Song Lyric Sunday: The Good, the Not Sure, The Brilliant. Duet.

Our brilliant host Jim Adams is attending a funeral this weekend so we are all here on our honour to keep the dream alive . This week for Song Lyric Sunday Jim has asked us to use the prompt Duet.

A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers sing in unison and have equal importance to the piece.  Most people think of a duet as one part being a melody and a secondary part that harmonizes with that melody.  As long as there has been singing, there has probably been some kind of duet music.

My first choice was without doubt Barcelona with the beautiful Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe.

The song reflects Mercury’s love of opera with his high notes and Caballé’s operatic vocals, backed by a full orchestra. Originally released in 1987, it was one of the biggest hits of Mercury’s solo career, reaching number eight in the UK Singles Chart. After Mercury’s death in 1991, it was featured at the 1992 Summer Olympics, after which the track climbed even higher, peaking at number two in the UK, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In 2004, BBC Radio 2 listed Barcelona at number 41 in its Sold On Song Top 100. More information here.

My second video is Delores O’Riordan and Luciano Pavarotti . In September 1995, O’Riordan joined the famed opera singer in Modena, Italy to cover the beloved hymn.  The performance at Parco Novi Sad was part of a ten-concert series between 1992 and 2003 known as ‘Pavarotti & Friends’ which raised money for humanitarian causes. O’Riordan and Pavarotti’s 1995 concert was in aid of the children of Bosnia affected by the war.

As lovely as this duet and as much as I love Delores, from her Cranberries days I feel she was overwhelmed by the big voice of Luciano Pavarotti.

And Finally I am bending the rules slightly because this is my favourite, favourite duet? This is Elton John singing with Queen and the voice of our lovely Freddie singing Bohemian Rhapsody. But then at 3.20 minutes in to the video Axel Rose bounds in like a whirling dervish. He absolutely, in my mind, knocks the ball out of the park! Then at the end Axel and Elton bring the house down with their harmony of the last verse…I adore it! A little bit of gossip, apparently Axel refused to rehearse and his mad entrance was as much a suprise to Elton and Queen! I bet Freddie was smiling down loving it!

Have a Great Sunday

Song Lyric Sunday. Tom, Dick or Harry. 19/1/2020.

Hi it’s Sunday and time again for Jim Adams to bring us a prompt for Song Lyric Sunday. This week we have something much more different.  Look for songs that are written or sung by someone named Tom/Dick/Harry or a song that includes one of these names in the lyrics.  

Well I think this is a hard one Jim but I never shrink from a challenge so I am hoping with Harry Chaplin the singer -songwriter and his song The Cats in the Cradle. Also I am going with the song Harry Braff by the Bee Gees.

Harry Forster Chapin (December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, humanitarian, and producer best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs, who achieved worldwide success in the 1970s and became one of the most popular artists and highest paid performers. Chapin is also one of the best charting musical artists in the United States. Chapin, a Grammy Award winning artist and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee, has sold over 16 million records worldwide and has been described as one of the most beloved performers in music history. More information found here at Wiki.

I have chosen The Cats in the Cradle . This is a salutary and poignant song about how easy it is for father’s and sons to grow apart. The song tells how delighted the young father is so have his new born son. He works hard to provide for his son but he fails to find anytime to spend with his son. As time goes by he lets his son down more and more. Then when he gets older maybe retires he asks his son if they can meet up. It could be that the son is too busy being like his father ( learned bad habits from example) or he resents his father’s apparent lack of interest and doesn’t want to bother with him. Either way it a very sad and true song.

Apparently the song is a mix of Chapin’s work and his wife Sandy . You can read more about it here.

My second song is by the Bee Gees from their Album Horizontal released in 1968 it has, to my mind some of their best songs. So here it is .

