I feel like I could probably start every column with: “I’m old enough to remember when…” but here’s another instance of that.
It’s probably not politically correct in 2024, but in 1981, “Shaddap You Face” was a fun novelty hit. With a jaunty little polka beat, a mandolin, and some accordion, Joe Dolce introduced us to his sanguine Italian Mama and her sage advice to quit griping and realize that things aren’t so bad after all.
By then, I was old enough that I was no longer forbidden from using the phrase “shut up,” though as a young kid, I was. I didn’t really understand why — it wasn’t like it was an actual swear word. In hindsight, I suspect it was simply my folks trying to teach me not to be rude (and spare them the headache of a bratty little me irritating my older siblings).
Either way, though, I…
