Last week I went to see the new Bob Dylan biopic called A Complete Unknown (see what they did there?) and it certainly was an experience. The story was set during the short period 1961 to 1965 when Bob went from being a new arrival on the Greenwich Village folk scene, to becoming a bit of a superstar.
As I was born in Scotland at the start of the 1960s, that story, very much an American one, was just before my time so I learned a lot. I’ve said around here before that I like Bob’s songs best when they are sung by other people but after watching the film I think I’m a convert to his kind of delivery. Not that we hear Bob on the soundtrack at all, as it is the actor Timothée Chalamet who does the honours. He is an actor that I admire a lot and I have it on good authority that he plays the part of Bob really well in terms of how he looks, sounds and behaves. An Oscar nomination confirms that. Here he is singing the song alluded to in the film’s title.
Like A Rolling Stone by Timothée Chalamet:
Joan Baez plays an important part in the film and again the actress who plays her does a fantastic job. Her voice is beautiful as I can imagine Joan’s was back in the day, when she and Bob were often paired up on stage, especially at the renowned Newport Folk Festival.
Bob and Joan
I came away wanting to listen to more Bob Dylan songs and fortunately found a fair few on my hard drive. I’m warming to this one most at the moment so here is the man himself from 1965 singing It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue. Bob has never divulged who Baby Blue was so we’re still in the dark all these years later.
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue by Bob Dylan:
If you’re thinking of going to see the film, I would thoroughly recommend it. You don’t particularly warm to the character of Bob as he could be (as Joan Baez told him) a bit of an asshole but it was wonderful to see the context in which his classic songs were written, and wonderful to find out who the girl on the album cover was. Timothée does a good job of mumbling, just like Bob, but you do work out most of what he says and that was good enough for me. I think a lot of us will leave the cinema with a new appreciation for Bob Dylan, and like me, will be scouring their music library to see what they’ve got by the man, music they might not have listened to for quite some time.
Until next time…
Like A Rolling Stone (Song by Bob Dylan)
Once upon a time you dressed so fine Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you? Yeah, people’d call, say “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall” You thought they were just kiddin’ you
You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin’ out And now you don’t walk so proud Now you don’t talk so loud About having to be scrounging your next meal
How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home A complete unknown Just like a rolling stone?
Come on
You went to the finest schools all right, Miss Lonely But you know you only used to get juiced in it Nobody taught you how to live out on the street But now you’re gonna have to get used to it
You said you’d never compromise With the mystery tramp, but now you realize That he’s not selling any alibis As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And say do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home A complete unknown Just like a rolling stone?
How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home A complete unknown Just like a rolling stone?
Yeah, the princess on the steeple all the pretty people Drinkin’, thinkin’ that they got it made Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts Even to take that that diamond ring, you’d better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused At Napoleon in rags with the language that he used Now go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal
How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home A complete unknown Just like a rolling stone?
We lost a titan of the music industry last Sunday when Quincy Delight Jones Jr., 91, died peacefully at his home in Bel-Air. He had come a long way from his humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago. I thought I knew a fair bit about Quincy when I heard the news, but as ever, it’s not until you start to read the tributes that you discover how much you didn’t know.
I hadn’t, for example, realised he’d had quite the career as a jazz musician, arranger, and composer throughout the 1950s, and worked extensively with Frank Sinatra. Quincy first worked with Frank in 1958 and then six years later he was invited to arrange and conduct his live album with the Count Basie Orchestra, Sinatra at the Sands. Frank even gave him a gold pinkie ring with his personal crest and from that day on he never took it off.
Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra with the Count Basie Orchestra
I also didn’t know that Soul Bossa Nova, which became the theme tune for Mike Myers’ film series Austin Powers, was composed and first performed by Quincy in 1962. It got a whole new lease of life, and audience, when the first film was released in 1997.
Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones
In the 1960s Quincy started to write the music for film soundtracks and along with Don Black created this bit of movie magic, On Days Like These, the theme tune for 1969’s The Italian Job starring Michael Caine. Sublime – one of my favourite ever film themes.
On Days Like These by Matt Monro
We’re now getting onto more familiar territory and I did know that Quincy produced the soundtrack for 1978’s The Wiz, the musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. It was whilst working on The Wiz that Michael asked Quincy to recommend some producers for his upcoming solo album. He offered some names but when none were right for the project he eventually offered to produce the album himself. Michael accepted and the rest, as they say, is history. The first album they made together, Off the Wall, sold about 20 million copies. Michael and Quincy’s next collaboration, Thriller, sold 65 million copies and became the highest-selling album of all time. The third album in the trilogy was Bad, which sold 45 million copies, and this was the last time they worked together.
Off The Wall by Michael Jackson
Quincy didn’t often produce albums under his own name but back in 1981 he released the The Dude. I wouldn’t have remembered this album but I very definitely remember the single Razzamatazz (with vocals by Patti Austin) as it climbed to No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart, Quincy’s biggest solo hit over here. Having just listened to it straight after Off The Wall, there is more than a passing similarity, which of course makes perfect sense.
Razzamatazz by Quincy Jones with Patti Austin:
This tribute is growing arms and legs and I am conscious that I seem to be relying on a string of YouTube clips. We’re nearly there though. I’m also conscious I’ve shared a clip of someone I had banished from this blog a few years ago. It just didn’t seem right to make no mention of the three albums Quincy made with Michael Jackson, however, as in terms of his musical legacy they were probably his finest hour. I actually enjoyed watching the 21-year-old Michael sing and dance his way through Off The Wall, as being objective, he really was a rare talent.
In 1985 Quincy used his influence to get most of the major American artists together to record We Are The World. It was the US version of our Band Aid single and it raised even more money for the victims of famine in Ethiopia.
By the 1990s, Quincy Jones had his own production company and worked with film studios and television networks to make copious amounts of entertainment. He was the person who gave us Will Smith in the form of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and yes, you guessed it, he composed the theme tune for the show.
For the next 30 years Quincy continued to be active in the entertainment industry and as recently as 2020, he appeared on the album Dawn FM by the Weeknd, performing a monolog in the sixth track, A Tale by Quincy. I would urge you to listen to it. It explains a lot.
I am reminded of the post I wrote about Burt Bacharach when he died. Both he and Quincy were in their 90s when they died so it’s not a tragedy, but it does draw a line under their amazing body of work. Unlike with Burt, whose life’s work I was more familiar with, I have learnt a lot about Quincy writing this post. They don’t come along very often, these magicians of music, but aren’t we glad that a few times in a generation, they do. RIP Quincy Jones.
Until next time…
Razzamatazz Lyrics (Song by Quincy Jones/Rod Temperton)
Don’t believe those clouds in the sky ‘Cause they’ll be movin’ on and the sun will shine If the world’s been passin’ you by Just reach for a star and you’ll realize
Got to put back all the good times that we had We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz
If you feel your life’s in a rut Just come on out tonight, and we’ll pull you up Ain’t no use in dragging your feet ‘Cause something’s in the air that just can’t be beat
Got to put back all the good times that we had We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
Bring out the rides with all those white wall tires Let’s go out cruisin’ like we used to do Get suited down, let’s set the town on fire Jump out your seat and let the music pull you through
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz) We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz) We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz) We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz) We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
Got to put back all the good times that we had We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
Bring out the rides with all those white wall tires Let’s go out cruisin’ like we used to do Get suited down, let’s set the town on fire Jump out your seat and let the music pull you through
You can lay your soul on the line ‘Cause we can make it work if we do it right Got to spread this message around The people of the world should be getting down
Got to put back all the good times that we had We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz) We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz) We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz) (Give a bit of Razzamatazz)
Well, I must be enjoying my time in Delaware a bit too much, as it’s been a while since I came up with anything new around here. When I say “my time in Delaware”, I of course mean the latest edition of my resurrected series, An American Odyssey In Song. But no, I will continue my journey around the states in due course – in the meantime I’ll explain why I’ve been so…
Lazy by David Byrne
In September we went down to Harrogate for another stay with my good friend from student days. I have however written a travelogue kind of post about Harrogate and Yorkshire before (link here) so I didn’t feel inclined to go there again. The difference this time was that our trip coincided with the local Flower Show and it turns out the amateur gardeners of North Yorkshire are dab hands at growing comically large vegetables. A small selection shown below.
Ooh err missus, what a lot of whoppers!
I’ll bet that’s the first time David Byrne has come next to a group of giant vegetables in a music blog. Not so for the Beach Boys, however, as they recorded a song about legumes back in 1967. If you don’t believe me here is the proof. The song was apparently a tongue-in-cheek promotion of organic food. Either that or about how marijuana was turning Brian Wilson and his friends into a “vegetative” state. I’ve heard it all now.
Vegetables by the Beach Boys
Our trip to Yorkshire ended up being extended by a couple of days as back in September LNER staff decided to strike on the weekend we were due to travel back north. Their online booking system confounded me when it came to changing our tickets, so I bought new ones for the Monday on the promise I would get a refund for the ones that were now useless. A hotel was booked in York and all was well – I thought. At the last minute the strike was cancelled so no refund after all. An expensive error of judgement on my part but I’m glad the rail workers came to a settlement.
The upside was that we really enjoyed our time in York. There had been a mini-meetup with some of my blogging buddies in that very city the year before, but that was just ahead of me becoming quite ill, so I couldn’t really enjoy that get-together as much as I should have. Second time around it went fine and we even won the pub quiz at the Cock and Bottle round the corner from our hotel! Here are some pictures from both the 2024 visit and from BlogCon23.
Regulars around here will probably remember that I was largely absent from this blog last year because my mental health took a turn for the worse. I even ended up becoming a hospital inpatient for quite some time. At the end of September, I had an appointment with the consultant I have to check in with every so often, and it was decided I should stop taking some of the medication I have been on for over a year now. Suffice it to say it didn’t go well and on top of the physical side-effects of stopping quite suddenly, I also felt very low which seriously affected my motivation for doing anything, including blogging. The good news is I’ve been back to see the consultant and I’m now back on the meds – not a long-term solution but in the meantime, I’m back to feeling like a better version of myself which is fine by me.
What I think will really get this blog started again is replacing “reading hour” with “writing hour.” To explain – last year when I was in hospital, Mr WIAA used to switch off the phones at 5pm and settle down with a book for an hour. It helped him unwind after a stressful day of worrying about me and fielding phone calls from concerned friends. He got through many novels during that time which was a first for him, as prior to that the same book used to sit by his bedside for about a year before it was finished. When I got home from hospital we kept up the same routine, but after 11 months, and 25 books completed, I think it’s time to change my routine. Having a dedicated hour set aside for a hobby is a good thing and I’m looking forward to becoming good friends with my blog again. (If anyone is interested in what I’ve been reading, I’ve listed my 25 in the postscript.)
I’ve mentioned the book below by Will Hodgkinson before, but I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who was born at the start of the 1960s and came of age in the 1970s. He covers the soundtrack to our teenage years, each chapter covering the various bands and singers who stole our hearts – and our pocket money – back then.
The first chapter is dedicated to Marc Bolan of T. Rex who along with a few others, came up with the musical sub-genre Glam Rock. T. Rex filled our rock and pop magazines in the early ’70s when they had a run of eleven top ten singles, four of which reached the top of the UK Singles Chart – Hot Love, Get It On, Telegram Sam and Metal Guru. I was at school camp in Ayrshire when Metal Guru reached the top spot. In those technologically primitive times, a small black and white television had been wheeled onto the stage of the hall where we all met up every evening, so that we could watch Top Of The Pops. I can still remember the big cheer that went out when we heard that Marc and Co. had knocked the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards version of Amazing Grace off the No. 1 position. We were Scottish, and they had bagpipes, but at the age of 12, all we wanted to hear was the sound of T. Rex.
Metal Guru by T. Rex:
I would love to say my friends and I had brought our glam gear to school camp, but no, satin and sequins hadn’t quite made it to the wardrobes of your average 12-year-old Scot back then. I did have some glittery eye shadow however that I wore to the disco at the end of the two weeks. I can’t remember now whether that was to match my crimplene flares, my hotpants with bib, or my gypsy style dress (all very fashionable in 1972) but I do remember that change was afoot. Colour televisions were appearing in living rooms all over the country and suddenly our favourite bands could be seen in all their glory. The costumes became more and more elaborate and were embraced by Slade, the Sweet, Mud, David Bowie et al. The teenage years were just about to start and we had been born at just the right time!
