Music & More

Veterans Day 2022

November 07, 2022

Veterans Day 2022

Friday, November 11th is Veterans Day. As I have for the past 10 years, I'm making a pitch to the few readers I have to contribute to disabled veterans. 

 

A little before Veterans Day 6 years ago, I attended a small reunion of Vietnam combat veterans in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. All the veterans who attended served with Mike Platoon of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry (Black Lions) of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). There were just 10 of us plus our wives and the brother of a young man killed a week before Christmas in 1968 and the sister of a young man killed in July of 1969. Some of us brought photos and other memorabilia from Nam. We had a ceremony for twenty men from our platoon who didn't make it home.  

For most of us, thoughts will shortly be turning to family gatherings at Thanksgiving. (Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some of us may feel the need to forego such gatherings this year.) Still, most of us have a lot to be thankful for. We just turned back the clock as Daylight Savings Time has ended for this year. Some soldiers wish they could turn back the clock and be whole again, mentally and physically. Hopefully, we don't just think of them briefly on occasions like Memorial Day and Veterans Day. There will be parades and ceremonies and some restaurants will be offering free meals to veterans, as well as to those on active duty. These things are all good but by themselves don't solve the problems faced by our veterans. 

Since 1973 when the military draft ended, the youth of America has not had to delay getting on with their future by spending two years in the military. The all volunteer military has met our war related challenges. Largely as a result of multiple tours of duty in combat areas during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, in addition to loss of limbs, etc. which require extensive physical rehab,  we still have many veterans trying to cope with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

 

If you ask anyone if they support the troops, it's highly likely that 99% will say yes.  If you were able to see how many gave more than lip service, the percentage would most likely be a lot lower. Granted there are many who are unable to contribute financially and then there are those who have volunteered their time to help disabled veterans. It's certainly possible that the thought of giving to an organization supporting disabled veterans just hasn't occurred to many of our citizens.

 

The DAV (Disabled American Veterans - www.dav.org) is one of the best organizations to which you can contribute.

 

It's not the only worthy organization. Before giving to any organization claiming to aid veterans (or any other charity), you should check them out on www.give.org (the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance) to make sure they're legitimate. To be accredited by the BBB (Better Business Bureau), a charity has to meet 20 standards for charity accountability. The DAV has met these standards. Don't assume that all well known charities meet the standards of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Friday, November 11th is Veterans Day. As I have for the past 10 years, I'm making a pitch to the few readers I have to contribute to disabled veterans. 

 

A little before Veterans Day 6 years ago, I attended a small reunion of Vietnam combat veterans in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. All the veterans who attended served with Mike Platoon of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry (Black Lions) of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). There were just 10 of us plus our wives and the brother of a young man killed a week before Christmas in 1968 and the sister of a young man killed in July of 1969. Some of us brought photos and other memorabilia from Nam. We had a ceremony for twenty men from our platoon who didn't make it home.  

For most of us, thoughts will shortly be turning to family gatherings at Thanksgiving. (Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some of us may feel the need to forego such gatherings this year.) Still, most of us have a lot to be thankful for. We just turned back the clock as Daylight Savings Time has ended for this year. Some soldiers wish they could turn back the clock and be whole again, mentally and physically. Hopefully, we don't just think of them briefly on occasions like Memorial Day and Veterans Day. There will be parades and ceremonies and some restaurants will be offering free meals to veterans, as well as to those on active duty. These things are all good but by themselves don't solve the problems faced by our veterans. 

Since 1973 when the military draft ended, the youth of America has not had to delay getting on with their future by spending two years in the military. The all volunteer military has met our war related challenges. Largely as a result of multiple tours of duty in combat areas during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, in addition to loss of limbs, etc. which require extensive physical rehab,  we still have many veterans trying to cope with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

 

If you ask anyone if they support the troops, it's highly likely that 99% will say yes.  If you were able to see how many gave more than lip service, the percentage would most likely be a lot lower. Granted there are many who are unable to contribute financially and then there are those who have volunteered their time to help disabled veterans. It's certainly possible that the thought of giving to an organization supporting disabled veterans just hasn't occurred to many of our citizens.

 

The DAV (Disabled American Veterans - www.dav.org) is one of the best organizations to which you can contribute.

 

It's not the only worthy organization. Before giving to any organization claiming to aid veterans (or any other charity), you should check them out on www.give.org (the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance) to make sure they're legitimate. To be accredited by the BBB (Better Business Bureau), a charity has to meet 20 standards for charity accountability. The DAV has met these standards. Don't assume that all well known charities meet the standards of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Veterans Day 2022

Friday, November 11th is Veterans Day. As I have for the past 10 years, I'm making a pitch to the few readers I have to contribute to disabled veterans. 

 

A little before Veterans Day 6 years ago, I attended a small reunion of Vietnam combat veterans in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. All the veterans who attended served with Mike Platoon of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry (Black Lions) of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). There were just 10 of us plus our wives and the brother of a young man killed a week before Christmas in 1968 and the sister of a young man killed in July of 1969. Some of us brought photos and other memorabilia from Nam. We had a ceremony for twenty men from our platoon who didn't make it home.  

For most of us, thoughts will shortly be turning to family gatherings at Thanksgiving. (Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some of us may feel the need to forego such gatherings this year.) Still, most of us have a lot to be thankful for. We just turned back the clock as Daylight Savings Time has ended for this year. Some soldiers wish they could turn back the clock and be whole again, mentally and physically. Hopefully, we don't just think of them briefly on occasions like Memorial Day and Veterans Day. There will be parades and ceremonies and some restaurants will be offering free meals to veterans, as well as to those on active duty. These things are all good but by themselves don't solve the problems faced by our veterans. 

Since 1973 when the military draft ended, the youth of America has not had to delay getting on with their future by spending two years in the military. The all volunteer military has met our war related challenges. Largely as a result of multiple tours of duty in combat areas during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, in addition to loss of limbs, etc. which require extensive physical rehab,  we still have many veterans trying to cope with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

 

If you ask anyone if they support the troops, it's highly likely that 99% will say yes.  If you were able to see how many gave more than lip service, the percentage would most likely be a lot lower. Granted there are many who are unable to contribute financially and then there are those who have volunteered their time to help disabled veterans. It's certainly possible that the thought of giving to an organization supporting disabled veterans just hasn't occurred to many of our citizens.

 

The DAV (Disabled American Veterans - www.dav.org) is one of the best organizations to which you can contribute.

 

It's not the only worthy organization. Before giving to any organization claiming to aid veterans (or any other charity), you should check them out on www.give.org (the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance) to make sure they're legitimate. To be accredited by the BBB (Better Business Bureau), a charity has to meet 20 standards for charity accountability. The DAV has met these standards. Don't assume that all well known charities meet the standards of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Memorial Day 2022

Tomorrow is Memorial Day

Memorial Day (previously but now seldom called Decoration Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who had died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is now observed on the last Monday of May, having been observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970. (thank you wiki.)

May 28, 2012

A Thought on Memorial Day

They never got the chance to grow old like me,

Their names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C.

(I was 66 when this thought first occurred to me. I'm 76 now.)

 

Memorial Day (previously but now seldom called Decoration Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who had died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is now observed on the last Monday of May, having been observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970. (thank you wiki.)

May 28, 2012

A Thought on Memorial Day

They never got the chance to grow old like me,

Their names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C.

(I was 66 when this thought first occurred to me. I'm 76 now.)

 

They never got the chance to grow old like me,

Their names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C.

(I was 66 when this thought first occurred to me. I'm 76 now.)

 

 

 

Tomorrow is Memorial Day

Memorial Day (previously but now seldom called Decoration Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who had died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is now observed on the last Monday of May, having been observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970. (thank you wiki.)

May 28, 2012

A Thought on Memorial Day

They never got the chance to grow old like me,

Their names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C.

(I was 66 when this thought first occurred to me. I'm 76 now.)

 

They never got the chance to grow old like me,

Their names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C.

(I was 66 when this thought first occurred to me. I'm 76 now.)

 

 

 

A Thought on Memorial Day

They never got the chance to grow old like me,

Their names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C.

(I was 66 when this thought first occurred to me. I'm 76 now.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Baseball Songs challenge

I'm watching the NY Yankees play the Boston Red Sox on a Saturday afternoon in April of 2022. The Yanks just took the lead on a  Stanton 2 run HR in the bottom of the 6th inning. It inspired me to play Centerfield - the song. 13 years ago I gave my opinion as to the best songs about baseball. I wonder if I missed any great baseball songs back then. I also wonder if there have been any great baseball songs recorded since 2009 began.

 

April 05, 2009

Best Baseball Songs

The excitement is building. Tonight the season opens with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow afternoon my New York Yankees take the field. Have I been watching the exhibition games or following the box scores in the paper? No. I never could get into exhibition games. Oh, I might watch for an inning. But the problem is - they don't count. I'll read a bit here and there about the progress of the team, more so as the days get closer. But now it's here. "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today!" (Actually, just to watch).

As any serious baseball fan or John Fogerty fan knows, that quote begins the chorus to the greatest baseball song ever written. "Centerfield", penned and first performed in 1985 by Fogerty, gets the blood pumping, the adrenalin flowing with its infectious beat and perfect lyrics.  No song captures the excitement of opening day like "Centerfield"! In the first stanza he talks of the sun coming out and new grass on the field. In the second, he pays tribute to past greats Mays, Cobb and DiMaggio. The last stanza's conclusion is every little leaguer's fantasy, "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all, a moment in the sun; (pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!". I don't know if Fogerty ever played any baseball or even likes the game but he sure captures the excitement of a new season like no one ever has. Check out the lyrics to Centerfield as well as the history and lyrics of the baseball songs to follow on www.baseball-almanac.com.

