Songs find a way to stick in my head.

Different reasons.

Stuff going on with politics makes me recall two great Manassas songs from their 2^nd studio LP, Down the Road, “Isn’t It About Time” and “Lies.” I used one in a tweet earlier this month and kept thinking about the other whenever I used hashtag #Lies on any number of tweets this month.

Just yesterday – on the way to the gym, I call out to Siri while driving to play Hot Burrito #2 (HB#2). It came up with the studio version with Gram Parsons’ original vocal from The Flying Burrito Brothers’ first LP, 1969’s Gilded Palace of Sin. But I wanted the live version from 1972’s Last of the Red Hot Burritos with Chris Hillman singing lead and some Rusty Young-like pedal steel from Al Perkins later also with Chris in Manassas before the release of this 1971 performance. And of course pulling up the latter on YouTube enables me to really tie things to together with a live audio of HB#2 from a live 1972 Manassas performance in Amsterdam; Stephen Stills really cut loose on guitar trading licks with Perkins on steel.

In the pool at the gym, I held up to let a woman cross my lane to reach the stairs to exit the pool. She said I had a nice smile. Of course it brought up a Poco song from their 1974 Cantamos LP. And writing about made me recall “Make Me A Smile,” a Richie Furay tune from Poco’s debut LP, Pickin’ Up The Pieces. And that ties Poco and the Burritos together. Gram and Richie talked of one group but their commitment to different steel players (Rusty in Poco and Sneaky Pete Kleinow in the Burritos) scotched that. And after Manassas Chris teamed with Richie and JD Souther in the Souther Hillman Furay Band which included Perkins and Manassas Keyboardist Paul Harris.

Is there a song sticking in your head?

What song last graced your turntable/ tape deck/ CD player/ iTunes or Spotify (or other streaming service)?

Bet it puts a smile on your face.