Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
11. Love My Way
Artist: The Psychedelic Furs
Album: Forever Now (1982)
Todd's role(s): producer, engineer, keyboards, marimba
Writer(s): Richard Butler, John Ashton, Tim Butler and Vince Ely
The song: The Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way" is the first of seven consecutive songs on my list that middle-aged dummies should know. Chances are you saw the video on MTV, heard it in a club or saw it used in the movies Valley Girl and The Wedding Singer. It hit #44 on the Billboard Hot 100, #30 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #40 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart.
The song is immediately memorable for the marimba part that can be heard throughout its duration. This was played by Rundgren (though the video depicts drummer Vince Ely playing it), as were the synths that color the arrangement, giving it a cinematic flair. I figured this song was a lock to show up on El Floppo's Mallet Rock list as well, but of course I was not expecting it would appear at the same time.
The backing vocals are by Flo and Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan), founders of The Turtles and session singers for ... pretty much everybody. Kaylan told music journalist Will Harris that he and Volman were brought in at the end of the sessions and sang on several songs that Rundgren asked them to. He then played them "Love My Way" because it was the planned first single. "We have got to sing on this one," Kaylan said was his reaction. "If we don't sing on this one, we're not gonna sing on the hit. This is the f*cking hit!"
The lyrics are about acceptance of alternative sexuality. "It's basically addressed to people who are f**ked up about their sexuality, and says 'Don't worry about it,' singer Richard Butler told Creem in 1983. "It was originally written for gay people." Rudngren advised Butler to ditch his "sarcastic tone" for the song and "sing it straight."
"Love My Way" is by far the band's most popular song on Spotify, with over 182 million listens. Some of that is likely due to a resurgence of interest in the tune after it was used in the 2017 movie Call Me by Your Name.
Rundgren covered this song on the (re)Production album. https://open.spotify.com/track/6vz84rFkZDS7mrDGRUQEln?si=0d519343e7b54d50
The album: The Psychedelic Furs experienced a lot of change after their first two albums. Two members left the band, reducing them to a quartet, their producer Steve Liliywhite was unable to work with them again and most of the executives who championed them at their label, CBS, had left the company. David Bowie, who had touted the band in the music press, offered to produce them but was not going to be available for a while and the band didn't want to wait. Rundgren was enlisted to produce what became Forever Now after Ely suggested him and an initial meeting at Rundgren's studio went well.
Rundgren told Paul Myers for his book A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio that his goal was "helping the band focus their potential." His ways of doing this could be strange. Bassist Tim Butler said Rundgren climbed on the roof of the studio and dropped lit firecrackers near the band "when we were sort of playing a little sluggishly."
The album has been described as having a "wall of sound" and "sonic richness." It merges Rundgren's power-pop instincts with the post-punk and gothic leanings of the band. Reviews at the time were mostly favorable and retrospective reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with many considering Forever Now the Furs' best album. That opinion is shared by Tim Butler. "I think it was the peak of our psychedelicness," he said.
The US and UK versions of the album have a different running order for some reason, though "Love My Way" is side 1, track 2 on both.
You Might Also Like: Allmusic describes Forever Now's title track as one of the signature examples of Rundgren's version of the wall of sound production style: https://open.spotify.com/track/24dyM0M9Dn91tZZccXK3ig?si=89e004e990b94dc8
At #10, the album that was the gateway to Rundgren's production work for many of the punk and new wave acts that recruited him.
Artist: The Psychedelic Furs
Album: Forever Now (1982)
Todd's role(s): producer, engineer, keyboards, marimba
Writer(s): Richard Butler, John Ashton, Tim Butler and Vince Ely
The song: The Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way" is the first of seven consecutive songs on my list that middle-aged dummies should know. Chances are you saw the video on MTV, heard it in a club or saw it used in the movies Valley Girl and The Wedding Singer. It hit #44 on the Billboard Hot 100, #30 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #40 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart.
The song is immediately memorable for the marimba part that can be heard throughout its duration. This was played by Rundgren (though the video depicts drummer Vince Ely playing it), as were the synths that color the arrangement, giving it a cinematic flair. I figured this song was a lock to show up on El Floppo's Mallet Rock list as well, but of course I was not expecting it would appear at the same time.
The backing vocals are by Flo and Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan), founders of The Turtles and session singers for ... pretty much everybody. Kaylan told music journalist Will Harris that he and Volman were brought in at the end of the sessions and sang on several songs that Rundgren asked them to. He then played them "Love My Way" because it was the planned first single. "We have got to sing on this one," Kaylan said was his reaction. "If we don't sing on this one, we're not gonna sing on the hit. This is the f*cking hit!"
The lyrics are about acceptance of alternative sexuality. "It's basically addressed to people who are f**ked up about their sexuality, and says 'Don't worry about it,' singer Richard Butler told Creem in 1983. "It was originally written for gay people." Rudngren advised Butler to ditch his "sarcastic tone" for the song and "sing it straight."
"Love My Way" is by far the band's most popular song on Spotify, with over 182 million listens. Some of that is likely due to a resurgence of interest in the tune after it was used in the 2017 movie Call Me by Your Name.
Rundgren covered this song on the (re)Production album. https://open.spotify.com/track/6vz84rFkZDS7mrDGRUQEln?si=0d519343e7b54d50
The album: The Psychedelic Furs experienced a lot of change after their first two albums. Two members left the band, reducing them to a quartet, their producer Steve Liliywhite was unable to work with them again and most of the executives who championed them at their label, CBS, had left the company. David Bowie, who had touted the band in the music press, offered to produce them but was not going to be available for a while and the band didn't want to wait. Rundgren was enlisted to produce what became Forever Now after Ely suggested him and an initial meeting at Rundgren's studio went well.
Rundgren told Paul Myers for his book A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio that his goal was "helping the band focus their potential." His ways of doing this could be strange. Bassist Tim Butler said Rundgren climbed on the roof of the studio and dropped lit firecrackers near the band "when we were sort of playing a little sluggishly."
The album has been described as having a "wall of sound" and "sonic richness." It merges Rundgren's power-pop instincts with the post-punk and gothic leanings of the band. Reviews at the time were mostly favorable and retrospective reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with many considering Forever Now the Furs' best album. That opinion is shared by Tim Butler. "I think it was the peak of our psychedelicness," he said.
The US and UK versions of the album have a different running order for some reason, though "Love My Way" is side 1, track 2 on both.
You Might Also Like: Allmusic describes Forever Now's title track as one of the signature examples of Rundgren's version of the wall of sound production style: https://open.spotify.com/track/24dyM0M9Dn91tZZccXK3ig?si=89e004e990b94dc8
At #10, the album that was the gateway to Rundgren's production work for many of the punk and new wave acts that recruited him.