FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 10, 2003

DEAR JERRY: My mother and I were recently listening to “Donna Fargo's Greatest Hits” album, when an issue came up that we can't resolve without your help.

Knowing Donna writes most of her songs, it is clear that “Little Girl Gone” is about her relationship with her father. But we can't figure out the story behind “You Were Always There.”

It could easily be about a mother or a father, another relative, or perhaps even a friend.

Please settle this and tell us who it was that was always there.
—Cynthia Mossier, Lakeland, Fla.

DEAR CYNTHIA: Interestingly, these two tunes were consecutive hits for Fargo, in mid-1973.

“You Were Always There” came first, and it is indeed dedicated to Donna's mother. Next came “Little Girl Gone,” for daddy, thereby paying tribute to both parents.

Reflecting on “You Were Always There,” as well as relationships in general, Donna writes the following:

“It was such a strange feeling when my mother died. She was only in her fifties, and I didn't think she would ever die.

“When I was in grammar school and high school, I was also working in the [Mount Airy, North Carolina] tobacco fields, so we didn't see that much of each other.

“I tried to say in “You Were Always There” that we should really let the people we love know how much we love them, while they are alive.”

DEAR JERRY: I am a member of an acoustic trio, this after years of being in rock and roll bar bands playing a wide variety of music.

My band mates and I have found a song that we are sure is by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. It is titled “Blow Me a Kiss,” and is likely from the late '50s or early '60s. We have recently started performing this song, which is pretty racy with a lot of sexual overtones. It is done in the typical Dean & Jerry duet style.

Needless to say, “Blow Me a Kiss” is always a hit when we play it at the clubs. Often, someone will come up after we sing it and want to know where it can be bought. But we don't know.

We have only been able to find it online, and it does not seem to be on any of Dean's albums. Can you give us some info on where we can find a CD “Blow Me a Kiss”?
—Stephen Purdy, Gig Harbor, Wash.

DEAR STEPHEN: There are two Indianapolis-based morning dee jays who will be flattered to learn they have successfully fooled a pack of professional entertainers.

Syndicated radio personalities Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold put forth their best Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis impersonations on “Blow Me a Kiss.”

This of course explains why you cannot find this track on any of Dean's albums.

For awhile, Bob & Tom offered free downloads online of about a half-dozen different versions of “Blow Me a Kiss.” They also made a couple of CDs, one of which includes “Blow Me a Kiss.”

Now you are equipped to deal with those inquiring minds in the audience.

For the record, Dean and Jerry only recorded together from 1948 through 1956.

Yet that is exactly how Donna Fargo exploded on the scene in 1972, with four straight No. 1s: “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.; Funny Face; Superman;” and “You Were Always There.”

Donna's next hit, “Little Girl Gone,” nearly made it five in a row, but stalled at No. 2.

For “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” Fargo won the '72 Grammy for Best Female Country Performance, along with the Country Music Association Single of the Year award.