LAST CALL
PLAYING FOR THE PEOPLE BY John BohLingeR
As a life-long multitasker, I try to keep current on music while driving—
listening more as homework than for kicks.
Usually, midway through the first mindless
pop drivel, I scan my way back to Supa
Sounds of the ’70s and stay there.
This morning I lighted upon Boston’s
“More Than a Feeling,” which immediately
cut through my layers of cynicism. What
makes this song awesome? Is it the simple
little acoustic opener, or the harmony solo
where each guitar works a straightforward
melody based mainly on four notes of a
descending major scale? Is it because it
reminds me of being in the second grade
riding to school in my mom’s Country
Squire? Hard to say—all of the song’s elements are uncomplicated, yet this song does
what great music should do: It elicits an
emotional response.
Think about the music that completely
turns you on. Seriously, stop reading for
one minute and list the four songs that
make you feel something, take you out of
this work-a-day world, and transcend our
earthly drudgery. I will wait.
Okay, finished? Here’s my list of what’s
doing it for me right now:
what? I’d give anything if I could get a hit
record. What’s the secret?” Les answers, “It’s
simple. Play the melody. Play ‘Mockingbird
Hill.’” Miles says, “I wouldn’t be caught
dead playing ‘Mockingbird Hill.’” To which
Les replies, “That’s why you’re hungry,
Miles. If you want to play, you’ve got to
play for the people.”
Les Paul was clearly a virtuoso, but he
never let his endless chops get in the way
of the song. Les knew that music, at least
for the listener, will always link to the heart
and crotch before the brain. Here’s where
it gets complicated: You can’t actually play
music without engaging the brain, but
you don’t want the brain to be entirely in
The guitar always serves the song throughout
the Fab Four’s masterpiece, Abbey Road.
It rarely takes a musical
virtuoso to connect with me
on an emotional level.
• “Golden Slumbers/Carry That
Weight,” The Beatles
• “Lenny,” SRV
• “Breakeven (Falling to Pieces),” The Script
• “Big Sky Country,” Chris Whitley
My list changes radically any given
hour (apparently I’m feeling a bit senti-
mental right now—less rocking and more
pensive). Regardless of how my lists may
differ, the common thread in any song
catalog I might concoct is that it’s more
song-driven then guitar-driven, which
is perhaps a bit unexpected for a full-on
guitar geek. A lot of musicians lean toward
the esoteric, but my personal taste remains
pretty pedestrian. It rarely takes a musical
virtuoso to connect with me on an emo-
tional level. Ironically, virtuosos are some-
times less likely to connect with the audi-
ence because they focus on ability more
than music, and tend to play a difficult
part instead of an easy one that fits better.
JOHN BOHLINGER
John Bohlinger is a Nashville multi-instrumentalist best known for his work in television. He led the band for all six seasons of
NBC’s hit program Nashville Star, as well
as the 2011, 2010, and 2009 CMT Music
Awards and many specials for GAC, PBS,
CMT, USA, and HDTV. Watch him perform on You Tube,
and check out his new band the Tennessee Hot Damns on
Facebook and i Tunes.
