Music Monday: Hearts of Stone by Southside Johnny

Last night, Rex and I went out to see Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes at Martell's Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. He's probably been performing there the last week of the summer for the past 25 or 30 years, and I've been going since I was in high school in the '80s.

Southside closed the show with a classic... Hearts of Stone:



You stare in the mirror at the lines in your face
And you try to see, girl
The way things were when we were at your place
In the days it was just you and me, girl
And you cry because things ain't like before
Well don't you know they can't be that way anymore
But don't worry baby

CHORUS

I can't talk now, I'm not alone
So put your ear close to the phone
'Cause this is the last dance
This is the last chance for hearts of stone

If there was something, baby, that I could do
Something that would last, honey, I would
But we all know, girl, especially you do
How you can't return to your past, no
So girl close your eyes and I'll be there
Hold me once more and we can go anywhere
Ah, we could

CHORUS

And you cry because things ain't like before
Well don't you know they can't be like that anymore

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We're Having A Party... Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes at Martell's Tiki Bar in Pt Pleasant Beach, NJ: Monday, August 31 & Tuesday, September 1

While I was raised on the Jersey bar band sounds of "We're Havin' A Party," "Talk to Me," and "I Don't Want To Go Home," I've never really known whether Southside Johnny has a following beyond New Jersey and the Tri-State area, or whether Bruce Springsteen is the only Jersey boy who's become a household name for the rest of the world. For most of the past twelve summers, Rex and I have made an annual tradition of seeing Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes at Martell's Tiki Bar in Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey.

We had some portion of the Jukes and La Bamba's Big Band at our wedding on the beach in September 1998 and at Rex's 60th birthday party at our house in Mendham a few years ago.

While London and Maddie had the good fortune to see their first concert (Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Tour at the Prudential Center in Newark NJ in December 2007) before they turned seven, my first concert was Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes at Somerset County College (now Raritan Valley Community College) in 1978, when I was twelve years old. Having learned proper groupie decorum from late night network TV (who remembers Midnight Special and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert??), I jumped the stage and grabbed onto bass player Gene Boccia's leg. 20 years later... Continue reading

I Don't Want to Go Home! Southside Johnny at Martell's Tiki Bar on the Boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

Oh, I know that it’s getting late
But I don’t want to go home
I’m in no hurry baby time can wait
‘Cause I don’t want to go home

Listen to the man sing his song
I don’t want to go home
I don’t mind if it takes all night long
‘Cause I don’t want to go home

Listen, baby, I know we had to try
To reach up and touch the sky, baby
Whatever happened to you and I
That I don’t want to go home?

Lord, look at how all the people stare
Said I don’t want to go home
In their minds I know they’ve all been there
I don’t want to go home

I know the words to this song are real
But, oh, I don’t want to go home
I know he’s talking ‘bout the way I feel
And I don’t want to go home

Listen, baby, I know we had to try
To reach up and touch the sky, baby
Whatever happened to you and I
That I don’t want to go home?

I want to hear people laughing and having a good time
I want to know why she told me she had to go
Why did she leave me lonely?

I know that it’s time to go
But I don’t want to go home
You can play play your blues, play ‘em soft and low
‘Cause I don’t want to go home

I know the words to this song are real
But, oh, I don’t want to go home
I know he’s talking ‘bout the way I feel
And I don’t want to go home

Rex and I made our annual trip to Martell's Tiki Bar on the Boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ, last night to see our all-time favorite bar band, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. Southside was in top form, singing lots of our favorites and letting each of his bandmembers share the spotlight... Bobby Bandiera, the Loveman Mark Pender, Joey Stann and Eddie Manion on saxophone, and of course, La Bamba La Bamba La Bamba!

I took the photo at the top of the post with my iPhone, so it's not such high quality, but I hope it gives you the feel for the atmosphere last night at the Tiki Bar.

Martell's Tiki Bar in Pt. Pleasant, NJ

Every summer, we go to see one of my favorite bar bands, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, at Martell's Tiki Bar in Pt. Pleasant, NJ. Dates for 2008 have not yet been announced, but Southside usually shows up at Martell's around Labor Day. We'll keep you posted when tickets go on sale.