1970 Christie: Yellow River

For those of us of a certain age, it's hard to divorce the song 'Yellow River' from the television advert from the early seventies that used it's tune and chorus hook to promote the wonders of 'Yellow Pages' - "Let your fingers, do the walking, Yellow Pages". And so on. I used to believe that, much like the New Seekers or Robin Beck, the chart topping song was a re-written widescreen version of the advert itself. But not a bit of it - 'Yellow River' was an original song written and sung by Jeff (not Tony as some would have you believe) Christie with The Tremoloes as his backing band.

Musically, we're back in Edison Lighthouse Anglo power pop mode as Yorkshireman Christie recounts the thoughts of someone finally returning from an unspecified war to their home and lover in Yellow River. It would be very convenient to point to the contemporary war in Vietnam as its inspiration, but the song also talks about 'cannon fire' which suggests something more historical, though this of course could be metaphorical. But whatever, it's this lack of specifics that ensures 'Yellow River' didn't come pre-stamped with a sell by date, making it a song for all ages and all conflicts.

But alas, it's not much use having such ambivalent lyrics if you can't actually understand what's being said. Christie rushes through the verses like he has a train to catch and in a muffled style that sounds like he caught a bullet in the jaw during that war (maybe he was invalided out?) And this coupled with a thin, metallic production that clangs where it should clout means that, like some proto version of a Vic Reeves club singer, you can only make out every third or so word of the verses:

"Pwmf mft guns dfwn the wyris won
Flfmmy glass hythe time hsfcoyme
M gornng back tothu place thtie love yellow river"

And they mumble by until the chorus kicks in, and that's clear enough:

"Yellow river yellow river is in my mind and in my eyes
Yellow river yellow river is in my blood it's the place I love"

And it's a chorus that sells the song, because regardless of any anti-war message it may or may not have, it's pure bubblegum at heart, albeit bubblegum wearing its father's trousers and on that level at least it manages to pull itself clear of the box marked 'period piece'. But only just mind.