Ted Tocks Covers – Top 3 Posts for January and some exciting bonuses featuring #HowardJones #FrankieGoestoHollywood #JeffBeck and #Rush. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

In terms of numbers, January was a slight step back for Ted Tocks Covers, but I don’t see it that way. Following two record months this month showed a small drop in page views, yet early on in on the month the folks at WordPress sent me a message saying I hit 100,000 page views over the six year tenure of this project.

I am proud of this accomplishment. In fact, I would have to say that it is one of the things I am most proud. This feeling stems from Ted Tocks Covers and its ability to connect with people all over the world through music. This is a satisfying feeling, because in today’s world we straddle this strange dichotomy where we have never had a had a deeper potential to be connected, yet somehow, we have never been more detached or divided.

Through music we have the ability to unite through the spirit of song and the message contained within the lyrics. Oftentimes, this is where the stories begin.

A Facebook friend shared this quote recently and it really struck me. I wanted to share it here.

I used to believe all anger was wrong, so I was the captain of the tone police— until I discovered politeness is not rightness, that anger is not always hate, but hurt, and to be loving is to be fiercely angry at injustice”

J.S. Park

In terms of relatability, there is something here that relates to music and the qualities that the best songwriters bring to their creativity. So often, the lyrics reflect a degree of compassion, and empathy toward some aspect of the human condition. Many times, this portrayal of humanity presents itself as anger. Filtered down, the thoughts shared come through in angry tones, because in order to inspire change some form of emotion needs to be sparked.

Music has this ability and through the magic of song, words do inspire.

This is a timeless reality.

Over six years of writing and listening in order to share this passion, Ted Tocks goal is to focus on the music and the magic. The anecdotes behind what brought these songs to our ears are endlessly fascinating, and I am happy to say the reader engagement continues to grow. This past month over 440 Ted Tocks features generated page views. That represents 25% of Ted Tocks output.

Once again in January, Ted Tocks Covers hovered in the area of 5000 page views maintaining the monthly standard set in the latter part of 2023. This equates to well over 4000 visitors on a monthly basis which still makes me pinch myself.

Ted Tocks Covers helps me tell a story. It begins with the music I discuss, and on occasion it flows into what is happening in my life. Here, I must repeat myself by saying that your support provides validation, because some days the readership this project enjoys is the fuel that motivates me as I enter the day…The real world, so to speak.

So often in my life music is the engine that drives the vehicle I call Ted Tocks Covers, and I continue to maintain that you, the reader, are the passenger. Thank you for coming along for the ride.

Ted Tocks Covers IS ME sharing myself with others.

This past month, Ted Tocks Covers was enjoyed by people in 88 countries worldwide and one view from an ‘Unknown Region’. So mysterious. Gee! I hope it’s not the ‘Deep State’. The highest engagement by far comes from residents of the United States. In fact, the U.S. represents over 80 percent of the readership. I am reasonably sure that Ted Tocks Covers speaks to the intelligent two thirds of that country. Keeping it in North America, Canada resides at #2, followed by the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

In January Ted Tocks Covers managed to maintain an average of 160 page views a day.

While this is nothing huge by blogging standards, for a hobby it is quite validating. I continue to be pleased that my love of music is relatable to so many, and gradually…slowly, more and more people seem to be coming on board. As I begin my seventh year, I am happy to share that Ted Tocks Covers has managed to build an audience of over 600 followers. This is a fact that continues to blow my mind. From a modest hobby, to something that others seem to enjoy. It all makes me smile.

Quite often, it is music that serves to soften the most hardened among us. It definitely gives us a place to land smoothly.

As always, before I move on to the top three Ted Tocks Covers features for January, I would like to give a nod to a couple of important posts from this past month.

Things Can Only Get Better – This post was shared on New Year’s Eve so the engagement it received on just one day in December wasn’t quite enough to propel it to the top three for that month. It continued to get views in January, and because the message that this song shares is positive, I felt it would be appropriate to share it again here. Howard Jones delivers words to live by through a timeless song.

