Zulu - the Final Song

(A to Z is done today.  I enjoyed participating.  Next year I won't have so much going on (I hope) and will be able to visit the other blogs more.  I'll be doing that over the next week or so - there was so much to see and enjoy, and I want to do that.  Thank you to all who visited and to those who commented.  I will be returning the courtesy.)

I started this month with one of my very favorite songs, Africa by Toto.  Africa has always struck a chord with me - magnificent, huge, varied and beautiful.  From the Ashanti empire to Egypt, from the savannahs to the desert - there is something splendid wherever you look.

Years ago I watched a movie, Zulu, that told of the battle of Rorke's Drift during the Anglo-Zulu wars.  A fort staffed by Welsh and English soldiers fought a large Zulu army over the course of several days.  At the end, as the English troops were waiting to be overrun and butchered, having sung Men of Harlech (another great song with a wonderful history), the Zulus rose above the circling hills, sang, as they had before the fighting ... and turned and walked off.

It was a magnificent moment, a generous tribute from one group of fighting men to another.

Then, of course, the debate began.  "Never happened!"  "Hah!  they had somewhere else to go and didn't have time to butcher the others!"  "What a daydream!" 

Well, I write historical fiction, which means that I have had to research a lot of historical facts.  Over and over again I have found instances of generosity, heroism, kindness and courage.  We are, after all, dealing with humans.  There are creeps - and there are heroes.  I choose to watch the heroes.

Here is the song.  Ah...  Africa...

Y = Dogs and Cats

Everyone needs a good laugh on a Monday morning.  I have been posting songs that meant a lot to me, that made me think, and one or two that made me chuckle.  Today's offering was written and composed by a man who was responsible for most of the truly clever lyrics found in songs from the thirties through the sixties. 

Deft turns of phrase, sly humor were the hallmarks of Cole Porter's work.  I wanted to use Begin the Beguine, or a couple others, but they were ruled out this past month.

But while 'You' sung by the Carpenters, or 'You've Got a Friend' by James Taylor, 'Yellow Submarine' by the Beatles or – what I was going to chose – Year of the Cat by Al Stewart were strong runners, I present instead…

 

The Yale Fight Song by (then) undergraduate Cole Porter: 

Bulldog!  Bulldog!
Bow, wow, wow
Eli Yale
Bulldog!  Bulldog!
Bow, wow, wow
Our team can never fail

When the sons of Eli
Break through the line
That is the sign we hail
Bulldog!  Bulldog!
Bow, wow, wow
Eli Yale!

 ...and here is a splendid recreation of the moment when Mr. Porter presented the song (from 'Night and Day')

CLICK HERE

If you've had enough jolliness, I present my real top choice:

Graphics by Yours Truly.  The cat's name is Frida...

The Year of the Cat:

THE VIDEO:

On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running
Like a watercolour in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations
She'll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat.

She doesn't give you time for questions
As she locks up your arm in hers
And you follow 'till your sense of which direction
Completely disappears
By the blue tiled walls near the market stalls
There's a hidden door she leads you to
These days, she says, I feel my life
Just like a river running through
The year of the cat

She looks at you so cooly
And her eyes shine like the moon in the sea
She comes in incense and patchouli
So you take her, to find what's waiting inside
The year of the cat.

Well morning comes and you're still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you've thrown away the choice and lost your ticket
So you have to stay on
But the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometime you're bound to leave her
But for now you're going to stay
In the year of the cat.

X = eXecerable Uh, I mean XANADU!

I personally believe that this is the movie that brought movie musicals into such disrepute that they went away for a while.  

Xana-DON'T


Gene Kelly made an appearance, which I am sure he bitterly regretted with every fiber of his being, though at an advanced age, wearing roller skates, Mr. Kelly still out-danced every other buskin-wearer who stumbled across the stage. 

But the finale really was a hum-dinger. 
Would you have thought that the Ancient Greek Muses were a pack of fluffy-haired disco babes?  On roller skates?  With neon auras?  Wearing knee-length bloomers under their dresses?

Me neither.

(I imagine them at the walls of Troy.  Uh...  No.)

Click at your own peril....
 
XANADU

W - Water from Another Time...

John McCutcheon is a folk singer and player of all sorts of instruments including the hammer dulcimer.  I ran into this song of his on a cassette a friend gave me half a lifetime ago.  I write historical fiction, so the connections between one generation and the next have always fascinated and touched me.  This song is very special to me.

