“Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then” This comes from the song “Against the Wind” written by Bob Seger in 1979 and release on the album of the same name. Bob Seger had many hits during the 70s, but this line and song always stuck in my memory kinda like “Oh yeah life goes on Long after the thrill of livin is gone” Mellencamp’s Jack and Diane. Always loved the story telling and imagery in his songs and even if you didn’t know the words that blues/rock beat would hook you in: Hollywood Nights – I remember driving the length of Sunset boulevard past the famous Hollywood sign and thinking this is what this song looks like. That accent on the snare drum and driving beat just works. The insane pace of life in Hollywood, in LA. Mainstreet – That beautiful guitar lick provided by one of ‘The Swampers’ and the imagery of a small town mainstreet: Sometimes even now When I’m feeling lonely and beat I drift back in time And I find my feet Down on Mainstreet Roll Me Away – “Took a bead on the Northern plains and just rolled that power on” See Roadtrip link below – Great Drive’n tune! Bob Seger had a long and mutually productive relationship with the “Swampers” the M.S.R.S. Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. The Swampers guitar players were instrumental in Bob Seger’s recording of what is probably his most famous song “Old Time Rock and Roll”. It turns out he didn’t write this song! The Swampers recorded this with the writer, but it just wasn’t working. They both had one of those AH! HA! moments “This would be perfect for Bob Seger”. They went on to record this with Bob and as they say: ‘The rest is History’. With the Tom Cruise famous rendition in Risky Business the song is cemented in modern musical history. Based on a handshake Bob Seger and the Swampers collaborated on virtually of his albums produced during the 70 & 80s. Here’s a better telling of some of these stories provided by the “Swampers” themselves. https://youtu.be/tyM-X01c8a4 After many decades of not explicitly listening to Seger I reconnected on a cross country trip driving a recently purchased somewhat unique BMW from Calgary back to Ottawa. I had the best Bob Seger on CD and it got played once, twice maybe three times in its entirety each day. This Roadtrip is chronicled in the following blog: https://3rmotors.wordpress.com/ As I’m writing this, I have the vinyl playing in the background. Still sounds Great ! Bob Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Song Lyric Seems like yesterday But it was long ago Janey was lovely She was the queen of my nights There in the darkness With the radio playing low And the secrets that we shared The mountains that we moved Caught like a wildfire out of control Till there was nothing left to burn And nothing left to prove And I remember what she said to me How she swore that it never would end I remember how she held me oh so tight Wish I didn't know now What I didn't know then Against the wind We were runnin' against the wind We were young and strong, we were runnin' Against the wind And the years rolled slowly past And I found myself alone Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends I found myself further and further from my home And I guess I lost my way There were oh so many roads I was living to run And running to live Never worried about paying Or even how much I owed Moving eight miles a minute For months at a time Breaking all of the rules that would bend I began to find myself searching Searching for shelter again and again Against the wind Little something against the wind I found myself seeking shelter against the wind Well those drifters days are past me now I've got so much more to think about Deadlines and commitments What to leave in What to leave out Against the wind I'm still runnin' against the wind I'm older now but still running against the wind Well I'm older now And still running against the wind Against the wind .