Today’s song is ‘Do That to Me One More Time’. This was a song performed by the American pop duo Captain & Tennille. It was their 13th charting hit in the United States, and their second Number 1 hit on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart. The song was included on the duo's 1979 studio album, ‘Make Your Move’, and was written by Toni Tennille
After a decline in popularity from the height of their success in the mid-1970s, ‘Do That to Me One More Time’ was a comeback for the duo. According to ‘Billboard’, the song is about sex, specifically ‘male virility.’ ‘Do That to Me One More Time’ became Captain & Tennille's second and final Number-one hit (also their final Top 40 song in the U.S.) when it reached the pinnacle of the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart the week ending February 16, 1980. It was their highest-charting hit on the ‘UK Singles Chart’, where it reached Number 7 in March 1980.
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When I was training to be a Probation Officer up in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1970, the only feasible way of completing the course when my home base was in West Yorkshire was to share a bungalow in Morpeth with three other course members. One of us had been a vicar, another a sports instructor and I’d worked in textiles.
The fourth shared house owner was Matt, a 49-year-old miner who’d got the surprise of his life when the Probation Service accepted him for Probation Officer qualification and training. Within the space of one month, Matt had progressed from the pit face to Polytechnic College. He’s discarded his helmet, overalls and hob-nailed boots and was now daily suited and booted and adorned in white shirt and tie. His hands now held a pen, writing pad and study book instead of a pickaxe and shovel, although he often said “They will find coal dust in my lungs and under my fingernails the day I die, Bill” The entire mining village where Matt lived was proud of him, as was Matt’s wife and family.
As with all students, whatever or wherever they study, we would stay up until the early morning hours discussing the world and all its problems over a few bottles of beer and a smoke and not going to bed until we had set the world right. I will never forget one evening, the conversation eventually got around to sex and the youngest among us called Laurie started bragging that he and his young wife would usually have sex at least twice a night and had been known to make love five times one night before forcing themselves to get up the next day.
We were all married, and I would guess that I probably made love the least often with my wife (twice a week if I was lucky). The vicar among us, Max, wasn’t about to allow a young whippersnapper like Laurie to outdo him, especially as he’d frequently boasted that his bald head marked him out as the most virile of us all. The night concluded with Laurie and Max (youth versus experience) trying to outdo the other in the stamina stakes and come out as ‘Top Dog’. Whilst Max and Laurie continued to guild the lily, I sat back and listened in amusement.
Meanwhile, Matt, who’d been happily married for thirty years stayed very quiet. Matt was the most modest of men and was probably the most liked person on this course of mature students. He’d been married since the age of 17 years (almost 33 years) and had a family of four children and numerous grandchildren. Matt’s marriage span was longer than I’d been born and even stretched back to before Laurie’s parents had left Secondary Modern School. Matt was eventually invited to contribute his two penneth worth to the macho discussion taking place.
Matt had frequently talked about walking his wife along the cliff tops and the seafront where he lived during his weekends back home, and although we would only get a smile out of him when we used to press him if ever 'got a breezy bottom' on the cliff tops during his romantic weekends, we all guessed that they had gone the full distance on many a cliff-top stroll between Redcar and Middlesbrough.
After thinking a while, Matt smiled wryly and simply said, ‘It matters not one jot who did it the most. If tha’ does it right the first time, no second helpings are required!”, thereby revealing himself to be the wisest among all four of us.
I always think of Matt whenever I hear this song. Sadly, Matt never did complete the one-year course at Newcastle Polytechnic College. He lived in Redcar and would go home to his wife and family every weekend without fail and return for the first lesson (invariably late) on the following Monday; invariably. Approximately two months before the course ended, while driving home to Redcar for the weekend, Matt had a heart attack at the wheel and was found dead after his body was retrieved the crashed car. Fortunately, no other car was involved in this tragic incident.
Matt was ever so popular in his mining community where he and his family lived, and his funeral was attended by more people than I had ever seen gathered in one church. I cried throughout the entire service, as did most of the congregation. I remain proud of having known Matt and shared an important part of his life and year with him in 1971 at Newcastle. God bless you and all your family, Matt. Forever friends. Bill x
I dedicate today’s song to Grace Chris Rumble. As stated in previous dedications, the content matter of my dialogue which accompanies my daily song choice bears no relation to my choice of subject for dedication, and when it does, I clearly say so. Thank you, Grace, for being my Facebook friend.
Love and peace Bill xxx