Until next time…
Metal Guru Lyrics (Song by Marc Bolan)
Whoa-oh, yeah Metal guru, is it you? Metal guru, is it you? Sitting there in your armour plated chair oh yeah Metal guru, is it true? Metal guru, is it true? All alone without a telephone oh yeah
Metal guru could it be you’re gonna bring my baby to me? She’ll be wild you know, a rock ‘n’ roll child, oh yeah
Metal guru has it been Just like a silver-studded saber-toothed dream I’ll be clean you know, pollution machine
Metal guru, is it you? Metal guru, is it you? Oh, yeah Whoa-oh, yeah whoa, whoa Metal guru could it be you’re gonna bring my baby to me? She’ll be wild you know, a rock ‘n’ roll child oh yeah
Metal guru, is it you? Metal guru, is it you? All alone without a telephone
Metal guru could it be you’re gonna bring my baby to me? She’ll be wild you know, a rock’n’roll child oh yeah
Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Postscript:
Mainly for my own record, here is the list of books I’ve read so far this year. I’ve highlighted the ones I enjoyed most in case anyone trusts my judgement.
We Solve Murders – Richard Osman The First Casualty – Ben Elton The Housemaid – Freida McFadden The Other Queen – Philippa Gregory The Last Tudor – Philippa Gregory The Lost Bookshop – Evie Woods The Zone of Interest – Martin Amis Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver Tell Me A Secret – Jane Fallon Never Greener – Ruth Jones The Dead of Winter – Stuart MacBride Larch Tree Lane – Anna Jacobs Meantime – Frankie Boyle In Perfect Harmony: Singalong Pop in 70s Britain – Will Hodgkinson Companion Piece – Ali Smith French Braid – Anne Tyler A Mother’s Heart – Carmel Harrington
All of the following by Louise Candlish – I really got into her this summer after reading her newest novel Our Holiday. Probably best suited to female readers but a particular house always features as a main character which is a bit different. Psychological thrillers in the main.
Our Holiday The Second Husband The Day You Saved My Life The Island Hideaway The Sudden Disappearance of the Frasers The Only Suspect The Disappearance of Emily Marr The Heights
I think I’ve mentioned around here before that I now volunteer in a local charity shop. It’s only for one day a week but I’ve really come to enjoy my day in the shop, in amongst all those things people have found excess to requirements.
This week I was going through a trolley of things which had to be priced ready to go out on the shop floor and in amongst it all there were three 45rpm singles – the one at the top caught my eye. It was the song Out On The Floor by Dobie Gray. But of course Dobie wasn’t singing about anything going out on a shop floor, he was singing about dancing, and I knew this song was a big favourite with the Northern Soul faithful back in the early to mid 70s. Could you ever find lyrics more appropriate for people who regularly attended “all-nighters” in repurposed dancehalls in the North of England?
Out On The Floor by Dobie Gray
I’ve written about Northern Soul around here before (link to posts), as it fascinates me how a body of young northern men came to love dancing to obscure soul records from the mid 60s so much, but it wasn’t until I read this book by Stuart Cosgrove that I realised how little I knew about it all. Although Stuart is a Scot, back in the day he and his friends would travel south to attend the legendary all-nighters in places like Wigan Casino and in doing so he built up a vast knowledge of not only the records that were played but of the various characters best known on the circuit. It was all down to a handful of DJs really and where they went the crowds followed. What a time to have been alive.
If you are interested in the history of Northern Soul I would thoroughly recommend Stuart’s book. As for Dobie’s record in the shop, I didn’t buy it as it’s definitely not one of those really rare ones that change hands for lots of money, and I don’t think it was in very good condition, but it certainly drew me to a song that has become an earworm for the rest of the week. Thankfully a nice earworm.
Until next time…
Out On The Floor Lyrics (Song by Fred Darian/Alfred V De Lory)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, babe’s it’s out of sight Out on the floor each night, I’m really movin’ The band’s is wailin’ right I feel like groovin’ The chicks are out of sight and I am grooving The crowd is in tonight beggin’ for more
I get my kicks out on the floor
I am on the floor tonight, I feel like singin The beat is running right and guitars are ringin’ I’m really on tonight and everything swingin’ The room is packed out tight, light at the door
So I get my kicks out on the floor
Yeah, yeah, yeah, babe’s it’s out of sight
When I’m out on the floor, it makes me feel like a king Everybody here, don’t you know what I mean It makes me wanna move (makes me wanna move). It makes me feel that groove (make me feel that groove). I wanna twist and shout (makes me twist and shout). Work it on out (make me work it on out)
When I feel that beat (feel that beat), I gotta move my feet
Out on the floor tonight, I feel like singin’ The beat is hot and bright, guitars are ringin’ The chicks are out of sight everything’s swingin’ The room is packed up tight, lined at the door, oh, yeah So I’m gettin’ my kicks, out on the floor (I got some more) Don’t you feel that beat, down in in your feet
WIAA: You know what I’m about to say, Alyson, don’t you?
ALYSON: I do indeed, WIAA, and I’m sorry your pages have remained blank so far this month. I could say I’ve been really busy, but in truth it seems that I’m just prioritising other things at the moment – sorry about that. What can I do to redeem myself?
WIAA: Hmm… let me think. How about WRITING SOMETHING! Just let your fingers dance around the keyboard telling us what you’ve been up to?
ALYSON: Good plan WIAA.
The big news is that DD and the still relatively new Mr DD have bought their first house together. An exciting time for them but also a busy time, as it being a 10-year-old house there is a fair bit of DIY to be done to get it just the way they want it. Guess who’s been doing the DIY? To be fair, the lion’s share has been down to her dad who is flooring their loft as I type. There is method in this madness, however, as our own loft might finally get a decent clear out of all the stuff she accumulated during her teenage years/early twenties when she had more disposable cash but a childhood bedroom too small to hold it all. I have an awful feeling most will go to the recycling centre but now at least there will be options.
The House That Jack Built by Tracie
In other news, we’ve had a short caravan holiday on our favourite beach up in East Sutherland. I’ve written about such holidays before so I won’t go there again but it was very relaxing indeed. The weather was not kind but in three days we went to three folk museums and three coffee shops, had three walks along the beach (in between rainstorms) and three nice dinners. The first of these dinners was paella cooked by Mr WIAA to celebrate my birthday. The cards and flowers I’d received in the morning came on holiday with us and a lovely day was had, despite the fact a very age-specific Beatles song kept ringing in my ears. Suddenly the age mentioned in the song didn’t feel very old at all, but then you remember two of the Beatles didn’t even make it, so feeling blessed (especially after my stint in hospital last year) to be happy and healthy at this point in my life.
