Gosh! Todd's voice sounds incredible! Very rare. so many singers burn out their voices and become a shell of their former genious. Not the case here, so glad to see!
Gosh! I haven't heard this song for a long long time! ;) Anyways, this is one of my favorites from the past. My first job in high school back in the early 70's was at a steak and pancake house and someone would come in or maybe lots of people would drop a quarter in the Juke Box and this song would be played all the time. It was in a time when I was feeling good about my life. I get that feeling every time I hear it just like now. It's a FEEL GOOD SONG. *Smooch to Todd* for that.
Dear God! I've never seen him wear so many clothes!!! LOL!!! For a minute there I thought he was going to start channeling Tom Jones!!! This is one of the greatest songs of all time, and one of the greatest artists as well! Todd, both behind the mic and behind the production, was and still is a one-man powerhouse! Go Todd!!!!
I love this song. It was popular when I was kid just starting to like rock music in the early 70's. I've always thought that it was a very tender and heartfelt breakup song. Funny thing is I just realized that in the 3rd verse he is basically saying "Yeah, we're breaking up, but what do you think about being Friends with Benefits and the occasional booty call?" Some things are just timeless.
Mostly, although I believe side four of Something/Anything (in which this song resides) is a live in the studio session, or at least made to sound like one.
One of the most underrated musical artists around...just Google Todd Rundgren and you will see what I mean! Todd's ability to write songs is amazing - great lyrics and serious songwriting. His music sounds simple but is complicated at the same time - kind of cool!!!! Ask any legendary artist if they heard of Todd Rundgren and they know who he is and what he can do and has done. He is in the stratosphere in terms of creativity and thinking out of the box. We need more artists like him!
I could listen to this song every night & not get tired of it. Rundren may be under- appreciated as a singer, but he is a great producer (ask Meat Loaf among a long list) and a great song writer (ask many singers including John Ford Coley). I've loved him at least 1971 when both Todd & I were a lot younger....
song.. I have listened to every song Todd has written. Such beautiful songs, 100 times better.. no one ever gave him a real Chance to Express these songs in Public. I once called a Radio Station, and requested a song from the then NEW Album " No World Order" they played "Hello It's Me" Format Dead.. No FM Freedom..down the Tubes
I love Todd but if you don't wish to sing a song don't commit yourself to David Letterman then act like you don't want to be there. You decided to go on the show, so why act like an asshole when performing? That is just self-destructive.
why do people always talk smack about singers like Todd who come around some 20 or 30 years after they had a hit and sing it again. sorry people its not going to sound the same, even if someone lives a clean life their voice is going to change. when you have achieved all that our great older singers have accomplished then and only then can you crack on their current sound.
@mojorisen74 Todd made a remark about this song during a concert some years ago. Someone kept shouting "Todd...Hello It's Me' during breaks in his performance. He said, "do you know how many ppl come up to me & say "hey Todd, hello, it's me...haha...get it...hello it's me...get it Runt"? He ALWAYS does this song, whether he likes to do it or not. Fans come first for him...a wizard, a true star, that's what Todd Rundgren is:)
@trailcomedian No Al Chez he's a nice guy. Know him through drum corp 30 years a ago. Call up on youtube Garfied Cadets 1982. At the beginning of the show he hits a real high range note, it's a bitch!
It's not that he dislikes performing this, or any of his songs, it's just that he has said in effect that he has to enjoy performing a song for him to sing it and after he had played Hello It's Me for like 1,000 times plus, he has said he needed to give it a rest for awhile live so he can come back to it with fresh eyes so to speak
Whatever his many flaws and successes, Rundrgren was put on this earth to write/sing "Hello It's Me." It is his most heartfelt song. Have the LP AND the NAZZ version.
@smotnick I found this song but with a band intro where they start it and stop it then go into the song and even ends with the band stopping instead of fading out. Was that on the NAZZ album?
Its really cool because this is a wonderful timeless song that almost sounds ethereal but is actually recorded as a full band performance!
@smotnick - I respectfully disagree. Have you listened to "Can We Still Be Friends"? Sure, this is a fantastic Rundgren track, but "Friends" makes this one pale in comparison...
@slipstick99 Of course I have. But I retract what I said about "LIght," a very good song but it is not quite the stature of "Hello, It's Me." "Can We still be Friends?" is great too, coming at the tail-end of his firts and best creative phase in the 70s before he founded Utopia. However, Rundrgren hit his peak in 1972. It was a tough act to follow.
@smotnick - Oh yeah, definitely! My point though is that of the two songs, "Friends" seems to capture a specific emotional melancholy, present at the time of his breakup with Bebe Buell in 1978. I see however, that he's been having some creative fun on "Live From Daryl's House", those collaborations (especially the one from Kauai!) are filled with positive vibes all around...
Todd Rundgren -- one of the most under-rated artists of our time, flying under the radar. And David Letterman - the exact opposite. A mediocre jerk who keeps his job only because he caters so well to the legions of dumb, stupid, jerks who are his fans.
@trilocan without question....Letterman is a f---in' jerkass. Todd is sorta of a pr**k, but I will judge him on his talent...and he has performed and written some of our generation's best songs, PERIOD!
what the fuck is your problem? I like David Letterman, hes 10x better then fucking Jay Leno. Hes entertaining and he seems pretty nice. Who the fuck are you to say hes a mediocre jerk? Hes alot more successful then you will ever be, and you sound like a pretty big jerk yourself.
@trilocan Well, Tirlo baby, you're right, Letterman tends to go over poorly with the literal minded and with Republicans. But, of course, you're too hip for that crowd, I'm sure....
It's funny that he hardly ever does this song live. It was his highest charting single...seen him 3 X and have never had the pleasure of hearing it live. I can imagine the angry tour promoters' negative reaction to the set list...A wizard, a true star?
It's not that Todd really HATES this song, or any given song/album in his catalog (well, TEPTAE being maybe an exception in his eyes) but he has said in interviews that he knows the audience expects to hear certain songs but he, Todd, can't do it all the time if he doesn't enjoy doing it. That is why we like Todd. He is wanting to go beyond the norm into new territory!!
Todd sings this song all of the time. It's one of his many enduring tunes and he performs it in different styles to keep it fresh. The "every thirty years" answer is a joke referring to Dave's comment of his goof when interviewing Michael Douglas earlier in the program. Michael hadn't been on the show for so many years and Dave figured, oh well, I guess I have "thirty years" to get over my mistake before Michael comes back.
Todd doesn't hate this song. He performs it all the time. And he does it differently most of the time. A flexible song in the hands of a creative artist is always rewarding. I remember watching and recording this performance whenever it was aired and it got me back into Todd powerfully. After many years of being into different genres, mostly modern/progressive jazz and improvisational music, I completely embraced the power of pop and rock from a fresh perspective. Thanks Todd (and Dave).
I know Todd hates this song, but I really love it !! The Paul Shaffer Band rocks, they can do about anything ! They really sound good behind him. I got to admit he would look better with more color in his hair and his suits. Love the comment Dave share at end, is it fun now Todd, great!
He must be very trusting of the guys backing him up; I wouldn't be able to handle not playing an instrument on a song that I wrote. lol very cool though!
Couldn't agree more. Todd totally has it - the sensuality comes through on this song like butter. I never loved this song until I heard THIS version !
This is the best version ever of this already great song - modern, updated, jazzy, and with a lot more interesting arrangement than the original. I LOVE IT !
My GOD the last time I saw Todd was in 1975. I cant believe its him. He was a cool dude back then. A leader of a new wave of music. Time is a bitch I hate it.
What people don't realize is that he's not a 25 year old kid anymore, so his take on music--and this song--is radically different. EXPERIENCE, people. This version is soulful, gospely...perfect.
This is absolutely nothing like the original version - this takes the song to a whole NEW level of hearbreakingly beautiful, achingly soulful, and then rises to a breathtaking crescendo with "Yooouuu know that I'd be with you if could". I can't stop watching this....
Sorry DAVE, loser crowd, us 60 yr olds shoulda been there!! hahaha !
why you not invite me? hahaha! He was available to have hands reach out!
"stannous" makes stupid comment bout his not so good video (poor quality)Since Todd seems to dislike performing this song?:?????????????????? HHHUUUUMMM
He was a sort of child genius...(played all the instruments) and had the LIGHT back then in the 70s. It is obvious he is straining in 2005...with the voice and gestures....he doesnt seem to OWN the song, anymore...
This is embarassing, compared to the original video. What's with the jestures? Is he singing to deaf people? It would be so much better if he acted sad...no? Love the instrumentals, tho.
He most likely had no say in "his" song being used for a commercial. Back in the '70's it was far more common for songwriters to not retain the rights to their songs due to unscrupulous music industry practices
Being Rundgren's perhaps most well-known song, he carries it further into the light jazz spectrum quite well on Letterman. Also, the band and the back-up singers seem really into it.