Obviously many will stick with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as the best baseball song ever. According to the baseball almanac just noted, the lyrics were written by Jack Norworth in 1908 with the music composed by Albert Von Tizler. Norworth changed some of the lyrics in 1927 but the famous chorus, the only part of the song I ever knew, remained the same.

Another fine song is Alabama's the "Cheap Seats" written by Marcus Hummon and Randy Sharp. The song describes a typical minor league ball town with lines like "Our ball club may be minor league but at least it's Triple-A" (like the Nashville Sounds which replaced the Long Island Ducks as my minor league team), and "We got a great pitcher, what's his name, Well, we can't even spell it" and a universal lament, "Hang ump, a blind man could have made that call".

Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" songs are familiar to many. The first in 1981 was originally called "Willie, Mickey and the Duke". Growing up in Queens, NY, in the 1950's, I recall those arguments about who was the best, Mantle, Mays or Snider. I didn't realize that Cashman wrote other versions of the song for other teams - Mets, Tigers, Cardinals, etc.

Another song on the baseball almanac list is "Catfish" written and performed by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy. It's about former Kansas City A's, Oakland A's and Yankee pitcher, the late Hall of Famer, Jim "Catfish" Hunter. He was a favorite of mine even before he became a Yankee since I discovered in my Street and Smith's Baseball Yearbook that we were born on the same day in 1946. The song was written in 1975 and I love the lyrics. Unfortunately, I can't bear to listen to Bob Dylan attempt to sing. Hope somebody else records it some day.

"The Greatest", a Kenny Rogers song written by Don Schlitz, is about a little boy throwing up a ball and trying to hit it. It has a cute and clever twist at the end.

A song that does not appear on the baseball almanac list is "The Show" written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry in 1994. I have it sung by Vezner on his '94 cd "Who's Gonna Know". It tells of a young man's journey to "The Show" which many know from the movie "Bull Durham" is the major leagues. Like "The Greatest", it has a twist at the end.

What is your favorite baseball song? Are you ready to play?

The excitement is building. Tonight the season opens with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow afternoon my New York Yankees take the field. Have I been watching the exhibition games or following the box scores in the paper? No. I never could get into exhibition games. Oh, I might watch for an inning. But the problem is - they don't count. I'll read a bit here and there about the progress of the team, more so as the days get closer. But now it's here. "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today!" (Actually, just to watch).

As any serious baseball fan or John Fogerty fan knows, that quote begins the chorus to the greatest baseball song ever written. "Centerfield", penned and first performed in 1985 by Fogerty, gets the blood pumping, the adrenalin flowing with its infectious beat and perfect lyrics.  No song captures the excitement of opening day like "Centerfield"! In the first stanza he talks of the sun coming out and new grass on the field. In the second, he pays tribute to past greats Mays, Cobb and DiMaggio. The last stanza's conclusion is every little leaguer's fantasy, "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all, a moment in the sun; (pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!". I don't know if Fogerty ever played any baseball or even likes the game but he sure captures the excitement of a new season like no one ever has. Check out the lyrics to Centerfield as well as the history and lyrics of the baseball songs to follow on www.baseball-almanac.com.

Obviously many will stick with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as the best baseball song ever. According to the baseball almanac just noted, the lyrics were written by Jack Norworth in 1908 with the music composed by Albert Von Tizler. Norworth changed some of the lyrics in 1927 but the famous chorus, the only part of the song I ever knew, remained the same.

Another fine song is Alabama's the "Cheap Seats" written by Marcus Hummon and Randy Sharp. The song describes a typical minor league ball town with lines like "Our ball club may be minor league but at least it's Triple-A" (like the Nashville Sounds which replaced the Long Island Ducks as my minor league team), and "We got a great pitcher, what's his name, Well, we can't even spell it" and a universal lament, "Hang ump, a blind man could have made that call".

Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" songs are familiar to many. The first in 1981 was originally called "Willie, Mickey and the Duke". Growing up in Queens, NY, in the 1950's, I recall those arguments about who was the best, Mantle, Mays or Snider. I didn't realize that Cashman wrote other versions of the song for other teams - Mets, Tigers, Cardinals, etc.

Another song on the baseball almanac list is "Catfish" written and performed by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy. It's about former Kansas City A's, Oakland A's and Yankee pitcher, the late Hall of Famer, Jim "Catfish" Hunter. He was a favorite of mine even before he became a Yankee since I discovered in my Street and Smith's Baseball Yearbook that we were born on the same day in 1946. The song was written in 1975 and I love the lyrics. Unfortunately, I can't bear to listen to Bob Dylan attempt to sing. Hope somebody else records it some day.

"The Greatest", a Kenny Rogers song written by Don Schlitz, is about a little boy throwing up a ball and trying to hit it. It has a cute and clever twist at the end.

A song that does not appear on the baseball almanac list is "The Show" written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry in 1994. I have it sung by Vezner on his '94 cd "Who's Gonna Know". It tells of a young man's journey to "The Show" which many know from the movie "Bull Durham" is the major leagues. Like "The Greatest", it has a twist at the end.

What is your favorite baseball song? Are you ready to play?

Best Baseball Songs

The excitement is building. Tonight the season opens with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow afternoon my New York Yankees take the field. Have I been watching the exhibition games or following the box scores in the paper? No. I never could get into exhibition games. Oh, I might watch for an inning. But the problem is - they don't count. I'll read a bit here and there about the progress of the team, more so as the days get closer. But now it's here. "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today!" (Actually, just to watch).

As any serious baseball fan or John Fogerty fan knows, that quote begins the chorus to the greatest baseball song ever written. "Centerfield", penned and first performed in 1985 by Fogerty, gets the blood pumping, the adrenalin flowing with its infectious beat and perfect lyrics.  No song captures the excitement of opening day like "Centerfield"! In the first stanza he talks of the sun coming out and new grass on the field. In the second, he pays tribute to past greats Mays, Cobb and DiMaggio. The last stanza's conclusion is every little leaguer's fantasy, "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all, a moment in the sun; (pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!". I don't know if Fogerty ever played any baseball or even likes the game but he sure captures the excitement of a new season like no one ever has. Check out the lyrics to Centerfield as well as the history and lyrics of the baseball songs to follow on www.baseball-almanac.com.

Obviously many will stick with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as the best baseball song ever. According to the baseball almanac just noted, the lyrics were written by Jack Norworth in 1908 with the music composed by Albert Von Tizler. Norworth changed some of the lyrics in 1927 but the famous chorus, the only part of the song I ever knew, remained the same.

Another fine song is Alabama's the "Cheap Seats" written by Marcus Hummon and Randy Sharp. The song describes a typical minor league ball town with lines like "Our ball club may be minor league but at least it's Triple-A" (like the Nashville Sounds which replaced the Long Island Ducks as my minor league team), and "We got a great pitcher, what's his name, Well, we can't even spell it" and a universal lament, "Hang ump, a blind man could have made that call".

Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" songs are familiar to many. The first in 1981 was originally called "Willie, Mickey and the Duke". Growing up in Queens, NY, in the 1950's, I recall those arguments about who was the best, Mantle, Mays or Snider. I didn't realize that Cashman wrote other versions of the song for other teams - Mets, Tigers, Cardinals, etc.

Another song on the baseball almanac list is "Catfish" written and performed by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy. It's about former Kansas City A's, Oakland A's and Yankee pitcher, the late Hall of Famer, Jim "Catfish" Hunter. He was a favorite of mine even before he became a Yankee since I discovered in my Street and Smith's Baseball Yearbook that we were born on the same day in 1946. The song was written in 1975 and I love the lyrics. Unfortunately, I can't bear to listen to Bob Dylan attempt to sing. Hope somebody else records it some day.

"The Greatest", a Kenny Rogers song written by Don Schlitz, is about a little boy throwing up a ball and trying to hit it. It has a cute and clever twist at the end.

A song that does not appear on the baseball almanac list is "The Show" written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry in 1994. I have it sung by Vezner on his '94 cd "Who's Gonna Know". It tells of a young man's journey to "The Show" which many know from the movie "Bull Durham" is the major leagues. Like "The Greatest", it has a twist at the end.

What is your favorite baseball song? Are you ready to play?

Designated Hitter finally a hit with the NL

Back in 2009 I expressed my opinion about the NL's rejection of the DH rule. MLB is finally playing with one set of rules in the upcoming 2022 season.

September 17, 2009

Designated Hitter

I read a book a few months ago called Hit Parade by Lawrence Block. No, it wasn't about the TV show from the 1950's. That was actually Your Hit Parade and the hits were songs. In the first part of the Block book, a designated hitter became the victim of a designated hitter. Baseball's Designated Hitter or DH is alive and well - except in the National League. Yankee DH Hideki Matsui hit a 2 run HR last night to tie up the game with the Blue Jays. With his bad knees, Hideki would be limited to pinch hitting duties without the DH rule.

 

It's time for the National League to adopt the Designated Hitter rule. Except for a few diehard purists, does anybody care about having the pitcher bat? I know. Tradition and Strategy. Tradition has taken quite a few hits since 1973 when the DH was introduced. Another level of playoffs has been added including the Wild Card. A team that doesn't even win its division is allowed a shot at the World Series - a radical idea for baseball. Expansion has brought us 6 additional teams. The NL has two more teams than the AL. We have major league umpires, not AL and NL umps. We have replays on HR's. We have all kinds of new stats - WHIP, OPS, holds, etc. Baseball has evolved. The NL has its head stuck in the sand.

 

As noted, the DH has existed since 1973. This makes it likely that any fan born from around 1963 doesn't really remember baseball without the DH. As far as strategy is concerned, how many fans think that even AL managers over-manage? We see needless changes of relief pitchers, starters yanked because of the pitch count. I recall a lefty brought in to face a lefty. He got his man and the next batter was a switch hitter. The manager yanked the lefty reliever and brought in a righthander. Did he gain some small advantage because the switch hitter is better from the right side? Please! Keep it simple and play the game.

