Wordless Wednesday. My childhood home.

© willowdot21

© willowdot21

Song Lyric Sunday. Siblings.

Today is Sunday, time for Song Lyric Sunday. Our host Jim Adam’s prompt this week September 27, 2020 – Brother/Sibling/Sister.

I have chosen Come Dancing by the Kinks.

“Come Dancing” is a 1982 song written by Ray Davies and performed by British rock group the Kinks on their 1983 album State of Confusion. The song was inspired by Davies’ memories of his older sister, Rene, who died of a heart attack while dancing at a dance hall. The lyrics, sung from the perspective of an “East Endbarrow boy,” are about the boy’s sister going on dates at a local Palais dance hall. When first released as a single in United Kingdom in November 1982, “Come Dancing” failed to chart. Although Arista Records founder Clive Davis had reservations about releasing the single in the United States due to the English subject matter of dance halls, the track saw an American single release in April 1983. “Come Dancing” reached number six on the Hot 100, becoming the band’s highest US charting single in over a decade and tying with “Tired of Waiting for You” as the band’s highest charting single ever. This success was achieved largely with the help of a promotional music video directed by Julien Temple that saw frequent airing on MTV. As a result of its American success, the single was re-released in Britain. Unlike its first release, the single became a top 20 British hit, reaching number 12.

“Come Dancing” is a tribute to the Davies brothers’ older sister Rene. Living in Canada with her reportedly abusive husband, the 31-year-old Rene was visiting her parental home in Fortis Green at the time of Ray Davies’ thirteenth birthday—21 June 1957—on which she surprised him with a gift of the Spanish guitar he had tried to persuade his parents to buy him. That evening, Rene, who had a weak heart as a result of a childhood bout of rheumatic fever, suffered a fatal heart attack while dancing at the Lyceum ballroom.

Ray Davis said “Rene had died dancing in a ballroom in London in the arms of a stranger. … Coming back from Canada where she’d emigrated [from the U.K.] to die, really, and again, being a source of inspiration. … She gave me my first guitar, which was quite a great parting gift.”

Lyrics

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
When the supermarket used to stand
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local pally
That’s where the big bands used to come and play
My sister went there on a Saturday
Come dancing
All her boyfriends used to come and call
Why not come dancing, it’s only natural
Another Saturday, another date
She would be ready but she’s always make him wait
In the hallway, in anticipation
He didn’t know the night would end up in frustration
He’d end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek
Come dancing
That’s how they did it when I was just a kid
And when they said come dancing
My sister always did
My sister should have come in a midnight
And my mom would always sit up and wait
It always ended up in a big row
When my sister used to get home late
Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight
Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate
The day they knocked down the pally
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the pally
Part of my childhood died, just died
Now I’m grown up and playing in a band
And there’s a car park where the pally used to stand
My sister’s married and she lives on an estate
Her daughters go out, now it’s her turn to wait
She knows they get away with things she never could
But if I asked her I wonder if she would
Come dancing
Come on sister, have yourself a ball
Don’t be afraid to come dancing
It’s only natural
Come dancing
Just like the pally on a Saturday
And all her friends will come dancing
Where the big bands used to play

Lyrics from lyric find.com

Songwriters: Ray Davies Come Dancing lyrics © BMG Rights Management

In late 1982 I heard this song by the Kinks, I was expecting our youngest son, he was born 1983. I have always loved the Kinks. I remember thinking at the time I would love to go dancing… Anyway small piece of information when our youngest graduated Ray Davis, of the Kinks was a guest speaker at the ceremony. How’s that for a coincidence?

Rules and Pingback here

Our House. Memories.

Tonight while having a WhatsApp group chat with friends talking about old times I remembered the home I grew up in.

Our house

In  the  middle  of  a  terrace,  in a horse shoe  surrounding  a green

It was  home  to us  all.  Our safe place, the best sight ever  seen.

