The Only Thing (Stay Safe!)

 

                                           Bonsai trees 

                                                       Pink Muhly Grass

                                               Fothergillia Mt. Airy    (These leaves are beautiful!)

"The Only Thing" is a song by Travis and Susanna Hoffs, one of the singers from 1980's group, The Bangles.  This song was just released this year! (Travis is from Scotland and was popular in the 1990's.)

I really like this song, so I hope you will give it a listen...

It's my job to give you guys music, you know! And also a few photos of nature. Music and nature: I am there for you, my friends! 

Remember these three words...HANDS, FACE and SPACE.

Keep your HANDS washed, your FACE covered and keep SPACE between yourself and others.  (I saw this on the BBC.)

I am very fond of rhymes, not sure if you know that about me!

I dreamed that I went to a doctor's office to take the virus vaccine and the woman who came in to give it to me had "Maxine" on her name tag.  "Oh, it's Maxine with a vaccine!", I said to her. 

She just looked at me in a most bored manner. "Uh, I guess you get that all the time", I said to her.  "No", she said,  "You're the first one".

HA!  There, you see, I even dream with rhymes on my brain!

I'm sure you saw that Dolly Parton gave one million dollars towards the vaccine that was developed in Tennessee! Isn't that marvelous!

I told you that songwriters were the best! 

For all my American friends, Happy Thanksgiving!  And for my friends in the rest of the world, happy times to you! Stay safe, all of you.

                                       I do not have a black beard. That is me wearing a mask!

                Saw the Zebra long wing as late as this last weekend! What a pleasure it has been to see this beauty!  Isn't it beautiful?

Silhouettes

 

"Silhouettes" was a big hit for the Herman Hermits in 1965.  Did you know that it had already been a hit for the Rays in 1957? I didn't know that, I just learned it!  The Rays were a Doo-Wop Group and they remind me very much of the 50's music from the film "Back To The Future"!  (I hope you all know that is one of my very favorite films EVER! Remember the dance? The theme was  "Enchantment Under the Sea"!)  Anyway, what was I talking about before my film self jumped in there? OH yes, the song- "Silhouettes"!

Of course, I am going to have the lyrics so that you can sing along! Yes, you know I will!

Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Took a walk and passed your house late last night
All the shades were pulled and drawn way down tight
From within, the dim light cast two silhouettes on the shade
Oh, what a lovely couple they made

Put his arms around your waist, held you tight
Kisses I could almost taste in the night
Wondered why I'm not the guy whose silhouette's on the shade
I couldn't hide the tears in my eyes

Silhouette's (silhouette's) silhouette's (silhouette's)
Silhouette's (silhouette's) ty oh, oh oh
Silhouette's (silhouette's) silhouette's (silhouette's)
Silhouette's (silhouette's) ty oh, oh oh

Lost control and rang your bell, I was sore
Let me in or else I'll beat down your door
When two strangers who have been two silhouettes on the shade
Said to my shock, "You're on the wrong block"

La la la la, la la la
Rushed out to your house with wings on my feet
Loved you like I'd never loved you, my sweet
Vowed that you and I would be two silhouettes on the shade
All of our days, two silhouettes on the shade

Silhouette's (silhouette's) silhouette's (silhouette's)
Silhouette's (silhouette's) ty oh, oh oh
Silhouette's (silhouette's) silhouette's (silhouette's)
Silhouette's (silhouette's) ty oh, oh oh

Two silhouettes on the shade

Okay, that was the one by The Rays!  Isn't it wonderful?

Oh Ding DANG, I can't get the one by Herman's Hermits on here. YouTube won't allow me. You can easily look it up...

The version by Herman's Hermits is speeded up a bit. I like them both, you know I do!

The song was written by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay Jr.   And it is funny for me to learn they also wrote a favorite song of mine as a very young child, "Lucky Ladybug" by Billy and Lillie on the Swan label. See, I told you I have always liked music! It has always been a big part of my life.  They also wrote many of the hits by the Four Seasons AND they also wrote "Silence Is Golden". Gee, no one ever SAYS that anymore do they? More's the pity, I say!

