Happy Birthday...to me! I am officially 57 and I share a birthday with the Marquis De Sade and Johnny Weissmuller (Me, Tarzan). What a great way to share my birthday than with some songs and with my 3 favourite song topics that Jingle, Jangle Jungle has chosen.
TV THEME SONG
SONG USED IN A MOVIE
SONG FROM A BROADWAY MUSICAL
1. I DREAM OF JEANIE BY HUGO MONTENEGRO & BUDDY KAYE-1965
I love Bewitched which is strange to say this first but the reason I didn't choose Bewitched is because I already wrote about the show earlier this year so I went with this snappy theme song. The TV show is about an astronaut, stranded on an island who finds a lamp, rubs it and out pops Barbara Eden sans showing her belly button. She becomes his "slave" er, saviour, um...girlfriend....later wife who gets him and his buddy into all sorts of trouble but also bails them out of it. It is not as clever as Bewitched nor as sophisticated but I love the theme song which I always wished, like the Bewitched song, to be able to dance to it a la ballroom dancing.
2. MOON RIVER SUNG BY AUDREY HEPBURN-1961
This song was written by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, with Audrey Hepburn in mind. The studio wanted to cut the song with Audrey stating clearly "Over her dead body"(with maybe some other colourful words in there). Thankfully, the execs lost and this song became famous winning Grammys and becoming the tune for Andy Williams. When I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's, I found this song enchanting and believable.
3. YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE BY ROGERS & HAMMERSTEIN-1945
This song originated from the Broadway show, "Carousel" which was later made into a film starring Shirley Jones and Gordon MacCrea about a young, innocent girl who falls in love with an angry, good for nothing carousel barker. This song is sung when all seems hopeless and it is one of the most inspiring songs ever composed. I ended up going with one of my favs, Andre Rieu and his orchestra but so many have sung this song that the list seems endless from Josh Grobin, The Celtic Women to Andrea Bocelli and Renee Fleming. Sometimes, when times are low, we need to hear this song.
What comes to your mind?
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteHappy 57th birthday, dear friend! I never checked to see which famous people were born the same date as I (or me or myself). It's fascinating that you share a birthday with the Marquis De Sade. (I merely share his M.O. for makin' whoopee.) I'll never forget the time Jane caught Tarzan fooling around with another woman and uttered the famous words, "Me Jane - you Cheeta."
I enjoyed your song picks beginning with the familiar theme from I Dream Of Jeannie. I would think that most people alive today would be able to "Name That Tune" in two seconds flat. It was fun watching the opening of the pilot episode and seeing a very young looking J.R. Ewing.
"Moon River" has to be one of the most beautiful songs ever composed. Whenever I listen to Jerry Butler's version I get misty. Another tearjerker is your third song pick, "You'll Never Walk Alone." The English Merseybeat band Gerry And The Pacemakers topped the UK chart with their cover of the song which was released just before the assassination of President Kennedy. The recorded version I knew best was waxed stateside by Patti LaBelle And Her Blue Belles and hit the street a few weeks after the assassination. However, whenever I am reminded of the song "You'll Never Walk Alone," the first thing that pops into my mind is the image of Jerry Lewis performing the song ever year from 1964 to 2010 at the close of his annual Labor Day MDA Telethon. I watched the telethon every year. Jerry's performance of the song was emotionally wrenching because he always cried as he sang it. It became the highlight of the event to witness Jerry break down choking and sobbing in the middle of the song and struggling to finish it as the tote board behind him revealed the millions of dollars he and his entertainment guests had raised to fight Muscular Dystrophy.
Here are my song selections:
TV THEME SONG: "Bonanza" aka "Banana," theme from the hit Western series. In 1961, the instrumental by Al Caiola and His Orchestra was released as a single and cracked the top 20. My dad and I watched Bonanza together every week. "Hoss" (played by gentle giant Dan Blocker) was Dad's favorite character. (I was often mistaken for Little Joe and mobbed at malls.) Oops - I just read that the term "shopping mall" was not widely used until the late 60s, turning my Little Joe joke into a pathetic anachronism.
SONG USED IN A MOVIE: "Green Onions," another popular instrumental of the early 60s, this one waxed in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. The single topped the R&B chart and went top 3 pop. The tune is also memorable for its use in the soundtrack of the 1973 hit movie American Graffiti.
SONG FROM A BROADWAY MUSICAL: "Good Morning Starshine" from the second act of the musical Hair which opened on Broadway in the spring of 1968. Recorded and released as a single by Carolina pop singer Oliver, "Good Morning Starshine" made the top 3 winner's circle in the summer of '69.
I dedicate the latter, that "Glibby gloop gloopy, Nibby Nabby Noopy, La La La Lo Lo. Sabba Sibby Sabba, Nooby abba Nabba Le Le Lo Lo. Tooby ooby walla, nooby abba nabba, Early mornin' singin' song" to you for your birthday. Once again, I wish you a happy and special one, dear friend BB!
Thank you for the kind birthday wishes. I had a nice day with lots of phone calls. I never watched his telephons so I never knew Jerry Lewis would sing this song. You know, he never divulged the reason he dedicated his life to this cause but it had to be deeply personal. I also don't know the Patti LaBelle version of Moon River. I love Bonanza and love those campy lyrics which I know was sung by the four at the end of the very first episode. I had no idea what Green Onions was until I listened to the song and know it so well. Love Good Morning Sunshine which is so much fun and very happy hippy.
DeleteHappy Birthday Birgit….enjoy your special day….xxxx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteCongratulations Birgit - have a lovely few days settling into being 57 ... still a good age with much fun ahead. Cheers - Hilary
ReplyDeleteYes, enjoying each moment of each day
DeleteHappy birthday, Birgit! You’ll Never Walk Alone is the Liverpool Football Club anthem and I find it hard to detach that fact from it in my mind.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that until I started looking it up and read about that. Funny how a song becomes attached to something.
DeleteHappy, happy birthday, dear Birgit. And I even wished it to you today, which seems a bit unusual for me (grin). I've heard the first two songs before, but not the last. They are all beautiful and the second two are perfect for your birthday celebration, which I hope is still happening right now.
ReplyDeleteOh I had a lovely birthday and was sitting outside in our garden with a couple of friends and their mom. Social distancing and all, it was lovely. The last song is just perfect
DeleteThank you!!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite TV theme song? I can't say exactly why but the theme to "The Odd Couple" has always resonated with me. There's just something about its laid-back attitude, that it can overcome differences between individuals.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the movie "The Departed?" Great movie, in my humble opinion, and when I watched it the first time, I was stunned by the ending (I won't divulge details in case you haven't seen it) but I was also equally stunned by the song that began playing at this point and into the end credits, "Sweet Dreams" by Roy Buchanan. It was absolutely the perfect song for that moment. As for a song from a Broadway musical? That's tougher for me because I'm not an authority on Broadway musicals but I have to go with the title track from "Hair" which was performed by The Cowsills, one of the inspirations behind the Partridge Family. The Cowsills (Cowsill was the family surname) was a family band from the late 1960s.
Happy belated birthday, Birgit! You're a little younger than me. The years really zip by fast, don't they? I'm wondering how I got to be as old as I am. *scratch head* Oh well...you sure did a fab job on your WSC picks. "I Dream of Jeannie" was a great old sitcom. I met Barbara Eden several years ago. She was really nice. We watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and honestly I just remember it being an okay film but Audrey Hepburn's simple rendition of Moon River is beautiful. Musicals I'm totally ignorant on and I sure did enjoy your selection.
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