brilliantly in a slightly stripped-down version. By doing this, they really showed they were the "real deal." Nothing earns my respect more.
Spanky and Our Gang deserves to be remembered as well as the Mamas and the Papas.
An identity issue?
Maybe one problem is the group's name evoking thoughts of the Hal Roach comedy shorts: confusion. Researching the music group today, you have to filter through material much of which pertains to the cinematic "Little Rascals." No one could have foreseen Google then. Or YouTube.
Thanks to YouTube, you can appreciate the group's "Give a Damn." The link I provide above actually presents two tunes, the second "Yesterday's Rain," another gem, yes. And "Yesterday's Rain" has the distinction of having one of the group's male members take over the lead singing for a portion, while Spanky joins the background. It worked!
Nothing controversial or edgy about the "Give a Damn" lyrics now. Society was in fact forced to give a damn. In any young vs. old schism, we know where the long-term momentum lies!
So nice to see Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane is still with us, age 78. She's a native of Peoria IL. Enjoy the rest of your life, Spanky. She says "I just want to have fun and be with my pals." Here's a toast from 1968 and today!
Please visit my podcast
I share more about the joy of "sunshine pop" in my "Morris Mojo" podcast for November 28, 2020. That's right, right in the middle of the pandemic. Sunshine pop helped counter some of the gloom of the late 1960s, and perhaps it could be ditto today. Here's the permalink for my podcast entry:
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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| Music doesn't get any better: "Spanky and Our Gang" |
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