Song Of The Day 11/23: The Drifters, ‘Up On The Roof’
I retired from Trader Joe’s on Sunday. My right hip and my right leg made the decision for me. A fantastic 12-plus year run. The perfect post-career gig. Anyway, at least in part as a salute, they had on my fave satellite music station, ‘Mo-Soul’, during my shift. Nothing but soul and r & b from the ’60’s through the mid-seventies before disco took over.
‘Up On The Roof’ has long been my favorite song. I think I heard it for the first time while riding on the bus to JCC Summer Camp. I wasn’t even listening to rock’n roll back then, but something about that song hit me just right. It is, first and foremost, a perfect collaboration between a composer and a lyricist, Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Yes, the melody is gorgeous. But Goffin’s lyrics perfectly capture that experience of looking out over an NYC rooftop. Anybody who’s been there, as I have, can’t help but think of this song.
So, not only did ‘Up On The Roof’ play during my final shift, but we also heard it at our retirement celebration at Taverna, (we rode in a white limo from Trader Joe’s to the restaurant) which, I think, had the same satellite radio station on when we got there.
Ladeez and Gentlemen, My Favorite Song:
Hey, El Somnambulo,
Congratulations on your second retirement. I’ll miss looking for you whenever I go to TJs. You turned me on to some good products – I still pick a wedge of that Stilton whenever I get an unexpected windfall!
I hope that we see a lot more of you on DL now that you have more free time. Take care of that leg. We only get two!
BTW, was that the JCC camp at Sellers? My wife went there back in the day.
Best wishes and congrats from the Dinsmore household.
Yes it was. Down on River Road.
Thanks for the best wishes. I loved it there. Had so much fun. Great work atmosphere.
Maybe if we could have gotten back to giving out samples, I might have been able to hang on a little longer.
My last hour was great. Captain Pat let me reprise my Monsieur du Fromage character one last time. Mustache, goatee, beret, and my pidgin French. Gave away a case of our Cranberry Chevre.
Walked the gauntlet at 4, where all the crew members and mates gather in line up front to bid me goodbye. As I got to the door, my wife handed me a glass of champagne. We toasted in the direction of the mates, the crew and the customers. Then took our leave…
…into the white stretch limo we’d gotten for the event. Then, dinner at Taverna (no, we didn’t ask for the Darius booth) with my wife, oldest daughter, her husband, and my sister from Chicago. A great day!