Season 495: That Perfect Moment

[Strumdaddy]

Here's one written by Aussie Matt Moffitt and performed by his band Matt Finish.
I could not pin down why this is perfect - but it's something about that mystery that appeals to me.
The song was released in 1981, Matt died in 2003, but it sounds timeless to me.

 

[joo]

Dear Liz, thank you for hosting!
I have been busy with work and family matters....hope it has been enjoyable for you this week.
It is Saturday here, I woke up and thought of this song, and how the protagonist was feeling when he was walking along the 59th Street bridge...
If we see life as simply made up of little moments like this, then maybe we won't hold on so much to the happy ones and feel disappointed when they don't happen, and know that the unhappy ones will always pass as well. I like your choice of the word "moment".
Xxx

 

[YorkSteve]

One of my occasional interruptions. The Seasons rota is filling up nicely, all the way into October, but we have a couple of gaps sooner than that - Seasons 498 and 499.
All offers to host these will be welcomed with huge cheers. Come and find me on this thread

On with the perfection...

 

[joo]

Hi again, Liz, and friends,

Here is a Nick Drake song that I love, and butchered.
With baritone ukulele, voices, original painting.

i think about the depressed souls who cannot see beyond that dark space where they are trapped....
if they could, they really could have been one of these things first.

I think of the different way we perceive things and life situations when i think of the idea of Perfection.

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

Pastiches (Take a well known song and write new words for it) Taking Perfect song and making it imperfect

The idea is that we live in a society where everything has a built in obsolescence. It applies mostly to machines, and it also extends to relationships. Everything nowadays has a shelf life... not just food.

Well, the salmons off, there is mould on the cheese
And the meat has a strange smell
And it kinda got me thinking, something must be wrong
Cos the fridge don't work so well
By the way, should I really care
If you think that I'm a chump
And everybody knows world is being turned into dump

Tyres are flat, must be a leak somewhere
Spokes are broke and the brakes don't work,
Would cost me a fortune to get things fixed,
If I throw it all away you could call me a jerk.
I swear to you I looked after that car
But the man says there's no oil down in the sump
And everybody knows world is being turned into dump

These days nothing is built to last,
Everything has a limited shelf life,
That applies to everything that you might buy
And in the divorce courts could be your own wife.

The bankers took my house, my pension was cut.
The wife left me out in the cold.
Don't have the money for the medicine I need
I am not a machine I got body and soul.
The scrap heap is waiting for a guy like me
Gonna come crashing down with a great bump
And everybody knows world is being turned into dump.

 

[Canada Jim]

Mr. Bojangles - Jerry Jeff Walker

Supposedly a true story by Jerry Jeff. Everyone from Sammy Davis to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to Bob Dylan to Nina Simone to Whitney Houston has done this and it's almost become a cliche, but in order to be a cliche, it has to be good enough for everyone to want to do it.
It's pretty close to a perfect song in my view.

 

[lizbrinker]

Hi all and happy Saturday! Looks like we don't have a theme for 496 yet, so... you are stuck with me! Perfect songs for the win! Today we had 5 entries and I thank all those who are sticking with me. Don't hesitate to post tomorrow, please. I can probably lay bets on who I will see tomorrow, but I won't name names... (Rhymes with mouth, rhymes with verbena...)

Here are today's entries:
Strumdaddy wrote us an exquisite Short Note by Matt Moffitt
Joo gave us two, (2!) songs with Feelin' Groovy, by Paul Simon, after which I was definitely feeling more groovy, and One Of These Things First, by Nick Drake, including original artwork. Happy to see you, Joo!
Rob/wee added a pastiche of Bob Dylan's Sweetheart Like You called The World's Being Turned Into A Dump
And
Jim Yates played Jerry Jeff Walker's classic, Mr. Bojangles

Thanks to all of you, I love hearing from you!
One more perfect day, folks, come on by...
Liz

 

[Canada Jim]

For my seventieth birthday, Maggie bought me tickets to go and see one of my musical heroes, Jesse Winchester, at Toronto's Hugh's Room. We had seen him a few times at festivals and large venues, but were looking forward to a more intimate venue.
A week before the day, we got notice that Jesse was too ill to perform and our money would be refunded. 12 days later we got word that Jesse had passed.
This song of Jesse's is one that always reminded me of my cousins George and Lynn Milo. I've known George all my life and I met Lynn at George's family cottage when we were both about 17 and she had started dating George.
We lost George eight years ago, but I can't sing Jesse Winchester's Sham-a-Ling-Dong-Ding without thinking of George and Lynne as teenagers. What a beautiful love story theirs is and what a perfect song this is.

