111th Season of the Ukulele

Right there with you Myth. My thoughts:
See live music where you live. It may amaze you and even if it doesn't one night you'll still be helping someone to create rather than to destroy.
Buy a t-shirt, say a kind word, tell 'em thanks. It may be a long time between thank yous, especially for singer/songwriter folks trying to make it by touring.
Every working musician I've met in my town is a terrific person. Surely that's not always the case but a high percentage of folks who put there soul out there for anyone to see night after night really care about other people, too.

mythinformed said:

I agree, I think you become wiser to the fact as you get older that most of this commercial stuff is for 'Sheeple' ........if the DJ's and the masters of media wizardry keep plugging it as good you will eventually believe it actually is no matter how dire and vice versa!!

Imo The real music is and always has been underground where the lowly paid musicians sweat out their stuff for the love of their music !!

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And while I was looking up when Beyonce was number one I've found this gem was number 1 at the back end of 2003! If I'd thought of it before it would have saved me no small amount of frustration this week, and it's a one hit wonder of sorts. This cover is based on Gary Jules' version of Tears for Fears' 'Mad World'. Quick look at the chords and done in one take. Bliss.

redpaul1 said:

Well we've already had 'The Rainbow Connection' twice this week - so who knows? It could be an omen!!

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We have? I only saw Craig's... who did I miss?

cturner: Rainbow Connection - Kermit the Frog: Beautifully played, Craig. Nice to have some instrumental work in the season. I might quibble with the one-hit wonder spirit of this as the muppets have found lots of success and influence, but it's not worth it to lose this song from the lineup. Well done.

xommen: Dead Man Carry Me - Jars of Clay: Nice, Wim. Keep 'em coming, I say.

elmann: In The Year 2525 - Zager and Evans: I wasn't familiar with this song, but you give it a great treatment here. It really sounds like it belongs in this arrangement. Key changes and all! Well done!

redpaul1: Donna/Friday mashup: Well, that happened! It works better than it has any right to. Well played.

bonesigh: Just When I needed You Most - Randy Vanwarmer: Really sweetly played and sung, here. Nice little chord melody solo in there. Well done.

bonesigh: Chevy Van: Nicely done, but as it breaks the one entry rule, we'll leave it alone for now... maybe kick it over to the island?

pabrizzer: National Holiday - Timbuk 3: Nice one, pa! Love the one-take -- really sweet ending.

erivel: Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon: Really well done, Eric. That solo is gold, and I love your vocal on this, dialing back the crazy overblown vocal of the original. Great job.

lumpy wafflesquirt: Annie's Song - John Denver: Wow, John Denver was so huge in the states that I literally can't conceive of him being labeled a one hit wonder. Nice work on the harp, and I particularly like the transitions between verses. Nice one.

xommen: Boy on String - Jars of Clay: Go Wim Go! This may be my favorite from the Jars back catalog so far.

decaturcomp: What's So Funny About Peace, Love, And Understanding? - Nick Lowe: Nice passionate take on this one, Alan. Thanks! Sounds like it might be a little low in your register, you might consider transposing or capoing up a step... But it's pretty great as is.

Joko: Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes: I might quibble with her one-hit wonder status, but I can't quibble with the song (Great Garbo thighs be damned!) You get some of that great rasp in your voice about half way through, and it really makes the song kick into high gear. Well done!

CeeJay: Ernie - Benny Hill: It's pretty easy to dismiss novelty songs, but they actually take more commitment and better play than most 'straight' songs to make them work. You've got both here, and it makes for a great performance. Well done.

I know there are a few more that have come in after CeeJay, but that's my time for today. Still plenty of time to get those entries, in, folks...

But, hey, if you've already submitted for the one-hit wonder playlist, that's it. You get to add all you want to the back catalog or #1's when you were 11. Any other one-hit wonders go to the Island please. As I said in the first post, with that part of the theme, you only get one shot. (We've had a couple of enthusiastic double one-hit wonders, and by definition, that's just not the way it works.) Thanks!

When I was 11 a friend played me some Bill Haley Records and I was hooked. This was No. 1 in the UK for a total of 5 weeks either side of my 11th Birthday but not actually on my Birthday as it was knocked of the No. 1 spot for three weeks over Christmas by a very unmemorable Christmas record.



Of course, it just had to be a Risa for this one.

What I like about you, this was apparently a one hit wonder for The Romantics according to a google search
this is posted on The Hedge Inspectors You Tube Channel we don't have a lot of subs and wont flood yer inbox

krabbers said:

What I like about you, this was apparently a one hit wonder for The Romantics according to a google search
this is posted on The Hedge Inspectors You Tube Channel we don't have a lot of subs and wont flood yer inbox

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Classic 1 H1t 1der. I think the only song to rival this in this category in the 80s is Walking On Sunshine - anyone up for it at this late hour?

mattydee said:

lumpy wafflesquirt: Annie's Song - John Denver: Wow, John Denver was so huge in the states that I literally can't conceive of him being labeled a one hit wonder. Nice work on the harp, and I particularly like the transitions between verses. Nice one.

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His albums sold pretty well here during the 1970s but Annie's song is his only top 40 single. In fact he only had three top 100 singles and two of those were Annie's song! OTOH he had six top 40 albums of which 5 made the top 20 and two the top 10. He also had a number of successful TV appearances over here. I got two of his albums in the 70s and would have got more but money was tight in those days with two young children and my wife was a full time mum at the time.

mattydee said:

elmann: In The Year 2525 - Zager and Evans: I wasn't familiar with this song, but you give it a great treatment here. It really sounds like it belongs in this arrangement. Key changes and all! Well done!

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Denny Zager is now a master luthier - his USP is that he makes the 'easiest guitars in the world to play' - 'EZ-Play' guitars

mattydee said:

redpaul1: Donna/Friday mashup: Well, that happened! It works better than it has any right to. Well played.

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Thanks Matt. I couldn't believe my luck when I discovered that 'Friday' was a I-vi-IV-V tune too - and the lyric is pretty much the perfect riposte to the accusatory 'Donna'. It was only meant to be a bit of fun, hors concours so to speak, so thanks also for taking the trouble to view and to comment.

decaturcomp said:

Right there with you Myth. My thoughts:
See live music where you live. It may amaze you and even if it doesn't one night you'll still be helping someone to create rather than to destroy.
Buy a t-shirt, say a kind word, tell 'em thanks. It may be a long time between thank yous, especially for singer/songwriter folks trying to make it by touring.
Every working musician I've met in my town is a terrific person. Surely that's not always the case but a high percentage of folks who put there soul out there for anyone to see night after night really care about other people, too.

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Absolutely.

Most of the live music I see live is in small venues - mostly folk music in pubs. I like it that way. I like the intimacy of small venues and you see some excellent acts that never made the big time but make a modest living performing the music they love.

mattydee said:

We have? I only saw Craig's... who did I miss?

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Oh ignore me! I can't count to 11 any more :/

(I think I must have counted Craig's twice, because Concertina quoted it in full in her appreciative comment - so technically Rainbow connection did appear twice.... nah...., I just can't count)

peewee said:

Hi All,
I haven't been present much this week, but had plenty of time while "working" to cogitate and make lists of One Hit Wonders.
Great theme, Matty.
I see that many songs I considered have been done, and I'm looking forward to watching. Meanwhile, here's one I thought was a safe bet due to the high-speed nonsense french lyrics: "Ça Plane Pour Moi" by Plastic Bertrand, straight outta Belgium. 1978
It's my first day off since St Patty's day, so finally I get to record! One take, and I managed to mangle the simplest instrumental break of all time..

http://youtu.be/Sfn_82An15w
Bed-Head or New Wave Hairdo? You decide..

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^ There's my vote for best foreign-language performance of the week!^ Ca plane pour moi was recorded at exactly the same time, in the same studios, to the same backing track as Elton Motello's Jet Boy, Jet Girl - and both ended up being one-hit wonders. Here's an early pUKEs performance of Jet Boy, Jet Girl:



Yes, this is what I have to cope with every week

I've just finished reading all your posts, and watching all your videos and I have to say...you guys are amazing!! I had one of those weeks when you're running from one place to another and it was really nice to stop and watch your videos, some of them make me laugh, and some of them gave me peace. Thank you really much to all of you

So...I finally had the courage to record myself, and I have to say...doing it "perfectly" (decent at least) in one take was...uffff really hard. It was my first time recording video, and I realized all my takes were "out-of focus" when I finished filming and it was dark outside, so...it is what it is :/

For this season I tried to mix things a little and record an song in spanish! The song is called "Laura no está" (Laura isn't here (?)), it was a hit while I was 11 years old, aaaand it's definitely a guilty pleasure for all of us. It talks about a guy obsessed with his ex-girlfriend called Laura, and how he tries to move on while dating other women. He's really honest about his situation and says things like "I wouldn't like to kiss you thinking about her", and how he needs company to help the lonely nights feel shorter ("Maybe if I eat you up with kisses the night will feel shorter") and so on. The song was originally performed in Italian, and then translated and released in spanish.

And here it is!!

I belonged to a one hit wonder band: "Pere Flipat" - here is a cover of our only single.

It is played on my birthday present to myself: a Tenor Resonator Uke. This baby only cost €155 so I was not expecting much, but it's a beauty and straight out of the box it played well without needing any set up. It also stays in tune right up the neck to areas where I seldom go. For this song it is tuned in standard high G tuning. But I gave it a spin this afternoon with an open G tuning and a slide and it was fun. Depending on the theme next week, I hope to show off that aspect of the instrument.

If you live in Europe and had always dreamed of owning a reso-uke, but had never seen one under €300 - then go to Thomann and get one of these before they sell out and are probably never replaced (Wim, they are no longer selling the Uke Bass you bought ) . PS There is also a concert size reso for €135!



Lyrics (in Catalan) in the description. I'll try and post a translation of the lyrics tomorrow.

This is the exact email...[Copyright claim] Your video has been blocked in some countries: "Lyin' Eyes". I guess I just live in the wrong country. Funny how the YTofUSofA bands Eagles!!

UkeCan1 said:

Did they say why? Because if you type "Lyin' Eyes cover" into YouTube, plenty of 'em come up ... many with both the song title and band name in the video title.

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1959 One Hit Wonder Entry

This is my One Hit Wonder entry, Sea of Love by Phil Phillips and The Twilights. It was recorded and released in 1959, the year I was born.

1970 Number One Entry

Man there were so many great choices of #1 hits in 1970. Here's Mama Told Me Not to Come.

Here is an experiment. When I go into my video manager I can watch the Eagle's vid. I wonder if you can too. Here we go...............

bonesigh said:

Aw, man! Just uploaded "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagles being the number on hit on Nov. 15 1975 when I turned 11, but, dang, they wouldn't even put it up at all ):

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Snicker Well I'll be darned! A way around YT???? I've been having nothing but trouble this week. Two video's that I specifically uploaded to my normal tippytoe account went to my Mama Uke account and I can't have that!! I mean "Chevy Van" on my kids site...I don't think so! (But, sheesh, really, I was 11 when I loved this song!) I had to delete it but will be reloading soon folks. I also made a tutorial for the beginning of "Painting by Chagall" for Maria (Concertina) which got put on the kids site. So, I will be reloading that as well.

new link guys.

bonesigh said:

Um, just a quickie, snicker, snicker

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