If you'd been singing the same song over and over for 35 years you might be bored with it too.
Also, It's a song about the angst of young love, recorded when Todd was an age-appropriate 24. He sang it on Letterman at age 60, and presumably has outgrown the song's message. In contrast, Sinatra recorded the life-retrospective song "My Way" at age 54.
"Hello It's Me" is nostalgic but it just doesn't fit a 60-year-old Todd Rundgren.
Have you ever seen that show "Larry Sanders" when Warren Zevon is stuck doing "Werewolves of London" AGAIN after planning to do another song. Very funny.
I really like this song- pity that he doesn't seem to like to play it now. There's a reason that it was popular whay back when....'cause it's great! Good job, Todd!
Thanks for posting this.....Todd is gonna be on Letterman Dec.22nd 2008. I have to DVR it as I'll be seeing him live in Sellersville, PA that night and New Year's Eve in Philly!!!!
Sure I'll be at the Painted Bride on NYE!!! I've only been bugging the powers that be to bring him home to Philly so I can take a break and not have to travel so far to see him for a change. The last NYE show I saw was when Deface the Music came out with Todd and Utopia in 1980 at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby,PA. I gave up going to watch Bowie do the Elephant Man on Broadway to go see Todd. Tix were only $10 back then!!!
HEY LETTERMAN, YOUR SUCH A PUNK MOTHERFUCKIN' LIBERAL JERKOFF IDIOT.!!!!
muppy1100 4 months ago
I could go on & on about Letterman but who cares.... he's a total douche...
ogrebattle22763 4 months ago
HEY DAVE... YOUR A LIBERAL FUCKHEAD !!!!!!!!
muppy1100 5 months ago
Love love love this song. This and "I Saw the Light" are two of the best songs ever.
lford1130 5 months ago
Rundgren 2012!
DizziNY1 7 months ago
Todd is starting to look like Ozzy ! lol That was my first impression when I saw this. His voice still sounds great. luv u Todd
myspanisheyes7 8 months ago
Todd's startin' to look like Ozzy.
wildnites558 8 months ago
Great artist and song but this tempo doesn't serve the song well. Too fast. The easy groove of the song is gone.
musicalala 9 months ago
HOLY SHIT IS THAT RON JEREMY ON TRUMPET AT 0:51>>>>??????????HAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAH
sdime59 9 months ago
@sdime59 OMG..........LMFAO !!! Good One
Theeightmilebend 9 months ago
@sdime59 Tha'ts what I said! LOL
smotnick 5 months ago
Gosh! Todd's voice sounds incredible! Very rare. so many singers burn out their voices and become a shell of their former genious. Not the case here, so glad to see!
hawkhandsaw 10 months ago 2
trilocan....spoken like a true leno fan. didn't i see you on "jaywalking"?
IRISHMIKE62 10 months ago
Gosh! I haven't heard this song for a long long time! ;) Anyways, this is one of my favorites from the past. My first job in high school back in the early 70's was at a steak and pancake house and someone would come in or maybe lots of people would drop a quarter in the Juke Box and this song would be played all the time. It was in a time when I was feeling good about my life. I get that feeling every time I hear it just like now. It's a FEEL GOOD SONG. *Smooch to Todd* for that.
silvertonguebrat 10 months ago
check out his production work w grand funk rr.
FAZOOO 11 months ago
Dear God! I've never seen him wear so many clothes!!! LOL!!! For a minute there I thought he was going to start channeling Tom Jones!!! This is one of the greatest songs of all time, and one of the greatest artists as well! Todd, both behind the mic and behind the production, was and still is a one-man powerhouse! Go Todd!!!!
Kamama62 11 months ago
Paul Shaffer is such a dick. Is it just me or does anybody else think he is a complete waste of space.
assemblyguy 11 months ago
@assemblyguy It's not just you. He's a complete dick.
BlackieGirl 5 months ago
Comment removed
beauroberts 11 months ago
I love this song. It was popular when I was kid just starting to like rock music in the early 70's. I've always thought that it was a very tender and heartfelt breakup song. Funny thing is I just realized that in the 3rd verse he is basically saying "Yeah, we're breaking up, but what do you think about being Friends with Benefits and the occasional booty call?" Some things are just timeless.
beauroberts 11 months ago
I believe he played all the instruments on his albums too.
journeymusic 1 year ago
@journeymusic
Mostly, although I believe side four of Something/Anything (in which this song resides) is a live in the studio session, or at least made to sound like one.
thatmuse76 8 months ago
a true artist !
xxLovinDavidxx 1 year ago
One of the most underrated musical artists around...just Google Todd Rundgren and you will see what I mean! Todd's ability to write songs is amazing - great lyrics and serious songwriting. His music sounds simple but is complicated at the same time - kind of cool!!!! Ask any legendary artist if they heard of Todd Rundgren and they know who he is and what he can do and has done. He is in the stratosphere in terms of creativity and thinking out of the box. We need more artists like him!
