Muzikland

現在比較少人提及 Glen Campbell﹐但是在70年代初﹐電視台於節目時段因不夠廣告﹐於是往往會在一個節目完結後﹐播放一些MV作 Filler填補空檔時段﹐當中便少不了Glen 的 By The Time I Get To Phoenix 及 Try A Little Kindness。

數年前在美國 Denver出差數月﹐某夜睡不著醒來﹐便有幸在A&E電視台收看到一個Glen Campbell的 Biography特輯。當中講及他如何成名﹐成名為他帶來暴力傾向﹐事業低潮時﹐更染上毒品與酒精的惡習﹐後來好不容易才克服過來﹐走向光明人生。

Glen Campbell於1936年美國南部Delight, AR出生。自小喜愛音樂﹐四歲得到一個結他作禮物﹐便愛不釋手﹐14歲時已自組樂團演唱鄉謠音樂。22歲時遷居Los Angeles ﹐瞬間已成為炙手可熱的樂師﹐為Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Rick Nelson, Frank Sinatra等巨星的唱片伴奏。60年代曾加盟 Champs樂團﹐也曾隨 Beach Boys巡迴演唱﹐其間簽約Capitol唱片推出單曲﹐但是樂迷反應平平﹐1967年唱片公司為他改變歌路﹐訂下音樂路線﹐使他成為日後一代鄉謠巨星的代表。名曲包括了By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Gentle On My Mind, Try A Little Kindness, Honey Come Back, It’s Only Make Believe, Rhinestone Cowboy, Southern Nights, Sunflower及與Bobbie Gentry合唱的Let It Be Me, All I Have To Do Is Dream等。

By The Time I Get To Phoenix: 1967年於Billboard Single Chart只得第26名的位置﹐不過鄉謠榜卻取得亞軍的佳續。
(J. Webb)

By the time I get to Phoenix she'll be rising
She'll find the note I left hangin' on her door
She'll laugh when she reads the part that says I'm leavin'
'Cause I've left that girl so many times before

By the time I make Albuquerque she'll be working
She'll prob'ly stop at lunch and give me a call
But she'll just hear that phone keep on ringin'
Off the wall that's all

By the time I make Oklahoma she'll be sleepin'
She'll turn softly and call my name out loud
And she'll cry just to think I'd really leave her
Tho' time and time I try to tell her so
She just didn't know I would really go.


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Try A Little Kindness: 1969年灌錄的歌曲﹐調子輕快﹐是筆者小時喜愛的歌曲﹐記得70年代初電視台常播出此曲與By The Time I Get To Phoenix的MV。忘記了是那一首﹐看到一幕兩人在鐵路軌上搖著板車﹐覺得蠻好玩的。
(C. Sapaugh / B. Austin)

If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he's sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and stay you're going the wrong way

You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

Don't walk around the down and out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way

You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

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Rhinestone Cowboy: 1975的歌曲﹐也是Glen的首張Billboard冠軍單曲。筆者的哥哥當年極愛聽﹐而筆者於90年代一次同事Karaoke聚會曾演唱此曲﹐發覺此曲蠻好唱的。
(L. Weiss)

I've been walkin' these streets so long
Singin' the same old song
I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway
Where hustle's the name of the game
And nice guys get washed away like the snow and the rain
There's been a load of compromisin'
On the road to my horizon
But I'm gonna be where the lights are shinin' on me

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo
Like a rhinestone cowboy
Getting cards and letters from people I don't even know
And offers comin' over the phone

Well, I really don't mind the rain
And a smile can hide all the pain
But you're down when you're ridin' the train that's takin' the long way
And I dream of the things I'll do
With a subway token and a dollar tucked inside my shoe
There'll be a load of compromisin'
On the road to my horizon
But I'm gonna be where the lights are shinin' on me

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo
Rhinestone cowboy
Gettin' cards and letters from people I don't even know
And offers comin' over the phone

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Gettin' card and letters from people I don't even know

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Southern Nights: 1977年﹐Glen得到第2張也是最後一張Billboard冠軍單曲﹐筆者認識此曲乃來自姐姐的一盒翻版卡帶內。
(A. Toussaint)

Southern nights
Have you ever felt a southern night
Free as a breeze not to mention the trees
Whistling tunes that you know and love so

Southern nights
Just as good Even when closed your eyes
I apologize to anyone who can truly say
He has found a better way

Southern Skies
Have you ever noticed southern skies
It's precious beauty lies just beyond the eye
It goes running thru your soul like the stories of old

Old man he and his dog they walk the old land
Every flower touched his cold hand
As he slowly walked by
Weeping willows would cry for joy

Feel so good feel so good
It's frightening
Wish I could stop this world from fighting
La Da Da Da

Mysteries like this and many others
In the trees blow in the night
In the southern skies