WFMU's Beware of the Blog kindly digitized this 45 RPM record of "Meet Me in Seattle," which was the theme song for the 1962 World's Fair.
There's a reason why you can't write music that appeals to everyone, unless you're the odd genius who can pen an "Mmm…Bop" or "Macarena." When you try, you wind up watering things down to the point where they're meaningless. That's one of two problems with this song. It says nothing about the fair itself, instead serving up a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" great-date theme, minus the baseball love or love for much of anything. To their credit, the songwriters did slip the marvelous double-entendre, "If you're gonna kiss me, kiss me there" into the lyrics, a lone conceit to songwriting skill handcuffed by the need for that elusive mass appeal.The other problem with the song is the recording. By 1962 standards, this is dreadful. It sounds like the band was encased in an oildrum and miced from the outside. Audiophiles should note that this recording will likely reverse the magnetic fields in your Harmen-Kardon speakers.
If You're Gonna Kiss Me, Kiss Me There
