Professor Mikey here, welcome to Old School.

Today we are GOING DOWN, literally and figuratively. Down is a direction. We all know the difference between upside and downside. Or Upside down.

Down is also a direction for so many things. How your life is going, how your love life is going, where you are headed. Downtown? Down south? Down to the sea in ships? Downton Abbey?

Down could be an emotional bummer, but is not always a negative. Especially if you are down with something, or you are getting down, or just giving directions about how to get down the road.

Without much more to go on, I started digging through the stacks, seeking downright great music that examines the downside of life and how various situations were addressed in various genres that might get down and get funky.

You might not think of these songs and hurry to write them down. But many of them occupy the same headspace. So if you are feeling down, knowing your are in rockstar company might help you put on a happy face. Or help you get through traffic that has slowed down just to get on your last nerve.

Are you down for the count? Good let’s free fall starting with the great Texas bluesman Freddie King, who is about to tell you where he is going. And that would be down.

Down, down, gotta shake off the frown,

Pick myself up before I drown.

Feet on the ground, but my spirit's in flight,

Gotta turn things around, make it all right.

PLAYLIST

Going DOWN / Freddie King (1971)

DOWN / Harry Nilsson (1971)

Boogaloo DOWN Broadway / The Incredible Johnny C (1967)

Hung Upside DOWN / Buffalo Springfield (1967)

You Burn Me Up and DOWN / We the People (1967)

Don’t Bring Me DOWN / The Animals (1966)

ungle Boogie / Kool and the Gang (1973)

Mellow DOWN Easy / Little Walter (1954)

DOWN in Mexico / Ella Mae Morse (1956)

DOWN in the Valley / Otis Redding (1965)

DOWN in the Boondocks / Billy Joe Royal (1965)

Sit DOWN I Think I Love You / The Mojo Men (1967)

Floating DOWNstream in An Inflatable Raft / The Second Helping (1967)

Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire / TIM CURRY (1979)

Sunday Morning Coming DOWN / Kris Kristofferson (1970)

Ups and DOWNS / Paul Revere and the Raiders (1978)

Professor Mikey here. We just presented an hour of down songs and I feel better having heard them. Hope you do to. When you seek this among your podcasts or on YouTube Search Professor Mikey’s Old School, and this one is Episode #67 Going Down.

The way pop songs is we’ve gone from a time when Down was almost always a depressing state of mind. Today it means you are just in agreement. You are down. I am down. I am so down to get this out to you. Remember down is only a temporary a condition, like being hungry. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you’ve had a little chow. So remember what Grace Slick said: “Feed Your Head.”

It always gets better. A little food. A little music. Thats better.

Old School is produced for educational purposes. Any and all music heard in this program resides within the public domain, is licensed through the podcast carrier, or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. You sharing what you like is a great way to get the word out. Subscribing on YouTube means you will never miss a rocking discovery. The newsletter remains free and those subscribers hear the new podcasts first. Subscribe anytime at professormikey.substack.com.

We leave you with a serious opus from 1978, where the members of this revolutionary band reflect on the ups and downs of life, and reason with themselves that they have in fact been all around. Going up and down with Paul Revere and the Raiders.

We will catch you next time on Old School.

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