Weirdness in Mainstream Pop pt 4

 

 

'Angie Baby', Helen Reddy, 1974.

Prompted by Bob Fischer's tweet: Songs That Could Be Episodes Of The Twilight Zone No 1.

I remember this having a powerful effect on my nipper imagination (I'd have been 5 or 6 when it was released, and was probably a staple of Radio 2 for a long time after).  Specifically the combo of these lyrics and the swirling strings behind them:

When he walks in her room he feels confused
Like he walked into a play
And the music's so loud it spins him around
'Til his soul has lost its way
And as she turns the volume down
He's getting smaller with the sound
It seems to pull him off the ground
Toward the radio he's bound
Never to be found

 

Thing is, I don't remember picturing the scene as described; the images it conjured were pretty abstract, more inspired by the sounds than the words, which probably heightened the thrill, the weirdness.