Payne of Gold

Freda Payne "Bring the Boys Home" posted by thunderbird1958

The video isn't much to watch, it's just a spinning record, but the song is something else.

Freda Payne is perhaps best remembered for classic soul cut "Band of Gold," which was covered recently in half-naked-dudes-dancing-somewhere-around-Santa Monica-and-Robertson mode by Kimberly Locke (it's also quite the hit at my gym). Per her bio, Payne began her career by winning a contest at a local radio station in her native Detroit. (Is everyone talented in Detroit?) She was 13. The bio on her website cuts off abruptly at age 17 (must be Mozilla), so I have supplemented with info retrieved from Disco Museum (I have incorporated my own commentary). Earlier on in her career, Payne worked in jazz and toured with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones. By the end of the 1960s, she hooked up with Holland, Dozier, Holland (the ultimate hitmakers). "Band of Gold," her signature tune (which she re-recorded with Belinda Carlisle in 1986), rose to #3 in the U.S. and #1 in the U.K., probably on account of the fact that British often (not always, see Girls Aloud) have better taste. Payne's follow-up album, Contact, was banned from U.S. military radio thanks to the brilliant song posted at the top of this post. According to Wikipedia, "Bring the Boys Home" reached #12 on the top 40 and #3 on the R& B charts. Payne jumped around labels throughout the '70s and continued to release albums with varying receptions. By the end of the decade, she had a bit of a career revival with a slew of disco singles. Since then, she has continued to release albums and perform on stage, film and television. Recently, she has been performing A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. The title should be self-explanatory.

I'm drawn to this song because it's so simple, yet effective in conveying the message and it is as relevant now, in 2008, as it was in 1971. For the past few years, I have felt ill at ease on account of the lack of good anti-war songs. Sure, there were a few songs here and there that tried to make a statement, but I humbly submit that those songs (Green Day, I'm looking at you) were too annoying make a huge difference (which, I must add, is different than selling a crapload of albums, something at which Green Day excels). I hope that, at some point, "Bring the Boys Home" sees a re-release. The song deserves it.