King and Queen (Queen) Songs: The Queen of 1964 (#4)

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Wow, what a lousy day! That’s okay, because the reaction to the vaccine showed me a couple of things, including just how I had covid last year (I wasn’t suffering any respiratory issues; rather, gastrointestinal problems). But I’m feeling so much better now, and a day of misery certainly beats having covid again!!! Speaking of “again,” here’s a favorite of mine that’s showing up here on the list of favorite songs with “queen” in the title. #4: The Queen of 1964 - Neil Sedaka This is a sad song, but it’s so darn funny that it’s hard to concentrate on “Stage Door Jenny’s” death at the end of the song. Stage Door Jenny was a groupie, who had a way with the stars (“too many scenes in limousines and dressing room intonations”). She liked to brag about the ones she didn’t get to flirt with, sometimes with bad results (“she didn’t get Mick but she got a kick and a black eye from Bianca”). She died alone with “her arms around an Elvis Presley poster,” because “nobody wants an overage groupie now.” Now, to make this even funnier, the UK single release had a couple of lines altered to make it suitable for airplay. In the radio version, she wasn’t bragging that she “once had Mick Jagger,” but that she “once kissed Mick Jagger.” As for, ahem, “cleaning up” “she looked like she wasn’t getting any,” how dirty that line is or isn’t depends on your definition of “any.” Anyway, this is one of my favorite Sedaka songs. While it was a single in England it didn’t come out in the US until the CD release of Sedaka’s 1975 album The Hungry Years in the 90s. Too bad. The Queen of 1964 Written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield Recorded by Neil Sedaka From Overnight Sensation, 1974 (UK release) A moment of silence at the Troubadour: