Music of the Day, 11 June 2024

cherishing an old memory

I don’t watch much television—at least, not on a TV. We have one, which was given to us to make multi-person gaming sessions easier. It was last used almost a year ago, when my kids celebrated their birthdays with a session. I’ve never paid for cable television. I found an MSNBC stream that I use to watch for free a couple of programs live; everything else I view on YouTube after broadcast. And it isn’t much, compared to a typical American’s consumption.

Because of this, and also because I’ve become extremely adept at ignoring commercials, it can take a while for me to realize that a beloved song has been repurposed for a pharma ad or something similar. Don’t fret: I’ve already railed against the practice and shan’t repeat it here. Today’s MotD came to mind courtesy of another of this great band’s songs¹ being thus appropriated.

To my best recollection, “Cherish” is the first pop song I learned to play on the flute on my own.² This would have been some years after it became a number-one hit for the Association from their 1966 album And Then… Along Comes the Association. I’d heard it many times on the AM variety station my parents listened to and liked it well enough, but I had no deep connection to the song. I don’t remember how I acquired the sheet music. I do remember stumbling my way through a few awful attempts at sight-reading it, but suddenly the song started playing on the radio station in my mind.

Even with that admittedly imperfect guidance, it was difficult going. When I got to the first bridge where the song goes all minor-keyish and the vocal harmonies verge on discordant, I was sure I was bungling it terribly until I chanced to catch “Cherish” on the radio. I was close enough that more diligent practice at it yielded a passable rendition. I felt triumphant, and played it often when I was feeling moody and broody.³ I almost certainly made everyone else in my family despise the song, though.

For most people around my age, the go-to band for lush harmonies is probably the Beach Boys. They were okay for me; my chief complaint back then was too many songs were treacly sweet. Having cut my musical teeth on the Bee Gees and the Association, it took more complex harmonies and instrumentation to turn my head.

For others, the Association is probably the definition of treacle. They certainly have plenty of lighter fare that meets that criterion. As the only album I have in my library is their Greatest Hits! compilation, I don’t have enough data to speak to their entire catalog; but each of the songs on it attest to the group’s incomparable songcraft. Headphones reveal the delicate percussion⁴ on “Cherish” that add depth to the song. That kind of complexity serves as insulin against the sugar for me, and always draws me back to this band.

1. at least I think it’s a different song; the downside of being able to ignore commercials so well is I can’t recall the details when I want them

2. I have vague and awful memories of playing the theme song to Hogan’s Heroes in fifth-grade band, which was the first year band was an option: overbearing snare drums and screechy flutes and clarinets, each seemingly playing in its own key. We got better!

3. practicing the flute was my main coping mechanism for all the stress and unhappiness in my family. When I got to high school and had to log my practice time for band, our director called my mom because he thought I was vastly inflating my time. She quickly and firmly disabused him of that idea

4. Tubular bells … and a celesta with that angsty countermelody in the first bridge. Yum!