Mar 22, 2020

The Best of Times

So there's this pandemic you may have heard of, COVID-19, a.k.a. Coronavirus. Well, it has people locking themselves inside their houses. Sure, it's a good thing that we're doing it, but we're all a little sad and lonely. This song just kept bouncing around in my head until I had to get it out.


Is it a melancholy song of hope, or a make-out song for the apocalypse? You decide.

Written by keyboardist Dennis DeYoung for Styx's elaborately produced Paradise Theatre album, "The Best of Times" was a huge power ballad of 1981, up there with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Open Arms". (The latter is mostly forgotten now, but was equally unavoidable then. "Open Arms" was more of a ballad than DSB, which is more of a rock song. Either way, ugh!) Another huge power ballad that year was REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Lovin' You". (A total make-out song: "I don't wanna sleep, I just wanna keep...") Lots of apostrophes that year. Droppin' G's is cool.

Somewhat cooler mega-hits of 1981 were the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" and Joan Jett's "I Love Rock & Roll".

I've posted two versions of my stripped-down acoustic version of this song. Take 6 is straight, but take 8 (above) has my dog goofing me up at the end. I chose this one, cuz the world is a better place with her infinite cuteness.

Lola, the distractor