The lyrics and the words say it all.  Pity there isn't a video there I like, so this beautiful photo of water will have to do.  A favorite of mine.  Listen to it. 

WATER FROM ANOTHER TIME

New mown hay on a July morn

Grandkids running through the knee-high corn

Sunburned nose and a scabbed-up knee

From the rope at the white oak tree

Just another summer's day on Grandpa's farm

With Grandma's bucket hanging off my arm

You know, the old pump's rusty but it works fine

Primed with water from another time

Chorus: It don't take much, but you gotta have some

The old ways help the new ways come

Just leave a little extra for the next in line

They're gonna need a little water from another time

Tattered quilt on the goose down bed

"Every stitch tells a story", my Grandma said

Her mama's nightgown, her Grandpa's pants

And the dress she wore to her high school dance

Now wrapped at night in those patchwork scenes

I waltz with Grandma in my dreams

My arms, my heart, my life entwined

With water from another time

(Chorus) 

Newborn cry in the morning air

The past and the future are wedded there

In this wellspring of my sons and daughters

The bone and blood of living water

And, though Grandpa's hands have gone to dust,

Like Grandma's pump; reduced to rust,

Their stories quench my soul and mind

Like water from another time 

(Chorus)

(c) 1985 John McCutcheon/Appalsongs (ASCAP)

Small Celebrations - Sunrise and a Willow Tree

I'm back...  I have been terribly busy, and have shamefully neglected this delightful blog hop that seems to put a good perspective on things.  I could list the things that have been keeping me (happily) busy.  But instead I am celebrating the view from my window.

My usual seat faces west, looking up a hill.  The morning sun spills upward across the land, touching the maple trees that march up the incline.  Right now the light is thick and golden, as it is most mornings when you can see the sun.

We lost a big old maple a couple years ago, and it left a hole in my view.  I planted a weeping willow.  It's little yet, since I only planted it last year, and right now it's drooping.  I will be re-installing the supports.  But that little willow holds memories of my great-aunt's beautiful old willow in Vermont, and memories of her garden come back.  It's always a lovely way to start a morning, and I'm celebrating the memories and the view.

V.......Vivaldi's Rain

I'm doing things a little differently today.  If you click on the photo below, which is Chloe Agnew (one of the singers of the group Celtic Women) you will hear today's song, 'Vivaldi's Rain', which is written in Italian.

 

There is something about Italian words.  Written, they look rather  odd (sayeth she who speaketh a Germanic tongue) but speak or, better, sing them and you have poetry.

 

 

Signore guidami

E dimmi cosa fare

Ho visto l'amore della mia vita

E lui ha visto me.

Sono confusa, lo confonde

Gli voglio dire che l'amo

E spero dirà lo stesso.

Sono passate due settimane

 

La vita scorre veloce

Il mio cuore batte forte

Signore guidami e dammi pace. 

Ti chiedo cosa dire, come dirlo

Mostrami come dire che l'amo

Mostrami come dire che mi ama

Sto pregando che dica di amarmi

 

I can almost understand Spanish , if I see it written.  Italian is not so easy.  So I 'washed' the lyrics through Google Translate.  It was less than satisfactory, so I made adjustments.

 

O Lord grant me guidance

And tell me what to do

I beheld the love of my life

And he looked upon me. 
 

I am so confused, confounded

I long to tell him that I love him

And I yearn to have him say those words to me. 

 

 

A fortnight has passed

Life is passing so swiftly

My heart is pounding

O Lord guide me and give me peace. 
 

How I wonder what to say – how to say it…

Show me the way to tell him that I love him

Show me how to say 'I love you'

I am praying he will say that he loves me
 

 

Vivaldi's tunes always make me smile.  The words (for this, at least) can be problematic.

Unforgettable...

I have been enjoying sharing songs that have meant something to me, whether howling in laughter or in disbelief.  A few letters have been problematic (not sure what's in the works for X but I'll come up with something), but overall it's been fun.

I did plan in advance, for the most part, though I departed from the planning when something struck me as a better choice..

I had a couple set for U, this one among them.  I nearly used a tune by Richard Rodgers (of 'and Hammerstein' fame) that he originally wrote for Victory at Sea.  It was called 'Under the Southern Cross', and he reused the tune later as a tango in a musical.  The problem was that I learned that I was one of many people who got the title wrong.  it's 'Beneath the Southern Cross'.  Ah, well.  Under the Boardwalk was an obvious one except (dare I say it?) as one who lived in the Hawaiian Islands and experienced the beautiful Pacific beaches, my opinion of the beaches anywhere near 'the Boardwalk' is, shall I say, rather unenthusiastic.

