The invisible band - Minneapolis, my lost youth, the nineties
November 23, 2022 6:57 AM Subscribe
In Minneapolis in the mid to late nineties I saw a band. I have remembered this forever after but they otherwise do not seem to exist. Can you identify this band?
So, this was when retro acts were popular and it was a sort of swing-y forties-y band with a female singer and sort of forties-y songs - I was reminded of them because I heard the Andrews Sisters' "Christmas Island" at the grocery store.
The two songs I remember had the lyrics "when Sal became a millionaire, he decided that he did not care about anything but ballroom dance" and "I'd like to welcome you to Key Largo, such a nice place, such a nice scene".
I remember nothing more!
Googling these lyrics in quotes produces nothing. You know how rare that is? Nothing at all. Like the void.
Anyway, does this ring even the faintest of bells for you, various Gen X mefites? I would really like to hear that ballroom dance song again.
So, this was when retro acts were popular and it was a sort of swing-y forties-y band with a female singer and sort of forties-y songs - I was reminded of them because I heard the Andrews Sisters' "Christmas Island" at the grocery store.
The two songs I remember had the lyrics "when Sal became a millionaire, he decided that he did not care about anything but ballroom dance" and "I'd like to welcome you to Key Largo, such a nice place, such a nice scene".
I remember nothing more!
Googling these lyrics in quotes produces nothing. You know how rare that is? Nothing at all. Like the void.
Anyway, does this ring even the faintest of bells for you, various Gen X mefites? I would really like to hear that ballroom dance song again.
Best answer: The band is Deadly Nightshade Family Singers (link goes to Spotify)
That album has the two songs you're looking for, "Key Largo" and "Sal, the Millionaire"
(lesser-known older bands often don't have their full songs listed online, so doing a search for quoted lyrics may not turn up anything. But I used the search term [sal millionaire] and got it pretty quickly)
posted by castlebravo at 7:34 AM on November 23, 2022 [15 favorites]
That album has the two songs you're looking for, "Key Largo" and "Sal, the Millionaire"
(lesser-known older bands often don't have their full songs listed online, so doing a search for quoted lyrics may not turn up anything. But I used the search term [sal millionaire] and got it pretty quickly)
posted by castlebravo at 7:34 AM on November 23, 2022 [15 favorites]
Best answer: ('Sal' and 'Key Largo' on YouTube, album on Discogs)
posted by box at 8:09 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 8:09 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Yes, that's them! It all floods back now like biting into a madeleine! I remember those other songs!
But one more question: what is this "[ ]" search limiter thing? Searching for it isn't helping, perversely, and it's obviously much much better than searching for things in quotes.
posted by Frowner at 8:09 AM on November 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
But one more question: what is this "[ ]" search limiter thing? Searching for it isn't helping, perversely, and it's obviously much much better than searching for things in quotes.
posted by Frowner at 8:09 AM on November 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: "You call it madness! I call it love!" I remember!
posted by Frowner at 8:10 AM on November 23, 2022
posted by Frowner at 8:10 AM on November 23, 2022
Oh, sorry - I was just using the brackets in an effort to show that I wasn't typing "sal millionaire" in quotes in the search field. I literally just typed sal millionaire into Google, no quotes or other punctuation, but wasn't sure how to display that in text form so I picked brackets. No secret search tool, unfortunately!
posted by castlebravo at 8:15 AM on November 23, 2022
posted by castlebravo at 8:15 AM on November 23, 2022
Response by poster: Sigh. I thought that I was ignorant of some great computer thing because I didn't grow up with computers when it was just that I searched wrong. Oh well. I was searching "when sal became a millionaire" and then same words without quotes because I had no idea what the song title was and figured that while the lyrics wouldn't be on a lyrics site they would be somewhere but more words were not better, I guess.
Anyway! Thanks very much everyone! "Sal the Millionaire" is a really good song, highly recommended. And for years I've had a joke song that I sing fusing "You Call It Madness" and "Madness" by the second wave ska band Madness but could not for the life of me remember where the first part of the joke comes from. This is great.
posted by Frowner at 8:21 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Anyway! Thanks very much everyone! "Sal the Millionaire" is a really good song, highly recommended. And for years I've had a joke song that I sing fusing "You Call It Madness" and "Madness" by the second wave ska band Madness but could not for the life of me remember where the first part of the joke comes from. This is great.
posted by Frowner at 8:21 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Daily Alice at 7:06 AM on November 23, 2022