Floatin' Like The Heavens Above

You ever get a song in you head for no particular reason at all? You know, a song that you haven't heard in years, then BAM one day it breaks in to your conscious and loops endlessly. Usually it's an annoying little ditty that you never liked much in the first place. But now you just can't stop thinking about it. You catch yourself humming it throughout the day, and have to fight the urge to openly break into song.

Well, for some strange reason I'm currently being afflicted by the song "Muskrat Love", a song that no self-respecting man wants any part of. There's really no explanation for it. Out of the clear blue it seeped in and no amount of wishful purging can remove it. Odd, isn't it?

I've always associated the song with The Captain & Tennille, that edgy pop duo from the 70's (who actually have recorded an album as recently as 2002). I did not realize that the song was originally recorded by the melodic musicians of America:

The choice for the album's lead track and first single was "Muskrat Love," written by Oklahoma singer/songwriter Willis Alan Ramsey. "The idea was: each of us was working on three songs, and then we'd agree on a cover tune," Beckley says. "David Dickey had played us Willis Allen Ramsey's album on Shelter, and it had 'Muskrat Love (Muskrat Candlelight)' on it, as it was titled. And to us it sounded like a very bluesy, quirky tune. We just felt it was quirky and commercial, and we worked it up." Warner Bros. was less than enthusiastic about the song, and as a single it made it only to #67. But the "Muskrat" refused to die--Captain & Tennille released their own version in 1976 and scored a #4 hit. "You know that movie Multiplicity with Michael Keaton, where you make a copy of a copy of a copy? Well, I think 'Muskrat Love' is a fine example of where the closer you go back to the original seed, the nicer it is. Ours was once removed, and the Captain & Tennille's was even more removed. They got their version from us--they assumed it was our song."

On a completely unrelated note, don't forget to tune in tonight to catch the Northern Alliance Radio Network filling in for Hugh Hewitt. 5pm-8pm CST. Since we've got more hosts than mikes, I believe that Saint Paul will be on the air starting at 6pm, while I'll join the fun at 6:30pm. If you feel the urge to participate, give us a call at 1-800-520-1234.