Ultimate Smackdown #2
"This Guy's In Love With You" - Herb Alpert, Aretha Franklin, and B.J. Thomas (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
It’s been about a year and a half since my first “Ultimate Smackdown”, and I figure it’s high time to write a new one. Our last matchup from October 2023 was a dramatic, tension-filled prizefight between George Harrison and Eric Clapton. They were locked and loaded with their signature moves— “Something” and “Layla” respectively. You can check that out here. While our last Ultimate Smackdown had sort of a boxing theme, today’s is gonna be baseball. Why? It’s summer! Who said Smackdown only had to do with wrestling? Everybody? Okay!
It’s a beautiful day here at Ear Bites Stadium, and we’ve got not two, but THREE terrific contenders today, hoping to steal the bases and the hearts of the crowd. Another twist — this Ultimate Smackdown is unique in that every competitor will be coming up to bat with the same song! That’s right. “This Guy’s In Love With You” is the track, Herb Alpert, Aretha Franklin, and B.J. Thomas are lined up and ready to go. Play ball!
Herb is up first, having done the original. Here he comes… is he using his trumpet as a bat? I guess he is! Our pitcher today is Burt Bacharach, the composer of the track himself. And of course, Hal David is the catcher. Herb takes a moment to collect… and CRACK!
There’s our first version of the track that Burt threw over to Herb, and I’ll be darned, it is SOARING! Alpert took a lot of love and care into that swing, and it shows in the recording. The first thing I’ll mention is the cover — as someone whose favorite color is yellow, this visual always makes me happy before I even hear the song. This version was the first of the track I heard, and I always liked how gentle it was. Alpert has a twang to his voice, but he always sounds like he’s smiling. The orchestral elements are nice, and even the choir in the chorus is a cool touch! He’s certainly gotten the home run.
Oh, but don’t look now! Aretha Franklin HERSELF has stepped up to the plate, and she’s got a mean game face. As Bacharach pitches the song to her, she takes an unorthodox swing, swinging the bat around and… throwing it away? I can’t believe it— she’s now belting an E flat, full force… the ball is soaring with just the sound of her voice!
She has earned the right to walk the bases, taking as much time as she wants. Franklin is no stranger to making a Burt Bacharach song her own. One of the highlights that springs to my mind is her terrific version of “I Say a Little Prayer”. She takes full advantage of her skills in this swing, gliding up and down those notes like it’s nothing. It’s got a nice structure with the backing vocals sort of serving as inner thoughts. I love a good organ too, and it’s perfect in this situation. A stellar play on all counts.
What’s this? We’re calling a time-out? This is… oh, there’s a surprise? Well, can’t say I mind that — uh-oh. I’m looking at this script they’ve given me to announce. You’re not telling me… folks, it looks like we’ve got someone from across the pond. Two people, to be exact. They’re stepping up to the plate no — okay, you’re supposed to use the bats to hit the BALL, not each other!! That’s right everybody, it’s Oasis. Oh — Liam Gallagher is storming off. Okay, Liam. No need for the hand gestures. Alright. Well, now it’s just Noel at the plate. He looks a little more collected. Two strikes already, he’s only got one chance to go! And.. CRACK!
Not quite as strong as Herb or Aretha, but good enough to get a triple. Noel Gallagher has done it! This is a play I haven’t quite seen before… but supposedly it was originated at Royal Albert Hall back in 1994. Gallagher has a nice voice for it, I will say. Gentle, a little whiny in the style of Herb himself… it holds up. Oh, hang on. I’m getting reports his ball was aimed right for his brother’s face. Liam Gallagher is out of commission, folks. Well, anything that helps the game go forward!
After all that, I feel it’s okay to admit that the next one stepping up to bat is my favorite. If you really go back in Ear Bites, you’ll find that my first piece ever on here is called “A Love Letter to B.J. Thomas”. If you happen to check out that article, you’ll see that I kind of freaked out about “This Guy’s in Love With You”. My love for that song runs deep, and it’s all due to this batter at the plate right now. He’s a little more traditional, but when he hits the ball… it goes right out of the park.
What can I say about Thomas that hasn’t already been said? I think he’s severely underrated and absolutely terrific. I mentioned earlier that Herb Alpert’s version of this track was the first I ever heard… but if we’re talking REALLY heard, I’ll give it to B.J. Thomas. I don’t know how I came across his version, but I kind of suspect it was sent by angels, because MAN! Silly as it sounds, this may be the ultimate “you gotta hear it to get it” track. The very last time he sings “say you’re in love/in love with this guy” is the reason why I used to put this on repeat for hours. If I could give him extra home runs just for that note alone, I think he’d break a world record!
And just like that, the game is over. Fireworks go off above, and I’ll just add that every player brought their a-game, and I would hope, won over the crowd. This has been a terrific time here at Ear Bites Stadium, and we’ll see you back here on Saturday for a taste of some newer music!
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