Song of the Day 11/5: Stephen Bishop, “On and On”

How long will the vote counting last? It just goes on and on…

Try to relax with a little yacht rock. Back in 1976, when the mellow music of Southern California was known, oxymoronically, as soft rock, Stephen Bishop released his debut album, “Careless,” and what would remain his biggest hit. “On and On” climbed to only No. 11 on the Billboard 100 and No. 2 on what was then called the Easy Listening (now Adult Contemporary) chart, but it stayed on the charts for nearly seven months, making it the No. 30 single in the year’s final tally. BTW, kids, here he looks like a 1976 Know Your LA Hipsters poster.

Bishop had been working as a songwriter for years before landing his recording contract; Art Garfunkel lobbied for him after using two of Bishop’s tunes on his “Breakaway” LP. Unfortunately for Bishop, the Dark Days of Disco harshed soft rock’s mellow, and after 1980 he went a decade without a new album. He turned instead to film work, often making cameo appearances in addition to contributing to the soundtrack. His most notable movie turn was, again, his first, in a famous scene from 1978’s “Animal House.” His throwback-folkie look is so different even people who knew him from his music didn’t recognize him. BTW, he still has the smashed guitar.