When I’m Sixty-Four by the Beatles:
It would be hard to miss the fact there is a big football tournament going on at the moment, the Euros, so lots of coverage on the main two television channels. I no longer follow club football but I do like the big tournaments as it’s a chance to see some of the world’s best players perform their magic on the pitch. From the 1970s on I’ve followed these biannual events and am lucky to have watched players such as Pele and Johan Cruyff as well as the more recent superstars such as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Tartan Army en route to a match
Sadly Scotland doesn’t have such superstars in their squad which might excuse them for their humiliating defeat last Friday night. I had to leave the room at one point as it was just so tough to watch after the big build up and following the antics of the 200,000 strong tartan army partying ahead of the match. It’s been 26 years since the tartan army had a chance to travel abroad for a tournament and they were certainly going to enjoy it. This song sums up their attitude I think, and despite the heavy defeat in their first match, optimism is high again ahead of their match tonight. (Don’t be misled by the still in this clip, it’s a very funny video.)
No Scotland No Party by Nick Morgan:
As this post is very much a web diary kind of affair what else have I been up to since the end of April? Many more hours of socialising with friends it seems. I really thought it would tail off once I’d been home from hospital for a while, but not a week passes without people getting in touch about going for walk, meeting up for coffee, organising a trip to the cinema… – I really am a very lucky lady and at no point over the last few months have I missed running the holiday hideaway. It was hard work and the standards I set myself were so high I was permanently exhausted and tied to my phone. Much better to do my weekly stint volunteering in the charity shop and continue to run our little online jewellery business. We’re definitely never going to make a fortune from it but it ticks over nicely and you just never know when a really interesting commission might come in.
As I mentioned the cinema above, our Film Club pick for last month was Bleeding Love starring one of my favourite actors, Ewan MacGregor. His real life daughter Clara plays his daughter in the movie. I always avoid reading the review for a film until after I’ve seen it so that I’m not predisposed to thinking a certain way about it. My friend and I both liked this story of the difficult road trip both characters went on, so were surprised when the reviews were less than favourable. Something else my friend and I liked was one of the songs on the soundtrack so we waited until all the credits rolled to see who it was by. As the words crept up the screen we eventually came to the songs. As soon as the names Bobby and Billy come up, I knew who it was going to be – yes, back in 1976 those Alessi brothers (of Oh Lori fame) wrote the sweet song Seabird which had now made it’s way into a MacGregor family offering 48 years later. They will be old men now just like I’m an old woman but having these songs in their back pocket is definitely something to impress the grandchildren with.
Seabird by Alessi:
Not much more to write about really as I’ve had a bit of an outpouring here. I no longer keep a paper diary so I like to use this blog as a reminder of what’s been going on in the world, and closer to home. Speaking of what’s going on in the world I didn’t mention the upcoming General Election, but that might be because I don’t watch much news nowadays and I know I’m not alone. Come the day I will turn out to vote but the electioneering is leaving me cold. What never leaves me cold however is a blogger’s meet-up and if all goes well there will be one next week. Looking forward to it very much and there will no doubt be stories to tell.
Until next time…
Seabird Lyrics (Song by Bobby Alessi/Billy Alessi)
There’s a road I know I must go Even though I tell myself That road is closed
Listen, lonely seabird You’ve been away from land too long Aw, too long
I don’t listen to the news no more Like an unwound clock You just don’t seem to care This world isn’t big enough To keep me away from you Oh, from you
Seabird, seabird Fly home Seabird, seabird Fly home Like a lonely seabird You’ve been away from land too long Oh, too long
Suddenly, you’re with me I turn, and you’re not there Like a ghost, you haunt me You find warmth in a one-night bed
Sunsets, full moons Don’t turn you on Like an untied dog You just had to run
Like a lonely seabird You’ve been away from land too long Oh, no, too long (so long, seabird)
Seabird, seabird Fly home (like a lonely bird) Seabird, seabird Fly home
Seabird, seabird Fly home (seabird, sea) Seabird, seabird Fly home
Last time I told the story of what’s been happening in my world over the last five months, when I’ve been absent from these pages. That’s been done now and glad I went there rather than leave it a mystery. What I didn’t say however was that my only child, a daughter known around here as DD, had planned her wedding for the beginning of October… and I missed it. It had been on the calendar for some time before I became unwell and the decision was made that it had to go ahead even if I was still in hospital come the day, which I was, and to be honest I was so ill at that time there was no way I could even have had “a pass” from the ward just to witness the ceremony.
What did happen on the wedding day however was that my support worker, who took me out for walks from the ward, managed to co-ordinate with my nephew to stream the ceremony live via his mobile phone. On the trial run everything worked fine, but once inside the very thick walled country house hotel where the wedding was to take place, that idea failed as we just couldn’t get a signal. What did happen however was that my lovely nephew filmed the entire ceremony then sent it across as a file via WhatsApp to Lindsay the support worker. And so it came to pass that 15 minutes after my daughter became a wife, I was sitting in a strange man’s car in a secluded spot overlooking our local duckpond watching it all on a bit of a battered smart phone. I was fine with it though as I knew I was too ill to attend and my outfit wouldn’t have fitted anyway as I had lost so much weight, so anything we could glean from the day was a bonus really. The humanist celebrant was excellent (should have been renamed a humourist as he was so entertaining and funny) and my daughter and other half smiled and laughed throughout the whole thing.
She had particularly wanted an autumn wedding as it’s her favourite time of the year. As a fair-skinned Scot like myself, who isn’t good with hot weather and blazing sunshine, she likes nothing more than to pack away her summer wardrobe and get the winter woollies and overcoats back into service. She loves the colours of autumn too and the wedding venue had been decorated with dried flower displays and around 40 pumpkins, some real, some ceramic! Everywhere you looked there was a pumpkin – at the end of the rows of chairs, at the entrance, and part of the table centrepieces. Everyone was encouraged to take a pumpkin home with them and most of the guests did, to their credit, although I doubt if many made soup or a pie with them. I have now seen the wedding video and most of the photos taken by the photographer so although I wasn’t there in person I almost feel as if I was. Not bitter at all about the timing. Couldn’t be helped. I felt bad at not having been able to help with the organisation, and I felt bad about seeing Mr WIAA sitting on his own in the front row during the ceremony, but most of all I felt proud of DD and the new Mr DD at having pulled it off despite having been distracted all summer with my illness.
