Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Weekly Song Challenge-Week 13

 


A weekly song challenge-3 themes, 3 songs created by Jingle, Jangle Jungle and it is so much fun. I always try to go by the first song that pops into my blonde, greyish head so here are the 3 themes:

A PROTEST SONG

A LOVE SONG

A SPORT

1. WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE-PETE SEEGER 1955- SUNG BY JOAN BAEZ


Pete Seeger was a great troubadour as I like to refer to him. A folk singer and social activist who stood for what he believed in no matter what the cost. Peter, Paul and Mary made this song quite famous but I love the way Joan Baez sang this at the Kennedy Centre Honours and this song still stands up today as it did way back when. It is one of many protest songs that became famous during the Vietnam War. 

2. THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT SUNG BY FRED ASTAIRE-1936


This song was written by Jerome Kern and lyrics were done by Dorothy Fields for the musical "Swing Time" starring Astaire and Rogers and which won an Oscar. I was a kid when I watched this film the first time and daydreamed I would have a man sing this to me (without soap in my hair). Many famous composers of this time loved Astaire to sing their songs and, although he is a better dancer, you can tell that he wasn't bad as a singer either. There are sooooooo many love songs out there and many popped into this head of mine but this was seriously the first one. Who wouldn't want a man to sing this to them...well, my hubby wouldn't care for it but he doesn't count. 

3. TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME-JACK NORWORTH & ALBERT VON TILZER-1908


This version is one of the more famous versions sung and danced by Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra from the movie of the same name. I like to think they still play this song at all ball games but I have no clue unless I watch baseball so my brother has to let me know. This was actually a Tin Pan Alley song written by these 2 men(beside the title) who, apparently, never saw the game when they wrote this song. It was written on a napkin and I saw a picture of it which made me laugh with the doodles. I bet my brother could tell me more about this song. 

So what comes to your mind? What love song would you croon to your gal? Is there a sport song for curling?




17 comments:

  1. If Jack and Albert only knew the legacy they would leave behind with a song sung multiple times a day every summer.

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  2. Hi, Birgit!

    True to form, you went old school with your song picks, dear friend, and I enjoyed the flashbacks. It was a magic moment at the Kennedy Center in 1994 when Joan Baez took the stage to honor Pete Seeger by singing "Where Have All The Flowers Gone," a song Pete wrote in 1955, a song, as you pointed out, that remains relevant to this day. Approval and gratitude were written on Pete's face as he watched Joan's performance from the balcony. Upon Pete's death 20 years later (quoting Wiki now): << President Barack Obama noted that Seeger had been called "America's tuning fork" and that he believed in "the power of song" to bring social change, "Over the years, Pete used his voice and his hammer to strike blows for workers' rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation, and he always invited us to sing along. For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger." >> Mrs. Shady and I witnessed the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary perform "Where Have All The Flowers Gone' at a live show here in Tampa Bay in 1990, and I once owned the hit cover version by Johnny Rivers.

    I have not watched the 1939 musical comedy Swing Time (big surprise :), but I am familiar with the song "The Way You Look Tonight." I had vinyl cover versions by The Jaguars and by Johnny Maestro of The Crests.

    It is also a "swing and a miss" for Shady on the 1949 musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game. It's interesting that the Tin Pan Alley composers never saw a baseball game prior to writing the song. Thanks for showing the ditty scribbled on a napkin.

    For my song picks in these categories, I went with relatively obscure recordings that had great impact on me in my younger years:

    PROTEST SONG: "Uncle John" - an anti-war song released in 1967 by Tom Rapp's band Pearls Before Swine on the album One Nation Underground.

    LOVE SONG: "I Love You" - a 1965 song by The Zombies that was turned into a hit in 1968 by the psychedelic rock band People.

    SPORT SONG: "Keep It On" - by Galaxy Five, a song written to honor the 1983 NBA champions The Philadelphia 76ers. The post-disco dance number was red hot in The Delaware Valley and Central PA and played often in clubs I frequented. On the record, the actual Sixers announcer introduces the players over what sounds like the PA system at The Spectrum as the crowd cheers. It was the coolest sound around that year.

    Have a wonderful day, dear friend BB. I'll see you-- "At the Movies!"

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    1. Yes...me and old school but I am glad you like my choices. I have to listen to you Picks on YouTube when I get the chance. We are using the wash cloths and my hubby loves them too. He thought it was so nice to send them.

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  3. Take me out to the ballgame was my daughter's favorite as a kid. And works since tomorrow is opening day of baseball. Nice choices this week!

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    1. I didn’t know Thursday is opening day. Thanks and glad you like my choices.

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  4. If I remember, either Jack or Albert or both saw a sign on a subway train that announced "BASEBALL TODAY." You don't often hear the whole thing, just the chorus. Here in Atlanta, it's a tradition to sing "God Bless America" on Sundays during the seventh-inning stretch. The last few years, Timothy Miller from the Atlanta Opera (who also teaches voice at one of the HBCU's in town) sings it, in full tuxedo (and it gets ungodly hot here during the summer). Amazing tenor voice.

    I see we both chose a standard for the love song...

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    1. Oh..that’s cool that they saw that ad for baseball. I will YouTube that man to listen to his voice.

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  5. Take Me Out to the Ballgame has proven the test of time - given how many times it runs through my non-baseball loving head alone. It's fun to watch with their tap dancing. Wow. And Joan Baez voice - every note - just wow. And Frankie - but why did Ginger pull a cold fish on him at the final note? Not smart. I want to take her place.

    Thanks for bringing back some of the very best. You always do, Birgit.

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    1. It’s great isn’t it. Fred was singing how much he loves her and how she looks and she is so happy to hear this until she realizes her hair is full of soap which is why she runs away.

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  6. Love your choices! Your love song is definitely swoon-worthy!

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  7. That song really takes me back.
    Have a fun, pain-free day.

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    1. Not sure which song you meant until I read the comment below😁

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  8. I guess I should have clarified. Ha. Where Have All The Flowers Gone. I'm most familiar with Peter, Paul and Mary's version. We saw them live. During the break someone stole either Peter or Paul's shoes.

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    1. Yes PPM are the most known but I was just blown away by Joan Baez and she was such an icon for protesting that I had to choose her. I can’t believe someone stole their shoes. 👞

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  9. Hi sis... I'm enjoying the music posts. For a protest song, I initially thought of Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" - an anthem of sorts as the mid-1960s protest movement gained momentum. As for a love song, I think of a tune from Paul McCartney's first solo album called "Every Night"... a simple, catchy, and touching love song that touches me like few others. And for a song about a sport, you'd think it would be a baseball but I'm going to throw you a change up with Stompin' Tom Connors and "The Hockey Song", 100% pure Canadiana!

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