“Wedding Bell Blues”

It would’ve been Laura Nyro’s 65th birthday not that long ago; it’s been fifteen years since she died.  And I’m still not quite sure how to classify her in the music pantheon.

Laura Nyro did a little bit of everything.  She played bluesy, folky, gospel rock.  She played, sang, and wrote.  Her piano work sounded simple, but I get the feeling there was a lot more going on.  Or maybe that was just a result of the mood she created.  Nyro, like fellow traveller Carole King, could fill a room with emotion just by singing a single line.  You’ve heard her work, even if you’ve never heard of her.

Ever hear Barbra Streisand sing “Stoney End”?  That was a Nyro song.  Blood, Sweat, & Tears’ classic “And When I Die”?  Yep, Laura Nyro wrote that.  The 5th Dimension’s “Wedding Bell Blues”?  Got it in one.

I’ve always loved this song.  I can identify with the yearning for a romantic fairy tale ending (I’m a pretty, pretty princess who loves rainbows and flowers hidden the guise of a foul-mouthed cynic).  She sings of her love and loyalty for Bill, who seems to be hesitating about making that final commitment to her: “I haven’t lived one day not loving you only.”  There’s a resignation here, too, as if she knows on some level he’s never gonna get there, when she sings “And though devotion rules my heart, I take no bows, but Bill you never wanna take my wedding vows.”

I suppose it was no accident when The 5th Dimension covered this tune.  Singer Marilyn McCoo married Billy Davis in 1969.  Doing a little research for this post, I was kind of tickled to find out they’re still married today.  Which makes this clip from 1969 kind of funny.

This Bill took his vows pretty seriously.  Gotta love that.