Adrian Belew's Ditty For The Daddies Rings True With Realism

Over his illustrious career Adrian Belew has placed his prolific finger in many pots, among them the work of Frank Zappa, King Crimson, David Bowie, and the quirky experimental femme Laurie Anderson. In 1988 he uncorked a solo single, "Oh Daddy" which was a taste of the pop parent life. Throughout the song various inquisitive children's questions are asked. "When are you going to make it to the top?" Adrian responds with, "All I know is I'm not going to stop. "When you gonna break it wide open?" To this Adrian replies, "I don't know but I still keep hopin'" On and on the questions follow in the mold of, "When will we get our taste of the good life?" Never once does Daddy promise anything other than effort until he gets it just right. The mood here is as breezy as the world of a little girl or boy asking all those precocious questions might be. Adrian drops a bass heavy vibe into the proceedings as well as a chopping sequence of drums. As an artist employing both guitar and guitar synthesizer he knows how to maintain an optimum level of silliness. Overall what's cute about this effort is, even though I'm not a parent myself, I'm certain a great many who are have to fend off these larger than life questions on a quasi-regular basis. Also I'm willing to bet said questions aren't satisfied with ready answers. If there's one thing children, particularly the smaller ones know how to do, it's keep their parents off guard. You never know when that lightning bolt of curiosity will come straight out of nowhere. No instruction manual is available for parents who need a referral book  to deflect such posers. "Oh Daddy" is gentle pussycat fare with a childhood friendly commitment to fun. During 1988, a year when a  lot of benign to the point of senility adult contemporary fare was saturating the airwaves (Think "Kokomo" or   the studio glossed medley Will to Power put together for "Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird") "Oh Daddy" put the emphasis on goofiness but in the service of something universal we all could laugh at a bit, even if said laugh took the form of a quiet chortle. Too bad the promising session gig with Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails tribe didn't come to fruition. Many lovers of razor sharp musicianship will be missing out. Thanks Mr. Belew for showcasing a sensitive side. It helped others peace out. Until next time, Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.