Music of the Day, 6 May 2025

a force driving me on

There’s been too much going on with me lately; and honestly, one of the worst aspects of that is it tends to silence the radio station in my mind just when I want distraction, inspiration, motivation, etc. Ruminating on some recent conversations apparently provoked a snippet of lyrics to surface this morning.

When I tracked them down and listened to the song, I didn’t see the connection at first. Its overall theme¹ and upbeat sound didn’t match my mood either … but toward the end of the short tune, the penny dropped and I knew I wouldn’t get the earworm out of my mind unless I wrote about it.

Little did I know that I’d stumbled on a piece that could launch multiple rounds of

Brad Kyle

’s Tune Tag.

The American Breed wasn’t the first band to record and release “Bend Me, Shape Me,” but they took it highest on the US charts, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967. It’s easy to see now why I didn’t remember anything else of the lyrics: I was much too young then to be thinking of romance and love. But the chorus resonated deeply, as I was willing to do almost anything to get my mother’s approval.

Hearing it today, the chorus still hits with its bouncy rhythm and contour—but the drumming, brass, and handclaps are what I’m grooving on. “Bend Me, Shape Me” was cowritten by Scott English and Larry Weiss²; the American Breed’s producer, Bill Traut, added the brass parts. The band broke up in 1970, with two members going on to form a great funk band. I never would have guessed that progression!

1. getting the girl

2. check out the song’s Wiki article to see what other earworms they separately helped create