But what is it I usually say at around this point? This is a music blog so where is the song. It’s an easy peasy choice, it’s the song that accompanied DD’s walk down the aisle on the arm of her dad, ready to meet her groom. The song they picked is one I have known for most of my life, but not the version they went for. Their version was by a singer called Haley Reinhart and it goes something like this:
Can’t Help Falling In Love by Haley Reinhart
As I said I am really familiar with this song because I was a big Elvis Presley fan in my youth and one of my favourite Elvis films is Blue Hawaii which is where the song first appeared. It used to be a ritual of mine to watch Blue Hawaii on Boxing Day as it gave me a bit of a pick-me-up watching Elvis sing and dance his way through warm and sunny locations whilst sitting here in cold and dreich Scotland. Over the last few years I’ve not kept up that tradition but maybe time to dust off the DVD and give it another whirl.
The song Can’t Help Falling in Love was written in 1961 and the melody was apparently based on Plaisir d’amour, a popular French love song composed in 1784. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with Him”, which explains the first and third line ending on “in” and “sin” rather than words rhyming with “you”. Whatever its provenance, it was a great choice for the wedding sung by a graduate of American Idol, Haley. But I can’t leave it there. Time for a bit of a compare and contrast. Here is my favourite version from Blue Hawaii when Elvis, who has returned home from the army to set up a tourism business with girlfriend Maile, sings the song at their lavish outdoor wedding.
Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley
While we’re in the business of comparing and contrasting, I can’t end this post without also sharing the version by reggae band UB40 who had a really big hit with it in 1993 after it was used in the film Sliver. The song climbed to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for seven weeks. It also topped the charts of 11 other countries, including Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK, where it spent two weeks at No. 1. Time to visit the video clip I think.
Can’t Help Falling In Love by UB40
Not much more to say really except to share another picture of the happy couple outside their wedding venue just as a touch of drizzle was falling. Made for a very atmospheric shot. Also, I have just seen the clock, and in less than three hours we are going to be heading into 2024. It’s been a year of highs and lows for us as a family, the high being DD getting married but the low being my illness and how it affected us all. Happy New Year for when it comes – see you on the other side.
Until next time…
Can’t Help Falling In Love Lyrics (Song by Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George David Weiss)
Wise men say Only fools, only fools rush in Oh, but I, but I, I can’t help falling in love with you
Shall I stay? Would it be, would it be a sin? If I can’t help falling in love with you
Like a river flows Surely to the sea Darling, so it goes Some things, you know, are meant to be
Take my hand Take my whole life too For I can”t help falling in love with you For I can”t help falling in love with you
ALYSON: Yep, still here WIAA, just not in the right headspace for blogging at the moment. Being a bit of a worrywart (understatement) I’m not sleeping very well. All down to what you would call First World problems, but try telling your head that at 3am.
WIAA: Sorry to hear that Alyson. Maybe a bit of light blogging would help.
ALYSON: You know what WIAA, I was just thinking that myself, so good on you for giving me a nudge. Maybe better to do a bit of blogging during the night, than fail miserably in getting some shut-eye (whoever devised counting sheep as an effective technique obviously wasn’t a worrywart). Also, the blogging community is always really supportive, so don’t think my lovely followers will judge me too harshly on whatever I come up with.
WIAA: Damn straight Alyson. Go for it.
ALYSON: Something I’ve been doing to while away the wee small hours, is read books on rock and pop nostalgia, and I have three by my bedside at the moment. I’ve discovered so many new bits and pieces hitherto unknown to me, so maybe worth sharing them with you WIAA, and whoever else drops by here.
Some recommended reading from Mark Radcliffe, Dylan Jones and David Hepworth
WIAA: Ah, I see another David Hepworth book there and I know you’ve shared some of his other works here before, so you must enjoy what he does.
ALYSON: I certainly do and as a writer I think he is exceptional. More words have been added to my “new words notebook” from his books than from any others of late. He doesn’t set out to be pretentiously clever, so when he uses a phrase like “a phalanx of fruggers” it describes a scene perfectly. (Essentially people dancing in formation, but soooo much more.)
WIAA: That’s a good title for his book Alyson, a fine play on words, and of course the subtitle says it all: How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America.
ALYSON: It’s a great summing up of just what happened, starting with the British Invasion of 1964, led by the Beatles, and ending with the events of 1983 when a second British Invasion took place spearheaded by bands like Culture Club. Did you know WIAA, that in July 1983, there were 18 British-originated singles in the American Top 40? That was even more than the 14 back in June 1965 after Beatlemania had taken hold. All because of MTV apparently, where British music videos reigned supreme. For the record, here is a clip of that first live performance by the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, followed by Culture Club with their Karma Chameleon video. How things changed in just under a couple of decades. Such times.
I Want To Hold Your Hand by the Beatles:
That’s all for this time folks – just wanted to dip my toe back in the water and my blog usually does a good job of chivvying me up. I will return to my three favourite new books next time and pick something a bit more meaty to write about. Amazed considering my lack of sleep I got this far really but had to be done. Please bear with me.
Until next time…
I Want To Hold Your Hand Lyrics (Song by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something I think you’ll understand When I say that something I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand
Oh please, say to me You’ll let me be your man And please, say to me You’ll let me hold your hand You’ll let me hold your hand I wanna hold your hand
And when I touch you I feel happy Inside It’s such a feeling that my love I can’t hide I can’t hide I can’t hide
Yeah, you got that something I think you’ll understand When I say that something I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand
And when I touch you I feel happy Inside It’s such a feeling that my love I can’t hide I can’t hide I can’t hide
Yeah, you got that something I think you’ll understand When I feel that something I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand
Today is the longest day, and up here in the North of Scotland it will never get truly dark, only dusk at best. It’s usually my favourite month but this year it’s been challenging because of all the hot weather. I mentioned last time I’d had a skin issue because of too much sun exposure over the years, and rather than just leave it dangling there, the update is I have now had a diagnosis and fortunately it is something that can be dealt with. Still going to be a tricky procedure though and from now on I’m going to be “hat woman” so excuse me if I’m a bit off my game at the moment. Health worries will do that to a person. I have managed to write nine of these editions already though and I’m determined to see this series through to the end, so here comes the one for the month of June.
