While I don’t consider myself the most sentimental person in the world I know that I have a tendency toward the romantic that often borders on the maudlin. I also have a tendency to obsess over particular songs and listen to then several tens of times in a very short period. Over the past two years or so I’ve engaged in obsessive listening to Elvis Presley’s “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”, The Carpenter’s “Superstar”, Husker Du’s version of “Eight Miles High”, The Beach Boys’ “In My Room”, The Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renee” and Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman”. The selections always seems to fluctuate between existential surety and desperation. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been listening to The Drifter’s version of Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “Up On The Roof” over and over. The similarities to “In My Room” are evident but “Up On The Roof” offers company, too, where as “In My Room” is a solitary place. Even so, if you are to going to be with the protagonist ‘up on the roof’ you must have gotten to the point where “this old world starts getting you down’. That is, you can’t visit him. You have to be in the same situation. Also, “In My Room” has a distinctive childhood feeling about it whereas “Up On The Roof” is totally adult-oriented.

There’s a lot more that can be said about this song (and with more caffeine and time, believe me, I could say it) but I’m going to leave it at that.

Dig: