You Make Me Feel Brand New

Sam’s Saturday 9: You Make Me Feel Brand New (1974)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…



Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Welcome to the first Saturday 9 of 2019!

1) As 2019 kicks off, what are your hopes for the brand new year?
I have hopes in finding a contractor to remodel my bathroom at the Cape Cod cottage, so far five contractors came out to look at it and none of them submitted a quote. All I want done is to take out the tub and replace it with a shower stall, update the vanity and sink, and put down a new vinyl floor.

2) Just because an item isn't brand new doesn't mean it isn't valuable. Have you scored any fabulous finds at a second hand store or website?
Nope.

3) This song is sung by The Stylistics, a group from Philadelphia. Have you ever been to Philly?
Yes when I was knee high to a grasshopper, we did all the tourist type of things.

4) This song was co-written by Thom Bell, a Philadelphia-based musician/producer who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. The average daily temp in Kingston in January is 87º. Do you have plans to get away this winter and go somewhere warm?
Well so far this winter it hasn’t been that cold, the ponds haven’t froze over yet nor have we had that much snow.
Since I am officially a senior I can legally say…
Back in my day we used to go skating from mid-December through mid-March, now we are lucky for a week of skating this winter.

5) The Stylistics took their choreography very seriously. As you can see from the video, they even carefully synchronized their hand movements. Do you use your hands much when you talk?
Yes I am an Italian; I can’t talk without using my hands. It would be like talking without moving your lips.

6) The lyrics tell us that the singer is grateful for a friend who will walk with him along a path that "sometimes bends." Looking back on 2018, tell us about a time that life's path took a bend you didn't quite expect.
This year there hasn’t been many detours things have pretty much went the way I wanted.

7) In 1974, when this song was popular, Chicago's Sears Tower opened and was for years the world's tallest building. Its elevators can carry you to the 103rd floor in approximately a minute. When were you last on an elevator?
It was when I was at a local college guess lecturing and the classroom was on the second floor.

8) Also in 1974, the 55 mph speed limit was imposed nationwide. When you drive, are you careful to stay within the speed limit? Or do you have a led foot?
Well I wouldn’t say a lead foot, at least I haven’t gotten and speeding tickets but I do exceed the speed limit.

9) Random question -- It's time to pose for your Saturday 9 yearbook picture. Will you show us your right profile, your left profile, or will you look directly into the camera?
Well I think my best side is my right side.
Here is an interview I did with ESPN’s Eric Clemons for Comcast Newsmakers

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!