 

Most people want to see offense. Soccer's a great sport that has never made it big in the U.S. because after 90 minutes of action the score is likely to be 2 - 1. The DH doesn't just provide more offense. It provides rest for key players without losing their bats. It prevents injury to pitchers since they don't have to hit or run the bases. Ask the Yankees about Chien-Ming Wang who injured himself running the bases in an interleague game. With the money some of these pitchers make and the scarcity of quality pitching, do teams really want to risk losing them to injury? Granted if I was a pitcher, I'd prefer to pitch in the DHless NL. Still, it's crazy that baseball continues to operate under two different rules. Imagine if the NBA decision makers had implemented the 3 point goal but only allowed it in games involving former ABA teams or allowed it only in the Eastern conference but not the Western conference. It would be considered stupid.

 

The NL would have little trouble in adopting the DH rule. Take a team like the Dodgers. They signed Manny Ramirez to big bucks so they have to play him in left field. Juan Pierre sits. Jim Thome could do some DHing if he stays. The Braves could rotate DH between oldtimers Larry "not so Chipper" Jones and Garrett Anderson or use it to rest Bryan McCann without losing his bat. The Astros could DH Carlos Lee or Miguel Tejada. The Rockies could DH Todd Helton or Garrett Atkins. If the Mets keep Gary Sheffield, he's a perfect candidate for DH. If he doesn't have to play the field, he'll have more time to complain. The Brewers could DH Frankie Catalanotto. They  may eventually look to DHing the Prince who's not such a good Fielder, but not as bad as Philly Ryan Howard and Redbird Albert Pujols who are vying for the league lead in errors by a first baseman. Nat Adam Dunn and Cub Alfonso Soriano should DH. It's time to have baseball operating under one set of rules.

 

I Can't Dance

13 years ago today I posted:

January 21, 2009

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

13 years ago today I posted:

January 21, 2009

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

13 years ago today I posted:

January 21, 2009

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

I Can't Dance (and Leo Sayer)

Watching the Obamas last night dancing at the inaugural balls, it reminded me that after 50 plus years of listening to music I still can't dance. (Goofus dancing doesn't count - see my post of October 27th on Delbert McClinton.) Don't ask me why I never took any dancing lessons. I just don't think it ever occurred to me, probably because I was very shy with girls as a youth. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and I don't believe they can dance either. We all had music lessons - piano, accordion - but no dancing. Maybe I could do the Twist since if I recall correctly it can be done simply by standing in place and swiveling your hips, kind of like playing with a hula hoop without the hoop. Chubby Checker is still probably making  a living on his songs "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again".

When I heard Sam Cooke singing about how "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha", it never occurred to me to learn the Cha Cha Cha even though Sam sang that "even little children love to Cha Cha Cha". Of all the many, many 45's, LP's, tapes and now cd's I've purchased over the years, there is not one of them I bought because the song was good to dance to. I never looked at music from that perspective. Maybe that's why I never understood how some inane song with mindless lyrics could become a big hit and some beautiful ballad or story song, poetry set to music, would go nowhere.

This does not mean that I don't like songs with a "good beat" or something loud and crazy on occasion. In fact I like songs about dancing. Leo Sayer comes to mind. My wife and I saw him at Westbury in the late 70's or early 80's (I think) and he put on a great show, singing and dancing all over the stage. We couldn't believe his energy. He sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a fun uptempo tune that I'm sure would be great to dance to and a  slow love song "When I Need You" for dancing up close. The latter is the kind of song my wife and I could dance to because we could basically just stand in place and sway back and forth.

I do have a bone to pick with Leo and co-writer David Courtney about my favorite Leo Sayer song which was released as a single in 1974. Since the old Leo Sayer vinyl  LP I had somehow disappeared over the years, I wanted to replace it with one of his greatest hits cd's. Periodically, I would look at the various internet sites for purchasing music to see what was available. It's always frustrating to me when an artist puts out a greatest hits collection and leaves out one of my favorites. I looked at the lists of songs for every Leo Sayer cd I could find with no luck so I gave it up. Then one day I thought to check out Leo in the I-Tunes store and listened to a song that was apparently one of the songs most frequently purchased.

The song I wanted is about a hobo who must dance for his dinner. He's told "before you can eat, you gotta dance like Fred Astaire". Five times he sings "I Can't Dance" before hunger makes him reconsider. Fourteen times after that he sings "I Can Dance" plus he mentions doing a two-step, quick-step and bossa nova. This is clearly a song about DANCING. In the second stanza, he's singing about all the food and mentions one time that there were "long tall glasses, with wine ...". So they give the  song the title "Long Tall Glasses". GRRRRRRH! Give me a break. Rename it "I Can Dance". I always thought that was the song's title. Or, to be consistent, rename Leo's other great dance song noted above, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (which he wrote with Vini Poncia and mentions dancing about a zillion times). Call it "Quarter to Four in the Morning" because that phrase appears once in the song's second stanza. Rant finished. And I still can't dance.

The Western Swing Authority, Live, in Full Swing

Just played a great new live concert DVD that I bought from the Western Swing Authority (WSA), "Live, In Full Swing". Since I'm probably never going to see this Canadian group perform live and in person, this DVD is especially worth having.

the songs include:

Sweet Harriet,

Faded Love/Maiden's Prayer/I Fall to Pieces

I've Got a Feelin'

Miss Molly

Dance with Who Brung Ya

One of Us is Lying

Big Ball's in Cowtown

Rocket to the Moon

You Don't Know Me

Swingin' from the Rafters

This Old Bar

Barnyard Boogie

 

Can't beat the vocals of Stacy Lee and hubby Shane Guse

Even songs i wasn't crazy about (Barnyard Boogie & Big Ball's in Cowtown) sounded great when seeing a live performance from this extremely talented group of musicians and singers. (They could substitute "All Dolled Up" and "In the Middle of the Song" for the Boogie & Ball songs) For the career accomplishments of the WSA members see the "Sessions" section on the WSA website.

 

past posts about the WSA:

3/12/15   The Western Swing Authority

11/16/16  The WSA's Christmas Single

12/28/18 The Western Swing Authority is a Big Deal

12/2/19 A Christmas Bonus from the Western Swing Authority

 

March 12, 2015

The Western Swing Authority

I am not an authority on Western Swing music but I do like some of it - even though it's usually associated with dancing and I don't dance. Suzy Bogguss had an album called "Swing" that I really liked and some Gene Watson songs are western swing like "All Hat No Cattle", "Memories to Burn", etc. When I think of western swing I also think of that tall dude from Philly who made his fortune in Texas, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. He sang a duet with Suzy B on Swing, "Cupid Shot Us Both with One Arrow."

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the Western Swing Authority. I stumbled upon a fairly new country music blog (began in 2014 I think) called Country Perspective and found a review of WSA's 3rd and latest album, "Now Playing". I checked out the songs on you-tube and i-Tunes and bought "Now Playing"  plus some songs from their first two albums.

The WSA is a seven-piece Canadian band made up of Shane Guse, wife - Stacey Lee Guse, Dan Howlett, Matthew Lima, Ed "Pee Wee Charles" Ringwald, Jim Boudreau and Paul Chapman. Some one called them a Canadian version of the Time Jumpers. Stacey is the primary lead vocalist with Shane taking the lead occasionally. The musicians have all won awards. Check the band's website for details.

The song titles will be followed by the names of the songwriters in parenthesis, the lead singer, maybe a comment, and for my favorites, a partial lyric.

The first single from "Now Playing", "Sweet Harriet", was released on January 27, 2015 according to i-Tunes. Was it released only on Canadian country radio? I don't know.

"Sweet Harriet" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) tells the story about Harriet LeBeau and what her daddy didn't know. How can you not like a swingin' fun song with fiddles that mentions freckles in the first verse? Stacey Lee Duce sings lead. Wow. Is she great!

"Her name is Harriet LeBeau, she is the preacher's daughter

She's got three freckles on her nose, and she sips on holy water

In a Sunday morning cotton dress, you'd swear she's good as gold

But as the weekly hours progress, a darker tale unfolds,

She lets her long hair down, and shimmies into town."

chorus:

"Swing Hot, Sweet Harriet, walking down the lane

when you swing that thing with all you've got, the boys all go insane

No you won't hear them complain".

This song won't have you complaining either.

"One of Us is Lying" (John Bohlinger) Stacey Lee on lead. I thought that this gorgeous sultry ballad with a sense of humor would be a great follow-up to Harriet. I didn't know that it had already been released as a single from their previous album "All Dolled Up". Great song that doesn't chart well? No surprise these days.

"You say your heart is always true, and I say my love is undying

but I know me and I know you, one of us is lying."

and later:

"Honesty is overrated, your kind words are appreciated

I rather make my bed with a warm soft lie, than have a hard cold truth make me cry all night."

"Old Dance Floor" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) a Shane and Stacey uptempo duet.

Shane begins the duet: "Monday through Friday the boss is on my back

when that whistle blows I hit the road with a pocket full of cash".

Stacey joins the party with: "I'm gonna shine up my buckle, I'm gonna polish up my boots

we're gonna find a little trouble, something we can get in to".

Other songs I like from "Now Playing":

"Slow Boat to China" (Frank Loesser) Stacey sings this 1948 pop standard.

"Swingtime Lullabye" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) another Stacey and Shane duet, this time a ballad.

"The Last Waltz" (Joe Hash) Stacey

"Swing Thing" (Shane Guse & Jason McCoy) Shane

"Livin' a Dream" (Stacey Lee Guse & Matthew Lima) Stacey

"Miss Molly" (Cindy Walker) Shane sings this 1942 song.

