Blame Canada! Debra, one of my Canadian blogging friends, has given me an award. It is the "Music and Words" Award and I am asked to answer a few questions. (Debra's blog is "She Who Seeks" and you may find her scintillating blog just here!) Thanks for the award, Debra. Are you ready for my fascinating answers? Okay, here goes...
What does music mean to you?
Music! Look it up in the dictionary! It says it is "The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre."
Melody and harmony, those are the key words for me!
What passes for music these days...it should be called something else, not music. (If you don't agree, then the words should be changed in the dictionary!)
What is your first related music memory?
I cut my teeth on music! When I was a baby we had a record player...I really don't know what it was made of but the sides were a brown, softish material. For some reason, my parents allowed me to BITE on the sides of it! Honestly, it looked as if a small dog had chewed on it! Oh well, I guess I did that while I was listening to music! One of the records that I remember taking to my Mom to put on the record player had a white label on it and I would love to dance to it... "Lucky Ladybug"! I must have really gone a bit overboard on anything with a saxophone in those days because now, I can hardly stand to hear a sax!
What was the first album you purchased?
This is a bit tricky. I have an older sister, so I didn't really buy an album, until I was about 13...and I think it was "American Pie" by Don McLean. (In other words, I could listen to the albums that she would buy!) Now, as a child, I would buy SINGLES by the Beatles! We would borrow some of the Beatles albums but we only had a few of their albums since we had most of their hits on the small 45's. (For young people, 33's were the albums and 45's were the singles. By the way, did you know that in England, the singles had the same small hole that the albums did? You had to have a special round insert for the singles in the USA!)
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| image from Wikipedia What is the latest album you purchased? Jeff Lynne's ELO, "Alone In The Universe". Remember I mentioned how much I liked the song, "When I Was A Boy"? What was the last song you listened to? (Be honest!) "Waltzes, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra". When I am cleaning my house, this is what I have on my stereo. Man, I can waltz AND mop all over the place! Now, Music and Words....I also want to tell you that I believe that songwriters deserve the highest praise! Some write music and others write lyrics...does anyone remember my post about Oscar Hammerstein, where I found the memorial to him at Southwark Cathedral in London? I was thrilled to find it as I admire him so very much, as I admire the beautiful music by Richard Rodgers. ("You'll Never Walk Alone", that song is by them, although many think of it as a hymn or an old traditional song...it is by Rodgers and Hammerstein!) Of course, there are some who write the music AND words...my husband and son are in that category! Goodness, I hope all of this makes some kind of sense! I love music, all different kinds! If I feel a bit down, I like to sing the theme song from "Gilligan's Island". It cheers me up every time! And I always notice the music from movies and TV shows! I am surprised that many do not! I even know a lot of the songs from Vaudeville and the English music halls because of Chas & Dave, they were the background to my son's childhood! NOW...if you are reading this and would like to have this award yourself...then, be my guest! Answer the questions yourself, I would love to hear your answers! Go on, you know you want to! Let me know if you do, okay? And keep your ear tuned to the music! Wait...how can I have a post about music without mentioning ELVIS! I admire great singers too and Elvis was just one of the best. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++= |
I love your story about "cutting your teeth on music," LOL! And you picked great selections to post, although I must confess I've never heard "Lucky Ladybug" before. And leave it up to those smart Brits to have done the OBVIOUS THING about 45 and 33 rpm record holes. Those yellow inserts used to drive me nuts. Half the time they were just ever too slightly big to fit easily into the 45 and the other half of the time they were too small and fell out at the drop of a hat.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Ah, so you had to use the same inserts in Canada too! Oh well, we had to work a little harder with our records!
DeleteThanks again for the award, Debra! You know I love music (and words!)
Firstly, the last albums/CDs I bought...simultaneously were David Bowie's "Nothing has changed" and "Blackstar" (I love Bowie...and was saddened deeply at his passing); and Willie Nelson's latest - "Summertime".
ReplyDeleteI grew up listening to my mother play the piano. Rarely a day went by the piano wasn't opened. Also, I learned piano for five years. Our piano played a huge role in my childhood, as did the radio.
Out of my first pay packet from my first job as a legal secretary at the age of 15 years, I bought a 45 rpm of Gene Krupa. That was in July, 1960. Throughout my childhood years I loved Krupa. I had his photo on my bedroom wall. I was so proud of that record!
In my teens my boyfriend, then fiancee was a radio announcer/DJ...I'd go to the studio every Saturday night (unknown to those who ran the station!) and spent hours in the record library choosing the music for him to play during his Saturday night programme!! Wow! It was great! Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, George Shearing, Sinatra, Bassey...etc., etc., et al!
Music played such a huge part during my teen years, too...from folk, to pop, to rock, to blues, to classical, opera, musicals and all in between. Then, as now, my taste in music is varied...I have what one would call a "catholic" taste in music.
The first record my older brother bought when he purchased his first record player was Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".
Music can play on one's emotions...in so many ways...
Choosing records for your DJ boyfriend? That would be my dream, lucky you!
DeleteI also have a wide range in taste for music but some what the young kids like now, that is just not for me, showing my age, I suppose! :-)
good answers
ReplyDelete"I cut my teeth on music" That is so cool. The most original thing I've read! This was such a fun post. I saw that you were nominated by Debra and I was so curious to see what you'd write. You really don't disappoint, Kay! And "scintillating"...what a perfect word to describe Debra's blog.
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you, Martha! You know, "scintillating" is the just the right word, and it applies to YOUR blog as well! (Maybe it's a Canadian thing!) :-)
DeleteMy day isn't complete without music on the radio in my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteYou liked the Lucky Ladybug, i remember a silly song called Dinah the Dancing Dinosaur!
I love that we can research anything on the internet now. I read the background about "Lucky Ladybug" and found it very interesting!
DeleteI remember the 33's and 45's and that little insert in the middle too. Now I have music and no records or tapes. What a changing world we live in.
ReplyDeleteI know! Still waiting on the flying cars from the Jetsons, though. LOL.
DeleteI still love saxaphones myself. Careless Whisper is an incredibly beautiful song. Though it did ruin the sax for a lot of people. Especially saxaphone players.
ReplyDeleteSaxophones seem to be quite a few songs lately. When I hear one, I groan and say, "Oh no, a SAX!"
DeleteFunny, how I loved it so when I was a kid!
Nice music choices!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynn! Let's go and listen to the Carillion at Stone Mountain!
DeleteMusic accompanies so many times in our lives. Sometimes we just sing along with whatever is playing. Sometimes we choose certain music to fit with an occasion. Lucky Lady Bug has long been one of my many favorites. The last song I listened to was Lovesick Blues by Hank Williams Sr.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the new movie about Hank Williams yet? It will be gone before I get to it and will have to wait and see it on TV!
DeleteI loved your post all your answers. It's fun to get to know my bloggers better! I'm tone deaf and never could sing or play an instrument but I have the talent of appreciating good music and enjoy all kinds of different styles. I love the 60's because it's my era and I also have a bunch of albums boxed away that I should go through. I'm betting there are some classics in there...all the Beatles for sure!
ReplyDeleteI can't play a musical instrument but I like to sing (no special talent but I can carry a tune!)
DeleteAh, the 60's...it was a great time for music. You should check out your album collection, albums are coming back in style, people are appreiciating that they sound better than CD's!
I think this is the first song I remember hearing on the radio and it would have been when I was 4 just before we moved from Redondo Beach to Anaheim: "So Let the Sunshine In". It's on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6xuUCVxbb0
ReplyDeleteI just went and listened to it and imagined you as a 4 year old enjoying it!
DeleteYou MUST have been a Beach Boys fan growing up in California!
Kay, I've learned loads about songrwiters, musicians and singers from your blog already, and now I've learned some more about you, too - that's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSince you say, "Answer the questions yourself" and that you'd be interested in knowing your answers, here are mine:
What does music mean to you?
A lot! In fact, for that very reason I hardly ever have music playing "just so" while doing other things such as cleaning. When I listen to music, I want to LISTEN. Or/and sing along!
As a kid, I learned to play the guitar and later the piano (forgot most of both, I'm afraid). For some time, I sang in the school's choir and later in the church's.
What is your first related music memory?
Impossible to say, since music was always somehow "there", with my parents frequently playing records - anything from Beethoven to Bill Hailey.
What was the first album you purchased?
Like you, Kay, most of my pocket money was invested in singles instead of albums. One of the first singles I bought was "Fade to Grey" by Visage, early 1980s.
What is the latest album you purchased?
The next-to-last album by Cobario, an instrumental trio (2 guitars, 1 violin) I've often seen/heard perform live at Ludwigsburg's International Street Music Festival, and mentioned them on my blog.
What was the last song you listened to? (Be honest!)
"Blurred Lines" - so funky, I can't sit still when that plays. Weird Al Jankovic has done a great parody!
Oh I love your musical answers! I well remember your posts about Cobario! And Weird Al, sometimes I prefer his lyrics over the original song! :-)
DeleteI really could have written a lot more about music on this post, you know how much I love it!