GolfLessonsNYC 1 year ago
Paul Schaffer throws down in this doesnt he? cool.
edweibe 1 year ago
wow his voice is better than ever he is a god
MaryJoMuser 1 year ago
Liv Tyler is lucky. She has 2 dads. Rundgren and Tyler. Both are Rockers.
innerhappiness 1 year ago 2
@innerhappiness Haha,so true!
mik10098 1 year ago
@innerhappiness Tyler was just a sperm donor. That does not equate to being a dad.
777notw 1 year ago
I love todd rundgren...so talented, who do I have to pay to be his backup singer????
angelllite 1 year ago
@angelllite I was wondering the exact same thing!
angelllite 1 year ago
same, I could listen to this song over and over again as well as heis others!!!
crtswrght6 1 year ago
I could listen to this song every night & not get tired of it. Rundren may be under- appreciated as a singer, but he is a great producer (ask Meat Loaf among a long list) and a great song writer (ask many singers including John Ford Coley). I've loved him at least 1971 when both Todd & I were a lot younger....
Trebuchet1066 1 year ago
song.. I have listened to every song Todd has written. Such beautiful songs, 100 times better.. no one ever gave him a real Chance to Express these songs in Public. I once called a Radio Station, and requested a song from the then NEW Album " No World Order" they played "Hello It's Me" Format Dead.. No FM Freedom..down the Tubes
chelababy1 1 year ago
As great a love song as has ever been written. Thank you for posting the clip!
placidian 1 year ago
Listen to this with no video picture... how could one fault this performance ? It ROCKS.
Zepster77 1 year ago
Is it CBS Orchestra?
JoelChoosen 1 year ago
I love Todd but if you don't wish to sing a song don't commit yourself to David Letterman then act like you don't want to be there. You decided to go on the show, so why act like an asshole when performing? That is just self-destructive.
Plus we loved him for that song in the 70s!!!
SRNF 1 year ago
This is one of the great pop songs in human history. Though, I wish this version would have been just Todd and a piano and a microphone.
triptikboy 1 year ago
maybe I shouldn't think of you as mine?
{{Todd}} never change for me! luv yu AS IS!
newsy8 1 year ago
Hello it's HIM! lol yummm
newsy8 1 year ago
why do people always talk smack about singers like Todd who come around some 20 or 30 years after they had a hit and sing it again. sorry people its not going to sound the same, even if someone lives a clean life their voice is going to change. when you have achieved all that our great older singers have accomplished then and only then can you crack on their current sound.
denniswilsonfan 1 year ago 2
This guy can sing..............................
52hogan 1 year ago
His original version is better.
This rendition makes him sound like a lounge singer.
Look-up "Todd Rundgren midnight special", thats the original. But you'll just have to try to ignore his costume...yah, it's that bad.
bruno2260 1 year ago
never ceases to amaze me how much Todd has changed over the years, like he's a different person, well I love all the Todds over the years
ktr2567 1 year ago
One of the Greatest Rock Ballads ever recorded. Period. Never gets old.
rickw1100 1 year ago
Todd HATES doing this song!
mojorisen74 1 year ago
@mojorisen74 realy? How do you know this? He is wonderful
jandrituss 1 year ago
@mojorisen74 Todd made a remark about this song during a concert some years ago. Someone kept shouting "Todd...Hello It's Me' during breaks in his performance. He said, "do you know how many ppl come up to me & say "hey Todd, hello, it's me...haha...get it...hello it's me...get it Runt"? He ALWAYS does this song, whether he likes to do it or not. Fans come first for him...a wizard, a true star, that's what Todd Rundgren is:)
SugarBear0199 1 year ago
@mojorisen74 Bullshit! Where did you get that from boy?
mark22isaking 1 year ago
he should of wore the bird outfit again like in the original live performance 1973
schlabresfan 1 year ago
Truly one of the best songs ever written.
nonnikat 1 year ago 2
Is that Ron Jeremy playing the trumpet at 0:50? Rundgren, great performer though!
trailcomedian 1 year ago
@trailcomedian Yeah. looks like him. Must've been doing The Real World next door. Lol.
KJOSCOT 1 year ago
@trailcomedian No Al Chez he's a nice guy. Know him through drum corp 30 years a ago. Call up on youtube Garfied Cadets 1982. At the beginning of the show he hits a real high range note, it's a bitch!
tonilrogers 1 year ago
What a shitty version of a great song.
Schaefer''s piano misses the point
-there is no emotion or subtlety in Todd's singing here.
The whole thing is jazzed up
-rather than R&Bish.
wheelinthesky300 1 year ago
It's not that he dislikes performing this, or any of his songs, it's just that he has said in effect that he has to enjoy performing a song for him to sing it and after he had played Hello It's Me for like 1,000 times plus, he has said he needed to give it a rest for awhile live so he can come back to it with fresh eyes so to speak
Looking1231 1 year ago
What a Song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rickw1100 1 year ago
if you grewb up then love it
occtech160 1 year ago
Todd also mixed,produced & engineered Meatloaf's "Bat out of Hell" album, which is one of my favorites.
moparrules1968 1 year ago
I love your music so much, I haven't heard a song I didn't love! Amazing voice!
cindee555 1 year ago
Get's better and better....
renmar5257 1 year ago
todd rocks the world!
sanantoniomimi 1 year ago
Whatever his many flaws and successes, Rundrgren was put on this earth to write/sing "Hello It's Me." It is his most heartfelt song. Have the LP AND the NAZZ version.
smotnick 1 year ago 22
@smotnick I found this song but with a band intro where they start it and stop it then go into the song and even ends with the band stopping instead of fading out. Was that on the NAZZ album?
Its really cool because this is a wonderful timeless song that almost sounds ethereal but is actually recorded as a full band performance!
wendileona 1 year ago
@smotnick well said! And he was also put her to write 'I Saw The Light', my personal favorite song of not just his, but of the 70's :)
njmhk 1 year ago
@smotnick - I respectfully disagree. Have you listened to "Can We Still Be Friends"? Sure, this is a fantastic Rundgren track, but "Friends" makes this one pale in comparison...
slipstick99 5 months ago
@slipstick99 Of course I have. But I retract what I said about "LIght," a very good song but it is not quite the stature of "Hello, It's Me." "Can We still be Friends?" is great too, coming at the tail-end of his firts and best creative phase in the 70s before he founded Utopia. However, Rundrgren hit his peak in 1972. It was a tough act to follow.
smotnick 5 months ago
@smotnick - Oh yeah, definitely! My point though is that of the two songs, "Friends" seems to capture a specific emotional melancholy, present at the time of his breakup with Bebe Buell in 1978. I see however, that he's been having some creative fun on "Live From Daryl's House", those collaborations (especially the one from Kauai!) are filled with positive vibes all around...
slipstick99 5 months ago
Todd Rundgren -- one of the most under-rated artists of our time, flying under the radar. And David Letterman - the exact opposite. A mediocre jerk who keeps his job only because he caters so well to the legions of dumb, stupid, jerks who are his fans.
trilocan 1 year ago 31
one of the most insightful comments ever posted on youtube!
theBadloves 1 year ago
@trilocan I agree wholeheartedly. Letterman is an miserable jerk of a host and highly overrated and overappreciated. TR is the best of the best
Gerryinthewoods 1 year ago 3
@trilocan without question....Letterman is a f---in' jerkass. Todd is sorta of a pr**k, but I will judge him on his talent...and he has performed and written some of our generation's best songs, PERIOD!
WS3RD 1 year ago
@trilocan This is one of the more insightful and accurate comments I've seen on YouTube. Awesomely Hilarious!!!!!
summitshasta 1 year ago
@trilocan
what the fuck is your problem? I like David Letterman, hes 10x better then fucking Jay Leno. Hes entertaining and he seems pretty nice. Who the fuck are you to say hes a mediocre jerk? Hes alot more successful then you will ever be, and you sound like a pretty big jerk yourself.
Rush1013 1 year ago
@trilocan I agree with you 100%. Todd Rundgren= Legendary Great, Letterman= over the hill jackass.
palmz4u 1 year ago
@trilocan No, no, your mistaken, you mean Jay Leno, David Letterman's great.
joshscobey 11 months ago
@trilocan Well, Tirlo baby, you're right, Letterman tends to go over poorly with the literal minded and with Republicans. But, of course, you're too hip for that crowd, I'm sure....