"Rocket to the Moon" (Colin James) Stacey

"Cowtown Queen" (Dan Howlett & Shane Guse) Shane

 

from the "All Dolled Up" album:

"I've Got a Feeling" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) Stacey sings this bluesy ballad that sounds like it came from the 1940's. It begins:

"I've got a feelin' that you don't love me any more

It's got me to thinkin', I should just walk out the door."

the song concludes:

"I've got a feeling, there's nothing I can do

so why make a fuss, soon there'll be no more us

cause I've got a feelin' we're through."

"All Dolled Up" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) Shane on lead vocals for this uptempo tune:

"hold on to your hearts boys, look but you can't touch

my baby when she's all dolled up"

"Any Old Time" (Jimmie Rodgers) from 1929, Stacey on lead

 

A few favorites from their debut cd, "Western Swing Authority":

"Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye" (Jeannie Seely) Stacey

"All of Me" (Words - Gerald Marks, Music - Seymour Simons) from 1931, Stacey

Western Swing music lovers may find more to like than I did on the WSA's first two albums. This new "Now Playing" cd has me won over. Love the album and Stacey Lee is already one of my favorite female vocalists. I would add the WSA to my list of favorite Canadian country artists that includes Anne Murray, Terri Clark and Lisa Brokop.

Thanks again to Country Perspective for bringing this great band to my attention. CP is one of the country blogs that does not praise every song it reviews. They rate on a scale of zero to ten and have handed out zeros. Country Universe, My Kind of Country and For the Country Record are a few others I'm aware of that rate objectively.

I am not an authority on Western Swing music but I do like some of it - even though it's usually associated with dancing and I don't dance. Suzy Bogguss had an album called "Swing" that I really liked and some Gene Watson songs are western swing like "All Hat No Cattle", "Memories to Burn", etc. When I think of western swing I also think of that tall dude from Philly who made his fortune in Texas, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. He sang a duet with Suzy B on Swing, "Cupid Shot Us Both with One Arrow."

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the Western Swing Authority. I stumbled upon a fairly new country music blog (began in 2014 I think) called Country Perspective and found a review of WSA's 3rd and latest album, "Now Playing". I checked out the songs on you-tube and i-Tunes and bought "Now Playing"  plus some songs from their first two albums.

The WSA is a seven-piece Canadian band made up of Shane Guse, wife - Stacey Lee Guse, Dan Howlett, Matthew Lima, Ed "Pee Wee Charles" Ringwald, Jim Boudreau and Paul Chapman. Some one called them a Canadian version of the Time Jumpers. Stacey is the primary lead vocalist with Shane taking the lead occasionally. The musicians have all won awards. Check the band's website for details.

The song titles will be followed by the names of the songwriters in parenthesis, the lead singer, maybe a comment, and for my favorites, a partial lyric.

The first single from "Now Playing", "Sweet Harriet", was released on January 27, 2015 according to i-Tunes. Was it released only on Canadian country radio? I don't know.

"Sweet Harriet" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) tells the story about Harriet LeBeau and what her daddy didn't know. How can you not like a swingin' fun song with fiddles that mentions freckles in the first verse? Stacey Lee Duce sings lead. Wow. Is she great!

"Her name is Harriet LeBeau, she is the preacher's daughter

She's got three freckles on her nose, and she sips on holy water

In a Sunday morning cotton dress, you'd swear she's good as gold

But as the weekly hours progress, a darker tale unfolds,

She lets her long hair down, and shimmies into town."

chorus:

"Swing Hot, Sweet Harriet, walking down the lane

when you swing that thing with all you've got, the boys all go insane

No you won't hear them complain".

This song won't have you complaining either.

"One of Us is Lying" (John Bohlinger) Stacey Lee on lead. I thought that this gorgeous sultry ballad with a sense of humor would be a great follow-up to Harriet. I didn't know that it had already been released as a single from their previous album "All Dolled Up". Great song that doesn't chart well? No surprise these days.

"You say your heart is always true, and I say my love is undying

but I know me and I know you, one of us is lying."

and later:

"Honesty is overrated, your kind words are appreciated

I rather make my bed with a warm soft lie, than have a hard cold truth make me cry all night."

"Old Dance Floor" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) a Shane and Stacey uptempo duet.

Shane begins the duet: "Monday through Friday the boss is on my back

when that whistle blows I hit the road with a pocket full of cash".

Stacey joins the party with: "I'm gonna shine up my buckle, I'm gonna polish up my boots

we're gonna find a little trouble, something we can get in to".

Other songs I like from "Now Playing":

"Slow Boat to China" (Frank Loesser) Stacey sings this 1948 pop standard.

"Swingtime Lullabye" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) another Stacey and Shane duet, this time a ballad.

"The Last Waltz" (Joe Hash) Stacey

"Swing Thing" (Shane Guse & Jason McCoy) Shane

"Livin' a Dream" (Stacey Lee Guse & Matthew Lima) Stacey

"Miss Molly" (Cindy Walker) Shane sings this 1942 song.

"Rocket to the Moon" (Colin James) Stacey

"Cowtown Queen" (Dan Howlett & Shane Guse) Shane

 

from the "All Dolled Up" album:

"I've Got a Feeling" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) Stacey sings this bluesy ballad that sounds like it came from the 1940's. It begins:

"I've got a feelin' that you don't love me any more

It's got me to thinkin', I should just walk out the door."

the song concludes:

"I've got a feeling, there's nothing I can do

so why make a fuss, soon there'll be no more us

cause I've got a feelin' we're through."

"All Dolled Up" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) Shane on lead vocals for this uptempo tune:

"hold on to your hearts boys, look but you can't touch

my baby when she's all dolled up"

"Any Old Time" (Jimmie Rodgers) from 1929, Stacey on lead

 

A few favorites from their debut cd, "Western Swing Authority":

"Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye" (Jeannie Seely) Stacey

"All of Me" (Words - Gerald Marks, Music - Seymour Simons) from 1931, Stacey

Western Swing music lovers may find more to like than I did on the WSA's first two albums. This new "Now Playing" cd has me won over. Love the album and Stacey Lee is already one of my favorite female vocalists. I would add the WSA to my list of favorite Canadian country artists that includes Anne Murray, Terri Clark and Lisa Brokop.

Thanks again to Country Perspective for bringing this great band to my attention. CP is one of the country blogs that does not praise every song it reviews. They rate on a scale of zero to ten and have handed out zeros. Country Universe, My Kind of Country and For the Country Record are a few others I'm aware of that rate objectively.

The Western Swing Authority

I am not an authority on Western Swing music but I do like some of it - even though it's usually associated with dancing and I don't dance. Suzy Bogguss had an album called "Swing" that I really liked and some Gene Watson songs are western swing like "All Hat No Cattle", "Memories to Burn", etc. When I think of western swing I also think of that tall dude from Philly who made his fortune in Texas, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. He sang a duet with Suzy B on Swing, "Cupid Shot Us Both with One Arrow."

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the Western Swing Authority. I stumbled upon a fairly new country music blog (began in 2014 I think) called Country Perspective and found a review of WSA's 3rd and latest album, "Now Playing". I checked out the songs on you-tube and i-Tunes and bought "Now Playing"  plus some songs from their first two albums.

The WSA is a seven-piece Canadian band made up of Shane Guse, wife - Stacey Lee Guse, Dan Howlett, Matthew Lima, Ed "Pee Wee Charles" Ringwald, Jim Boudreau and Paul Chapman. Some one called them a Canadian version of the Time Jumpers. Stacey is the primary lead vocalist with Shane taking the lead occasionally. The musicians have all won awards. Check the band's website for details.

The song titles will be followed by the names of the songwriters in parenthesis, the lead singer, maybe a comment, and for my favorites, a partial lyric.

The first single from "Now Playing", "Sweet Harriet", was released on January 27, 2015 according to i-Tunes. Was it released only on Canadian country radio? I don't know.

"Sweet Harriet" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) tells the story about Harriet LeBeau and what her daddy didn't know. How can you not like a swingin' fun song with fiddles that mentions freckles in the first verse? Stacey Lee Duce sings lead. Wow. Is she great!

"Her name is Harriet LeBeau, she is the preacher's daughter

She's got three freckles on her nose, and she sips on holy water

In a Sunday morning cotton dress, you'd swear she's good as gold

But as the weekly hours progress, a darker tale unfolds,

She lets her long hair down, and shimmies into town."

chorus:

"Swing Hot, Sweet Harriet, walking down the lane

when you swing that thing with all you've got, the boys all go insane

No you won't hear them complain".

This song won't have you complaining either.

"One of Us is Lying" (John Bohlinger) Stacey Lee on lead. I thought that this gorgeous sultry ballad with a sense of humor would be a great follow-up to Harriet. I didn't know that it had already been released as a single from their previous album "All Dolled Up". Great song that doesn't chart well? No surprise these days.

"You say your heart is always true, and I say my love is undying

but I know me and I know you, one of us is lying."

and later:

"Honesty is overrated, your kind words are appreciated

I rather make my bed with a warm soft lie, than have a hard cold truth make me cry all night."

"Old Dance Floor" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) a Shane and Stacey uptempo duet.

Shane begins the duet: "Monday through Friday the boss is on my back

when that whistle blows I hit the road with a pocket full of cash".

Stacey joins the party with: "I'm gonna shine up my buckle, I'm gonna polish up my boots

we're gonna find a little trouble, something we can get in to".

Other songs I like from "Now Playing":

"Slow Boat to China" (Frank Loesser) Stacey sings this 1948 pop standard.

"Swingtime Lullabye" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) another Stacey and Shane duet, this time a ballad.

"The Last Waltz" (Joe Hash) Stacey

"Swing Thing" (Shane Guse & Jason McCoy) Shane

"Livin' a Dream" (Stacey Lee Guse & Matthew Lima) Stacey

"Miss Molly" (Cindy Walker) Shane sings this 1942 song.