Last month I got a surprise in that May was named after a Greek goddess, which was a first for this series. True to form we’re back to the Roman goddesses this month, Juno to be exact, the goddess of marriage and the wife of the “supreme deity Jupiter”. Wow, no pressure being married to him then!
I usually say these posts almost write themselves as I’m lucky enough to have people drop by with song suggestions. This time there was very little overlap in terms of suggestions so without further ado let’s see what this month has to offer.
First up we had Neil, who came up with Rainy Day in June by the Kinks. Not a song I had ever heard before so thanks for sharing it – quite spectacular rainstorm sound effects at the beginning and throughout. It was on their 1966 album Face To Face which also featured the song Sunny Afternoon. So far this month we’ve had plenty of sunny afternoons but also many thunderstorms, so very apt for 2023 too as it turns out.
The next contributor was Lynchie who remembered about Van Morrison’s song Evening In June. No mistaking, based on the sound, that it’s a Van song, and it seems he had fun with some of the rhymes in his lyrics. Oh yes, there is both a moon and a lagoon in the first verse, but because I love it, I’ll let that go!
By the light of the moon When the night holds the secrets Of the sleepy lagoon I’m contemplating moonlight On the water When I’m walking with you On an evening in June
Ernie Goggins has been a faithful contributor to this series and he didn’t let me down for this month’s edition either. This time he simply said:
I have a couple of mellow, vaguely countryish suggestions for June.
You’re not wrong Ernie, mellow and countryish. Regulars to this place will already know that I am a big fan of singers in the mould of Karen Carpenter and I have yet to hear anyone come closer in terms of singing style than Rumer. Probably a bit rubbish for Rumer being continually compared in that way but there could be worse comparisons. Here is June It’s Gonna Happen from her, and also June Bug from Erin Rae.
C from Sun Dried Sparrows is another regular contributor to this series and again she didn’t disappoint. Here are her own words:
I have a suggestion for June which I hope you like, it’s gorgeous and mellow; case/lang/veirs with Greens of June.
I do like it C, I like a lot, and as I mentioned in my reply, their song Supermoon was my favourite inclusion in my Full Moon in Song series.
Khayem has been yet another regular contributor (thanks guys) and although there was a bit of an overlap with one of Ernie’s suggestions in terms of the song title, he did have another one up his sleeve. These are his own words:
Like Ernie, the title Junebug immediately popped into my head when thinking of the coming month, but a different song and a different artist. This Junebug is by the ever wonderful The B-52’s. It appeared on their 1989 album Cosmic Thing but here’s a live version from 1990.
Now we have a suggestion from a new contributor to this series. Rich Kamerman dropped by with the following:
I was coming up empty regarding “June” songs, which is a shame since it’s my birthday month, but then a song I loved miraculously popped into my head: June by Spock’s Beard. They are a modern progressive rock band that started in the mid-’90s and I’ve been a huge fan since I first heard them around ’96 or ’97. Their music is super-melodic even when they go full-on “prog”. This particular song is mostly acoustic with great harmonies. I hope you like it.
I do like it Rich, so thanks for remembering about it. The band’s name of course intrigued me and it seems that it came from an episode from the original Star Trek series. According to band member Alan Morse: Spock’s Beard was sort of a phrase that we’d say to each other – my brother and I – when something weird would happen. We’d say, “Wow, that’s like Spock’s Beard,” meaning, “that only happens in a parallel universe, right?” Anyway, Spock only has that beard in the one episode, and it’s when he’s in the parallel universe in “Mirror, Mirror“. I put Spock’s Beard on the list sort of as a joke. Everybody seemed to like it the best, and so we picked that one.
Last up we have Rol’s suggestion. I know he could come up with many, many song suggestions, but as someone who has embarked on several series like this himself, he is kindly holding back I suspect so as not to overwhelm me. Thanks Rol! Here are his own words:
The Kinks have Rainy Day In June, and Melba Montgomery sang that June Is As Cold As December… but I prefer to hope for better weather, so my suggestion is…Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo feat. Frank Turner – Fields Of June.
A fine song to end with, and a really great video clip too. Bet they had fun making it.
Well, that’s it for this month, so thanks again everyone for helping me out. If I’m not mistaken, we are now heading toward winter as the days will be getting shorter from now on (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere of course). It’ll probably take a good while to notice though, and from what I hear there will be more record temperatures in the UK this summer before we reach that point, which is more than a tad worrying. The sun is no longer my friend for obvious reasons but if things go on as they are, with each summer hotter than the last, the sun is rapidly becoming nobody’s friend.
Two pictures to end with. For those of us who like me have heard of June Bugs, but didn’t know what they look like, now you do. A kind of flying beetle with a beautiful green hue.
Also, I always try and include someone with a name that matches the month and no-one could be more appropriate for this blog than the actress, June Allyson, whose movies I loved watching when I was a youngster. I don’t know how easy it would be to find nowadays but if you like a weepy (no spoiler really), and like big band music, they don’t come much better than The Glenn Miller Story. And of course, Glenn’s signature song Moonlight Serenade (written about here before) also very relevant to this post.
I stand at your gate and the song that I sing is of moonlight I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night
The actress June Allyson
Only two months left to go in this series so if anyone has any July songs up their sleeve, please do share.
Until next time…
Rainy Day In June Lyrics (Song by Ray Davies)
A misty shadow spread its wings And covered all the ground And even though the sun was out The rain came pouring down
And all the light had disappeared And faded in the gloom There was no hope, no reasoning This rainy day in June
The eagle spread its mighty wings And pounced upon its pray And all the skies, so brilliant blue Turned suddenly to grey
The cherished things are perishing And buried in their tomb There is no hope, no reasoning This rainy day in June
And everybody felt the rain Everybody felt the rain Everybody felt the rain Everybody felt the rain
The demon stretched its crinkled hand And snatched a butterfly The elves and gnomes were hunched in fear Too terrified to cry
The reckoning was beckoning They’re living to their doom There was no hope, no reasoning This rainy day in June
And everybody felt the rain Everybody felt the rain Everybody felt the rain Everybody felt the rain
Not too many days left in the current month, so I’d better crack on with the latest instalment of this series. We usually start off with the story behind the naming of the month so let’s see which Roman god May is named after. Well, blow me down, this time it’s not a Roman god but a Greek goddess, Maia. She was the mother of Hermes (the Greek god of parcel deliveries) and was associated with fertility for the Romans. Many people still get a holiday on the 1st of May as it was traditionally a time for festivals celebrating the start of summer. In England there would have been the setting up of a Maypole and the crowning of a May Queen whereas up here in Scotland, the festival was called Beltane which included the building of bonfires (written about here).