Yubarco 9 months ago
ahhhhh one humble kind talented sexy man... was in Greenville sSC and sure enough without this phenomenal tune of all ages!
tribecalofter 2 years ago
Is that The Hedgehog, Ron Jeremy in the back blowing the horn? He's good, I had no idea!
camgreer 2 years ago
Trumpet is Al Chez. Trombone ?
tonilrogers 2 years ago
@camgreer I was thinking the same! haha
MacGyver666 2 years ago
hall of fame he should
govindasantos 2 years ago
Funkier than I would ever think I love the arrangement. Very good. Very talented.
ibtnm25 2 years ago
met him in 1975, in K.C., just the coolest guy you could meet. Love his stuff
ilkjh56 2 years ago
Nazz are the best!
BrianLangor 2 years ago
Todd has written 500 songs, he doesn't want to just be known by this one!
izzatluv 2 years ago
499 sucked...
j/k of course!
Great upload- God Bless you all.
MrOverdoser 2 years ago
It's funny that he hardly ever does this song live. It was his highest charting single...seen him 3 X and have never had the pleasure of hearing it live. I can imagine the angry tour promoters' negative reaction to the set list...A wizard, a true star?
jacme1219 2 years ago
It's not that Todd really HATES this song, or any given song/album in his catalog (well, TEPTAE being maybe an exception in his eyes) but he has said in interviews that he knows the audience expects to hear certain songs but he, Todd, can't do it all the time if he doesn't enjoy doing it. That is why we like Todd. He is wanting to go beyond the norm into new territory!!
Looking1231 2 years ago 3
Todd sings this song all of the time. It's one of his many enduring tunes and he performs it in different styles to keep it fresh. The "every thirty years" answer is a joke referring to Dave's comment of his goof when interviewing Michael Douglas earlier in the program. Michael hadn't been on the show for so many years and Dave figured, oh well, I guess I have "thirty years" to get over my mistake before Michael comes back.
jwklbm326 2 years ago
Todd doesn't hate this song. He performs it all the time. And he does it differently most of the time. A flexible song in the hands of a creative artist is always rewarding. I remember watching and recording this performance whenever it was aired and it got me back into Todd powerfully. After many years of being into different genres, mostly modern/progressive jazz and improvisational music, I completely embraced the power of pop and rock from a fresh perspective. Thanks Todd (and Dave).
jwklbm326 2 years ago
I know Todd hates this song, but I really love it !! The Paul Shaffer Band rocks, they can do about anything ! They really sound good behind him. I got to admit he would look better with more color in his hair and his suits. Love the comment Dave share at end, is it fun now Todd, great!
atp1962 2 years ago
He must be very trusting of the guys backing him up; I wouldn't be able to handle not playing an instrument on a song that I wrote. lol very cool though!
SeanBobFrank 2 years ago
"It's important to me that you know you are free. 'Cause I'd never want to make you change for me." I love it.
peiwende 2 years ago
The first Utopia album (with the eyeball on the cover) rocked.
bapyou 2 years ago
hes soo sexy.. dont care if hes like 61 or whatever..im only 32,, I know its weird, but im sooo attracted to him....love this song too...
tiffcus 2 years ago 3
Couldn't agree more. Todd totally has it - the sensuality comes through on this song like butter. I never loved this song until I heard THIS version !
MsToddisgod 2 years ago
I hate to say it, but I have to quickly change this so that my favorite song isn't ruined in my mind forever.
profquesada 2 years ago
Paul Schaffer is a penis in a suit. OR a dick with ears. Take your pick.
magnumshifter 2 years ago 3
This isn't that bad. It's been over 35 years since this song came out, so yeah he's a little older and he is going to sound different.
aafrias 2 years ago
Comment removed
smotnick 1 year ago
AAfrias, try 1972 in SOMETHING/ANYTHING? AND 1968 with THE NAZZ.
smotnick 1 year ago
There is nothing wrong with this performance. Give Todd a break!
Wordsmyth8 2 years ago
Good Lord...Todd you used to own this song...you lost it son...still love you baby...
Gemma
repelghosts 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Lord, did he ever over play this crap...Todd..why..you r fucked n old its over son...I am embaraesed for you.
repelghosts 2 years ago
This is the best version ever of this already great song - modern, updated, jazzy, and with a lot more interesting arrangement than the original. I LOVE IT !
MsToddisgod 2 years ago
Hey Todd-we get better with age! Awesome!
wildflowersandi 2 years ago
it seems as he did not put his soul into...like his last performances...booo! terrible.
bonkers744 2 years ago
Awful.