Bee Gees Lyrics

“Harry Braff”

Checkered flag, checkered flag, checkered flag for Harry Braff.
Checkered flag, checkered flag, checkered flag for Harry Braff.
Goodbye Harry Braff, it’s so good to see him win the race.
And the crowd, feeling proud just know they are there.
And getting a good view of Harry Braff, Harry Braff

Realise Harry Braff and the Mayor of Gordon cheers him on.
Every mile, see him smile with the dust in his eyes.
Ev’ryone’s crying for Harry Braff. Harry Braff.

Goodbye! Harry Braff. Goodbye! Harry Braff
Goodbye! Harry Braff. Goodbye!

Checkered flag, checkered flag, checkered flag for Harry Braff.
Checkered flag, checkered flag, checkered flag for Harry Braff.
Goodbye Harry Braff, it’s so good to see him win the race.
And the crowd, feeling proud just to know they are there.
And getting a good view of Harry Braff. Harry Braff.

Goodbye! Harry Braff. Goodbye! Harry Braff.
Goodbye! Harry Braff. Goodbye!

Harry Braff. Harry Braff. I’m a coming’.

Lyrics from A to Z Lyrics.

I am pretty sure that Harry Bragg is an imaginary racing driver, so far I cannot find any reference to him on Google.

Song Lyric Sunday:Bottom/End/Middle/Side/Top

It’s Sunday again and time for Song Lyric Sunday. Our gracious host Jim Adams has said our prompt for January 12, 2020 – is: Bottom/End/Middle/Side/Top.

Now Jim introduces us to this prompt by talking about “Football Terms” Obviously I realised he was discussing American Football because to my English ear he was describing Rugby… I will go no further on this but I will say : “Two nations divided by one language!”

In 1973 when Stuck In The Middle With You, was released I had been married two years, expecting our first child and living miles from my London home. In the middle of nowhere in Devon. On top of a high hill, I had to walk down to the bottom of the hill to get to the shops . That was a mile and a half. My travels didn’t stop there it was another Mike and a half further down the hill to the town and the sea. If I needed the doctors that was off to the side up another hill. Where ever I went it was a long walk down and a long walk back up to the top to reach the end of any journey. I was truly stuck in the middle.

Stealers Wheel were a Scottish folk rock/rock band formed in 1972 in Paisley, Scotland, by former school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty.^[1] Their best-known hit is “Stuck in the Middle with You“. The band broke up in 1975 and re-formed briefly in 2008.

Egan and Rafferty met as teenagers in Paisley, and became the core of Stealers Wheel. They were initially joined by Roger Brown, Rab Noakes and Ian Campbell in 1972. By the time the band was signed to A&M Records later that year, Brown, Noakes and Campbell had been replaced by Paul Pilnick, Tony Williams and Rod Coombes.

The original line-up recorded Stealers Wheel (October 1972), produced by American songwriters and producers Leiber & Stoller, andwas a critical and commercial success, reaching No. 50 in the US Billboard 200 album chart, with their hit single “Stuck in the Middle with You” coming from the album. On 7 November 1972 the band appeared on BBC 2‘s The Old Grey Whistle Test, performing “I Get By” and “Late Again”. Read more here.

The band performed the song on the BBC’s Top of the Pops in May 1973, and the song charted at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart. It also became an international hit, reaching No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Song Lyric Sunday. ShaLaLaLaLe.

This our Song Lyric Sunday prompt is the La, ( the musical note or word that denotes that la la la sound). I have chosen ShaLaLaLaLe by The Small Faces.

Thank you again Jim Adams our gallant host.

The Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band’s keyboardist in 1966. The band was one of the most acclaimed and influential mod groups of the 1960s,^[2][3] recording hit songs such as “Itchycoo Park“, “Lazy Sunday“, “All or Nothing“, and “Tin Soldier“, as well as their concept albumOgdens’ Nut Gone Flake. They later evolved into one of the UK’s most successful psychedelic bands until 1969. More information here

“Sha-La-La-La-Lee” was the third song by English R&B-influenced group Small Faces, released on 28 January 1966, reaching number three in the UK Singles Chart.^[1] It was also the first single by the group to feature Ian McLagan on keyboards.