Things Can Only Get Better – A thousand skeptic hands won’t keep us from the things we plan. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

Ted Tocks Covers Hall of Fame – Year Four Inductees – In 2021, Ted Tocks Covers created a fun exercise in an effort to pay homage to the most prolific and influential artists of the last 75 years. Through 2023, the following twelve acts were honoured with this status.

The Beatles

The Rolling Stones

Led Zeppelin

Willie Dixon

Warren Zevon

The Grateful Dead with Robert Hunter

Rush

John Prine

Bob Dylan

Neil Young

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

The Tragically Hip

The most recent ‘ceremony’ added the following four names:

Aretha Franklin

Linda Ronstadt

Elvis Presley

Joe Cocker

Ted Tocks Covers Hall of Fame – Year Four Inductees #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #ArethaFranklin #LindaRonstadt #ElvisPresley #JoeCocker

Truth be told, part of the reason why I began this annual feature is it gives me an opportunity to share so many great songs and wonderful memories. This feature shared over 80 songs. What an amazing escape.

Now for this month’s top three songs.

#3. Relax – This post was fun to write. Forty years after its release ‘Relax’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood remains an essential song. Hats off to Trevor Horn on this feature. This story illustrates not only how the song came together from lyrical concept to studio creation, but it is also yet another example of how when a song gets banned, it becomes a sure-fire recipe for success. Frankie says RELAX!

Relax – Live those dreams. Scheme those schemes. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

#2. Freeway Jam – In commemorating the one-year anniversary of Jeff Beck’s shocking death, Ted Tocks Covers moved toward honouring the incredible career of this legendary guitarist. Freeway Jam is yet another musical masterpiece from Beck, the composer. This feature takes a brief look at Becks career and his propensity for working together with quality musicians who complimented his unique style.

Freeway Jam – Celebrating the guitar wizardry of the immortal Jeff Beck. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

#1. Bravado – It needs to be said that whenever Ted Tocks Covers writes about Rush it comes from the highest degree of reverence and the utmost respect. Rush is where my musical journey began. Sitting down to write about this song became even more humbling because since 2020, I have set aside this date to pay tribute to the life of Neil Peart. It also came on the heels of devouring Geddy Lee’s autobiography ‘My Effin’ Life’. A must read for any Rush fan, or fan of great music, for that matter. Just knowing how much the song meant to this band made it an ideal song to write about for this feature. I was able to frame this post around several astute quotes by each member of Rush. To highlight Bravado’s importance to Rush we get to take a look at its development in the studio, and its subsequent evolution as a live track. ‘Bravado’ was fun to write, and even better to listen to all these years later. To top it all off, we get some quality interpretations. All of this occurs as we sit on the precipice of the 50^th anniversary of the the release of the band’s debut album, and the subsequent formation of the Lee, Lifeson and Peart version of Rush.

Bravado – For Rush the love remains. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

I hope 2024 is off to a good start. Happy listening as we head into February. It’s a leap year so we get one extra post this year.  As you listen, take some time and explore the deeper meaning of the songs you enjoy. Understand what the artist is telling you, and then explore a little bit more.

If you missed the features listed above the first time around, by all means enjoy them now. If you think a friend might like to spend a few minutes with some good music, please share because…

#MusicisLife

If you haven’t already, please sign up yourself or invite other people to follow Ted Tocks Covers at:

Linked In – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TocksTed

Mastodon – https://thecanadian.social/home

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tedlindsay66/

Linktree – https://linktr.ee/admin

Blog Site – https://wordpress.com/view/tedtockscovers.wordpress.com

By signing up to the blog site, Ted Tocks Covers posts will be delivered to your email, and you can read it on your own time. The benefit of this is, you are not held captive by Facebook or Instagram and their ridiculous algorithms.

You can always follow Ted Tocks Covers on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn where I post every day, with either new content or reposts of past features. Here, I have also created a Linktree account so everything is together.

Thank you for continuing to read Ted Tocks Covers. I will be in touch. You can count on that. There are many great stories to come in the days ahead.

This is all part of the plan.

Stay safe and have a grateful day!