Season 435 - Earworms

SOTU 435 - Ear Worms - David Bromberg classic that's tough to get out of your head. Apologies for the banjolele distortion. I'm still figuring out proper levels with external microphone and the banjolele is a loud little sucker!
 
I was scratching my head wondering what to do when yesterday morning this randomly popped into my head. I did consider trying a DelGriff on it given its origins as an 80s synth group song but when looking on You Tube I found a stripped down version by Curt Smith of Tears for Fears and his daughter that they had recorded at home during CV19 lockdown and Gary Jules stripped down piano version so I thought "stripped down works" and that's what I've done. I did attempt the opening riff which fitted quite nicely on the baritone.
Video was also taken earlier this week by the sea at Saltburn. My wife and I ventured out for a little trip to the coast and sat and watched the surfers.
 
Chelle has the same orange Waterman ukulele as me and we thought to do a song together with our ukes the other day.

The thing is, my Waterman has developed a buzzing on the 3rd string which I could not fix. So I started writing a silly song with the line " There's a buzzing on my Waterman that I cannot fix." As for the last line, it was something that my nephew Gylan wrote in his visual journal when he was 7. It cracked me up when I saw it.

I recorded this with my buzzing Waterman, using an app called Walk Band on my phone. I added some Music Box thing too. Chelle added more uke and some wonderful harmonies, and mixed the audio down. She also made this sweet video with photos from both of us.

Here's the lyrics :
There's a (C)buzzing on my Waterman (C7)
(F)That I cannot (C)fix

There's a ringing in my ears (C7) (F)my mama's calling (G7)me
I'm (C)going to make myself a drink (C7)
(F)A genuine Singapore (G7) Sling

The (C)frog do a chin up
The (F)bee bent a knee
The (C)cat goes screeching...
(G7)make our country great against everybody~

(C)Lala deedee (F)laladee
(C)Lala deedee (G7)laladee
(C)Lala deedee (F)laladee
(C)Lala deedee (G7)laladee~

When I grow up I'm gonna save my (C)world~

Thank you Chelle for your touch of love and magic.
And thank you Ylle for hosting.
Hope everyone is well.

 
bird's eye view of my ukelele said:
i watched a film on telly on sunday night, "smashing time", from 1967, in which lynn redgrave and rita tushingham travel down to london and get caught up in the swinging sixties scene there. the film was mad as a box of frogs, a shed load of fun, and i enjoyed every minute of it! it was also full of songs, and this one, the single that lynn redgrave's character records when she gets a music deal, has really got stuck in my head. so i thought i'd bring it to the season! guessing at some chords here with the help of chordify... and changing a lyric or two to make it more about ukuleles.......

"while i'm still young"...
Click to expand...




I watched the movie too. It was on again on Tuesday night. All BEV says about it is true. "Makes comic spoofs like Austin Powers look understated in the “grooviness” stakes!" Among the madder aspects is Michael York's 'cockernee' accent (his big screen début, btw). Screenplay was by George Melly, though, so the gay scene is particularly well-observed (homosexuality had been decriminalised only 6 months before release, i.e., during filming) & there's a whole load of in-jokes. For example the characters' names, "Brenda" (Rita Tushingham) & "Yvonne" (Lynn Redgrave), were also Private Eye's nicknames for HMQ & her sister, Princess Margaret; and loads of characters were given surnames taken from Jabberwocky.
Lots of exterior scenes were shot on location, so it's also a real snapshot of London in 1967. Railway buffs should look out for one brief shot of the demolition of the old Euston station.
The good news is it's on YT for you all to watch (just click on the poster). And lynda's got her cover of "I'm So Young" just about spot-on. :)
 
