from the LP It’ll Shine When It Shines, A&M Records, 1974As far as guilty pleasures go, it doesn’t get much more gratifying than this little peach of a number, unfailing staple of both classic & soft rock radio since its inception, all breezy and sassy and warm summer nights. The Ozark Mountain Daredevils began their journey as a country rock band, but their sound became rather polished as they spent time in Los Angeles recording albums, falling in with the whole Laurel Canyon scene---thus, it’s not surprising to learn that this song was inspired by a California girl they kept running into at parties, presumably a groupie or scenester (hanger-on) of some sort, strung out on dope and living one minute to the next. To be sure, that kind of vibe must have resembled Mars compared to the Missouri woods these scruffy potheads called home, and the lyrics espouse the observations of someone very much on the outside looking in at a foreign world; in fact, there’s really an innocent luster atop this whole track, and one can only imagine what Ms. Blue must have thought of these country bumpkins being so shocked at habits that probably seemed de rigueur, at the most, to her. As is often the case with me, my favorite parts in this number are the breakdowns: mid-tempo shuffle beat, maracas, and the charming twang of that pedal steel hovering all around. Truth be told, I could listen to this shit all day…
