Lou Christie -- "Lightnin' Strikes" (1966)

Every boy wants a girl
He can trust to the very end
Baby, that's you

"Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute!" you are probably saying to yourself right now (especially if you are  a Tennessee Ernie Ford impersonator, or you are from Arkansas, or both).  "You said in the last 2 or 3 lines of 2013 that the first 2 or 3 lines of 2014 was going to feature an interview with the lead singer of Two-Eyed Jacks and the Maniacs, or Zoo Crap and the Insomniacs, or some such band.  But this ain't that." 

Indeed it ain't, dear reader.  In fact, it could hardly be more ain'ter.

There's a simple explanation for this sudden change of plan, and it's spelled R-O-C-K  S-T-A-R  A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E.

This may surprise you, but some rock stars have big egos and are major pains in the ass as a result.  (Believe me, 2 or 3 lines knows what someone with a big ego looks like.  That's because 2 or 3 lines has a mirror in his bathroom.)

A very young Lou Christie

Unfortunately, it turns out that the rock star whose interview was supposed to be the centerpiece of the first 2 or 3 lines of 2013 turned out to be a bit of a diva.  

I did everything I could to make the interview process as easy for her as I could.  I did everything but supply the answers to the questions I e-mailed her weeks and weeks ago.  (To tell the truth, I did a little of that as well.)

2 or 3 lines has a lot of moving parts.  We publish every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, at precisely 12:01 am.  Missing a publication deadline is simply not an option.  So when a guest writer or interview subject doesn't step up to the plate and deliver what he or she has promised, it's kind of a big deal.  

A couple of days ago, it became apparent to me that Little Miss I'm-A-Big-Ass-Rock-Star wasn't going to meet my deadline.  So I had to pull together a substitute post featuring a different song to run in place of her interview.

I don't know why this happened -- frankly, I don't really care.  Whether Madame A-Legend-In-Her-Own-Mind had downed one (or two or six) too many Michelob Ultras, or her publicist was too busy shopping the after-Christmas sales, or something else happened to delay the promised response don't make no never mind to me.

Christie with his backup singers

That's because this is a bottom-line kind of business and I'm a bottom-line kind of guy -- and the bottom line is I had to have a post ready to go up on Friday morning, January 3, at 12:01 AM, come hell or high water. 

I'm not going to mention the name of Lady Too-Big-For-Her-Britches or her band.  No doubt her people have all kinds of Google alerts set up.  Or perhaps they simply peruse the Internet on a daily basis in search of any even remotely critical statements about their boss so they can go running to the lawyers toot sweet.  But if you read the previous 2 or 3 lines, you'll know who I'm talking about.

I'm hoping that the Duchess of I'll-Get-Back-To-You-When-I'm-Good-And-Ready will send me answers to my questions in time for me to post them on Sunday.  If she doesn't, you can best believe there will be a brand-new 2 or 3 lines up for your edification and reading pleasure first thing Sunday morning.  (If that happens, I have no idea what song will be featured -- I trust the Lord and my sentient iPod to deliver.)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy "Lightnin' Strikes," which reached #1 on the Billboard "Hot 100" in February 1966.  The song was co-written by singer Lou Christie and his regular songwriting partner, Twyla Herbert (who was over 20 years older than Christie).  

"Lightnin' Strikes" has a somewhat anachronistic sound -- due in large part to Christie's falsetto singing (which was somewhat reminiscent of Frankie Valli).  This record sounded like there had been no such thing as the "British Invasion" -- it could just as easily have been released in 1961 or '62.

Here's "Lightnin' Strikes":

Click below to order the song from Amazon: