Harriet Schock (1974) Hollywood Town

 Harriet Schock released what is an undiscovered country classic from the Hollywood Town debut album in 1974. A singer songwriter from a commercials background, the song came out to little fanfare but has an indelible melody with swooping keyboards making up for an orchestra and Schock's heartfelt, down home vocals give this ballad a glowing, Disney pop feel. While the lyrics are excellent deconstruction of LA like Hotel California later in the decade this song comes at critical, post-hippie slant on the city that ahs been the subject of many songs.  Lines such as 'the lost and found try to find their way' , 'Putting their pride through well-known paces' and 'But their hearts are low down, dragging as they go' make great observations about Californians. While Manfred Mann would tackle this song, their version is irrecognizable sounding flat and too detached, for me Schock's is the only version that could do justice  to it.