Like pretty much every living person in the world, I am very familiar with the song ‘Groovin’.’
But before a week ago, if you had asked me who performed it I would have had no idea. I certainly wouldn’t have pulled The Rascals (or The Young Rascals, as they were known when the song was released) out of some deep recess of my memory because they never camped out there to begin with.
Rolling Stone mentioned The Rascals because a reunion show called Once Upon a Dream just finished a run on Broadway and is currently touring the states.
I scanned the band’s greatest hits album and none of their other singles rang a bell, with the notable exception of ‘Good Lovin’,’ another ubiquitous classic that I couldn’t have matched with its owner for a million dollars.
Really couldn’t get away too soon
I can’t imagine anything that’s better
The world is ours whenever we’re together
There ain’t a place I’d like to be instead of
Groovin’ down a crowded avenue
Doing anything we like to do
There’s always lots of things that we can see
You can be anyone we like to be
All those happy people we could meet
Just groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon
Really, couldn’t get away too soon
We’ll keep on spending sunny days this way
We’re gonna talk and laugh our time away
I feel it coming closer day by day
Life would be ecstasy, you and me endlessly
Groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon
Really couldn’t get away to soon
No, No, No, No
Groovin’
Groovin’
Meet Me In Montauk 
Same. Sounds slightly familiar once I read it, but I surely couldn’t have come up with the name on my own. Maybe on Song Pop if I had a choice of four? 🙂
Amy beat me to the punch, as I was going to say that the challenge would be too pick out the Rascals for this song on Song Pop.😄
For reasons I can’t entirely explain, I never really liked this song. Maybe it’s because I have a visceral negative reaction to the word groove in all it’s 60s derivation. Confession: I’ve never warmed up to S&G’s “Feelin’ Groovy” either. I suspect I would need therapists to work through my contempt for that word.😄
You all just need 10 or 20 years of age on you to have this info right at your fingertips. I LOVE this song and the album. Even though I do understand the aversion to the word “groovin”; It comes from that kind of slimy 60’s faux macho, mustachioed hipster druggy time…not very authentic or down to earth. That said, I love the Young Rascals. Thanks for the good memories this morning.
What is your stance on Madonna’s ‘Get Into the Groove’?
Clay, I find “Get into the Groove” a bit more tolerable. Maybe it’s the addition of in. or y that makes me cringe. Could be reflexive reaction from Austin Powers. Who knows?
And, Rob, I hear ya about the guitar band aversion to “Good Lovin'” but since we never played that song in my college band, I still like it:)
Andrea is so right; this is so 60’s; I always imagined being in NYC just “groovin” on a Sunday afternoon 🙂
Always thought of this as Motown influenced.
“Groovin” is one of my top ten favorite summer songs. I was only 5 or 6 when it was released, but I lived in a home with 4 older siblings, so this was on the turntable an awful lot. Having been a guitar player in several bar bands over the years, I can most definitely do without “Good Lovin'”. Another lost and forgotten Young Rascal’s gem is “How Can I Be Sure?”