HeadlineSurfer plans for Election Day: Its time to put the partisan bickering aside and exercise your duty as Americans and vote on Tuesday. If you dont like either candidate in a particular race, then leave that one blank but give you support to those willing to serve. I will be voting in Sanford Tuesday morning and then Im going to cross the St. Johns Bridge into my reporting turf (Volusia County). Qst stop: Daytona International Speedway to shoot video of construction (if I run into NASCAR CEO Brian France, Ill either flash him the peace sign or give him the middle finger). Then Im going to head over to Worlds Most Famous Beach® and exercise my public right of access: Im going to drive on the hard sands (lights on, drivers side window down and no texting). Ill park, jump into the surf like a 5-year-old kid. Then Ill eat my two packed tuna fish sandwiches and head back on I4 to the History Volusia County Courthouse and set up shop at a media table in the Canvassing Board room and report the results (386-689-2830). Then when I have nothing left in the way of brain power, Ill drive back over the St. Johns Bridge. give my beautiful wife, Serafina, a good-night kiss (Im sure shell be sleeping), say my nightly prayer and hopefully get some sleep. Heres your reward for reading this far: Did You Know? Get Together by the Youngbloods, is a song that made a great comeback, proving where there is a will, there is a way, especially when given a chance. There are three songs that bring me to tears, even now at 52: Peter, Paul & Marys Puff the Magic Dragon, Simon & Garfunkels Sound of Silence and The Youngbloods Get Together. Consider in 1968, I was a first grader, well aware of the The Tet Offensive and the slayings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and Bobby Kennedy. In 1969, I saw Easy Rider at the Drive-In (with my parents and siblings) and the Apollo 11lift-off and moon landing. And making a big comeback in 1969 was Get Together. It was a monumental flop when it was released by the hippie group, The Youngbloods, in 1967, peaking at at No. 62 on Billboard hot 100. Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell did covers of the song at concerts over the next two years. And then something magical happened: New York City DJ Dan Ingram was putting together a public service announcement promoting brotherhood. He chose “Get Together” as the background music. WABC was the top-rated station in New York at the time, and people got hip to Get Together, including the National Council of Christians and Jews, which used it as the theme for their TV ads. The two-year-old song shot up to No. 5 on Billboard. Here we are 45 years later, and it has long since endured as a staple of rock music.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:34:46 +0000