Saturday's Songs for the Soul: PBS, Tom Hanks & The Dave Clark Five's Glad All Over

Thought for the Day: This week I viewed a PBS special showing of the induction of the Dave Clark Five into the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame. On the show, Tom Hanks presented the award to the band. The entire show was wonderful and if it is broadcast on your PBS station I would highly recommend it. Because of the show I chose a song that I might not have chosen before hearing Tom Hanks speak about this group. I remember the excitement surrounding the British Invasion of The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five, but realized while listening as an adult and a psychologist, that their songs were truly songs for the soul....

Saturday's Songs for the Soul: Can You Guess the Musical "Free" Association: A Coke on a Hilltop to the Rocky Mountains to The Beatles

Thought for the Day: This week has been dedicated to the psychology of free & our love/hate relationship with free offers. My ambivalence about offering my e-book for a limited time for free on Amazon.com brought me to look at the history of advertising. When I thought about Songs for the Soul for today,  I went on a different journey. It led me to free associate to songs that brought up feelings about being free. It took me from an innovative commercial by Coca Cola set on a hilltop, to the John Denver's free spirited song, Rocky Mountain High &, finally, to "Money Can't Buy Me Love, by the Beatles. I had to leave out a few more songs that came up on my way, but wonder what songs conjure up feelings of being "free" for you. I'd love to here your selections. Enjoy the music & have a great weekend!


My Psychology Trivia answer uncovered the fact that Coca Cola was one of the 1st companies to introduce free giveaways. It reminded me that they were also at the forefront of the use of music in their marketing. The jingle in this brilliant "Hilltop" commercial (1971), "I'd Like to Give the World a Coke," felt like a flashback to the peace songs of the 60's. This memorable commercial made people associate Coca Cola with hopes for world peace & harmony. It was so successful that it was rewritten, leaving out references to Coca Cola, The song became a hit in both the US & the UK,"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)" by both The New Seekers and  The Hillside Singers. 

In thinking about songs that give a sense of being free & in tune with the world, John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" came to mind. It certainly relays the feelings evoked when experiencing the beauty of nature, which is a free "high." It was written by John Denver and Mike Taylor about Colorado. It is one of two official state songs of Colorado. Although there was controversy for a while questioning whether there may have been references to drug induced highs, the song is a classic which rises above the controversy.

 

My third selection arose because I had to search for a less overused & obvious quote about things that are "free" for Words of Wisdom this week. The quote I found by Steve Jobs begins with the comment that "(His) favorite things in life don't cost money. " This part of the quote brought me to the 60's Beatles hit, "Money Can't Buy Me Love."

Stay tuned for more information soon to find out when the free download of my book will be available on Amazon.com.

Photo Credits
Campfire: http-/www.flickr.com/photos/tshermankb/8675961718/.jpg
Musical notes: http-/www.flickr.com/photos/calsidyrose/4031988955/.jpg