George & Lynne

 

[frisbee fred]

As others have said I can't come up with one perfect song. But I can think of "perfect" songs for particular moods or situations. Thought of two in particular for this Season. The first one I've been working on for three days now and just can't get it without too many mistakes. Probably would have made a great blooper real. The song I just recorded I had to do in one take given my general frustration with the other one. I see Pabrizzer is hosting a Season for songs we wished we could have done and I may bring that one. I'll Follow You Into The Dark was special to me and many others when it first came out years ago as a love song to one's partner. I volunteer at our local hospice and have been thinking about the song a lot more lately. "If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, I'll follow you into the dark." Many people we volunteer to be with have no one else who visits. We are often there when the patient passes. We don't follow them but we make sure they are not alone when they "embark". Just love this song.

 

[pabrizzer]

.......... I see Pabrizzer is hosting a Season for songs we wished we could have done and I may bring that one.......

not me Fred - Ryan is hosting 496

 

[Canada Jim]

In Tall Buildings - John Hartford

Liz and I were talking about songs that started with the "Mr. Bojangles Lick". She thought of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" and this one came to me. It may not be perfect, but it's a mighty fine song.
I wore my bowler to get in the John Hartford mood. John's stage wear was inspired by the bicycle scene from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid.

 

[frisbee fred]

not me Fred - Ryan is hosting 496

Yep, I see that now. I'll just be over here in the corner......

 

[lizbrinker]

I was tempted to do this as a big blowout with lots of harmony, but... as I was learning it, practicing it, I fell more in love with it every time and decided to let the song, the lyrics, the beautiful music, speak perfectly for themselves. You can always go listen to The Beach Boys do it on YouTube. Their harmonies were stellar. I sing this for all those I love, who love me, too. (Please forgive the imperfection of the ending here...I'm only human, perfectly flawed.)

God Only Knows
Brian Wilson/Tony Asher
1966

 

[bonesigh]

Missed another week but did work on some lyrics! Didn’t get much playing done. Hey, Liz, I just realized you’re not too far away from me. Did you go to Strathmore this year?

 

[lizbrinker]

Missed another week but did work on some lyrics! Didn’t get much playing done. Hey, Liz, I just realized you’re not too far away from me. Did you go to Strathmore this year?

No worries, Janet. Glad you are writing. Remember, you still have 12 hours to post in this season! I’ve been in classes online for Strathmore these past 3 days. Two more to go.

 

[TCK]

In Tall Buildings - John Hartford

Liz and I were talking about songs that started with the "Mr. Bojangles Lick". She thought of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" and this one came to me. It may not be perfect, but it's a mighty fine song.
I wore my bowler to get in the John Hartford mood. John's stage wear was inspired by the bicycle scene from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid.
View attachment 135099 View attachment 135100

Dang- I was supposed to make it back here with a nod to Jerry Jeff this week- his death he had that old song on repeat for a while. Pretty happy the song entered the conversation, I got too busy to play the darn thing.

 

[joo]

sorry all, I have been busy...have not checked out many of your videos...hopefully I will catch some later tonight.
I stumbled upon this quote just now ( I'm at work now, taking a quick break) and thought to share it.

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.”
― Sam Keen, To Love and Be Loved

 

[TheOnlyUkeThatMatters]

It's close to midnight in Hawaii. Still time, though, for a perfect electro pop gem from New Order...

 

[Ms Bean]

I tried to tackle a rather ambitious project this week, but I'm not convinced at this moment that I can make it work on the humble ukulele. I'll dust it off from time to time, I promise.

Yesterday evening I thought of this one, and I hope you'll agree that it describes a perfect moment. It is the Gaelic traditional Bunessan, but most of us will recognise it as Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam's Morning has Broken.

The arrangement I played is by UU member Wilfried Welti. It's from his free e-book Erste Ubungsstucke fur Ukulele

Check out his website and e-books: https://www.ukulele-arts.com/tabs-and-e-books/?lang=en

 

[lizbrinker]

Good Monday morning, my fellow travelers. I want to thank all of you for your perfect songs. This is the end of my season, That Perfect Moment. There were six entries in the last day, and here they are:

Jim Yates gave us a beautiful rendition of the wonderfully nostalgic Jesse Winchester song, Sham-a-ling-dong-ding, about young love, and the experience of first love, shared by yound and old.
Fred/Frisbee Fred plays us Ben Gibbard's (Death Cab For Cutie) perfect song I Will Follow You Into The Dark, about end of life and love that endures past it.
Jim Yates added John Hartford's In Tall Buildings, with that wonderful riff, a song about our society's expectations seen with honesty.
I slipped one more in, couldn't be helped, God Only Knows, The Beach Boys' best song, in my opinion.
Ralf/TheOnlyUkeThatMatters gave us New Order's perfectly dark song, Perfect Kiss, with a fantastic instrumental section.
Sabine/Uke'nFlute played for us a brief, but perfect instrumental hymn tune, Bunessan (Morning Has Broken, to most of us) arranged by Ukulele Underground's Wilfried Welti. She has posted a link to his free e-books and online materials.

I'll be back one more time with an official wrap of the season soon... Until then, I wish you some perfect moments,
Liz