Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Songs I'd Forgotten Existed, Let Alone Loved: Special "Like Sand Through the Hour Glass" Edition

So over the weekend, a certain Shady Dame and I were watching writer/director/hero of mine Nicholas Meyer's wonderful 1979 fantasy/romance/thriller Time After Time, which neither of us had seen in ages.

You know, the one where the Victorian Era H.G. Wells (a hilarious Malcom McDowell) actually invents a time machine, and then chases down Jack the Ripper (David Warner, at his most fabulously creepy) while succumbing to the charms of a young and beyond adorable Mary Steenburgen in 1979 San Francisco.

The film holds up great, in case you're wondering, but, more to the point, during its first act audio/visual time travel montage, the chorus of the following 1974 song by The Rolling Stones...

...pops up between other historically significant soundbites, including FDR's "A day that will live in infamy," speech, a hit by The Andrews Sisters, and a newly relevant news clip of the murder of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In any event, I can't remember the last time I heard that song, but I'm kinda blown away by it -- have I mentioned that Mick Jagger is one fucking brilliant lyricist? -- and I think it may be time to re-evaluate the usually underrated It's Only Rock 'n Roll album that it appears on.

Coming tomorrow: a Stones related obscurity that I think will give you a genuine thrill.

5 comments:

getawaygoober said...

Outstanding, soldier!
One of my favorite Stones songs.
Very tastefully done with Mick Taylor.

Anonymous said...

I think all of the post "Exiles" Rolling Stones is due for a re-evaluation.

Captain Al

Sal Nunziato said...

"I think all of the post "Exiles" Rolling Stones are due for a re-evaluation," said Sal on Burning Wood, four times a year since 2008.

;)

mistah charley, ph.d. said...

ms steenburgen also was the female lead in back to the future iii - so that makes two notable time travel movies she features in

and speaking of time travel, i sometimes say i am a time traveler from the 20th century - it's literally true, although not by much, that i am a time traveler from the first half of the twentieth century - and as the firesign theatre said about the future - THIS is the future - you got to LIVE it or LIVE WITH it

and eventually get out of the way, of course

Blue Ash Fan said...

There was so much inexplicable dumping upon the post-Exile albums, especially Goats Head Soup and It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. Sure, they're not Exile, but what is? Winter. Time Waits for No One. Coming Down Again. Till the Next Goodbye. Etc. Lots of lovely stuff. Hell, I still love Dancing With Mr. D.

I'm willing to bet that had they stayed on the grittier, Exiles-like path, the same critics who trashed Soup and Rock 'n' Roll would've accused the Stones of self-plagiarism or self-parody or some such other pointless BS.

Nothing against critics, Steve. My record collection wouldn't be what it is without them.