The Small faces were one of the group’s I saw regularly when I used to visit Top of the Pops at Limegrove Studios London, as a teenager.

Happy Sunday everyone, I hope you enjoy this 💜

Song Lyric Sunday. Crazy.

Today December 29, 2019, Our host on Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams has given us the prompt – Crazy.

I have chosen the song Crazy” written by English singer, Seal, and British songwriter, Guy Sigsworth. The song was produced by Trevor Horn for Seal’s debut album Seal (1991). Released as his official debut single, “Crazy” became one of Seal’s biggest hits. It reached the top five in the United Kingdom, while becoming his first top ten single in the United States. It has since been covered by several artists, including Alanis Morissette, whose version was released as a single from her album The Collection (2005). More info here.

I have included the Seal version with the lyrics .

I love the Seal version very much but by far my favourite version of this song is by Alanis Morissette.

A little snippet of information Guy Sigsworth and my favourite singer songwriter composer worked together in a group called Frou, Frou.

I can’t do a post about Crazy without including I’m going slightly mad . By Queen . From the same year 1991 from the Queen Inuendo Album. Such a sad song about Freddie’s mental decline as his struggle with aids progressed.

And below the lyrics

Song Lyric Sunday. Christmas/ Holidays/ Snowmen.

It’s Sunday again, time for Song Lyric Sunday this week Jim Adams has said our prompt is “Christmas/Holiday/Snowman”

Before we go any further I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy 2020

Now there are so many songs that spring to mind. I love Christmas songs. Now my favourite Christmas song is all about the strain this time of year . It by my favourite singer… altogether now Imogen Heap. And it is called Just For Now. The song is about constant mayhem within a holiday environment, in which the singer sings to set aside the disarray for a short time of peace. It is from her second studio album, Speak for Yourself (2005). Written and produced by Heap, the song was originally written for the second-season episode of the television series The O.C. entitled “The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t”, but was deemed too dark for the episode.  No way it just tells the truth.

In essence family stress! I love it. In fact I live it!

Then there is River by Joni Mitchell another lovely Christmas song.

River” is a Christmas folk song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. Although never released as a single, it has become one of Mitchell’s most recorded songs.

“River”

It’s coming on Christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

But it don’t snow here
It stays pretty green
I’m going to make a lot of money
Then I’m going to quit this crazy scene
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I’m so hard to handle
I’m selfish and I’m sad
Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
I wish I had a river I could skate away on

Oh, I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye

It’s coming on Christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

Lyric from A to Z Lyrics

Mary and Jo part 9

To day is the ninth day of Advent, leading up to Christmas. I would like to re-run my take on the Nativity story. I first wrote this in 2011, in the style of prosetry.

Now Herod is a an angry man
so insecure and so he tends to grab what he can.
He owns herod.com and is a mean and cruel man who works his employees till they drop wages rarely go up they just get cropped.
He had set up his company in his kingdom of Judia. Yes that is where Mares and Jo had to go for a census, that is why they were there. Oh! that Herod he would squeeze every one to the max he did not worry about anyone as long as they paid the tax.

King Herod

News had reached him about magi.com’s research into the new star that had travelled towards the west then inexplicably stop over Bethlehem. This being in his kingdom was a threat to him. He had invited the three founders members of magi.com to a big corporate bash as he wanted information for once he was ready to splash the cash.

No expense was spared he greeted them as if he was really pleased to see them. The food was excellent and the wine was too and the room was amazing and even had a great view.
After dinner the talk turned to the star and the new software that magi.com where developing along lines stellar. They were happy to share some of their work until he mentioned the fact of the new king’s prophesied birth, when his face took on a nasty look of scorn. Something in his attitude set the three on their guard they politely took their leave, secretly vowing to keep their results to themselves however hard.

