John Prine song contest

[mikelz777]

I was looking through my songbooks and I was surprised at how many John Prine songs I have in there. Listening to the videos I may have to add a few more! This thread may compel me to figure out how to post videos here so I can join in! I only have my iphone to record on so I'm guessing I'd have to download the YouTube app onto my phone and go from there? I recorded a couple of test videos and they were kind of hard to listen to. I don't sound the same in the videos as I do in my head. The sound quality isn't that great either but it's what I have. I'll have to try and figure it out. I'd kind of like to do the latest SOTU too!

 

[joo]

I was looking through my songbooks and I was surprised at how many John Prine songs I have in there. Listening to the videos I may have to add a few more! This thread may compel me to figure out how to post videos here so I can join in! I only have my iphone to record on so I'm guessing I'd have to download the YouTube app onto my phone and go from there? I recorded a couple of test videos and they were kind of hard to listen to. I don't sound the same in the videos as I do in my head. The sound quality isn't that great either but it's what I have. I'll have to try and figure it out. I'd kind of like to do the latest SOTU too!

sounds exciting, mikelz777!
You don't have to have the YouTube app to log into YouTube and create a channel and upload videos.
You can do it on the web version on your phone browser.
But a YouTube app makes things easier to navigate, so i'd recommend that!

Iphones do have pretty decent built-in mics. I think it depends on the place you record the video, and the proximity of the phone to you and the uke.
I usually place my phone sorta at an elevated position nearer to my face as I don't sing loudly, so I need the phone mic to catch as much of my voice as possible. and I don't want the uke to drown out my vocal.
Best is to have the phone near to you. (if you don't sing loudly)

I am looking forward to your videos! And I can't wait for you to join the SOTU! I am hosting next week and I look forward to your entries!

I sometimes read your posts on WHAT ARE YOU READING? It would be nice to meet you through your playing and singing too.

The part you said : I don't sound the same in the videos as I do in my head.
It was the same for me too. But after listening to my own recordings enough times, I got used to the recorded version of my voice. I think you will too. I still can't listen to my speaking voice, but that is what people I talk to have to live with! :---D

 

[Renaissance-Man]

Today's John Prine song is Dear Abby. It's another one of John's many humorous songs.



Dear Abby, dear Abby
My feet are too long
My hair's falling out and my rights are all wrong
My friends they all tell me that I've no friends at all
Won't you write me a letter, won't you give me a call?

Signed bewildered
Bewildered, bewildered
You have no complaint
You are what your are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

Dear Abby, dear Abby
My fountain pen leaks
My wife hollers at me and my kids are all freaks
Every side I get up on is the wrong side of bed
If it weren't so expensive I'd wish I were dead

Signed unhappy
Unhappy, unhappy
You have no complaint
You are what your are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

Dear Abby, dear Abby
You won't believe this
But my stomach makes noises whenever I kiss
My girlfriend tells me it's all in my head
But my stomach tells me to write you instead

Signed noise-maker
Noise-maker, noise-maker
You have no complaint
You are what your are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

Dear Abby, dear Abby
Well I never thought
That me and my girlfriend would ever get caught
We were sitting in the backseat just shooting the breeze
With her hair up in curlers and her pants to her knees

Signed just married
Just married, just married
You have no complaint
You are what your are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood

Signed, dear Abby

 

[Canada Jim]

Far Far From Me John Prine

 

[mikelz777]

I figured out how to inflict, I mean share, my videos! First ever video submission! For better or for worse, here's my rendition of Grandpa Was A Carpenter.

 

[mikelz777]

I know there's been multiple submissions of this song already but here's my take on Please Don't Bury Me.

 

[dr_mitch]

I recorded this for Seasons of the Ukulele, so I thought I’d submit a cross entry here.

I’ve got more John Prine songs, so I can try another (specific to this contest).

 

[mikelz777]

Clay Pigeons is a song written by Blaze Foley but it certainly sounds like something John Prine could have written. He liked the song enough to cover it on his Fair & Square album.

 

[mikelz777]

And this is one of John's own, Aimless Love.

 

[Canada Jim]

That's The Way That The World Goes Round - John Prine

 

[mikelz777]

Paradise (John Prine's song, not my rendition... )

 

[ukulele extra cheese]

 

[joo]

Renaissance-Man / Be My Friend Tonight
haha! I can imagine the twinkle in the eyes of Shel and John.

Renaissance-Man / Dear Abby
his friends tell him he has no friends at all? haha, that's classic. Never heard this before, great song!

