Rod Stewart is currently on tour in the UK belting out all his old songs, including Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, which is admittedly pushing it a bit for someone the age of 74. The old rocker has confessed in the past that he dislikes singing that number, but the fans always demand it. This appears to be an occupational hazard among singing stars.
Many singers admit they hate a certain song even though it has contributed to their fame. This can be a dilemma in concerts when the songs they don't like are the very ones the audiences have come to hear.
Led Zeppelin don't perform anymore, but it was widely reported that Robert Plant was getting fed up singing the group's anthem, Stairway to Heaven. It's not that he hated it, but was simply weary of a song recorded nearly five decades ago. It doesn't matter how good a number is, if you have to sing it time and again, chances are that it will begin to pall.
Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher openly admits he hates the group's biggest hit, Wonderwall. "Every time I had to sing it I wanted to gag," he said.
Madonna is known to loathe Like a Virgin, and complains that at every public function she attends, Virgin is invariably the welcoming song played by the hosts.
Among other singers not enthused with their most famous songs are Neil Young, who thought Heart of Gold was "boring" and too middle-of-the-road, Pete Townshend who called Pinball Wizard "the most clumsy writing I have ever done" and James Blunt who finds his big hit You're Beautiful "quite annoying". I certainly agree with him on that.
Doo-be-doo-be-doo
Then there was "Ol' Blue Eyes" himself, Frank Sinatra, who had a particular aversion to Strangers in the Night.
It is somewhat ironic that Sinatra disliked this song so much, because when it was released in 1966 it became his first hit in 11 years. It even knocked the Beatles' Paperback Writer off the top spot in the US.
Furthermore, a former mistress of Saddam Hussein said it was one of the Iraqi dictator's favourite songs and he loved humming it when in a passionate mood, a frightening thought.
Of course concert audiences everywhere expected Sinatra to sing Strangers and he usually obliged, but often informed them, sometimes in rather crude fashion, what he really thought of the song. One of his more polite comments was, "I hated this goddamned song when I first heard it and I still hate it."
Just why Sinatra detested Strangers so much is not entirely clear, but apparently he didn't like the lyrics. In fact he didn't even bother with the lyrics at the end of the recording, famously finishing off ad-libbing with "doo-be-doo-be-doo".
No way
Sinatra also loathed another of his big hits, My Way, again not appreciating the lyrics. I would second that.
Sometimes at concerts Sinatra tried to avoid singing My Way, but invariably the audience demanded the song. At Caesar's Palace in 1978 a grumpy Sinatra told the audience, "I hate this song -- if you sang it for eight years you would hate it too."
Sounds like Frank didn't have too much fun on stage during his later years.
Elvis clams up
Elvis Presley was another star who became weary of certain songs. As he got older he didn't like to perform his early rockers like Hound Dog, Teddy Bear and Heartbreak Hotel, having moved on to a more sedate style while performing as a Las Vegas crooner.
Elvis had become disaffected with Hound Dog at an early stage when on the Steve Allen Show they made him sing the song to a Bassett Hound which was wearing a top hat and a bow tie. Elvis felt ridiculous and one suspects the dog wasn't too happy about it either.
To Elvis's credit, he disliked his movie songs which were uniformly awful. Just imagine having to sing Do the Clam or that unforgettable number, No Room to Rumble in a Sports Car.
Woof woof!
When I was a kid in the 1950s, US singer Patti Page had a hit with the novelty song, How Much Is That Doggie in the Window? In England it was covered by Lita Roza and became her most successful recording.
Despite its success, Roza hated the song. When she first heard it she responded indignantly, "I'm not recording that, it's rubbish," which showed she had good taste. She eventually relented, but refused to sing it on stage. In fact she only sang the Doggie song once and that was the one take in the recording studio. That must be some kind of er … record?
Melting jazz
While we are in in a musical mode, if you are looking for somewhere to chill out this afternoon I can recommend the weekly Sunday jazz jam at the Melting Clock restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 61. From 3pm to 7pm you can experience top class jazz, with lashings of blues in a terrific atmosphere. It's Happy Hour prices too which makes things even more enjoyable.
In addition to the regular excellent William Wait Quartet, assorted top jazz musicians from around the globe drop in to play just for fun. And once you hear the wonderful voice of Aussie singing star Deni Hines, you will certainly be back for more.
Contact PostScript via email at oldcrutch@hotmail.com