Fortunately May does not have as many songs that refer to it which is lucky for me as last month’s instalment nearly broke me with all the song suggestions. Not entirely true of course but a bit of a respite before we hit the month of June which I suspect will be very song heavy.
The first visitor to come up with suggestions for May, was Ernie Goggins. Here are his own words:
A couple of suggestions for May to get the ball rolling. My Girl The Month Of May by Dion. It is from the mid 1960s by which time he had given up rock ‘n roll and become a hippy folkie type. The other is The Watersons’ version of the Swinton May Song, one of the many traditional ‘May songs’ marking the peak of Spring and the imminent coming of Summer.
Thanks Ernie, and as I said in reply last month, I hadn’t known about Dion’s later change in direction until recently. He has had a long career and is still going strong it seems at age 83. As for The Watersons, all very Steeleye Span, but I like it.
The second set of song suggestions came from Rigid Digit and as ever he had lots of them:
Can I have Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven for the line “it’s just a spring clean for the May Queen”? No – how about Robert Plant’sMay Queen instead then.
Anything by Brian May ? And continuing to push it, the first of May is celebrated with a May Fair. So … The Quireboys debut single, Mayfair would fit. That’s 3 duff suggestions and one sensible one
Back to being sensible: The Bee Gees – First Of May
Thanks RD and I hope I’ve correctly identified the one sensible suggestion of the first four?
As for theBee Gees song it was always going to be one of my own suggestions as I am a bit of a fan. A lovely little film there of the brothers too. You forget how young the twins were when they started out with big brother Barry at the helm. It was this song that was their undoing for a time however as Robin had wanted the song he sang vocals on to be the A-side of this record, but Barry decided it should be on the B-side. This precipitated them parting company. Fortunately for us (if like me you are a fan) they got back together again a year later.
First of May by the Bee Gees:
The next suggestion came in from three different visitors last month – C, John Medd and Khayem – and although not month-related I feel duty bound to include it as they have all enthused about it so much. Here is Kevin Ayers with his song May I. Here is what C said about it:
Regarding May – may I suggest May I?! I mean ‘May I’ by Kevin Ayers and The Whole World. There’s a lovely clip of them performing it on OGWT on youtube. I love Kevin’s rich voice and his quite subtle, arty eccentricity, in my mind anyway I see him in a similar way to Syd Barrett, Julian Cope, Robyn Hitchcock. I know it’s not about the month of May but I do like to bend the rules a little. The lyrics might be seen as either sweet or a bit stalkery nowadays – but I’ll go for sweet!
It is sweet C, and what a lovely deep voice he has. Quite sad that we have to continually question nowadays if something is “stalkery” or not, as I’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant to imply that when it was written.
The final month-of-May-related song suggestion came from Khayem. Here is what he said about it:
Just one suggestion from me this time, but it’s from one of my favourite subversive pop bands, Black Box Recorder. May Queen is from their second album, The Facts Of Life, released in 2000. With Luke Haines (The Auteurs) one of the trio, along with John Moore and Sarah Nixey, sublime music and unsettling lyrics and vocals are present and correct.
From the image in the clip I wasn’t expecting that sound at all – sublime music and vocals as you say Khayem. As for the lyrics, yes a tad unsettling perhaps.
I usually like to add a picture of someone whose name is that of the current month before I finish, but other than Brian May mentioned above, not thinking of many. Perhaps timely therefore to include someone born with the middle name Mae who sadly died this week. Yes, it’s the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll herself, Anna Mae Bullock, more commonly known as Tina Turner. For some unfathomable reason she has never appeared around here although some of my favourite songs from the ’80s were by her. I still own my vinyl copy of her wonderful album Private Dancer. She was in her mid 40s when her career relaunched in 1983 after the success of her cover of Al Green’sLet’s Stay Together. Back in the day we didn’t watch YouTube, we watched The Tube on telly after coming home from work on a Friday. I still remember being blown away by her singing this song as she was no longer the, dare I say it,”mumsy lady” I had seen interviewed a year or so before. Against all the odds she was back, and this time there was no stopping her.
Well, that’s it for this month. As ever song suggestions for next month, the month of June, will be gratefully received.
RIP Tina Turner
Until next time…
First Of May Lyrics (Song by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb)
When I was small and Christmas trees were tall We used to love while others used to play Don’t ask me why, but time has passed us by Some one else moved in from far away
Now we are tall and Christmas trees are small And you don’t ask the time of day But you and I, our love will never die But guess we’ll cry come first of May
The apple tree that grew for you and me I watched the apples falling, one by one And I recall the moment of them all The day I kissed your cheek and you were mine
Now we are tall and Christmas trees are small And you don’t ask the time of day But you and I, our love will never die But guess we’ll cry come first of May
When I was small and Christmas trees were tall Do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do Don’t ask me why, but time has passed us by Some one else moved in from far away
Thank goodness for this series, as I seem to have lost my blogging momentum. I return with the latest edition a bit earlier than usual this month in the hope it will kickstart things. Watch this space as they say.
We’re now well through the month of April and at last it’s starting to feel quite springlike with record temperatures around here this week. It hit 23 degrees on Tuesday so there was a mad scramble to find some summery clothes. As ever, such unseasonal temperatures are more a cause for concern than joy nowadays, but still nice to see blue skies again after a long winter (of discontent).
Yet again I suspect the naming of the month of April will have something to do with the Romans, as has every other month since I started this series. I haven’t checked yet but let’s have a look. Yep, although the derivation is not certain it is thought to come from the Latin verb aperire, to open, it being the month when trees and flowers begin “to open” for spring. Thankfully my garden is indeed now looking a lot more interesting as trees and shrubs start to flower, making them a lot less stick-like. Roll on summer I say.
My Forsythia shrub now in full bloom
The great thing about these series where we ask for song suggestions is that they almost write themselves. This might not be the series I’ve enjoyed researching the most, but I have really enjoyed making new musical discoveries courtesy of those who drop by the comments boxes with their contributions. As I always say, I couldn’t do this one without you, so thank you.
