Song of the Day 3/3: Paul Pena, “Jet Airliner”
A song of some personal significance today as I take to the skies in defiance of the coronavirus. You’ve heard this tune before, because Steve Miller had a No. 8 hit with it in 1977. This is the original, recorded by Pena in 1973 for “New Train,” an album that went unreleased because of a beef with the record label. The album was finally released in 2000, long after the song became a hit for Miller.
Miller reimagined the tune as straight-ahead guitar rock, changed a few of the lyrics and smoothed out the funky beat to create a classic-rock staple. Released as a single from the “Book of Dreams” LP in 1977, it was Miller’s last Top 10 hit until 1982’s “Abracadabra.”
Once “New Train” was finally released, Pena briefly toured to publicize it, including this June 2001 appearance on Conan O’Brien’s show.
I wonder if you’ll be able to lay down across three seats?
It’s not that empty, but I always go on Tuesdays. It’s supposedly the lightest travel day except for Saturday. I read it in a listicle once so it must be true.
Paul Pena had a truly fascinating career. He heard Tuvan throat singing over shortwave radio back in the 1980s. He became so fascinated with the music that he not only learned the music, but also learned how to speak the Tuvan language. At the time, there were no Tuvan to English dictionaries, only Tuvan to Russian. So he learned Russian in order to learn Tuvan, despite being completely blind from childhood glaucoma.
In 1995, Pena was invited to compete in the Tuvan Throat Singing Symposium in Tuva’s capital, Kyzyl. He was the only Westerner to perform, and won in the Kargyraa singing category.
All of this is documented in the wonderful documentary, “Genghis Blues,” which, if anyone is interested, is available in the New Castle County Library system. One copy is available at the Brandywine Hundred Library.