Season 497: Wunderbar!

[LimousinLil]

Hello again, Ylle! And what an exciting new Forum this is! I had a feeling that someone should do this song, given the week's title and, since no one else has volunteered, I felt beholden. I am afraid that Howard Keel is only window-dressing here ... his agent loaned him to me on the condition that he didn't actually sing, so this is a solo. However, whilst researching various versions on YT, I came across a most extraordinary woman called Zarah Leander, a Swedish singer who, apparently, sang this song at all her performances. Her story is a strange one. Apparently she moved to Germany, where she became very popular, in the mid-1930s and stayed there through most of the Second World War ... and her reputation never really recovered as a result of this. Her voice deepened as she grew older, and went from androgynous to baritone in her later years. She became something of a caricature of her former self and was a gay icon. Here is a link to one of her performances (far more interesting than mine!) ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMCl2J9xGOg
Anyway, somewhat in the style of Zarah L., here is "Wunderbar!" ...

 

[Canada Jim]

[B]La Vie En Rose[/B] - inspired by Bob Bossin. (This may not be word for word the way Bob sang it, but as close as I can recall.)

This one has more than one word in another language. It's a song with a bunch of French words thrown in, not because they teach a lesson or tell a story or express a feeling, but because they rhyme (sorta) or fit.

 

[lizbrinker]

Bonjour, Ylle! Here is one more with a language other than my native language in the title. C'est Magnifique, written by Cole Porter for 1953's Can-Can. I had to consult a cousin of mine who is a fluent French speaker for a pronunciation consult, so... I hope it's not too embarrassing.

C'est Magnifique
Cole Porter
1953

 

[LimousinLil]

This is by way of an experiment, Ylle! I tried to post a vid yesterday afternoon and it hasn't gone up because I am apparently "waiting moderator approval." If this post goes up, then I might try to repost it.

 

[LimousinLil]

This is by way of an experiment, Ylle! I tried to post a vid yesterday afternoon and it hasn't gone up because I am apparently "waiting moderator approval." If this post goes up, then I might try to repost it.

Oh, it DOES seem to have gone up ... does this mean that my previous post is visible?

 

[Canada Jim]

Oh, it DOES seem to have gone up ... does this mean that my previous post is visible?

I can see Bubbles In My Beer. Is that the one you meant Val?

 

[LimousinLil]

I can see Bubbles In My Beer. Is that the one you meant Val?

Oh, thanks for having a look, Jim! No ... I posted another one yesterday. I think I'll repost it now.

 

[LimousinLil]

Hello again, Ylle! I tried to post this yesterday afternoon, but I was "awaiting moderator approval," so it hasn't actually turned up ... if the original reappears, I'm sorry. Anyway, I had a feeling that someone should do this song, given the week's title, and, since no one else has volunteered, I felt it was my duty. I am afraid that Howard Keel is only window-dressing here ... his agent loaned him to me on the condition that he didn't actually sing; so this is a solo. However, whilst researching various versions of "Wunderbar!" on YT - I was only familiar with it through the film - I came across a most extraordinary woman called Zarah Leander, a Swedish singer who, apparently, sang this song at all her performances. Her story is a strange one. She moved to Germany, where she became very popular, in the mid-1930s and stayed there through most of the Second World War - which cast a stigma on her reputation from which it never really recovered. Her voice deepened as she grew older, and went from androgynous to baritone in her later years. She became something of a camp caricature of her former self and, as a result, a gay icon. Here is a link to one of her performances (far more interesting than mine!) ,,,
So, somewhat in the style of Zarah L., here is "Wunderbar!" ....

 

[LimousinLil]

Sorry, I just realised that I couldn't add the link to the splendid Zarah Leander! Here it is

 

[Barbablanca]

Hi all,

While we were away, we stayed for a couple of days on an Organic Farm in the middle of nowhere (actually... in Navarre).
The hosts of the Airbnb were wonderful and so was their dog "Harry"- who I was so impressed by I wrote a song for him.
As he is the world's friendliest dog, I thought his Genus should be in Latin -so he's Harry (Canem Amicissima). If that isn't enough of a connection with this week's theme, then consider this: the Farm/Ranch is entered by a ranch style gate. As many ranches were called "Bar XXX" - I hope you'll like this song written at "Bar Curly Creek".

 

[kolibri]

Hello again! I'm so glad that the forum migration went well, without bigger hiccups, and we can continue our Wunderbar Season.

Currently there are 40 fine songs on the playlist and we still have the whole weekend to add new entries. French language has been popular lately, but surely there are some bar songs we haven't heard yet. And maybe a miracle or two will happen?

New Seasonistas and former Seasonistas are very welcome to join in. Post a song, make your own miracle.

 

[hendulele]

Looks as if the new forum offers many more options. Well done, folks!

 

[Mezcalero]

Hi Ylle, thanks so much for hosting! Van Morrison said this song is based on real events that took place when he was 12 years old. He said time stood still for about 5 minutes and he was in 'another dimension'. Having COVID was a reminder for me to slow down and cherish every moment and enjoy the simple things we are blessed with every day. Thanks to my friends Chuck and Richard for humoring me ~

 

[Barbablanca]

My second (and probably final) song this week was written back in 1986 in preparation for the 400th Anniversary of the failure of the Spanish Armada. It tells the story of the disaster from the point of view of one of the surviving sailors who managed to eventually get back home.

The Spanish were so confident of total victory that they called those who sailed off on the expedition "Las Felicísimas" - literally "The Happiest Ones" - but perhaps we'd translate it as "The Fortunate Ones", because these invaders would return home as conquering heroes. Didn't quite work out that way. Incidentally, if you wanted to read an alternative history in which the invasion did succeed, read John Brunner's "Times without Number". Any New Yorkers here would have found themselves living in New Castile.

I hope you enjoy:




PS Looks like the new forum no longer truncates "funny symbols" from other languages, etc.

 

[Joko]

I was going to take my extension of the Thornton rule (I honestly thought it had the word BAR in it) another step and do the Weird Al version of this song, but start with the original. It deserves it.

 

[merlin666]

This is my first entry and maybe second recording of myself. So apologies for poor quality this is one take on phone and I don't know how to edit or improve the sound of this.

 

[good_uke_boy]

Hi. Just played this a couple of days ago for my gal on her birthday. Thanks.

 

[Canada Jim]

Another bar-room song from Thom Case - Hair Of The Dog That Bit Me

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

playing the uke when they body won't obey

 

[bird's eye view of my ukelele]

homemade song inspired by the X-files episode "kitsunegari" ("fox hunt" in japanese)...