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Music Connections
It’s interesting how a random comment can get you searching for connections. Last week, I signed up for Saturday Night Classics to do March 15, and as I did that, I realized that day will be the Ides of March. I wondered in my comment, “Is there a band named for Julius Caesar?” As @hoyacon reminded me (and I should have remembered), there was, in fact, a band named The Ides of March with a hit song, “Vehicle.” Duh!
From https://theidesofmarch.com/band/
So of course, I searched for that song, and as I often do, started reading about the band (started in 1964) and its members. One of the founders was a guy named Jim Peterik, who has had a long musical career. He co-wrote “Vehicle” (1970) and other songs for that band. When they initially broke up (but reunited periodically), he went on to other bands and songwriting projects. Here’s “Vehicle,” a live version from 2014, chosen because it’s really close to the original recording:
Around 1978, The Ides of March had its initial break-up and Peterik and others formed the band Survivor. Here’s where that went in 1982:
Survivor had several other decent hits, including “High on You” and “The Search is Over.”
In the early 80s, along with helping pen songs for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cheap Trick, and Sammy Hagar, he also co-wrote several hits for .38 Special, including “Hold on Loosely” and “Caught up in You:”
In 1998, he worked with Brian Wilson on Wilson’s solo album Imagination, and in 2012, he co-wrote the lead single and made an appearance on the Beach Boys’ reunion album “That’s Why God Made the Radio:”
[Brian and I] were at an Italian restaurant and we were talking about radio and how great songs used to sound through the AM radio coming through your oval speaker on your Plymouth Valiant and I said, “Man, that was the best sound of all,” and Brian said, “Yeah, that’s why God made the radio.” Of course, I wrote that down. He didn’t realize how brilliant it was, or maybe he did, but that’s when we wrote that song.
Peterik’s website says The Ides of March, still with 4 original members, released a new album in 2019. His 2014 autobiography is “Through the Eye of the Tiger.” I may have to look for it.
Published in Music
I also get a kick out of following musical trails like this.
Cool!
It’s great to hear and see “Vehicle” performed live.
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has inspired an overture by Robert Schumann (1851) and a Phish song in 1994 (Julius). Bob Dylan alluded to him in Crossing the Rubicon (2020) and AC/DC had a song called Hail, Caesar (not to be confused with a 1994 Robert Downey Jr film or the Coen Brothers Hail, Caesar! – complete with exclamation point – from 2016.)
what an amazing and fun post. A detailed and fascinating history.
You have really outdone yourself.
Can’t wait for your post on the ides!
Thanks! I just downloaded his autobiography on Kindle.
While doing this post I came across a draft post I started a while ago (but never finished) on the songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cyntha Weil. I need to complete it.
Completely agree.
The original theme for Rocky III was “Yer The Best Around.” You may remember that song from The Karate Kid.
Stallone reached out to Peterik of Survivor for a new theme and fell for it instantly (as the story goes).
I must add that Eye Of The Tiger is SO overplayed. Let’s give it a rest, please.
Stallone wanted Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust for the theme, but Queen wouldn’t grant him the rights. Just read that in the first chapter of Peterik’s book.
This post me start thinking of some of the other musical Zeligs who pop up here and there… Paul Carrack, Timothy B. Schmit and Emmylou Harris are the first ones to spring up in my noggin.
Another Peterik song from one of everybody’s favorite bands (cowritten with singer Robin Zander).
Hmm. For some reason I had always thought that “Vehicle” was a “Chicago” song.
‘Not unreasonable.
There were a lot of “horn bands” back in the day. Blood Sweat & Tears, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, Chase, Ten Wheel Drive, Lighthouse, Tower of Power, Sly and the Family Stone, The Electric Flag, Sons of Champlin, Cold Blood, Average White Band,…
Lydia Pense and Cold Blood are still around.
Love the first Electric Flag album.