Met a little girl,
Her name was June,
A little bit south
Of Saskatoon
Some songs fit so perfectly into a time and place that even something you normally wouldn’t enjoy becomes, well, definitive.
I’m not a fan of country, regardless of the time period. I’m not throwing shade here, it’s just not my jam. But when you hear Sonny James singling wistfully about a girl named June from the Canadian prairies, and play that over a montage of a minor league hockey team traveling by bus, it’s a perfect fit. I felt that way the first time I saw that pairing in the movie Slap Shot, and every one of the dozens of times I saw it again later, the perfection of the connection of song and story solidifying with each watching. It’s beyond right. I can’t imagine a better choice.
I actually bought this 7” specifically with he idea that I’d blog about it. Which sounds incredibly stupid even as I type these words, because it’s not as if I need a physical copy of something to write about it. But somehow… somehow holding a copy in my hands seemed… necessary. And after spinning it a few times on my record player, I have no regrets.
I knew exactly nothing about Sonny James before buying this record. And… damn, what a career my man had! From 1967 to 1971 Sonny had 16 consecutive singles reach #1 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. Let me say that one more time. Sixteen. Consecutive. Number. One. Singles. If you widen that span a little, from 1964 to 1972, his run of 26 singles found 25 reaching the Top 3 and 21 making it to #1 (the only “miss” was a Christmas song called “Barefoot Santa Claus” that failed to chart at all and sounds kinda awful based on the title alone). Oh, and he had 21 Top 10 albums too. Legend.
“A Little Bit South of Saskatoon” only made it to #6, but I’m guessing it’s how a lot of folks, like me, know Sonny. I’m not sure of the story behind how it was selected for the film, but whoever made that choice deserves an Oscar. As for the B side, well, I don’t think I’ll ever play “Home Style Lovin’” again (which of course makes me think of a line from the movie – “Don’t ever play ‘Lady of Spain’ again!”).