redpaul1 said:
I watched the movie too. It was on again on Tuesday night. All BEV says about it is true. "Makes comic spoofs like Austin Powers look understated in the “grooviness” stakes!" Among the madder aspects is Michael York's 'cockernee' accent (his big screen début, btw). Screenplay was by George Melly, though, so the gay scene is particularly well-observed (homosexuality had been decriminalised only 6 months before release, i.e., during filming) & there's a whole load of in-jokes. For example the characters' names, "Brenda" (Rita Tushingham) & "Yvonne" (Lynn Redgrave), were also Private Eye's nicknames for HMQ & her sister, Princess Margaret; and loads of characters were given surnames taken from Jabberwocky.
Lots of exterior scenes were shot on location, so it's also a real snapshot of London in 1967. Railway buffs should look out for one brief shot of the demolition of the old Euston station.
The good news is it's on YT for you all to watch (just click on the poster). And lynda's got her cover of "I'm So Young" just about spot-on. :)
Click to expand...

I am wondering why I have never seen - or even heard of - this film! Was it on Film Four? If so, I wonder whether it will be repeated ... I love to see films which show glimpses of a long-gone London. (Completely unable to watch it on YT ... shame!)
 
LimousinLil said:
I am wondering why I have never seen - or even heard of - this film! Was it on Film Four? If so, I wonder whether it will be repeated ... I love to see films which show glimpses of a long-gone London. (Completely unable to watch it on YT ... shame!)
Click to expand...

It was on Talking Pictures TV. Don't know when it will be back again. You haven't heard of it because it sank without trace on release (lost around £300,000, 1968 money). The blog Dandy In Aspic's review opens with a quote from another movie, The Limey (1999), that really sums up the problem the film had in attracting an audience:
Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda) said:
"Did you ever dream about a place you never really recall being to before? A place that maybe only exists in your imagination? Some place far away, half remembered when you wake up. When you were there, though, you knew the language. You knew your way around. That was the sixties....

No. It wasn't that either. It was just '66 and early '67. That's all there was....."
Click to expand...

The movie was released Dec 27, the day after Boxing Day, 1967. Of course in those days, the sales didn't begin till January, so this was a popular date for new releases. The problem was, as the quote illustrates, the 'scene' it depicted was over, in fact had been over for nearly a year.
But if you're interested in the location shots, Reelstreets.com can help you :)
 
Thanks Joo and Chelle for the story behind your song,it really brightened up a bit of a down morning
 
RAB11 said:
First comment? Wonderful snapshot of London when it was still part of England:wallbash:
Click to expand...

:( Whoever wrote that must have mentally blocked "2nd Exquisite."

Edit: also, weirdly, although I do see the one you quote, that's not the top comment in my YT feed. I have jasperhappy's reminiscences of being an extra on the film.
 
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A great theme, after I was haunted for days by a song of choice some seasons before.
This song is from Gus Backus, an American GI in the 1950s, who remained in Germany. He was very popular in the 1960s, especially his little accent sounds very pleasant and met the spirit of times.
This one I've translated to support memory for native speakers - may be the worm with you.

 
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kolibri said:
... Btw, I noticed that several earworms can be stuck in one's head at the same time, making mash-ups and potpourris. :)
Click to expand...

BTW instead of getting a potpourri from several songs, my melody seems to shrink to one or two and faster getting lines, which tends to stay for the night. As long as the song is fine, it's ok, but sometimes other songs are drilling :wtf:
 
A sci-fi love song about wormholes and how to use them to get to the one you love (weeoriginal)
 
PeteS said:
Thanks Joo and Chelle for the story behind your song,it really brightened up a bit of a down morning
Click to expand...


Hi, Pete! Thanks for sharing this; I am so glad to learn that you feel it brightened things up for you! When Joo sent me her song, it really uplifted me a lot to hear it! :)

Thank you so much, Joo, for making this collab with me — it was so fun to put this project together with you! Your creativity is absolutely amazing! I also want to thank you, Joo, again, for the lovely ukulele lady portrait you did of me (included in the video) — I adore it!!!
 
My friend Jon's rendition of Bang a Gong last week made me think of Bang on the Drum (or uke), by Todd Rundgren
 
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