Saturday Nine: Little Things (1964)

This week's Saturday Nine:

You can listen to the song here.

1. In this song, Bobby Goldsboro celebrates the "little things" that delight him, like seeing his girl smile. What are some little every day things that reliably lighten your mood? Coffee, cigarettes, a BTS tweet, BTS songs.
   
   
2. Bobby is a lifelong sports fan. While in high school, he came to terms with physical limitations — slender build, slow speed — that would prevent him from having a career as a professional athlete. That's when he turned his attention to music. Given your choice, would you rather make your living in music or sports? Explain your decision. Music. I spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years studying and playing music (piano for about six years, violin for about ten), not to mention listening to a plethora of music so at least I have some knowledge about it. But I have never been good at sports. Nor am I interested in it.
   
   
3. Shortly before "Little Things" was released, Bobby toured England for two weeks, backing up Roy Orbison. They opened for The Beatles. Bobby fondly recalls spending time with Paul McCartney, teaching him how to imitate the croak of an Alabama tree frog. Are you good at imitations (human or otherwise)? Not particularly. I don't try often, but any time that I have has not been successful.
   
   
4. Back in the States, Goldsboro (again with Orbison) opened for the Rolling Stones in New York. Which band did you listen to more recently, the Stones or the Beatles? The Beatles. I grew up in a Beatles household. But I also just don't like the Stones. There are many covers of the Stones that I like (especially "Wild Horses" by The Sundays), but I never end up liking the original. I just don't like Mick Jagger's voice.
   
   
5. Bobby worked on projects with Burt Reynolds, doing the music for the movie Gator and the TV show Evening Shade. Burt said it was not only Bobby's musical ability but also his wit that made him fun to work with. What qualities do you value in a coworker? Productive, efficient, responsible, kind, and funny.
   
   
6. These days, Bobby spends more time painting than performing music. He regularly donates his artwork to be auctioned off for charity. Have you ever tried your hand at painting? Yeah, of course. Art was my best subject from elementary school to high school. I specialized in painting and photography. It was actually my interest in painting that got me to study makeup art and make a career out of it for over a decade.
   
   
7. In 1964, when this song was on the radio, women spent more on styling gels and sprays than they do today. Are you having a good hair day? Or has the pandemic made dealing with your hair something of an adventure? I am not having a particularly good hair day because I left my hair to air dry yesterday (I may have fallen asleep in my computer chair) so it looks rather flat and limp today. But it's also Saturday and I'm staying at home anyway, so I don't really care. Plus, I wear my hair up everyday, anyway.
   
   
8. Nationally and internationally, one of 1964's biggest news stories was the marriage of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The bride wore a yellow dress and white and yellow flowers in her hair. The groom was decked out in a sedate dark suit with a red tie and a yellow boutonniere. What did you wear the last time you got really dressed up? Black fitted tuxedo-style blazer, black tuxedo-style leggings, black pumps. I did, however, wear a red printed silk top underneath the blazer for some colour (it was an Indian wedding, and I felt like wearing all black would be just a little too inappropriate), and I did a full-on glam makeup and hair.
   
   
9. Random question: Imagine you're stranded on a desert island with a complete stranger. Would you prefer your one and only companion be a man or a woman? Well, I think a man would provide different insight and skills, which might be helpful when in combination with mine, and may also provide some interesting events and conversations on a deserted island. But a woman would be more empathetic and understanding, especially during that time of the month (like, how could we make pads with things we can find on this island?). So at the end of the day... I don't care. Gender only plays so much into my preference of a desert island partner. There are far more important things like intelligence, humour, knowledge, and handiness. And, you know, general personality. If you're insufferable, you're insufferable.