July 25, 2025 —– Chart #308
Dear Smooth Operators,
This week’s tune isn’t one you crank up on a road trip or play at a tailgate. No, this is what you cue up when the evening calls for dim lighting, chilled wine, and just enough jazz to sound like you might’ve gone to grad school. We’re talking about Popsicle Toes, that offbeat, oh-so-clever number from Michael Franks—the king of sly rhymes and satin melodies.
Released in 1976 on his album The Art of Tea, Popsicle Toes was Franks’ one and only entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 43. Which is just about perfect. This song wasn’t meant to go toe-to-toe with KISS or Boston. It was meant for candlelit patios and long conversations that veer into the philosophical around glass number three.
Michael Franks isn’t your typical singer-songwriter. He didn’t come up through the honky-tonks or folk clubs. He came in sideways, probably carrying a beat-up copy of Pablo Neruda poems and a plane ticket to São Paulo. He writes songs the way a jazz cat might write love letters—laid-back, literate, and just strange enough to make you grin.
Now, the lyrics. This whole tune is a quirky love note to a woman with “popsicle toes,” and if that doesn’t make you curious, you might already be too grown up. Franks purrs lines like:
“We oughta have a birthday party, And you can wear you birthday clothes. We can hit the floor and go explore those Popsicle toes..”
And of course, the unforgettable:
“You got the nicest North America this sailor ever saw. I’d like to feel your warm Brazil and touch your Panama.”
Yes sir, it’s part love song, part compliment, part lyrical magic trick with a side of blushing. It’s what happens when a guy with a jazz degree and a romantic streak decides to write a song about toes and somehow makes it sound like a moonlit walk in Morocco.
Musically, it’s all swing and sophistication. If you’re a guitar player, don’t show up with cowboy chords and confidence. This tune lives in the world of major sevenths, flat fives, and the kind of changes that require both brain and fingers working overtime. But if you can pull it off, you’ve got yourself a tune that turns heads at wine bars and backyard cocktail gigs alike.
Others have covered it—Diana Krall’s done it live, with her usual silk-and-smoke style, and jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson gave it a sultry spin that could fog up your glasses. But let’s be honest—Michael Franks owns this one. It’s got his fingerprints all over it, and probably a faint whiff of patchouli.
So this week, take a break from your regular playlist. Pour something cool, kick off your shoes, and give Popsicle Toes a spin. It’s a tune for those of us who still appreciate wordplay, jazz chords, and a little toe-centric romance.
How about Diana Krall?
Keep Rockin’,
Stan Bradshaw