There’s a voice that keeps on calling me
Shortly after I arrived in Vancouver, about three weeks ago, I asked my host Barb Tyson if she had ever recorded any jingles. She’s an actress, has worked for years doing voice-over work for radio and she hums a pretty mean tune while doing housework, so I thought it was a perfectly logical question. To be honest, I can’t remember if she replied yes or no, but she took all of about five seconds to say, “You need a theme song, mister.”
The first song that came to mind was “Taking The Long Way Around” by the Dixie Chicks. Someone at the hostel in Calgary had been playing it over and over and over. I don’t mind the Dixie Chicks, but they don’t go down well in some Tea Party-ish States that I’ll be visiting so best not rock that boat, I thought.
The Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man” won’t offend anyone but the line “I was born a rambling’ man” isn’t exactly true. I think it’s something I picked up as a young man when I lived a gypsy lifestyle following the prairie harness racing circuit.
Personally, I love “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash (and Stompin’ Tom’s Canadian version too) but until I’ve actually been somewhere, I don’t think I can adopt that one as mine.
Then Barb piped up, “The theme song from Littlest Hobo. That’s it. That’s YOU.”
If you aren’t Canadian, and even if you are a Canuck but not of an age that watched after school fare on CTV in the late 1970s, you can be excused for not knowing the Littlest Hobo, let alone his theme song.
The song was “Maybe Tomorrow” and it was written and performed by Terry Bush, son of iconic Canadian painter Jack Bush. If you have fond memories of the show – and I do as many episodes and part of the opening credits were shot in my hometown – then you might want to read this account of how the song came to be. If it were up to network executives, the song we know would not have made the cut.
Here’s a link to the article:
And here’s a link to an audio clip of the song:
One Response to “There’s a voice that keeps on calling me”
I feel “Maybe Tomorrow” suits you to a tee! Used to watch the Littlest Hobo as a child! Hope all is well and you’re enjoying your travels! All the best, Claudette! (Standardbredgal) 🙂