Bobby Welch Remembers

My morning walk to work is the same every day.  I like the routine to be honest.  I like the “walk” part.  Out of the subway and onto Boylston Street, with my headphones on.  To the coffee shop and then into the Prudential Mall, past closed shops and carts.

To the elevators that lift me up to my office.

With my iPod on shuffle most mornings, I click past songs until I find a suitable soundtrack. I search for something to get me to my desk, something that puts a smile on my face and sparks a good mood.

Over the past few weeks one song continues to reappear in the shuffle.

The song is “Remembering You,” by Bobby Welch.  It appears on a bonus CD included with the Numero Group release,
Local Customs: Lone Star Lowlands


It is a collection of obscure recordings from a small recording studio in Beaumont, Texas.  Welch shows up on the main release as well, but this track stands out more than any other.

The song begins with a thumping bass line and drum beat that is quickly joined by rhythm guitar.  From here the song could go in any direction, funk groove, deep soul or (as it does) laid-back top forty-circa 1976 – will all of the previous parts as its steady backbone.

There’s a southern vibe and even a bubble gum feel.  Welch’s voice is all at once likeable and familiar, a long-lost Tony Burrows could-have-been hit about a past love.  He is remembering.  It’s a simple song, yet remarkably sincere.  It has a beat, a hook and a sing-along quality.

You don’t hear that combination on the radio anymore.

I have no doubt that every lyric, each line of this song, has been repeatedly expressed on Facebook in the many (re)connections being made with friends and acquaintances from past lives.  Welch’s song takes us back to a time long gone.  He helps us remember.  


Remembering you
The things you used to say
Makes me feel like, thinking about times gone by
And things said yesterday

I’m remembering the good times
Yes they were all so good
When I gave what I gave to you
I gave the best I could
There were no bad times I’m remembering
I’m remembering you



(with thanks to D. Perry - FJ)