I’ve been a little obsessed with the song, Sylvia’s Mother performed by Dr. Hook for the past few days. I have a long history with Sylvia and her mother. The song was a track on one of the first albums I ever owned. Yes, I had it on vinyl. It was on my first album, K-tel’s Believe in Music – 22 Original Hits. I had a little portable record player, and I listened to that album over and over. Sylvia’s Mother was one of my favorite songs on the album. I could practically feel the singer’s pain as he begged Sylvia’s mom to allow him to speak to her daughter. I wished with all my heart that Mrs. Avery would put Sylvia on the phone. I could imagine the caller plugging dimes into the payphone, which I was sure had to be located in a rainy, bustling place while he implored her for the chance to say goodbye. He just wanted to say goodbye, but Mrs. Avery and the nagging operator didn’t care. As a little girl, I felt so bad for him. Gosh, he must have really loved Sylvia. I wondered if I would ever break a man’s heart by marrying a fella down Galveston way. I hoped so! Continue Reading »