It’s a while since I posted something new around here, but life has been a tad busy of late. A big contract Mr WIAA had been working on for over a year finally came to a conclusion and last weekend we attended a fancy event where the fruits of his labours had a starring role. We’ve both been working really hard all summer so were looking forward to a bit of a break once we came back, but true to form, as soon as we started to relax, we got ill. Nothing more than a regular cold virus thankfully, and starting to feel better now, but just wanted to explain my absence.
I’ve often mentioned that I now know which subject matters are best avoided around here, and one of those is weddings. I make no apologies however for sharing this lovely snippet of news. Right in the middle of our fraught preparations for the big event last weekend we had an unexpected visit from DD’s other half. We were waiting for a camera crew to arrive to film the various pieces Mr WIAA had made, so when the doorbell rang, we thought it was them. But no, ahead of their own weekend away on the Isle of Skye, DD’s boyfriend had dropped by to ask our permission to ‘pop the question’. All very traditional and more than Mr WIAA did back in the day, but we were both very happy about this new development in their relationship and told him so. Needless to say, at this momentous juncture the camera crew did arrive, so a bit of confusion for a time, but in the end all went well with both the filming and the subsequent proposal, so it seems we are going to have a son-in law!
The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye – scene of many a romantic gesture
It occurred to me that this blog has inadvertently not only followed the journey my own life has taken over the past seven years, but also the life of DD, as she is mentioned often around here. There have been ups and downs, and two periods of returning to her old school bedroom, but this is a really happy time for her and the ring she is now wearing on her left hand is a real bobby dazzler. The wedding plans are not seriously in place yet, and won’t be for some time, but in the meantime I thought I’d share a song that was DD’s favourite when she was aged just three. He appeared on prime-time telly singing it the weekend of the big proposal, so it seems doubly appropriate – I give you Robbie Williams with She’s The One.
The song came from the album I’ve Been Expecting You from 1998 and it was also one of the standout songs in the pantomime we went to see as a family that year. She’s The One was track number 10 on the CD, and the player we had at the time came with a remote control. It didn’t take her long, but DD soon worked out she had to press both a one and a zero to get her favourite song from the pantomime, and it was played many, many times over that Christmas period. She didn’t always get the singer’s name right however confusing him with another of the artists whose CD we had bought around that time – oh yes, ‘Robbie Michaels’ was an artist often mentioned in our house back then.
I hadn’t realised until today that the song was not a Robbie Williams/Guy Chambers one. She’s The One was actually written by Karl Wallinger of World Party, a band he set up after leaving the Waterboys. Because the song only became a really big hit once released as a single by Robbie, poor Karl’s song-writing credits were for a time overlooked, and a fair bit of rancour developed between the pair. Hopefully all good now though.
Just to round things off nicely for this post, what with talk of engagements and weddings, it’s our own 30th wedding anniversary this weekend (Pearl apparently) and we’re heading off again, to celebrate and hopefully recharge the batteries. I remember writing about my Silver Wedding anniversary five years ago and it feels like only five minutes ago so that’s a bit of a worry. If I can pick up momentum again, I might even still be blogging for the 35th anniversary.
Until next time…
She’s The One Lyrics
(Song by Karl Wallinger)
I was her, she was me
We were one, we were free
And if there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
We were young, we were wrong
We were fine all along
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
When you get to where you wanna go
And you know the things you wanna know
You’re smiling
When you said what you wanna say
And you know the way you wanna play
You’ll be so high you’ll be flying
Though the sea will be strong
I know we’ll carry on
‘Cause if there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
When you get to where you wanna go
And you know the things you wanna know
You’re smiling
When you said what you wanna say
And you know the way you wanna say it
You’ll be so high you’ll be flying
I was her, she was me
We were one, we were free
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
Yeah she’s the one
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
She’s the one
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
She’s the one
If there’s somebody calling me on
She’s the one
She’s the one
What's It All About? 
Very many congratulations to DD, and a happy anniversary to you!
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Thanks Martin – a bit of happy news for this topsy turvy world we are living in.
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Happy anniversary to you and your husband. Best wishes to your daughter and her future husband.
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Thanks Neil. Some happy news for a change!
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Happy anniversary to you both. Hopefully you won’t drive too close to the car in front on the way to wherever you end up.
Congrats to DD and the soon-to-be Mr. DD. What a lovely gesture from him. Sounds like a keeper.