This left the song that was the winner from the first anyhow.  I'd have used it no matter what started with 'U'.  There was no contest.

Smooth as silk, smoky-voiced, those smiling eyes...

Who else but the great Nat King Cole?

When this duet came out through the magic of audio processing, I was charmed, delighted, and even a little misty-eyed.  And I am even happier to have found this YouTube video of a performance Natalie did using footage of her father.

ENJOY THE PERFORMANCE HERE

How can you beat it?  It's Unforgettable...

Unforgettable, that's what you are

Unforgettable though near or far

Like a song of love that clings to me

How the thought of you does things to me

Never before has someone been more 

Unforgettable in every way

And forever more, that's how you'll stay

That's why, darling, it's incredible

That someone so unforgettable

Thinks that I am unforgettable too 

Unforgettable in every way

And forever more, that's how you'll stay

That's why, darling, it's incredible

That someone so unforgettable

Thinks that I am unforgettable too

 

Unforgettable lyrics © BOURNE CO.

-words and music by Irving Gordon

 

T for Third Rock from the Sun - and Time To Say Goodbye

A friend suggested I listen to this song from Joe Diffie (see yesterday's post) and I promised I would.  I did. 

I couldn't stop laughing.  Everything is intertwined, the original cause has an amazing effect, and you end up howling. 

Do watch to the video I posted here.

THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN
The lyrics are at the bottom of the post if you're  curious.

 

...Or  you can skip down to something beautiful.
 
The composer of this piece writes pop music for classically trained voices.  This one was composed for Andrea Bocelli, who sang it in a duet with Sarah Brightman. 

I like the voices (it needs an alto,  though) but I really love the instrumental version.  For me, writing a story about a man dealing with the loss of his son, letting go and moving ahead, it seemed to crystallize my feelings of his hesitation, remembering, falling in love and moving on.
 
Well...  The book is coming out in a couple of weeks.  I'm not touting it here.
 
But enjoy the music and ignore the album cover that provides the only image in the video.
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

--------------------------------------------------------

She walks into Smokey's one hip at a time

Like a broken field runner, slipping through the line

He likes the way she looks so he calls the little wife

Says, don't wait up for me, I'll be working late tonight 

Wife hangs up the phone bursts into tears

Calls her sister up and cries get over here  

Sister tells her boyfriend be back in a while

Boyfriend wants a beer, the store is just a mile

He leaves the motor running, he'll only be a minute

His car drives away with teenagers in it 

The driver tells his buddies got one life to live

They scream into the night, let's get it over with  

Cause and effect, chain of events

All of the chaos makes perfect sense

When you're spinning 'round, things come undone

Welcome to Earth, third rock from the sun 

The kid guns the gas, car starts to swerve

Heads for the semi truck jumps the curb

Truck hits the big boy in the Shoney's parking lot

It flies through the air takes out the bank clock

Clock strikes a light pole transformer sparks

Lines go down, the town goes dark 

Waitress calls the cops says, she saw it all

Swears a giant alien has landed at the mall

Cops ring up the Mayor, say there's panic in the streets

We hate to wake you up but we can't find the chief 

Mayor says, use your head if he ain't in his car

He's hiding from his wife down at Smokey's bar  

Cause and effect, chain of events

All of the chaos makes perfect sense

When you're spinning 'round, things come undone

Welcome to Earth, third rock from the sun 

Songwriter(s): Tony Martin

Copyright: Sony/Atv Tree Publishing

 

S for Ships That Don't Come In

Nautical Signal Flag: S = Sierra

I was driving to work one day quite a few years ago.  I was not happy.  Bad things were afoot, and they came to fruition a year or so later, with a lot of nastiness.  I had the radio on, and a song came on.  Someone going into a bar and talking with an old man about how difficult life was.  The voice was pleasant, the words good enough – until I heard a verse:  

 

 

Just when I'd hit bottom That old man raised his glass

And said at least we had our chances, There's those who never have

So here's to all the soldiers Who have ever died in vain

The insane locked up in themselves The homeless down on Main

To those who stand on empty shores And spit against the wind

And those who wait forever For ships that don't come in

What? I thought.  What IS this song?

