There's a 1976 Golden Earring song - "Con Man" - with some lyrics that fit TFG, [View all]

[highplainsdem]

even though the song predates his rise to fame in the 1980s.

I don't have any background info on this song, why it was written, or whether Golden Earring's lead singer, Barry Hay, who wrote the lyrics, had any particular con man in mind (maybe someone in the Netherlands who didn't make the US news). Or maybe there was some film or book about a famous con man that had inspired him.

But some of these lyrics certainly fit TFG:

Con man's mastermindin' on a brand new heist
Blueprintin' through the secret files
Your tune ain't gonna be so nice
When he gets through with you

He'll be foolin' us all if we don't watch out
Leavin' his lies, spreadin' doubts all about
Con man's got a bloodhound nose for flaws
Profits from both sides of the law

Was listening to the song again the other night and the line about "the secret files" really caught my attention now.

The song expresses some admiration for the con man's cleverness, but also calls him "the Devil's son."

This was on Golden Earring's 1976 album Contraband (its title everywhere except in the US, where it was released in 1977 as Mad Love, that title taken from one of the tracks). It was a Top 10 album with a Top 10 single ("Bombay" ) in the Netherlands, but barely charted here.

"Con Man" should have been released as a single, though it would have had to be cut from its album length...and it really should be heard in its entirety. And it's even better at the longer, concert length. I was watching a reaction video on YouTube this morning that included the live version of "Con Man," and the guy doing the video had said during this song that Golden Earring hadn't really needed "Radar Love" to be impressive.

Unfortunately there is no actual concert video that I can find of this song showing the band performing, thought there are audio-only live recordings, including on their first live album in 1977. That's the second video below.

LOL! Just noticed as I looked for a studio version to post, the first video below, that a comment under the video calls it "Donald Trump's theme song" - and that got some thumbs-up responses on YouTube. Hadn't noticed that before.