In 1969 I was in Form 2 at Box Hill High School and all I could think about was pop music which didn't really help my schoolwork very much. I mean why do homework when you have the radio to listen to? Every essay and assignment I wrote was accompanied by pop music blaring from a tiny transistor radio. Then there was the TV with shows like Uptight which I watched religiously each week. This brings me to Johnny Farnham who was all over the show. He was big. Lots of hits most of which didn't appeal to me. However, this song was great. It was a cover of Three Dog Nights US hit which was a cover of Harry Nilsson's version from his first album. Not that I knew any of that. I just knew I was listening to a fantastic song that pulled on the heartstrings of a 13-year-old boy who didn't have a clue how to talk to girls but spent a lot of time thinking about them. And because of all the moving about between schools because of domestic problems, I was spending a lot of time on my own. I had spent 3 months at Croydon High School (co-ed yay) and just came back to Box Hill High (single-sex school)) But it might as well have been 3 years. I had to start building friendships all over again.
