So you’re thinking, “Timbuk 3, weren’t they the ones who had that cool song back in the ’80s?” Yes, yes, we’re talking about that husband-and-wife tandem of Pat and Barbara K. McDonald, who gave the world the grin inducing “The Future’s So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)” back in 1986.
Maybe it’s because I was living in their town of Austin, Texas, at the time, but it never did compute to me why they failed to strike gold again. Their debut album, Greetings from Timbuk3, almost touched the Top 40, but then the 1988 follow up Eden Alley stalled at No. 108. The following year, they released Edge of Allegiance – home to “National Holiday” – and it somehow didn’t chart at all.
Still, for a one-hit wonder, Timbuk 3 sure had a mother lode of catchy, witty, hummable and even danceable songs that could have become anthems all by themselves.
One of those hidden jewels of radio-ready sardonic wit was 1989’s “National Holiday,” this ditty poking fun at how we Americans mark special days. Although the lyrics stayed ambiguous enough to cover most any summer-themed holiday, to me it sounds a lot like Timbuk 3 were talking about the Fourth of July.
Starting out with a few opening notes dubbed in from a marching band, the proceedings quickly shift to a funky strummed acoustic guitar and Pat’s familiar folkie harmonica and light accompaniment. The song, like most of Timbuk 3’s late-’80s offerings, find them at their best in making keen observations and plainly spinning them into sharp imagery:
They put the chairs out on the lawn
Grandma’s got her new dress on
there’s fresh flowers on Grandpa’s grave
and Junior smells of aftershave
Oh boy, hey hey, it’s a national holiday
everything’s ready for the big parade
The mayor’s got his place in the shade
we can’t wait ’till the sun goes down
Lie on the hill at the edge of town
By the presidential proclamation
Is blasting out across the nation
And Mad Dog and his band of jerks
Are lighting off the fireworks
Oh boy, hey hey, it’s a national holiday
it’s a national holiday
The lyrics gradually turn more toward political issues (“communicate with the Communists/pacify the pacifists”), but the biting, clever commentary on social and global issues were the McDonalds’ stock in trade. Put all that into a folksie-funky package and it’s every bit as singable and irresistible as Timbuk 3’s better-known “The Future’s So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades).”
Despite lengthy periods when I don’t return to this forgotten single, I still never forget how it goes. That’s pop craftsmanship, folks. And while there might be more obvious songs to play on this Independence Day, none of those patriotically themed tunes will lighten things up and make me feel groovy like Timbuk 3’s “National Holiday” will.
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