How can I forget the beautifully colorful kid's drawings on the inside of Elvis' record? The high pitched and perfectly harmonized renditions of the Urban Cowboy soundtrack as sung by three western chipmunks? And of course, Michael. MICHAEL. We'll save Michael for another week.
One of my great joys as a dad comes from introducing music I loved as a kid to my kids. I nearly shed a tear the first time I played "Welcome to the Jungle" for Quinn and Callie.
Steve Miller's "Abracadabra" was at the top of my list for a long time. Never before had I heard a song so centered around magic, and for that reason alone I loved the song. At 7, I was convinced I would be a magician. I spent days and nights honing my craft: borrowing card trick books from the library, mastering sleight of hand, and choosing only the finest threads for my cape. Naturally, Steve Miller's song fed into this passion with a song that blended mystique, danger, and seduction. "Abracadabra" would be the song I walked out on stage to....and the world would love my magic.
The video for this song, like most videos from the early 80's, is totally bizarre. Every video from this time is taken so literally. For example, the lyric goes, "I heat up, I can't cool down." You can almost hear the director say, "Ok guys, what heats up? Stoves. The sun. Fire. That's it! Let's show some fire while Steve sings the lyric 'I heat up.'"
But in my opinion, the strangeness of this video only adds to the intrigue of this song. Embrace "Abracadabra" for all it's weird imagery and unleash your kid's inner magician.
Download my new album, Explode! on iTunes by clicking HERE
Thanks and check back on Thursday for another rock recommendation.
*neal
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