Welcome to Rock 'n' Roll with Me

Join me as we revisit classic and danceable rock 'n' roll tunes from the sixties onwards, with fun facts about the groups and artists

Hello and welcome to everyone. And a special welcome to alumni of M-E High School and fellow members of the Class of 1974.

I’m Ellen from Endwell — that’s pre-teen me above doing the jerk in our living room — and I decided to write this publication for a bunch of important reasons:

• Sixties rock ’n’ roll has largely disappeared from the classic rock stations — except for Jimi Hendrix — and 70s tunes are now destined to follow suit given the rise of corporate-controlled radio and its disregard for the over-55 demographic (to which I proudly and defiantly belong)

• We need to celebrate and preserve this incredible musical legacy, as well as honor the artists and others who created it, while we still can — in case it disappears for good (like, say, the cranky and puritanical New World Order decides to ban all rebellious or profane music)

• I grew up in the sixties and seventies and rock ’n’ roll music has become part of my DNA, serving as the soundtrack of my life and a reliable fount of comfort and wisdom in the storms that have beset my time on this earth — so this is uber-personal and meaningful for me

• Last but not least, my 50th high school reunion is coming up and I need to get in shape for three hours (!) of dancing to the songs of our youth.

So it would be my pleasure if you join me in revisiting these classic and timeless rock ’n’ roll tunes. Requests are welcome (email me at ellenendwell@proton.me), but please note that I will only be including the following:

• songs from my school years (early 60s to 1974) and progressing from there to the present day — sorry, but I’m not intending to visit the 1950s, even though it had great R&R tunes

• songs that make me want to get up and dance — if it don’t get me up, it don’t appear here, capiche?

• mostly rock-and-roll, but I reserve the right to throw in other genres (pop, country, heavy metal, etc. — and yes, I am a head-banger, much to my brother’s shock and dismay)

• songs that are not annoying — monotonous and/or silly earworms are not my cup of tea, as it takes me days to get them out of my head (for example, Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” or the Proclaimers “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”).

In terms of honoring intellectual property rights, please note:

• To benefit the artist as much as possible, I endeavor to use the official versions posted by them or their label to Youtube (which are embeddable here), but in some cases I will post something special, such as an appearance on a popular show

• Song lyrics never go out of copyright, so if you cite any in the comments, I will have to delete your comment to ensure compliance with copyright law

• But song titles are fine, as they are not covered by copyright.

Comments are welcome and encouraged, and I list questions at the end of the post as possible prompts.

And finally…

Disclaimer: If you choose to get up and dance to these tunes too, I take no responsibility for any physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual maladies that ensue. I provide these tunes for our mutual listening pleasure only.

So, without further ado, let’s get trucking!