One of the first suggestions last time came in fromMartin and it was April Come She Will by Simon & Garfunkel. Considering they have their own category on my sidebar this was a welcome contribution as I love the music they made around the time of The Graduate film soundtrack which this song was on. Although I re-watched the film recently after carrying out a clearance of old DVDs (The Graduate was definitely a keeper), I wouldn’t have specifically remembered it – but next time I’ll know when to look out for it. The song was written in 1964 when Paul Simon was living in England. The lyrics apparently use the changing nature of the seasons as a metaphor for a girl’s changing moods. Girls…, Changing Moods…, don’t know what you’re talking about Paul.
April Come She Will by Simon & Garfunkel:
As ever there was a fair amount of overlap when it came to suggestions, and Khayem and Rolboth came up with these next two songs.
First we have April Skies by The Jesus & Mary Chain. I really should know more about this band as they are Scottish, but somehow they weren’t on my radar in the late ’80s, possibly because they didn’t pop up on shows like TOTP very often. This song seems to have been the one that achieved their highest chart placing, reaching the No. 8 spot in 1987. I did like this comment attached to the clip on the video sharing website. “My hometown band – it can be a bleak and desolate place, but so glad that East Kilbride gifted them to the music world.” A proud fan from Scotland’s first New Town, designated in 1947.
Secondly, we have that musical genius from Minneapolis, Prince, with his song Sometimes It Snows in April. Again it’s from the soundtrack to a film, this time Under the Cherry Moon. I’ll have to admit I’ve never seen this film but it was very much Prince’s baby as he both directed it and starred in it. His character in the film was someone called Christopher Tracy, and deeply affected by the character’s death, the singer expresses their desire to rejoin them in heaven. Understandably it received much attention after Prince’s sudden death in April, 2016. I had only been blogging for a few months and after researching him for a tribute post realised I had totally underestimated his talent over the years – the man could do everything – but burnt out at far too young an age.
Ernie Goggins is another regular contributor to this series and one of his suggestions was April Anne by John Phillips, whom I know better as one of the Papas from the Mamas & the Papas. What a sweet sounding song this is from his first solo album, and although containing none of the harmonies we associate with his former group, it shows us what his solo work was like. Quite country-ish? I’m struggling with the language in the lyrics and sometimes wonder whether I’m just too naïve for the music blogging world, sharing things I sometimes don’t quite understand. Having just checked however, the (April) Ann in the song seems to have been based on a real person, and as I suspected, there are veiled references in there to real people such as Dennis Hopper, Michelle Phillips and Mick Jagger.
Time to mix things up a bit so we’ll now share something by an artist called April. Here is C from Sun Dried Sparrows in her own words:
I’m going slightly leftfield here but the first song thing that came to mind for me was Teach Me Tiger by April Stevens – if you’ll permit the bending of the rules there. It’s so kitsch you just gotta love it and once heard, never forgotten…
Indeed C, I won’t forget that one in a hurry, and I quite liked it. Lots of breathy wa wa wa wahs and even naïve little old me knows what April is getting up to.
Now that we’ve moved onto artists with April in their name, time to share another such suggestion. Here are a few words from Bill P:
As for April, since you chose the band name to carry March, I could offer April Wine as the band name for this month. They weren’t super famous, but they did have a few songs that charted rather high.
Thanks Bill P, a Canadian rock band from Novia Scotia it seems. Here is Roller from 1979. Very much of their time and didn’t get the recognition they deserved it seems.
For a total change in tempo here is Bill P’s other suggestion. It’s back to songs with April in the title, and as a fan of Ella & Louis, he tells us, “you can’t miss with April in Paris“.
I’ve never been to Paris in the springtime so maybe something to tick off the bucket list as it sounds as if it would be beautiful. This year the people were revolting on the streets of Paris in the springtime, but that’s their prerogative, and they’re not happy about having their pension age increased. We Brits are not ones for revolting so just take it on the chin, but I’m at the stage of wondering if I’ll ever make it to pension age.
There was an awful lot of overlap with suggestions last time and I hope I’m managing to cover them all but here is a song that both Khayem and Ernie Goggins came up with, April Grove by Chrysalis. Here are Khayem’s words:
I’d like to pretend I’m so cool that I knew about it first, but it was Martina Topley-Bird’s excellent cover version that alerted me to the song April Grove.
And here is Ernie’s reply:
Unlike Khayem I have long been familiar with ‘April Grove’ by Chrysalis. I don’t think that makes me cool, just old. (You’re in good company Ernie!)
Rigid Digit arrived a bit too late to the comments boxes this time and two of his suggestions had already gone. First one was the JAMC song but the second was this instrumental from Deep Purple, also suggested by Mr Sun Dried Sparrowswho tells us it was the flipside to their Hallelujah single from 1969. Here is April Part 1 (there were also Parts 2 & 3).
Despite his main two suggestions having already gone, RD did wrack his brain, and his hard drive, to come up with these other picks. As he says:
Something to do with the month perhaps, but none of these choices could be described as upbeat.
His final suggestion was this one by Three Dog Night – Pieces Of April. Very pretty indeed despite being quite sad. Thanks RD.
A final bit of mopping up to do with Khayem’s other suggestions (yes, there were even more – he was full of them for April).
Here are a few more for the pot: April 5th – Talk Talk April In Portugal – Les Baxter & His Orchestra
As for your Cocteau Twins suggestion KM, I’m going to save that one for May, as a bit of a twofer, but thanks as ever for your contribution. Before I finish I can’t let someone called Les Baxter go by without hearing what he has to offer. April in Portugal – wonder if they revolted there this spring?
Only four months left to go in this series but it does seem to be gaining momentum month on month. As ever, suggestions for May will be gratefully received. I had said recently I was feeling under the cosh having time-sensitive posts to write for series, but the flip side to that is that it gives you the discipline to sit down and put something together when you might otherwise not have got your ass in gear. Maybe I need more series and not less. Will have to revisit some ideas.
Remember her? April Merroney from The Brothers, an early 1970s TV Drama
Until next time…
April Come She Will Lyrics (Song by Paul Simon)
April, come she will When streams are ripe and swelled with rain May, she will stay Resting in my arms again
June, she’ll change her tune In restless walks she’ll prowl the night July, she will fly And give no warning to her flight
August, die she must The autumn winds blow chilly and cold September, I’ll remember A love once new has now grown old
What's It All About? 