ANTHEM is coming, chapter 38

ANTHEM, Book 3 of the Sixties Trilogy, publishes on October 1. Each of the book's 47 chapters begins with a song from the Sixties to set the tone, mood, and scene. Every day between now and October 1, come have a listen and read a snippet from each chapter. On October 1, these posts will be archived with a link at ANTHEM's webpage for #teachingAnthem1969
 
This is Chapter 38 (day 10):

ENTER THE YOUNG
Written by Terry Kirkman
Performed by the Association
Recorded at Columbia Studios (voices) and 
G.S.P. Studios (instruments), Los Angeles, California 1966
Drummer: Ted Bluechel (concert); Hal Blaine (studio) 

MOLLY

Finally we find it, and sure enough, there's the line, snaking out the door and around the corner. "This is gonna take a while," says Norman. "I'm bringing Flam."...
The afternoon sun blazes all over us and everybody sweats. We listen to the talk in line, all about gigs and bands and best places to play around town, who's playing at the Whisky, the Paladium, or the Ash Grove....
"Why don't all these rock and rollers have to go to Vietnam?" says a woman with long red hair. "My brother's got to go."
I turn my body so I can hear the conversation.'"Barry McGuire was a Green Beret" replies a bearded man with the red-haired woman.
"He's not a rock and roller," says the red-haired woman. "Not really."
A man wearing a hat and carrying a guitar case says, "I happpen to know one of 'em's a fortunate son."
"What's that?" says the red-haired woman.
"His dad's got money. Or influence. Or both. Listen to the song."


 

The original title of this chapter was "Fortunate Son," a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Molly and Norman meet one such fortunate son in the Laurel Canyon chapter of the book and he (and others) goes with them to the hoot at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

This happens in a cut chapter, Chapter 37A called "Both Sides Now," Judy Collins' version, which will appear at Anthem's webpage after October 1. If you want to meet the Laurel Canyon musicians, they'll all be in Chapter 37A, sitting on the porch of the Canyon Store, where Molly and Norman stop for directions after leaving Capitol Records and getting lost trying to find the Troubadour.

Laurel Canyon songs mentioned in 37A are "Our House," "Monday, Monday," and the Joni Mitchell rendition of "Both Sides Now." I wanted to showcase the beginning of the singer-songwriter era, both solo artists and groups such as the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, who were all, at one time or another, in the Canyon.

In the meantime, here they are, in Chapter 38, at the Troubadour, to listen to a band that Molly has long loved... not hard to figure out who, if you've been following along or listening to the Chapter 38 song, "Enter the Young."

I had wanted "Enter the Young" to start ANTHEM, with its lyrics, "Here they come, some are laughing, some are crying, some are doing, some are trying, some are selling, some are buying, some are living, some are dying, but demanding recognition one by one."

When we put the permissions budget together, the lyrics to "Enter the Young" were prohibitively expensive, and so we cut them and I've used it instead as a chapter title, with some acknowledgement of the lyrics inside the chapter.

In researching the Los Angeles/Hollywood section of ANTHEM, Jim and I spent some time there with our son Zach, who lives in Hollywood and works at Universal Music Group, as a guide.

Zach took us to Capitol Records (chapter 37), to the Griffith Observatory (coming up), and to a raucous night at the Troubadour, where I sat in the balcony, and then stood at the stage, where Molly stands in this chapter, listening to the Association sing her songs, while at the same time, some truth about their trip, and her brother, begins to dawn on her in a real way.

Joy and heartbreak in the same moment, and isn't that sometimes how life is?

Chapter 38.