Friday, October 18, 2024

Kicks: The 400th Greatest Song of All Time

 

You know how "We've Only Just Begun" began as a commercial jingle and then got turned into a breakout hit by the Carpenters? (Click here to read a post about that.)

Well, "Kicks," by Paul Revere and the Raiders, took the same road, only in the opposite direction.

Reaching Number 4 on the national charts, "Kicks" was the group's first Top Ten hit and led to them being taken under Dick Clark's wings as the house band on his teen-oriented TV series, Where the Action Is.

Never being the kind of guys who would turn down a money-making opportunity, they accepted a proposal to take the anti-drug song, "Kicks"...

Girl, you thought you found the answer
On that magic carpet ride last night
But when you wake up in the mornin'
The world still gets you uptight
Well, there's nothin' that you ain't tried
To fill the emptiness inside
But when you come back down, girl
Still ain't feelin' right

And don't it seem like
Kicks just keep gettin' harder to find
And all your kicks ain't bringin' you peace of mind
Before you find out it's too late, girl
You better get straight
No, but not with kicks

...and turn it into a rockin' commercial for a cereal brand popular with children:

Girl, you thought that Frosted Flakes
Was the best thing on the shelf to eat
'Cause when you wake up in the mornin'
You're yearnin' for somethin' sweet
Well, there's somethin' that you ain't tried
To fill the emptiness inside
And when you swallow it down, girl
You'll know it can't be beat

Hey, silly rabbit, now
Kix just keep gettin' harder to find
Because our Kix fly off the shelves all the time
Now that the price has really dropped, girl
You better go shop
Yes, and get some Kix

Silly Paul Revere, Trix are for kids


P.S. The first and third paragraphs above are actually true.

P.P.S. Yes, I know the "silly rabbit" is the mascot for Trix, not Kix. Let me remind you that this is ALMOST the Truth.


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