1001 Songs Challenge #364: Most People I Know… (1972)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenging of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post everyday (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

 

Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs – Most People I Know… (1972)

Another long stay in the US, dear reader, but now it’s time to get back on a plane. We’re heading on down to Australia today which is nice. Hopefully it will be sunny when we get there. Back in the 1960s Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs formed in 1963 and enjoyed brief success as a rock outfit before disbanding in 1967. They reformed in 1971 and we pick up their story a year later with the release of a new song, Most People I Know.

The full title to the song is actually Most People I Know (Think That I’m Crazy) and in the song, Billy Thorpe is a narrator who is something of an evangelical, spreading the word of God. He mentions that people think he is crazy but he has actually been enlightened. Having struggled through life and found that material possessions have not brought him the happiness he has long sought, the narrator has found salvation in faith and now wants to share this with the rest of the world. He wants those that think he is crazy to help join with him and share his message, regardless of what they believe of him or his sanity as the case may be. 

This was an enjoyable little rock number from Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs. I’m not one for religion personally but spreading the word of God in a rock song is still a nice touch and it’s good to hear music from somewhere other than the US and UK. Most People I Know would be a big hit for Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs but by the following year they had disbanded for a second time. Thorpe remained highly respected in Australian rock music circles and he was greatly mourned in 2007 when he died from a heart attack.

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beach Boys – God Only Knows (1966)

The Doors – The End (1967)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Kinks – Days (1968)

Derek & The Dominos – Layla (1970)

David Bowie – Life on Mars? (1971)

Rod Stewart – Maggie May (1971)

Elvis Presley – Always on My Mind (1972)