Love Tommy
1968 · Warner Bros. 7158 · Burbank, California
- Artist
- Becky Lamb
- Title
- Love Tommy
- Release
- Love, Tommy / If I'm Elected President in 1968
- Year
- 1968
- Label
- Warner Bros. # 7158
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Burbank, California, USA
- Genre
- Novelty · Novelty
- Primary theme
- US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
Annotation
Becky Lamb returned to the scene in 1968, a year after her hit "Little Becky's Christmas Wish" (see above). Billboard reported on 13 January that the "youngster scored heavily at Christmas with her initial outing 'Becky's Christmas Wish'. This follow-up carries the story line through to a patriotic climax. Well done and deserving of attention". (1) So the song "Love, Tommy" (Warner Bros. Records # 7158) started with a man, Tommy, narrating a letter to Becky from Vietnam: "Dear Becky, how could a guy be so lucky to have a wonderful sister like you. As you read this letter, I am thousands of miles from home". Then Little Becky took over the narration (reading out Tommy's letter), in which Tommy explained that the US needed to fight the war in order to preserve freedom. Furthermore, Tommy argued that if the US failed, or people refused to fight (i.e. draft dodgers), then Americans might "never have another holiday". Therefore, he felt "a wonderful feeling to wear the uniform of freedom". In the b-side song, "If I'm Elected President in 1968", Becky set out her platform for the 1968 election, to the chants of "we want Becky, we want Becky". She pledged to talk to Senator Everett…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — Draft Songs
Becky Lamb returned to the scene in 1968, a year after her hit "Little Becky's Christmas Wish" (see above). Billboard reported on 13 January that the "youngster scored heavily at Christmas with her initial outing 'Becky's Christmas Wish'. This follow-up carries the story line through to a patriotic climax. Well done and deserving of attention". (1) So the song "Love, Tommy" (Warner Bros. Records # 7158) started with a man, Tommy, narrating a letter to Becky from Vietnam: "Dear Becky, how could a guy be so lucky to have a wonderful sister like you. As you read this letter, I am thousands of miles from home". Then Little Becky took over the narration (reading out Tommy's letter), in which Tommy explained that the US needed to fight the war in order to preserve freedom. Furthermore, Tommy argued that if the US failed, or people refused to fight (i.e. draft dodgers), then Americans might "never have another holiday". Therefore, he felt "a wonderful feeling to wear the uniform of freedom".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Becky Lamb was a child performer who, at approximately six years old, recorded the 1967 Warner Bros. spoken-word novelty 'Little Becky's Christmas Wish' (b/w 'Go To Sleep Little Lamb', performed by her father Bill Lamb, described as a longtime radio show host in Flint, Michigan) - a letter to Santa asking for the return of her brother Tommy from Vietnam, strongly implying he had been killed. The pair followed later in 1967 with a non-charting Warner Bros. single, 'Love, Tommy' b/w 'If I'm Elected President in 1968', which continues the same storyline; this is the record represented by rows…
Themes
In collections
Children on Record · Draft Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs