The last (only) time I ever played this song on Filosofa’s Word in 2020, it was inspired by our friend Roger …
In a comment to Jolly on the Jolly Monday post, our friend Roger dedicated this song, Windy, by The Association, to Jolly for bringing him down from his Dark Tower and making him smile! Well, Jolly was so moved that he asked me to play this tonight, and … well, how could I not?
Windy was written by Ruthann Friedman, who was singer/songwriter entrenched in the San Francisco and Los Angeles music scene in the ’60s. She became friends with Beach Boys lyricist Van Dyke Parks, who introduced her to The Association, who were the first to record the song. They turned “Windy” into a girl.
Although Ruthann Friedman won’t reveal the identity of “Windy,” she tells us that he was another singer/songwriter, and not “a freewheeling Haight Ashbury Hippy” as often reported. Friedman says of the song:
“I have heard so many different permutations of what the song was about. Here is the TRUTH. I was sitting on my bed – the apartment on the first floor of David Crosby’s house in Beverly Glenn – and there was a fellow who came to visit and was sitting there staring at me as if he was going to suck the life out of me. So I started to fantasize about what kind of a guy I would like to be with, and that was Windy – a guy (fantasy). The song took about 20 minutes to write.”
Released in 1967, the song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of that year. Overseas, it went to #34 in Australia, and #3 in Yugoslavia. Later in 1967 an instrumental version by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery became his biggest Hot 100 hit when it peaked at No. 44.
Not to be confused with The Beach Boys’ 1964 song Wendy, Windy was the Association’s second U.S. #1, following Cherish in 1966. Billboard ranked the record as the #4 song for 1967. The lead vocals were sung in unison by Russ Giguere and Larry Ramos.
Windy
The Association
Who’s peekin’ out from under a stairway
Calling a name that’s lighter than air
Who’s bending down to give me a rainbow
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it’s Windy
And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
Who’s tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Ruthann Friedman
Windy lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Filosofa's Word 
Thanks so much Jill for this inclusion. The Association were one of the bands which confirmed in my mind USA’s music scene was over all far superior to the UK’s. A band whose ‘B’ sides were the equal of their ‘A’ sides. (Try ‘Lookin’ Glass- ‘B’ side of ‘No Fair At All’ ).
They also interspersed songs with some devilishly dry wit:
I can’t find the durned YouTube extract now, but it takes place during the intro of a song on a TV show.
Larry Ramos of Filipino / Chinese descent (in an otherwise all white band) was doing the intro and credited the song to the wrong band member
Ted Bluechel with a very authoritative deep voice harshly corrected him (‘we’ve told you before’), Ramos apologised (ooh harsh we think), started again and once more credited another wrong band member, Bluechel corrects him once more, Ramos looks innocently abashed to the audience and says in a good-humoured patronising way :
‘Gee, I’m sorry , but you guys all look alike to me’
Band’s reaction was to the audience was a kind of ‘We fooled ya!’……
If only I could find that clip
That was an interesting back story. Who knew a creep could have been the start of such an upbeat song, because you would think the character was the stylised mythical Haight-Ashbury girl
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Ohhhhh … 🤣🤣🤣 I LOVE that story!!!! If you ever find the clip, I’d love to see it! And, I’m glad you liked the song … wasn’t sure how much my UK friends would like it.
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This was one of the songs which drew me into American music over British. True we had some good music. And our time in the sun was in the early sixties. By this time the vibrancy or innovation of the American Scene was far ahead.
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You guys had The Beatles and we had Motown … it all evens out in the end 😉
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There was and always will be Music 🥰
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I hope so, my friend.
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Never goes away Jill, although the Taliban are trying.
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Why am I not surprised by that?
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I love “Windy”! We played it in orchestra, too. I can still sing along, but I don’t own a violin anymore, so I can’t play it.
If I may share a memory-
My stepsisters had the 45s of “Cherish,” and “Never My Love.” A Sunday School teacher I had one year played The Association’s “Requiem for the Masses,” calling it “Requiem for the Matador,” as a part of our lesson one Sunday. That song stuck with me. A few weeks later, I ran across those 45s, and saw the B side of “Cherish” was “Requiem for the Masses,” that same song, and I played it over and over till I memorized it. I always think of “Cherish,” ” Windy,” “Never…” and “Requiem…” whenever The Association comes up. I should have mentioned this one a few posts ago, but also there’s also that pesky David Cassidy crush I used to have. Anyway, “Requiem…” is a lesser-known song, and is not overtly religious though some spiritual people who are peacemakers may find it so. It could deserve a post one of these days, maybe.
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My most favourite Association song which is saying something. They way they slipped into a Gregorian-style delivery still causes goosebumps. Written as a lament for the draftees dying in Vietnam, one of the rare ones to look at the war from that point of view
I first heard it as the ‘B’ side of ‘Never My Love’…..Straight away ‘Wow’ factor right up to Twelve.
Thanks for this
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As I told Ali, I don’t think I had ever heard it before … odd that. But, stay tuned … there might just be a place for it here sometime soon.
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😊
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🌞☮
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What memories, eh? Sorry you don’t still have the violin, though, else I might ask you to make a video of yourself singing and playing it for us! Believe it or not, I don’t think I’ve ever heard “Requiem for the Masses” before today! Or, should I say, “Requiem for the Matador”! 🤣 I’ll listen to it again and who knows … you just might see it turn up here sometime soon! Thanks for sharing it!
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😊
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Jill, you know, I look at this today and cringe; I didn’t intend to hijack or anything of that nature, which I know you know. I put the link to the video in, not realizing the video would embed. So big, too. I meant this complimentary to your post. Next time, I’ll offer to post a link, rather than just doing it! 😊
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Don’t cringe!!! I was VERY GLAD you embedded the song! You didn’t hijack anything, my friend! Listen … suggestions and links to songs are always welcome! Occasionally I have removed some that were, in my opinion, inappropriate, but yours was just fine and I loved hearing a new song! So stop your worrying, okay? And next time, offer the embed … a lot of times I find that people won’t bother to follow a link, but if it’s right there in front of them, they will listen. What you did here was perfect!
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This is one of those songs, you realize that you knew it when you hear it again. Thanks for sharing, Jill!
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My pleasure! Yeah, there are many songs like that for me … ones I’ve long since forgotten, but then I hear them and the lightbulb comes on!
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It was a minor hit here, one of only a few they had. I think we rather overlooked them, though this is a pleasant little tune.
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I don’t recall them being a huge success here, either, though they had 3 or 4 that did quite well.
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👍👍
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😊
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Jill, great song and ear worm for the day. We got to see The Association late in their career and it was wonderful. This song was one of the highlights of the concert. I did not know the inspiration was a guy. Thanks for sharing, Keith
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I’m so glad you liked it … sorry ’bout the ear worm 😉 I think “Never My Love” and “Cherish” are the only other two of their songs I can remember of the top of my head, but then my memory isn’t what it once was, either. You have so many treasured experiences of having seen/heard artists and bands live … I’m jealous!
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