Music of the Day, 8 February 2025

solving a musical mystery

Last night, I browsed the MotD archives, listening to several songs to help me wind down. I stopped after rewatching the John Mellencamp MotD, because a comment by

Ellen from Endwell

got stuck in my mind. I didn’t pay much attention to Mellencamp’s dancing back in the day, but as I watched his moves in that video, they reminded me of someone else. But I couldn’t remember who.

As I was trying to fall asleep, a bit of a scene from one of my favorite movies (which has been mentioned here several times, most recently just last month) put everything into place. I thought that would make today’s MotD easy.

Reader, it did not make today’s MotD easy. Well, to be more precise, I didn’t make it easy on myself. I wanted a video of the legendary performer’s music that featured a less familiar song, and included at least some of his dancing. I finally prevailed. If you want to focus on his sweet moves, go to 2:20 to see them.

“Kickin’ the Gong Around” was released by Cab Calloway and his orchestra in 1931 and was the third-best charting song for him that year. He was 24 years old and already in full command of some of his many talents, including bandleading, singing, scatting, and dancing. He also acted in several movies, and his dance moves were copied via rotoscoping to animate dancing characters in some Betty Boop cartoons. Check out Calloway’s Wikipedia page for more details of his remarkable career.

I can see why “Kickin’ the Gong Around” isn’t as well known as “Minnie the Moocher” and some of his other hits. It lacks an audience participation element, and the obvious theme of drug use can be fraught, even though the song recounts its negatives. Still, the music is great, and Calloway’s voice is in fine form. He always looks so happy performing, which is a key element of him becoming arguably the first real musical frontman.

Some¹ equate frontman and lead singer. I do not. As much as I like and respect Geddy Lee’s talents, I don’t consider him a frontman: he didn’t have the same presence and dramatic flair that frontmen like Calloway and Freddie Mercury had.²

I could go on and on, but rather than do that, I’ll return to listening to more Cab Calloway and marvel that I can enjoy music that was created before my parents were born … which I probably discovered courtesy of a movie that is now 45 years old.

1. many?

2. yes, of course women can be frontmen: Dolores O’Riordan and Tina Turner immediately come to mind