Last night, David sent me a great selection of tunes to listen to and to consider for a slot on my music posts. About half of them, I hadn’t heard before, but several I had heard and liked. Tonight’s selection is one of my favourites, or perhaps it just suits my mood tonight.
Reflections of my Life, released in November 1969 by the Scottish pop group The Marmalade, was written by their lead guitarist Junior Campbell, and singer Dean Ford. The song went on to chart worldwide, reaching #3 in the UK in 1969, and #10 in the U.S. in 1970. Initial sales were significant in both countries, and the one million mark was reported in November 1971, when the group was presented with a gold disc for global sales. It was the only hit the group would have in the U.S., although they had ten songs that charted in the UK between 1968 and 1972.
The track featured a lead vocal by Ford backed by vocal harmonies, and included a reverse tape guitar solo (backmasking) by Campbell. Reflections of My Life has produced sales of over two million units. In 1998 the writers were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by the BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the U.S. alone.
Reflections of My Life
Marmalade
The changing of sunlight to moonlight
Reflections of my life
Oh, how they fill my eyes
The greetings of people in trouble
Reflections of my life
Oh, how they fill my eyes
Oh, my sorrows
Sad tomorrows
Take me back to my own home
Oh, my crying (Oh, my crying)
Feel I’m dying, dying
Take me back to my own home
I’m changing, arranging
I’m changing
I’m changing everything
Everything around me
The world is
A bad place
A bad place
A terrible place to live
Oh, but I don’t want to die
Oh, my sorrows
Sad tomorrows
Take me back to my own home
Oh, my crying (Oh, my crying)
Feel I’m dying, dying
Take me back to my own home
Oh, my sorrows
Sad tomorrows
Take me back to my own home
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: William Campbell Jnr / Thomas McAleese
Reflections of My Life lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc
Just fantastic music and I adore tweaking memories.
Cwtch
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‘Tis fantastic music and I thank you for tweaking my memories!
Cwtch
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Love this one, Jill. Thanks. The backup instrumentation on earphones is fabulous.
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I agree! When I listened to it last night, I didn’t remember it being quite this good back in the day. Glad you liked it!
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Back in the day, our audio equipment wasn’t up to duplicating the studio track. Most of us had at best AM/FM radios in the car.
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I remember those days, and if you traveled in the mountains, you rarely got to hear an entire song before losing the signal. Then I remember 8-tracks and how the player would eat the tape, so you’re driving along at 60 mph trying to rescue the tape from the jaws of death! Ah … the good ol’ days! 😉
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Yes and as you drve along the highway miles of tape would be at the side of the road.
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Marmalade were one of the better 60s pop groups, and this was their best song by a distance. Loved it then, love it now.
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I’m so glad! You’ll have David to thank for that, for I don’t know when or if I would have remembered this one, left to my own devices.
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Jill, this is one of those songs you do not think of top of mind, but when it is played you recognize it as one of the best songs of a generation. It just builds and builds to a chorus of many people in their cars listening on the radio. Keith
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I agree … I couldn’t tell you when I last thought of or heard this one, but as soon as I saw it on David’s list, it jumped out at me and the tune began weaving through my mind.
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Forgot all about this one. Would love to see David’s list, and compare it to the one I sent you. Seems for as big as our brains are, there is only room for so few memories. This song put me on another trip back through the 60s, where along the way I encountered We Five, who recorded When I Woke Up This Morning in 1965. I remember singing this to a girl as we sat on swings in a playground. I wanted so much to be with her, but after hearing me croaking on like a frog (sorry, frogs, your croaking is music to my ears) she decided to look elsewhere for love. Life could have been so beautiful, if only I had kept my mouth shut.
Just another reflection on my life.
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I emailed you earlier … I am so sorry, but I had forgotten to respond to the list you sent. I found some on your list to love, as well, so stay tuned! The one you mention by the We Five, “You Were on my Mind”, is one that was on your list, I believe, that I do like. The swings on the playground … just how old were you when you first serenaded a girl, 6? Hey, at least your cats don’t take off and hide under the sofa when you start to sing!
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15 or 16, not 6. And my cats all love when I sing songs to them, and about them. The more times I mention their names the more they like the songs. But I can only sing to one cat at a time. If I put two names into the same song they glare at each other, like this is my song, not yours. But I love all my cats, except Smoky, whom I have to tolerate. He loves Gail more than he loves himself, and he really loves himself. Me, I am just his slave.
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Either you sing better than I do, else your cats are more tolerant than mine! Ours all love Miss Goose, and hiss when I walk into a room. Except Oliver. Oliver loves me.
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I’m glad one of them does. Diabola loves me, Tecumseh loves that I pamper him, but he goes to Gail for loving. The 3 year-old kittens tolerate both of us, but they prefer Gail because she feeds them more often than I do. Smoky, as I said above, treats me like a slave, but at least he purrs for me occasionally. Took him ten years to start, though.
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Oh my. One of my very favorites. Can’t believe the timeline puts me in 5th grade. This song rang true to my soul then as much as now. Thanks Jill. Sorry I have not been around. Hubs had surgery last week and is, thankfully, recovering well.
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5th grade, eh? You spring chicken! Glad you liked the song, though. I do hope your hubby’s surgery wasn’t anything too earth-shattering, and I’m happy to hear he’s on the mend. Take care, my friend.
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You do pick some great songs. x
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Thanks, but I have to share the credit with David on this one, for I’m not sure when or if I would have thought of it! Glad you liked it! xx
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Thank you, Jill! Another great one! I really adore the lyrics, and from the vidclip the famous clothings of the past. As the fashing colours now the same again, lets hope the cutting would get a revival too. 😉 Michael
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It is definitely one that’s deserving of a revival … the song, not necessarily the fashion or hairstyles 😉 Glad you liked this one, Michael!
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