Three songs from Heart's Dreamboat Annie album invaded my nine year old life in 1976. That summer I spent at least three or four days a week at Deerspring Pool in Deerfield, IL, where the high school lifeguards chose the music that blasted over the loudspeakers. Crazy on You and Magic Man were played all the time, but every so often Dreamboat Annie would drop in. I fell in love with Ann Wilson's voice and this song. It sounded as clear and cool as the water I splashed in for hours. Whatever she was, ship or girl, Annie rocked my little swimming pool world. Now she is a vessel for my nostalgia.
After a brief moment of waters lapping, drums, bass, and acoustic guitar strike up a mellow groove in Dm. Then Ann Wilson comes in:
Heading out this morning into the sun...and the music goes from G to C...Nancy Wilson harmonizes on:
Riding on the diamond waves...Ann sings the same note sequence as the first line, but Nancy rises to a sixth note that fits in quite nicely. Bells are added at 0:22, kind of comforting, like constellations over the ocean. Warm wind caress her....
I'm not crazy about the banjo's appearance at 0:48. First of all, Annie is supposedly going down the city sidewalk alone, not hunting with Jed Clampett. It's like Annie suddenly turned the rudder and ended up on the Mississippi with Huck Finn. It's not a total buzzkill, I just prefer the opening style of the song and wish it had stayed like this throughout.
The multi-layered harmonies that first appear at 0:53 take the song into velvet Carpenters land, so soothingly lush. They have put me at the top...of the world. Really, Ann Wilson is just a degree or two removed from Karen Carpenter here. That's a compliment. I love Karen Carpenter's voice, it's like buttah. I must admit, sometimes I prefer Ann's gentle inside voice to her high frequency Crazy on You/Barracuda classic rock siren.
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