Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).
Welcome to the Boomtown (1986)
The 1980s were seen by some as a time of great prosperity, but there were a lot of folks having a tough time in the midst of all that. For many, that meant struggling with drugs, debt and domestic violence. On their only album, David + David focused on the stories of troubled characters living in Los Angeles in the mid-'80s.
Made up of LA studio musicians David Baerwald (vocals) and David Ricketts, the duo released the album Boomtown in July 1986. The lead single, "Welcome to the Boomtown," was a biting look at a few of those characters struggling with their daily existences.
"Ms. Cristina drives a nine four four/Satisfaction oozes from her pores/She keeps rings on her fingers/Marble on her floor/Cocaine on her dresser/Bars on her doors/She keeps her back against the wall/She keeps her back against the wall/So I say/I say welcome, welcome to the boomtown/Pick a habit/We got plenty to go around/Welcome, welcome to the boomtown/All that money makes such a succulent sound/Welcome to the boomtown."
Musically, the sound is hooky pop-rock and a little '80s-slick, befitting their session background, but Ricketts' distorted guitar provides a nice edge to the proceedings.
"Handsome Kevin got a little off track/Took a year off of college/And he never went back/Now he smokes too much/He's got a permanent hack/Deals dope out of Denny's/Keeps a table in the back/He always listens to the ground/Always listens to the ground/So I say/I say welcome, welcome to the boomtown/Pick a habit/We got plenty to go around/Welcome, welcome to the boomtown/All that money makes such a succulent sound/Welcome to the boomtown."
And as happens from time to time, the story didn't end well for at least one of Baerwald's characters. "Well, the ambulance arrived too late/I guess she didn't want to wait."
The song was a minor hit, getting plenty of play on rock radio and cracking the top 40 in the U.S. at #37. The album was also a hit, reaching #39 on the Billboard 200. Boomtown also spawned two other radio hits, "Swallowed by the Cracks" and "Ain't So Easy"; the latter got to #51 on the Hot 100 and had a video starring a young Gabriel Byrne.
David + David toured behind the album but split up shortly afterwards. They both collaborated with Sheryl Crow on her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club. Baerwald released two solo albums, 1990's excellent Bedtime Stories and 1993's Triage. He has been working as a songwriter and score composer for films and television in recent years. Ricketts co-wrote and produced singer Toni Childs' debut album Union and also worked with Robbie Robertson and Meredith Brooks.
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