Songoftheday 6/28/12 - 8am I'm up and out feet beating on the sidewalk...

Gary U.S. Bonds - "Out Of Work"

from the album On The Line (1982)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (two weeks)

Weeks in the top-40: 9

Today's 'vacation' Song of the Day is by early rock legend Gary U.S. Bonds, who dominated the charts in the beginning of the 60's. Born in the Jacksonville, Florida, Bonds (real surname Anderson) had his first hit single in 1960 with the top-10 blues-shouter-cum-dance-number "New Orleans". The following year, Gary scored his first (and only) #1 hit with "Quarter To Three". He had three more top-10 pop hits in the next year, but with the Beatles frenzy and subsequent 'British Invasion' Bonds' style of music was pretty much tossed aside. Gary would occasionally write a hit, like the classic Johnny Paycheck/Tracy Byrd hit "(Don't Take Her) She's All I Got".

But it took "The Boss" to revive Bonds career. In 1980, Bruce Springsteen produced Bonds' comeback album, Dedication, which contained the top-20 hit "This Little Girl" and featured his E Street Band playing backup. Bruce wrote that song, as well as the first single from his 1982 followup, "Out Of Work", which was a rollicking poke at unemployment in the Reagan era.

"Out Of Work", which rivaled the best of Springsteen's "fun" compositions, just missed the top-20 on the pop chart, while giving Bonds a top-10 hit on the rock radio list. He still does oldies shows, but this would be his last hurrah on the pop list.

Up tomorrow: Maccers and Ringo take it away...