O is for... Only Wanna Be With You

Hootie & The Blowfish is an American rock band that formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. Their 1994 debut album, Cracked Rear View, was the 16th-best-selling album of all time in the US, having been certified platinum 16 times. The group was especially popular in Canada, having three number-one singles in the country. They have sold over 21 million albums in the United States alone. If you don't have a copy of Cracked Rear View, I highly recommend that you pick it up. GREAT ALBUM!

In 2008, Rucker announced that Hootie & The Blowfish would be going on hiatus so that he could pursue his solo career as a country music performer. Although the band is no longer recording or touring, Rucker confirmed that they will still perform their scheduled charity concerts, stating, "We have four charity gigs every year and we will still do them, but we will not do a record or tour." Rucker also said "To be honest with you, we're not even split up right now, and we're not really thinking about splitting up."

Hootie & The Blowfish have become known not only for their music, but also for their charity work. The entire band and crew traveled to New Orleans for five days of building houses in Musicians' Village, on October 16–20, 2006. The band's members are avid golfers, and have sponsored the annual spring Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament, benefiting local charities, since 1995.

Hootie & The Blowfish toured through the Middle East and Europe supporting American troops during a USO Tour. One highlight of the tour was on December 5, 1998, when Darius Rucker broke into an a cappella solo of the National Anthem during the lowering of colors on board USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which was docked in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. The band then played an extended concert for crew members of the aircraft carrier.

Each year from 2005 through 2009, Hootie and the Blowfish performed at The Animal Mission’s 'Party Animals' silent auction and concert to benefit the shelter animals in Columbia, South Carolina. Each year the event raised over $100,000 and allowed the organization to provide a free spay/neuter program for the Southern community’s pets. Hootie and the Blowfish reunited to do a show at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey on 18 October 2008, to show their support for the troops.

Hootie and The Blowfish have also donated the rights to their best-selling song "Hold My Hand" to aid the working poor. Leading the effort for the band is songwriter and drummer Jim Sonefeld who teamed with the nationally ranked Benedict College Gospel Choir to produce a new recording of the song. Taking its cue from the song's lyrics, organizers are calling the project, With A Little Love. The idea came about as non-profits across the country struggled to raise money during the recession. The message behind "Hold My Hand", first recorded in 1994, was a perfect fit for the current day struggles of many working poor.

"Only Wanna Be with You" was released in July 1995 as the third single from their breakthrough album, Cracked Rear View. It peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, number one on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, number 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Again, If you don't already own this album, you REALLY SHOULD!

One verse of the song describes "[putting] on a little Dylan." The verse then references three songs on the first side of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks album. The lyric "sittin' on a fence" quotes Dylan's "You're a Big Girl Now." The song then references and quotes extensively from the next song on the album, Dylan's "Idiot Wind". The song then mentions Dylan's "Tangled up in Blue." Apparently, however, Dylan felt that the references to his works infringed on his original work, causing him to sue Hootie for unauthorized use of his lyrics. Dylan received a large, out-of-court settlement in 1995.

Also mentioned in the bridge of the song is a reference "that the Dolphins make me cry," alluding to Darius Rucker's favorite football team and their championship drought.
(bio and story courtesy of wikipedia)

And now... for today's earworm:

https://youtu.be/Ln6WQqRDrCo

What does tomorrow bring?

Will it be Paula Abdul?  Pantera?  Pink Floyd?

or maybe "Plug In Baby"?  "Parents Just Don't Understand"?  "Pinball Wizard"?

or perhaps a style/genre - Pop? Prog? Pastoral?

Tune in to find out!

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