Every journey begins with ‘One’ step and for today’s version of Ted Tocks Covers I will take you on a tour of three versions of the Harry Nilsson song called ‘One’. The third has a link to one of my favourite bands and a significant memory in my life. Hopefully you will enjoy the short trip that began when Nilsson was trying to call a friend and kept getting a busy signal. While waiting on the line he considered the idea that the busy signal could be the opening notes of a song that began with the line “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.”
‘One’ was popularized by Three Dog Night in 1969 when it went to #5 in the U.S. and #4 in Canada. For Three Dog Night it represented the first of seven gold records from 1969 through 1973. This is likely the best known version of ‘One’ and it is still popular on classic rock and mainstream oldies stations. It has also remained popular through the years as it has been referenced on several popular TV shows including ‘Family Guy’, ‘The Simpsons’, ‘House’ and ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’. In addition to this, ‘One’ has been a popular reference in movies such as ‘Shrek 2’ and ‘The Lego Batman Movie’.
From Three Dog Night we fast forward to 1995 when American singer/songwriter Aimee Mann recorded ‘One’ as part of a Harry Nilsson tribute album called ‘For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Harry’.
Now my story begins to take a turn heading toward the reason I am featuring ‘One’ today. Aimee Mann is very well known in the world of Rush. She is the beautiful voice that adds to the chorus in the 1987 song ‘Time Stand Still’. The song was the first track Neil Peart wrote for the 1987 album Hold Your Fire. The ever philosophical Peart used this piece to reflect on his years with Rush from 1974 to that date. He was marvelling about how fast time had flown by, lamenting to some degree about how relationships with friends and family had suffered. As the song developed ‘Time Stand Still’ became a promise to not look back in regret, but to spend more time enjoying the present with the people in his life that mattered the most. The decision to reach out to Aimee Mann was a first for Rush. It represented the first time the band collaborated with another vocalist on a Rush release. The addition of Mann makes for a perfect balance to Geddy Lee’s vocals, and adds to the song’s sentimental tone. Interestingly Aimee Mann was not the band’s first choice. I was intrigued to learn that Cyndi Lauper was their first thought. That didn’t work out so they reached out to Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders fame, but she was unavailable due to other commitments. Aimee Mann was a member of a Boston area band called ‘Til Tuesday. When the trio heard Mann’s voice they agreed that she would make a nice blend with Geddy Lee’s distinctive voice so they paid her $2000 for the appearance. Mann also appears in the video for ‘Time Stand Still’. Here is the result of this excellent collaboration.
I have a memory for places and significant dates. I recall trivial information. I also can’t remember which day I need to put out all of the garbage and which one is just recycling. In short; I represent a world of head shakes for Heather but life goes on. In life she is the Aimee Mann to my Geddy Lee. What I do remember for sure is this… November 15th, 1982 is the date that I first saw my favourite band, Rush, live. I can remember the concert in detail from open to close. I was so thrilled to be there. I had been a fan for about five years and at the age of 16 the combination of independence and money to buy the ticket, and ability to get to the show came together to make my dream a reality. Together with my cousin Shannon, childhood friends Nick and Jim, friend Darlene (who would eventually become my sister in law and huge support system) and future brother in law Tom we all headed to the show at Maple Leaf Gardens. The concert solidified my love of the band. Seeing their incredible talent up close was like nothing I had ever seen before, and literally set a standard for live performances. The highlight of the show was watching Neil Peart’s drum solo live. There are few better. Through the years I have been fortunate enough to see Rush several times and I am not giving false platitudes in saying they literally just kept getting better right through to the end. This is not something that can be said for 99% of artists as they age. Rush’s desire to be the best and their absolute integrity would never allow them to give anything less than their best. This is part of the reason why I have always held them in the highest regard.
So there you go. This is how ‘One’ song managed to meander its way into a personal memory and how in the world of Ted Tocks Covers it kind of makes sense. I hope you enjoyed the walk down memory lane.
Ted Tocks Covers 