I’m sure Karl Wallinger made more money out of that Robbie Williams cover than he did out of any other World Party song…
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I did read him your blog post earlier so it’s been decided I’ll drive tomorrow. Would be a shame to fall out right at the start of our weekend away!
As for DD and Mr DD, great news. A keeper indeed.
He certainly will have made a bob or two out of Rob. Hopefully he’s got over not getting full credit early on by now.
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Lots of good things going on there.
It was good to see you both in Carrbridge.
Enjoy your break away!
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Thanks CC. Lots of good things as you say. Now safely installed in our seafront cottage in Pittenweem. Lovely wee place.
Yes, great to meet up again in Cambridge, or rather Carrbridge!
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Ah, some lovely news, really pleased to hear this! So refreshing to have something positive to celebrate too with everything else going on in the world. Also wishing you and Mr WIAA a very happy wedding anniversary. Where did the years go? As you say, time goes so fast – but here’s hoping it slows down perfectly for your break away and you can take a well-earned rest from the normal faster pace of life.
I didn’t know that about Karl Wallinger’s writing credits for the song either. It has a bit of Beatlesque sound to it too, I can just imagine how it would sound with either Lennon or McCartney on vocals. Robbie Williams was apparently playing in London the same night we went to the Abba show. A couple of, shall we say, (equally!) ‘mature’ Robbie fans were in our hotel lobby, they thought we might be going to see him too… I never had myself down as looking like a potential RW fan!
Have a fab time away! x
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Yes, so glad I had some happy news to share for once as everything is so negative at the moment. We are now installed in our weekend cottage and it’s lovely so hopefully we’ll have a really good time.
Interesting what you say about the Beatlesesque sound – yes I can hear that now with their vocals. As for Robbie, he was the cheeky chappie of the Take That bunch and not my favourite of the group but I’ve always had a soft spot for that album. A happy time for us as a family when DD was just 3.
So you’ve been to your Abba show. We look forward to hearing about it at some point. Only heard good things about it so far.
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A Happy 30th wedding anniversary to you and your husband and congratulations to you daughter on her engagement.
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Thanks Lynchie – the 30th isn’t really a biggie but it tied in with the other big news in this one. Some happy news for these negative times!
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Congratulations to you all on these two happy events! I hope you and your husband have a lovely break, whether you’re going near or far.
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Thanks Lizza. We’ve not gone that far actually but it’s a place I’ve never been before so really enjoying the charming villages in the East Newk of Fife.
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Congratulations to you all for a variety of reasons!
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Thanks Graham – the big news belongs to DD really but yes, quite a few other good things going on too. I will avoid watching telly news for the duration of my weekend away – keep the chaos at bay for a couple of days!
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Please pass on my congratulations!
More World Party and Karl Wallinger, please! JM
http://www.johnmedd.com/2014/12/party-time.html?m=1
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Thanks John.
As for Karl Wallinger I’d never heard of him before but as you say in your blog post, Robbie ended up bankrolling him through a tough time in his life. Every day’s a school day in the world of music blogs.
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Congratulations to the happy couple, what a lovely thing to lift the spirits and look forward to. And respect to DD’s boyfriend. I asked Mrs. K’s parents for consent over two decades ago and I like to think that their tears were of joy and not woe for the marriage to come! We’re trailing some way behind, Alyson, but congratulations also for your upcoming 30th anniversary. Every year is a milestone for me, a reminder of how lucky I am.
I wouldn’t call myself a Robbie Williams fan by any stretch of the mark but I always respected his commitment to pop music that was very commercial yet also a little subversive, in the lyrics and videos.
Did you get to hear the original version by World Party? It’s on their album Egyptology
I think Robbie does a pretty faithful rendition and once the songwriting credit issues had (hopefully) been resolved, I hope it at least switched a fair few people onto Karl Wallinger’s songs that might otherwise have missed them altogether.
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Thanks Khayem – a lovely thing to happen in the midst of all the chaos going on around us at the moment – meant I didn’t have to mention that revolving door at Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street. I did shed a tear too I must admit and definitely not a tear of woe – we are very lucky indeed to have such a fine young man join our family.
Just back from the 30th anniversary meal out and very nice it was too. Hope I’ll still be here to write about the 35th!
Robbie is not for everyone but he did make some very good pop songs around that time and the videos always told a story. Love Supreme has featured around here before as I loved the Bob Williams Grand Prix video – very cleverly and comedically done.
Thanks for sharing the original – very similar, so Robbie’s version did stay faithful. Yes, sounds as if Karl did well in the end out of the cover so doubt if he was upset for long.
Thanks for dropping by.
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