I have found a new obsession in this brilliant “ear worm” song and early music video, “Daddy’s Song.” This extraordinary dance-film number was choreographed by Toni Basil who appears in the video in tandem with Davy Jones, of the Monkees.
It’s from the cult-favorite movie Head (1968) co-written by Jack Nicholson, directed by Bob Rafelson with cinematography Michel Hugo. Two men have editing credit on the film: Michael Pozen and Monte Hellman, a legendary producer/director/editor who is a colleague of Quentin Tarantino.
On a recent television broadcast Tarantino expressed his great affection for this razzle-dazzle dance number. I love the loose goofiness of Jones’s dancing and, of course, how could you miss it, the switcheroo b/w staging and flash editing.
Apparently Frank Zappa liked it as well. He appears in “Head” at the end of the sequence urging Jones to return to his music and give up on his dancing.
It’s so special! Thank you for sharing. // DEBRA
In later years, David used this song in his solo shows, and his wife was his dance partner. It was always a highlight!