#SongoftheDay Reach Out in the Darkness Medley (Doodletown Pipers)

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I fell down quite a rabbit hole to get us here today.

It all started in bed.

I woke up with this song in my head. Except just the "so groovy now...finally getting together" part, because I'm not sure I've ever heard/paid attention to the rest of the song. I didn't even know what it was called.

Apparently "Reach Out in the Darkness" was a one-hit-wonder from a duo called Friend and Lover. There is a music video for this song set at a renfair. But when I came across THIS little production, I knew it was the one I needed to feature.

Where to begin?

Well, first of all, until today I never really knew who the Doodletown Pipers were. My only knowledge of them came from the pop culture reference cited above. Which, of course, comes from the episode of The Simpsons where Homer is trying to figure out whether Marge is really his soul mate. (I don't have to tell you the next line is: "Now look at her records... They stink!")

I also had to look up the TV show this clip comes from. It was a kind of sitcom/sketch comedy show called That's Life, which existed for one season in the late 60s. The cast is also performing in this musical number.

Yes, it's super corny.  Super, super corny. But, speaking as someone who was born into a biracial family, I'm really interested in seeing representation like this dating from 1968.

I'm not a television historian (I say as I glance at all the History of Television textbooks on my bookshelf. Not 100% sure I actually read those in university), but I get the sense that it would have been quite something for a TV audience of that era to see an interracial group of people singing and dancing together.

So that's the saga of how we ended up with today's clip. I've learned a lot. Now I know the Doodletown Pipers are more interesting than I ever imagined.

There's also a Beatles tune embedded in this medley, so enjoy!



If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music.

Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my AudioErotica endeavour on Patreon would also help me hugely!

But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back.

Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you won't miss a song!

See you tomorrow!
Giselle

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