We like to sample a variety of radio stations while driving and occasionally Mike turns to WEVL. Initially I thought the call letters stood for boll weevil, the tiny beetle that almost devastated southern cotton crops. Seemed like a bad choice.
But I was corrected and learned that it stood for “we volunteer.” Well, it’s a Memphis station and Tennessee is the Volunteer State, so that made sense. TN being called the Volunteer State always made me chuckle, though. Back in the War of Northern Aggression, TN was the last state to secede and then the first to re-join the Union. Looked to me like “volunteering” had a lot to do with the latest info from the odds maker.
Anyway, I was wrong on that, too. WEVL is an all-volunteer radio station – a great idea. A variety of announcers have time slots and they choose their own play lists. You can almost always count on non-traditional fare. Some of it is great stuff that you won’t hear anyplace else. Some of it is just stuff you won’t hear anyplace else and thank goodness.
For instance, we had the pleasure of hearing “I’m Gonna Get Back at Elvis’ Sergeant,” a ditty that apparently did not hit the charts when El was drafted. We also heard “She Pays for The Loving,” which seemed to be the gigolos’ anthem.
I think our favorite, however, was “Fujiama Mama” by Wanda Jackson, one of the few female rockabilly stars back in the 50s. Surprisingly, “Mama” was a big hit in Japan -- #1 for six months. She was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, still tours and is quite popular in Europe. You’re just hankerin’ for some of those lyrics, aren’t you?
I've been to Nagasaki Hiroshima too
The same I did to them baby I can do to you.Cause I'm a Fujiyama mama and I'm just about to blow my top.Fujiyama-yama FujiyamaAnd when I start erupting ain't nobody gonna make me stopI drink a quart of sakey, smoke dynamite.I chase it with tobaccy and then shoot out the light.Cause I'm a Fujiyama mama...[ guitar ]Well you can talk about me, say that I'm mean.I'll blow your head off baby with nitroglycerine.Cause I'm a Fujiyama mama...
I think you’ll probably agree that there’s just nothing left to say.
But I was corrected and learned that it stood for “we volunteer.” Well, it’s a Memphis station and Tennessee is the Volunteer State, so that made sense. TN being called the Volunteer State always made me chuckle, though. Back in the War of Northern Aggression, TN was the last state to secede and then the first to re-join the Union. Looked to me like “volunteering” had a lot to do with the latest info from the odds maker.
Anyway, I was wrong on that, too. WEVL is an all-volunteer radio station – a great idea. A variety of announcers have time slots and they choose their own play lists. You can almost always count on non-traditional fare. Some of it is great stuff that you won’t hear anyplace else. Some of it is just stuff you won’t hear anyplace else and thank goodness.
For instance, we had the pleasure of hearing “I’m Gonna Get Back at Elvis’ Sergeant,” a ditty that apparently did not hit the charts when El was drafted. We also heard “She Pays for The Loving,” which seemed to be the gigolos’ anthem.
I think our favorite, however, was “Fujiama Mama” by Wanda Jackson, one of the few female rockabilly stars back in the 50s. Surprisingly, “Mama” was a big hit in Japan -- #1 for six months. She was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, still tours and is quite popular in Europe. You’re just hankerin’ for some of those lyrics, aren’t you?
I've been to Nagasaki Hiroshima too
The same I did to them baby I can do to you.Cause I'm a Fujiyama mama and I'm just about to blow my top.Fujiyama-yama FujiyamaAnd when I start erupting ain't nobody gonna make me stopI drink a quart of sakey, smoke dynamite.I chase it with tobaccy and then shoot out the light.Cause I'm a Fujiyama mama...[ guitar ]Well you can talk about me, say that I'm mean.I'll blow your head off baby with nitroglycerine.Cause I'm a Fujiyama mama...
I think you’ll probably agree that there’s just nothing left to say.
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WEVL's at 89.9 FM or listen on the Web at www.wevl.org/webcast.php
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