In the  winter  icicles  appeared  on  the window inside  as well as  out

No  heating in the  bedrooms so   we  froze without  a doubt.

The  backroom was cosy there  was always  a fire in the grate

We fought to  sit at the  hearth, huddling  together extra heat  to  create .

Summer was different  the windows  and  doors open wide

The  garden  full of  veg and  blackberries  and  mud  we’d  trail inside!

Not mum   but  not  far off.

Christmas time  was  special everyone  hanging up  the glitter

Mum  baking in the  kitchen  Dad and  the  boys  having  a  sneaky  bitter.

When I was  little, everyone  went to midnight Mass  except  Mum and  me,

We’d stay home and  dress the Christmas tree. Ready for  the  others on their  return   see.

There  were  so many  of us  yet  no  one  was ever turned  away

Whoever  turned up was welcome, relative , friend, waif or stray.

Dad had  an office in the  front  room each night he’d do his  Union work

Men came for help. After his  working  day. His responsibilities  he didn’t  shirk.

There were only  three bedrooms all packed  to  overflowing

It could be  very  hectic  because  we would not  stop growing.

Four generations. So many memories,  too many  to  share

Sadly  the  house is  sold  and  closed  to me, though it is  still there.

We all got  Married  from  that  house, we were  all were  blessed

Our  Parents did not have  much  but  they  always  did  their best.

Funerals  Parties  and  reunions  it was  always  the place  to meet

For  over  sixty years  it  made  our lives  complete.

Our House 

In  the  middle  of  a  terrace,  in a horseshoe  surrounding  a green

It was  home  to us  all.  Our safe place , the  best sight ever  seen

International Dog Day.

Read about International Dog Day Here.

Zozo&Jools

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All photos © willowdot21 except where otherwise acredited

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Wordless Wednesday. Mum and Dad.

Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 23rd, 2020. Drive.

It’s Thursday, and we’re back to our regular daily prompts, this one for the 23rd day of Just Jot it January 2020. Janet gave us our prompt word for today. Thanks so much, Janet! Please be sure to visit her blog to read her post and say hello. And follow her while you’re there!.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 23rd, 2020, is “drive.” Use the word “drive” any way you’d like. Have fun!

Image from Pixabay

You just drive me wild

Drive me to distraction child

Drive me off the rails

Drive me beyond my tether

Could you drive me off ? Never!

Jusjojan.

Driving off now

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.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Dec. 7/19

It’s Friday again and today LindaGHill said:Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “key.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

I have chosen to write an Acrostic poem spelling key. It’s about the key to memories.

Shelley Krupa

© willowdot21 2019

Keepsake memory maker
Eternal idea
Yesterday becomes tomorrow.

This is part of LindaGHill’s #SoCs.

Teddy and Ozzie my oldest friends.💜💜

Big brown eyes

That light the skies

Soft and gentle always there,

How many secrets do we share.

You kept me company day and night

You always made the bad things right.

You know all there is to know

About me and that is why I love you so.

I grew up and you came too, Always make me smile when I am blue.

You watch over me night and day

I love you Ted is what I need to say.

Ted and Ozzie the perfect pair

I can’t remember a time that you weren’t there.

The foundations of my childhood years

You brightened my days and calmed my night time fears.

Always with me always there

You take away my adult care.

Thursday photo prompt: Monochrome #writephoto

This is my entry for Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Prompt.

Stormy skies matched the house. The scene, perfect monochrome.

As she approached she asked herself when did this place cease to be a home.

Times of banquets, times of joy

Times to be bold, times to be coy.

Fearsome battles and subdefuse

Choose your side wisely or you will lose.

Secrets hidden within these walls

Footstep echos of ghosts in the halls.

Children’s voices long since hushed

Love affairs and feuds all crushed.

The house grows old , she alone will remain.

Bound by fate to watch in pain.

Stormy skies matched the house. The scene monochrome.

When did this place cease to be a home.

#writephoto.