He ruined his own song.The original is so good and this so terrible. It sounds like too much disconnected fluff.
spentonmediocrity 2 years ago
My GOD the last time I saw Todd was in 1975. I cant believe its him. He was a cool dude back then. A leader of a new wave of music. Time is a bitch I hate it.
strawdog1234567 2 years ago
MAGIC
MsToddisgod 2 years ago
@ MsTodd
What people don't realize is that he's not a 25 year old kid anymore, so his take on music--and this song--is radically different. EXPERIENCE, people. This version is soulful, gospely...perfect.
Y2Dude 2 years ago
This is absolutely nothing like the original version - this takes the song to a whole NEW level of hearbreakingly beautiful, achingly soulful, and then rises to a breathtaking crescendo with "Yooouuu know that I'd be with you if could". I can't stop watching this....
MsToddisgod 2 years ago 2
This performance is pure GENIUS. Todd's performance is INSPIRED and I am SPELLBOUND by this arrangement. ROCK ON TODD !
MsToddisgod 2 years ago 2
Ok, I'll admit it: he sounds like a lounge singer here. But I still love it!
Y2Dude 2 years ago
Todd Rundgren: An aging queen
angela1894 2 years ago
LOL Angela!
Y2Dude 2 years ago
Umm, you do realize that he is straight.
arlaur 2 years ago
its ok but nothing like his original version
alwayssme 2 years ago 2
ALWAY'SGRATEFUL...
firstbooob 2 years ago
Cool video by Todd the Godd! Check out my video response. Thanks!
slidenote 2 years ago
I love this song! This performance in particular is great! I hate that he actually doesn't like to perform this song!
Csbd948 2 years ago
pushing it here Todd...
repelghosts 2 years ago
Well, er...yes... just close your eyes,....it seems to hold though. Once you watch it then its: sorry, Todd.......
netherworldman 2 years ago
Sorry DAVE, loser crowd, us 60 yr olds shoulda been there!! hahaha !
why you not invite me? hahaha! He was available to have hands reach out!
"stannous" makes stupid comment bout his not so good video (poor quality)Since Todd seems to dislike performing this song?:?????????????????? HHHUUUUMMM
kathyastoltz 2 years ago
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kathyastoltz 2 years ago
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kathyastoltz 2 years ago
happy B-day ! Mr. Todd,.
Earthsound03 2 years ago
Fact is, he's 60, and his take on life is very much different than it was in '73. It comes through with this jazzy, soulful performance.
Y2Dude 2 years ago
He was a sort of child genius...(played all the instruments) and had the LIGHT back then in the 70s. It is obvious he is straining in 2005...with the voice and gestures....he doesnt seem to OWN the song, anymore...
mrpentium 2 years ago
I totally agree. The performance seems off-handed. The gestures are silly.
justmsjane 2 years ago
sorry to speculate, but he seems jacked up on something. and he's such a great artist. so amazingly great!
gigigogo1 2 years ago
Sad. Hate it. Never insult the people who love you.
ompath 2 years ago
what does dave ask him at the end of the song?
laurenbecca72 2 years ago
Dave asks if it's fun to sing that.
justmsjane 2 years ago
...True freak genius.
meyers5150 2 years ago
This is embarassing, compared to the original video. What's with the jestures? Is he singing to deaf people? It would be so much better if he acted sad...no? Love the instrumentals, tho.
justmsjane 2 years ago
It's another take, and it gets better with each view, I think.
Y2Dude 2 years ago 2
wasnt this the song in That 70s Show?
guestofytrn 2 years ago
yes. the one the cast sang during the ending credits of the pilot and the finale. Love the song, Love the show!!
prawnsalad 2 years ago
agreeed. thanks man!
guestofytrn 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I am sorry but i am scared
you will find bloody body in closet that will haunt an kill u an family if dont send to 6 videos in 30 mins
preprocker87 2 years ago
He's really really good! ... When he actrally sings the song.
dcskata05 2 years ago 2
Todd Rundgren, thanks for sharing your wonderful creation and true love.
Don't you think that Todd is cute?
I do. And he is very talented too.
No matter how he looks like...
the main thing is that is he a great singer
and art-music composer.
Enjoy with me this moment of love and
meditation. Kind regards,
Javier
JavierVMaldonado 2 years ago
He's better looking! I Love this song! It does have alot of squares around, but I would watch it! Thanks
emerald7100 2 years ago
todd, i saw you last week-you rock my world!
izzatluv 2 years ago
You are still great baby!!
funnykiz105 2 years ago
Thanks Stannous for uploading this video. He looks and sounds great !!!!!!!!
tamatha44 2 years ago
sei un grande...una delle canzoni piu' belle della storia!!!
giannistocco1971 2 years ago
Hi, Todd! Nice song!