"Rocket to the Moon" (Colin James) Stacey

"Cowtown Queen" (Dan Howlett & Shane Guse) Shane

 

from the "All Dolled Up" album:

"I've Got a Feeling" (Shane Guse & Larry Wayne Clark) Stacey sings this bluesy ballad that sounds like it came from the 1940's. It begins:

"I've got a feelin' that you don't love me any more

It's got me to thinkin', I should just walk out the door."

the song concludes:

"I've got a feeling, there's nothing I can do

so why make a fuss, soon there'll be no more us

cause I've got a feelin' we're through."

"All Dolled Up" (Shane Guse & Jason Blaine) Shane on lead vocals for this uptempo tune:

"hold on to your hearts boys, look but you can't touch

my baby when she's all dolled up"

"Any Old Time" (Jimmie Rodgers) from 1929, Stacey on lead

 

A few favorites from their debut cd, "Western Swing Authority":

"Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye" (Jeannie Seely) Stacey

"All of Me" (Words - Gerald Marks, Music - Seymour Simons) from 1931, Stacey

Western Swing music lovers may find more to like than I did on the WSA's first two albums. This new "Now Playing" cd has me won over. Love the album and Stacey Lee is already one of my favorite female vocalists. I would add the WSA to my list of favorite Canadian country artists that includes Anne Murray, Terri Clark and Lisa Brokop.

Thanks again to Country Perspective for bringing this great band to my attention. CP is one of the country blogs that does not praise every song it reviews. They rate on a scale of zero to ten and have handed out zeros. Country Universe, My Kind of Country and For the Country Record are a few others I'm aware of that rate objectively.

Veterans Day 2021

Thursday, November 11th is Veterans Day. As I have for the past 9 years, I'm making a pitch to the few readers I have to contribute to disabled veterans. 

 

A little before Veterans Day 5 years ago, I attended a small reunion of Vietnam veterans in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. All the veterans who attended served with Mike Platoon of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry (Black Lions) of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). There were just 10 of us plus our wives and the brother of a young man killed a week before Christmas in 1968 and the sister of a young man killed in July of 1969. Some of us brought photos and other memorabilia from Nam. We had a ceremony for twenty men from our platoon who didn't make it home.  

For most of us, thoughts will shortly be turning to family gatherings at Thanksgiving. (Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some of us may feel the need to forego such gatherings this year.) Still, most of us have a lot to be thankful for. We just turned back the clock as Daylight Savings Time has ended for this year. Some soldiers wish they could turn back the clock and be whole again, mentally and physically. Hopefully, we don't just think of them briefly on occasions like Memorial Day and Veterans Day. There will be parades and ceremonies and some restaurants will be offering free meals to veterans, as well as to those on active duty. These things are all good but by themselves don't solve the problems faced by our veterans. 

Since 1973 when the military draft ended, the youth of America has not had to delay getting on with their future by spending two years in the military. The all volunteer military has met our war related challenges. Largely as a result of multiple tours of duty in combat areas during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, in addition to loss of limbs, etc. which require extensive physical rehab,  we still have many veterans trying to cope with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

 

If you ask anyone if they support the troops, it's highly likely that 99% will say yes.  If you were able to see how many gave more than lip service, the percentage would most likely be a lot lower. Granted there are many who are unable to contribute financially and then there are those who have volunteered their time to help disabled veterans. It's certainly possible that the thought of giving to an organization supporting disabled veterans just hasn't occurred to many of our citizens.

 

The DAV (Disabled American Veterans - www.dav.org) is one of the best organizations to which you can contribute.

 

It's not the only worthy organization. Before giving to any organization claiming to aid veterans (or any other charity), you should check them out on www.give.org (the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance) to make sure they're legitimate. To be accredited by the BBB (Better Business Bureau), a charity has to meet 20 standards for charity accountability. The DAV has met these standards. Don't assume that all well known charities meet the standards of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

So Sad Again - for the last of the Everly Brothers

Margaret Everly, the 102 year old mother of the Everly Brothers is still with us. God Bless her. Son Don just died on August 21, 2021. The internet is full of tributes. Here's what I wrote over 7 years ago when brother Phil passed.

January 07, 2014

The Everly Brothers - So Sad

Phil Everly died on January 3rd, about 2 weeks shy of his 75th birthday. You can read the obits from Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the L.A. Times and many other on-line sources. Artists like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel have acknowledged the influence of the Everly Brothers on their music.  Older brother and lead singer Don will turn 77 on February 1st. The Everly Brothers were one of the first singers I liked as a kid. I was 11 in 1957 when first I heard them sing Bye Bye Love on one of the rock radio stations in NYC. Their harmonies were incredible.  For 5 years, 1957 - 1962, the brothers were one of the top hitmakers with songs like Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream, Til I Kissed You, Cathy's Clown, When Will I Be Loved, Let It Be Me, Walk Right Back and Crying in the Rain.

The brothers also did some songwriting. A check of BMI shows that Phil had 154 "work titles" and Don had 69. Phil was the sole writer for When Will I Be Loved. Together they wrote Gone Gone Gone and Phil co-wrote Up In Mabel's Room and God Bless Older Ladies with Terry Slater. Don was the sole writer for Cathy's Clown, Til I Kissed You, So Sad, Born Yesterday, I Wonder If I Care As Much, Maybe Tomorrow, Oh What a Feeling and Since You Broke My Heart. (BMI is a PRO - Performing Rights Organization, along with ASCAP & SESAC.  See my post of 4/14/10, Searching the PRO's.)

Here are some of my favorite Everly songs among their album tracks and lesser known singles. The names of the writers appear in parenthesis after the song title followed by a lyric reminder and maybe a comment: 

Mention My Name in Sheboygan (Bob Hilliard, Sammy Mysels & Dick Sandford) "but please don't tell them where I am". Written in 1947, it sounds like it could be from the Roaring 20's or the Gay Nineties (the 1890's). A frantic pace for 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Up in Mabel's Room (Phil & Terry Slater) - "winner or dud you feel like a stud, up in Mabel's room".

The Bryants, Felice and Boudleaux, wrote a ballad in which the guy winds up in jail and an uptempo song in which the girl winds up in jail. The songs were released on the same 45 rpm record. The "A" side was "Take a Message to Mary" and the "B" or flip side was "Poor Jenny". I have the Cadence 45. It was rare that the flip side of a 45 was any good but Everly 45's flip sides were better than most.

the Mary song:

"Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her I had to see the world or tell that my ship set sail
You can say she better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail"

the Jenny song:

"Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny"

Two more ladies (we've already dealt with Susie, Cathy, Mary & Jenny):

Claudette (Roy Orbison) the flip side of All I Have to Do Is Dream.

"She's the greatest little girl that I've ever met
I get the best lovin that I'll ever get
From Claudette, pretty little pet Claudette
Oh oh Claudette".

Lucille (Albert Collins & Richard Penniman)

"Lucille,
Please come back where you belong
I've been good to you baby,
Please don't leave me alone".

a few more Everly songs:

Like Strangers (Boudleaux Bryant)

"Let's forget that we've been angry.
Let's be lovers like before.
And swear not to be like strangers anymore".

Don't Say Goodnight (Jim Photoglo & Brian Neary)

"One more hour, if we could;
You make me feel so good
Say it's all right
Darlin', don't say goodnight".

Don't Blame Me (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields) "for falling in love with you", a standard from 1932, covered over 100 times but I can't imagine a better version.

That's Old Fashioned (Bill Giant, Berbie Baum & Florence Kaye) mid-tempo ode to old fashioned love.

"I'm the kind who loves only one
So the boys say I'm old fashioned
Let them laugh, honey I don't mind
I've made plans for a wedding day for you and me
That's old fashioned, that's the way love should be".

Torture (John D. Loudermilk) the flip side of Gone, Gone, Gone (which was most recently covered by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.)

"You know that I'm crazy about you
Yet you make me do without you
Do you mean to hurt, or don't you see
You're torturing me, torturing me"

How Can I Meet Her (Gerry Goffin & Jack Keller)

"I hate that stuck-up so-&-so
But there's one thing I gotta know
Where 's she live, what's her number & how can I meet her?"

Stories We Could Tell (John Sebastian - of Lovin' Spoonful fame)

"So if you're on the road a-trackin' down your every night

And singin' for a livin' 'neath the brightly colored light

And if you ever wonder why you ride this carousel

You did it for the stories you could tell".

The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Jesse Winchester)

"At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
You're literally waltzing on air
At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
There's no telling who will be there".

and finally,

Bowling Green (Terry Slater)   

"Way down in Bowling Green
Prettiest girls I've ever seen
A man in Kentucky
Sure is lucky
To live down in Bowling Green".

What are your favorite Everly songs besides their big hits?

Phil Everly died on January 3rd, about 2 weeks shy of his 75th birthday. You can read the obits from Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the L.A. Times and many other on-line sources. Artists like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel have acknowledged the influence of the Everly Brothers on their music.  Older brother and lead singer Don will turn 77 on February 1st. The Everly Brothers were one of the first singers I liked as a kid. I was 11 in 1957 when first I heard them sing Bye Bye Love on one of the rock radio stations in NYC. Their harmonies were incredible.  For 5 years, 1957 - 1962, the brothers were one of the top hitmakers with songs like Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream, Til I Kissed You, Cathy's Clown, When Will I Be Loved, Let It Be Me, Walk Right Back and Crying in the Rain.

The brothers also did some songwriting. A check of BMI shows that Phil had 154 "work titles" and Don had 69. Phil was the sole writer for When Will I Be Loved. Together they wrote Gone Gone Gone and Phil co-wrote Up In Mabel's Room and God Bless Older Ladies with Terry Slater. Don was the sole writer for Cathy's Clown, Til I Kissed You, So Sad, Born Yesterday, I Wonder If I Care As Much, Maybe Tomorrow, Oh What a Feeling and Since You Broke My Heart. (BMI is a PRO - Performing Rights Organization, along with ASCAP & SESAC.  See my post of 4/14/10, Searching the PRO's.)

