Today’s classic song of the day is a legendary piece of psychedelic rock from equally legendary songwriter Todd Rundgren. The song is “Open My Eyes” and it was recorded by his first group, Nazz, in 1968. The single failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100 but gained attention and influence when it was featured on the iconic 1972 garage rock compilation album, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968.
“Open My Eyes” is a classic piece of Todd Rundgren power pop, gussied up in the psychedelic trappings of the late ’60s. Note that Todd didn’t sing lead on this one; vocal duties instead went to the group’s keyboardist, Robert “Stewkey” Antoni.
While “Open My Eyes” was the A-side of Nazz’s debut single, it was the B-side that got more attention. When DJs flipped over the 45, they glommed onto Nazz’s original recording of “Hello It’s Me” and propelled it to #71 on the charts. Nazz’s version of “Hello It’s Me” was rereleased in 1969, after the group broke up, and got even higher on the charts, all the way to #66. “Hello It’s Me” did even better when Todd rerecorded it for his 1972 Something/Anything? solo album, hitting #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Interestingly, Todd Rundgren’s group wasn’t the only band of that era with the name Nazz. There was another Nazz, based in Phoenix, that were forced to change their name when Todd’s Nazz released the “Open My Eyes” single. That group featured a lead singer named Vince Furnier, who adopted the new name for the group for himself. That group and singer? Alice Cooper.
Unusual for the time, Nazz actually produced a promotional video for “Open My Eyes.” It’s that very trippy short film that is today’s daily bonus video of the day. Groovy, baby!
