Song of the Day: "Nothing But a Heartache" by the Flirtations (1969)

There's really not much I can write about this classic slice of Northern soul that hasn't been said already, but this classic video was new to me--I only saw it for the first time last month, and have watched it about 7826 times since. Three lovely American ladies in killer pink flare knit pantsuits, the stark beauty of Tintern Abbey, and a drop-dead stunning song--what's not to like?

Judging by the other clips available on YouTube (check out this cute black and white Beat Club segment), the color video was filmed a while after the song peaked on the charts--and the fact that such a hard-to-get-to locale was chosen says a lot about how well it must have done in the UK. Why wasn't it a big hit here in the States? Beats me. That "lovin' a bad guy is such a sin" line is priceless, and the mysterious refrain--is it "he's got me, oh why can't I get him" or "he's got me all won, can I get him?" gives two totally different spins on the story, depending on which one you go with. (I'm going with the latter, and assuming she got him, too. I like happy endings...)

If you're curious about how the Flirtations sounded (and looked) post-70s, enjoy Ian Levine's irresistible 2007 "Resist the Temptation" clip, and hit Wikipedia for lots of where-are-they-now stuff. Viola Billups (a.k.a. "Pearly Gates") has an individual entry, and if that lovely picture doesn't illustrate the benefits of taking good care of yourself when you're young (hey, Britney!), I'll wear those pink flares to work tomorrow...oh, who am I kidding. I'd wear those pink flares anyway!

These were the ladies I wanted to be when I grew up--I just didn't know it at the time. Enjoy!