Here are some of my favorite Everly songs among their album tracks and lesser known singles. The names of the writers appear in parenthesis after the song title followed by a lyric reminder and maybe a comment: 

Mention My Name in Sheboygan (Bob Hilliard, Sammy Mysels & Dick Sandford) "but please don't tell them where I am". Written in 1947, it sounds like it could be from the Roaring 20's or the Gay Nineties (the 1890's). A frantic pace for 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Up in Mabel's Room (Phil & Terry Slater) - "winner or dud you feel like a stud, up in Mabel's room".

The Bryants, Felice and Boudleaux, wrote a ballad in which the guy winds up in jail and an uptempo song in which the girl winds up in jail. The songs were released on the same 45 rpm record. The "A" side was "Take a Message to Mary" and the "B" or flip side was "Poor Jenny". I have the Cadence 45. It was rare that the flip side of a 45 was any good but Everly 45's flip sides were better than most.

the Mary song:

"Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her I had to see the world or tell that my ship set sail
You can say she better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail"

the Jenny song:

"Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny"

Two more ladies (we've already dealt with Susie, Cathy, Mary & Jenny):

Claudette (Roy Orbison) the flip side of All I Have to Do Is Dream.

"She's the greatest little girl that I've ever met
I get the best lovin that I'll ever get
From Claudette, pretty little pet Claudette
Oh oh Claudette".

Lucille (Albert Collins & Richard Penniman)

"Lucille,
Please come back where you belong
I've been good to you baby,
Please don't leave me alone".

a few more Everly songs:

Like Strangers (Boudleaux Bryant)

"Let's forget that we've been angry.
Let's be lovers like before.
And swear not to be like strangers anymore".

Don't Say Goodnight (Jim Photoglo & Brian Neary)

"One more hour, if we could;
You make me feel so good
Say it's all right
Darlin', don't say goodnight".

Don't Blame Me (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields) "for falling in love with you", a standard from 1932, covered over 100 times but I can't imagine a better version.

That's Old Fashioned (Bill Giant, Berbie Baum & Florence Kaye) mid-tempo ode to old fashioned love.

"I'm the kind who loves only one
So the boys say I'm old fashioned
Let them laugh, honey I don't mind
I've made plans for a wedding day for you and me
That's old fashioned, that's the way love should be".

Torture (John D. Loudermilk) the flip side of Gone, Gone, Gone (which was most recently covered by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.)

"You know that I'm crazy about you
Yet you make me do without you
Do you mean to hurt, or don't you see
You're torturing me, torturing me"

How Can I Meet Her (Gerry Goffin & Jack Keller)

"I hate that stuck-up so-&-so
But there's one thing I gotta know
Where 's she live, what's her number & how can I meet her?"

Stories We Could Tell (John Sebastian - of Lovin' Spoonful fame)

"So if you're on the road a-trackin' down your every night

And singin' for a livin' 'neath the brightly colored light

And if you ever wonder why you ride this carousel

You did it for the stories you could tell".

The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Jesse Winchester)

"At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
You're literally waltzing on air
At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
There's no telling who will be there".

and finally,

Bowling Green (Terry Slater)   

"Way down in Bowling Green
Prettiest girls I've ever seen
A man in Kentucky
Sure is lucky
To live down in Bowling Green".

What are your favorite Everly songs besides their big hits?

The Everly Brothers - So Sad

Phil Everly died on January 3rd, about 2 weeks shy of his 75th birthday. You can read the obits from Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the L.A. Times and many other on-line sources. Artists like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel have acknowledged the influence of the Everly Brothers on their music.  Older brother and lead singer Don will turn 77 on February 1st. The Everly Brothers were one of the first singers I liked as a kid. I was 11 in 1957 when first I heard them sing Bye Bye Love on one of the rock radio stations in NYC. Their harmonies were incredible.  For 5 years, 1957 - 1962, the brothers were one of the top hitmakers with songs like Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream, Til I Kissed You, Cathy's Clown, When Will I Be Loved, Let It Be Me, Walk Right Back and Crying in the Rain.

The brothers also did some songwriting. A check of BMI shows that Phil had 154 "work titles" and Don had 69. Phil was the sole writer for When Will I Be Loved. Together they wrote Gone Gone Gone and Phil co-wrote Up In Mabel's Room and God Bless Older Ladies with Terry Slater. Don was the sole writer for Cathy's Clown, Til I Kissed You, So Sad, Born Yesterday, I Wonder If I Care As Much, Maybe Tomorrow, Oh What a Feeling and Since You Broke My Heart. (BMI is a PRO - Performing Rights Organization, along with ASCAP & SESAC.  See my post of 4/14/10, Searching the PRO's.)

Here are some of my favorite Everly songs among their album tracks and lesser known singles. The names of the writers appear in parenthesis after the song title followed by a lyric reminder and maybe a comment: 

Mention My Name in Sheboygan (Bob Hilliard, Sammy Mysels & Dick Sandford) "but please don't tell them where I am". Written in 1947, it sounds like it could be from the Roaring 20's or the Gay Nineties (the 1890's). A frantic pace for 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Up in Mabel's Room (Phil & Terry Slater) - "winner or dud you feel like a stud, up in Mabel's room".

The Bryants, Felice and Boudleaux, wrote a ballad in which the guy winds up in jail and an uptempo song in which the girl winds up in jail. The songs were released on the same 45 rpm record. The "A" side was "Take a Message to Mary" and the "B" or flip side was "Poor Jenny". I have the Cadence 45. It was rare that the flip side of a 45 was any good but Everly 45's flip sides were better than most.

the Mary song:

"Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her I had to see the world or tell that my ship set sail
You can say she better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail"

the Jenny song:

"Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail
Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail
Poor Jenny"

Two more ladies (we've already dealt with Susie, Cathy, Mary & Jenny):

Claudette (Roy Orbison) the flip side of All I Have to Do Is Dream.

"She's the greatest little girl that I've ever met
I get the best lovin that I'll ever get
From Claudette, pretty little pet Claudette
Oh oh Claudette".

Lucille (Albert Collins & Richard Penniman)

"Lucille,
Please come back where you belong
I've been good to you baby,
Please don't leave me alone".

a few more Everly songs:

Like Strangers (Boudleaux Bryant)

"Let's forget that we've been angry.
Let's be lovers like before.
And swear not to be like strangers anymore".

Don't Say Goodnight (Jim Photoglo & Brian Neary)

"One more hour, if we could;
You make me feel so good
Say it's all right
Darlin', don't say goodnight".

Don't Blame Me (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields) "for falling in love with you", a standard from 1932, covered over 100 times but I can't imagine a better version.

That's Old Fashioned (Bill Giant, Berbie Baum & Florence Kaye) mid-tempo ode to old fashioned love.

"I'm the kind who loves only one
So the boys say I'm old fashioned
Let them laugh, honey I don't mind
I've made plans for a wedding day for you and me
That's old fashioned, that's the way love should be".

Torture (John D. Loudermilk) the flip side of Gone, Gone, Gone (which was most recently covered by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.)

"You know that I'm crazy about you
Yet you make me do without you
Do you mean to hurt, or don't you see
You're torturing me, torturing me"

How Can I Meet Her (Gerry Goffin & Jack Keller)

"I hate that stuck-up so-&-so
But there's one thing I gotta know
Where 's she live, what's her number & how can I meet her?"

Stories We Could Tell (John Sebastian - of Lovin' Spoonful fame)

"So if you're on the road a-trackin' down your every night

And singin' for a livin' 'neath the brightly colored light

And if you ever wonder why you ride this carousel

You did it for the stories you could tell".

The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Jesse Winchester)

"At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
You're literally waltzing on air
At the brand new Tennessee Waltz
There's no telling who will be there".

and finally,

Bowling Green (Terry Slater)   

"Way down in Bowling Green
Prettiest girls I've ever seen
A man in Kentucky
Sure is lucky
To live down in Bowling Green".

What are your favorite Everly songs besides their big hits?

Freedom Bird - 52 years later

52 years ago I got to leave Vietnam. Now our troops are leaving Afghanistan. Good for them. Thank you President Biden.

August 19, 2009

Freedom Bird - 40th Anniversary

I missed Woodstock. If you read the papers, get your news online or watch TV, you know that the most publicized music festival of all time ran for four days forty years ago, from August 15th to the 18th. A Richie Havens song "Freedom" became famous. My favorite song at the time was a 1965 single by Eric Burdon and the Animals, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place". Today is the 40th anniversary of one of the happiest days of my life. August 19, 1969 was the day I got on the World Airways plane, the Freedom Bird, that took me away from Viet Nam. It was the most exhilarating feeling when that plane took off. I had survived my tour as an infantryman (aka a "grunt") with the Big Red One and I was headed home. I wasn't through with the army - I still had to spend 6 months at Fort Carson, Colorado - but I was alive and well. In a war that ultimately took over 58,000 American lives and who knows how many lost limbs or minds, that was a big deal.

I had been scheduled to depart on August 23rd but I wasn't going to argue about getting to leave a few days early. In fact, if I had extended my tour in Nam for about 2 months I could have gotten an early out and avoided the 6 months at Fort Carson. It wasn't worth the risk. August 23rd was my DEROS date. I always thought that the acronym stood for Date Ending Rotation Over Seas but I've seen other variations such as date of expected return from overseas. On the flight to Nam on Flying Tiger airlines the year before, I sat next to a guy from Iowa. The same guy sat next to me on the flight back to the states. Don't know if that's unusual or not. We got assigned to different units so I hadn't seen him for almost a year. If I saw a picture of him as he looked back then I think I'd recognize him although I have no recollection of his name.

