We should be getting the final few episodes of The Sopranos sometime over the next few months. As it is something I have been watching avidly since the turn of the century, I have mixed emotions about the fact. Its a bit like when you get a huge book on holiday that is really good and you really don’t want it to end, and when it does you wish there were a couple of hundred more pages that could appear NOW so you can continue….
The end of The Sopranos. How exactly will it end? I don’t even want to think about it. There are going to be some deaths for sure. Now, one of the (many) wonderful things about the show is how they use music. I remember the opening shots of the second season, where we catch up with the activities of Tony Soprano and his ‘families’ – all set to the music of Frank Sinatra singing “It Was A Very Good Year”. I thought that was fabulous and went out the next day to purchase my one and only Frank Sinatra album, “The September Of My Years”.
At the end of an episode from the first half of this last season (episode no.70 overall) “Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request”, there is a vibrant doo-wop number running over the closing credits. Its all the more startling as the episode has just ended with Tony Soprano beating one of his gang members, and then going to the toilet to vomit from the exertion of it. The song is called ‘Every Day Of The Week’ by The Students. I love the song. It’s also good to know that Julian Cope loves the song too;
http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/219
So there you have it. I think Julian Cope writes like a poet, and I applaud his taste in doo-wop, which tends to be marginalised nowadays, yet has some of the most life affirming elements of r&b and rock & roll, and has produced some outstanding, timeless tracks (‘Why Do Fools Fall In Love’, ‘In The Still Of The Night’). I hope you will agree that this piece of music is amongst the best doo-wop. It reminds me of being young and happy.
The Students – Every Day Of The Week (you need real player to play it)
those we left behind 