Jay and the Americans

Now, Eddie admitted that at first he tried to downplay it, but he later realized that Doris was right.

He said that the lyrical reframing and the melody were genuinely close, but he also revealed that the track was consciously influenced by the pop sound of groups like Jay and the Americans, especially their hit Come A Little Bit Closer.

Come a little bit closer, you're my kind of man.

After Eddie relocated from New York to San Francisco, and then to Berkeley, California, uh, his big break arrived when concert promoter Bill Graham noticed him and became his manager.

Kenny Vance of Jay and Americans had a production office in the building and took an interest in their music.

In 1970, the pair joined Jay and the Americans' backing band.

There they performed under pseudonyms.

Becker chose Gustav Mahler, while Fagan chose Tristan Fabriani.

They stayed with Jay and the Americans until halfway through 1971.

Then they recorded the soundtrack for the low-budget film You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It, which was produced by the Americans' Kenny Vance.

Following the recording of the soundtrack, Becker and Fagan attempted to start a band with Denny Diaz, but the venture was unsuccessful.

The two would start each day at the top floor and cold knock on offices, playing their oddball compositions to anyone who would listen.

Despite this method of breaking into the business being a complete relic, they managed to catch the ear of Kenny Vance, who represented Jay and the Americans, a mostly nostalgia covers act by them.

Vance was able to get them in the door to sell a few songs, most notably the song I Mean to Shine, recorded by none other than Barbra Streisand.

During this time, their main goal was always to form a band to play their music.

All the subject matter was just so dark, or at least more sardonic than top 40 radio would allow at the time.

Vance also hooked them up with side jobs, because they needed some source of income.

Becker and Fagan ended up touring as backing musicians for Jay and the Americans, allowing them to cut their chops on piano and bass while on the road.

Vance also got them a job scoring the soundtrack for an independent film, You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat.

Well, we'll get to all of your texts when we were asking the question, your first piece of music that you purchased with your own money.

And I said that I bought two, and that was Jay and the Americans, Come a Little Closer, and Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison.

Same time I bought them, because I had $2 of babysitting money, and they were 69 cents each.

And I went down on Wells Street to Piper's Alley, and that's where I bought them.

Yes.

Um, the, uh, second, uh, lead singer, the second notable lead singer they had was, uh, John J. Trainor, who subsequently left and formed Jay and the Americans.

You guys know the songs Come a Little Bit Closer?

Mm-hmm.

And before the station ID, you know, we heard way back there a reason to cry from Lucinda Williams.

We heard Jay and the Americans give us a reason for living.

Yeah.

And we also heard Don McLean, and his song was just kind of telling us there's no reason to dream.