SHE WAS A JEWISH GIRL.   I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER.
SHE WROTE HER NUMBER ON THE BACK OF MY HAND.

And here, folks, is another borderline novelty (and pretty darned cool) song written and performed by somebody who wasn't from California, but New York.   Dean Friedman had this hit and another, according to his web site (I don't remember it), and that was about it for 'above the radar,' although he has done soundtrack work over the years, and now owns a VR game development company.

I think the song Ariel was a mildly rude awakening for me, because it was dirtier than the people who programmed AM radio stations had any idea it was, as innocent as it probably seems now.  The line, "I said, hi she said, yeah, guess I am,''  floored me.  The song came out in '77, so I was about thirteen.  Makes sense -- I was old enough to 'get it,' and also old enough to find it fairly obvious that a lot of doltish, stodgy adults didn't.

For this reason, lots of songs made it through the filters long enough to develop demand even though they were risque or downright raunchy.  If the PD at the station in Cincinnati playing this song had really thought about the lyrics, this single would have wound up as an ashtray and they'd have added another Elvis song to the rotation, instead.  Don't even bring up Lady Marmalade, in other words.

I found this one on Napster, I'm not ashamed to say.  Because to be painfully honest, as cool as Mr. Friedman's life seems to be, the only thing he ever did that I had any interest in was Ariel.  And when I found it and listened to it, I realized it was as cool and funny as I'd thought it was twenty-four years ago.  But to actually buy the album it was on is another thing entirely.

Sorry, Dean.  If you still get residuals on that stuff, and you want me to send you a buck or two for not buying that tune, let me know.  If I'd bought the single back in '77, it would have cost me about a buck-three, since singles were 99¢ at that point, and sales tax in Ohio was 5%.  Now, you can't buy a vinyl single except at a flea market, and the state sales tax is 6% anyway.

Even though e-mail is free, I'm thinking it's probably not worth pursuing it.  But really, I'll send you the buck-three.  No really.