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Johnny J Blair w​/​Davy Jones (Monkees) - Love, Love Alone

from IF I COULD DRESS LIKE CLIVE OWEN (MUSIC FOR FILMS NOT YET MADE) by Johnny J Blair "Singer at Large"

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This track has given me a lot of mileage. The lyrics tell a simplified tale about the man who turned down the opportunity to become King of England in order to be with the woman he loved--i.e. the famed 1936 abdication of King Edward and Ms. Wallis Simpson, better known as The Duke & Duchess of Windsor. While the real circumstances and controversies of their lives have been the target of debate and derision, the point of the fable remains: A man chose love over power.

This rare "single edit" of "Love Love Alone" has just been issued on my most recent download EP HALFWAY TO DAKOTA johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/love-love-alone-single-edit-w-davy-jones

The song first came to my attention via Dan Rielly, and old friend and collaborator. He found it as a deep 1958 album cut by Harry Belafonte. The original was quite calypso-fied (that was Belafonte's heyday, when calypso was, for a time, bigger than rock'n'roll). Dan and I took it into more of an 80s synth-pop zone. The original 4-track demo from 1988 got some airplay and attention. A few years later we aimed for the big 24-track studio production. However, that record deal tanked and the record didn't come out. The basic tracks sat dormant for years, then were revived and overdubbed for my FIRE album (www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnnyjblair2) in 2000.

During the FIRE sessions, the song caught the attention of Davy Jones (Monkees) for the endearments of modern and controversial British history (months later, David pitched the song to the cable television series he was narrating, MEET THE ROYALS).

The song remains on of the staples of my live set and, a couple years ago, a freelance video of it was featured on the British site NME.com www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/RiJk2nw4I0M/search/johnny-j-blair.

The Duke & Duchess have become topics of scholarly fascination for me. I've read all possible sides on their bizarre escapades during World War 2, and deciphering their motives takes a lot of time. That said, the end story endures as an amazing romantic tale, despite their quirks.

credits

from IF I COULD DRESS LIKE CLIVE OWEN (MUSIC FOR FILMS NOT YET MADE), released July 2, 2013
Cassie Blair, Davy Jones, Margot Mazzolla, Erik Nielsen, & Bridget Purifoy: speech & vocals
JJB: accordion, effects, keyboards, violin, lead & harmony vocals
Dan Reilly: bass, drum machine, keyboards, guitars

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Johnny J Blair "Singer at Large" San Francisco, California

"Johnny is a virtuoso"--Brian Wilson
"Pop music with a conscience.”--Goldmine
“the Harry Houdini of rock and roll.”-- Spotlight. Listen to Johnny's fast-paced mix of old school soul, psychedelia, punk/new wave, & classic pop/rock. Singer-songwriter in his own right, he was also a sideman for Davy Jones and The Monkees + performed with David Cassidy, Al Stewart, Buddy & Julie Miller, & others. ... more

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