1976 Songs: Stand Tall

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The top ten starts tomorrow, and it’ll definitely be a tale of two decades: big hits from 1976, “who’s that” from 1986. You expect nothing less from me, and I’m happy to oblige. Speaking of “who’s that,” today I close out the alphabetical list with the “big hit” from this guy you usually say “who’s that” about. Stand Tall - Burton Cummings Burton Cummings was the lead singer for the Guess Who (oh, go on, guess who!!! ). Randy Bachman left that band and, by 1976, had run off a string of hits with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. BTO even did a song about Cummings (“Hey You”). Cummings struck out on his own with a superb debut album, which featured this top ten song. My favorite song, however, is the follow-up, “I’m Scared.” Unlike this song, it bombed as a single (which leads to the “who’s that” comments). This is a marvelous song of helping one through a hard time (“don’t do something you’ll regret later;” “all you’re feeling right now is silly human pride”). I still like “I’m Scared” better, but this definitely deserved its success. Fifty years later, Cummings and Bachman are still out there on tour, doing songs from their solo careers and Guess Who favorites. Rock on, Burton. Stand Tall Written by Burton Cummings Recorded by Burton Cummings From Burton Cummings, 1976 When there’s nothing here except my piano: