David + David charted with “Welcome to the Boomtown”

Welcome to the Boomtown David + David

Writer(s): David Baerwald, David Ricketts (see lyrics here) First Charted: August 16, 1986 Peak: 37 US, 8 AR, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1,45 video, 2.82 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Handsome Kevin got a little off track/ Took a year off from college and he never went back There are some lines in songs that stick with you. For me, this was one of the biggest. This song hit the charts in the fall of 1986 just as I was headed into my sophomore year of college. It was arguably the low point of my life as I was discouraged by a lack of direction. I would eventually drop out of college, albeit after four and a half years and a mere semester away from graduating. In the song, Kevin ends up dealing drugs. The song also offered a snapshot of Ms. Cristina, a rich but paranoid cocaine junky who the song implies dies of an overdose by the end of the song. I can happily say I never had a drug problem and, unlike Kevin, my respite from college was temporary; I finished my degree a few years later once I had some work experience under my belt and had a better vision of what I wanted out of life. Nonetheless, those words stuck with me as a reminder of how people can lose focus in their lives and find themselves in despair. Ironically, though, the song also stuck with me because of its irrestible beat. There’s no song better to crank up on the road as one does an air drum solo on the steering wheel. The song was the debut single for the duo of David Baerwald and David Ricketts, better known as David + David. As a David myself, I jokingly refer to them as the best-named band in the history of music. Rolling Stone called their album, Boomtown, one of the year’s most impressive debuts.” PP They were signed to a record contract in the fall of 1985 after meeting at a club in the in Southern California and hanging out and writing songs. PP It was the only album by the duo, but they continued to work together in different capacities, most notably as part of the Tuesday Night Music Club collective that created Sheryl Crow’s debut album. Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for David + David DMDB Encyclopedia entry for David Baerwald DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Tuesday Night Music Club PP People (1/12/1987). David and David, a Couple of Musical Moralists Who Look at L.A. from Down the Up Staircase SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/18/2019; last updated 7/17/2022.