A banquet

As the limos arrived for the three magi to departure Herod ask them to visit after they had found the new king and give him the whereabouts so he too could visit. As the chauffeur whisked them away they all decided to tell that man nothing! NO WAY!
Herod was angry and he sent out spies to all parts of Judia to find the king and bring him the news of his birthplace so he could delete him! There was no room for another to rein and Herod was determined to keep his people,workers and his domain.
An evil thought was growing in King Herod’s head if he had all males under one year old slaughtered then certainly this new upstart would be dead.

Back at the now happy, Hotel Delph, the manager was wondering from whence was coming all this new found wealth. It was Mares and Jo, people where coming from far and wide for the new kings birth all the rooms where full and some were camping outside.

Mares and Jo though, where slightly distressed and decided that to leave as soon after the birth as was safe would be best. Gabe has been to see Jo again and told of Herod’s plans for the babes and he made it quite plain.

Somehow without being told no one ever mentioned Mares and Jo’s safe and comfy bolt hole.

Song Lyric Sunday. 1/12/19 Features.

This week Jim Adams, our gracious host has given us these words for our prompt : Song Lyric Sunday Chin/Ears/Eyes/Face/Mouth/Nose. All facial features.

I have chosen,“In Your Eyes” a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his fifth solo album So (1986). It features Youssou N’Dour singing a part at the end of the song translated into his native Wolof. Gabriel’s lyrics were inspired by an African tradition of ambiguity in song between romantic love and love of God. More information here. I have always loved Peter Gabriel, some of his songs are beautiful and easy to love. Some are a tad more difficult. This one I have chosen has grown on me over the years and I now love it.

I hope you don’t mind if throw in a second song. I do love this Beatles song it had great memories for me. “I’ve Just Seen a Face” is the first fully acoustic song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and features McCartney on vocals. The song appeared on their 1965 United Kingdom album Help! and in the United States on the Capitol Records version of the Rubber Soul album.The song was recorded by the Beatles on 14 June 1965 at EMI Studios in London in the same session as “Yesterday” and “I’m Down“. Information from here.

“I’ve Just Seen A Face”

I’ve just seen a face
I can’t forget the time or place
Where we just met
She’s just the girl for me
And I want all the world to see
We’ve met, mmm-mmm-mmm-m’mmm-mmm

Had it been another day
I might have looked the other way
And I’d have never been aware
But as it is I’ll dream of her
Tonight, di-di-di-di’n’di

Falling, yes I am falling
And she keeps calling
Me back again

I have never known
The like of this, I’ve been alone
And I have missed things
And kept out of sight
But other girls were never quite
Like this, da-da-n’da-da’n’da

Falling, yes I am falling
And she keeps calling
Me back again

Falling, yes I am falling
And she keeps calling
Me back again

I’ve just seen a face
I can’t forget the time or place
Where we just met
She’s just the girl for me
And I want all the world to see
We’ve met, mmm-mmm-mmm-da-da-da

Falling, yes I am falling
And she keeps calling
Me back again
Falling, yes I am falling
And she keeps calling
Me back again
Oh, falling, yes I am falling
And she keeps calling
Me back again

Lyrics Frome A to Z lyrics

Happy Sunday everyone. 💜

Song Lyric Sunday. 24/11/19.

This week’s prompt from Jim Adams for Song Lyric Sunday, November 24, 2019 is Bounty/Dessert/Eat/Feast/Food/Hungry/Turkey. I have chosen the word Eat.

This week I have chosen part of Kate Bush’s film The Line,The Cross and The Curve. The part I have chosen is called Eat the music.The Line, the Cross and the Curve is a 1993 British musical short film directed by and starring singer Kate Bush, co-starring Miranda Richardson and choreographerLindsay Kemp, who had served as dance mentor to Bush early in her career.

This short film is essentially an extended music video featuring songs from Bush’s 1993 album, The Red Shoes, which in turn was inspired by the classic movie musical-fantasy The Red Shoes.