I was a draftee. I did not volunteer to go to Nam. But I knew that once my year was up I would not have to go back. If someone told me that I would have to return I think I would seriously have considered heading to Canada. I can't imagine doing 3, 4 or 5 tours like some of our soldiers have in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we're out attending concerts and ballgames, they're enduring many hardships and facing death or dismemberment on a daily basis from IEDs, car bombs, etc. The stress must be unbelievable. To leave a combat zone but know that you have to return obviously takes away a lot of the joy from getting back to the states. Some may say that they enlisted and should have known the risks involved. That doesn't make it any easier on them or their loved ones. I hope to soon see the day when we have no troops in a combat zone.

 

Posted at 06:49 AM in miscellaneous | Permalink

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I hope we have no troops in a combat zone someday soon too. The longer they are there the more it seems they will always be there, but I hope that's not the case. I am very glad you got to come home on August 19, 1969. Very good choice doing the 6 months at Ft. Carson instead of 2 more months in Vietnam...I think staying 2 more months might have been looking a gift horse in the mouth! Plus, you came home and ten years, 4 months and 2 days later had ME! Very good call:)

Posted by: Kathleen | August 21, 2009 at 05:33 PM

I missed Woodstock. If you read the papers, get your news online or watch TV, you know that the most publicized music festival of all time ran for four days forty years ago, from August 15th to the 18th. A Richie Havens song "Freedom" became famous. My favorite song at the time was a 1965 single by Eric Burdon and the Animals, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place". Today is the 40th anniversary of one of the happiest days of my life. August 19, 1969 was the day I got on the World Airways plane, the Freedom Bird, that took me away from Viet Nam. It was the most exhilarating feeling when that plane took off. I had survived my tour as an infantryman (aka a "grunt") with the Big Red One and I was headed home. I wasn't through with the army - I still had to spend 6 months at Fort Carson, Colorado - but I was alive and well. In a war that ultimately took over 58,000 American lives and who knows how many lost limbs or minds, that was a big deal.

I had been scheduled to depart on August 23rd but I wasn't going to argue about getting to leave a few days early. In fact, if I had extended my tour in Nam for about 2 months I could have gotten an early out and avoided the 6 months at Fort Carson. It wasn't worth the risk. August 23rd was my DEROS date. I always thought that the acronym stood for Date Ending Rotation Over Seas but I've seen other variations such as date of expected return from overseas. On the flight to Nam on Flying Tiger airlines the year before, I sat next to a guy from Iowa. The same guy sat next to me on the flight back to the states. Don't know if that's unusual or not. We got assigned to different units so I hadn't seen him for almost a year. If I saw a picture of him as he looked back then I think I'd recognize him although I have no recollection of his name.

I was a draftee. I did not volunteer to go to Nam. But I knew that once my year was up I would not have to go back. If someone told me that I would have to return I think I would seriously have considered heading to Canada. I can't imagine doing 3, 4 or 5 tours like some of our soldiers have in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we're out attending concerts and ballgames, they're enduring many hardships and facing death or dismemberment on a daily basis from IEDs, car bombs, etc. The stress must be unbelievable. To leave a combat zone but know that you have to return obviously takes away a lot of the joy from getting back to the states. Some may say that they enlisted and should have known the risks involved. That doesn't make it any easier on them or their loved ones. I hope to soon see the day when we have no troops in a combat zone.

 

Freedom Bird - 40th Anniversary

I missed Woodstock. If you read the papers, get your news online or watch TV, you know that the most publicized music festival of all time ran for four days forty years ago, from August 15th to the 18th. A Richie Havens song "Freedom" became famous. My favorite song at the time was a 1965 single by Eric Burdon and the Animals, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place". Today is the 40th anniversary of one of the happiest days of my life. August 19, 1969 was the day I got on the World Airways plane, the Freedom Bird, that took me away from Viet Nam. It was the most exhilarating feeling when that plane took off. I had survived my tour as an infantryman (aka a "grunt") with the Big Red One and I was headed home. I wasn't through with the army - I still had to spend 6 months at Fort Carson, Colorado - but I was alive and well. In a war that ultimately took over 58,000 American lives and who knows how many lost limbs or minds, that was a big deal.

I had been scheduled to depart on August 23rd but I wasn't going to argue about getting to leave a few days early. In fact, if I had extended my tour in Nam for about 2 months I could have gotten an early out and avoided the 6 months at Fort Carson. It wasn't worth the risk. August 23rd was my DEROS date. I always thought that the acronym stood for Date Ending Rotation Over Seas but I've seen other variations such as date of expected return from overseas. On the flight to Nam on Flying Tiger airlines the year before, I sat next to a guy from Iowa. The same guy sat next to me on the flight back to the states. Don't know if that's unusual or not. We got assigned to different units so I hadn't seen him for almost a year. If I saw a picture of him as he looked back then I think I'd recognize him although I have no recollection of his name.

I was a draftee. I did not volunteer to go to Nam. But I knew that once my year was up I would not have to go back. If someone told me that I would have to return I think I would seriously have considered heading to Canada. I can't imagine doing 3, 4 or 5 tours like some of our soldiers have in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we're out attending concerts and ballgames, they're enduring many hardships and facing death or dismemberment on a daily basis from IEDs, car bombs, etc. The stress must be unbelievable. To leave a combat zone but know that you have to return obviously takes away a lot of the joy from getting back to the states. Some may say that they enlisted and should have known the risks involved. That doesn't make it any easier on them or their loved ones. I hope to soon see the day when we have no troops in a combat zone.

 

Sunday Drive and a Drive for a Sundae

One of my favorite songs these days is the title track of Brett Eldredge's latest album, Sunday Drive, which was released July 10, 2020. The Sunday Drive song was written by Barry Dean, Steve Robson and Don Mescall about a dozen years ago. From the reviews I've read it has received almost universal praise - yet it wasn't chosen for release as a single. "Gabrielle" the first single  has been followed by "Good Day", both good songs but nowhere near as good as "Sunday Drive". Could it's length of 4:54 be a factor?

Rolling Stone called it:

"a stages-of-life ballad about being driven around by your parents as a vulnerable tyke, but, in a hallmark of great country songwriting, it flips the script for a weeper of a final verse. All grown up, the narrator is now helping his aging mom and dad into the car’s back seat for their weekly ride."

 

Part of the lyrics:

They didn't ever say where we were going
We just climbed into the backseat
Eyes wide open to the picture show outside
I guess we really didn't understand it all
Remember looking up at them in the front row
Hands touched together, almost out of sight
It's been a long, hard week, but now the slow release
Of a Sunday afternoon

 

And we were only young
But they were trying hard to reach us
How was I to know
That there was something so worth keepin'?

 

Chorus:

'Cause we were
Watching the world through an open window
Trees lined up like dominoes
This old car could find its own way home
It's the ordinary things that mean so much
That's where I learned it all from them
To fight, to love, to laugh again
Man, I thought we were only wasting time
Out on a Sunday drive

 

Bridge:

The sun warms your soul just like an old friend
Singing songs along that ribbon of a road
And everyone you love is sitting there so close
You're never thinking that you'd ever get old
No, you'll never get old

 

Repeat Chorus:

 

I never said where we were going
I just helped them to the backseat
Dad just laughed and said, "Son, don't drive too far
Your momma gets pretty tired these days"
After a few miles I guess they recognized some places
And I listened as they reminisced
About a world that they had always known
And how it's changin'
Probably never gonna be the same again

 

I caught 'em in the mirror
They were holding hands and smiling
Looking younger than they'd been in years
Oh, through all the years

 

 

I remember a drive on Long Island probably in the mid-1950's that may or may not have been on a Sunday but it included a stop for a Sundae.

August 30, 2008

Davy Crockett Sundaes In Front of the Alamo

If you combine a love of American history with a love of music, you've got to love Gary Burr's great song "In Front of the Alamo". Allusions to one of the most famous battles in American history are combined with the story of a woman's love gone bad because of her husband's infidelity, a type of behavior unfortunately not limited to arrogant, duplicitous politicians. The couple met as tourists in front of the Alamo. The second verse ends "she wanted trust, she wanted truth, the two things he found hard to do. So forever was shorter than she planned". (The lives of the defenders of the Alamo were shorter than they planned.) She returns to the Alamo so that she can move on. The bridge begins "she didn't come for inspiration or to breathe the mighty dust of heroes lost". The third verse ends "maybe something in the air makes the timid braver there, to cross the line that they've drawn in the sand". The tag chorus completes the analogy "they held on she lets go" (they were brave by holding on she by letting go) and concludes "in front of the Alamo, that's a pretty good place to make a stand".

In addition to the brilliant lyrics and melody, the song had the advantage of being performed by the great Hal Ketchum with perfectly blending harmonies provided by LeAnn Rimes. Yet the song was not a hit. Maybe it didn't get enough airplay. I did hear it a few times on the radio. If George Strait attempted to sing it, it would have been song of the year. I guess that many of us who are really moved by a song want the world to hear it and love it to validate our opinion. None of us are entirely devoid of ego.

The song made me recall watching the Disney Davy Crockett series of the 1950's featuring Fess Parker and Buddy Epsen. I was 8 when the first episode aired and I loved it, couldn't wait to see the next Sunday night episode. The theme song, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" often ran through my mind  - "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, ... killed him a bear when he was only three", etc. I was glad when they added 2 extra episodes after the first three. I liked the Mike Fink riverboat episode.

I recall my mother and maybe it was my "aunt" Ruth (a close friend of my mother's from Alabama originally) taking my two brothers, Rick and Chris, and I on a drive somewhere on Long Island where they bought us each a Davy Crockett sundae. I think it was made in the shape of a coonskin cap. Both brothers remember the event and Chris says it had coconut on it and tasted awful. Although I haven't found anything on the internet about a Davy Crockett sundae, it's not surprising that some ice cream vendor would try to capitalize on the Crockett craze since they were marketing everything Davy Crockett those days, from games and lunchboxes (I took a metal lunchbox to school but I don't remember if it bore the image of Mr. Crockett.) to, yes, coonskin caps. If somehow Davy could have been given a small piece of the action he probably never would have gone to the Alamo. I grew up in the borough of Queens on Long Island but the place where we bought those sundaes may have been further out on the island in Nassau or Suffolk county. Kids don't pay attention to what roads are taken to get anywhere, not until they themselves scare their parents by getting behind the wheel.