The idea for "Silhouettes" came to Bob Crewe as he was on a train and saw a couple embrace through a windowshade. The song really does tell a story, so be sure to read through the lyrics even if you don't sing them. (And apparently, Cliff Richard had a hit with it in 1990 in England. Our son was a baby then so I don't remember that, I must have been a bit busy!)

Our leaves are gorgeous just now! And you will never guess...I saw a Monarch butterfly today! Yes! I was so pleased. I had just washed my car and was turning off the water when I spotted it. I admired it for a few seconds and then, sprinted inside to grab the camera...but when I came back out, it was gone.  Safe journey, dear Monarch. Happy to have some flowers for you as you passed by....

These photos are from this time last year but I hope you won't mind me showing you. The leaves are just as pretty today! How are you all doing? Hope you are all well and enjoying beauty, even if it is in your own back yard.  

To Everything There Is A Season (Turn, Turn, Turn)

 

TWO videos for you of the same song!  "Turn, Turn, Turn" was a big hit for The Byrds in 1965 although it had been written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950's. So, I have the Byrds singing it for you and also Pete Seeger... it astounds me how a song can be so very different by how it is arranged and by new singers. (Songwriters 101 might become the new name for my blog.)

All of the lyrics except for the "Turn, Turn, Turn Part" and the final two lines are all from the Bible, the Book of Ecclesiastes. 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain that which is to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time of love, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

"A time to refrain from embracing"...does this remind you of this year when it has become mandatory for us to keep our distance?

Let's always keep hope in our hearts! Stay safe everyone!

We The People (Sing It!)

 

The Preamble to the Constitution! Of course, I know it by heart because it was set to music in School House Rock. (Why don't we have tunes for everything? I would never forget a thing!) 

I looked this up...it was written by a woman named Lynn Ahrens. She was quite young at the time, this would have been in the autumn of 1973. The TV network, NBC had already shown some of these 3 minute animated spots which highlighted tunes to help kids learn their multiplication tables. Since they were successful, the network was asked to do more.  The producer happened to notice Lynn Ahrens who worked as a secretary at NBC. (She would bring her guitar and play during her lunch time!)

He asked her if she could write a song! Well, you can guess her answer! If any of you are familiar with these songs, I wonder if you knew who wrote them? She not only wrote about history but also about grammar! (I just looked this one up..."Conjunction Function"...I really loved that one! It was written by Bob Dorough, a very well known person in music, in Jazz! Gee, he is also quite fascinating...read about him just here.

Okay, THEN I thought to look up who actually wrote the words of the Preamble...that would be...

and I am not making this name up...Gouverneur Morris.  I did NOT misspell that name! Here is someone else who should be portrayed on film! What a fascinating life story HE has! I don't have the time to tell you all about him just now...perhaps another time, or you could look him up and see what you think. (Waving his false leg around at a  French mob telling them that he knew what it was to fight for LIBERTY? I mean, you have to love that! Even it if wasn't true and he had lost the leg in a carriage accident...hey, you gotta do what you can to get by in life!)

Sorry, I got sidetracked there...I was telling you about Lynn Ahrens. She went on to be very successful in musical theatre with Stephen Flaherty, winning many awards.( AND she also wrote jingles, one that I remember is "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?")  Their latest musical..."Marie, Dancing Still" which is based on the Degas statue "Little Dancer of 14 years". (Ahrens wrote the lyrics and Stephen Flaherty wrote the music.) Sounds like something I would really like...but then, I think I would also like "Ragtime" and "Seussical The Musical"! 

So, we have been told that this election  day is considered a very stressful day for Americans. Here is my contribution to help with that...keep singing! 

.We the people,

In order to form a more perfect union,
Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
Provide for the common defense,
Promote the general welfare and
Secure the blessings of liberty
To ourselves and our posterity
Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

For the United States of Americaaaaaaaa