Sinister Ball

perpetua:

Huey Lewis and the News
“If This Is It”
Live in Grugahalle, 1984

For a band that couldn’t seem more normal, Huey Lewis and the News is a pretty unlikely phenomenon. Think of it this way: Can you name any other successful pop bands led by a beefy working class guy who sings extremely good-natured, all-ages rock tunes with a light R&B/soul affect? It’s really just them. “If This Is It” is a total sweetheart of a song, and probably their finest single. There’s some anxiety in the lyrics, but all you really hear is this guy’s earnest love for the chick he’s addressing. He’s so optimistic that it seems impossible to imagine that this complication between them is anything more than a silly misunderstanding.

When I was growing up, adult contemporary radio stations loved this song. To this day, it gives me fond sense memories of getting my hair cut in a Sugar Land strip mall salon.