For those who would like to read about Davy Crockett and the Alamo I would recommend "Three Roads to the Alamo, the Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barrett Travis" by William C. Davis and "The Frontiersman, The Life and Legend of Davy Crockett" by Mark Derr. The former has the advantage of delving into the interesting lives of Jim Bowie and Travis. Before reading the Davis book all I knew of Mr. Bowie was that he was at the Alamo and was famous for the Bowie knife. Of Mr. Travis I knew less.

(I just discovered that the Alamo legend as described in these books and the Disney TV shows may be more myth than an accurate history. I will be reading a book published a few months ago titled "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth", written by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson & Jason Stanford. Further comment will be provided after my reading and further research is completed.)

Mr. Burr has written or co-written many fine songs in addition to "In Front of the Alamo" which was a solo effort. I'm sure that many country music fans are familiar with Hal Ketchum's "Sure Love", Juice Newton's "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless, Lisa Brokop's "West of Crazy", Wynonna's "To Be Loved By You", Diamond Rio's "In a Week or Two", Collin Raye's "Man of my Word", Doug Stone's "Too Busy Being in Love", Terri Clark's "Empty" and Ty Herndon's "Heart Half Empty", a duet with Stephanie Bentley, and also Ty's hit "What Mattered Most".

If you combine a love of American history with a love of music, you've got to love Gary Burr's great song "In Front of the Alamo". Allusions to one of the most famous battles in American history are combined with the story of a woman's love gone bad because of her husband's infidelity, a type of behavior unfortunately not limited to arrogant, duplicitous politicians. The couple met as tourists in front of the Alamo. The second verse ends "she wanted trust, she wanted truth, the two things he found hard to do. So forever was shorter than she planned". (The lives of the defenders of the Alamo were shorter than they planned.) She returns to the Alamo so that she can move on. The bridge begins "she didn't come for inspiration or to breathe the mighty dust of heroes lost". The third verse ends "maybe something in the air makes the timid braver there, to cross the line that they've drawn in the sand". The tag chorus completes the analogy "they held on she lets go" (they were brave by holding on she by letting go) and concludes "in front of the Alamo, that's a pretty good place to make a stand".

In addition to the brilliant lyrics and melody, the song had the advantage of being performed by the great Hal Ketchum with perfectly blending harmonies provided by LeAnn Rimes. Yet the song was not a hit. Maybe it didn't get enough airplay. I did hear it a few times on the radio. If George Strait attempted to sing it, it would have been song of the year. I guess that many of us who are really moved by a song want the world to hear it and love it to validate our opinion. None of us are entirely devoid of ego.

The song made me recall watching the Disney Davy Crockett series of the 1950's featuring Fess Parker and Buddy Epsen. I was 8 when the first episode aired and I loved it, couldn't wait to see the next Sunday night episode. The theme song, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" often ran through my mind  - "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, ... killed him a bear when he was only three", etc. I was glad when they added 2 extra episodes after the first three. I liked the Mike Fink riverboat episode.

I recall my mother and maybe it was my "aunt" Ruth (a close friend of my mother's from Alabama originally) taking my two brothers, Rick and Chris, and I on a drive somewhere on Long Island where they bought us each a Davy Crockett sundae. I think it was made in the shape of a coonskin cap. Both brothers remember the event and Chris says it had coconut on it and tasted awful. Although I haven't found anything on the internet about a Davy Crockett sundae, it's not surprising that some ice cream vendor would try to capitalize on the Crockett craze since they were marketing everything Davy Crockett those days, from games and lunchboxes (I took a metal lunchbox to school but I don't remember if it bore the image of Mr. Crockett.) to, yes, coonskin caps. If somehow Davy could have been given a small piece of the action he probably never would have gone to the Alamo. I grew up in the borough of Queens on Long Island but the place where we bought those sundaes may have been further out on the island in Nassau or Suffolk county. Kids don't pay attention to what roads are taken to get anywhere, not until they themselves scare their parents by getting behind the wheel.

For those who would like to read about Davy Crockett and the Alamo I would recommend "Three Roads to the Alamo, the Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barrett Travis" by William C. Davis and "The Frontiersman, The Life and Legend of Davy Crockett" by Mark Derr. The former has the advantage of delving into the interesting lives of Jim Bowie and Travis. Before reading the Davis book all I knew of Mr. Bowie was that he was at the Alamo and was famous for the Bowie knife. Of Mr. Travis I knew less.

(I just discovered that the Alamo legend as described in these books and the Disney TV shows may be more myth than an accurate history. I will be reading a book published a few months ago titled "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth", written by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson & Jason Stanford. Further comment will be provided after my reading and further research is completed.)

Mr. Burr has written or co-written many fine songs in addition to "In Front of the Alamo" which was a solo effort. I'm sure that many country music fans are familiar with Hal Ketchum's "Sure Love", Juice Newton's "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless, Lisa Brokop's "West of Crazy", Wynonna's "To Be Loved By You", Diamond Rio's "In a Week or Two", Collin Raye's "Man of my Word", Doug Stone's "Too Busy Being in Love", Terri Clark's "Empty" and Ty Herndon's "Heart Half Empty", a duet with Stephanie Bentley, and also Ty's hit "What Mattered Most".

Davy Crockett Sundaes In Front of the Alamo

If you combine a love of American history with a love of music, you've got to love Gary Burr's great song "In Front of the Alamo". Allusions to one of the most famous battles in American history are combined with the story of a woman's love gone bad because of her husband's infidelity, a type of behavior unfortunately not limited to arrogant, duplicitous politicians. The couple met as tourists in front of the Alamo. The second verse ends "she wanted trust, she wanted truth, the two things he found hard to do. So forever was shorter than she planned". (The lives of the defenders of the Alamo were shorter than they planned.) She returns to the Alamo so that she can move on. The bridge begins "she didn't come for inspiration or to breathe the mighty dust of heroes lost". The third verse ends "maybe something in the air makes the timid braver there, to cross the line that they've drawn in the sand". The tag chorus completes the analogy "they held on she lets go" (they were brave by holding on she by letting go) and concludes "in front of the Alamo, that's a pretty good place to make a stand".

In addition to the brilliant lyrics and melody, the song had the advantage of being performed by the great Hal Ketchum with perfectly blending harmonies provided by LeAnn Rimes. Yet the song was not a hit. Maybe it didn't get enough airplay. I did hear it a few times on the radio. If George Strait attempted to sing it, it would have been song of the year. I guess that many of us who are really moved by a song want the world to hear it and love it to validate our opinion. None of us are entirely devoid of ego.

The song made me recall watching the Disney Davy Crockett series of the 1950's featuring Fess Parker and Buddy Epsen. I was 8 when the first episode aired and I loved it, couldn't wait to see the next Sunday night episode. The theme song, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" often ran through my mind  - "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, ... killed him a bear when he was only three", etc. I was glad when they added 2 extra episodes after the first three. I liked the Mike Fink riverboat episode.

I recall my mother and maybe it was my "aunt" Ruth (a close friend of my mother's from Alabama originally) taking my two brothers, Rick and Chris, and I on a drive somewhere on Long Island where they bought us each a Davy Crockett sundae. I think it was made in the shape of a coonskin cap. Both brothers remember the event and Chris says it had coconut on it and tasted awful. Although I haven't found anything on the internet about a Davy Crockett sundae, it's not surprising that some ice cream vendor would try to capitalize on the Crockett craze since they were marketing everything Davy Crockett those days, from games and lunchboxes (I took a metal lunchbox to school but I don't remember if it bore the image of Mr. Crockett.) to, yes, coonskin caps. If somehow Davy could have been given a small piece of the action he probably never would have gone to the Alamo. I grew up in the borough of Queens on Long Island but the place where we bought those sundaes may have been further out on the island in Nassau or Suffolk county. Kids don't pay attention to what roads are taken to get anywhere, not until they themselves scare their parents by getting behind the wheel.

For those who would like to read about Davy Crockett and the Alamo I would recommend "Three Roads to the Alamo, the Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barrett Travis" by William C. Davis and "The Frontiersman, The Life and Legend of Davy Crockett" by Mark Derr. The former has the advantage of delving into the interesting lives of Jim Bowie and Travis. Before reading the Davis book all I knew of Mr. Bowie was that he was at the Alamo and was famous for the Bowie knife. Of Mr. Travis I knew less.

(I just discovered that the Alamo legend as described in these books and the Disney TV shows may be more myth than an accurate history. I will be reading a book published a few months ago titled "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth", written by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson & Jason Stanford. Further comment will be provided after my reading and further research is completed.)

Mr. Burr has written or co-written many fine songs in addition to "In Front of the Alamo" which was a solo effort. I'm sure that many country music fans are familiar with Hal Ketchum's "Sure Love", Juice Newton's "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless, Lisa Brokop's "West of Crazy", Wynonna's "To Be Loved By You", Diamond Rio's "In a Week or Two", Collin Raye's "Man of my Word", Doug Stone's "Too Busy Being in Love", Terri Clark's "Empty" and Ty Herndon's "Heart Half Empty", a duet with Stephanie Bentley, and also Ty's hit "What Mattered Most".

Comments

[Kathleen]

I hope we have no troops in a combat zone someday soon too. The longer they are there the more it seems they will always be there, but I hope that's not the case. I am very glad you got to come home on August 19, 1969. Very good choice doing the 6 months at Ft. Carson instead of 2 more months in Vietnam...I think staying 2 more months might have been looking a gift horse in the mouth! Plus, you came home and ten years, 4 months and 2 days later had ME! Very good call:)