Novelist6369 2 years ago
Great performance by a legendary uber talent. I love how Paul Shaffer and the band gets into it too!
justrightgal 2 years ago
Yeah, I love this performance, all with the band's New York vibe. So nice.
DancingSpiderman 2 years ago
Don't forget to drink your ovaltine??? Crummy Tums commercial is just plain wrong Todd. Whats next, Neil Young singing for Pepto Bismol?????
default99telecom 2 years ago
He most likely had no say in "his" song being used for a commercial. Back in the '70's it was far more common for songwriters to not retain the rights to their songs due to unscrupulous music industry practices
debilt8 2 years ago
awesome, brings back those necking day lol..ty for sharing...Mare
casualdreamzgrl 2 years ago
yes he still has it ... go todd
flotstilldeth 2 years ago 3
He's still got it!
GODCONVOYPRIME 2 years ago 3
i love you still Todd after all these years baby.
newsy8 2 years ago 3
Todd's wonderful
newsy8 2 years ago 2
phatgeezer1955 Ya no nothing ..bored take meds and pass out .And never f---k with FS......
MdNgtRyder 2 years ago
Aged well? Try keeping up with him on a hike up a friggin' mountain!
wibbly 2 years ago
CERTAINLYAPIECEOFHISTORY...
firstbooob 2 years ago
Great stuff. Love the song but hate the hair.
juicyjuice60 2 years ago
anythingelsethisamazing....
firstbooob 2 years ago
Indeed. Poor guy who did not age well!
DullardGuy 2 years ago
Being Rundgren's perhaps most well-known song, he carries it further into the light jazz spectrum quite well on Letterman. Also, the band and the back-up singers seem really into it.
mesmeridium 2 years ago
I absolutely love this guy and his music and why in Todd's name did he not ever come to Australia???????????????
lias56 2 years ago
If you'd been singing the same song over and over for 35 years you might be bored with it too.
Also, It's a song about the angst of young love, recorded when Todd was an age-appropriate 24. He sang it on Letterman at age 60, and presumably has outgrown the song's message. In contrast, Sinatra recorded the life-retrospective song "My Way" at age 54.
"Hello It's Me" is nostalgic but it just doesn't fit a 60-year-old Todd Rundgren.
At least he got his teeth fixed since 1973.
phatgeezer1955 3 years ago 3
Have you ever seen that show "Larry Sanders" when Warren Zevon is stuck doing "Werewolves of London" AGAIN after planning to do another song. Very funny.
liliodine 2 years ago
i wonder how the so called music fans( rap.hiphop etc) of today feel seeing a musical genius like todd....
govindasantos 3 years ago 5
Maybe they feel the same way about the music they like as the same way you feel about Todd Rundgren's music.
Vijin321 2 years ago
I really like this song- pity that he doesn't seem to like to play it now. There's a reason that it was popular whay back when....'cause it's great! Good job, Todd!
CheapKat3 3 years ago
Don't forget, kids!!! Todd on Letterman Monday, Dec. 22nd 2008!!!!
VenusGrnys 3 years ago 2
Great song and an awsome performer. His improvization is different though.
tjerwin1 3 years ago
Thanks for posting this.....Todd is gonna be on Letterman Dec.22nd 2008. I have to DVR it as I'll be seeing him live in Sellersville, PA that night and New Year's Eve in Philly!!!!
Tune into Letterman on 12/22/08 folks!!!
VenusGrnys 3 years ago
Oh, venusgrnys, I wouldn't miss it! I'll be there NYE. Will you? I would like to meet you because it's obvious you're such a fan!
praisetodd 3 years ago
Sure I'll be at the Painted Bride on NYE!!! I've only been bugging the powers that be to bring him home to Philly so I can take a break and not have to travel so far to see him for a change. The last NYE show I saw was when Deface the Music came out with Todd and Utopia in 1980 at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby,PA. I gave up going to watch Bowie do the Elephant Man on Broadway to go see Todd. Tix were only $10 back then!!!
How will I know you on NYE???
VenusGrnys 3 years ago
GREAT song but a terrible version of it. The one from the Midnight Special is a 100 times better than this sad attempt at the song.
jjp4mma 3 years ago
Todd is the King of Reinvention!
askmeicare 3 years ago