I listened as it went through to its ending.  Naturally, the DJ did not announce it (never happens with songs I really want to know about).  I got in to work, fired up my computer and did a google search.  I found the song and read the words, and it was as though the writer was talking to me. 

Yes, things were difficult and disheartening.  I was not happy where I was, I didn't know where I was going and looking back at my path to where I was, I saw a good many stupid mistakes and gun-jumping.  But still, I was not badly off, I had my dreams, I had friends, and I had reasons to be thankful, and people to keep in my thoughts and prayers.  Those who are waiting forever for ships that don't come in. 

The song was performed by Joe Diffie.  Tomorrow's offering is another of his.  I wonder if you can guess which one it is…  Be prepared to laugh! 

Ships that don't come in

I could tell he'd had a tough life By the way he sat and stared

And me, I'd come to push and shove So I pulled up a chair

We talked of roads untraveled We talked of love untrue

Of strings that come unraveled We were kings and kindred fools

And just when I'd hit bottom That old man raised his glass

And said at least we had our chances There's those who never have

So here's to all the soldiers Who have ever died in vain

The insane locked up in themselves The homeless down on Main 

To those who stand on empty shores And spit against the wind

And those who wait forever For ships that don't come in

He said it's only life's illusions That bring us to this bar

To pick up these old crutches And compare each other's scars 

'Cause the things we're calling heartache Hell, they're hardly worth our time
We bitch about a dollar When there's those without a dime

And as he ordered one last round He said I guess we can't complain

God made life a gamble And we're still in the game 

So here's to all the soldiers Who have ever died in vain

The insane locked up in themselves The homeless down on Main

To those who stand on empty shores And spit against the wind

And those who wait forever For ships that don't come in

And those who wait forever

For ships that don't come in

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE...

Songwriter(s): Dave Gibson

Copyright: Sony/Atv Tree Publishing

...How Much is Too Much?

I must be crazy.

I have, going on at this moment:

The A to Z blog.  This is a wonderful event with hundreds of bloggers from all over the map who have committed to a post a day (except Sundays) in April with each day's theme being a letter of the alphabet, in progression.  Some of them are hysterically funny, some of them are very educational (I am going to visit D.C. shortly, I think) some of them make you think, and all are pretty good.  For more info, check HERE .  It is a lot of work, but enjoyable.  I'm still in it.

The Small Celebrations blog hop.  This is an every Friday post where you celebrate something that might not be earthshaking but is nevertheless something worth noting.  It is the brainchild of VikLit  AT THIS BLOG (do visit the blog and the Friday Hop - well worth while).  I have had to drop out for the past three Fridays because of sheer busyness, but after April grinds to a halt, I'm back.  And perhaps sooner.

MOURNINGTIDE  is set to be published May 15.  I need to get things up and running (would anyone be willing to do a post for me?) and I am finalizing things. 

...and because I am bringing things into line for a series that I am writing (didn't start out that way, but they're all connected),  I am giving PHARAOH'S SON  a rewrite. 

I think that's about enough for now.  We won't mention a new job or other things.

...and yesterday I had a brainstorm for a story set in the timeline of my series.  After what I'm calling 'Jubilee', which is nowhere near being finished, and before LORD OF THE TWO LANDS, which is in the works and about 25% done.

Now, it is delicious to know that I still have ideas, and to see that the ideas are viable and could be very entertaining...  But I think I have enough on my plate.  Still...  The notion of two strong personalities grappling over a suddenly empty throne...  A hint of murder, a hint of betrayal...

And I wasted about an hour last night and today finding photos that would represent the two characters.  (The lady, on the right, seems formidable...)

I am a fool.

Sunday Thoughts

Daffodil Hill in Litchfield, Connecticut

At last, some time to catch my breath.  I have been out of things with this A to Z challenge - too many things came together at once and it was all I could do for the past week to get my posts out. 

Now I can go back, visit other blogs, enjoy things - there is so much variety - one woman I follow has crocheted flowers (here's her blog: http://lotsofcrochetstitches.blogspot.com/ )  Really creative - and I may end up making a bouquet of crocheted flowers to display.

It is early spring, the weeping willow sapling is leafing out (the first green haze of willows is one of my 'markers' for the advent of spring), the sky is blue - and my feet are freezing.  Just because it is spring, I don't have to give up on having a nice fire in my wood-burning stove.

