I don’t remember the first time I watched Kelly’s Heroes with my dad, though I was likely pretty young, and he showed me a lot of old war movies. I do remember being utterly transfixed by the opening credits sequence, Clint Eastwood driving an army jeep through war-torn Europe during World War II, bombs blasting, and the military beat and choral-pop of The Mike Curb Congregation playing all the while. It’s the perfect way to open a movie, a wartime comedy featuring a slew of stars all about stealing some nazi gold. It’s funny and well made, and the Lalo Schifrin score is top notch, but that opening song is the crown jewel. And it always makes me think of that movie…which in turn, always makes me think of my dad.
I’m not overly familiar with the oeuvre of The Mike Curb Congregation. They don’t necessarily have a full, extended catalog to sift through, although they did contribute a song to Richard Nixon’s election campaign…so, I guess there’s that. To put their sound in a modern context, they’re kind of like The Polyphonic Spree minus the psychedelia and cult robes. And apparently republican. “Burning Bridges” is a wonder though, a perfect pop song, a hook-laden earworm that is certainly a guilty pleasure for some, but a real pleasure for me. Chorus sung, melancholic, glorious vibes…what more could you ask for?
Before I went to college, I lifted a bunch of my dad’s old records to take with me, knowing full well that I would likely never give any of them back. That Kelly’s Heroes soundtrack was one of the only ones he ever missed or inquired about.
“Burning bridges lost forevermore.”
Check it out below, our Daily Jam.
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