Canada Jim / Far, Far From Me
very melancholic yeah. great story song. argh, people need to listen to songs like this ONE TIME and then put them away. too melancholic! But Jim, you do this super wonderfully, and I will listen to this more than once! That outro you did was so pretty!

mikelz777 / Grandpa Was A Carpenter
YAY!!!! Welcome to the John Prine contest! You play and sound great, Scott. SO stoked you got your first video submission done! I really enjoyed listening to you! Thank you, sir! (That uke looks so pretty.)

mikelz777 / Please Don't Bury Me
this song is stuck in my head for days now....Thank goodness your version is so lovely it still sounds like I am listening to this for the first time! Wonderful, Scott! fabulous strumming you got there!

dr_mitch / I Have Met My Love Today
so cool, Paul.This is a lovely one take wonder, indeed! I love simple songs, simplicity rocks. Nice tee and hat too.(that uke sounds and looks pretty sweet as well) Thank you for joining in on the JP contest!

mikelz777 / Clay Pigeons
wow, i really like the warmth of this uke as compared to your other uke I heard. You are really easy to listen to, sir. Nice vocals and skillful, steady strumming. I think this is a sensitive, heartfelt rendition. Thank you so much! I have added this to the JP playlist.

mikelz777 / Aimless Love
Oh, I love your voice and singing. You sounded free and light here! I think your voice totally brings out the beauty of the song!

Canada Jim / That's The Way That The World Goes Round
I can listen to you all day! Have I already told you that like 5 times? (haha!) Everything you do just sounds like magic. You play JP so beautifully. Thank you, Jim!

mikelz777 / Paradise
Another wonderful rendition from you, Scott! I just paid attention to the lyrics. Great song. Glad I started this contest which really is just an excuse for JP admirers like yourself to play and share his songs. Thank you for this, sir. Don't stop playing! We have till 2nd October.

ukulele extra cheese / Rocky Mountain Time
how nice to see and hear you here, Mr Cheese! You and your distinct sound and style always brighten up any thread, although the curtains in your room are always shut. Dunno this one, sounds really awesome from you, sir. Thank your for joining in the JP contest thing! More please!

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

I figured out how to inflict, I mean share, my videos! First ever video submission! For better or for worse, here's my rendition of Grandpa Was A Carpenter.

Ahhh. Thank you for posting GWAC! So many great JP tunes but this one holds special significance for me, and I still intend to contribute my far less polished solo.

You see, my paternal grandpa really was a carpenter (and later a mason, a high school vocational construction teacher, farmer and beekeeper). Though he never built a bank, he built houses, stores and, in 1939, supervised the crew that laid the foundation for the white marble Pickens County GA courthouse in Jasper.

William Coleman Blackwell was born in 1900 and served back to back draftee hitches in the US Army and USMC during the waning years of WW1. My dad was the 2nd eldest son and third child of a family that eventually included 10 children.

Though he never wore a suit to dinner (or to breakfast, for that matter), he put many a penny in burned out fuses and once built his own Jon boat. His home made pokeberry wine was a hit with customers all over the region who swore by it as a remedy for rheumatism, general stress and sobriety. He sold goats milk through an ad in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin for half a century. What a character!

 

[mikelz777]

Ahhh. Thank you for posting GWAC! So many great JP tunes but this one holds special significance for me, and I still intend to contribute my far less polished solo.

You see, my paternal grandpa really was a carpenter (and later a mason, a high school vocational construction teacher, farmer and beekeeper). Though he never built a bank, he built houses, stores and, in 1939, supervised the crew that laid the foundation for the white marble Pickens County GA courthouse in Jasper.

William Coleman Blackwell was born in 1900 and served back to back draftee hitches in the US Army and USMC during the waning years of WW1. My dad was the 2nd eldest son and third child of a family that eventually included 10 children.

Though he never wore a suit to dinner (or to breakfast, for that matter), he put many a penny in burned out fuses and once built his own Jon boat. His home made pokeberry wine was a hit with customers all over the region who swore by it as a remedy for rheumatism, general stress and sobriety. He sold goats milk through an ad in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin for half a century. What a character!

Your grandpa sounds like a character deserving his own song!

 

[mikelz777]

Donald and Lydia - Those of you who are familiar with the song may have noticed that I made a minor change to the lyrics. I felt that the original was unnecessarily cruel and the change made it less so but conveyed the same message.

 

[mikelz777]

Flashback Blues - This one's just fun to sing and play!

 

[joo]

Donald and Lydia - Those of you who are familiar with the song may have noticed that I made a minor change to the lyrics. I felt that the original was unnecessarily cruel and the change made it less so but conveyed the same message.

I was paying attention to the lyrics and what you had changed. The song still stands powerfully with its message. This seems so relevant today where the only connections that many of us are comfortable making are with people behind a computer or phone screen.

 

[joo]

Flashback Blues - This one's just fun to sing and play!

are those Worth Clears? This is lovely, Scott!

 

[mikelz777]

are those Worth Clears? This is lovely, Scott!

They are what originally came with the uke which is a Rebel. I think the Rebels come with their own "Rebel" branded fluorocarbon strings. They are very likely to be quite similar to Worth clears.