Season 447 - Like a Virgin

Thank you for hosting and for the inspiring theme!

I have not thought about this song since I was a virginal teen hanging out in the bowling alley in my little home town of Nyssa in Eastern Oregon.

 
Hello, Rob! Meeting this week's initial challenge, this is the first song I ever did on The Seasons, at the end of March, 2016, for Season 215. Having lurked for a little while, my arm was finally twisted to actually attempt something, and the subject of Jon's week was songs with very few chords ... ideal for a beginner! This song has two chords, G and D7. (Oh, and another "first" ... this is the first song I have ever performed while sitting on a horse!)

 
Thanks for hosting Rob.This is my simple instrumental arrangement of the kurt weill September song.The month I was born in.
 
Thanks all! What great stuff to wake up to!

The play list is up to date

My first song for the seasons was just under two years ago. I did The Hearse Song for Season 345: Hey There Little Insect in September 2018. Easy to remember what it was and about when (I knew my second was around Hallowe'en), but I had to look up the details!

Edit: I shouldn't have bragged on my memory - it was my third for Hallowe'en 2018!
 
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The very first video I did on YouTube was for my first Season (20 in 2012) It was called "You Bring out the Devil in Me" and while it was a deliberate attempt to get a 40s feel going, it also had a 40s feel to the lyrics with a beautiful woman being blamed for the narrator's failings. So when I saw the theme I knew what I needed to do - I wanted to present the other side of that coin - the wonderful influence that the love of a good partner can have on you - in this case Carmen on me.

It is also being played on my latest Ukulele Acquisition - a John Daniel Pixie Sopranino

So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy:

 
Thanks for hosting, Rob!

Over 30 years ago, when I was still a boy, me and a couple of mates formed our first band. Hamo was a decent guitarist so we decided he should be on the drums. I'd recently taken up the bass so lead guitar seemed the logical choice for me. Reg didn't have any obvious musical leanings in any way but he did have great enthusiasm, awful dress sense and a love of annoying people as much as he could so he was a shoe in for the bass. After a quick brainstorming session trying to come up with the world's worst band name, The Groovers With Hoovers were born and, unhindered by any discernible talent, we set about writing some songs.
We borrowed a Tascam 4 track porta-studio from school and produced our first release - Bigfoot Stole My Girlfriend - a five song cassette (3 other originals and a Black Sabbath cover) which we flogged to our poor unsuspecting friends.
It was never going to win an Ivor Novello award but, as the first song we ever wrote, it will always hold a special place in my heart.



It's also the first time I've ever played it on the uke.
 
Fun theme and hilarious opening vid!

How many of us know what the song is without having to look it up?

How many *don't* remember? Mine was "'Deed I Do", for Season 84, which had a very non-specific theme (for which I was very grateful, having been playing only 4 weeks at the time, and that was really the only song I knew!).

I already redid it once for "Do It Again But Better" Season, so we'll see if I have anything new to bring to it - is been a while.

I remember, it was "Summerwine". I believe the season was 202. It was duet theme, was fotunate enough that Linda Louden was kind enough to collaborate with a first time participant. Compared to all other videos I have posted this has far more views, more than 10 times the views of the runner up. It is good to be in good company!

I think trying to redo that song is hard.

It *was* 202 - I hosted that Season! (With Uke On! duo partner Neil). Between the Season number and us being a duo, that kinda had to be the theme.

I remember that video ... yours was great! Kudos to you - that was not an easy theme for a first-timer, and you killed it.

I have not thought about this song since I was a virginal teen hanging out in the bowling alley in my little home town of Nyssa in Eastern Oregon.
<Feels Like the First Time - Foreigner>

1) This was awesome.
2) The moment I saw the title, and the song started playing in my head, and having just listened to the two versions of "Like a Virgin", I immediately thought, OMG, they're almost the same tune - needs to be a mashup! Thank you for going there, so I don't have to....

Over 30 years ago, when I was still a boy, me and a couple of mates formed our first band. Hamo was a decent guitarist so we decided he should be on the drums. I'd recently taken up the bass so lead guitar seemed the logical choice for me. Reg didn't have any obvious musical leanings in any way but he did have great enthusiasm, awful dress sense and a love of annoying people as much as he could so he was a shoe in for the bass. After a quick brainstorming session trying to come up with the world's worst band name, The Groovers With Hoovers were born and, unhindered by any discernible talent, we set about writing some songs.
We borrowed a Tascam 4 track porta-studio from school and produced our first release - Bigfoot Stole My Girlfriend - a five song cassette (3 other originals and a Black Sabbath cover) which we flogged to our poor unsuspecting friends.
It was never going to win an Ivor Novello award but, as the first song we ever wrote, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

This is just about my favorite thing ever. How can I get the full Groovers With Hoovers tape?
 
Since parody lyrics is one of your options, and I just wrote and recorded this today, here's "Vibranium", my parody of "Titanium" celebrating the heroic life of recently departed Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. (I also made a video of "Titanium" over at 446.)

I've been planning this all week for Ryan's 446 "Rock & Metal" - just squeaked it in over there. I hope you both are okay with me posting it in both places.

I used to love coming up with clever songs on Sunday that fit both themes ... this one was a happy accident.

SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen "Black Panther".



I'll see what else I might bring you this week ... whether "'Deed I Do" is due a redo ... or that "Feels Like a Virgin the First Time" mashup can't help itself ... or ... well, there's also a parody of one of those that'd be fun....

Code:
Vibranium (Titanium parody)
Chords & Lyrics

INTRO:  C-G-Am-Am x 2

VERSE:  C-G-Am-Am
We're hiding out
We have the strongest metal in the world
Behind a cloud, in Africa
We can't be found
We pretend we're just a dirt-poor land
If you found us out, there'd be a war

CHORUS:  F-G-Em7-Am
We have the best ... technology
We have remote-driving cars
We have the suits, they're bulletproof
They look like a necklace until
You need them, then they appear
We have vibranium
We can do ... anything
We have vibranium

SOLO:  F-G-Em7-Am x 2

VERSE:  C-G-Am-Am
I am the King
I became King when my father died
I won the challenge, I nearly died
I drank the herb ... my father appeared in a dream
He told me that, I would succeed

CHORUS:  F-G-Em7-Am
My sister's lab, gave me the suit
She invents everything
My girlfriend's a spy who
Saves other Africans
Our warriors ... are Amazons
We have vibranium
My cousin is Killmonger
He wants our vibranium

SOLO:  F-G-Em7-Am x 2

BRIDGE:  F-G-Em7-Am
Wakanda, forever
Black Panther will save the day
And then we ... will save the whole world

CHORUS:  F-G-Em7-Am / F-G-Am-Am
We'll share it ... with everyone
We'll share our vibranium
We'll start a ... foundation
To share our vibranium
We'll end all ... racism
'Cause we have vibranium
The UN won't listen
But we have vibranium

F-G-Em7-Am / F-G-Em7-Am / Am
We have vibranium
We have vibranium (end on Am)
 
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For Season of the Ukulele 447, “Like a Virgin”, I’ve chosen to play a segment from the incredible “Tubular Bells” record by Mike Oldfield, which came out in 1973.

Tubular Bells was the initial release of the Virgin record label, which has gone on to become one of the most powerful corporations in the world: the Virgin Group. TB was one of those records that everybody had in their collection. Even though it was an instrumental (apart from Vivian Stanshall’s instrument introductions), it was a very popular seller, and the revenues from the record kept Virgin going through the lean early years.

In the 1970s, Virgin records was a label which issued music from a diverse group of artists. A theme focused on songs from Virgin records would be an incredible season of the ukulele (and believe it or not, that’s what I thought this season was before I read the description thoroughly LOL).

Here’s a link to an interesting article on Mike Oldfield and the early days of Virgin:https://www.whathifi.com/us/features/how-tubular-bells-built-virgin-empire

This arrangement is drawn from a brief part of side two of Tubular Bells. Played on tenor ukulele, with overdubs of second tenor ukulele and Ashbory Ubass.

 
Hello again, Rob! Sticking with two-chord songs (the theme for the first Season in which I participated), I came up with this one, apparently considered, by some, to be one of the worst songs of all time! I could have used the opportunity to make a "virgin" attempt at line dancing, but there was no way I could fit on the screen; just as well, really, as I haven't got the faintest idea how to do it.

 
I hope you both are okay with me posting it in both places.
"The code is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.” So long as it drives towards the shared musical experience all's good!
Love the idea of mashing up the season concepts, and it's a fun result!
 
The Playlist is up-to-date for the morning here in Sunny Seattle. Some great stuff new for this season, and they've prompted several dives down older stuff. Some for the better (checking out the old seasons!) and some for the worse. Yeah, I had to listen to much of the worst-song list... a few that I really like (I don't claim great taste), and then a few others that I couldn't make it through: "Alexa! Stop! Stop! The pain!". The best thing about the Counting Crowes' version of Big Yellow Taxi is the Village Voice's absolutely brutal review archived on Joni Mitchell's page.
 


As mentioned earlier, my first season was season 108, six and a half years ago. This is one of the songs I played that week.

Since then I've had two kids, got married, moved house three times, started wearing glasses, changed job countless times and put on a few stone. But I reckon my playing and singing has improved massively thanks to you guys. Decided to do a one-taker with my Dolphin, like I did back in the day.

Here is the link to the first time I played this. It's fkn awful.

https://youtu.be/zD1h27M1ci0
 
Looking like a great start to your first season as Host Rob :) Here is a first time collaboration for me here with my friends Richard and Grant. It's also a new original song Richard shared with us yesterday. This our second take, with Richard and I adding a few over dubs afterwords. Richard Blackett's song is called Temptations ~

 
Here's the first song I ever learned on a uke. A cousin left her uke at our house circa 1958 or 59 and I learned a few chords and tunes.
It's also my first video on a banjolele; a Slingerland May Belle that was given to me by a friend, Jim Bowskill. Jim is 46 years younger than I am,but we have music in common. Jim's 30th birthday is in September.


Sorry this is so long, but the second last verse is the best, so please don't quit early.
 
I'm loving the mix of different styles and moods here! The playlist is up to date. I'm going to have to listen to Jim's again when I'm somewhere quieter as I wasn't able to make out the words. I really want to hear that second last verse!
 
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