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Peter Wolf is like the patron saint of lost hits. The former J. Geils Band lead singer had 3 solo top 40 hits, and all of them became lost hits right away. Peter is also known for his resemblance to Michael Richards after the defective shower head flattened his hair.
Among his lost hits is this feel-good rocker. Some have surmised that airplay for this tune was stymied somewhat because radio programmers misheard the line, "Ain't gonna be no masquerade," and thought it was something off-color. Yet I remember similarly misheard lyrics in other late '80s songs that seemed to get more radio play yet charted much lower. In fact, I remember real lyrics in that era that clearly used one of the "7 dirty words" and got gobs of pop radio airplay. Yes, Huey, we're getting to you.
The "Come As You Are" video is noteworthy for Peter jumping, hopping, and dancing throughout the song. I don't know how he did it. Peter turned 41 in 1987, and I could barely walk or stay awake more than an hour at a time by the time I was 24. It's like how Brett Favre somehow still played football when he was 41.
Sharp-eyed music and TV fans have noted that the video was filmed on the same Warner Brothers backlot used for The Dukes Of Hazzard. There are several telltale signs. This was a couple years after The Dukes Of Hazzard ended its run, and we can see the Route 36 sign that depicts that mystery state that looked like a cross between Georgia and Missouri. I'm pretty sure the gazebo at the end of the video was also in The Dukes Of Hazzard, and some have noted that it also appeared in Gilmore Girls.
What can be more entertaining than Peter Wolf jumping all over the Dukes Of Hazzard set?
