1986...small town Ohio Elyria West High School's Senior Prom! A date with my "best girlfriend" (uh huh)! And the song that reminds me most of this occassion?

"Say you, Say Me?"
"I Miss You" by Klymaxx?
"Broken Wings?"
"Greatest Love of All?"

Nope. Try the Woodentops' "Give It Time."

Huh?

Let me explain...our senior prom was awful and hideous. We didn't even have a live band like Midview High's prom (Me & the Boys, a local new wave-ish cover band with a hot chick singer that would do Berlin and Missing Persons tunes). We had OUR ENGLISH TEACHER as our DJ playing just the worst Top 40 shit. The only solid memory I have is of our after prom at some rec center where the dancing and prize giveaways continued. I won a prize package that included a free month's membership at a new local gym (ah, if only I'd gone then instead of six years later...) and a bunch of promotional 45s.

One of these was The Woodentops' "Give It Time".



I was immediately drawn to this tune's laconic, lazy mood, complete with a James-ish trumpet solo. It just reminds me of summer days on a hammock, lemonade in hand (has anyone really done that? Ever? No?). On the strength of this song, I ended up getting both Woodentops albums on CD when they were re-released in the late '80s. I have to admit, I don't think I've ever listened to either one all the way thru. Woodentops fans? Am I missing out?

Download "Give It Time".

Did I just write about my effin' senior prom? Oh, God. I'm horrible.

"Give It Time" did not chart.