Season 495: That Perfect Moment

[lizbrinker]

Oh, perfect! You're here! Welcome to Season 495 Of The Ukulele
That Perfect Moment

I take part in the Saturday SOTU open mic and a recent discussion there was about perfect songs, which led me to this idea. For those of you who were there, I hope you remember the songs you mentioned. If not, email me, I probably wrote them down.

Please bring me songs that are perfect... to you. I am posting a song I find perfect below. It must only be perfect in your opinion and must speak to you in some way. It could be the lyrics, the structure of the song, an overall feeling imparted. Please take some time to think about it and please tell us why you chose it. You could also do a song with the word perfect in the title, but I'd rather hear a song that feels perfect to you. I know there are some instrumentals that fit this bill, and I'd love to hear them, too. Bring me your perfect songs. Rob, please post either new or old perfect songs, dealer's choice.

If you will write a song for the season please make it about something perfect in your eyes: a person, a place, a time, a situation, even a thing. Conversely, it could be about the problems associated with perfectionism. I'm not overly-strict.

Above all, enjoy yourselves, watch the videos of others (you won't be sorry), leave some comments, we all love to hear from each other. Even just, "I was here!" It's greatly appreciated. All other usual rules apply: start and end times, freshly made videos for the season, collaborations welcome, originals strongly encouraged, play well with others, be kind, and, if you are unable to be kind, be silent. One video per day per customer, unless otherwise specified later in the week. Let's see how it goes. This is my second time hosting, so please be patient with me. My tech skills are questionable, at best, not perfect.

I'll post a playlist when I wake up on Sunday morning here:
PLAYLIST


Stardust Melody, Hoagy Carmichael, 1927. I first heard this song on the Willie Nelson Stardust Album, back in 1978. That album was my first introduction to songs from the Great American Songbook, and I have been a fan ever since, both of Willie's and of the Great American Songbook. Willie does not include the opening verse, if I remember correctly. I've heard it said that this song has no rhyme scheme, and that is partially true, but there is plenty of rhyme to be found in it's lyrics. The opening verse rhymes, and the chorus uses internal rhyme. The reason it is a perfect song, to me, is that it transports me to a time of new love, when anything seems possible. The chord progression is gorgeous, in my opinion, and the lyrics are pure poetry. My perfect song.

 

[Strumdaddy]

Great theme, wonderful start: Stardust is beautiful lyrically and harmonically, but also mysteriously... A very human quality that artificial intelligence will have trouble pinning down

 

[pabrizzer]

perfect song?
i didn't think i believed in such a thing - but i have been convinced - songs that as Liz said are 'enduringly complete as they are'.
this is one such song imho
not this take - i almost always go with my first
the song - deliciously dire - marvelously melancholy
my fav version is by seasick steve

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

white winos
a song about love for a mother which may be inappropriate, and bitterness and hatred for father, who apparently is more successful than you.
nothing is ever explicit only hinted to that... being perfect doesn't necessarily have to be beautiful... it can be perfectly horrible, and you can feel better about yourself because we are not like that... life is messy beautifully messy sometimes.
alcohol is used to take away many of our pains and dull our senses...or inflame our. passions.

 

[Flatbaroque]

Thanks Liz. Nice idea! The one I've picked is "That Lucky Old Sun". It's not necessarily a real big favourite song of mine but I think it falls in that " perfect" category. One of those American song book contenders that has been covered by many different artists. It can can be sung slightly jazzy or more country. Has a lovely bridge typical of the era. And I like the philosophy in the lyrics. A week into retirement I feel a bit like the lucky old sun.."laying around Heaven, watching the Olympics all day". The images are from an Oklahoma square dance from 1940...just because. Baritone uke.

 

[lizbrinker]

Great theme, wonderful start: Stardust is beautiful lyrically and harmonically, but also mysteriously... A very human quality that artificial intelligence will have trouble pinning down

Thanks, Strumdaddy! Artificial intelligence had not entered my mind... Can artificial intelligence make something perfect, in any sense of the word? Illuminate me. Pretend I know nothing about artificial intelligence. :- )

 

[lizbrinker]

Playlist is up!

Good morning, Seasonistas! Overnight, I received entries from Brian/pabrizzer, Rob/wee_ginga_yin, and John/Flatbaroque. I'm off now to listen and have my breakfast and a coffee, or two. I want to publicly thank Del/DelGriff for holding my hand through the tech side of hosting. Thank you, Del! You are my hero <3 <3 <3

 

[pabrizzer]

If you will write a song for the season please make it about something perfect in your eyes: a person, a place, a time, a situation, even a thing. Conversely, it could be about the problems associated with perfectionism........

 

[LimousinLil]

Hello, Liz, and thank you for hosting this week and giving us such a broad and subjective theme. This is the first song I thought of and, to me, it is perfect, because, when I was young and believed in romance, the film from which it came seemed the most romantic thing ever - and, actually, still does! I mean, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant and Paris - what could go wrong? And it always seemed to me that this song perfectly reflected the romance of the film .... aahhhh!

 

[Canada Jim]

Good morning, Seasonistas! Overnight, I received entries from Brian/pabrizzer, Rob/wee_ginga_yin, and John/Flatbaroque. I'm off now to listen and have my breakfast and a coffee, or two. I want to publicly thank Del/DelGriff for holding my hand through the tech side of hosting. Thank you, Del! You are my hero <3 <3 <3

Either Del or you have mighty long arms eh Liz. From the UK to the USA!

 

[Charley B]

In the pursuit of perfection I'll follow the science - according to researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany in 2019, this is the most perfect pop song ever written, (or at least it was until it got the Uke You Too! treatment)

https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-...perfect-pop-song-according-to-science-2574325

 

[YorkSteve]

Here's the one which sprang to my mind right away. A simple structure, not many words, but a melody which I never tire of hearing or playing. It just invites harmonies (tricky when there's only one of you). The Everlys is the version which most people know, but if you dive into Google, find the one by Dusty Springfield & Scott Walker, taken from her TV show. Perfect...

 

[stanat20]

I think the perfect song is in the ear of the listener.I love the chord changes and the sombre mood of this one.Thanks for hosting Liz with a theme with plenty of scope

 

[pabrizzer]

well i've changed my mind about a perfect song
i guess if the song sits there in time and space and when you hear it or visit it you believe it needs nothing changing - sure it can be handled different ways - but if the basic structure needs no altering then it is indeed perfect - so this is 'a second' for the song that Steve brought along so well
and i'm now convinced there are many perfect songs out there
according to wiki - "Je t'appartiens" was a French hit[vague] in 1955. The score was written and first recorded by Gilbert Becaud

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

There is a small subtle detail in this song that makes it perfect.
It is very simple and if you didn't play the song you would probably
miss it. When the words "major to minor" are sung, the chords within
the song also reflect this. It is genius, some sort of epiphany, you have
to smile because it is so clever.

When I look at the comments there is not a seasonista amongst them.
They are all people that were very active on YouTube at one time
and for some reason they have all said goodbye, much the same as i
have... and let go of something i love.

 

[lizbrinker]

Ok, beautiful SOTU people, it is almost time for bed here is Rockville, Maryland, USA and I have people to thank. Brian/pabrizzer for kicking us off with the pure poetry of Hank Williams, Rob/wee for his heartbreaking performance of Louden Wainwright III's White Winos, John/FlatBaroque for Lucky Old Sun, with a fabulous video of sweaty Oklahomans, (what could be more perfect than that?) Brian/pabrizzer again with an original about the dangers of considering yourself perfect, Val/LimousinLil with a wonderful cover of the Mancini/Mercer classic, Charade, Charley/Uke You Too! with the scientifically-proven perfect song, Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, (science says so...), Steve/YorkSteve with the dreamy Let It Be Me, Stanley covering The Days Of Wine And Roses, with a chord melody section I want to learn, Brian/pabrizzer with a chord melody arrangement of Je t'appartiens, the original version of Let It Be Me, which just goes to show we can recognize a perfect song when we hear one, and Rob/wee with Cole Porter's Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye, a perfect song if ever there was one. But, how strange...the change...from major to minor... ahhhhhh, just right, Cole, just right. See you all tomorrow.

 

[YorkSteve]

And to kick off tomorrow, here's Declan O'Rourke's "Galileo", a song I have done a couple of times before here, but that's what happens when a song is so perfect.
It's one thing to write a pretty song about the mysteries of falling in love. But when you relate the first verse back to a 16th century scientist, it takes it to a whole new level.
One of my criteria for a good song is "can it survive being plinked on a plastic uke?". So this one gets the Islander treatment.

 

[pabrizzer]

a love song to the blues
paoriginal

 

[lizbrinker]

Good morning, Seasonistas! Monday means re-stocking and re-grouping around here, which may not sound perfect to some, but I do love a bit of organization. Almost as much as I love ironing... Ah, bliss. I'm hoping to do one I consider perfect later today, we shall see. It will be an instrumental, and a round, to boot. I woke to two beautiful submissions from Steve and Brian C. Be sure to go check out the entire playlist. You all amaze me. See you after the grocery :- D

P.S. I'm waiving the one song per day rule. Bring 'em on. They are all perfect, to me.

 

[jtsteam]

Hmm, what is a perfect song for me? Probably one that tells a story or paints a vivid picture - whether with the lyrics or music. One that, no matter how often I've heard it, I'll keep coming back to it and never tire of it. A song which makes me want to learn more about it - what inspired it, what's it about, who are the characters in it, where are the places in it? One that I get more out of the more I listen to it, whether it's finding new meaning in the lyrics, or hearing an instrumental part in a new way. One that sounds good whether performed with a big fancy complex arrangement, or just with a single uke and a single voice. And it only has to do that for me, right? You might well think it's dreadful.

Anyway, here's one that does that for me. And it's a fine excuse to do one of my favourite songs! And you can hardly have a week of perfect songs without some Leonard Cohen, can you?



It's a long one, I'm afraid, but if I'm going to claim the song is perfect for me, who am I to take verses out!

I've already done some of the things I would probably have chosen for this week. I don't know how people feel about repeats in general, I might do one of them again anyway, just to see if I can do it better now.