In this version of the tale, Bush plays a frustrated singer-dancer who is enticed by a mysterious woman (Miranda Richardson) into putting on a pair of magical ballet slippers. Once on her feet, the shoes start dancing on their own, and Bush’s character (who is never referred to by name) must battle Richardson’s character to free herself from the spell of the shoes. Her guide on this strange journey is played by Kemp. The film was released direct-to-video in most areas and was only a modest success; Kate Bush later expressed her displeasure with the final product, calling it “a load of bollocks”.^[1] Soon after its release, Bush effectively dropped out of the public eye until her eighth studio album, Aerial, was released in November 2005.Two years after the UK release, due to late promotion in the US, the film was nominated for the Long Form Music Video at the 1996 Grammy Awards.

read more here at Wikipedia.

Here is the whole film for you to enjoy. I absolutely adore this film and I hope you do.

"Eat The Music"

Split me open
With devotion
You put your hands in
And rip my heart out
Eat the music

Does he conceal
What he really feels?
He's a woman at heart
And I love him for that
Let's split him open

Like a pomegranate
Insides out
All is revealed
Not only women bleed

Take the stone out
Of the mango
You put it in your mouth
And pull a plum out

Take a papaya
You like a guava?
Grab a banana
And a sultana
Rip them to pieces
With sticky fingers
Split the banana
Crush the sultana

Split 'em open
With devotion
You put your hands in
And rip their hearts out

Like a pomegranate
Insides out
He's a woman at heart
And love him for that

Take a papaya
You like a guavva?
Grab a banana
And a sultana
Rip 'em to pieces
With sticky fingers
Split the banana
Crush the sultana

All emotion
And with devotion
You put your hands in
What ya thinking?
What am I singing?
A song of seeds
The food of love
Eat the music
Lyrics fro A to Z Lyrics

As a child the story of the Red Ballet Shoess by Hans Christian Andersen was one of my favourite stories even though it scared me rigid. I even wrote my own version in verse here. Happy Sunday to you all

This is part of Jim Adams’s Song Lyric Sunday.

Song Lyric Sunday: 17/11/19. Don’t.

This week Jim Adams our talented host for Song Lyric Sunday has said that this week’s prompt is : November 17, 2019 – Did/Didn’t/Do/Don’t/Does/Doesn’t.

This week Jim’s prompt for us set me in mind of my dear friend Karen who died of cancer of the osphagus. We were close friends, I was not long out if hospital having broken my back badly , for the second time, when I got the news from Karen that she was ill.

The reason I have chosen Don’t stop me now by Queen will become apparent at the end of this post.

Don’t Stop Me Now” is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1978 album Jazz and released as a single in 1979. Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes (Alpes-Maritimes), France, and is the twelfth track on the album. More information here.

I hope no one minds me making this so personal but this is Karen’s song.

To Karen

Karen

I rang her every day for over a year,

I begged to come see her but she would not let me near.

We laughed with each other but more often we cried.

I wanted to be with with her but her fears, this to me denied.

I begged her to fight it she told me she was tired

I nagged and bullied she said I was fired!

Things never got better she slipped from my grasp

I tried hard to see her but she still refused, so I did as she asked.

Then finally the day came and I got the call

At last I got to visit , not that she knew at all.

I talked of blue skies and beaches and clouds

I did not whisper I told her out loud.

She was struggling for breath then I caught her eye in a moment of clarity

I told her I  loved her she flashed at me   “no pity!”

Her hands were dirty her nails were lined black

Her pain and the squalor are the memories that keep coming back.

I spent four days in her company

I could not believe what I had to see.

I hated  her suffering as she breathed her last,

Sadly these horrid memories stuck in my mind, the ones which I cannot get past.

It was a foggy freezing December day

When we all met at the Crematorium  our goodbyes to say.

To a larger than life, loud colourful girl

Who with a flash of her eyes could set our working day in a whirl.

I sat there sobbing but she had to have the last word

“Get a grip you silly cow” were the words that I heard.

Then as her coffin disappeared for her final bow

She went out  with  a flourish to Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’.

Karen 1958 –  2010