Kansas City Playlist: World Cup Was A Scam

We share a quick note for local edification and for the marginal benefit of anybody good enough to check in with us tonight . . . 

World Cup corruption allegations span decades, ranging from multibillion-dollar bribery and money laundering to vote-trading for host nations, illicit off-field payments, and unprecedented political interference in sporting decisions . . . Moreover, thhere's no reason NOT to believe that all of this doesn't also connect to Kansas City's participation. 

Sadly, a story about freebie tickets didn't really go anywhere because sketchy political behavior is endemic across the globe with very little left to shock close news watchers. 

But rest assured, amid stories of celebration, global connections and even hope of an ensuing baby boom. The reality is that the whole point of these games is to extract cash from the populace for the benefit of organizers and all manner of pathetic acolytes with the right political connections. 

 And so . . . We can't help to think that tonight be a bit of an anticlimax as the hustle moves to bigger, better locations . . . Here's the cover story . . . 

"Lionel Messi's Argentina side kept alive their bid to become the ‌first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962 with a victory that sparked pandemonium among the sea of sky-blue-and-white supporters and ended Switzerland's fairytale run."

And so, the sound and fury of this distraction inspire our www.TonysKansasCity.complaylist tonight on the topic of how much this silly little cowtown seems to enjoy being fooled . . .

Let's start with a couple of fun facts about this classic that starts tonight's session: Despite sounding like a fiery anti-establishment anthem, "Won't Get Fooled Again" is actually an anti-revolution song. Pete Townshend wrote it to express his skepticism about revolutions, concluding with the famous realization that the new leaders are just as corrupt as the old ones: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." This track holds the tragic significance of being the very last song Keith Moon ever performed live with The Who.

An interesting aside about this 80s pop/glam rock David Coverdale and Bernie Marsden originally wrote "Fool for Your Loving" for blues legend B.B. King. However, after recording the demo, the band realized it had massive hit potential and decided to keep it for themselves.

An apropos reminder about getting out of our your own way comes from this disco era rock ballad . . . Even though Elvin Bishop wrote the famous 1976 hit "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," he didn't sing it. Knowing his gritty, gravelly voice wouldn't do the soaring ballad justice, the blues guitarist gave lead vocal duties to his background singer, Mickey Thomas—who later became the frontman for Starship.

Old school nostglia for the bridge . . . Lil' TKC wasn't quite a teen yet when this track hit its zenith but even back then the throaty, earnest nature of this monster hit made us howl with cynical mockery . . . Debbie Gibson made music history when "Foolish Beat" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. At just 17 years old, she became the youngest female artist in history to write, produce, and perform a number-one hit completely on her own.

Finally . . . We reach deep into the archives for old school classic . . . In 1960, Connie Francis made music history when "Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool" became the very first song by a female artist to hit No. 1 on the newly established U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song's impact didn't stop in the United States. To connect with a global audience, Francis recorded a polka-style German version titled "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", which subsequently reached No. 1 in West Germany.

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night.