...and there's a nice, hot cuppa waiting.

Ah...  Sundays...!  I hope yours are good!

R is the Rainbow Connection

One of my all time favorite songs is sung by...

A frog?

Well...  Kermit is no ordinary frog.  I knew the Muppets long before Kermit made his appearance.  Ralph the Dog was on the Jimmy Dean show way back when.  I was just about a toddler, but I remember him.

I could post quite a bit about the Muppets and their contributions over the years.  The duet between Rudolph Nureyev and Miss Piggy in the sauna room where Nureyev is singing 'I really can't stay...' and Miss Piggy is trying to convince him otherwise.  Swine Lake (from the same show).  Pigs in Space with Lance Hogthrob...

Ah, well.  I loved the Muppets.  But oddly enough, I didn't encounter this song through a movie or their show.  I heard it on the radio back in the 'eighties.  The singer was terrible (who expects a frog to sing well?) and the DJ said he'd love to hear Judy Collins do justice to it.

I don't know about that.  Kermit, somehow, expresses for me the smile and the wishing and the determination.

Here's the YouTube video from the movie CLICK HERE

...and here are the lyrics.

Why are there so many

Songs about rainbows?

And what's on the other side?

Rainbows are visions

But only illusions

And rainbows have nothing to hide

So we've been told

And some choose to believe it

I know they're wrong wait and see

Someday we'll find it

The rainbow connection

The lovers, the dreamers and me

 

Who said that ev'ry wish

Would be heard and answered

When wished on the morning star

Somebody thought of that

And someone believed it

Look what it's done so far

What's so amazing

That keeps us star-gazing?

And what do we think we might see

Someday we'll find it

The rainbow connection

The lovers, the dreamers and me 

All of us under it's spell

We know that it's probably magic

 

Have you been half asleep

And have you heard voices

I've heard them calling my name

Is this the sweet sound

That calls the young sailors

The voice might be one and the same

I've heard it too many times to ignore it

It's something that I'm supposed to be

Someday we'll find it

The rainbow connection

The lovers, the dreamers and me

 

Songwriters: WILLIAMS/ASCHER

Rainbow Connection lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Best of luck to all - I'll meet you at the Rainbow Connection!

Q...For Quando, Quando, Quando

"So…" my sister said.  "What are you planning to use for 'Q' day?" 

I'd had a couple ideas.  Que Sera Sera was out. Not because I didn't like the sentiment, but because there were nothing but cutesy performances.  Juice Newton's song from the 70's, - the Queen of Hearts - was a strong contender.  It's another I'll sing along with.  Actually, that was the original winner.

And then I came up with this.  I was planning to post this as a humorous bit.  You know: one of those songs where you know one or two lines and the rest you just sort of fill in.

The song is 'Quando, Quando, Quando'.  I've always liked the tune, but I never knew the words.  It was originally written in Italian and was a hit from the sixties - a little prior to my listening era. 

I liked the tune, but the words -

'La-da-dee-dah- dahdah-dee!  Dee may quando quando quando'

Nope.  Too stupid.  So I found Juice Newton singing Queen of Hearts.  And then, for the heck of it, I did a search on YouTube for Quando Quando Quando.  I found Engelbert Humperdinck in an early iteration in the Hollywood Bowl surrounded by dancers in gold sequined bras and gold lame' bell bottoms.  His trousers appeared to have been spray-painted on. 

But then I found this video with the Kessler Twins.  They were a pair of dancers who were very very good.  Enjoy the video.  Click on THIS to see it...

And here are the lyrics in the original Italian.

Dimmi quando tu verrai

dimmi quando quando quando

l'anno il giorno l'ora in cui

forse tu mi bacerai

ogni istante attendero'

fino a quando quando quando

d'improvviso ti vedro'

sorridente accanto a me

se vuoi dirmi di si

devi dirlo perchè

non ha senso per me

la mia vita senza te

dimmi quando tu verrai

dimmi quando quando quando

e baciandomi dirai

non ci lasceremo mai

se vuoi dirmi di si

devi dirlo perchè

non ha senso per me

la mia vita senza te

dimmi quando tu verrai

dimmi quando quando quando

e baciandomi dirai

non ci lasceremo mai

dimmi quando tu verrai

dimmi quando quando quando

(and if you go searching and find Michael Buble's version, don't bother.  This song was written to be performed to a bossa nova beat, not a 'Hamlet's Soliloquy' beat)